You are dead

What?

You lied to Frankie

I couldnt tell her JJ u didnt see how she was lookin at me

I know it's hard, she's so pure-hearted. But she deserved to know the truth no matter how bad it was.

So i take it U told her

She didn't take it well. At all.

Aw no did she cry?

I don't know, I haven't seen her since she ran out of Mad Science this morning.

Text her?

Yeah I should. Even if she won't talk to me, I need her to keep this whole thing under wraps for now.

Hey tell her im sorry would ya

Sorry?! I don't think a "sorry" is gonna cut it this time, Holt!

I dunno what else 2 say

To be honest...I don't either.


With a loud click, Frankie unlocked the stall in the ghoul's bathroom and stepped out. She heard the bell signaling the start of lunch hour and was grateful that Mad Science had ended. There was no way in heck she would've been able to go back in there and face Jackson. Not now, and certainly not any time soon. More than anything she wanted to go home sick, but that wasn't an option. Her father would insist on doing a full examination if she said she was ill, and if he found nothing wrong he'd send her right back to school. What about feeling heartsick, Dad?

Turning the sink on high, she squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself not to lose it again as she stood hunched over it. Her stomach churned as tears tried to push their way past her closed eyelids. How was she going to fix this one? The short answer was she couldn't. The damage had already been done, and all they could do now was wait for the outcome. She hated waiting, and she hated not being able to do anything. Frankie had always been proactive, if one of her friends was in trouble she was there to help. Like she had been for Holt when he was framed for pranking the normies at their high school last Halloween. This time, it was different. This time he had done something unforgivable, whether intended or not. And for the first time in her unlife, Frankie wished she didn't care so much. It was too painful.

Her phone buzzed against her hip and she pulled it out from her belt.

Jackson.

You have every right to be angry. Take your time, even if it's forever. But please keep this secret.

Frankie stared at the screen for a moment, feeling more helpless than ever. A tear rolled down her cheek as she replied back: I promise. She couldn't say or do anything else.

Finally shutting off the sink and exiting the bathroom, she kept her head bowed as she made her way to the Creepateria. Jackson was sitting quietly with Deuce, picking at his food forlornly, and Frankie walked right past him to her usual table she sat at with the ghouls. Fortunately the only one there was Abbey Bominable, who was also picking at her food. Probably not because she was upset, but because she wasn't sure if it was edible, which Frankie didn't blame her for thinking.

"Hey," she said as she sat beside Abbey, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

"Frankie!" Abbey exclaimed, whirling to face her in her seat. "You are here."

"Where's everyone else?"

"Looking for you," Abbey replied simply, shoving her tray to the side in disgust. "Cleo be saying how you leave Mad Science class in much haste. I tell her you here."

"No, please don't text her!" Frankie said quickly, covering Abbey's iCoffin screen with her hand. "I don't want all of them here bombarding me with questions. I...don't even think I could answer them."

"Frankie," Abbey said gently, setting her phone back down on the table. "Your eyes have the sad water in them. Please to tell."

"I wish I could," Frankie said miserably, trying to blink back her tears. Then her gaze found Jackson sitting at his table again and they sprang up afresh.

"I be keeping same secret as you," Abbey revealed with a sigh, and Frankie's head snapped back around in surprise. "Heath tell me everything. He be knowing I not tell other ghouls. Is...very sorrowful situation. Must especially be for you."

"I don't know what to do, Abbey," Frankie shook her head, her fists clenched in her lap. "I feel like I should be doing something, but all I can concentrate on is how angry I am at Holt. Does that make me horrible? Or selfish?"

"Hey Abbey, turns out Ms. Kindergrubber had some yak milk in her classroom," Heath said as he came into view, holding up a small milk carton. He nearly dropped it when he saw the new arrival at their table, "Frankie!"

"Heath!" Frankie suddenly jolted back into action as if a bolt of lightning had shot through her system. "You were there that night, weren't you?"

"Shh, not so loud," Heath put a finger to his lips, sliding onto the bench and glancing around quickly before leaning in closer to talk. "Yeah, I saw the whole thing."

"So that normie, is he really in an awful state?" Frankie's heart sank as Heath's face grew more and more serious.

