Frankie Stein's first sixteen days of life were not at all what she had expected.

She was currently in the backseat of a drab-looking car, her energy running seriously low. She wouldn't be able to charge until she got to her dorm; she had asked several times to make a pit stop, but the two drivers in the front seat, a man and a woman similar in build, brushed her off.

She looked out the window, and all she saw was trees barren of leaves. She knew from the information that had been loaded into her brain that this was what happened during winter. She couldn't help but be a little disappointed she hadn't been brought to life in the middle of spring, or maybe even autumn.

This was her first glimpse of the outside world; her previous fifteen days had been spent strapped to a lab table in a white room lit by blinding fluorescent lights, with wires attached to her in several different places. All of them had a different purpose; some were charging her, some were giving her a basic knowledge of the way the world worked, and she wasn't sure what some of the others did. But now she knew about the water cycle and the food chain and the properties of electricity because of it

These things were all interesting, but nothing piqued her curiosity more than Stormy Night High.

Her creator (father? Frankie wasn't sure what to call him) hadn't spent very much time with her, since he was separated from her by other humans soon after her awakening, but the one conversation she had with him involved the place she would be going.

He said to her in a rushed voice that Stormy Night High was a boarding school for people with extraordinary powers and traits. He had made such an emphasis on the "extraordinary" part. The last thing he did before he had to leave was grab her by the shoulders and tell her to never forget she was extraordinary and special.

She smiled to herself in the back seat of the car; she didn't intend to forget. She wished she could have talked to him more, but she had promised him she wouldn't forget.

There was also mention of… a purpose? He hadn't elaborated, but the thought of having a destiny excited Frankie. She knew she was here for a reason, and she couldn't wait to find out what that reason was.

Though, her purpose certainly wasn't riding in this car. It smelled unpleasant, like an ashtray. Frankie was all about new experiences, but that was the thing; some were good, some were bad, and this wasn't a good one.

The car continued puttering along. She leaned forward and asked for the two drivers to maybe turn on the radio, but one just grunted and the other one told her to sit back, or else.

Jeez. Pushy, much?

So, she sat back like the lady said, and looked at the trees again, thinking about the leaves changing and how vibrant the colors would be when it finally happened.

It was thirty minutes of thinking about how the world worked before Frankie saw a sign in the distance. Her heart leaped, and she pressed the side of her face to the glass to try and get a better look; as they got closer, she could make out the words "STORMY NIGHT HIGH". The sign itself wasn't extraordinary, just a concrete rectangle with an unassuming black font, but the sign didn't have to be extraordinary for the people at school to be.

She grinned and tried to keep herself from making any excited noises, in fear of getting shushed by the grumpies again.


Apparently, a lot of the people that worked here were grumpies, too.

FrankIe was in an office, sitting in a chair in front of a large, black desk, trying to keep her hands still, though she was having a hard time keeping herself from running her fingers over her stitches. Two guards (different people from the ones that had driven her here) were standing on either side of her. Like she would try to run.

The man across from her had his hands clasped on top of his desk, and a steely expression was on his face. She thought his leopard print ascot and his neatly trimmed beard were so voltage; she couldn't wait to get her own style.

He cleared his throat. "Frankie Stein, is it?"

"Yes, sir!" She stuck her hand out to shake his, and his eyebrows straightened before he shook back. His grip was loose, like he was uncomfortable.

With a popping noise, her hand fell off, and his recoiled. She blushed. "Whoops! Sorry, this happened in the car, too. I guess the stitching isn't as solid on that hand."

When she saw his face, which was twisted in some emotion she had never seen before (she hadn't seen many, but still), she hurriedly reattached her hand. She felt embarrassed.

The man took a deep breath before continuing. "If you haven't caught on, I am Administrator Van Helsing. I am in charge of this school, and I do not tolerate any public displays of… foolishness, if you will."

"You mean my hand? I really am sorry, it just–"

"You have much to learn. But that's why you're here."

Frankie blinked. What was he talking about?

He continued, "In any case, your stay here begins immediately. You will be staying in…" he paused to look at a chart laid to the side, "girl's dorm hall A, bed 5. Your uniform will be laid on the bed, as well as your school supplies and any accommodations needed for staying alive; you will not need any other belongings. Go, it's almost curfew now."


Lagoona suppressed a sigh as she felt the weight of her almost-empty moisturizer bottle in her hands. It was taking more and more to keep her skin normal as the years went on, and she knew she was going to have to ask for more of it soon.

The Thought made her feel sick. She had already asked for more only a week ago. She knew her monster traits were getting more monster-y as she got older, and the thought terrified her.

She jumped slightly as the door to the dorm room was flung open and it slammed against the wall. Two guards walked in, gripping a green girl's arms and leading her towards the vacant bed. A new student? This late?

Lagoona glanced over at her roommates, and they had already put their heads down as if they hadn't noticed anything. She followed suit.

The guards gave the girl the same spiel they gave every new student; no leaving the dorm after curfew, no missing class, no speaking against humans because they're "here to help the process", et cetera. She thanked them before they left.

Once the guards were gone, Lagoona glanced at the girl again, who had been placed in the bed next to hers. That bed had been vacant for as long as she could remember, but now there were a stack of folded clothes and a large mechanical box with wires sticking out.

The girl noticed Lagoona, and waved at her. "Hey! My name's Frankie."

"Uh, the name's Lagoona." Was this new monster nuts? She put her head down again; friendly conversations couldn't last long or they would attract attention.

Despite this, Frankie pushed on. "Sorry if this sounds rude, but are those scales on your arms? Oh, your legs too! You've got them all over!"

The sea monster's stomach lurched and her heart twisted. She was always painfully aware of her scales showing; it wasn't normal and she knew it. Not like any of the people at this school were normal. She wondered if Draculaura felt this way about her fangs, or if Clawdeen did about her ears. They must, right? That's why they were all at this school; they didn't deserve to be anywhere else. Abnormalities.

She didn't look up. "Yeah. They're scales."

"That's so cool! I've never met anyone with scales before." Frankie giggled. "Well, I haven't really been alive that long, either, but still, they're cool! It's pretty how the light shines off them."

Lagoona hesitated, and then looked up. What on Earth was she going on about? She furrowed her brow. "Er. Thanks."

She noticed the other girls in the room were looking now. Cleo shot a raised eyebrow towards Frankie from across the room, and Clawdeen and Draculaura just looked vaguely unsettled. Ghoulia was the only one who didn't seem to notice what was going on; she was probably asleep. Or she just didn't get it. Zombies are slow, after all.

Frankie yawned. "Well, I think I'm going to turn in early! I am in desperate need of a recharge." She set the metal box on the floor and picked up the two wires with clamps on the ends, affixing them to two neck bolts Lagoona hadn't noticed until just now. She grinned as she laid down. "Sleep tight, Lagoona!"

"Alright, mate."

Draculaura had turned around again so she was facing her desk like before, but Clawdeen gave Lagoona a look, which was responded with a shrug.

Lagoona resumed putting on her moisturizer for the night. Frankie would just have to get used to being a monster. If she kept this kind of talk up, her time here may end before the destinies began.