This is Halloween! This is Halloween! That's right! It's Halloween Night, and as I promised last chapter, here is the biggest update yet! Ben has just said yes to two, count 'em, TWO ghouls to take to the Halloween Dance. But with dark secrets in the school and surrounding town conspiring against him, how long will it be before Ben's secret unravels faster than a mummy's bandages (I'm good, aren't I?)
And, as a side note, I no longer feel lonely! Another story called A New Monster in Monster High has been posted by a loyal guest reader who has finally gone and got themselves an account. Go on and read Whampire's (yes, the Whampire) story! I can wait.
You back? Good.
As always, do not hesitate to review in the comments below or to PM me your ideas and suggestions. And trust me, at the end of this chapter, things are going to get crazy. Enjoy!
The day before the big Halloween Dance.
The school was in a complete uproar. Boodes asked their ghouls to the dance, ghouls asking the guys if they wanted to go too, and the sadly outclassed monsters trying to contend themselves with being left out. They would still attend the dance in the hopes of scoring a slow dance with someone, anyone, but would mostly sit on the bleachers as the turn tables spun their records and the couples took over the dance floors. And when they weren't nervously trying to go unnoticed or avoid getting shoved into a locker, they were staring and gawking at the sizable bulk of Frankenstrike, despite the fact he had been among them for the past month or so.
No matter how many times you saw him, you never got over how big Frankenstrike was. He towered over everyone in the school, even standing a good foot taller than Manny Taur, the previous record holder. The minotaur tried to look okay with it, but it was clear he was not used to be outsized by such a massive wall of sheer muscle and strength. No one could move the large monster without getting a running start and some serious help. Even when the entire gym class played tug o'war against him, it ended in a draw. Regardless of that, Frankie found him oddly endearing to her. She sighed sweetly as she watched him lumber down the hall, already dreaming of tomorrow night's dance.
Wait a moment. He was walking up to Skelita. And he was talking to her about something, leaning against her locker as she put her books away. Skelita giggled and Frankenstrike chuckled before he gave a thumbs up and walked back down the hallway towards Frankie. Why was he talking to Skelita? Frankie wondered. She hoped to Ra that they were just friends.
"Feelin' nervous, lassy?"
Frankie yelped and dropped her books, turning around to see Scarah Screams standing behind her locker, smiling cheekily. "Hey, Scarah! Wait, have you been reading my mind?" Frankie asked. Scarah laughed. "Of course I have, luv. Don't worry, you aren't the only one feeling nervous about tomorrow night." Scarah told her. "It's my first dance with Invisibilly, and I'm more nervous than Ghoulia without her laptop." she told the young cadaver. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of light blue eyes was watching them from the safety of a vent. The eyes glanced down at their conversation, but was more focused on the hulking mass of Frankenstrike as he walked past, out of sight.
With a quick scrambling sound, the eyes moved away from the vent and appeared at another on a different hallway, exactly where Frankenstrike was giving Hoodude a friendly noogie. To anyone who had noticed the pair of eyes would have just shrugged and looked away. They were used to seeing them by now, as they belonged to the shyest student Monster High had ever seen: Jane Boolittle.
The young girl was notorious for suddenly appearing and then vanishing without a trace. One moment there and the next she was gone. And despite the help of her creature friends (who nobody knew about), her self confidence wasn't exactly perfect. She had manged to come to last year's dance, and had been crowned Jungle Queen, but quickly hid in the duct work of the school after the dance was over, too nervous and jittery to stick around and talk with her friends. And for all anyone ever knew, she practically lived at Monster High, making her quarters somewhere deep in the catacombs where even Operetta couldn't find it.
At the moment however, the young monster was busy studying Frankenstrike. For some odd reason, he intrigued her. He would appear for a couple of days, and then vanish for almost a week before reappearing as if nothing had ever happened. Whats more, Spectra Vondergeist was always close by at one point or another. Then again, the two were roommates so to speak. She had quickly dismissed the idea that the two were dating and focused more on the subject to Frankenstrike's whereabouts. All she knew was that they were somehow connected to the constant appearances of other students and monsters, namely Clockwork, Ripjaws, Swampfire, and the occasional appearances of Heatblast and Bullfrag.
Also to add to the list were the five creatures Spectra had claimed to see in the catacombs that she posted on her blog; a large, red, four armed creature; an even bigger dinosaur; a faceless, mutant dog of some kind; a goo monster that could move on its own accord; and some kind of plant monster that for once wasn't linked to Venus. Another case to check out were the claims that Skelita Calaveras had actually met the four armed monster, along with some sort of mutant monkey. She had overheard that conversation only a week ago during lunch with Skelita and Jinafire. And then there was the mysterious blue blur that had tore through the Creepateria only minutes after Robecca's jump.
