Blue Kitsune: Hey everyone I'm here to say happy October, especially all you horror-monster fans out there. This time I think of trying to amp my game by posting as much as possible but working hard for my reader. So as a pre-early Halloween treat, you get a two for one this weekend on chapter 4 and tomorrow Chapter 5. Hope you all enjoy and if you want to show some love please review, hope you all have a good time!
Disclaimer: Blue Kitsune does not own the rights to Pixar or Sony Animation, only OC for these and whatever come up.
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Chapter 04 -
The First Day of SCARING
and Chatting with the Dean
It was barely even light outside when Marian heard the strangest noise that she ever did hear. A man's voice shrieking at the top of his lungs and with such a ruckus in the background with what sounded like someone strangling a cat. What in all of Transylvania is that?! The blaring noise seemed to grow louder and more annoying, even when she tried to squishing the pillow against her ears. It didn't dampen that horrifying shrieking, just barely muffled to some degree! The vampire thought her brain was ready to implode from the obnoxious racket if not for the timely intervention from her dorm buddy.
She could make out Leda getting up, groaning loudly before her scaly arm peeked out from under the seafoam cover and went to push down on the device, making that god-awful nuisance stop in a heartbeat's notice. When it became quiet again, much to everyone's relief in the room, Marian pulled her head out and saw Leda doing the same but seeing the Gor-Lamia's hair all over the place like some bird's nest, even her snakes peeking from the wild brush when they got up, coming around and looking just as sleepy as she did.
Leda cranked her neck from side to side, hearing the small bones shift under the pressure before the monster got up and headed for the bathroom by her side, muttering, "Nothing like some good ol' Oozie Oxbourne in the morning to get you to start your day!" She was humming the song to herself while the vampire said nothing, though shook her head in the process. It seem clear now who set the alarm but still, a little heads up would have been nice especially with her sensitive ears still ringing from earlier. Marian was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes yet thinking how today was the start of the their first semester and all thoughts of going back to lala land flew right out the window.
But really, she grouse inside her own head, did Leda have to set it to six in the morning? Class didn't start until eight, so why did put it two hours ahead? The answer to this came out about half an hour later: Leda's wild unruly mane now tamed back to its normal straight-laced locks, seeing that she also had taken the liberty to shower before walking towards the dresser where she kept her things. She chose to go with a neon green tank top and a pair of shorts before she shifted her legs to the other form, taking Marian's advice to try to keep the transformation in one without letting herself get worked up.
Leda quickly apologized to the vampire for not realizing it would disturb her roommate when she set the alarm. She was an early riser and figure could use the facility to freshen up, and with another hour to spare, allow Marian to sleep but then also do the same herself. The vampire consider this thinking that was a smart idea but had one thing to say on it.
"Just give me a heads up next time, or at least maybe put it on a different station. I mean, I could've sworn I heard my Uncle Frank singing right there. Believe me, it is enough to even wake the zombies from their dead-like state." She was busy checking on her familiars as Bach and Grieg had fallen off their post and been flying around in a panic, both of them having bopped against the wall and each other before the room was silent. Leda could understand the reason given their super sensitive hearing, knowing while the noise wasn't as loud as one expected, to a vampire/bat, it probably sounded like an aerial bomb going off with them so close to the vicinity. She shot another sheepish look at them, seeing the vampire and her familiars were not too happy by that early wake up call.
"Oh right, sorry, you guys. I'll lower the volume so you don't have to go through that again." She saw two of the three bats glaring daggers at her while Chai whose first reaction was to zip underneath the covers and huddle close to Marian; the tiny bat had refused to budge until the vampire herself took him in her hands, stroking his quivering body until he stop shaking. Marian knew her intentions weren't mean and wasn't going to hold it over the Gor-Lamia, for now.
"Let's just get moving, I guess. I suppose it would be smart to get ready and have something to eat before we attend our first class together for the semester." Marian went to go get ready, taking a quick shower before adding the sunscreen onto her face and rest of her body. She exited the bathroom with a towel around her chest and ready to look for what clothes to wear, but found her bats did in her absence and set it on top the dresser for her to find.
Leda was rather impressed by how well coordinated they were when they went through the drawers and had selected different pieces of clothing out for the vampire to wear. "Your bats decided to take the courtesy to find you a suitable attire, and I got to say they did a good job on their given selection." Marian turned her attention to her familiars and went to give them each a stroke behind the ears to thank them for their assistance.
