[3]
"...And don't forget that you've got a paper due by the end of this month. Have a great weekend, everyone."
Everyone in the classroom rose simultaneously and gathered their things to leave, glad the lecture was finally over. Amanda closed her notebook and dumped it into her backpack, rushing out of the classroom to get to the parking lot. Leaving the campus was never an issue around this time, but she wanted to be sure she had enough time to wash up once she got home.
Tonight she would be heading back to Horrorland for her very first gig as a singer. To say she was nervous was an understatement, but if Slappy was true to his word, the money would be worth it. She could already see herself walking into the financial aid office, handing over her debit card and leaving with the knowledge that she no longer had a balance hanging over her head.
Better yet, wouldn't it be amazing if she could get her mother the amount needed to finally pay off Josh's hospital bills? The Bensons would finally be free of financial burden and could start doing fun things again like taking mini-vacations, going camping, dropping money on clothes, shoes, and other frivolous things at the mall. If Amanda could do that for her family, she'd be ecstatic; aside from Josh's accident, money had been tight the past two years, and sometimes they'd had to literally choose between eating and paying bills. Her parents' jobs paid well, but not nearly enough to take on hospital bills and regular household bills plus property taxes. Many a nights found the Bensons eating hot dogs with white bread acting as hotdog buns, cans of spaghettios, and drinking tap water just to get by until the next paycheck.
When Amanda got home, she washed up and picked through her closet to find something decent to wear. She pursed her lips at a black pencil skirt, moving it aside in favor of a yellow sundress. She'd forgotten to ask about the dress code... Was Slappy expecting her to wear something plain, or should she go for something formal? After mulling it over for a few minutes, she decided to go with a professional look; this would be her first appearance as a singer and first impressions were everything. She'd rather have people think she was a lady than to whisper about her looking like a slob.
She changed into the pencil skirt and a frilly white blouse, applying some light makeup to her eyes to complete her look. After checking to make sure her hair was in order, Amanda grabbed her purse and headed downstairs.
Josh was propped up on the couch, his eyes glued to the television screen. Ever since the car accident that left Josh with multiple broken bones plus a mild concussion, he hadn't been able to do anything but sit in front of the television and lose himself in video games. He managed to get his homework done every week for their mother to drop off at school, but other than that, what he could do was currently limited. He wanted to hang out with his friends and enjoy his senior year of high school, but he still needed lots of time to heal.
Ever since moving from Dark Falls, Josh began to let his hair grow out so that it was ear-length and he'd become a handsome young man. He was friendly, funny (a total smart-aleck), and all-around a good kid. Josh and Amanda had become close and rarely argued or annoyed each other. The Benson siblings got along well and Amanda was immensely grateful that her brother had been able to come out of the accident with a few scratches instead of not coming out of it at all.
Upon hearing Amanda come down the stairs, he looked up, doing a double-take when he realized his sister was dressed to the nines.
"Where are you off to?"
"Out with a few friends," Amanda lied. Josh had no clue that he'd racked up thousands of dollars' worth of hospital bills and Amanda would not be the one to clue him in on the family's financial crisis; it'd only make him feel bad, even though the car accident hadn't been his fault. It was better to lie and say she was spending her Friday night with a friend; he'd never believe her if she tried telling him she was off to sing at a club and make a thousand bucks just from singing.
"Tell Mom and Dad it'll probably turn into a sleepover, so don't wait up, okay?"
Josh shifted so that he was facing the television again. "Sure, you got it. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Amanda ruffled his hair as she walked past, earning a halfhearted protest from him. When she got outside to her car, she heaved a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe she was actually going to do this.
She hoped tonight went well. If it didn't and she ended up making a fool of herself…
No, don't think like that, she scolded herself. Everything will be fine! I'll just get up there, sing, and I'll be home before I know it.
With a renewed sense of confidence, Amanda pulled out of the driveway and began her journey to Horrorland.
When she finally arrived at the crumbling office where Slappy was waiting for her, he looked her over before giving a small nod of approval.
"Professional. I like it; shows you're serious about this."
Amanda smiled weakly in reply.
"For future reference, however, you won't need to dress so professionally. There's a wardrobe backstage that you can use for your performances, but kudos for the effort, kid."
With that, Slappy approached a door that Amanda thought led into a supply closet. She was surprised to find it opened up to reveal a narrow spiral staircase.
