~ Chapter One ~

The Curious Skeleton

"You're Late. "

You stood in front of Amy with sweat pouring down your back. Your legs felt like jello and your lungs burned with every breath you took. She wasn't wrong. You were late…..Again. Those sleepless nights were finally catching up to you, and it was becoming more and more difficult to pull yourself out of bed. You had woken up just ten minutes before you had to be at the studio and practically flew here. You didn't even have time to grab a coffee, which you so desperately needed right now.

You looked down to the pavement beneath you, completely averting her eyes. It wasn't your fault you were late! It—it wasn't your fault that you had trouble sleeping, and that you usually stayed up late playing video games to keep away the nightmares, and before you knew it, it was five AM, and you had completely lost track of time because you were too busy sniping bitches in GTA—

…

Ok, maybe it was your fault. But, hey, that's not the point! The point is, she's overreacting. It's not like you were hours late, only a mere fifteen minutes! What the fuck was the big deal? Half of the staff strolls in whenever the fuck they feel like it, and you don't see her scolding them! And besides, IT'S SATURDAY. FUCKING SATURDAY. No one ever came to the classes on Saturday's, so why was she being like this?

You slowly shifted your gaze from the dirty sidewalk to Amy's vivid green eyes, and smiled as sweetly as you possibly could. It didn't help. If anything, it only pissed her off even more. She narrowed her eyes, and pursed her red stained lips. You sighed then, and gave her an apologetic look, (trying your best not to be the sassy, coffee deprived bitch, that was clawing inside of you). "I'm sorry Ok? I—I overslept…...again."

Amy crossed her arms and sighed, eyes still narrowed. "This is the third time, in the past two weeks."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. I—I am, really," you pleaded. "My head has been-" You stopped for a moment, carefully choosing your words. "Everywhere….lately."

Amy's expression changed to a softer, more concerned than angry, look. She knew what you had been going through lately. With your suicidal, alcoholic, father and bipolar, mentally ill, mother. You had confided in her, a few weeks back. How you always felt in the middle, and how your father would always play on your emotions, just so you would feel guilty for him. The way he would use suicide to trap you in his grasp, it made you sick. But at the same time, within that sickness, you felt guilt. You felt worry. Worry if you didn't take him seriously, and he actually did harm himself, It would be your fault, because you did nothing to stop it.

Of course Amy, being the loving and caring women that she was, told you that if he ever did anything like that, it most definitely would not be your fault. He was the one who essentially would be, 'pulling the trigger', as your mother would say.

Amy suggested that you seek help, with everything going on in your life-which you responded with, 'I'm doing fine. I don't need a shrink'. You were not the kind of girl to just, 'open up' to anymore. You hid your feelings from everyone and everything. Amy, your mother and your sister, were the only ones you had ever exposed yourself to, and you already felt like that list was far too long.

"Are you ok? Is it your father again?" Amy asked quietly, not trying to draw any unwanted attention.

"No, no. He's been ok. I've just been…." having a shit ton of nightmares and sleepless nights, is what you wanted to say, but you restrained, not wanting to worry her any more then she probably already was. "Tired."

She relaxed her shoulders at that and unfolded her arms. "Well, I'm glad your doing ok, but I'm still kinda upset that you're late again…" She let out a big sigh. "But I suppose I can let it slide….Again." Her voice was still pissy, but you could tell she had calmed down. She then turned around and called out over her shoulder as she began to walk through the front door of the studio, "Get inside, quickly, we have a big class today."

You pulled your backpack onto your shoulder and shuffled behind her, slowly entering the sweaty, crowded dance studio. You could already hear the sounds of laughing children and chatting parents, while the air smelled of hairspray and tears, (which actually, wasn't all that uncommon). You followed Amy into the small office in the back, closing the door behind you. She walked around her desk, which was littered with papers and unorganized money, and sat down into the large comfy chair.

"The place is swamped today, what gives?" you asked, peeking through the small glass window, built into the door.

"No idea, but I'm not exactly complaining. It's been awhile since the studio's been this busy." Amy shuffled the various green bills into one big pile and slipped them inside of a white envelope.

You continued to peek through the window, taking in the characters you would have to deal with today. There were a few whiny kids, some angsty looking teens and then-

You felt your eyes widen and your breath hitch in your throat. Standing in the corner of the room, was a group of three, fully fledged Monsters.

It wasn't uncommon to see a Monster these days. Ever since the barrier was broken, and they were able to come up to the surface, they were all over the news. It was incredible to hear their story. All of your life, you thought they were just myths, legends, campfire stories you would hear and pass down from generation to generation. But they were all true. All this time, they lived underneath the Mountain, completely shut off from the rest of the world.

It sadden you. You couldn't imagine what it was like, being trapped underground for so long. Unable to feel the sun's warmth on your skin, to see the stars shining bright up in the black sky. It sadden you even more when the hate crimes started. Certain Humans would form groups on social media, specifically just to trash and plan protests against the Monsters. Some people felt they didn't deserve to live up here, on the surface. Some said that they were 'Monsters' for a reason and that our ancestors put them underground, 'for a reason'.

You didn't believe any of that, though. They were kind, they were peaceful, they even had a Human girl as the ambassador. Apparently she had fallen down into the Underground, and was the main reason they were able to break free. You would think that having a Human ambassador would ease the people's minds, but in a way, it only made it worse. Some people say that the Human girl is being held against her will, only being the ambassador because her life depended on it. Others say that she was brainwashed, her mind, completely tainted by the Monster's 'demon magic'.