"You guys will be getting an extra special treat after dinner tonight." Chai fluttered up to her and rubbed his face against her chin, purring in pure delight. Marian would allow her pets to do what they wanted, seeing as Bach and Grieg still wanted to sleep some more while Chai decided to stick around and sit on Marian's shoulder as they left the room to head for the cafeteria.
They got in line behind other monsters who were up and about, with Marian selecting a bagel with a slab of scream cheese over it, a couple pieces of bacon and one assorted fruit cup for her familiars to nibble on when she returned to the room, finding the freshest among the others and suitable for her pets to savor on while she was out. She sought to grab herself a large pint of warmed up B-neg as she liked it to be room temp instead of cold, and added a bit of sugar to help get her buzz going.
As they went to eat, they talked about what classes they had scheduled, finding they shared most of the same classes. Leda heard her plans about going for the drama club and hadn't had anything to keep her occupied in her spare time, and thought to help if she needed it. Marian wondered if Mike was just as excited as she was. Knowing him, he had probably been up way before them, but she'll have to wait and see.
The sun was sitting high up above campus after they exited the dorm and headed straight for the scaring building, both ready and eager to get started on this wonderful opportunity of theirs.
"So, you psyched about it?" Leda had thought of what Marian said, thinking that as long as she was there, she would do fine.
"Does the Wolfman howl when there's a full moon? Course I am! Why wouldn't I be?!"
Leda chuckled at the answer coming from the vampire. "Well, I had to be extra sure, 'cause I wanted to make certain we both are in this together; don't think I couldn't handle it if I went by myself."
"Don't worry; I'll be there with you every step of the way, you'll see. 'Sides, I promise to introduce you to my friend, and I'm sure he'll like you, too." Marian saw Leda was happy to hear as the two were walking towards the domed structure, seeing they weren't the only ones to arrive there. They saw a lot of monsters were reaching out to place their hand on the statue that stood before the entrance of the building itself. It was an ancient sort of campus tradition that one touched it for luck if they wished to pass and become true Scarers. Marian didn't want to disregard such superstitions even she found that it wasn't all about luck, but true skill and ability that got you anywhere in this line of work. She had a strong hunch that she, Mike and Leda were going to one of the few to make it out, diploma in hand and having the dream job of the lifetime.
Marian was looking for where Mike before she recognized his small green stature and saw he was struggling to touch the statue's paw. Now we can't have that can we? Marian flicked her hand, using her powers to give him a slight boost up so he touched it. Now she probably could've had him touch the statue's head, but then she was sure everyone would be wondering how Mike did that and wouldn't have any explanation to that matter. She set the cyclops back down, seeing he realized it was her doing, but then had to go inside as other monsters started pushing him forward. Leda had noticed right before she and Marian placed their hands onto it and went to join the rest of their year in the enormous rotunda-style classroom.
"That was a real nice thing of you to do. Was that your friend, Mike, the one you told me so much about?" Marian nodded as they were heading down the steps, trying to locate two empty seats for them.
"Yep, you'll like him too. He's a real sweet guy, and funny to boot." Some monsters went by them, ignoring the two for the most part, and seeing the room being filled up fast, not many open seats were left available. They saw the busts of distinguished scare professors and alumni sit on pedestals near the windows with a scream can in front of each one. This was where the magic happened, and knew that everyone was going to be trying to become just like those fellow monsters of the past, hopefully someday break their own sort of records.
Marian was starting to think they would have to go and split up to find seat until the vampire's eyes finally land on Mike who was sitting up front. He must've also been looking for her as well before his large pupil saw her standing next to the snake-like woman and started waving his hand rapidly for the two to come join them. They hurried to do so, having to push some of the other larger monsters to get by them and managed to grab the last remaining seat before anyone else could in the process. Marian set her bag down, taking her books and binder to set on the small desk attached to their chairs.
"Thanks for that, Mike. I'm glad you were able to save these for us." She noticed he was sitting next to a violet-scaled reptilian monster that had three fronds sticking on top his head, four arms and legs each, and a long spine of a tail that had a bit of blue on the tip just like Leda's.
She couldn't help noticing the monster seemed a tad nervous as soon as he saw who Mike was ushering over, and his large green eyes looked ready to budge out of their sockets before the cyclops took the liberty to introduce them to one another.