Screams of fright and yells of horror suddenly met her ears and she turned to look out of the vent to see monsters running in all directions, mostly away from a large, four legged beast that was chasing them. It had thick, orange fur with a patch of sharp quills on it's back between its massive shoulder blades. It had large front legs, and Jane quickly deduced that could also be used as makeshift hands at some point. The back legs were shorter than the front ones, giving the animal a stature similar to a hyena or giraffe. It had no tail, but the other end of the animal was what caught her attention. It's lower jaw jutted out, large canines sticking up over the lip. The creature had no visible eyes and had a row of gill-like slits on either side of its head. A thick, green color was around its neck. Jane quickly recognized the beast as one of the creature's from the catacombs. And it had a collar too!
Ben had no idea what had happened. One moment, he had been walking down an empty hallway, heading towards Dead Languages, when there was a sudden flash of green light. And then he saw the world in a whole new way; no longer did he see the world in great detail and color. All he could see were black shapes that surrounded hues of red, orange, green, yellow, and blue. For a moment, he was confused before he realized that the Omnitrix had transformed him into Wildmutt.
And then came the screams.
He had no idea who had found him, but their screams had quickly caught the attention of others, and soon the entire hallway was in chaos. Students were running like mad as teachers were trying calm them down, but failing miserably. Some of them yelled for Creature Control. Others merely yelled in fright as they dropped their books and papers. And then there were a few cries for some monster to find someone named Jane Boolittle. The name didn't exactly sound frightening to Ben, but with the way the student body was yelling, she must have been good at what she did. And whatever she did, Ben did not want to find out, which was why he was currently running down the hall, chasing students on his way to the safety of the catacombs. He suddenly felt a silky touch and whisper and turned to see a black outline with an incredibly light blue center. That could have only been Spectra. She didn't say anything, but merely pointed with a finger towards the left, away from the catacombs for some odd reason. Ben didn't argue and barreled down said hallway, following Spectra. He hung a sharp right, running up the wall a little before gravity took affect and brought him back down.
A gaggle of frightened students suddenly appeared in front of them. Wildmutt let out a hoarse roar and the mob of students quickly cleared, running the opposite direction. He heard a sudden snorting sound and turned to see a large, red and orange shape racing towards him. From the angered snorting and heavy thudding sound, Wildmutt quickly concluded that it was Manny Taur, coming to the rescue. A loud roar, and a quick swipe of his claws, and Manny was racing in the opposite direction, scared out of his pants (not literally) and without a shirt. Wildmutt discarded the rags that were stuck to his claws and resumed his mad chase after Spectra. After a few more minutes of running and terrorizing the school, the young spirit came to a stop at a large air vent, just big enough for a Vulpimancer to squeeze through. Wildmutt quickly tore the covering of the vent off and ducked inside, Spectra following him and pulling the vent back in place as a group of Creature Control officers came running by, carrying nets and tranquilizer guns. The pair sighed with relief, Spectra pointing behind them. Wildmutt nodded and followed the ghost through the network of large ducts, taking lefts and turns, all of which were slanted downwards, towards the safety of the catacombs.
Eventually they came to another vent opening. Spectra moved aside, part of her going through the duct as Wildmutt punched the vent covering off with a half made fist. The pair tumbled out of the vent and onto the cold, stone floor in a sort of chamber, much smaller than the one Skelita had been in. It was easily the size of a classroom, with a large dog house that resembled a large, haunted mansion. Several mazes of ramps, walkways, and stairs just the right size for small animals snaked their way around the room, with several bird perches hanging from the ceilings. A large section of the wall had been replaced with glass to make an aquarium. Wildmutt instantly recognized Whatzit and Neptuna among the small group of creatures that had gathered at their feet (those that could anyway). Aside from them was a cat, dust bunny, horned owl, two tailed rat, jewel covered snake, bow wearing bat, and small woolly mammoth. The creatures started barking, meowing, and hissing amongst themselves as Spectra and Wildmutt shared a look until a shrill whistle broke the chattering. Everyone turned to see a girl about as tall as Spectra with violet colored skin and wave of indigo and pink hair tied back into a ponytail. She wore faux feathers on her shoulders and a dark, pink shirt over a purple tank top. She wore a short, black skirt and two ankle bracelets that ran the length of her legs, one resembling a snake and other simply just a band with feathers. She smiled warmly and waved the two over as the other creatures gathered around her.
Wildmutt padded up to her, his lips curled back to show his teeth. The girl simply smiled and closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. "Hello. My name is Jane Boolittle. Yours?" she asked. Wildmutt snarled. What did she take him for, a fool? Everyone knew that animals couldn't speak, which included Vulpimancer's for the most part.
"Wildmutt. As if you understand anything I'm saying."
"Well, you don't have to be so rude about it." the girl was said.
The Vulpimancer did a double take as Spectra laughed and fell to the floor, laughing hysterically. They ignored her. "You can understand me?" Wildmutt growled. To anyone who was watching would have just heard a series of snarls and bellows. Jane nodded her head just before Wildmutt gave her a happy lick upside her head, Jane laughing as she wiped the slobber off her face enough. "Alright, alright, enough. I'm sure you are quite confused. And as no one but us knows about this little place, we might as well get to know each other." Jane said. "I would like to ask some questions, if you don't mind."