It all seemed so silly to you. You've seen the Human girl on the news before, and you never once thought that the Monster's were holding her captive. Whenever she spoke, her voice was always filled with kindness, fierceness and determination. She was so determined to bring peace between Humans and Monsters, and one day, you sincerely hoped that she would succeed. The world was a terrible place these days, but with drive from the right people, it could become better.

You felt a smile creep up onto your lips, as your eyes wandered over the Monsters standing in the corner of the room. This was the first time you had ever seen them this close before. You hardly ever saw Monsters in the city. They all lived about a mile north, up on the farm lands, at the bottom of Mount Ebott. The government said that it would be safer for them there, and the Monsters agreed. They were allowed free range with the land they were given, and built large houses and shops all over.

You always wanted to go there. You were fascinated by the Monsters and always wanted to speak to them, get to know them, maybe even become friends with them one day. You had so many questions about their life, the Underground, their magic-

You were especially intrigued by their magic. And no! It was not because you were obsessed (to say the least) with Harry Potter and all of those other fantasy stories. And how, for the longest time, you desperately wanted to be Phoebe from Charmed and how you always wanted to be able to posses magic and to feel the power surge through your body like an electric storm—

Ok, maybe that did have a lot to do with your fascination.

You spun around to face Amy, your smile practically glowing across your face. "There are Monsters here!?"

"Yes, they called about an hour ago and signed up last minute," said Amy. She had her head down and her attention on some paper work. "I was quite surprised. The Monsters never usually leave their lands."

"I've never even talked to them, let alone taught them before…." you trailed off, your excitement suddenly turning into anxiety.

Amy looked up at you, her curly black hair falling into her eyes as she gave you an encouraging smile. "I'm sure you'll do fine, besides, this could be your chance. Haven't you always wanted to get to know them?"

You smiled, feeling her words disintegrate your anxiety, as you pushed through the back door to get dressed and ready for the class. You slipped on your black leggings along with your favorite grey sports bra and white tank. You pulled up your dark red hair into a high ponytail and pinned back the flyaway hairs with thick black bobby pins. You took one last look at yourself in the mirror before heading out and into the dance room.

As you made your way to the front of the class people began to stop chatting, realizing that you were the instructor. "Spread out," you said smooth and casually, as you had done this about a thousand times. Although you kept your composure, inside you were dying from the excitement. You could see the small group of Monsters, standing somewhat in the back, away from the rest of the students, and you couldn't help but stare.

The first Monster you saw appeared to be a fish-type women. She had long red hair, (much brighter than your own) tied back into a thick messy bun. She had blue scale-like skin, that looked glittery under the light, and large muscles that were practically popping out of her thin black tank. She didn't look very graceful, which could definitely hinder her ability to dance, but from the way she was built, she would probably be an excellent acrobat.

You eyes then wandered to the small, reptile-like Monster standing next to her. Unlike the fish Monster, (who looked super excited) she looked so terrified. Her yellow skin looked wet, (you assumed from all the nervous sweating she was doing) and her face was completely red. She fiddled with her claw hands and was rocking back and forth nervously. She looked like she really didn't want to be here, but was probably dragged into this by her friends, against her will.

Standing next to her was the largest Monster out of all of them, and definitely the most intriguing. He was- well...he was a skeleton. A head to toe, FULL ON, skeleton. He wore a crop top that said 'world's best dancer' along with ridiculously cut off shorts, (that were clearly once yoga pants). He had probably the biggest smile on his face and was practically bouncing with anticipation. He looked so ready, so eager to start the class, and you just could help but smile.

"Hello and welcome," you started off, as you always normally started the classes. "Today's plan is to just give you guys the basics of Dance. We'll go over basic moves and techniques. If any of you really enjoy this class, please don't hesitate to stop by the office, on your way out, to join some of our other classes, and to also sign up for our Annual Show."

You heard a squeak come from the skeleton in the back of the class and you could feel you smile widen. You picked up the stereo remote and pressed play, which started your playlist of songs you always used to begin the class off with. You turned around and began to do the warm-up stretches, as the class begin to follow your lead. The song 'Misery' by Maroon 5 started to blare through the speakers and you could help but sing along softly, along with a few other students in the class.

I am in misery.

There ain't nobody, who can comfort me.

Why won't you answer me?

The silence is slowly killing me.

It wasn't long before the whole class was singing while stretching. You could even hear the shy reptile Monster singing along with the fish women and overexcited skeleton.

You looked out of the corner of your eye and spotted something in the window. It took you a few glances to realize that there was someone standing there, watching the class through the window. He wore a blue zip-up sweatshirt with furry hood, pulled up around his face. He was outside, watching the class silently as he lifted his fingers casually to his mouth, smoking what appeared to be a normal cigarette. You stared at him for a moment, before realizing that he was Monster. Actually, he was a skeleton, just like one in class, except much smaller. It wasn't long before he caught your staring and shot you a sly smile, his white pupil eyes, filled with curiosity and interest.

You looked away quickly, not wanting to offend him by staring, and felt a heat spread across your cheeks. You concentrated on the warm-ups and did your best to distract yourself with the music that was flowing from the big, black speakers. Out of the corner of your eye again, you glanced towards the window, and felt a bit of some weird disappointment creep in your stomach.

The curious skeleton was already gone.