"Yeah, you know I almost had to take a club and whack a few skulls to keep these bad boys from being snatched up; didn't know you brought company, but as I say, the more the merrier. Oh, before I forget, Mina, meet Randall Boggs, my fellow roommate and yes you guess it, a scaring major."
"Hi, you must be Marian. Mike's been telling me all about you. He didn't mention that you um..." Randall gave them a sheepish grin before Marian returned the gesture.
"Hi, Randall, it's nice to meet you. Oh, and whatever Mike told you, it's not all true." She saw him blink confusedly before she giggled. "I'm kidding, sorry. Just trying to break the ice here, as I'm just as much new to this as you are. You can call me Mina or Marian, whichever works best for you, and this here's Leda; she's also my roomie. Don't worry, she doesn't bite; she hisses."
The Gor-Lamia hybrid gave the two other monsters a shy smile while her snakes also decided to come out, also saying hello in their own manner, making a lot of hissing noise before backing down into the dark nest of hair. That seemed to work like a charm now that both parties met, seeing that they were all on the same page. But Marian's ear picked up something even if it was subtle as the monster sitting on Mike's left made a rude comment about him, and thought how dare they say something about her friend!
Well, let see how they like this then...
Marian twitched her pinky out in the direction of the two, watching as the thin soda can in the furry red monster's hand was shaken up before he went to open it, only to find himself and the fuchsia one-eyed monster being sprayed together at the same time, and then the pen in the other's hand broke and squirt ink into the red monster's gaping mouth.
Everyone, hearing the sudden commotion, watched as the two were being drenched in sticky black liquid until the female got up and went to give chase after the other monster for what he did, threatening to bash him over when she got her hands on him. Mike and the other saw what happened, but the cyclops turned to send a quick glance at Marian who had a slight smirk on her face; he knew it was her doing. Leda and Randall had found the whole thing hilarious as did everyone else. Mike, seeing that with no one listening to them, moved to speak to the vampire in a soft quiet tone only she could pick up on.
"Kudos on the soda-ink trick, but you shouldn't have gone and done that. You could get into hot water if the teach was here."
Marian couldn't resist, pretending to be offended while pulling off the "But I'm innocent!" look, like she didn't know what he was talking about. "Why, Mike, I'd never do such a thing, and even if that were true, I couldn't go making such promises. I mean, it's not my fault if jerks don't learn not to go dissing people within hearing range of the vampire!"
Mike, thinking how she did this before as kid defending him from others, didn't want her to get into trouble on the first day. "Well, maybe just this once, though try not to let it happen again." She shrugged as she said she'd think about it. Now that the side entertainment was over with and everyone in their seat, they were all waiting for the professor to start his lecture when he came through the office door and stood near his desk and the chalkboard behind him.
She read her schedule from front to back; the teacher was a former Scarer from Fear Co. before he up and retired but decided to go for a teaching career to help mold young minds into professional scarers. He was a semi-large monster that could pass off as orange dinosaur with a light yellow underbelly and an array of small white spikes on top his head, and some on the tip of his tail. The teacher had on a crisp white shirt and black tie with a clipboard in his hand, and a pair of specs sitting on his face.
"Okay, everyone, settle down now! Let's get a move on today so we can begin!" He walked to the board and wrote his name for everyone to see before turning around and addressing them in a drill sergeant tone. "Good morning, students. Welcome to Scaring 101; I am Professor Knight!" He was looking to the entire body, walking with his clipboard behind his back before continuing his spiel. "Now, I'm sure all of you were the scariest monster in your town. Well, bad news, kids: you're in my town now, and I do not scare easily-"
He didn't get to finish the rest of his speech as a beam of light fell over him, then hearing something flapping loudly and forcing the curtains to close and making all the lights in the room dim till only that one beam where the professor was standing was left.
Marian could sense the ongoing tension, but the vampire had her eyes following the being who was causing the commotion, recognizing immediately who it was before they landed a few feet from the professor. The monster was almost dragon-like in appearance but had a centipede lower half, her scales the color of crimson and large wings that folded behind her as she stood before the class. She was dressed in an immaculate red dress suit with a white blouse underneath but had the collar flare up, making her seem more intimidating in the process. The professor, seeing who it was, was taken aback by her abrupt appearance just like that. "Dean Hardscrabble, this is a pleasant surprise."
Marian noted that everyone was whispering even if it might seem rude while she was present, yet the dean didn't seem to take any notice of it. She heard Mike talking to Randall while the dean walked about the room, her face blank and didn't give herself away in front of them.