"He looked pretty bad. But hey, don't worry. It's been two days and nothing's happened yet. No news is good news, right?

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Frankie responded. That actually made her feel a bit better, the best she'd felt in the past hour.

"You have disagreement with Jackson?" Abbey asked, glancing back at where the half normie sat with Deuce.

"No. I mean, yes - I mean - not really," Frankie peered down at her clasped hands. "Holt lied to me about what happened earlier this morning, and then Jackson told me the truth later in class. That's why I ran out, I...I couldn't help it. It's so hard to look at him when I know that Holt is in there and that he caused someone to get seriously hurt. It even scares me when he touches me, because I know he used those same hands to beat up that guy. I can't even be around him." Tears dripped into her lap, splashing onto her hands, "I'm the worst ghoulfriend ever."

"You are frightened Frankie, is not unnatural," Abbey soothed, rubbing her back.

"But usually there's something I can do to make things right again. Now I'm drawing a blank," Frankie said sadly, wiping her eyes dry.

"Is one thing you can do," Abbey said, her icy hand gripping Frankie's shoulder firmly. "Stay beside him. Being like the light in his darkness. Is more valuable to him than you may be thinking."

"Look, my cousin really likes you," Heath said quietly, a small smile on his face. "Maybe even loves you. And he's gonna need all the support he can get right now from the people closest to him. That includes you now."

"But I - I can't even-" Her inability to form complete sentences was really starting to irk Frankie, but Abbey continued to take pity on her.

"Will probably be as good for you as it being for him," the yeti girl showed off her tusks as she grinned. Frankie was about to crack a slight smile back when a high-pitched voice rang out through the Creepateria.

"There she is!" Draculaura sprinted towards the table from the lunch line, followed by Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo and Ghoulia all carrying trays.

"Frankie, you had us worried, ghoul!" Clawdeen exclaimed, sliding into the seat across from Frankie.

"You look awful, mate," Lagoona added, studying Frankie's tired and red-rimmed eyes. "Tell us what happened."

"How could you just run out during my presentation?!" Cleo said in an outraged tone. Ghoulia let out an annoyed moan at that under her breath, but didn't elaborate.

"I'm sorry I worried you all, I really am," Frankie looked around at each of them shamefully. "But the point is I'm better now, Abbey and Heath cheered me up."

"Are you sure?" Clawdeen peered at her through narrowed eyes.

"Positive," Frankie emphasized with a smile that she hoped reached her eyes. "I was...making a big deal out of nothing." Now she was lying to the ghouls. This didn't make her any better than Holt in the end. But Jackson had asked her not to tell anyone outside the very small circle of people who knew already.

"Well at least that's all taken care of," Cleo said dismissively, rewrapping the gold bandages on her right arm. "I suppose Deuce must be making a big deal out of nothing as well, he's been acting awfully strange today like you. But anyway, about the routine I'm thinking of for the next Casketball game, Ghoulia has a blueprint all set-"

"Cleo, I won't be at Fearleading practice today," Frankie blurted out before she could stop herself. The ghouls looked back at her concernedly while Abbey busied herself by shoveling forkfuls of food into her mouth, Heath whistling to himself as he avoided all their gazes.

"So I take it you won't be at the welcoming committee meeting either?" Lagoona asked, raising an eyebrow at Frankie who shook her head apologetically.

"So where will you be?" Draculaura asked.

"I - I'm really behind on schoolwork and-"

"And a really terrible liar," Clawdeen deadpanned, stabbing her fork into the rare steak on her tray. "Frankie, what's going on?"

"I can't tell you," Frankie finally confessed. Now Abbey was positively chugging the carton of yak's milk Heath had brought her.

"If you're not going to be at Fearleading, you better have a good reason for it," Cleo snapped, folding her arms across her chest as she lowered her voice dangerously. "I demand to know what it is."

"I made a promise not to tell," Frankie said tentatively, revealing as much as she could without breaking her word to Jackson.

"Did somethin' bad happen?" Lagoona asked in a gentle motherly tone.

"Does this have anything to do with Holt and the reason he sent you roses?" Draculaura piped up suddenly as if she'd just remembered about that morning that now felt like years ago. Frankie had to fight with every fiber of her being not to spark at the bolts, which would have been a dead giveaway.

