You took a drink from your soda and started to scroll through your phone. You were sitting on your bed with Cupid who was currently reading through a magazine she had brought with her. It was Sunday, meaning it would be back to school tomorrow.
Cupid: Do you think this is a good look?
Cupid held up the magazine to show you the model. It was a vampire. You had gotten used to Monster Based Media, MBM for short, long before you joined Monster High. You mostly had old literature or whatever the Monsters and Ghouls had on hand to offer you while you were around.
You recalled spending a week in Scaris where you were given a beautiful art book with truly unique drawings and designs. You cherished it closely.
Y/N: Looks good.
Cupid: Yeah, it does. Probably not my color, but I like the design.
You nodded in agreement.
You both looked up when you heard a knock on your door.
Y/N: Come in!
The door opened and Bloodgood poked her head in. Literally. She was just holding her head.
Bloodgood: Are you two all good in here.
You gave a thumbs up while Cupid nodded.
Bloodgood: Great to know. I was informed that we may be receiving a new student tomorrow. I could use your assistance if you're free.
Y/N: Yeah, of course.
Bloodgood: Perfect. You two enjoy your date now!
Bloodgood closed the door while you and Cupid sat there in silence. You had told her that this wasn't a date, but apparently she didn't care.
Cupid: New student, huh? I wonder who it could be.
You didn't know, but you always liked meeting new people. This should be fun.
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Bright and early Monday morning, the well-worn wrought-iron gates to Monster High creaked open to a fast-approaching blitz of bodies. Amid the throngs of monster students was a petite gray gargoyle outfitted in a delightful pink linen dress with a Scaremès scarf wrapped stylishly around her waist as a belt.
Moving carefully through the crowd, the young girl minded her Louis Creton luggage and her pet griffin, Roux, but mostly her own two hands. As gargoyles are crafted of stone, they are burdened with both extreme heaviness and terribly sharp claws. And the last thing she wanted to do was snag her dress on the first day at a new school.
???: Pardonnez-moi, madame, I do not wish to impose upon your business, but might you be looking for this?
The new student bent down, picked up a raven-haired head with crimson lips, and handed it to the imposing headless figure standing next to the main doorway.
Bloodgood: Child, thank you! I keep forgetting my head, both figuratively and literally! You see, I was recently struck by lightning, and itâs left me with a spot of what the doctor calls muddled mind. But not to worry, it wonât last forever.
Headmistress Bloodgood remounted her head on her neck.
Bloodgood: Now then, do I know you? In my current condition, I find it hard to remember faces or names or, if I am to be honest, almost anything.
Y/N: I leave for five minutes and you're already all over the place.
The new student watched as you joined Bloodgood near the door, greeting a few of the students along the way.
???: No, madame, you definitely do not know me. I am Rochelle Goyle from Scaris, and I shall be living in the new dormitory on campus.
Y/N: The new Ghoul you told me about yesterday.
Bloodgood: Oh! I am awfully thrilled that our reputation as the premier monster academy has attracted so many international students. Youâve come from Scaris, have you? However did you get here? I hope not atop the back of your sweet-faced griffin.
Bloodgood pointed to Rochelleâs peppy little pet. You already knew a enough about gargoyles to know that that wouldn't be possible.
Rochelle: Paragraph 11.5 of the Gargoyle Code of Ethics advises against sitting atop furniture, never mind pets! We came via Werewolf Hairlines, a most reliable company; the planes even come equipped with reinforced steel seats for those of us made of stone.
Rochelle looked down at her slim but weighty figure.
Rochelle: Madame, might I bother you for directions to the dormitory?
Bloodgood: Y/N, would you mind showing her to the dormitory?
You nodded. That was what you were here for.
Bloodgood: You are in good hands. Y/N here is the schoolâs new Deputy of Disaster.
Rochelle looked at you, but you only shrugged. You then smiled and took her bag for her.
Y/N: Really, I'm just a glorified Hall Monitor. Follow me.
