Boo York, Boo York

by Pedita Finn

  Nefera pulled out her iCoffin and called up Mouscedes.

  Mouscedes was looking in a window at a glittering comet-inspired gown when she answered her phone. “Nefera?”

  Nefera and her father slipped back onto the elevator while she explained her plan to Mouscedes. “Listen, I need someone with your class to help me set up a brunch tomorrow morning. It has to be very fancy. A really elegant, high-brow affair.”

  She winked at her father. She had this. She knew exactly what to do. Cleo wasn’t going to break up with Deuce just because her father told her to. No. Instead, Nefera was going to show her sister how a royal De Nile should never, ever date a gorgon.

  CHAPTER 9

  A Monstrous Mess

  Nefera and Mouscedes looked around the dining room. A banquet table shaped like an all-seeing eye was covered in delicacies. Gargoyle waiters in white suit jackets hurried past, getting everything ready for the brunch.

  When the ghouls arrived, all dressed up in their favorite fashions, they were amazed.

  “Oh my ghoul!” gushed Clawdeen. “Look at this view! I think I can see Boo Jersey from here.” As she took a seat at a table, a gargoyle held out her chair for her.

  “Nefera, this is too much,” Frankie said. “Thank you for putting this brunch together.”

  Cleo’s eyes narrowed. Something was wrong here, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. “Yes,” she said suspiciously, “why did you put this brunch together?”

  Nefera smiled innocently. “What? I can’t throw together a little pre-gala breakfast soiree for my sister and her friends? Besides, Mouscedes did most of the planning. That ghoul’s got connections.”

  Mouscedes brushed it off with a giggle and a squeak.

  “Ah!” announced Nefera. “Here comes our guest of honor!”

  Seth Ptolemy appeared at the entrance to the dining room. He was wearing a little cape and his gold mask gleamed.

  Nefera led him to a chair next to Cleo. “Ghouls, meet Seth Ptolemy. But then I don’t have to tell you who the prince of Boo York is.” She smiled. “Seth, you’ll be sitting here next to Cleo.”

  Seth flipped his cape as he sat down, and Cleo rolled her eyes.

  “Wait a minute,” said Cleo, looking around the room. “Where’s Deuce? You invited him too, right?”

  “Oh, he’ll be here,” said Nefera brightly. “I’m counting on it.”

  Seth turned to Cleo and spoke in a stiff, formal voice. “Do you like Spookfear’s sonnets?” he asked.

  Cleo shrugged. “Is that some kind of Boo York band or something?”

  “Oh my no!” gasped Seth. “We Ptolemys don’t care for wild modern music. I am talking about poetry.” He pulled out a notebook. “I write poetry,” he explained.

  Cleo could not hide her boredom. “Wonderful,” she said without looking at him.

  This was enough encouragement, and Seth began reciting poetry to Cleo. “If music be the food of love, play on. Play on. And again.”

  Cleo felt like she had been listening to him drone on for a thousand years when Deuce finally arrived.

  For some strange reason, Deuce was dressed for the pool. He was wearing a bathing suit, a snorkel, a mask, and fins. He was carrying an inflatable raft.

  “You’re late!” hissed Cleo. Deuce looked completely confused.

  Cleo raised an arched eyebrow. “And what are you wearing? The invitation said formal attire.”

  “I thought it was a pool party,” explained Deuce.

  Cleo was irritated. “Oh, Deuce, are you doing this on purpose?” She sighed. “Never mind, just come sit down.” She pulled the fake beard out of her purse and stuck it on his chin. Deuce’s snakes hissed at it.

  The ancient waiter approached them. “I’m sorry, sir, but a suit jacket is required for all gentlemen to enter.”

  “He doesn’t have one,” Cleo said, knowing there was no way Deuce had brought a suit jacket to a pool party.

  The waiter snapped his fingers. A host of dog-headed Anubis waiters rushed over and removed Deuce’s swimming gear. One of them held up a jacket. It was enormous, and it was plaid. “This is the only loaner jacket we have,” said the waiter.

  When Deuce put it on, the sleeves hung down to his knees.

  Meanwhile, Nefera sauntered by and slipped a wad of bills into the waiter’s jacket pocket.

