Sporting a most miserable expression, Mr. Dâeath, a middle-aged skeleton, shuffled into the waiting area. He was the physical and mental embodiment of melancholy, so much so that he could not even recall the last time he had smiled, let alone laughed. Standing with hunched shoulders and a low-hanging head, Mr. Dâeath attempted to wrangle the students lingering nearby.
However, instead of simply calling to them or even whistling at them, he sighed. And though the sighs began softly, they soon grew quite loud and aggressive. Why, the man was practically wailing before he was able to rally the monsters into a small group around him.
You had lead Rochelle to the Vampitheater where the other students who had applied for the dorms had gathered. Bloodgood couldn't take everyone into her home, after all.
Mr. D'eath: Hello, students. I hope looking at my bony face and listening to my flat voice does not depress you. But if it does, I understand.
The glum man then looked at the ground and began sighing again, leaving the students quite bewildered. You had only briefly spoken to D'eath once before. This was indeed depressing.
Mr. D'eath: I guess I should tell you which rooms youâre in.
He spoke painfully, as if the mere act of speaking was zapping every last drop of energy he possessed.
Rochelle was instantly mesmerized by the gloomy man, taking his every sigh and frown to heart. A helpful and proactive gargoyle, she found glum and woeful people difficult to be around without giving advice.
Mr. D'eath: As you can see, there is a ghoulsâ section and a boysâ section. Boys are not to visit ghouls, and ghouls are not to visit boys. Now then, the Chamber of Ghoulery and Foolery has been assigned to Rose and Blanche Van Sangre from Romania.
Tall and sinewy identical twins with raven hair and ashy skin, both dressed in floor-length polka-dot dresses and black velvet capes, pushed to the front of the group.
Rose: Hullo, me name is Rose Van Sangre, and this is me sister Blanche Van Sangre. Ve are Romani vampires, so ve do not like to sleep in the same place more than three nights.
Mr. D'eath: I donât care where you sleep, or even if you sleep. I, for one, havenât had a good nightâs sleep⦠ever.
He once again sighing dramatically.
Y/N: Oh. Identical twins. That's cool.
Blanche: Ve are not identical, and ve do not take kindly to being mistaken for one another, as ve look very different. As any imbecile can see, Roseâs hair is significantly less shiny than mine!
Blanche angrily grabbed the large gold key to her room and storming off with her sister.
Y/N: Uh, sorry?
Rochelle patted your shoulder. You didn't mean any offense by it.
Mr. D'eatg: The Chamber of Vampires and Campfires will be shared by pumpkin heads Marvin, James, and Sam.
Three petite creatures with noodle-thin limbs and jack-oâ-lanterns for heads bounced up to Mr. Dâeath, grabbed their golden key, and broke into song.
Marvin, James, and Sam: There once was a woman made out of water, so mean we told her âdonât have a daughter,â
They sang as their pet bullfrogs chirped loudly, offering the perfect bass accompaniment. It was a rather well-known fact that the amphibians were absolute naturals at maintaining rhythm.
Pumpkin heads, descendants of the Headless Horseman and therefore very distant cousins of Headmistress Bloodgood, often acted as a Greek chorus, singing about nearly everything they saw or heard.
Mr. D'eath: The Chamber of Fangs and Orangutans is assigned to Three-Headed Freddie alone, as we heard his heads like to talk in their sleep.
The boy averted his six eyes in embarrassment.
Mr. D'eath: The Chamber of Tomb and Gloom is for Cy Clops and Henry Hunchback.
The shy yet handsome Cyclops moved to the side as Henry Hunchback, a ginger-haired boy suffering from extreme curvature of the spine, approached Mr. Dâeath for the key.
Mr. D'eath: Hi, Mr. D., Iâm Henry, and I just wanted to say I am super excited to be at Monster High, especially since Coach Igor teaches here. That guy is a legend.
Mr. Dâeath sighed and looked away.
Mr. D'eath: Everyone loves Coach Igor, the Casketball team, the Fearleading squad, and the Skulltimate Roller Maze team. How come no one has such fondness for the guidance counselor?
You just stood there before you blinked.
Y/N: Wow. This guy is....depressing.
The student standing next to you leaned over.
Chaos: Same.
He then returned to where he was standing. You awkwardly stood there for a second.
Rochelle: Something must be done.
You looked to Rochelle who quietly muttered to Roux as she lifted the griffin to see the perpetually gloomy Mr. Dâeath.
Mr. D'eath: The Chamber of Voltage and Moltage is assigned to Hoodude, who will not have a roommate, as we were told his shrine to Frankie Stein is rather elaborate.
Hoodude, a human-sized voodoo doll with blue hair, button eyes, and a variety of needles jutting out of his cloth body, was absolutely infatuated with fellow student Frankie Stein. She had, after all, created him in her fatherâs laboratory.
She explained that she was single and lonely so she tried to make a boyfriend, but apparently that didn't work out too well.