"Sure. Go ahead." said Wildmutt.
"Have you ever met someone named Frankenstrike?"
Wildmutt stopped cold. As soon as anyone asked that question, it usually meant that they were onto him. Was he really becoming that careless in hiding his identity? Guess being world famous has made me lazy, he thought. With a heavy sigh, he slapped the Omnitrix face on his collar and watched as Jane's friendly face turned from one of kindness to one of complete shock and almost horror as the transformation was reversed to return Wildmutt back into Ben Tennyson. After a few seconds, the green light died down, and Ben stood out there in the open. "There. All questions answered?" he asked.
Jane didn't respond. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at him, a look of shock and fear on her face as she reached with a shaky hand for her journal. Ben saw what she was doing and grabbed the leather book and pen, handing it to her without breaking eye contact. All the creatures were hiding behind Jane in a fearful manner. It was almost fifteen minutes before Jane said anything close to words.
"What are you?" she asked with a shaky voice.
"I'm just a Normie kid with a fancy watch," Ben said, holding up his wrist to show Jane the Omnitrix. "My name's Ben by the way." he added, taking her jittery hand and shaking it. Jane inhaled a deep breath before becoming calm once more. "Sorry," she apologized with a nervous smile. "I'm not too good around other people." she admitted. Ben grinned and sat down in front of her. "So, how much do you know?" he asked as Whatzit cautiously crawled out from behind Jane and sniffed him curiously. The animal then began happily licking his hand before Ben scratched him behind the ears.
"Well, based on what I just say, I'd say I know a lot. You have been posing as new students at Monster High to hide your identity from the student body. And since Spectra here is not freaking out like I did earlier," said Jane, nodding to the ghost that was floating next to her. "I'd say you have revealed your secret to her, as well as several other students in the school." she said, writing it all down in her journal next to an incredibly life-like sketch of Frankenstrike. Ben nodded. "Yep. You're good." he said. "Are you a detective?" he asked. Jane shook her head. "No, I just like observing creatures in their natural habitats, as well as it may seem, young teenagers with 'fancy watches'" she explained. "May I see another demonstration, if you please?" she asked kindly.
Ben grinned and stood up. He then turned on the Omnitrix and held out his wrist to Jane, who looked at him with confusion. "Um, aren't you going to do it?" she asked timidly. Ben shook his head. "I figured you might want to try." he said, inching his wrist closer. "Just hold down on the watch face until you get the alien you want. Then tap it and slap the activation button." he instructed. Jane nodded and timidly put a finger on the watch face, watching as the bright green hologram scrolled past images of different aliens of all shapes and sizes. Her eyes lit up when she scrolled past one whose face resembled a cat. "How about this one then? She asked, tapping the image. Ben had gotten a brief look at what she selected. "No! Not that one!" he yelled too late; Jane had already tentatively pressed the activation button, guaranteeing a correct transformation.
"Oh, no." Ben squeaked as the green light encased him and the Omnitrix worked its magic.
Ben's arms swelled as his veins popped out, alien blood coursing through them as muscles piled themselves on top of each other. His legs became muscled as he stretched upward, growing taller and taller until he was a good four feet taller than Jane or Spectra. Fur began to sprout all over his body, turning white on his chest, gut, hands, and feet, turning orange everywhere else. A few black stripes stretched across his broad back and shoulder, a handful of whiskers sprouting on his face. His eyebrows turned black and became longer as they grew up and off his head. His jaw jutted out as his teeth became sharper. His hands became larger and muscled as a single, black claw grew out of his wrist, completing the transformation as Rath roared, the sound echoing through the chamber and sending the creatures scattering.
"Lemme tell ya somethin' Jane Boolittle, adoptive daughter of Dr. Boolittle and personal friend to all creatures great and small! Rath will not sit down here and wait for Creature Control to go away! Rath is gonna smash their faces in!" Rath roared in Jane's face, blowing back her hair and cheeks from the force of his yelling. With a battle cry, Rath smashed through a solid rock wall and turned to the left, yelling the whole way. Spectra and Jane just stood there a few moments, stunned. "Should we go after him?" Spectra asked, digging out her precious iCoffin.
"I should think so. Sphinx knows what would happen if he got into the school." Jane said getting up from her chair and giving chase after Rath, Spectra and her creature friends following closely behind. They expected to madly chase the sound of his yelling through the tunnels for hours, twisting and turning down passageways until they found the Appoplexian. Instead, they quickly caught up to him at a crossroads, Rath yelling at the top of his lungs about not being good at making decisions. "Interesting. I guess the old saying "brain over brawn" is true," Jane noted as they came upon him. "Ben appears to not be very bright when in his current form, in comparison to his great strength." She hesitantly walked up to the enraged Appoplexian and put a cautious hand on his arm. Rath stopped yelling and whirled around to face Jane, a growling escaping his teeth. "What do you want Jane Boolittle, adoptive daughter of Dr. Boolittle and personal friend all creatures great and small!?" he yelled. Jane made a mental side note that Ben would always speak in the third person in his current form, as well as always yell the full title of whomever he was talking to.