  In his oversize plaid jacket and swimming trunks, Deuce looked ridiculous. The ghouls tried not to laugh as they finished their meals.

  “Hey, everyone,” said Deuce, sitting down. “Don’t we look nice this morning?” He reached for his water glass but knocked it over because his hand was lost in his sleeve.

  “Oh no, my poetry!” Seth grabbed his notebook and dried it off.

  “Sorry. Major brunch foul,” Deuce apologized.

  Nefera smirked.

  “This is amazing,” Toralei grinned.

  A slew of waiters marched into the dining room and placed domed trays in front of each diner.

  Mouscedes clapped her hands. “And now for a Boo York specialty—scary cherries flambé!”

  The waiters lifted the covers of the plates, revealing the flaming desserts. Nefera leaned close to Deuce and whispered, “Oh no! The food! It’s on fire! Do something!”

  Deuce threw up his hands and tipped the dish in front of him over to extinguish the flames—but the entire tablecloth caught on fire. Deuce leaped up and grabbed a fire extinguisher and blasted the table. Foam was covering the food, the waiters, and the ghouls in their best dresses. As Deuce tried to put the fire out, Nefera stuck out a foot and tripped him, sending him sprawling across the room.

  Deuce’s special gorgon sunglasses fell off and beams from his eyes flew right at the head waiter, turning him to stone. The snakes on his head hissed and shook off the foam from the fire extinguisher.

  Everyone was screaming as the fire alarm rang loudly and a crew of monster firemen burst into the room carrying hoses. Deuce quickly put his sunglasses back on and looked around the room. He was embarrassed when he realized what a catastrophe he’d created. Nefera looked on smugly as Cleo, who appeared to be totally cool and composed, sat down beside him.

  “Deuce,” she said icily, “the scary cherries are supposed to be on fire.” Without another word, she stormed out of the dining room, leaving a trail of foam behind her.

  Deuce put his head in his hands. Even his snakes were embarrassed. A waiter handed him his snorkel and fins.

  Nefera brought him over a bowl of cherries. “Here,” she said sweetly, “I scraped out a little spot that wasn’t covered in toxic safety foam.”

  Deuce didn’t look up. “I don’t know why I keep doing that.”

  “Going all crazy with a fire extinguisher? This is a regular thing for you?” Nefera asked.

  “No, I mean, I don’t know why I keep embarrassing Cleo.”

  Nefera nodded her head. “Oh well, let’s face it. Cleo is an Egyptian princess. And you are, well, Deuce. You come from two very different worlds.”

  Deuce knew she was right. “She deserves better,” he said sadly.

  Nefera tried not to grin. She placed a comforting hand on Deuce’s shoulder. “The way I see it, you could stay with Cleo for a little while longer, pretending to be good enough for her, or you could set her free so she can move on with her life. And find someone truly worthy of Egyptian royalty.” Nefera stood up. “I’m sure you’ll make the right decision. If you love her, you’ll leave her.”

  Confident in the success of her plan, Nefera left Deuce alone with his humiliation. He poked at the cherries with a spoon. Nefera was right. He was out of place. He knew it. Cleo knew it. Her father knew it. Everyone knew it now. It was time for him to make a change. If only he didn’t like Cleo so much…

  CHAPTER 10

  Music from the Stars

  Deep in the catacombs of Monster High, Ghoulia was using all her smarts to try to save the world. She pulled up screens of numbers, studied maps, and clicked through equation after equation, tryi
ng to find a solution.

  Abbey shook her head. “Comet path is unstable?”

  Ghoulia zoomed in on the comet. She typed in a series of numbers and a line stretched from the comet—right to Boo York.

  “The comet will crash into Boo York City at midnight?” Abbey’s eyes widened.

  Ghoulia groaned.

  But that’s where our friends are! Ghoulia realized.

  Both ghouls looked at the screen. There had to be a way to stop the comet—but could they do it before midnight? Ghoulia’s hands flew across the keyboard.

  Abbey watched, impressed. “What is that you are doing? You’re hacking into satellite system to investigate? Very clever!”

  The screen began beeping as a satellite slowly deviated from its orbit—and headed toward the comet. Its signal beam was flashing.