"Oh, and I should warn you," he said, not bothering to turn around. "The patrons of this club are not quite human. Keep an open mind and keep to yourself, and you should be fine, but if you feel you aren't equipped to handle things other than humankind, I'm going to give you an out right now. You can choose to follow me, or you can choose to leave, forget about this whole thing. It's up to you, Miss Benson, but I need to know now."
She had no idea what he meant by "things other than humankind," but it piqued her curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean monsters; creatures of legend, creatures that your kind presumes to be the stuff of stories to scare kids. They're very real and they visit my club frequently."
Amanda didn't know how to react to that. Was... Was Slappy joking with her? One look at his expression revealed that no, he was quite serious, but... monsters? Really?
She managed to squeak out, "Are they nice?"
"For the most part. They won't bother you, if that's what you're asking. Many of them may not look friendly, but most of them visit my club to relax and they aren't looking for trouble. Monsterkind tend to be docile unless you explicitly provoke them."
Amanda swallowed nervously. As long as they weren't violent or looking to pick a fight with her, she supposed she could see how things went tonight. "Okay. I'll give it a shot."
Slappy turned around to begin leading her down to the supposed club. She couldn't see it, but he grinned.
What an interesting human girl.
"Alright, Miss Benson, follow me."
They descended the staircase and Amanda noticed that the farther down they went, the more lightheaded she felt. Something in the universe shifted and she couldn't quite figure out what had changed, but it felt as though she'd entered a parallel dimension, though not even that could describe the off-kilter feeling.
Slappy seemed to notice her discomfort. "If you're wondering why you're not feeling well, it's because humans are sensitive to dimension-hopping. The club is located in a dimension where monsters live freely and humans are far and few in-between."
Monsters, other dimensions… What the hell had Amanda gotten herself into?
Any other human probably would've run screaming into the night had they heard what Slappy said, and they'd probably declare him a lunatic. But Amanda had had her fair share of lunacy when she was twelve; she was made of tougher stuff than the average human. She knew monsters were very real and lurked in the shadows where humans would never suspect.
It just seemed so bizarre. Other monsters, and monsters that were docile? Another dimension, let alone traveling to a new one?
She was pulled from her thoughts when they reached the bottom of the stairwell and she almost crashed into her employer. They headed down a dimly-lit hallway and stopped at a silver door. Faint pulses of music and traces of voices echoed through the cracks of the door, indicating they'd reached the club. Slappy dug into his pocket and produced a key with a skull handle.
"I forgot to mention," he said, unlocking the door. "There are monsters here known as Horrors. They can be pests when they want to be, but they're still customers and they are to be treated with the same respect as anyone else. Don't pinch them or you're out of here. Understand?"
No pinching? Why would she want to pinch anyone in the first place? Nevertheless, she nodded. "Yes, sir."
With that, Slappy opened the door and motioned for her to enter first. Amanda did so, her eyes eagerly drinking in the incredible sights before her.
Pushed up against the far back wall was a bar manned by a pale, inhumanly-beautiful woman wiping down the bar surface. Next to the bar were the restrooms, though Amanda couldn't tell which was for males and which was for females. In the middle of the room was a giant dance floor that seemed to sparkle, the large disco ball above it throwing multicolored lights all over the club. A freshly-polished stage sat in front of the dance floor, a DJ—wait, was that a real live werewolf?—working the booth. Creatures from all sorts of legends—vampires, werewolves, zombies, even fairies with wispy, colorful wings—littered the dance floor, a mass of bodies moving to the energetic rhythm pouring from the speakers; others sat at various scattered tables in the lounge area, many of them enjoying foods that Amanda couldn't imagine trying to stomach.
There were all kinds of other monsters up and about, but Amanda noticed that a good chunk of the population in here were huge scaly creatures with large, sharp-looking horns. Their eyes were a glowing, almost neon yellow, and each of them had a maw full of jagged teeth. Their feet reminded Amanda of bird talons, a feature that seemed to fit their appearance. As intimidating as they looked, they all appeared to be enjoying the club's atmosphere and they didn't seem to be mean. With all the "No Pinching" signs around the roped-off area they seemed to stick to, Amanda figured these were the Horrors Slappy had mentioned.
All in all? The place looked like a regular dance club, only instead of humans, there were monsters. Amanda felt her anxiety dissipate as a few monsters seemed to smile at her as they passed by.