"Frankie, whatever it is, you can tell us," Lagoona reached for Frankie's hand. "We'll keep it secret, I swear." For the most fleeting of moments, Frankie nearly broke down and told them everything. Glancing briefly over Clawdeen's shoulder, she saw Heath's eyes widen at her, shaking his head slightly as if to say "Don't you dare."

"I'm sorry, but this time I can't," Frankie said in finality, pulling her hand back from Lagoona's. For a while no one made a sound, except for Abbey loudly slurping up the last dregs of her milk.

"Well I hope you know you're back on probation because of this, Frankie!" Cleo huffed angrily before she got up from the table and stormed from the Creepateria, Ghoulia following behind her.

"If Frankie doesn't want us to know, then we should respect that," Draculaura said slowly, though she sounded incredibly hurt.

"I agree," Lagoona nodded, lowering her eyes so she hid the sadness in them.

"Whatever," Clawdeen growled, not taking her narrowed golden eyes off of Frankie. Swinging her legs off the bench, she stalked off after Cleo and Ghoulia without another word.

"I'm going to find Clawd," Draculaura said sadly, avoiding Frankie's eyes as she got up to leave.

"I...have a swim team meetup," Lagoona added, leaving Frankie alone with Heath and Abbey again.

"Whew! For a second there I thought you were totally gonna spill the beans," Heath said once the other ghouls were out of earshot.

"I wanted to, so badly," Frankie sniffled. "Now they're all mad at me." The bell rang at last, ending the longest lunch hour of Frankie's unlife. It didn't matter though, the recent developments in this giant mess hadn't made her hungry in the slightest.


"Frankie, I know how difficult this must be for you to fully comprehend," Viveka Stein said later that afternoon when her daughter got home from school. The number of people who knew about what Holt did over the weekend kept right on climbing, now including the inner circle of monster parents. Frankie figured as much when she walked in the door and heard her parents conversing in German, which they only did when they were very emotional or wanted to discuss something they didn't want their daughter to overhear. It must have been a mixture of both this time because when Frankie entered the room, they looked around quickly at her with wide eyes. But one look at her face told them that she already knew, and then the hugs and kisses started. Frankie still felt too frozen in shock to exhibit any sort of emotion and just let her parents do most of the talking. Now little by little, she was starting to find her voice again.

"Do you?" she asked quietly, lifting her eyes to meet her mother's as she sat at the kitchen table next to her and across from her father.

"Yes," Viveka said, "I was like you once, dear. Recently created, thrust into a strange and cruel world, experiencing things for the first time, feeling complex multiple emotions I had never felt before. Your father was the first thing I saw and, quite frankly, I was terrified."

"Well I did look a lot worse then than I do now," Viktor let out a chuckle before his face grew serious again. "But the point is to have something this traumatizing happen in your still very young unlife must be...overwhelming."

"But," his wife cut in pointedly, "there's no sense in constantly worrying. We must always be on alert, yes, but unlife does go on." Frankie bit her lip as she lowered her eyes to the table top. How could she just go on with her unlife when Jackson and Holt were such a huge part of it?

"Do you think Draculaura, Clawdeen and the other ghouls will find out from their parents?" Frankie asked, trying to switch gears in the conversation a bit.

"I would expect not, unless there are any new developments not in our favor," Viktor replied in a businesslike tone. "The Count was insistent that we let as little in our community know as possible for now." Draculaura's father was sort of the assumed leader, any and all news in the monster world was reported directly to him. "The Headmistress knows of course, and Mrs. Gorgon I believe has told Deuce, he and Jackson are rather close. I can only hope word doesn't get out to that loose-lipped Vondergeist girl."

"Aside from Heath and Operetta, only Deuce, Abbey and I know," Frankie said in a much stronger tone. She understood her dad's concern, it would mean absolute chaos if Spectra got wind of this. "But I think the others are aware that there's at least something going on." Viveka's phone suddenly vibrated against the kitchen counter and she rose to answer it.

"Hello?" Her eyes grew soft and sad as she pressed a hand to her heart, "Oh Sydney…" Frankie felt a sharp pang in her heart as Viveka left the room to talk privately with Jackson's mother. If this was tearing her apart inside, she could only imagine what this ordeal was doing to Mrs. Jekyll.