"Um, Ben? Rath? Whoever, do you think we could calmly talk this out?" she asked kindly. Rath growled and grabbed her by the head, lifting her up to eye level as she squeaked with fright. "Lemme tell ya somethin' Jane Boolittle! Rath does not talk things out calmly with anyone, especially with the likes of you!" he roared "RATH WANTS TO SMASH SOME FACES IN!" he bellowed, drawing back his arm and throwing Jane down the tunnel. The girl screamed and hit the stone wall hard, sliding down to the floor, dazed. She blinked and shook her head and caught one look of Rath's enraged face. She sniffed and burst into tears, running back towards the chamber. The creatures all glared at Rath and ran after her.
"What? What did Rath do!?" he asked. Spectra rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's simple math, Ben."
"Rath's not good at math!"
"Look, my point is is that you hurt her feelings." Spectra said. "You deliberately hurt her, both mentally and physically."
Rath pouted. "Aw, Rath's not good at apologizing." he huffed. Spectra glared at him. "But Rath will try." he added. Spectra nodded with approval and led the large Appoplexian down the tunnel. They soon returned to the chamber where Jane was crying in the corner, the small owl and Whatzit comforting her as the other creatures surrounded them, growling and hissing at them, mostly Rath. "Easy guys. Rath's here to apologize." Spectra explained as a familiar beeping sound filled the chamber and a green light washed over Rath.
"Er, scratch that. Ben's here to apologize." Spectra corrected herself as Ben stepped forward, wincing as the cat scratched at his leg with an angry hiss. The rest of the creatures let him walk by, though they seemed more than ready to attack him if he so much as hurt their friend again. Ben cleared his throat. "Hey, um, Jane?" he asked with a nervous voice. Jane sniffed and turned to look at him, tear lines down her violet cheeks and her eyes tinted red from crying.
"What?" she sniffed again.
"Look, I'm sorry for what happened back there," Ben apologized sheepishly. "Rath doesn't always know what he's says or means. Sometimes he's a real softy if ya give him a chance."
"You do realize you are talking about yourself in the third person, right?" Jane asked with the ghost of a smile on her face. Ben smiled and helped her up. "Yeah, Rath kinda does that." he said sheepishly. "Look, if there's anyway I can make this up to you . . ." he said, letting the sentence trail off. Jane smiled as the snake slithered up her arm and the owl landed on her shoulder. "Well, if you could do this one small favor for me." she said with a nervous smile. She leaned in and whispered into Ben's ear, his face going from a listening one to one of surprise, and then one of acceptance. "Uh, okay. I think I can do that." he said. "Do you want to see anymore of my transformations while we're at it? I mean, we got a while to wait." he said, pointing upwards where the faint yells of Creature Control sounded off.
"I would like that very much." Jane replied with a smile. "But this time, perhaps you should pick the transformations."
Zs'Skayr was in a happy mood, more than he had been in a long while. He had been wandering the halls of Monster High, searching for pieces of Dr. Viktor's device, as well as keeping tabs on Tennyson. So when he had found Tennyson in his Transylian form, he couldn't resist the chance to humiliate and make things more difficult for him; he had silently flown up to his Omnitrix, invisible, and slapped the watch face, turning him into a hideous Vulpimancer. Zs'Skayr grinned; a fitting form for the nuisance that had managed to be a giant thorn in his side for many years.
His lackey, Kuphulu was elsewhere in the school, searching for the materials needed for Viktor's machine. What the weapon actually, Zs'Skayr didn't exactly know, but it had something to do with recombinant DNA and gene scrambling from what he could tell from Viktor's complicated blueprints. While he understood some of the scribbling, Viktor was still the brains of the operation. That didn't mean however, that Zs'Skayr was a weakling. He could easily posses any of his henchmen should they rise against him; that's what made him dangerous. Unfortunately, his last scheme had gone wrong due to a combination of ungrateful lackey's, a greedy partner, and the feats of Ben Tennyson and his band of lucky buffoons. Zs'Skayr cursed under his breath and flew off from the school's grounds towards the shelter of the woods where he had located his hideout.
The night of the Halloween Dance.
The entire school had made a turn out, gathering in a large chamber in the catacombs to dance and boogie the night away. Holt Hyde, as always, was at his turn tables, dishing out the tunes for the night and getting paid 5.50 an hour. He howled as the music thumped through the speakers and out into the decorated room as the student body started to dance. Holographic ghosts moaned and swooped through the air amongst the real phantoms and spirits. Purple and orange streamers hung from the ceiling as a disco ball spun overhead, showering the chamber in blues, greens, pinks, and purples.
