Thank you for the many reviews! I honestly didn't expect this story to be so good (mostly because I was the first one to make one). I'm sorry this took so long to update. That's what I get for trying to write 4 stories at the same time. Extra thanks to Rexfan1333 for giving me a brilliant idea for this story! And now, without further interruption!
Enjoy!
Ben had to admit, that the school was far more impressive than any other school he had gone to in his life. The school was large and imposing with high pink walls and a large courtyard, of which a large fountain that spewed forth swamp water sat. Hundreds of students of every monster type roamed about as they chatted and talked to each other. Large trees lined the walls of the courtyard, with students reading and studying under them. Several spirits swooped and dived through the air toward their classes, frightening a couple of students as they passed by.
"So? What do you think?" Frankie asked him. He startled, forgetting she had been next to him for a moment. Then again, he was more than twice her height. In fact, he seemed to be the tallest one in the courtyard, even towering over a large minotaur that was tossing around a basketball with a werewolf and gorgon. "I'm impressed." was all he could say. Frankie nodded and grabbed his large arm, dragging him across the courtyard, drawing the attention of almost every monster in the area. Frankenstrike tried to ignore them, and saw that Frankie was pulling him toward a small group of monsters crowded around the front steps leading up to the school.
A tall mummy girl with gold and black striped hair and wrapped in gold and blue bandages eyed him carefully as he approached them. The werewolf wearing a purple skirt sniffed him as a small, pink vampire practically squealed at the sight of him and Frankie together. Their even shorter zombie friend just moaned, her eyes moving in separate directions for a brief moment before settling on him. "Hey, Frankie!" the werewolf said.
"Hey, Clawdeen! You finish last nights Biteology homework?" Frankie asked. The werewolf nodded as the mummy pushed her way to the front of the group. "Frankie, I'm sure we all want to talk about the homework we were supposed to do last night, but I'm pretty sure we're all dying to know where you got your new boyfriend." she said in a commanding voice. The girls all voiced their wanting to talk about him. "Where did you get such a hulking guy?" Clawdeen asked, referring to Frankenstrike's monstrous size. He would be lucky if he didn't have to duck his head just to fit into every door in the building. "I found him on my front lawn." Frankie replied, getting odd stares from her friends. "So, what? Your dad invented a boyfriend plant?" Draculaura asked.
Frankie blushed as Frankenstrike turned red and his chargers crackled with electricity. "He's not my boyfriend!" Frankie said quickly. "We're just friends! I thought I might show him around on his first day." The other monsters seemed to by it, even though Draculaura bit her lip in excitement. Ghoulia moaned something incomprehensible to Frankenstrike. "Uh, what did she say? I don't speak zombie." he said with slight remorse in his voice. "She asked what that disk on your chest is for." Cleo translated. "And why you don't wear a shirt." she added, her eyes tracing over his large muscles. Frankenstrike. Clawdeen elbowed her as Frankenstrike tried to come up with something. "It's, uh, to help me, um, control my electrokinesis?" he tried, hoping against that they would buy it. The girls shrugged and headed into the school, Ghoulia casting a suspicious glance back at him.
"I think they're starting to like you." Frankie said.
"I'm not so sure." Frankenstrike said nervously.
"Oh, don't worry about it! I'll take you to Headmistress Bloodgood so you can get started!" Frankie said. She quickly pulled him inside before he could argue, his head hitting the top of the doors and ripping out a small section in the shape out his squared head. He was pulled down dark purple halls lined with coffin shaped lockers. It seemed that most of the sports areas were on the first floor. He passed an open door to a large pool area that reeked of chlorine and an even bigger indoor gym where the Casketball team was practicing. There even appeared to be an indoor football and soccer field!
Eventually they came to a door with several bars over the window. Whether it was meant to look threatening or for protection was up to debate. Frankie walked up to the door and gave a quick knock. "Come in." a female voice ordered. Frankie opened the door and stepped inside, gesturing for Frankenstrike to do the same. He stepped forward and ducked down, his large conductors taking a bit off the top of the door frame. "That's gonna be a real headache." he sighed as he sat down next to Frankie in two chairs in front of the desk. The chair groaned under his weight for a brief moment before it gave way and broke, setting down a couple feet. He was still, however, taller than Frankie or the woman sitting in front of him.