"I'm actually surprised that you're here, Frankie," Viktor broke the stillness after his wife had gone. "When you chose not to stay for your after school curriculum, I assumed you would be over at Jackson's."

"Dad?" Frankie asked, getting up to sit in the chair closest to him. "What would you do if Mom did what Holt did?" She hadn't meant for it to sound so blunt, but there was no other way she was going to get the answers she needed to put her restless, spinning mind at ease.

"Attacked a normie, you mean?" Viktor clarified, a bit taken aback. "Well, your mother and I have been known in the past for our bouts of…irrational behavior, exaggerated or not. But since the night I created her, I have always remained on her side. She is my perfect mate and she always will be."

"That doesn't really answer my question," Frankie mumbled.

"What I'm trying to say is that there isn't anything your mother could do that would stop me from loving her," her father said, holding Frankie's hands in his. "She is everything to me. We have been through so much together in the past couple of centuries that I'm sure you must know that we didn't always have a blissful unlife together. We had rough patches, we've had countless fights, there was even a period when we became so frustrated trying to create you that we spent a few months apart from each other. Your mother went back to Germany and I remained here continuing my work in the labs. And although my head was constantly in my science, my heart was constantly broken. I needed your mother here with me, and it took making the ultimate sacrifice to show me that: Letting her go. I would never wish those months I spent apart from the one I loved most upon my worst enemy...let alone my own daughter."

"What are you saying, Dad?" Frankie asked, her voice quivering.

"I'm saying what are you doing here when you should be with Jackson?" Viktor cupped his large hand around her soft cheek. "When any moment now we could get word that he's been hauled away to a monster prison for manslaughter? Frankie, you know I've never been a big fan of Holt, but you care about both of them and that's what matters most to me. What's important is not what Holt did then, but who Jackson needs the most now." He looked up to see that Viveka had reentered the room, coming up behind his chair. With tears in her eyes, she leaned down and kissed him deeply on the lips, sparks flying from both of their neck bolts.

"You're right," Frankie breathed as they broke apart. "You're so right, Dad. Sure I'm scared, but Jackson's even more scared than I am! He could be gone right now and the last thing I ever said to him was...what am I still doing here?!"

"Drive carefully, it's supposed to snow," Viveka smiled, handing Frankie her winter coat.

"I'll be back later tonight," Frankie promised, kissing both of her parents on their cheeks as she threw her jacket on and rushed out to the driveway. The evening sky had set in early, leaving a biting winter chill in the air, but Frankie's now rapidly buzzing electrical flow stretching to the tips of her limbs was enough to keep her warm as she pulled out and drove on down the road to Jackson's house.


"It's been getting darker earlier, hasn't it?" Jackson raised his eyebrows at his mom as he continued to dry the salad bowl in his hands. If this was her idea of small talk, he was now considering getting her some of those conversation starter flashcards for Christmas.

"I guess so," he shrugged, putting the bowl away in the cupboard and flipping the towel over to the drier side. "Next week it's officially winter and all."

"Finish your shopping yet?" Sydney Jekyll prodded as she spooned the rest of the macaroni and cheese, Jackson's favorite, into the tupperware container.

"Almost," Jackson muttered. "Still need to get something for Frankie."

"Aw, having trouble finding the 'perfect' gift?"

"Mom, what's the deal with all the questions?" Jackson finally blurted out, setting the glass he was drying down on the counter unnecessarily hard. The smile melted from his mother's face faster than a snowflake in July, and he instantly felt bad.

"I'm just trying to diffuse the tension, honey," Sydney said with a deep sigh, throwing the now empty pot into the sink. "Trying to get our minds off of it for one minute."

Jackson swallowed hard, setting the towel back down on the counter. "I know, you're just...not doing a very good job at it."

"No, I'm not." Setting the last glass inside the cupboard, he turned to see his mom pluck a tissue from the Kleenex box again. Removing her glasses, she pressed it to her eyes and breathed hard as if trying to hold back a myriad of emotions. She'd been on and off like this all day and it killed Jackson every time. Ever since he was young, he'd always hated disappointing his parents even if it was something small. Now after all of that worrying, he had actually done the most disappointing thing a child could ever do to their parents. He went over and rested his hand on her shoulder, the only thing he could really do to comfort her. As she reciprocated with a kiss on his cheek, there was a loud knock at the door.

