by Perdita Finn
Mrs. Wolf shook her head. “Because the way you’re leaning…”
Dracula was holding on to the window with one hand and balancing precariously on the ledge.
He dismissed her worries. “It’s all a matter of balance and…AAAAAAH!” The board he was holding pulled away from the window frame…and so did Dracula. His hands waved in the air helplessly. He slipped off the ledge and plummeted toward the ground. Down, down, down. But luckily, Clawdeen’s mom was right there again—and, just like the time before, she caught him in her arms.
“Did you do that on purpose again?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes?” Dracula answered. He tried to maintain his cool and turned himself back into a bat. It took him a few flutters of his wings to lift off the ground. Clawdeen’s mom laughed, her hands on her hips. He flew back up to the ledge to continue taking the boards off the windows. She shook her head. He would probably fall again—and she would be right there to catch him.
But at least the storm was over.
Chapter 10
ALTERNATING CURRENTS
No one was buying any treats at the Zombake sale. No one even knew about it, except for Twyla. Still, two Zomboyz were manning the table as if a crowd might show up at any minute, only there was no reason why anyone should. They weren’t advertising it, that was for sure. Another Zomboy appeared—only he wasn’t bringing another tray of brownies or cookies; he was carrying a huge bundle of wires over his head.
The other two Zomboyz looked from side to side to check that the coast was clear. When they were sure that no one else was around, they gave each other the thumbs-up.
Carefully, they pulled back the bake sale table—and hidden underneath it was a trapdoor! They lifted the door, and the Zomboy with the wires disappeared underground. They put the table back in place. They were hiding a secret entrance. But where did it lead?
Twyla was watching everything from behind a tree. She had to find a way to get a look inside that trapdoor. But how?
Off in the distance, she heard a slurping, burping noise. It was Gob! Maybe he’d heard about the baked goods or smelled them, and he couldn’t resist. Twyla whistled to get his attention. He stopped, and she waved him over. She needed his help with a plan! She whispered a set of directions in his ear. He nodded, making little gurgling noises.
Grinning, Gob ambled over to the table of treats. His googly eyes darted back and forth. He started pointing at the baked goods—the cupcakes, the turnovers, the muffins—as if it were really hard to make a decision about what to buy. Then, strangely, Gob pointed at the school and began burbling a stream of nonsense. He was making all kinds of weird noises and waving his hands. Whatever it was, it sounded really important! It sounded like an emergency.
The Zomboyz glanced toward the school, just for a second. But that’s when Gob sprang into action. He grabbed all the goodies into his arms—and ran away surprisingly fast, headed back to Monster High. Both the Zomboyz instantly took chase. And that was Twyla’s plan. They left the entrance to the secret passageway unguarded.
Twyla waited until they were far away and slunk over to the table. Where did this secret passage lead? Using all her strength, she pushed away the heavy table and lifted the trapdoor. She gulped. The underground tunnel looked really, really deep. Carefully, she descended a metal ladder into the darkness. Dim lanterns were hung along the dirt walls. Her footsteps echoed in the passageway. It was creepy, but Twyla was determined. She wanted to help her new friends.
Tracks led along the tunnel, and the ground was strewn with shovels and wire cables. After she had gone a long way, the walls were no longer dirt but a strange crystal. They shimmered in the darkness. She could hear clanging and digging up ahead. Somewhere in the distance, Zomboyz were muttering to one another as they walked.
Twyla hugged the shadows as she came around the corner. She didn’t want anyone to see or hear her. Two Zomboyz, wearing hard hats and carrying pickaxes, strode past her. She held her breath. That was close—but they hadn’t noticed her. Phew!
But just ahead were two more Zomboyz guarding an entryway. They held crossed shovels in front of themselves like spears. How could she get them to leave? She had an idea. But could it really be that easy? Would it work? It was worth a try—after all, they weren’t very smart. Doing her best to imitate the low, faltering voice of a Zomboy, she called out, “Hey guys! The Creepeteria has brains for lunch today!”
“Brains?”
“Brains?”