"Ahh, there she is now," Slappy mumbled, gently taking Amanda's hand and leading her towards the bar. "Evelyn, how are you tonight?"
The pale woman looked up and grinned, revealing two rather sharp canines; vampire fangs. Her long black hair was pulled back into a stylish updo and everything about her was perfect. Smokey makeup made her ruby eyes pop, and Amanda marveled at their red color; she never thought she'd see the day when she'd think red eyes looked pretty instead of scary. The black corset top and skinny jeans hugged Evelyn's hourglass figure in all the right ways, making the brunette girl wonder if she'd ever fill out enough to look half as good as the vampire did.
"Doin' fine, boss!" Even her voice sounded perfect, reminiscent of tinkling bells. "Hey, who's the fresh meat?"
Amanda shrank into herself. Fresh meat?
"She's Horrorland's newest singer and tonight's her first gig. Can you show her around?"
"Sure thing." Evelyn's expression changed into a gentler one. "Can you wait backstage for me, sweet pea? I just need to finish up here."
She motioned towards the stage and Amanda looked to where she was pointing, noticing a door with a star painted on it sitting just behind a curtain, presumably leading into the dressing room. Slappy let go of her hand.
"Well? You heard her, Miss Benson."
Amanda cast him one last glance before reluctantly making her way towards the stage. Some monsters watched her curiously, others too busy dancing, eating, and socializing to spare her a second look.
She felt out of place despite the initial friendly glances she'd received; had she made a mistake by coming here? Was this all a dream, or was this reality? The creatures around her were all so… lifelike to not be real, but still...
Despite her qualms, inner strength won out over reason.
Don't think, just do.
Amanda entered the dressing room to find it was a quaint little space, complete with a vanity full of all sorts of makeup brands, clothing racks full of dresses and other dazzling outfits, and a door leading into a small bathroom. One particular dress that caught her eye, a royal purple bodycon with rhinestones adorning the bust, had her practically drooling.
What I wouldn't do to own something like that…
She sat down at the vanity and looked over the various makeup boxes. There was so much in here, so many boxes of hats, masks, dresses, shoes; this dressing room had everything!
The door opened and Evelyn appeared, pulling up a chair next to Amanda. She let out a sigh, happy to sit down after being on her feet for so long.
"Sorry 'bout the wait, sugar, just had to make sure the bar was presentable. Now then, your name is Amanda, right?"
The girl nodded.
"I'm Evelyn, but you can call me Eve. Everyone does, except the boss, of course; gotta keep it professional." Eve shot her a toothy grin, showing off those sharp fangs again. "I understand you're here to be our band's singer?"
Amanda nodded.
"Great! I just need to ask you a few questions so there are no issues while you're performing."
"Fire away."
"Alto or soprano?"
"Soprano."
"When you sing, do you like to dance, or do you prefer just standing in one spot?"
Amanda shrugged. "Depends on the nature of the song."
"Fair enough. Hmm… Any particular songs you prefer to sing? Pop, country, any particular genre?"
"I'm good with any genre, really."
Eve nodded, producing a notepad and a pencil. "If you could just jot down a few songs you'd like to sing tonight, I'll get this to the band and you'll be on in thirty minutes. Our musicians know pretty much any and all songs that mankind has come up with, so don't hold back."
Amanda obliged, writing down a few titles she'd already thought of during her drive to Horrorland.
"So this is kind of like karaoke, then? I give you a list of songs I want to sing and the band plays an instrumental?"
"Pretty much." Eve readjusted her hair clip to tighten its hold. "We used to have original artists come in, but the monster world's been a little lacking lately when it comes to celebrities. Most of our talented folks are too cool to come play for a club this tiny. We're hoping to bring in more business by hiring talented singers like yourself."
When Amanda was finished scribbling down the songs she'd chosen, she slid the notepad back to Eve. The noirette looked it over briefly, smiling in approval.
"Ooh, excellent choices... Alright, I'll get this to the band. Oh, and please don't be nervous; everyone here is really nice and if you're as good as the boss says you are, you've got nothing to fear. Just relax and do the best you can; I'll be rooting for you!"
Within a second, Eve had disappeared, leaving Amanda's head reeling.
She was really doing this. She was really about to go on stage in front of creatures, not even humans, but creatures, and sing.