"Oh, where is he?" Frankie said with a nervous voice. "You don't think he ditched me, do you?" she asked her decked out ghoulfriends. The young cadaver had her black and white striped hair pulled back into a long ponytail, her bolts gleaming in the low light. She wore a large blue and black plaid skirt with three layers ending in thin netting that showed off her mint colored legs. She wore large blue and black pumps that made her at least half a foot taller than any of her friends, making her somewhat of a giant. Clawdeen rolled her eyes as she adjusted her purple and gold dress. She wore large gold colored heels and a purple dress with gold, leopard prints on it and ringed with black fur at the shoulders. "Frankie, you're overreacting. Frankenstrike's a nice guy; he's not going to ditch you on the biggest night of the year." she reassured her friend.
Just then, Frankenstrike entered the room, dressed in an incredibly large black tuxedo with green trim. His hair was smoothed down and greased back as he lumbered down the twin staircases leading to the dance floor. Frankie was about to head over to when she noticed a much smaller figure hanging off his right arm, walking down the staircase with him. Frankie gasped when she saw that it was Jane Boolittle dressed in a single red, fern printed dress laden with jungle designs. The two monsters walked down the staircase and walked over to the ghouls, Frankie trying to hide her obvious hurt and jealousy. Hey, ghouls! Some party, huh?" Frankenstrike asked in his jolly voice that Frankie had come to love.
"What are you doing with Frankie's date, Jane?" Cleo asked suddenly, jabbing a finger forward. The mummy's steely gaze could have turned Jane to ice, it was so cold. Jane shook it off. "Hey, hey, no need for that stuff, dudette." Frankenstrike said, shooing Cleo off as the mummy gave him one of her angry glares. "I'm just escorting Jane to the dance," he explained to Frankie. "That okay with you?"
Frankie nodded and smiled, thinking about how ridiculous she had been; there was no way Frankenstrike would keep secrets from her. She walked over to the pair, hugging Jane and then taking Frankenstrike's arm. "You clean up nice," she laughed. "And I'm glad you finally decided to wear a shirt." she added as she hugged him. "What, jealous the ghouls will be all over me?" Frankenstrike joked, drawing a worried smile out of his date. "You know what? Forget I ever said that. Lets just dance, okay?" he said. Frankie vigorously nodded, practically dragging Frankenstrike out onto the floor as the music picked up, monsters swarming all over the dance floor as their favorite songs played, among them none other than Witching Hour by Casta Fierce.
The ghouls and student body danced the night away; Cleo De Nile and Deuce Gorgon danced the Egyptian in unison as Clawd and Draculaura did the Vampire Shuffle (Draculaura naturally dancing on the ceiling and for once, being taller than her boyfriend). Ghoulia and her date Slow Mo danced the Zombie Shake while Lagoona and Gil rocked the Sea Monster Shimmy. Frankie taught Frankenstrike, who had no idea how to dance in the first place and was as clumsy as a greased pig on roller skates, how to do the Cadaver Slide. Frankenstrike was having more fun than he had ever had in his life, only slightly more so than his first few times with the Omnitrix. He had only just realized how beautiful Frankie looked, the way her mismatched eyes lit up when she was around him, how she always seemed to be in a happy, bubbly mood.
"Ben, aren't you forgetting something?" a high, ghostly voice whispered into his ear. Frankenstrike yelped and startled to see Spectra, dressed in lavender, purple, and black party clothes hovering next to him, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Sorry to interrupt, Frankie," Spectra said. "But I need to borrow your date for a moment." she said. "And don't worry, I won't try anything funny." she reassured her when a worried expression crossed her face. Before Frankie could do anything, Spectra yanked the muscular monster away and up the staircase, out the doorway.
"What is it, Spectra?" Frankenstrike asked as she closed the door behind them. A dripping sound echoed through the cold, hollow tunnels of the catacombs, the dull thumping of the music bouncing off the walls. "I'm pretty sure you remember also saying "yes" to a certain plant monster, correct?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest as she hovered in front of him. "She's waiting for you, or shall I say Swampfire, at the main entrance to the school." Frankenstrike groaned and smacked himself; he had completely forgotten about Venus. He had been having too much fun with Frankie to remember. "Okay, okay. Just make sure Frankie doesn't coming looking for me while I entertain Venus for a while." he instructed her. Spectra sighed, but nodded as Frankenstrike jogged down the hall, towards the surface.
A couple minutes later, he skidded to a stop at the exit to the catacombs. He cracked the door open, a thin stream of light creeping into the dark recesses of the catacombs. Sighing with relief, he shrugged off his tuxedo, letting it fall to the stone floor. He quickly slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his right pectoral and let the green light wash over him, changing his form into that of a Methanosian. Swampfire quickly slipped on the tuxedo, thanking his lucky stars that Frankenstrike and Swampfire were the same size, and crept out of the catacombs. He quickly ran down the dark halls towards the rear exit, jumping over the schools back wall and running around to the front, rushing through the gate before skidding to a stop and trying to look the opposite of tired. It was however, impossible to even try when he caught a glimpse of a fretful Venus waiting on the school's front steps.