"Who's that?" Jackson asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"I hope it's not the cops," Sydney's voice trembled as she dabbed at her eyes. "Stay in here, I'll get the door." Jackson backed up against the counter gripping the edges nervously. If he was about to receive news that the normie had perished, that was it. He was off to wherever the normies used to take monsters to deal with them back in the day, and he would never see anyone he cared about again. Not his mom or his friends or the ghoul who hadn't returned the fifteen text messages he'd left her. At this dire hour, he would have given anything to see her one more time…

"Oh Frankie, it's just you!" Sydney exhaled in relief once the door swung open, and Jackson practically fell over in a faint. She was here. He tore from the kitchen and stood in the doorway facing the front hall, watching her unwrap the scarf from around her head, her long silky black and white hair sparkling with dewed snowflakes, her wide blue and green eyes filled with concern. What had he done to deserve a creature so beautiful? Right now, nothing, which left him puzzled as to what she was doing here.

"Is Jackson home?" Frankie asked Sydney in a voice hushed from breathing in the bitterly cold air outside. "I mean just...all of this, I...I don't know what to say."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to say anything," Sydney said gently, pulling her into a hug. "We're just glad to see you here." Jackson's heart tugged a bit as he watched them embrace, the mere thought of the turmoil he was putting the two most important women in his life through unbearable. As he stepped into the front hall, they broke apart to see him standing there.

"Hi," he said simply, taking Frankie's coat as she removed it and setting it on a chair. "Did you text me you were coming?" He figured he probably just hadn't received it, until she shook her head.

"Can we talk someplace privately?" Frankie whispered as she moved closer to him, and he nodded.

"Mom, Frankie and I will be in my room," Jackson said over his shoulder as he took Frankie's hand and guided her through the kitchen into the back hallway where his and Holt's room resided. "Okay," he inhaled deeply as they entered the room, shutting the door behind him. "Whatever it is you have to say, or yell or throw at me, I'm ready to take it."

"I'm just glad it's you," Frankie said, gripping the bedpost until her knuckles were a very pale mint green. "If it were Holt I - I probably would've run right back out the door. My ghoul, I am so stupid."

"No Frankie, you're not," Jackson exhaled slowly, relieved that this didn't sound like it was leading into a breakup speech. "If you feel-"

"Just let me say this," Frankie cut him off, her teeth nervously scraping the lipstick on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry for the way I acted earlier today, Jackson. You didn't deserve that, you don't deserve any of this."

"Yeah I do," Jackson said quickly before she could go on. "Holt and I are the same guy, Frankie, like you've always said. I need to accept responsibility for my own actions...even when I don't remember them."

"That's not fair to you," Frankie's voice broke as her boyfriend moved away from the door closer to her.

"Nothing about the Jekyll and Hyde thing is fair," Jackson said grimly. "It just is what it is. Just like my great-grandfather had to take responsibility for his darker half, I do too. My only regret is putting you through so much grief." He reached up and let his finger stroke her chin before bringing his hand to rest on her cheek. "If I were you, I would've run out the door anyway."

"I'm not running anymore," Frankie shook her head. "Running was what I did this morning, and it was foolish and awful of me."

"Frankie-"

"From now on, I'm in this with you," Frankie replied insistently, holding his wrist nestled near her face. "Until this whole thing ends, whatever end that is, I'm not leaving your side. I can't be worrying about myself at a time like this because you're my boyfriend and I love you and it's more important that you have my support than-"

"Say that again." Jackson's hands moved swiftly to capture her around the waist and Frankie gasped lightly.

"It's more important that you have my support?"

He shook his head, "Before that."

"You're my boyfriend and I...I love you."

Jackson's eyes lit up as the first feeling of overwhelming happiness he'd felt in days warmed his chest. "Really? You mean that?"

Frankie stood there with her mouth hanging open, oblivious to the sparks flying from her bolts. It had just slipped out, honestly it had, but a statement like that couldn't just manifest itself from nothing. She'd thought about how much she loved him many times over the past few months with every sweet little gesture, every kind word that made her feel beautiful and special in his eyes. But never before had she actually spoken the words out loud until now. Which was why, without a doubt in her mind, she was able to respond with a sincere "Yes."