"She's a legend; she broke the all-time scare record with the scream in that very can."
Mike was indicating to the canister next to the replicate bust and saw the monster had went to turn it slightly to make sure it was positioned correctly, nothing out of place. Once that was done, she looked back towards the student body, speaking in a crisp but firm tone that delegated they all listen when she spoke. "I don't mean to interrupt. Thought I'd drop by to see 'terrifying' faces joining program."
Marian tried not to pout; seeing the way she said that made it sound like an insult than a compliment, but knew there was more to be said and was waiting to hear why.
They all were rather curious about her unexpected visit, then heard the professor asking for her to give a few words of encouragement to the students.
"Inspiration? Very well." She turned her focus on the entire lot, her millipede legs making clicking sounds. "Scariness is the true measure of a monster. If you're not scary, what kind of monster are you? It's my job to make great students greater, not make mediocre students LESS mediocre."
The vampire sent a side glance to Mike, but noted that the dean still had one final thing which could have easily caused them all to drop dead at the next set of words she spoke.
"That is why at the end of the semester, there will be a final exam. Fail that exam, and you are out of the scaring program."
Marian heard the students whispering/murmuring to one another, the fear so strong and thick it could choke a pachyderm with all this ongoing tension here. Yet her focus was on the Dean herself who had walked close to the professor, seeing her place something in his hand: a folded note that he took and placed in his shirt pocket. Then having everyone's attention on her again, liquid amber-colored orb staring right into their very souls, she said to them, "So, I should hope you're all properly 'inspired'."
With that said, the dean spread her wings and went flying towards the open window she came in through. Marian knew one thing that the dean had definitely inspired in class today: a good heavy dose of fear and anxiety as they were all in a right tizzy. Randall and Leda were both looking like they were ready to pass out after the Dean's encouraging words while Mike had been quiet and listened to every word spoken but hadn't said anything. Was he going to be okay? She was sure he was; Mike wasn't one to back down, but worried that he might take the dean's word too literally and hope that it wasn't going to cause any adverse effect on him.
The scaring professor then cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention onto him. Now that the Dean was gone, didn't mean they couldn't get started on today's session. "Alright, alright, who can tell me the properties of an effective roar?" No one said anything as they were still reeling from earlier. "Anyone?"
Marian knew the answer but saw Mike had his hand up, knowing he wanted to make a good impression on the teach and everyone else in the room. The professor notice and beckon him to proceed. Mike cleared his throat before saying now that he got their focus onto him, "T-there are actually five. Those include the roar's resonance, the duration of the roar, and the s-"
Yet before he got the chance to finish, there was an unexpected loud bang as the doors were thrown open followed by the ear shattering lion-like roar that surprised the whole class and hearing it echo in the room while the shadowy figure stood by the doors. Marian whirled in her seat and was shocked like everyone else by the unexpected intrusion that had came barging into class, pulling off such a stunt. She heard Mike muttering to himself and knew what he said, "Just who the-"
She wasn't the only one wondering that as they saw the figure step forward and showed himself for all to see just now. With her eyesight well adjusted to her surrounding, she could make out every detail of him even in the dim darkness of the room.
So, while at first glance she thought he could pass off looking like a fully grown grizzly bear with him standing at least seven, maybe seven and a half with a stretched out, cone-like nose that sorta resembled that of dog, bushy eyebrows and broad facial features that, when in scaring mode, could pull off a frightful sight. His body was covered from head to toe in light teal shaggy fur with an array of purple polka dots that seemed somewhat comical to her mind, but she dare not laugh as every monster did come off looking clownish, and would be considered rude to do just now.
The fur around his stomach was a lighter shade and note had a pair of tiny whitish beige, devilish horns on each side of his head sticking out. He had a slight lean but not overly muscular physique, given he either worked out or because of his shaggy appeal to give it off as such. His arms were significantly longer than his two legs and had four fingers on each hand, and three toes on each foot, with thick and sharp brown claws being present on all of his digits.
She also took notice of the large reptilian tail with brownish spikes lining up his back and likely down his spine, as well. The monster moved to stand down after his little demonstration, running a paw over the small tuft-cowlick he had sticking up on his head.