Time to put my karaoke skills to good use, she thought, and tried to keep her breathing steady so her anxiety didn't overwhelm her.
About twenty minutes later, Amanda was still seated in front of the vanity, checking her makeup for the umpteenth time when the door opened and Eve came strolling in.
"The band gave the A-okay. Now all we need to do is make you presentable for the stage."
"Oh.." Amanda looked down at her outfit. "I thought I looked okay."
Eve gave her a once-over. "You do! But you might have an easier time out there wearing a disguise, and it might be better to hide your identity from the monsters who aren't as accepting of humans. Plus, we've got some high-end clothing brands that you've probably seen in magazines like Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Elle; ever hear of Lauren Conrad, Moschino, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana? We've got everything you can think of. Come on, I'm sure we can find something that'll suit your style."
With that, Eve moved to the clothing racks and began picking through the dresses in a blur, moving so quickly that Amanda's eyes could barely register the woman's movements as anything more than, well, blurs.
"Aha!" The vampire retrieved a beautiful long-sleeved dress made of velvet. "What do you think, Amanda?"
She had to admit, she'd look killer in that dress. "It's beautiful! Should I change my shoes?"
Eve reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a pair of black pumps. "Here we are. Now all we need is a mask and—Oh! Wait."
She handed Amanda the dress and shoes, rummaging through a tall white box. Amanda glanced at the pumps, hoping she wouldn't break her neck trying to walk in them, but admired them all the same. This outfit alone looked like it would cost a pretty penny; she wondered how much money had been invested in this club's wardrobe options. Whatever Slappy had spent, it must've been a hefty amount to be able to afford high-end brands like Dolce & Gabbana.
"This will go with your outfit and make you look less human, more monster."
Eve held up a metal mask. Intricate designs were cut out of the frame, which would make it look more like a face tattoo once Amanda put it on. The black paint that lined the eyeholes made it look like the eyes were heavily lined with eyeliner, a few rhinestones dotting the eyelids.
Amanda wasn't usually one for masks, but she had to admit, she was excited to try it on. "It's perfect."
"Of course it is," Eve winked at her. "Only the best for our performers. Now then, we've got to get you ready; the band gets cranky when their lead singer takes too long."
After allowing Amanda to get dressed, Eve tentatively placed the mask on Amanda's face. She was about to ask how it would stay on when the metal suddenly sank into her skin. She yelped and clawed at her face.
"Oh my God, what is this?!"
"Relax, honey, it's supposed to do that," Eve reassured. "When you want to take it off, you just take it off like you would a regular mask."
Amanda attempted to and it slid off easily, as if it hadn't become one with her face. A glance in the mirror showed her that her skin was fine; there was no evidence that anything had happened, and she stared at the mask in awe and slight fear.
Eve placed a cool hand on her shoulder. "I know it seems weird right now, but you can worry about the mechanics of monster masks later. You have a show to perform and I still need to do your makeup to match the outfit."
Reluctantly, Amanda placed the mask back on her face, wincing when the metal sank into her flesh again. When she looked in the mirror, however, it looked like she had been born with beautiful, intricate black facial markings, her eyes appearing to have a natural dark outline to them.
Eve retrieved some makeup brushes and a few makeup kits to give Amanda's eyes more of a smokey look, adding a dab of maroon lipstick to her lips. She pulled Amanda's hair into a stylishly messy French braid before adding black paint to the girl's hands and neck to make it look like she had more than just facial markings. Eve also handed her a pair of silver contacts, claiming they'd complete Amanda's disguise. It took her a few tries, but the brunette finally managed to put them in, and when she did, they made her eyes look like a striking bronze rather than chocolate-brown.
When Amanda's disguise was finished, she didn't recognize herself. She looked nothing like the tired college student who had left campus earlier that evening to prepare herself for a singing gig.
She looked and felt beautiful, like a celebrity. She felt much more confident than she ever would've in the makeup and clothes she'd arrived in.
Eve glanced at the clock and swore under her breath.
"Alright, Amanda, break a leg out there."
"Thank you for helping me, Eve," Amanda's voice was thick with sincerity. She meant it, too; the woman had done an excellent job disguising her and bringing out a beauty she didn't know she possessed.
Eve chuckled, sending her a wink. "Don't mention it, girly. I have high hopes for you, so get out there and wow everyone, okay?"