The young plant monster was dressed in a long, black, flowing ball gown with dark, pink thorn-like patterns looping their way around her. Her long, pink and green hair was pulled back into an even longer ponytail with a silver tiara with leaf designs just above her brow. Her eyes glanced at him and widened, her face turning a light shade of red as he strolled up to her, a smile on his face. "Evening, Gorgeous." he said, taking her hand and giving it a light kiss. Venus giggled and blushed like a little girl, normally not used to be given such compliments. She was used to people either yelling at her to shut up about the environment, or slamming doors in her face when handing out fliers for a neighborhood pick up, only sea monsters, plant creatures, and a few zombies among the few that even showed up to help.
"Shall we?" Swampfire asked, gesturing with his arm to the door. Venus nodded and took his muscled arm in hers, walking through the large doors of the school and towards the one that led to the catacombs. They walked the route of the tunnels, marked clearly by glowing skulls with signs in their grinning jaws. Eventually, the pair found their way to the marked doors, lights flashing under the doors frame. Venus paused, holding Swampfire back for a sec. "I like to make a flashy entrance," she said with a toothy smile. "Can you lend me a hand?" Swampfire grinned and grabbed a handful of seeds from one of the large thorns from his shoulders and threw it on the ground. The seeds sprouted into monstrous plants, growing large, bulbous hands and long, vine-like claws. Moments later, four large pumpkin monsters stood before them, awaiting orders. "You have your orders." said Swampfire, putting on his best sergeants voice. The pumpkins saluted as Venus giggled; the creatures then marched to the door, two of them flinging it open and the other two entering on either side it, letting out a loud, screeching howl, announcing their presence as every head in the room turned to look at them, the music screeching to a stop.
Venus took Swampfire's arm as he led her down the staircase, everyone watching them as the pumpkin soldiers closed the doors behind them and standing like guards on either side of the entrance. Cleo, was practically seething with rage at the thought of being outdone with her entrance to the party. "DJ, if you please?" Swampfire asked when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Holt flashed him a thumbs up and mischievous grin, switching off the records and sitting back as the music played; this song didn't require his usual jazzing. It was a slow dance after all.
Swampfire took Venus's hand and looped his arm around her waist, Venus wrapping her thin arms around Swampfire's broad back. The song began, and the two plant creatures twirled and moved around the dance floor as other couples joined in. Venus smiled and rested her head on Swampfire's chest as the music played, nice and steady with the occasional ghost's moan sounding off with the rhythm. Jane watched the two dance, satisfied that one of her few friends was having the night of his life. Frankie sat glumly next to her, watching the two move about the chamber. "At least they're having fun," she sighed. "I wish Frankenstrike were here."
"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Jane reassured her.
Sooner than you think, she thought to herself.
"Where is that stupid music coming from?" Charmcaster growled as she was awoken from her sleep. She shoved the towels off of her and grabbed her trusty mouthed pouch, slipping on her original clothes and stashing the ones she had stolen back in the closet. Without even bothering to look around, she marched out of the abandoned janitor's closet and began to look around the school for the sound. She wandered the halls, more than once coming close to being noticed by a janitor or a pair of overdressed monsters. She finally found her way to a short set of stairs leading to a low door. She pressed her ear to the door and heard a low, rhythmic beat on the other side. She clicked open the door and crept down the long, spiral staircase down to the main floor of the catacombs, tiptoeing through the passageways and tunnels as she followed the sound. After what she guessed and assumed to be hours, she sighed with frustration. She had noticed a few skulls with arrows in their mouths, but she had ignored them; now she was wishing she had payed attention to them. She sighed heavily and slid down a slick wall, sitting on the floor as she rested. A cloud of bats swooped over her head and down a high passageway, a dim light coming from it. She followed the lights and sounds and found herself at a pair of large, stone doors. With all her might, she pushed one open a crack and shielded her eyes as light washed out into the passageway. She could hundreds of monsters crowded into the room, dancing the night away as the music boomed through the speakers.
She glanced her eyes on either side of the doorway and nearly gasped when she saw four Mutant Pumpkins guarding the entrance, their hollow, yellow eyes on the dance floor as she slightly swayed from side to side with the beat. Charmcaster grinned and moved out into the hallway. She quietly recited a spell under her breath and flicked a finger down the tunnel, a small explosion sounding off. The stone doors rumbled open, and the four pumpkin creatures stalked out into the hallway to investigate the noise. Smirking, Charmcaster slipped into the party, unnoticed, sealing the doors behind her with another spell, just in case they came back in before she was done looking around. She glanced up and nearly screamed in fright when she saw almost a dozen ghosts dressed to impress dancing and flying around near the ceiling amongst the cobwebs, the occasional harpy or dragon joining them. Mummies and werewolves, vampires and sea monsters moved about the floor in time to the quick and fast paced music that rocked through the speakers. A table was set of to the side, lined with treats and drinks of all types to accommodate the different types of monsters. On the edges of the room were those students who were exhausted from dancing and taking a break, were too shy to dance, or just didn't want to dance all together; a few of them looked disappointed, namely a girl with green skin and wild hair who sat in between a tired werewolf and violet colored girl. And then she saw it. Or him.