The woman had black hair curled up on her head. Which was sitting on her desk as her body wrote on a sheet of paper. Frankenstrike nearly fainted at the sight before Frankie whispered to him that she was the daughter of the Headless Horseman. He relaxed by about 5 degrees as the head cleared her throat (how does a head do that anyway?). "A pleasure to meet the newest student here at Monster High," the Headmistress said with a bright smile. Her body gave a brief thumbs up before returning to writing. "I will admit, we weren't expecting you, but I'm sure you'll fit in quite well. I see you've already made some friends here, and I'm sorry to say you won't be able to see them for a while."
"What!?" Frankenstrike exclaimed, jolting up from the remains of his chair and hit his head on the ceiling, leaving a large dent as plaster fell down. "That is the reason why you will not be able to see your new friends for a while," the Headmistress stated. "Since you have come here, your clumsiness has dealt a healthy amount of damage that needs to be payed for. From the little information I have gathered about you, you have no job to help pay for damages for enough money. Therefore, you will have to find some form of work to pay off the damages to the school." Frankenstrike grumbled a bit, but sullenly agreed. "I understand the Stein family has currently taken you in for the moment," the Headmistress continued. "I am sure they wouldn't mind that you also pay a sort of staying fee. You can find some help from Lagoona Blue at the Maul after school. I'll inform her, and you two can decide when and where to meet. Agreed?"
"Sure. Whatever." Frankenstrike huffed as he and Frankie exited the office with his schedule in hand.
"It looks like you first class is with Mr. Hackington," Frankie said as she glanced over Ben's schedule. "Should I be worried?" he asked as they arrived at the classroom door. Behind the barred door he could hear insane laughter echoing off the walls as the lights flickered on and off. "Nah, Mr. Hack is pretty easy to handle. Just keep your head down, don't get on his bad side, and you'll be fine." Frankie replied as a loud explosion suddenly rocked the school. "What exactly does he teach?" Frankenstrike asked as he peered through the bars of the door.
"Mad Science," Frankie replied. "Don't worry. Just do what I do, and you;ll be fine."
"If you say so." Frankenstrike sighed as he opened the door and promptly ripped it off its hinges. "At this rate, I'll be working for the rest of my high school life time." he sighed. Frankie laughed and walked through the doorway as Frankenstrike followed, ducking through and for once not taking out the frame. He set the door back in place and turned to see the class and Mr. Hack starring up at him. "Uh, hi! I'm Frankenstrike. The, uh, new student." he said nervously, waving a massive hand. A few of the students returned the greeting, though without taking their gazes off of his massive form. He smiled queasily and walked over to the set of seats and chose to sit in the back, where his solid form wouldn't block anyone's view. He walked up the steps, each one breaking under his metal lined shoes. He sat down in a seat and cringed as his chair broke beneath him. Mr. Hack cleared his throat and resumed the class as Frankie sat next to Clawdeen in the row in front of Frankenstrike. "Well, now. Since we have a new student in our class . . . . . . HOMEWORK FOR EVERYONE!" he bellowed. "Pages 37-118 due by tomorrow!" Everyone groaned, a few of them shooting glances at Frankenstrike.
Not the best way to start school, he thought as he attempted to look hidden
"So, where am I supposed to meet Lagoona?" he asked Frankie as the school walked through the crowded Maul. The rest of school had gotten a little better after Mad Science had ended. Frankie had been in a couple other of Frankenstrike's classes, which made things a little easier. Gym with Mr. Igor had been the best class so far, as everyone wanted him on their team when they divided up for basketball. Being incredibly tall and durable had its advantages.