“Brains!” exclaimed both the Zomboyz, jumping up and down with excitement. In an instant, they dropped their shovels and raced down the tunnel toward the exit. They didn’t see Twyla blending into the wall.
Twyla peeked into the chamber they had been guarding. It was filled with Zomboyz digging with shovels and pickaxes. The walls were iridescent and glowing. One of the Zomboyz was piling glowing stones into a wheelbarrow. Twyla also noticed electrical equipment everywhere—coils and wires and batteries. Her eyes widened when she saw Frankie’s science project. What was it doing here?
Across the chamber, she spotted Moanica with her hands on her hips. She was directing all this activity. “Get back to work,” she was telling one of the Zomboyz. “You can sleep when you’re dead. Or…well, you know what I mean. No more breaks until all the electricity up there is in there!” She pointed from the ceiling to Frankie’s tiny project!
What was she going to do with Frankie’s project?
Twyla took a ton of photos with her iCoffin—of generators, electrical sockets, and the wires hooked up to the battery. She stayed in the shadows, but every time the camera flashed, she risked getting caught. Luckily, Moanica thought it was just Zomboyz making electrical mistakes.
As soon as she had thoroughly documented the strange chamber, Twyla hurried back through the tunnel as fast as she could. She had to tell Frankie what she’d seen. She burst out the trapdoor—and ran right into two Zomboyz!
Meanwhile, in the power station, Cleo was busy turning an old factory into a high-fashion salon. Clawdeen’s little brothers were scampering back and forth with equipment and tools. One werekid was hammering a wall panel into place while another was screwing lightbulbs into a beautiful bone chandelier.
Cleo marched among the chaos, happy to be in charge. “Come on, ghouls!” she encouraged them. She answered her iCoffin, nodding as she listened. “I don’t care what your boss said, Rene,” she answered, “that price is outrageous for cuticle scrapers!”
A few werekids dashed by, an outstretched mummy in their arms.
“Hey, be careful with that!” shouted Cleo. “Aunt Nephythis hates to be woken up.”
Cleo turned back to the conversation on her iCoffin. “Rene, I wasn’t born yesterday. I was born six thousand years ago.” She paused, listening. “Don’t worry about how that’s possible—worry about my cuticles!”
Lagoona came into the factory with a box of styling equipment. “Hey, mate, where do these go?” she asked Cleo.
“Oh, just over by the hair dryers for now,” said Cleo. She glanced across the room and her eyes landed on a couple of the werekids messing around with the dryers. “Hey, hey, heel!” she ordered the pups. “That is not a toy.”
The pup lifted up the dome of the dryer. He’d given his brother a Mohawk!
Frankie was over in the corner by herself. She’d been calling Twyla again and again, but all she got was her voice mail. Hi, this is Twyla. Please leave a message.
“Come on, Twyla, why aren’t you answering?” Frankie was worried about her. What had she found out?
Frankie twitched. Some leftover electricity from the old generator behind her had flowed into her. She rubbed her neck bolt. It tingled. But other than that, all she noticed was that she felt a little more energetic. She had to find Twyla!
“Hey, Cleo,” she said to her friend. “I’m sorry. I know we have a lot going on here, but I have to step out for a few.”
“Everything all right, Frankie?” worried Cleo. She
handed one of the werekids a paint roller.
Frankie shrugged. “It’s nothing I can’t handle on my own. I just need to check on somebody.” Zap! Tingle! Zap! Another jolt of electricity had found her.
“Do whatever you need to do,” Cleo reassured her distractedly. Messages were pouring into her iCoffin. There were so many last-minute details to take care of before the opening of the salon. “Lagoona and I will be fine over here. We have everything under control.”
A werekid hanging on to some decorations on the ceiling swung past Cleo.
“Excuse me.” Cleo took off after him.
Frankie shuddered. More electricity was pouring into her. It was everywhere in the old power station. Her eyes widened and she twitched again. Where was Twyla?
Chapter 11
UNPLUGGED!
The very first Monster High band was preparing for their very first practice. The group gathered in the school’s courtyard. Rayth was fiddling with his electric guitar. Deuce took a seat behind his drum set. Woolee pinged her triangle. Venus shook a gourd and rocked her guitar. Skelly was on bass, and Bonesy strummed his keytar. Silvi tested out her microphone. She was going to sing backup with Venus. The band was ready to rock!