Dancing in the center of it all, in the middle of a tight ring of monsters, was a hulking creature that she had only seen a couple times; he was large, extremely muscled, and had two large conductors sprouting from his back. She knew it was him as soon as she saw the green in his eyes; Ben Tennyson. He was doing a wild break dance to the howling music as the monsters around him egged him. What seemed to be a smaller and more feminine version of him was off to the side, cheering him on with a wide grin on his face. She gritted her teeth and stop herself from doing something she would later come to regret. She calmly sucked in a deep breath to calm herself down before reciting another spell, watching as she suddenly became invisible to those around her. And just in time to. After more than a couple minutes of pounding on the door, their screeching howls being drowned out by the music, the Mutant Pumpkins entered the room again, taking their positions on either side of the door once more. She mentally kicked herself for nearly losing control. Wait for the right moment, Hope. Wait for the right moment, she thought.
Over the next couple of hours, Ben tirelessly switched between his dates, always dashing out of the room claiming he had forgot something or that he needed to use the bathroom to hide his transformations. He was sure that his dates, Frankie and Venus, were getting more than suspicious, and from the warning stares Skelita, Lagoona, Jane, and Ghoulia were giving him, his suspicions were correct. Spectra, was no where to be found, most likely hanging out with a few of her ghost friends near the ceiling. He had just rushed back from another transformation, changing back into Frankenstrike, before exhaustion overcame him. He asked Frankie for a break and staggered over to the concession table, grabbing the punch bowl and downing the entire thing in one gulp as some of the guys stood there wide eyed, clearly impressed. One of them, Heath if Frankenstrike remembered correctly, was so impressed he tried to copy him to impress a tall, cold girl wearing a shining dress that looked like ice. To put a long story short, Heath had managed to soak himself to the bone and get Frankenstrike wet in the process. Not having a replacement, Frankenstrike was forced to tear off the top half of his suit, clearly upseting a few guys when their dates wouldn't stop staring at him. He gave an apologetic look and went to sit down on one of the chairs lining the walls. A few moments later, Hoodude came up to him, Robecca on his arm.
"Hey, man! That was some wild dancing out there!" the voodoo doll cheered. For the sake of everyone at the dance, Headmistress Bloodgood had asked Hoodude to not rent or borrow a suit from anyone and to stay away from the concession table and DJ stand. Hoodude was still more than happy, especially when Robecca, had asked him to the dance. Frankenstrike could clearly tell something was bothering the young automaton. "Something wrong, Robecca?" he asked, his voice rumbling as he talked. Robecca sighed as she sat down next to him, Hoodude sitting on the other side of him so that they were juxtaposed to him. "I know this may sound a little sappy or impolite, but I was really hoping to go to the dance with Clockwork. I guess he's grown on me, the little golem." she sighed, staring dreamily off into space. "Still, I guess I had a fun time without him here. That time when Hoodude fell into the punchbowl was smashing." she giggled as Hoodude whistled nervously. Frankenstrike chuckled and ruffled the voodoo doll's hair. "You're a good man, Hoodude. Don't let anyone tell ya different." he said. Hoodude smiled and bounced from his seat as another slow dance came on. He took Robecca's arm and led her out onto the dance floor, only tripping twice on the way there without injuring anyone.
Frankenstrike watched them go, feeling a little sorry for Robecca. He knew that she was a nice, clever girl with a heart of pure gold under that hard, metal exterior. She truly deserved to dance with the one she loved, even if it might be for the last time. He was about to go up and leave when Frankie stepped in front of him, cutting him off from the exit. "Where you going?" she asked, a worried look on her face. "I have to do something quick." he answered, pushing her gently aside. He heard the fast clopping of Frankie's heels as he walked along. "What is it? Will it take long?" she asked with distress. Frankenstrike shook his head. "Naw, it only take a couple minutes. I'll be back before ya know it. I just have to take care of something for a friend," he told her, walking up the stairs and exiting through the doors, leaving Frankie was a sad expression. The young cadaver sighed with misery and walked over to the side and plunked herself down in a chair next to Venus, who looked equally disappointed. "Date not back yet?" Frankie asked her. Venus sighed and shook her head. "He's been gone a long time. And he promised to be back soon." she confessed.
"Frankenstrike just left," Frankie added. "Said he had some quick business to attend to." Venus was about to add in when the doors to the chamber banged open and a large, metal Goliath lumbered into the room. He wore a stretched out pair of black pants, with the top half of him exposed, showing his green interior as gears clacked and turned inside him. He had in upturned smile on his face as he walked down the stairs, a cry of joy coming from the crowd of the student body as Robecca shot over to him, pouncing on him and sending him to the ground. Hoodude wasn't far behind her, curious as to way his date had just left him in the middle of a slow dance.