"She works at the Coffin Bean over there," Frankie said, pointing to a brown building. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes. I'm meeting Draculaura, Clawdeen, and Cleo at Bath & Cadaver Works." With that, she walked off through the crowds of monsters as Frankenstrike headed toward the coffee shop. He ducked under the door way, and was relieved to find that the ceiling was higher than last percieved. It was sort of cozy, with comfy arm chairs arranged in small circles around the shop as framed pictures hung on the walls, their eyes following you wherever you went. A long counter sat at the back of the shop as the smell of caffeine hung in the air like a heavy blanket. A girl with blue skin (scales?) and long, blonde hair as thick and wavy as seaweed was working behind the counter. Sharp, blue fins poked themselves out of her wrists and ankles. She wore a golden, seahorse necklace, a scale covered jacket decorated in black, blue, and pink, and a pair of shorts with fish nets going down to her knees. A white apron with several brown stains was wrapped around her waist as he approached the counter. The shop, for the moment, was empty, and a small, spherical bowl with a handle attached to it sat on the counter. A bright pink piranha swam around happily, flashing Frankenstrike a toothy grin as the girl turned around to greet him.
"'Ello, there! You mus' be Frankenstrike, am I right?" she asked, flashing him a friendly smile. "Yeah, that's me. Uh, Frankie said I could get a job here?" he answered, his being dwarfing the young sea monster with ease. Lagoona was entirely bathed in his shadow as the piranha swam nervously around in her bowl, clicking her sharp teeth together. Frankenstrike looked at it with a queasy look. "Oh, don't mind Neptuna! She just gets like that around new people." Lagoona explained. "Once she knows you, she's really nice. See?" she said, holding up the bowl for Frankenstrike to look into. He nervously reached a finger inside to pet the fish, and sighed with relief when it cozied up to the large finger, scratching itself with pleasure.
Then it bit him.
Frankenstrike didn't even flinch as the piranha's teeth sunk into his patch work skin. It didn't hurt a lot, but he wasn't exactly eager to have it attached to his finer either. Lagoona gasped and grabbed Neptuna loose, scolding her lightly as she slipped her back into the bowl, and set it beneath the counter out of sight. "Well then, lets get you into uniform!" she said, gesturing for Frankenstrike to come into the back room with her. He silently slid behind the counter, trying to break anything as he was thrown an extra, extra large apron to wear. Over the next half hour, the 2 teens went over everything about the shop, from the items on the menu and their costs to how to severe them and make them.
"Well, that pretty much wraps it up. Our shifts end in a couple of minutes," Lagoona said as she slipped off her apron and hung it on a hook for the next employee. Frankenstrike followed suit, tossing his on the floor instead; no one other than him was big enough to wear it. "So tell me 'bout yerself. From what I hear, you just suddenly appeared in Mr. Stein's flower bed one night." Lagoona said with a small laugh. Frankenstrike froze. What was he supposed to say? I'm actually not from this universe, I come from a completely different one wear there aren't any monsters and I have a watch that can turn me into aliens? Not exactly something most people would believe.
"Well, I, uh . . . . Lagoona, you're nice and all, but . . ." he began. Lagoona was about to say something when she stopped. She took a breath and started to choke, coughing and hacking. Ben was too busy mumbling and stuttering to notice until Lagoona fell to the floor, gasping for air. "Crap!" he yelled, picking her off the floor in one, giant hand. "Water! Water! Where the heck do I find water?" he panicked until Lagoona shakily raised a hand to the back of the shop where a sign that said 'Restroom' hung on a chain. Without even thinking of what he was doing he ran into the door on the right, which just happened to be the girls side, and turned on the faucet before shoving Lagoona's face into the sink. He held her there as her chest rose and fell quickly, gasping in the steady rush of water, until he was sure she had had enough. He pulled her out and turned the water off and Lagoona calmed down. Frankenstrike breathed a sigh of relief until a sound met his ears.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
He glanced down at his chest and startled when he saw the Omnitrix flashing red, signaling the time out. He was surprised that the transformation had held out this long, and began to panick. He had quickly learned at school that most of the monsters weren't exactly fond of humans or 'normies' as they called them. He had seen what Jackson Hyde had suffered from Manny over several periods until he suddenly changed into Holt. Then the bullying stopped. Some of the students were tolerant of normies, but most of them weren't exactly eager to be around them. Crap! What's Lagoona gonna think when she sees a human boy in the girls bathroom where Frankenstrike just was? He was soon about to find out as the familiar green flash enveloped him, changing him back into his human self. He shook his head to see Lagoona starring at him, wide eyed. "Who are you, mate? Where's Frankenstrike? And why are you in the ghouls room at the Maul?" she asked as she parted her wet hair to one side. Ben sucked in a deep breath. He had to tell someone, and Lagoona seemed to be the best option at the moment.