Hoodude: Thank you, Mr. Dâeath,
Hoodude sweetly shook his hand before puttering down the boysâ corridor.
Mr. D'eath: And finally, in the Chamber of Gore and Lore, we have Venus McFlytrap, Robecca Steam, and Rochelle Goyle.
While looking around for signs of her roommates, Rochelleâs glance landed on an interesting-looking girl with green skin and a half-shaved head. The girl cocked her head to the side and grinned as the vines that coiled around her wrists lightly fluttered their leaves.
Rochelle certainly wasnât in Scaris anymore.
Y/N: Looks like she's your roommate. Go ahead and unpack. I'll see you at the assembly.
Rochelle: Of course. And, uh, thank you for showing me where to go.
You nodded and started off to the assembly.
--------------
Y/N: I see the crystal raindrops fall, and the beauty of it all, is when the sun comes shining through.
Draculaura: To make those rainbows in my mind, when I think of you sometime, and I want to spend some time with you.
Y/N/Draculaura: Just the two of us. We can make it if we try, just the two of us.
Lagoona: Just the two of us~
Y/N/Draculaura: Just the two of us, building castles in the sky, just the two of us. You and I~
You were mostly singing cause Headmistress Bloodgood was desperately trying to remember what she wanted to say. Much like steam escaping a boiling kettle, the words had simply evaporated from her mind. More than once she began to speak, only to silence herself seconds later. And then just when she was on the verge of forgetting that she had forgotten anything at all, it came rushing back to her.
Bloodgood: Welcome to Monster High! We are wonderfully frightened to have you here, as this is sure to be our best and most monstrous term yet. There really is nothing quite as exciting as the start of a new semester. For at the beginning you have the opportunity to achieve anything you put your mind to. And as someone whose mind is currently on the fritz due to an unfortunate encounter with lightning, I can tell you what a terrible thing it is to waste.
Headmistress Bloodgood suddenly had a bewildered look crossed her face.
Bloodgood:What was I saying? Oh yes, of course, the drama department is spectacular here at Monster High. The Gory Gazette even called last yearâs performance of A Midsummerâs Night Scream âa real howlerâ!
Your friends all looked to you for answers, but you did not have any. She had been acting a bit weird all day, and you couldn't figure out why. It started this morning when she seemingly forgot about Rochelle.
It was weird for sure. You will have to ask her about it later.
Ms. Sue Nami whispered to Bloodgood who then nodded and cleared her throat.
Bloodgood: We are absolutely ecstatic to welcome our first class of boarding students to Monster High! As the majority have come to us from faroff places, we converted the east wingâs second floor into a dormitory for them! We do hope you like it here, new ones!
Polite applause filled the Vampitheater as Venus nudged both Rochelle and Robecca. Headmistress Bloodgood was talking about them! You couldn't help but smile, though you were slightly confused as to why they were sitting on the floor.
Oh, wait. Gargoyles can't sit on furniture. Hm.
Bloodgood: Now, to introduce another exciting new addition to our school, I would like to call Frankie Stein, Draculaura, and Y/N Van Helsing to the podium.
You nudged Draculaura and the three of you shuffled out of your seats and walked on stage. Frankie tapped the mic and spoke.
Frankie: Hey, everyone, in case you donât know me, Iâm Frankie Stein, and these are my good friends Draculaura and Y/N Van Heling. It seems like only yesterday that I was the new ghoul at school, trying to find my way around campus. But now look at me! Iâm here to introduce another new ghoul, or, rather, the new teacher!
Draculaura: Please give a warm welcome to Miss Sylphia Flapper, direct from Bitealy, here to teach Dragon Whispering 101!
Draculaura held her hands up in the air to applaud.
A beautifully delicate European dragon, closely surrounded by trolls, stepped forward to wave to the audience.
Y/N: Oh, and she didnât come alone. Sheâs brought a team of elderly trolls with her, who, under Miss Sue Namiâs guidance, will be patrolling the halls.
Trolls: We trolls! Follow rules!
The trolls, who looked more like senior citizens, surrounding Miss Flapper grunted aggressively at the crowd.
Draculaura: As you can see, they are still in the process of learning English.
Draculaura then began muttering under her breath.
Draculaura: And, from the looks of it, nail and hair care as well.
Trolls, especially older ones such as these, were exceptionally good at maintaining order except where their physical appearance was concerned. They wholeheartedly refused to cut both their hair (and, sadly, that included nose hair) and their claws. But perhaps most egregious, they refused to bathe more than once every fortnight, hence the thick layer of brown grime atop their skin.
The new teacher stepped up to the microphone as you all moved aside.
Miss Flapper: Hello, lovely ghouls. I am so honored to be here with you, though I do, of course, miss my colleagues and students in Bitealy. However, they were kind enough to send this amazing cavalry of trolls with me. They are not only expert hall monitors but also wild-dragon wranglers. I certainly hope you find them as delightful and charming as I do.
