Little did Helen know that the rumored castle in the woods wasn't just haunted.
It was a school. A school for monsters!
It was called Monster High, the only place where monsters come to be themselves and go to school.
And the monsters there couldn't be happier. Because this was a place where they could finally feel normal after centuries of hiding from the humans.
Sitting outside enjoying their lunch period, a group of monsters were watching something interesting on their phones.
It was Medusa's son Deuce Gorgon and the skeleton brothers, Skelly and Bonesy.
Whatever they were watching, it was making them laugh good.
"What's so funny, boys?" asked Draculaura. With her were her best friends Frankie Stein and Clawdeen Wolf.
Monster High was her idea. With permission from her father Dracula, she, Frankie and Clawdeen banded together and turned the Dracula Mansion into the school itself.
"It's this normie girl." Deuce said. "She says vampires send "secret agent bats" in old ladies' attics to spy on them."
"Oh, yeah. I've heard about this human." Clawdeen said. "She goes around hunting us when she's not even remotely close."
The boys resumed laughing, even Clawdeen.
"Guys, it's not something to laugh about." Frankie said. "This girl seems pretty eager to find us."
"Frankie's right!" Draculaura said. "Maybe we can invite her over and-"
"Absolutely not!" a deep, Romanian voice said.
It was Count Dracula himself, headmaster of the school, humanology teacher, and Draculaura's father.
"I forbid you all to bring up this monster hunter!" Dracula ordered. "It was monster hunters that drove us into hiding in the first place! Bringing one here could risk exposing us all too soon to the human world!"
"But, Dad-"
"No buts, Draculaura!" Dracula replied. "Until humans are more adapt to monsters, we must keep our existence a secret!"
"But how will the humans adapt to us if they don't meet real monsters?" Frankie asked.
"I don't want to hear anymore of it!" Dracula retorted. "No. Interaction. With. Monster. Hunters. End of discussion!" And the count briskly walked away.
"Why does Dad have to be such a buzzkill?" Draculaura pouted, crossing her arms.
"Don't sweat it, Draculaura." Frankie said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I think your dad's right on this one. I mean, meeting a monster hunter could be bad news. Even if it is an amateur hunter."
Draculaura received a text message. "Hey! It's Ari! She says that she's off her tour as Tash and is coming back to Monster High tonight!"
The ghouls were excited. Ari Hauntington was mostly on tour as Tash performing for humans.
And now, she was coming back to Monster High.
"I say we throw a slumber party to celebrate Ari's arrival!" Draculaura proposed.
"Yeah!" Her friends couldn't agree more.
However, there was a disheveled zombie student eavesdropping on then whole thing. He quietly, and slowly, lurched away and left the school.
The zombie shuffled all the way to the outer woods. He entered a dark cave where he met his leader.
A pair of glowing aqua green flashed in the darkness. Out came a zombie girl with grey skin and lavender and green streaked hair. She dressed like a gutter punk from the grave.
Her name was Moanica D'kay.
Moanica wasn't like other zombies. Unlike her preppy dressed Zomboy minions, she can speak English and move very fast.
But her most unique quality were her long, retractable claws. One swipe from those claws can turn humans and monsters into zombies.
Unlike the ghouls and mansters and Monster High, Moanica despites humans and especially monsters who think humans and monsters can live in harmony together.
Just the very thought of it sickened Moanica to her rotten core. She would stop and nothing to be in control and get what she wants, making her Monster High's worst enemy.
"So, what did you find out?" asked Moanica.
Her Zomboy let out a series of moans and groans, but Moanica understood it perfectly. A nasty smile grew upon her face.
"So, there's a wannabe monster hunter out there, huh?" Moanica could not resist a chance to ruin Monster High. "I say we help her find what she's looking for."
Meanwhile, Helen had spent the whole day in her room filling her backpack with equipment for her secret mission.
Helen then went to the kitchen and took out her freshly baked garlic bread sticks with extra garlic. She didn't want to get nipped by any vampires, so she always ate something with garlic before monster hunting.
But Helen was okay with it. She loved garlic, the smellier, the better.
Helen heard the door open and she knew who it was right away. "Hey, Mom."
"Hello, dear."
Helen got up and gave her mother Helga a hug. Helen and her mother would be considered opposites.
While Helen dressed in torn black jeans and purple skull adorned t-shirts, her mother dressed in full-on equestrian.
She teaches polo. And when she wasn't teaching, she would play polo with her fellow horseback riders at the country club.
She always wore her black frock coat, helmet and riding boots. But she always wore a magenta scarf for a pop of color.
Helen never cared for horses, she was happy with her scooter. She would love to get a motorcycle, but her mother refused her request every time.
"How was polo, Mom?"
"Oh, just fine." Helga removed her helmet and combed back her short, black hair. "Nothing has gone buck-wild yet."
Helen rolled her eyes. Her mother would make that lousy joke every chance all the time.
"So, anything new?" asked Helga.
"Not really." Helen lied. Helga would always disapprove of her daughter's search for the supernatural, so Helen kept her huntings to herself.
But once Helga smelled the waft of garlic bread, she already knew her daughter was up to something. "You're not up to any monster hunting again, are you?"
"N-No, Mom!" Helen replied.
Helga's blood red lips dipped into a big frown. "You know lying is a sin, young lady."
"Mom! I'm done with monster hunting! You know that!" Helen lied again. "I'm just enjoying a normal meal here! The last thing on my mind are monsters!"
Helga knew her daughter would never confess, so she had no choice but to let it go. For now.
"Very well." Helga went to her bedroom.
Helen sighed in relief. "Not a moment too soon." She checked the time and it was almost sundown.
She knew monsters came out more in the dark than the daytime, so she waited until dusk to head out.
Suddenly, Helen got a phone call. She looked around to see if her mother wasn't around, then hurried to the basement to take the call.
"Hello? Helen's Monster Hunting Service?" she whispered.
"Oh, Helen! I saw monsters!" a rather strange voice said on the other end of the line. "Real monsters! Lots of them!"
Helen nearly let out a squeal of delight. "Where?! Where?!"
"I'll text you the location, but you must come quick! Those monsters gave me such a fright!"
"Alright! I'll be right there!" Helen hung up. A few moments later, the location and directions to get there were sent to her right away.
"It's in the woods!" Helen couldn't believe it. "I'll bet this is where I'll find the haunted castle!"
Helen rushed back to her room and grabbed her backpack. "Finally! A true lead!"
She was almost at the door when she heard her mother call her.
"Helen! Where are you going?"
Helen had her lie already prepared. "I'm just going to the movies with some friends!"
"Okay, don't be out too late!"
Fist-pumping the air, Helen headed outside and got her scooter ready. She pulled out of the garage and took off.
But Helen didn't realize that a zombie had called her.
Moanica laughed, pleased that this normie took the bait like an eager little puppy. "Like a moth to a flame." She looked out her cave and saw Monster High in the distance. "Adios, Monster High."