Chapter 4: Frosty Plans, Mani-Pedi, and Loose Bones
Just an hour and a half after the end of dinner, Danae was clapping her hands to get the attention of the rest of the leaders of the snow spirit monsters. With Janus sitting up on his frozen bed and snowflakes falling on him, everyone else was either sitting on a snow chair or on the frosted floor. The other leaders included Nicolas, Cetus, Demetrius, Tatiana, Juno and her husband Jupiter, Aunt Alcmene from China, Cousin Caesar from Italy, twins Aunt Victoire and Uncle Félix from France, Caesar's Greek cousin Alexander, and Uncle Aquilo from Japan.
"OK, everyone! Frost down, the lead patriarch of our family is going to speak!" Danae declared.
"I'm sorry to cut off before you even began, Father, but what is there to discuss?" Cetus raised his hand. "The Half-Centennial Slumber is on the way and we can guarantee that we've done our mission of keeping Minerva safe from Jack Frost."
"Let me speak!" Janus ordered, causing his son to shut up. Janus summoned a large snowflake that acted as an image PowerPoint. It represented a ranking of Dracula, Jack Frost and his party, and the snow spirit monster clan. "So, as you all know, our clan is part of a chain in the monster dominance. We are loyal to Dracula, the leader of the chain as he is king of the monsters, but Jack Frost keeps us from second place. In other words, Dracula scares Jack Frost, Jack Frost scares us, and Dracula protects us. The fact that we've had hybrids in our before Minerva who got slaughtered by Jack Frost is nothing new. We are basically a buffet for that ice spirit monster's desire to wipe off anyone who's half-human, half-monster."
The leaders nodded in dismay. It was a fact of life that as human-loving monsters, some previous members of the snow clan had dared to mate with humans and have children. Sadly, all of the hybrid children barely got the luck of seeing the first two or five years of their life by falling in the lethal hands of Jack Frost. Or there was also burning from superstitious humans, but that only happened once. Otherwise, Minerva was so far the only hybrid in the snow spirit monsters to have managed to reach her adulthood.
"But, I have made a recent discovery," Janus announced. "It has come to my attention at dinner... that our host Count Dracula has taken an enamored shine on Minerva."
Gasps came from the other leaders.
"Wait! Are you telling me that my niece zinged with Dracula?" Nicolas was baffled.
"Well... we might have noticed that he was unusually polite to Minerva and he was the first to calm her down when she had an impatience crisis," Danae pointed out. "And has anyone noticed he wore his best cape... which he hardly wears?"
"A second zing!" Aunt Victoire sighed in her French accent. "Si romantique!"
"So!" Janus created a snowflake image of Minerva that he placed on the PowerPoint display. Lines appeared, as if Minerva was acting as a link between Dracula and the snow clan. "Here is my new plan! We indirectly encourage our host and my granddaughter into spending time together, and in the end, the new relationship status will lead Dracula to add further protection on Minerva! We get the ensure safe and happy life that Minerva deserves and Jack Frost and his goons won't dare lay a finger on her or any other future hybrids in our joined families since we'll be at the top of the monster chain with Dracula!"
Eyes blinked in the audience. "OK, we'll vote then. I believe in democracy." Janus turned to Nicolas. "My son, you're the legal guardian of Minerva. What do you have to say?"
"I don't know," Nicolas said. "I love Minerva as if she were my own. I'd love her to be safe and find her zing- which would be great with Dracula since he's a great monster...but I can't see myself tricking my own niece."
"Write down the stuff for who's neutral, in, or out." Janus told Danae, who proceeded to create a snow clipboard and took notes on the debate. "Anyone else?"
Aunt Alcmene raised her hand. "I live in a country where even monsters spent history playing matchmakers to ensure that their children are well off. If pairing off Minerva with Dracula can ensure she's protected in a good monster family, I say yes."
"Well I'm against it," Cousin Caesar said. "I'm not saying Patriarch Janus is wrong, but what if it turns that it isn't a zing? Worse, what if Dracula finds out we're trying to trick him? We'd be at the mercy of the ice spirits and my cousin's blood would be shed before Jack Frost even goes to sleep!"
"One neutral, one yes, one no," Danae recollected. "Anyone else?"
"I'll side with Nicolas," Cousin Alexander said. "I stay neutral. Mostly because I have no experience in the role of matchmaker."