"My name is Ben Tennyson," he began slowly. "And I'm not from around here."
"I'll say you aren't." Lagoona mumbled to herself as Ben continued.
"And by 'not from around here', I mean I'm not from this universe." That seemed to catch Lagoona's attention a bit more.
"Where I come from, there are no monsters like you, Frankie, or anyone else. Where I come from, monsters like Frankenstrike are aliens from other worlds." he said.
Lagoona cocked in eyebrow, not entirely buying the story. "Riiiight. You expect me to believe you're from another dimension where monsters are aliens? Frankenstrike must have accidently hit my head when he put me in the sink." she said. Ben held up his wrist to her, making sure the Omnitrix was in full view.
"This device, called the Omnitrix, allows me to change into different aliens. Just like Frankenstrike." he said. Lagoona paused and looked at him quizically. "You must be what the 'normies' call a LARPer. Where are your friends? Do they have blasters made out of tin cans and rubber bands?" she laughed lightly. Ben frowned.
"If I change into an alien, will you believe me?" he asked, holding his hand above the Omnitrix. Lagoona smiled. "Sure, mate. Have a go! I'd love another good laugh." Ben smiled cockily and activated the Omnitrix, cycling through the list before selecting an alien. "Well then, did you hear the one about the sea monster that was so surprised she couldn't speak?" he asked.
"Ah, no, I don't think I have." she said with a confused look.
Ben shrugged. "Me neither." he said before slapping the activation button. Lagoona gasped in shock as the green light enveloped him, changing his form. Scales raced up his arms and legs as they swelled, muscles building and bones strengthening. His fingers became clawed and webbed as the scales raced to cover the rest of him. Three slits appeared on either side of his neck and puffed open and shut as they sucked in air. A thin sheen of slime covered the scales as his hair disappeared into his scalp. Veins throbbed and pulsed as alien blood pumped through them and into his ever changing organs. His forehead to pulse and swell, like there was giant zit that was about to explode. And explode it did; a thin, green wire popped out of his forehead and hung in front of his face as the end began to glow and eerie color. His jaw swelled bulged and bucked until several rows of razor sharp teeth popped out and curved themselves over his lips. His eyes became that of a deep sea creature as two sharp fins rose from his back, completing the transformation. Ripjaws let out a roar, blowing back a shocked Lagoona's hair as he looked himself over.
"Ripjaws? I don't exactly appreciate your sense of irony here, Omnitrix! She already has a boyfriend!" he yelled at the hourglass symbol on a green belt that was around his waist. "So!" he said, turning to Lagoona. "Think I'm still one of those LARPers?"
Lagoona lightly shook her head and blinked. She rubbed her eyes and gave herself a quick slap, but the fish man was still there, towering over her by at least a foot. "Have you told anyone else?" she asked quietly. Ripjaws shook his head. "I'm afraid that they'll be mad at me." he said. Lagoona was about to say something, but Ripjaws interrupted. "And I'm not going to feel better about it. You know how they feel about normies." he interjected. "So until I can spill the beans, I need you to keep your mouth shut." he said, clamping his jaws shut for emphasis. Lagoona sighed and agreed. "Now lets get out of here before someone else comes in." Ripjaws didn't need to be told twice, and they quickly left the bathroom and exited the coffee shop, running into Frankie and friends near the Information Board.
"Hey, Lagoona! How's Frankenstrike's new job?" Frankie asked as Cleo, Draculaura, and Clawdeen caught up with her, their arms laden with bags. "And who's your new friend?" she asked. "Did you find him asleep in the bathroom?" she joked, referring to how she had found Frankenstrike. Ripjaws and Lagoona glanced at each other before Lagoona answered. "Frankenstrike's doin' just fine. He, uh, decided to look around the Maul a bit and told me to tell you he would meet you back at home." Frankie's face fell a bit. She had been looking forward to hanging out with Frankenstrike. And while she didn't want to admit it, she had developed a little crush on the hulking mass of stitches and bolts. She knew her parents would quickly approve of someone who looked so similar to them. They had excepted Jackson when they found out he was the son of Dr. Jekyll, and had begrudgingly excpeted Holt as well. Frankie knew that after the past few days events, they would like Frankenstrike one way or another.