"Whoops, sorry. I heard someone say roar, so I just kinda went for it." He was giving off a sheepish grin with everyone busy staring at him, though Marian knew that he wasn't the least bit sorry as she saw the twinkle in his eyes. He did that on purpose just to get the drop on them! Marian was not one who liked getting the jump on, pressing on her inner vamp instinct to strike back at the other monster.
Hearing him say this made everyone with the exception of a few - namely Mike, Marian, Randall and Leda - chuckle at his witty retort. Having that said and feeling some of the former tension now diminish after that demonstration to the class. Marian could sense Mike wasn't too happy by this untimely interruption, seeing he was also watching the monster making his way to an empty seat in the back.
"Whoops, excuse me, sorry... didn't mean to scare you there...hey, how you doing?"
The vampire was watching him while thinking to herself, Just who does this guy think he is to barge in like that? Marian couldn't believe the sheer audacity of this monster without even looking the least bit sorry for coming in when class was in session. Not only was he late on the first day and missed out on what was a very important announcement, but he didn't have a backpack or any stuff to take notes with for the class. So how was he going to manage passing if he didn't have the proper tools at his disposal or have the text to do his studying?
Maybe he had been in a rush and forgot to bring it with him. She tried to think that was a possibility, yet watching this monster just strut into class like some peacock and had startled everyone just rubbed her the wrong way. She glanced to the Gor-Lamia monster, seeing Leda had been close to shifting as she noticed the faint ripple on her scales, but thankfully she was able to keep it together and not change. Marian even saw Randall had went transparent for just a few second before resuming his natural form. They were her friends, and she didn't like her friends being scared by some jerk that thought it be a barrel of laugh to scare his classmates half to death. If he had tried that with her, he would've been in a world of hurt.
While the focus was on the blue furry monster who was heading for the only available seat, the professor finally decided to ask this tardy student. "Very impressive, Mr…"
"Sullivan. Jimmy Sullivan, but everyone calls me Sulley." This seemed to cause a stir among the other students who were now speaking in hushed animated tones; she could make out the excited buzz in their voices circulating around the room.
"No way, whoa!...He's a Sullivan."
Even the teacher was not above to showing his astonishment when he said, "Sullivan? Like Bill Sullivan, the Scarer?"
They saw the monster nodded and seemed to not mind that others were staring at him more closely. "Yeah he's my dad."
He made it sound like it was no big deal, but Marian could hear the smug undertone in his voice. Even their professor seemed now more interested and sent a smirk at his new student, all thoughts of writing him up for being late flowing out the side window. He would let it go just this once for now.
"I should've known. I expect big things from you." The monster now known as Sulley finally made it to his seat, looking to the front with sheer confidence on his cocky, smug face.
"Well, you won't be disappointed, teach." Marian could practically hear the heavy sighs coming off the females in the room and had to resist rolling her eyes as she inwardly groaned.
Oh great, just what they all need: love-struck girls swooning over this monster? How could they get so worked up over a guy and all because a name? Marian then had a thought occur to her. Come to think of it, she didn't know who this Bill Sullivan was, but from the way everyone was reacting, he was a Scarer - someone renowned supposedly. None of their past letters mentioned anything about him, though they had been mostly focused on studying and letting the other know how they were in their two different realms. She would consider asking Mike about it later and see if he knew anything about these "Sullivan".
She shot a quick glance over to Mike and saw the look on his face...Um on second thought, maybe it would be a bad idea to bring it up, judging from the cyclops' expression while he was looking put out and didn't think asking would help ease the anger in her small friend.
Mike decide to get the professor attention again as he asked, "Uh, I'm sorry, should I keep going?"
The professor shook his head and dismissed him without even glancing in his direction. "No, no, Mr. Sullivan's covered it."
The professor, and so was almost the entire class, was too busy staring over at Sulley who shot two fingers at the professor and made the gun-clicking sound in his pointed direction.
Marian had to keep from scoffing in sheer disgust while looking to her friends who also shared that mutual feeling by that display. "Everyone take out your scaring textbooks and open them to chapter one..."
Finally some normality was coming back as everyone started to grab their books, opening it to the chapter the professor referred them to. Marian was torn between watching Mike and reading the segment on what Scaring was and how to work it. Marian was finishing the second paragraph, discussing certain fear techniques and jotting down notes when her sharp hearing picked up on Sulley talking to someone.