Aunt Victoire and Uncle Félix whispered to one another before saying together: "We say yes to love."
"Three yes, two neutrals, and one no," Danae recollected. "Anyone else?"
"I say no," Demetrius said. "Minerva is still a young adult and she must learn to be nezavisimyy. Even if there's a possibility that she had a zing with Dracula, she must first be able to take care of herself."
"OK. Three yes, two no, and two neutral."
"I have to say yes," Aquilo sighed.
"Were you not listening when I just said that Minerva needs independence?" Demetrius scowled at the Japanese snow spirit monster.
"It's not that. I love Minerva as much as the rest of you, but how can we trust she'll be able to take care of herself with those crisis attacks she gets just from the mere mention of her parents' death?" Aquilo said. "Let's imagine that someone won't stop bothering her on the topic and she ends up creating a masse of ice or a large snow magic beacon that will alert Jack Frost that he didn't finish his job. I did witness Dracula calming her down with his extreme sense of patience. If a monster like Dracula outside of our circle can calm her down without causing her to be found, I say yes."
"We're on the lead with four yes," Danae said.
"I'm sorry, my love, but I have to side with Aquilo on this one," Tatiana apologized to her husband Demetrius.
"Five yes," Danae said.
"I'm staying neutral," Uncle Jupiter said. "It's not my place to do these things."
"I agree with my husband," Juno nodded.
"Five yes, four neutral, and two no," Danae resumed. "Cetus?"
Cetus looked at Nicolas. The latter shrugged and the former nodded. "Minerva's life matters most, we can't take any chances. I say yes."
"In that case, I think we can all agree that the winning majority is positive." Danae smashed her clipboard on the wall.
"Excellent!" Janus clapped his hands and Danae helped him back on the wheelchair. "Now remember, don't get the other members of our clan involved. Only us leaders can do the indirect encouragement.
"I just hope you know what you are doing, Father," Nicolas said.
"Naturally! When was I ever wrong?"
Meanwhile, at the Hotel Transylvania spa
Priscilla flicked a coin and it landed perfectly on a jar resting next to Minerva's seat. Points on the jar being labeled MINERVA TOLD PRISCILLA SO.
As they had planned, Minerva and Priscilla had gone to the spa. Its old torture chamber style did get some modern touching for the human clients, like making the electric chair-fashioned seats made out of leather, New Age music playing in the speakers, and a diverse selection of therapies from normal to supernatural.
Minerva and Priscilla were relaxing in chairs while witches took care of their mani-pedi. Both sighed in relief as the cold unagi broth water disinfected their unoccupied feet while the witches took care of the mani-pedi.
"I told you so," Minerva told Priscilla.
"You did," Priscilla smirked. The witch who was applying a dark green shade of nail polish on her fingernails showed her an image brochure of available nail designs. "May I have the design of the poison ivy vines with a touch of light blood red, please?"
"Certainly," the witch said as she put the brochure away and went back to her work.
"So," Priscilla went back to Minerva, who was enjoying the new black nail polish with glittery white spiderweb designs she had gotten on her fingers while the witch tending her went on to file her toenails, "how was the dinner with your family and the Draculas? I want to hear all of it!"
"Oh, it was great," Minerva said. "The food was great and it's such great service, composing a menu that would fit the guests whether they are monsters, human, or hybrids. Don't get me started on the bloody orange and nightshade juice! My relatives were all happy to see me, Cousin Venus is still sour..."
"Your cousin still can't get over her sour self?" Priscilla asked. "I mean, just because she's labeled as your family's black sheep doesn't mean she should act like one."
"Can you blame her?" Minerva said in sympathy. "My Aunt Juno and most of her side of the family won't stop nagging her for being a late winter's blossom... and reminding her that I did better than most of my relatives when it came to developing my powers." She sighed. "And then Mavis and her in-laws don't like me."
"Why would the Count's daughter not like you?" The witch doing her pedicure asked, even though it was none of her business to question her customers' business. "Ms. Mavis is usually very open to all people, whether they're human or monsters."
"Almost sounds like you... only you seem more like yourself when it comes to monsters," Priscilla said.