Miss Flapperâs silky tone was exquisitely matched by her captivating physical beauty. With iridescent skin, a heart-shaped mouth, blazing green eyes, and long bloodred hair, the woman was absolutely breathtaking.
And like all European dragons, she had not a scale or tail in sight. She was dressed head to toe in couture, skillfully tailored to fit around her delicate off-white wings.
Robecca: Talk about the beeâs knees! That woman is gorgeous.
Rochelle: I wonder what she uses to exfoliate. Her skin looks so soft.
She self-consciously rubbing her hard granite legs.
Venus: I canât believe sheâs a wild-dragon whisperer. Theyâre usually all burned and crispy after years of accidents and whatnot.
Frankie once again took to the podium.
Frankie: As many of you know, we are fast approaching Homecoffin and it's dance. And here to tell you more about this yearâs plans are reigning Scream Queen and King, Cleo de Nile and Deuce Gorgon.
The crowd began to cheer as Cleo and Deuce joined the stage and you and the others took a step back.
Cleo: Hey, kids. Cleo here, with my boyfriend, Deuce. As usual, the Homecoffin dance will be held the day after quarterly exams, at Salemâs oldest cemetery, the Skelemoanian. Itâs the most important event of the year, so please dress accordingly. In other words, no matted fur, no yellow fangs, and definitely no dried scales.
Deuce: Party starts promptly at eleven PM and ends at sunrise.
Deuce was suddenly rammed to the side by Miss Sue Nami, who knocked his glasses askew in the process.
And before Deuce was able to slip them back over his eyes, a troll wandered directly into his line of vision. The oily little creature instantly turned to stone, prompting Deuce to grunt in frustration.
Deuce: Not again!
Muss Sue Nami: Per the schedule, the assembly is now over. All nonadult entities are to exit in a single-file line.
Miss Sue Nami began shaking herself like a wet dog.
Miss Sue Nami: Class schedules are being e-mailed to every new student at this very moment. If you do not have an iCoffin phone, make friends with someone who does and then use that personâs device to check your e-mail.
A crush of monsters filled the halls, all excitedly checking their iCoffins. You stretched and began to walk out, only to find yourself being bumped into.
Robecca: Dear me!
She took a step back causing her knee gear to squeak loudly.
Robecca: Oops, sorry about that! Clearly itâs time for an oil change!
Y/N: Uh, it's okay.
Robots count as monsters? Rochelle smiled when she saw you, you being a familiar face, and walked over as you dusted yourself off.
Rochelle: Crowds can be very dangerous. Monsters often wind up with broken claws, bruised paws, or pulled fur.
Y/N: Um, itâs a bunch of teenagers, not Transylvania during a full moon. I think you can handle it. As for me, I've been through worse.
Rochelle: While you may choose to ignore a gargoyleâs warning, a gargoyle must never choose to ignore an opportunity to warn.
Venus: Is that from a fortune cookie?
Venus scoffed before pulling her iCoffin from her recycled book bag.
Rochelle: Absolutely not. Gargoyles do not believe in either fortune-tellers or fortune cookies. We do, however, really like Chinese food.
Y/N: Good to know. Do you ghouls know how to check your schedules?
You helped them find what they were looking for and the three compared their classes.
Robecca: Isnât this swell? Weâre in all the same classes!
Venus: Yeah, but we didnât get Dragon Whispering 101. Iâm really disappointed. Reptiles love me.
Robecca: Not me. Iâve never been too fond of whispering. It seems to me people only whisper when theyâre saying things they shouldnât be saying.
Venus turned to you.
Venus: I'm sure you already know how to Dragon Whisper. You're a Van Helsing, right?
You gave a so so hand gesture.
Y/N: It's a bit complicated. My uncle, Vincent Van Helsing, kinda found me in the forest when I was a kid and he just sorta adopted me. But, I do know a bit of Dragon Whisper.
The conversation came to an end when Frankie and Ghoulia suddenly approached the group.
Frankie: Hey, are you guys new?
Venus: Is it that obvious?
Frankie: Well, youâre the only ones left in the hall except the trolls. Iâm Frankie Stein, by the way, and this is Ghoulia Yelps.
Y/N: They're some more friends of mine.
Ghoulia: Grrrrnnn.
The ghouls stared at her confused.
Y/N: Iâm guessing that you donât speak zombie.
Venus shrugged.
Rochelle: Bonjour. I am Rochelle Goyle, and this is Robecca Steam and Venus McFlytrap. Weâre roommates in the new dorm. Y/N was showing me around earlier.
Frankie: Thatâs so voltage! Youâll love it here! Let me know if you guys need anything.
Rochelle: By any chance do you know how to get to Ghoulish Literature with Dr. Clamdestine?
Frankie: Thatâs in the Liburyâstraight ahead, turn right at the tombstone and left at the mounted horn. Good luck!
Frankie then made her way down the hall with Ghoulia following in her wake. The ghouls looked to you and you shrugged.
Y/N: I'll show you where it is. It's my next class anyway.