"Hey, bub. Could I borrow a pencil? I forgot all my stuff." Marian thought it weird he asked for a pencil but no paper but then heard the scrapping of lead against enamel, realizing he was using the writing instrument as a toothpick. Ugh that was gross even by her standards?! "Yeah, there we go...that'll get it."
Marian was disgusted and shot a quick glance at Mike only to see he was also annoyed by this obvious distraction. One thing was for certain: Sulley was so not going to last long in the program with that attitude.
Class continued through that hour until the bell rang, telling them it was over for now. Professor Knight finished giving them a light assignment to start off which he wanted due back in three days time before he dismissed the whole lot. However he stopped and called for Marian to stay behind a moment. "Miss Lubov, a moment if you don't mind."
Her friends all looked to her, but she told them it was okay and to go ahead without her as she would catch up to them later. She saw them go before walking to the teacher where he handed her a slip in hand. "The dean wishes to speak to you and wanted me to give you this. Also: nice work with that little spray trick. Underhanded but sleight. Use it to your advantage and you'll definitely go far. But next time, I will deduct points so let that be your first warning, missy."
Marian, though surprised he knew yet seeing he wasn't going to berate her for it, but understood that she wouldn't be let off the hook so easily if he caught her again, and there would be consequences for sure.
"Thank you, professor, and I will make sure to not do so again." The slip she was given was written by a scratchy hand, but it was for her to see her straight after the class, and where the room number was.
Marian had gotten a basic idea of the grounds thanks to that small tour given, and figured the best way to the admission/dean's office would be to fly straight over with not a minute to spare. It would be the quickest way to get to her without any delay, and if there was one thing she knew about the dean, Hardscrabble did not like to be kept waiting. The vampire transformed herself into a bat, grabbed her stuff and flew towards the window that was still propped open and went east across campus.
The administration office was like every structure architect here: a large formidable building that overlooked the grounds but had a small walkway with a luscious looking garden full of deadly belladonnas, bloodroots and hemlocks that were in season and being tend to by the maintenance gardener. She flew by the few there and made her way inside after she transformed back to her normal self. The interior of the room was a rich burgundy with carpet floors that were a bit lighter than the walls. The place had an air of refined history with the portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses; she entered the lobby where the secretary was busy typing away on her computer with two tentacles while jotting and filing away papers with her other set of hands.
She didn't even hear her as she approached the desk before Marian spoke, showing her the slip that had the dean's handwriting on it. The monster's one eye blinked before looking up at her and nodded. "Oh right, please go right in, Miss Dracula. She's expecting you."
Marian inwardly winced. Ohh, that's right, she forgot: only the professors and some faculty members were in on who she really was, but thankfully there were no students around to hear what she said and made her way straight to the rosewood door with A. Hardscrabble etched on the gold plate.
She gave three quick sharp taps before hearing the Dean call out to her to enter. The vampire pushed the door slightly ajar, moving to step inside the large but elegant room that belonged to the dean. "You wanted to see me, ma'am." Marian did her best to stay calm while she stood before the draconian centipede monster who summoned her here after the first class she had. That must've been the real reason why she appeared as she had, but also nothing like to stoke the fire to force students to really get their act together just by a little "scare" and "tell".
The dean was behind her desk, looking over a few documented papers before turning her attention to the vampire and indicated for her to sit down. Marian did, making sure she had her body in a proper but not too stiff pose, considering she was before the dean of this entire campus, but that wasn't her only reason for being as nervous as she was.
She was waiting for her to say something and got right to the catch, but Marian thought she wasn't in a hurry to do so until finally she said, "It's good to see you after all this time, Mina. You have certainly grown since I last saw you, which was what, fifty? Fifty-five?"
"Actually, I think it was close to sixty years, but I understood you were a very busy person and probably had a lot on your plate, and can't make it to come see us whenever."
Marian saw the dean put her clawed talons to her forehead and rub the spot between her ridged brow. "Sixty...which means Mavis is now close to sixty-four, seemed almost a lifetime ago. I imagine your father has had his hands full to raise the both of you, but now that you're here, one less burden for him to worry, though that pet project of his is probably another story altogether."
She understood the dean wasn't criticizing them, but Marian knew she had a sharp tongue and couldn't help giving it off the way she had, especially when her concerns laid on her scaredaughter's well being in the mortal world.
"A lot had changed over the few decades: humans seem to be picking up the pace some, slow but sorta noticeable when you hear the rumors going about, hence why Dad was insistent upon seeing the hotel be built so that there's no worry for any of the monsters in our realm. It's been some time since we last saw you, given that I also should thank you for what you did and not showing any nepotism when I chose to attend school, yet under a different name."