“Welcome to the very first jam session of Rayth and the Silent Screams,” announced Rayth. “And a one, and a two—”
“Wait!” Deuce interrupted, his drumsticks poised in midair. The snakes of his hair hissed. “Hold up. We’re not calling the band Rayth and the Something Something. Skelly said we were gonna be The Rolling Bones.” He let loose with a triumphant drum solo.
Skelly and Bonesy gave each other a skeletal fist bump and rattled their finger bones in a secret handshake. The Rolling Bones! Best. Name. Ever! Their skulls spun round and round on their neck bones happily.
But Venus was frowning and wrinkling her nose with distaste. “We should name the band something more powerful. What about Thunder and Frightening!” She strummed a power chord on her guitar.
“No!” exclaimed Rayth instantly. “I like Rayth and the Silent Screams. Now let’s jam.”
Deuce shook his head. No way was he ready to start practicing. “Ugggh! You can’t just name the band after yourself, Rayth.”
“One, I’m the lead singer,” explained Rayth. “Two, it’s an awesome name, and three, let’s jam!”
But nobody started playing.
Venus was thinking. “What about Ghoulish Intentions?” she suggested.
“Oooh!” squealed Rayth with mock enthusiasm. He narrowed his eyes stubbornly. “What about Rayth and the Silent Screams?”
Everyone started arguing. Woolee didn’t know what to say. Silvi was getting fed up. This was no fun.
“It’s traditional to name the band after the lead singer!” Rayth stomped his foot.
“That’s the worst name in the history of names!” Venus protested.
Silvi pouted. She didn’t like all this arguing. Without even realizing it, she transformed into a snarling wolf. Everyone stopped and stared at her.
“Whoa!” gasped Rayth.
She quickly morphed back into a ghoul and smoothed her hair. She took a big breath, trying to calm herself down. They were all taking this too seriously. “Look, I’m still the new ghoul here, but I know this isn’t what Monster High is about.”
Rayth and Deuce looked down guiltily.
“We didn’t start this band to argue over something as silly as a name,” Silvi continued. “We’re here to make awesome music together. Monster music.” She let loose with a wild jam on her guitar. She was good!
The friends bowed their heads, ashamed.
“Silvi is right,” agreed Venus. “We shouldn’t be fighting like this.”
Rayth kicked at the floor. “I’m sorry,” he admitted.
“No, my bad,” said Deuce.
Woolee nodded her furry head.
“Besides,” added Silvi, “the band should be called The Howling Army.” She let loose with a wild wolf howl. “Awooo!”
Woolee laughed. She pinged her triangle. That was a great idea. But nobody else felt the same.
“No!”
“No way!”
“Come on,” Silvi pleaded.
“Trust me,” fumed Venus. “I know what I’m talking about.” The ghouls glared at each other.
Nobody could agree about anything! It was absolute chaos.
Chapter 12
SHOCKED AND AWED!
Clawdeen was finally ready to reveal her monster style designs to her ghoulfriends. They’d all come together in the art studio. They crowded around a giant display hidden under a tarp. Everyone had her eyes shut, waiting for the big moment.
“No peeking,” said Clawdeen nervously. “Okay, ghouls. Here goes!”
Clawdeen took a big breath and whipped off the tarp. Beneath it was an array of mannequins, each one dressed in a spooktacular style. Flared skirts, lightning-bolt collars, bat-wing sleeves, and stylish belts.
“Creeperific!” gushed Draculaura.
“You are so talented,” Ari complimented her.
“You really like them?” Clawdeen was smiling, pleased.
Draculaura nodded. “I can’t wait to wear these at the salon opening tonight. They are fangtastic!” Draculaura was touching the fabric of one dress, impressed.