"That's just it!" Minerva sat up straight on her chair. "Mavis and her in-laws didn't seem to trust me. Stuff like 'Guess what? Minerva's mom was actually playmates with Mavis when they were kids!' 'Why is it we never heard about Luna being with a human and dying?' 'Why is it you never brought her to Transylvania?' 'Why is it that for a hybrid, she seems not-so-human with what she does and what she eats?' 'Why is it that you raise Minerva so differently than Dennis?'"
"Who's Dennis?" Priscilla frowned.
"Master Dracula's dhampyr grandson," the witch designing the poison ivy pattern on her nails said.
"Hey, that's great!" Priscilla turned to Minerva.
"I fail to see what's great about these people thinking I'm weird," Minerva said coldly.
"No, no, not that!" Priscilla shook her head. "Mindy, think about it. By far, you're the second human-monster hybrid they've met. And because of You-Know-Who, it's rarely happened to anyone to see an adult hybrid like you. Maybe it would work out in everyone's favor if you acted like an inspiration. You know, a model citizen ."
"Do I look like I'm Elvis Presley to you?" Minerva said as she got off her chair and put her shoes back on once her mani-pedi was fully dry. She tipped the witch with a dried newt, making the latter give out a crooked smile of joy.
Priscilla's eyes widened in horror. "Oh no. Mindy, where's Michael?"
Meanwhile, in the lobby
"I can't believe we lost Michael!" Kendrick groaned when he and Demi got to the lobby. "He could be anywhere in the hotel!"
"How hard is it to find a skeleton?" Demi shrugged as she went through her Iphone's playlist of pop music. "For all we know, he could be hiding in his closet. I hear skeletons do that."
"RACIST!" A couple of skeletons who were passing by heard Demi's remark and the wife of them felt insulted.
"I'm so sorry!" Kendrick clasped his hairy hand over Demi's mouth. "She's an airhead."
"Then get her a more solid skull!" The skeleton husband snapped at Kendrick before going up with his wife. Kendrick let go of Demi's mouth and they proceeded to go to the main desk. They ran into Jonathan Loughran and Dracula, who were going over the ice skating activity offered to the guests.
"Excuse me," Kendrick got their attention.
"I didn't know Wayne had an albino cousin!" Jonathan smirked. "Totally cool!"
"Nah, I don't associate with massive litter wolves." Kendrick shook his head.
"Did you see a skeleton?" Demi asked out loud.
"You'll have to be more specific," Dracula said. "We have many skeletons checking into the hotel."
"Sorry. Ours is dressed like Michael Jackson and will most likely brainwash somebody into dancing the Thriller," Kendrick said.
This seemed to get Dracula's concern. He rushed to one of the nearest animated guard armors, who informed him that Michael was spotted in the bar, fighting his way to the stage against Wayne, Frankie, and Murray.
"Great! I should have chewed on his bones when I had the chance!" Kendrick was the first to run towards the bar.
"To be fair, you're the one who put the idea in Michael that he was the skeleton of the dead Michael Jackson!" Demi retorted.
Dracula and Johnny merely shrugged as they went to the nearest empty room to use the secret tunnels to make their way to the bar. Dracula pulled the torch and the wall opened... just in time to see Kendrick and Demi engaged in a tug-of-war match against the combined forces of Frankie, Wayne, and Murray. Michael was yelping as his arms and legs were being pulled by the parties while he was jumping his butt in the air to avoid getting eaten by the werewolf pups.
"Huh," Johnny said. "It's my first day all over again."
"What on earth are you doing?!" Dracula demanded as he stormed into the bar. His friends and the two other monsters paused in their mayhem.
"This guy used one of his arms to hit on one of my kids and get our place in line for the karaoke stage!" Wayne said angrily. He only got angry when one of his unruly kids got hurt. That was the only exception.
"And your best idea was to rip my friend off?" Kendrick shouted back as he tried to pull Michael back towards him.
"I WAS A DECENT BLACK MAN! I WAS A CHRISTIAN! I WAS MICHAEL!" Michael shouted his prayers in advance.
A cold breeze came in the bar, which caused some of the clients drinking in the area to shiver. Dracula turned to one of the archways and saw Minerva accompanied by an Asian woman of her age in a modern knee-length kira dress with dark green and black horizontal lines and a dragon brooch. The two women looked blankly at the scene. Even the wolf pups stopped their mayhem.
"Please tell me you aren't trying to tick off the locals already," Minerva sighed in exasperation at Kendrick, Demi, and Michael.