Taking a breath to settle her nerves, Amanda stood and headed out towards the stage. The DJ, who had been playing a pop song Amanda didn't recognize, allowed his music to fade and instead began to pack up his equipment for the evening. The entire club, wondering why the music had stopped, turned their attention to the stage where the brunette stood.
As soon as she entered the spotlight, monsters of all varieties stopped to stare at her. The gorgeous young woman in front of them looked almost human, though her sharp eyes and swirly markings told a different story. Some eyed her curiously while others shamelessly gawked at her, wondering what such a beauty was doing in such a small-time club like this one.
The band, comprised of a zombie drummer, a goblin bass player, a vampire guitarist, and a werewolf on piano, nodded at her, unfazed by the disguise. The guitarist handed her a microphone and Amanda uttered a soft, "Thank you."
Murmurs broke out through the crowd as she took the center of the stage.
When she turned to face the audience, her heart almost stopped. All eyes were on her and it was extremely intimidating. Amanda felt a cold sweat prickle at the back of her neck as she realized just how full this place was. There had to be at least fifty monsters here.
Oh my God, I can't do this… I shouldn't have come here, what was I thinking?
But then she caught Eve's gaze from the bar, and the woman nodded encouragingly at her. She thought of her family, the vision of her parents finally heaving a sigh of relief at their debt being wiped away. She thought of school, of being able to pay off the balance currently hanging over her head.
Amanda nodded towards the band despite her nerves screaming at her to run off stage, and the musicians began to play the first song of the evening.
Here goes nothing.
She offered a nervous smile to the crowd, who was still watching her every move. She waited for the intro of the song to end before clearing her throat.
When she began to sing, she started off shaky and unsure, almost singing off-key, but the more she sang, the more confident she became, her voice becoming stronger and more grounded with each verse. She imagined herself singing in her car as she so often did during the commute to school, and any apprehension she felt began to fade away. It wasn't long before the crowd was swaying to the music, their eyes alight with wonder at the dark-haired beauty serenading them.
Amanda had a chance to glance at Eve halfway through the song, the vampire offering her an encouraging thumbs-up as she wiped down the bar.
As she hit the last note and the music faded out, the entire club was silent for a moment before bursting into thunderous applause. Amanda blushed; she hadn't expected the crowd to enjoy her performance as much as they so clearly had.
Feeling her confidence swell, she motioned for the band to start up the next song, her strong, sweet voice echoing throughout the club until the wee hours of morning.
By the time Amanda had finished singing her last song, the sun was getting ready to peek over the horizon.
Her throat ached from singing so much, as well as all the high and low notes she managed to hit, but the constant rounds of applause she received made the pain worth it. The monsters enjoyed her singing so much that eventually, they stopped paying so much attention to her and went back to dancing. Those who were relaxing over by the lounge area got up to join the others dancing by the stage.
After blowing a farewell kiss to the audience, Amanda headed backstage where Eve was waiting for her. The vampire pulled her into a bone-crushing hug and squealed.
"You were amazing up there!" she exclaimed. "You killed it, girl!"
"T-thanks," Amanda coughed. "C-can't.. breathe…"
"Oops, sorry." Eve giggled, letting her go. "I hope you're planning on making this a regular thing because you had the whole club rockin'! Everyone loved you!"
Amanda smiled, hugging herself. Eve had one hell of a grip. "Definitely! It was actually really fun to let loose."
"Ah, there you are."
Both women turned to see Slappy entering the dressing room.
He held out a check and offered her a small smile. "You did very well tonight, Amanda. Here's your pay, as promised."
She tried not to seem too eager to grab it, but still wasted no time in looking it over. Her breath caught in her throat at the bold amount neatly printed.
"Th-that's a lot of money," she managed to squeak out. Slappy laughed.
"You earned it, kid. I'm about ready to close this place down for the day, so you should head home."
Amanda didn't realize Eve was guiding her towards the club entrance until they reached the door.
"See you next week, Amanda." The vampire grinned and gave her a mock salute before disappearing back into the now-quiet club.
And then, without even realizing that she'd climbed the stairwell and returned to her own dimension, Amanda found herself outside of the crumbling office once more, wondering if the whole thing had just been a vivid dream. Her sore vocal chords indicated it had been very real, but still, she couldn't believe she'd just spent her evening singing in front of a large crowd of monsters. And they'd loved her!
She couldn't wait to do it again next week.