As if something had snapped inside of Jackson, he wrapped the full length of his arms around her and held her tight, his lips crashing against hers once she'd confirmed the words he always thought would scare her off or warrant a laugh if he ever said them. His mouth worked with hers passionately for several long moments he wanted to last forever, not caring that his wool hoodie and her sparking neck bolts were a terrible combination. He was willing to endure it all if it meant Frankie reciprocated his affections fully.

"I love you, too," he said with a wide smile once they were forced to come up for air. "So much, but I was always too nervous to tell you."

"I'll tell you more often if it means you'll kiss me like that again," Frankie panted in exhilaration. In those select moments that they just stood there, everything was wiped from their minds except the fact that they were together and they loved each other. It reminded Jackson of those scenes in movies where the couple is literally transported to their own little world where the fog machine is on full blast, the costumes are flowing and overblown and the occasional musical number kicks into gear. But they were both too stunned to speak, let alone sing.

The singing Jackson decided to leave to the Christmas carolers they suddenly heard outside, the wind blowing their voices in the direction of his cracked open bedroom window. Frankie's head whipped around in alarm to see the small group of monsters walking merrily down the sidewalk, bundled up tight and bringing unlife to the stock howliday tunes enthusiastically.

"No wait," Frankie broke away from Jackson and tripped over a pair of sneakers on the floor as she bounded over to the window. "You can't hear music."

"Frankie that won't-"

"You can't hear music!" Frankie shouted as she grabbed the window frame and slammed it shut. Jackson stared at her, thrown off for a moment by her sudden desperation. Then it dawned on him. She couldn't face Holt. She couldn't face him any more that his own mother could right now, which left Jackson to take any and all precautions to keep himself from transforming.

"Hey," he said softly, taking her by the arm and pulling her away from the window. "Carol singing won't trigger it. It's gotta be at least 90 decibels, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah sorry, I...that was dumb." Frankie rubbed her eyes as if tiredly, but it was more like a mental smack to the head.

"Frankie, this whole thing," Jackson brought them both slamming back down to earth, and the matter at hand. "It goes both ways. Your feelings are just as important as mine. If you're scared or angry about these circumstances, you're allowed to show it. I won't blame you and neither will anyone else. And if they do, they'll have to deal with me." Frankie moved her hand from her eyes and gazed back up at him, letting his words wash over her like a wave of relief. Removing his hand from her arm, she dazedly sat down on his bed and stared at the floor silently for a minute. As he sat down beside her, her tear-filled eyes found his, and his heart tore down the middle as he watched them overflow down her cheeks.

"This is really bad, isn't it?" Frankie cried despairingly. Jackson didn't answer but took her in his arms once again and let her sob into his shoulder. The correct response of course was yes, this was disastrous. Yes, he might receive the monster death penalty if that guy died in the hospital. But he wasn't going to tell her that as she sat here at her lowest point. He was just going to hold her while she let it all out, kiss her hair and wipe away her tears so she'd put on that brave face of hers that he always admired. Because if she didn't, then there really was nothing left for him to hang onto for hope.

Luckily for Jackson, the more Frankie talked and cried and let the initial shock and anger melt away, the more optimistic and determined she became. Within an hour she was acting like her old self again, lying next to Jackson on his bed while they rehashed the details and what they could infer from them.

"So if he's okay then what's the worst he can do, sue?" Frankie asked, twirling a strand of black and white hair between her fingers as she propped her head facing Jackson up on her elbow.

"I'll have to plead guilty, then take whatever punishment the court rules," Jackson explained. "Assuming I get a fair trial."

"Of course you'll get a trial," Frankie said in a slightly outraged tone, "Monsters have democratic rights just like anyone else. My money's on community service."

"How lenient of you," Jackson grinned playfully, brushing his thumb over the stitched scar on her right cheek, which was still wet from her tears. "At least I know someone will be."

"Jackson, I hope you haven't been moping all day because of me," Frankie sighed as she brought her hand up to his face as well.