"I give up." Wayne let go of Michael and Frankie and Murray followed him. Michael catapulted right onto Kendrick and Demi, making them collapse on the floor.
"I'm terribly sorry!" Dracula walked up to Minerva, looking embarrassed. "We didn't know they were your friends. There was... a little mishap with your boney friend and the werewolf pups."
"Welcome to my life," Minerva's human friend said drily. The werewolf pups looked eagerly at Michael, who ran to hide behind Priscilla.
"Oh boy," Minerva said.
"Don't worry, people eventually get used to my kids' chaos," Wayne told her.
"I'm actually worried for your kids," Minerva said with a frown.
The pups barely started growling at Priscilla when she placed her fingers in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle. Kendrick covered his ears while Wayne looked confused. Minerva used her snow magic to have earmuffs protect Wayne while his children suffered the upcoming shouting from Priscilla.
"BACK IN LINE, YOU RASCAL MUTTS!" She sounded so much like a sergeant, the pups immediately lined up in around twelve perfectly parallel lines. "WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS, AN INDOOR PLAYGROUND? GO SIT DOWN, YOU HAVE A 365 HOUR TIME OUT, OR NO CHOW FOR YOU!"
Instead of scurrying away as they usually did, the pups actually walked in a perfect line and went to sit down on the floor by a corner, their eyes fixated on the wall.
"Wow, you're good," Demi commented.
"Thank you," Priscilla straightened her kira dress. "I did do an internship at the boot camp my Uncle Ram works at for the RBA back in middle school. Managed to ace on training the guard dogs."
"Can I hire you to babysit my kids?" Wayne begged as he took off his earmuffs.
"No," Priscilla said flatly. She pulled out a roll of duck tape and glared at Michael.
"C'mon!" He said. He turned to Minerva.
She shook her head. "We had a deal," she said firmly. "You try brainwashing people by dancing Michael Jackson style thirteen times in a row, you'll have to spend thirteen days with your arms taped."
"I specialize in wraps!" Murray grabbed the duck tape from Priscilla and in less than a minute, he perfectly wrapped up Michael's arms with the tape. The skeleton almost looked like a silver mummy (well, through the arms). Michael yelped.
"Wow," Kendrick whistled. "You're now Mum-Michael."
Minerva groaned at the sight and facepalmed herself. "I need a drink, you guys are exasperating," she said as she sat by the bar. "Nightshade and bloody orange, please."
Demi checked one of the empty tables and found a card game resting on the table. "Hey, they have Cards Against Life In General!" She held up the black card game box.
"Dude, I love that game!" Johnny joined her at the table. Most of the two parties began pulling chairs to be close enough to grab cards and get acquainted better (though Murray wouldn't stop keeping Michael close to him). The only two who didn't seem interested in the game at the moment were Minerva and Dracula. She had just received her order and began drinking when Dracula decided himself to get some blood beaters.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Minerva said.
"No, no, it's alright!" Dracula reassured her. "I do have my times when my friends exasperate me." He briefly looked back at their friends playing. "So, the one who managed to discipline Wayne's kids is the human friend you mentioned earlier?"
"Yep. That's Priscilla." She leaned and whispered to Dracula. "Tip of advice, don't question her on law studies or over-the-top internships. She got sensitive to the point that she used one of her law books as a boomerang on a guy who made fun of her interests."
"I see. And the others? I'm surprised that you managed to befriend an amarok. We hardly see his kind at the hotel."
"He's my second best-friend, but the best one to talk to for monster issues. Michael... he's the skeleton of a kid Priscilla and I knew back in high school. Demi... she's a troll-dryad hybrid. Honestly, without us, her only companion would be her headphones set."
"I see." Dracula's cup arrived and he had it touch Minerva's for cheers. "So, how is your first evening here for the moment? I'm surprised you aren't spending time with your family."
"The same way you're drinking blood beaters rather than running your hotel?" Minerva replied with an amused smirk. Dracula was stunned for a moment, but the smirk was returned and he finished his beverage in a bolt's speed.
"You know, I might have to go all over the hotel for my business," he said in a passive fashion, "I believe I might have room for a tour. That is, if you'd be interested."
Minerva blushed. The Prince of Darkness himself was just suggesting giving her a tour of the hotel. Why am I falling for clichés? She scolded herself mentally.