"Of course, but as your scaremother, I did have to be a bit...concerned given you know there hasn't been many like you that cross worlds to join this school." Marian knew what she was referring to, given that she saw the odd looks and the whispers when people saw her, so it wasn't any surprise why the Dean would request her to show and find out if she was fitting in all right.
"I know today was just the first day of class, but I was rather impressed by Professor Knight's lecture and found that this program is how I imagined it would be, but I know there are bound to be a few challenges that we all must surpass, and like you said, 'Scariness is the true measure of a monster', and everyone has a certain potent if they give it their all and know there will be those who make the cut." She thought of her three friends, and though she didn't know Leda or Randall as well, she imagined the two could be just as good as anyone, and sure they would be passing the course just like she and Mike.
The strict dean was pleased to hear her speak this with a fiery determination and knew that it would go a long way in the process. "Well, then I welcome you aboard the scare program; remember at the end of semester, you must pass to stay on it, so be vigilant and remember the following bases."
"Of course: a scarer is only the scariest when he or she will bring out the fear and never let it discourage them otherwise. Scarers must abstain to never showing fear in the face of the enemy."
"And the last one?"
Marian closed her eyes, thinking to all the past notes she had memorized before saying, "Be prepared for anything; as monsters, we are the true meaning of terror."
"Good, I'm glad you had those memorized. Learn to live and breathe with it, and you shall go very far in this field." The dean moved to stand by the window, her insect-like appendages making the loud clicking sound while she had her hands behind her back and indicated for Marian to stand beside her.
She saw her scaremother's reflection, but not of hers, yet she had some idea why she was having them stand side by side. They also looked outside and saw the people milling about the area, going to class or taking it easy. "A true monster can be a terrifying being in existence if they learn to harness it, so never think you are otherwise because of your outward appearance."
Marian didn't flinch when the sharp nails came to rest on her shoulder, not hard to dig through her clothes, but enough to get her to focus on what she had to say next. The vampire turned to look at the monstrous Dean whose eyes burned with such fire and determination. The same could be said reflection from her own green orbs as she thought of her vow and knowing she would not surrender or give in until she made it through the program and got her scaring degree.
"I will not lie and say you will have it easy here. You will go through some difficulties with those that you will come across, others will look down upon you as they see what you are reflected on the outside, and think you are inferior to them. You must think of this as a mere shell of your true form, so do not let it disregard you, and have you folly on your way to utter greatness."
"I understand, and thank you for your kind words Aunt Abb - I mean Dean Hardscrabble."
"It's all right; you can still refer to me as only behind close doors, and remember I expect you to prove your full on potential here at this school." Then she went back to her desk, scrawling a quick note and handing it to the vampire for her to take to her next teacher. "Now then, I have taken up too much of your time, and your education is very important if you wish to pursue a career in scaring, so I suggest you best hurry along. Just remember, my office is always available if you have any concern on any matter."
Marian didn't reply, thinking that she would keep that in mind as she was dismissed and flew off to head for her next class at the other building: The History of Pure Fear and Utter Terror.
Thankfully, the vampire hadn't missed much when she entered the room right in the midst of it. The professor was a tall gangling monster with thin spiny arms, huge slate-like nose, gray curved horns resting on his salt-pepper hair and pointing behind his head and eerie yellow eyes that looked directly at her when she came in. He wore a blue turtleneck sweater with a tan brown tweed jacket and a pair of dark trousers, seeing his large bat-like wings resting against his back when there were no need to have them out or take up space in the classroom. The vampire, not wanting to make things even more awkward in interrupting as he was in the middle of something, handed the slip to the teacher, which explained her tardiness before the professor gave her a look saying it was a good thing she had it otherwise he would have marked her down and affected her grade. She saw Leda had saved her a spot in the back, seeing the boys sitting adjacent to them on the other side.
Once she was seated, the teacher resumed his lecture and looked like he hadn't missed a beat, Marian being able to play catch up on what was going on. "Alright, now as I was saying, we will be going over what makes the past important to the very present. Here in class, I shall go over infamous monsters, some that I'm sure have heard of like AAAHHHHtila the Horrible or George Stinkington know for his horrifying BO which helped him overcome such odds. I expect everyone to at least report back to me how and why they were as a part of your final grade by the end of this semester. Now I will go over what we shall be going over this week and then…"
Marian saw that Mike was working fast to jot everything down, Randall doing the same and Leda had her notebook out while waiting for the vampire to get hers out, working side by side to get the teacher's word on paper. But then after getting hers finished, Leda wrote a side note and showed it to the vampire.