Upon entering the hallowed halls of Monster High, Rochelle was instantly overwhelmed with a serious case of homesickness. Everything around her looked and felt terribly unfamiliar. She was used to lush fabric-covered walls, ornate gold-leafed moldings, and enormous crystal chandeliers. But then again her last school, Ãcole de Gargouille, was housed in a chateau that was once the residence of the Count of Scaris.
So, as one might expect, Rochelle was rather shocked by Monster Highâs modern purple-checkered floors, green walls, and pink coffin-shaped lockers. Not to mention the elaborately carved headstone, just inside the main doors, that reminded students it was against school policy to howl, molt fur, bolt limbs, or wake sleeping bats in the hallways.
Rochelle: Pardonnez-moi, monstieur Y/N, but are there really bats? As I am sure you know, bats can carry a wide variety of illnesses.
Her short gray legs worked overtime to keep up with you. When you noticed, you started to slow down a bit.
Y/N: Monster High employs vaccinated bats as in-house exterminators to eat rogue insects and spiders. With certain members of the student body bringing live insects for lunch, they consider the bats highly regarded members of the janitorial staff.
You then rammed into an open door and, shortly thereafter, a slow-moving zombie. The stunned zombie teetered sluggishly back and forth before collapsing to the ground, eliciting sympathetic whimpers from both Rochelle and Roux.
Y/N: Oh, crap. Sorry, Slo-Mo.
You helped the zombie up with your free hand, surprising Rochelle with your strength. Perhaps you were a vampire, then? She actually didn't know what you were. She very much struggled to place you.
Slo-Mo mumbled a thank you before shuffling off on his own. Rochelle then joined you.
Rochelle: You are very kind.
Y/N: Meh. I knocked him over in the first place.
Rochelle then followed you as you contiued walking, giving her a tour along the way.
Y/N: On your immediate right, we have the Absolutely Deranged Scientist Laboratory, which is not to be confused with the Mad and Deranged Scientist Laboratory, currently under construction in the catacombs.
Rochelle: Isnât that going to be unnecessarily confusing?
She glanced into the room filled with Bunsen burners, vials of colorful liquids, plastic safety goggles, white lab coats, and countless peculiar-looking apparatuses.
Y/N: More than you know. But, you get used to it. The laboratory is currently being used for Mad Science class. We usually just make a bunch of stuff like lotion for the scaly-skinned, antifungal drops for the pumpkin heads, fur-calming serum for the hairy, organic oil for the robotically inclined, industrial-strength mouthwash for the sea monsters, and much more. It's pretty fun.
Rochelle could tell by your tone that you were pretty interested in that class. So, maybe you were a mad scientist? She wondered if you had created a monster of some kind.
Clawdeen: Scaremès scarf as a belt? Thatâs straight out of Morgue Magazine! Totally creeperific!
You and Rochelle came to a stop when Clawdeen and Lagoona walked over. They began to admire Rochelle's chic style, which made her smile.
Y/N: Rochelle, these two are Clawdeen Wolf and Lagoona Blue.
Lagoona: Nice to meet ya.
Clawdeen: It's always nice to meet someone with such a good sense of fashion.
Rochelle: Oh! Bonjour. Merci boo-coup. It's nice to meet you both.
Y/N: We'll catch up with you two later. I have to show her to the dorms.
The girls understood and welcomed Rochelle to Monster High. You continued on with the tour.
Y/N: Next we have the bell tower, just behind which you will find the courtyard and the Creepateria, respectively. Uh, to your immediate left you have the gym, the Casketball Court, Study Howl, and finally the Creepchen, where Home Eek is taught.
You continued along.
Y/N: Here we have the graveyard, where you can fulfill your Physical Deaducation requirement with Graveyard Dancing, but of course you can also do that by joining the Skulltimate Roller Maze team, which practices next door in the maze. Next we have the dungeon, where detention is held, and finally the Libury, where both Ghoulish Literature and Monstory: The History of Monsters are taught.
Rochelle: Would it be possible to get a map?
Rochelle was very polite with Roux perched sweetly on her shoulder.