"Anyway, this is a new friend of mine, Ripjaws." she introduced the ghouls to Ben. Ripjaws grabbed a hold of each of their hands and shook them in greeting, Cleo a little disgusted after a little bit of fish slime remained on her hand. "Lagoona, you better not be cheating on Gil!" Draculaura joked. The ghouls had a laugh, as Ripjaws laughed alone nervously, glancing to the Omnitrix on his belt.
"Hey, Lagoona!" The group turned to see a group boodes heading their way. Among them was a seemingly human boy with a Mohawk of live snakes, a werewolf rocking a letter jacket, and a sea monster wearing a glass dome over his head. "Hey, Gil!" Lagoona greeted her boyfriend, pecking him on the cheek. Gil was about to return the favor when he caught a glimpse of Ripjaws starring at him. Or not. He was picking his teeth with one of his claws. It was hard to tell with such faded eyes. "Lagoona, who's your friend?" he asked with slight hostility.
"Ripjaws the name, and biting things is my game!" Ben said, shaking Gil's hand. "I work with your girlfriend at the Coffin Bean. And don't worry. She's all yours, bro." he reassured him. Gil raised an eyebrow before sullenly nodding. He breathed a sigh of relief, a trail of bubbles escaping his lips. "Hey, man. Are you a new student at school?" the snake headed man asked. "Guess I am." Rip jaws shrugged. "And you are?"
"Deuce. Deuce Gorgon." he said. "And this is Clawd Wolf. Why don't you hang out with us for a while? Do you need a place to stay?" Ripjaws nodded his head. Returning to Frankie's would be too suspicious. And as much as he didn't want to hurt Frankie, he didn't want to get her in trouble either. Who knew what her parents would do if she let another boy into their house without their consensus. OR what happened if they discovered Ripjaws and Frankenstrike were in fact the same person? The risk was too great. "Cool. You can stay over at my place. Maybe Gil if his parents aren't so uptight about it." Deuce said, elbowing a red Gil with a laugh. "Don't worry, dude. We know you got enough problems." Clawd laughed.
"What's wrong with his parents?" Ripjaws asked curiously.
"His are all against him dating a sea monster," Clawdeen explained. "Something about a feud between the sea and river monsters a couple millennium ago." Ripjaws nodded his head in understanding.
"Don't worry, man. I assure you, I am 50% river monster. I'm 50% sea monster." he said as Gil looked at him in confusion. "I can breath either one. No biggie." Ripjaws explained.
The group talked for a couple more minutes before deciding to hit the food court, with the guys buying snacks. Ripjaws pitched in some money he had earned at the Coffin Bean to buy he, Lagoona, and Gil Seaweed smoothies, which actually turned out to be delicious. As the group chatted away at one of the many tables, Ben couldn't help but wonder how much longer he could pull this scheme off. He just hoped the Omnitrix would work with him.
Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.
"You have found him?" a wheezing voice asked
"Yes, master. We have located him. I've tracked him to an exact location, if you wish to here about it." a deep, growling, almost animal like voice answered.
The figure that the wheezing voice belonged to waved his henchman off. A werewolf like creatire got up from his bent position on the ground. "No, no. Let us leave Ben Tennyson alone, at least for now." the wheezing voice said. "We have much more pressing matters to attend to. Has Dr. Viktor completed the plans?"
The werewolf nodded. "He has. We just need to gather the materials."
The wheezing figure smiled. "Well done, Crüjo. With any luck, we will be finished in two weeks time."
"And then?" Crüjo asked his dark master, whose bony features curled into a smooth smile.
"Then I, Zs'Skayer, shall destroy Ben Tennyson and become High Ectolord once more!" the Ectonurite cackled, his wheezing laugh echoing through the dark warehouse where he and his men had set up shop.
And there's the next chapter! Let me know if I did a good job at writing the Monster High gang. Leave any suggestions below, and I will try to have the next chapter out in a few weeks. Schools, starting, so things are gonna get crazy.