“Thanks.” Clawdeen blushed. She exhaled at last. She’d done it. “All my inspiration was thanks to you and the ghouls. But I still think there is something missing…”
Frankie burst into the room, late, carrying an armful of notebooks and books. She was charging around in circles, unable to stand still, and talking a mile a minute as if she’d just drank four extra-strong Mummy Mochas. “Hey, sorry I’m late, but I just got this big burst of energy, so I decided to take a walk around the school fourteen times, you know, after I did the Humanology reading assignment…” She threw all the books in her arms up in the air.
“Who broke Frankie?” Clawdeen whispered to Draculaura, worried. Something was clearly the matter with her. But what?
Frankie fritzed and fizzled, a bundle of sizzling energy. She kept on talking without even pausing for a breath. “Oh, and then I did the rest of the reading for the next two semesters.” Her eyes widened when she spotted the mannequins. “Oh! Those looks are so voltageous! I knew you could do it! Hey, do I sound like I’m talking fast? I’m talking fast, aren’t I?”
Frankie was so jittery that she was pacing back and forth while she talked. Her arms were flinging this way and that, and she bumped into one of the mannequins and knocked it over. Little sparks were exploding all around her.
“Um, Frankie?” called Ari, trying to catch her attention.
“Frankie! Frankie, slow down!” Draculaura said to her friend. She rushed over to her. “How many Mummy Mochas did you drink?”
But Frankie was so hyper she could barely take in her friends’ words. “Why? I’ve never been so full of energy! That’s a great idea! I’ll go get us all some Mummy Mochas. I’ll be right back!”
Clawdeen reached out a hand to stop her. Zap! Frankie electrocuted her!
“Whoa!” Clawdeen exclaimed. “No, no, no, why don’t we sit down for a minute?” She guided Frankie over to a chair, making sure not to touch her again. The others gathered around, concerned.
Frankie was shaking and twitching. Her arms flailed uncontrollably. Her eyes were wide and unfocused.
Ari shook her head. “It’s like there’s too much electricity inside her. She’s all amped up.”
Frankie’s hand brushed against one of the dresses! Zap!
“Oh no! My dress!” exclaimed Clawdeen. All her hard work! What had Frankie’s electricity done? Was it ruined?
Absolutely not!
The place that Frankie had touched sizzled and sparked. The threads began to glitter and glow! The dress was electrified, and it looked fangtastic!
Frankie didn’t even hear the other ghouls speaking. She placed her hands on another dress, and once again glowing streaks of shimmering energy
spread across it.
“Oh my!” gushed Ari.
“Amazing!” agreed Draculaura.
Clawdeen was stunned. “Ahoo!” she howled. “This is what my outfits were missing! A power-station salon deserves electric fashion!”
The ghouls grinned, but Frankie just looked down at her hands. She had no idea what was happening. Bright streams of electricity were jumping between her fingertips! She touched another dress. Zowie! It lit up. She grazed her fingers over an outfit and it sparkled. Soon every dress was electrified!
Clawdeen was thrilled. Now she really was almost ready for the opening. All she needed was a fashion show run-through—for their classmates. Lagoona turned up the music and the ghouls started getting ready. Clawdeen would make a last-minute fix to an outfit, and Frankie would electrify it! After a break for Mummy Mochas, the ghouls picked out the dresses they were going to model and helped style one another’s hair.
In the main hallway, the lights dimmed dramatically. Students stopped at their lockers, looking around.
“What’s going on?” monsters wondered.
A beam of light fell on Ari, standing at the top of the stairs. “Presenting Miss Clawdeen Wolf’s Fierce Electric Fashions!”
“Oh cool!”
“Hey, look!”
“A show?”
“A show!”
The ghouls made their entrance wearing Clawdeen’s voltageous fashions.
“Look at those ghouls!” Silvi loved the new line of clothes!
Venus clapped her hands. “Bright lights meets frights!”
“Shock and awesome!” exclaimed Silvi.
The ghouls strutted down the steps, stopping now and then like models on the runway.
Ghouls rushed up to Clawdeen, wanting to know how they could wear one of these clawesome styles.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Can I get one? Can I get one?”
“We are really turning some heads!” Ari was so happy Clawdeen’s outfits were a success!
The band had broken off fighting with one another long enough to see what was going on inside the school. Bonesy and Skelly’s skulls spun around. Wow!