Rochelle: While I have a most remarkable brain for remembering things, Iâm all rocks and pebbles when it comes to directions.
Y/N: "Maps are for people who are afraid to get lost, or lost people who are afraid to get found." That being said.....
You pulled out a map and handed it to her.
Y/N: I'm both, sometimes.
You winked at her which would've made her blush if she wasn't made of stone.
Y/N: Plus, for the time being all you really need to know is where the Vampitheater is. There's an assembly today.
Rochelle: But I donât know where the Vampitheater is.
Y/N: Then I suggest you find out.
Rochelle: Might you tell me?
You pretended to think about it before you smirked.
Y/N: I guess I got time. Come on. We have to get to the dorms first.
After walking down a large and somewhat empty corridor, Rochelle and you came upon a worn and weathered pink spiral staircase.
Rochelle:Pardonnez-moi, monstieur, but this staircase does not look very sturdyâor up to date with general safety requirements. Paragraph 1.7 of the Gargoyle Code of Ethics clearly states that I must warn others of danger, so I am warning you now: This staircase is a menace!
Y/N: It looks worse than it is. Trust me.
While lugging Rochelle's Louis Creton suitcase up the rose-colored staircase, which groaned mercilessly under your weight, Rochelle felt yet another pang of homesickness. She suddenly missed everything about home, from the Gothic arches of her favorite cathedral to the smooth yet surly manner in which Scarisians spoke.
But perhaps most of all, especially while wtching you carting her heavy bag, she missed her boyfriend, Garrott DuRoque. He was as handsome as he was romantic. And while they had never sat next to each other on a bench for fear of its collapsing, they shared a great deal more, including a rosebush he had created in her honor.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Rochelle was met with a welcome and delightful distraction. Before her hung an intricately woven off-white curtain crafted out of thin, silky strands. Shimmering in the soft light, the material delighted Rochelleâs deep-seated love of fashion and fabrics. She wondered if she would be able to commission a scarf for her grand-mère, as Rochelle was sure she too would marvel at the material.
The petite gargoyleâs gray fingers, adorned with two Gothic fleur-de-lis rings, hovered a mere inch from the fabric. Oh, how she longed to touch the magnificent material, but she didnât dare, for fear that her claws would snag it, as they had so many fine fabrics in the past.
In a flash, you had thrust a knife against the delicate, finely woven shroud, ripping it in two.
Rochelle: Quelle horreur!
Rochelle squealed at the sight of the destroyed material.
Y/N: Don't worry. It grows back in seconds.
You pointed to a cavalry of spiders frantically weaving above their heads. Twenty quarter-sized black spiders furiously flung their legs about in an arachnid cancan, reproducing the curtain within moments. And while Rochelle had never been terribly fond of the eight-legged creatures, mostly because they often attempted to take up residency on gargoyles without asking, she was impressed by this groupâs efficient manner of working.
Y/N: They get bored when they don't have anything to do. Most students that stay at the dorms usually tear the webs so that they can remake them.
Rochelle was confused by this, but the spiders did indeed seem happy.
The dormitory was a long and sumptuous corridor with moss-covered walls and colorful stained-glass windows that cast bright squares of light on the silver snakeskin floor. The soft emerald-colored moss grew unevenly across the walls, creating a visible topography with peaks and valleys. Rogue wisps of webbing wrapped around small mounds of greenery hinted at regular spider treks.
Y/N: Mr. Dâeath, the schoolâs guidance counselor, is currently checking in the boarders.
You led Rochelle past several doors to a sitting area just off the corridor.
Y/N: Follow the rules and you wonât have any problems.
Rochelle:Iâm a gargoyle; we love rules. As a matter of fact, we often make up new ones just for fun.
You slowly nodded.
Y/N: Weird, but who am I to complain?
Rochelle: Uh, before we move on, I never did quite get you whole name.
You realized she was right. You never technically introduced yourself. You turned to her and straightened your jacket.
Y/N: Right. It's nice to meet you, Rochelle. My name is Y/N Van Helsing.