"No, not all day," he said, brightening up a bit. "Deuce came over right after school and we played racing games for a few hours. We talked a little about what happened, he tried to assure me it'll all work out for the best, but mostly he was trying to get my mind off of it. Like my mom is, only she's not as successful. She tries to hide it but I can tell she's crying at random times. It's hard when it's her alone, not being able to get ahold of my dad and all." Frankie nodded sadly, remembering his parents' trial separation and how difficult that already was on top of this. "If anything happens to me, then she really will be alone."

"It'll be okay," Frankie said, leaning forward to kiss his forehead as he lowered his eyes to wipe his nose on the back of his hand. "I'll take care of your mom if something happens. I mean, not that she can't take care of herself, she does have a Hyde personality and all, but I'll...you know, look out for her for you, and my mom will too. See? She'll never be alone."

Jackson smiled through his misty bright eyes as he closed in to kiss her again. "You are seriously the most amazing ghoul in the world."

"You're pretty voltage yourself," Frankie said softly, snaking her arms around him in a loving embrace. Jackson wasn't exactly sure how long they lay with each other like that, but he did open his eyes in time to see his digital clock change to 9:30.

"You should probably get going," Jackson said getting up off the bed as Frankie sat up to finger comb her long tresses neatly so Mrs. J wouldn't see her messy hair and freak out. They had been in there for a long time.

"It's going to be hard to keep all of this from the ghouls for very long," Frankie said as he walked her to the front door. "I tell them everything."

"It was Dracula's orders," Sydney said as she came to meet them in the hallway, with no inkling that she was mad at them for spending so much alone time in Jackson's bedroom. Maybe Jackson should've had Holt get him in trouble more often if it meant more special treatment from his mom. "As little of us need to know as possible. Even he and Clawrk Wolf won't tell Draculaura and Clawdeen."

"I understand," Frankie nodded as she pulled her coat and scarf back on. Still, it hurt to have them giving her the cold shoulder because she was keeping something from them. But she brushed it off as she gave Jackson and his mother the most courageous smile she could muster. "Maybe in a few days, there won't be anything to tell them at all."

"We can only hope," Sydney smiled slightly back as Jackson kissed Frankie goodbye before she walked out to the driveway. With his mom and Frankie beside him, and the support of his friends who knew of the debacle, Jackson felt like he could tackle anything the world threw at him at that moment.


The next couple of days were thankfully rather uneventful given the current situation. Heath and Operetta were starting to loosen up again since the weekend, a fact Abbey made clear when she confirmed Heath and Manny Taur were doing "how you say, the 'dumb boy' stuff." She, Deuce and Frankie still hadn't breathed a word to anyone about Jackson and Holt's potential conviction. But by Thursday, the old routine seemed to have fallen so solidly back into place that the ghouls never even thought to question Frankie again about her episode from the other day. Jackson and Frankie were able to put the final touches on their Mad Science project that afternoon, all set to present the next day, and with plenty of time to spare had a quiet pizza and movie night together. She was still on eggshells about the possibility of Holt surfacing, having not figured out how she was going to confront the other half of her boyfriend about what he'd done, but Jackson seemed to be punishing him in his own way by not letting him out. Right now that was perfectly fine with Frankie, but she knew someday they were going to have to deal with it head on whether they were ready or not.

She just didn't realize that day was going to come so soon. At around four in the morning on Friday, Frankie felt herself being shaken awake by her mother. Waking from her deep charging stage, she opened her eyes to see her father lighting the lamps in the lab before catching the time on her digital clock out the corner of her eye.

"Frankie? Frankie, wake up darling."

"Wha...Mom, it's way too early…"

"This can't wait," Viktor said gruffly, snuffing out the match used to light the ancient lamps along the walls, creating a softer glow than if he had just flipped on the fluorescents overhead. He needed his daughter to wake up quickly, but not shock her awake.

"What's wrong?" Frankie sat up in bed, dread settling into the pit of her stomach.

"There's no easy way to tell you this," Viveka's voice trembled as she unhooked Frankie's neck bolts from her generator. "But that normie...the one Holt put in the hospital…"

"What?" Frankie clutched the blankets to her chest as she slowly got her bearings and recalled the whole of what happened last Saturday. Her mother pressed a hand to her mouth unable to go on, and her father stepped in to finally drop the other shoe.

"He died about an hour ago, Frankie."