  In Boo York, the ghouls had no idea what danger they were in. They were happy to be tourists. Draculaura was checking off the sites they’d visited in her guidebook. “Okay, so far we’ve seen Ptolemy Tower, Times Scare, and the Vampire State Building. I say next we hit the Monster of Liberty before the gala tonight.”

  They were standing on a crowded street near a pizza shop. A small werewolf boy dropped a quarter into a mechanical comet and hopped on to ride it back and forth like a horse. An actor dressed up like a gigantic pizza was handing out flyers. “Get your creeparoni pizza here!”

  At the sound of the actor’s voice, the ghouls recognized who was inside the pizza costume. It was Luna.

  “Hey ghouls!” she exclaimed, recognizing them at the same time.

  “Luna?” Frankie asked.

  “Something about you looks different,” noted Clawdeen. “Don’t tell me. Haircut?”

  “Ha, very funny.” Luna laughed. “Yeah, I know I look silly, but, hey, technically I’m now a working actor in Boo York City.”

  The ghouls were just about to tell her about the brunch fiasco when they were distracted by a pulsing buzz. Elle Eedee, the robot DJ, was spinning down the street in a kind of trance, emitting all kinds of electronic sounds and static.

  “Losing signal… searching again… changing frequency,” muttered Elle, oblivious to the world around her. She pulsed and buzzed and whirred in a daze.

  What no one on Earth knew was that deep inside the comet an alarm had gone off. A signal from the satellite had activated something… or someone. A sleeping figure in what looked like the cockpit of a spaceship began to emit ethereal musical notes.

  All Ghoulia and Abbey could hear was static and buzzing. Ghoulia pressed a button on her computer screen, and the feedback stopped.

  Frankie took Elle by the shoulders and shook her. “Are you okay? What’s happening?”

  Elle blinked her eyes, confused. “I don’t know. It was like… a song in my head. It was faint and unclear, like a bad transmission from somewhere.” She blinked again. “Is that ghoul dressed like a pizza?”

  “Is that really important?” asked Luna.

  Elle paced back and forth, upset by the weird buzzing feeling in her head. “I’ve got to figure out what it means. The sound is still inside of me.” She waved her hands to make her holographic turntables appear and tried to re-create the pulsing, whirring sound, but she couldn’t.

  Back at Monster High, Ghoulia wasn’t having any luck, either. The comet wasn’t slowing down! It was still headed right for Boo York. It would still strike at midnight. What else could she do? There had to be something. There just had to be.

  CHAPTER 11

  Heartbreak Horror

  Cleo was picking out a ball gown for the gala in her suite at the hotel. The plush room was littered with dresses. They were draped over the sphinx-shaped couch and scattered all over the floor. An Anubis guard was bringing in another rack for her to sample. But Cleo couldn’t find just the right gown. She was so absorbed in her fashion emergency that she barely looked up when the guard let Deuce into the room.

  “Oh good, you’re here,” she said distractedly. She held up two gowns. “Which do you like better? Burnt-at-the-stake sienna or haunted-forest green?”

  Deuce looked down at his feet, stone-faced and heartbroken. “They’re both nice, I guess.”

  Cleo sighed. “That’s not very helpful. What are you wearing tonight to the gala?”

  Deuce took a deep breath. “I’m not going to the gala.”

  Cleo assumed he was joking. “Kinda hard for you to be my date if you’re not at the gala…” But then she saw Deuce’s face. Her eyes widened in alarm. “Deuce is this about what happened at brunch?”

  “It’s not about brunch. It’s about everything.” It all came rushing out of him. “Cleo, look at us. This was never going to last. We’re just too different.”

  The gowns fell from Cleo’s hands. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. “What are you saying?”

  “You’re Egyptian royalty, and I love you too much to hold you back.”

  Shocked, Cleo sat down on the edge of the couch. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”

  But Deuce was on a roll now. “I can see the way people look at us when we walk down the street together. What’s a ghoul like her doing with a fool like him? You’re elegant. I’m grungy. You’re sophisticated. I’m a brute. I’m releasing you to go on with your life.”

  “Stop this!” Cleo ordered. “I won’t let you.”