Priscilla, who had heard a bit of that conversation, dropped her cards and rushed to Minerva. She pulled the latter by the shoulders and off the seat to have her stand before Dracula. "She'd be interested, she thinks it will be fun and it will certainly give her the heads up she needs since her relatives already know the place!"
"But Prissy!" Minerva complained.
"Don't worry, we'll still have time to join the others for that monster badminton game against your Scottish relatives before the sunrise," Priscilla shrugged it off before than saying bluntly: "Though I still don't understand how your Aunt Juno manages to give birth to twins for thirty straight years and most of her oldest pairs live in Scotland."
"She made the mistake of marrying in spring," Minerva shrugged. "And Scotland's great at badminton."
"Tell your aunt that she can always talk to my wife on massive offspring set!" Wayne called out.
"You know, there is such a thing as 'contraception'," Kendrick pointed out.
"Nobody cares about your pharmaceutical drama life!" Priscilla snapped.
"Maybe we should go," Minerva told Dracula.
"Good call," he nodded. They walked away to the nearest exit, leaving the friends to play their card game.
An hour and a half later, in Mavis and Johnny's living quarters
Mavis and Johnny's older sister placed the boxes that the latter had brought over onto the small kitchen table. Since Christmas was almost in the area, Johnny thought it would be great to do one of the annual Loughran gingerbread house decorations for the kids. He had his sister bring in the stuff, since she ran a pastry shop back in Santa Cruz, and she purposely designed the gingerbread houses to appear as sweet replicas of Hotel Transylvania.
"This is so gonna be great!" Mavis said. "Dennis will love it!"
"And with the peanut butter crumb candy, whipped scream cheese, and candy canes we have, it should also work out for the werewolf pups." Johnny's sister made sure to put any perishable ingredient in the coffin-shaped fridge. "Remind me to ask the snow spirit monsters what kind of candy their kids like."
"What?" Mavis asked.
"You know, the ones we met at the dinner. Some of Mrs. Juno's sons and daughters with kids of their own thought it would be nice if their kids and the many younger siblings below ten joined us for the gingerbread house decorating," Johnny's sister said. "I mean, I brought like a hundred boxes of the set, so it should be convenient..."
"That's awfully nice of you, but I think the gingerbread houses should be saved for the Draculas and Loughrans," Mavis said flatly. She went back to storing more boxes on the table and feigned following the instruction to open them.
Johnny's sister frowned at Mavis. "You still don't like Minerva. Mavis, why on earth do you behave like this around her?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," the female vampire said. The human woman wasn't buying any of it. She stopped what she was doing and had Mavis sit down on a nearby chair.
"C'mon," she said. "I mean, shouldn't you be glad that there's another person that's similar to Dennis? "
"I really don't know," Mavis sighed and crossed her arms. "I mean, I'm glad that Luna had a love story similar to mine and had a hybrid kid, but then I'm angry that nobody told me so. I'm confused as to why even after my dad opened the hotel to humans, it's only now they bring her to Transylvania. I don't want to believe what they said about the consequences of hybrids rejecting one half of their nature, I don't like how her whole family makes her so perfect, and I don't like the way my dad spoke to her!"
"Oh, I get it now," Johnny's sister rolled her eyes when her sister-in-law raised her voice at the last part of the sentence. "You're actually worried that your dad might be into her. That's a fuss for nothing."
"Fuss for nothing?" Mavis arched a skeptical eyebrow. "He had his zing with my mom. That only happens once in a lifetime!"
"Mavis, it's not uncommon for people to fall in love more than once," her human sister-in-law said patiently while briefly admiring the kitchen window's view of the forest at nighttime winter. "I mean, humans go on dates even if they are widowed, divorced, or left behind. And contrary to what tales would make you believe, stepparents can actually fill up the void you got from a missing parent. I don't see why your dad shouldn't have the right to fill up his romantic void with someone else."
Mavis lowered her head. "I just don't like it."
"Look, if Dracula likes some snow spirit and human hybrid, it's not the end of the world. But if it bothers you to the extreme, just talk to him."
"OK."
"I know! Let's go bring the kids to ice skate! That will cheer you up."
The women were busy cleaning up the area and making their way out, they did not notice a blue mist and a gust of snowflakes flying outside and leaving their trails behind while going up to the roof.