So was everything okay back there? We were all worried that something must've happened, and you took longer than we expected. Marian saw the professor had his back to the students, knowing her friend was curious to find out what went down while she was away. Marian wrote her reply quickly and let the Gor-Lamia see what she wrote.
It was nothing major, just had to go over a couple missed signatures and see the admissions were all set, but it's all good, so no worries. She hated lying to her new friend, but had her reasons for doing this. Her grandfather was an impressive figure with a scare record that remained unbroken for many years, yet knew monsters wanted to surpass him but still in awe of this being who was a legend in both their worlds for his terrifying feats. Marian knew it was a small price to pay as she rather pretended to be a vampire with no special family trait than be surrounded by people who would either try to befriend or use for their own gain in the process.
Mike swore to keep her identity a secret and trust him to the full degree he would not to let it slip to anyone. And as much as she would like to tell Leda, she had to be a hundred percent certain if she could be trusted. Marian just wanted people to be with her not because of how famous her grandfather was or having the Dean as her scaremother, and was sure she would never hear the end of that if word got out.
Right now, all she wanted was to enjoy herself and be just like any normal student. If only she knew how the word "normal" didn't fit into her particular vocabulary.
Leda seemed to accept this, and Marian was just about ready to finish when she heard a sharp thud and a sudden scream, having everyone looking to see what that was about. They saw at the other table in front of Mike and Randall, two male monsters who were big and bulky in MU jersey, one with red fur and ram horns while the other a putrid yellow with snail-like eyes sticking out and been talking with his partner during the lecture.
But the two jumped when something came into close contact of their table and they shrieked like little girls when they saw a dagger embedded in the surface and the professor was now glaring at them. The teacher gave the two a moment before he went to address the whole class while he was busy fiddling with another knife in his claws, letting them know where the flying projectile came from. Marian knew teachers had certain methods to be used, but nothing drastic or life-threatening, and while yes him having a weapon would be considered hazardous, but he hadn't done anything other than jump those monsters who weren't focusing in his classroom.
"Now that I have your undivided attention, there is one thing I failed to mention before, but thought it would have been self-explanatory given you are in college, not kindergarten and shouldn't have to be holding your hand and reminding you the simple basics. The one golden rule I have and expect from everyone is no talking other than the subject matter at hand! Anything else, especially how Mr. Slurg here wants to get into this 'Tanya's pants' is not a part of our lesson plan, so is that clear?"
He glared at the two with glowing eyes, seeing that everyone got it as they said all at once, "Yes, Professor Stricklander!"
"Good, that is what I wanted to hear." The teacher promptly turned after pulling the second knife from the table and taking his rightful place back at his desk, finding everyone now quiet as a grave after that small but very helpful demonstration that showed he was not one to tolerate such disrespect in his room.
Leda and Marian shot a quick glance at one another, thinking that his warning might have also been reflected at them, but seeing those two idiots who had everyone gawking at the snail-like monster now slithering under the table to avoid looking to where a blue skinned monster with tentacles also look quite embarrassed by the attention given.
That explained the odd indentations in the wood, but Marian had to give props to the teacher for finding a way to get his students to fall into line by such means, especially with that nice accuracy throw and seeing that it had been close to cutting one of those moron's fingertips.
He must've been waiting for that golden opportunity to happen, nothing like a good scare tactic to make those see he expected them to shut up and pay close attention - not bad at all. She heard the teacher was strict yet having the highest passing class in scaring history, and Aunt Abby said the monster knew his subjects like the back of his hand, hence why she signed up for the class in the first place. Marian thought this was going to be one interesting semester for her and her friends.
Now that was taken care of, the professor cleared his throat and said before turning to the board, chalk in hand and ready to start today's lecture, "Alright, please open your texts, and we may begin our opening discussion on the beginning of the monster era…"
Everyone proceed to do as he said, quickly opening their books and hurried to copy down his note while all thinking the same thing: no one wanted to get on their professor's bad side or anywhere close to his array of knives that he kept out on his desk and within reach of him.
Yep this was going to be one semester none of them would forget for sure.