  “There’s nothing you can say to change my mind. Look deep down, and you’ll realize you’ve known it all along too. That’s right—we’re wrong together.”

  Deuce turned on his heel to leave, but Cleo was up and standing in front of the door. “I’ve heard enough. We are not breaking up. We are the power couple of Monster High. I don’t care what anyone says—and neither should you.” Cleo spoke from her heart and had never looked more regal.

  Deuce realized that Cleo wasn’t going to give in, and he knew he had to do something drastic to show her just how serious he was. In one swift movement, he snatched off the golden beard Cleo kept making him wear and threw it across the room. “You see this? This isn’t me.”

  The beard flew into the fireplace with a clang and began to melt. Cleo shrieked, in a complete state of shock.

  “I am not part of this world,” continued Deuce. “I never will be.”

  Cleo dropped to her knees and started to cry. She loved Deuce, and she could not believe he was being so cruel.

  Deuce felt terrible, but he steeled himself—he had to do this. “I’ve said all I have to say. Don’t make me say it again. We’re not Cleo and Deuce anymore.” He stormed out of the room, and Cleo threw herself onto the floor, sobbing.

  Out in the hallway, Deuce stopped, listening to her cries. Now that she couldn’t see him, his face softened and tears welled up in his eyes. He was doing this for Cleo. Because he loved her. Someday she’d understand. As he pushed the button to go down in the elevator, Nefera stepped out of the shadows.

  “Aww,” she said sympathetically. “Don’t cry, Deucy. You did what you had to do.” She ushered him on to the elevator and as soon as the doors were shut, she clapped her hands and cackled. “And now I’m going to make my sister agree to perform the Promise Ceremony tonight. Ooooh! This is fun!”

  Back in the suite, Cleo was sitting in front of her vanity. She was devastated. Nefera began brushing her hair, comforting her.

  Tears were still rolling down Cleo’s cheeks. “He just stormed out of the room. I don’t understand it. It’s like it came out of nowhere.”

  “Oh, Cleo!” sighed Nefera. “This didn’t come out of nowhere. I feel like this is partly my fault.”

  Cleo swiveled around to look at her sister.

  “I should have made you understand what your family and friends have known all along,” Nefera continued. “You and Deuce were never meant to be. We all saw the hieroglyphics on the wall. You deserve to be with someone… powerful. Someone who can give you everything you deserve.”

  Cleo just sniffled—she didn’t want anyone but Deuce. Nefera smiled a
t her sweetly, stroking her hair. “You deserve to be with someone like Seth Ptolemy.”

  Cleo’s face dropped. “But I don’t understand his poetry. He’s just not right for me. No offense, Nefera, but I don’t see that happening.”

  Nefera shrugged. “You didn’t see Deuce breaking up with you, either…” Her voice trailed off. She tried another tack. “Cleo, sooner or later you are going to realize this is a good thing. Without Deuce holding you back, there’s no telling what kind of greatness you might find.”

  She shot Cleo a knowing grin before leaving Cleo to think about what she’d said.

  Cleo sat for a long time by herself at the vanity. She looked at the melted gold beard in the fireplace, and she looked out the window where the all-seeing logo of the Ptolemy eye was blinking on and off on a neon sign.

  CHAPTER 12

  Catty Lands on Her Feet

  The ghouls stepped out of the subway, and Draculaura consulted her travel guide. “According to this,” she told the others, “the scary ferry to the Monster of Liberty should be just a little bit farther once we switch subway trains and…”

  She stopped talking because she realized no one else was listening to her. The ghouls were mesmerized by a handsome rapper entertaining a crowd of commuters with his miraculous rhymes. It was the same boy they had seen the day before—Pharaoh.

  Ghouls were squealing and screaming, “Pharaoh! Pharaoh!”

  “You are now rocking with the very best rapper from around the way I wanna say HELLO.” He grinned. “Hello!”

  Pharaoh grabbed knitting needles from an old lady and began drumming on garbage can lids and getting the crowd to help him make the music he needed. He was a whirling, dancing phenomenon.

  “Everybody calls me by my old name. Ugh. So lame. You can just call me Pharaoh.”