"Clockwork! You made it!" Robecca cried happily, hugging the Chronosapien close as he climbed to his feet and set her on the ground. "Was there any doubt I would?" he joked as Hoodude caught up to them, a look of surprise of his face. "If I may have just one dance with her?" Clockwork asked him, a pleading look on Robecca's face. Hoodude jerked his head up and join, a goofy smile on his face as he gestured to the dance floor. "But all means, go right ahead!" he said cheerfully. Clockwork smiled and led Robecca out onto the dance floor, taking her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist as they moved along. "Do you waltz?" Robecca asked.
"Not very well." Clockwork admitted.
"Then I'll lead." Robecca grinned, pulling the lumbering, metal giant along as the music soared and they stepped in time to the rhythm, Clockwork's heavy footsteps only being slightly drowned out by the music. Robecca was in heaven; she was dancing with the love of her life and had danced half of the night away with a very good friend of hers who was more than willing to make her happy. She felt like the luckiest girl (monster? Robot? Creature?) in the world when she leaned into his metal chest and he gave her a light kiss from his still mouth. Robecca sighed, and the two stood still as the music ended. "How did I do?" Clockwork asked her.
"Simply smashing." she laughed, hugging him again.
"That's good. Unfortunately, I must leave. I shall return someday, my Metallic Sweet." he told her as he kissed her one last time and clambered up the stone staircase to the exit, waving good bye before walking between the four pumpkin guards. He lumbered down the hallway a little before slapping the Omntrix symbol on his see through plating, changing him into Frankenstrike. He was hoping to change into Swampfire and please Venus one more time before he left, but the Omnitrix apparently had ideas of its own. Frankenstrike sighed and rested against the cold wall of the catacombs; he didn't know how much longer he could keep the charade up. Eventually, Venus or Frankie would figure it out, and all of heck would break loose. But he would cross that bridge when he got there. Now, he had to dance one more time with Frankie before calling it a night. Recomposing himself, he walked back into the party and towards a happy Frankie, unaware of a pair of invisible eyes that traced his every movement.
Well, well, what do we have here? Charmcaster thought to herself as another slow song began, the second to last one for the night, and Frankenstrike pulled Frankie out onto the floor to dance with her, just simply rocking back and forth as the music played. Two love birds dancing on the floor, and another on the side lines? Not cool, Tennyson. Not cool. she thought with a mischievous tone. She would wait for the song to end before striking. And then he would pay. Oh, yes, he would pay for the final time.
Frankie was having the time of her life; the entire dance had led up to this very moment. She had loved just dancing along with Frankenstrike, watching him entertain the masses with his killer moves. Sure, she had been a little miffed and disappointed at his constant disappearances, but those were easily overlooked as the slow, soothing music played. She glanced over at her ghoul friends, watching as they danced with their dates. She caught a glance of Holt, who was sitting back in a chair behind the turn tables. He through her a thumbs up, and she cracked another smile; her face was beginning to hurt. "Oh, Frankenstrike," she sighed, resting her head against his exposed chest. She was surprised it was surprisingly hard like a rock, and yet soft and smooth, save for the long scar that raced across his chest from the strange circular device in it. Now that she was close enough, she could see it actually protruded a bit out of him, the simple black and green design seeming to call out to her to touch it, to press it like a button. She ignored the thought and returned to gaze upward at Frankenstrike who was holding her tight. A mischievous idea occurred to her, and with a quick jump of her heels, she bounced up and pecked Frankenstrike on the cheek, blushing as he froze.
"Did you just . . . ?" he asked, surprised.
She nodded, nearly yelping in fright as Frankenstrike yanked her upwards to crash his lips against hers in a large kiss. Her eyes widened before she relaxed into the kiss, the nervous butterflies that fluttered around in her tummy vanishing with ease. She didn't know which way was up or down, she felt so good, as if everything that had beat her down in the past or currently bothering her had vanished in that simple kiss. "Wow." was all she could say as a dreamy look crossed her face.
"Best night ever." Frankenstrike sighed. He caught a look at Draculaura and friends, most which were trying desperately to contain their excitement for their friend. "I love you, Frankie." he said, pulling her close. Frankie couldn't have been happier, or more red in her life. "I love you, too." she sighed.
"Eterla Morbulous!"
Everyone turned to see none other than Charmcaster standing boldly on the railing of the balcony overlooking the dance floor. The pumpkin guards were on the floor, most likely dead. Holt slapped his hands on the record table, the music coming to a literal screeching stop. Before anyone could react she lashed out her hand, a purple burst of swirling energy rushing out and aimed at Frankenstrike. The blast him straight in the chest, knocking him to the floor with a loud crash. He jolted and thrashed about for minute before a loud beeping sound filled the room, amongst the gasps of surprise and fright. Frankenstrike sucked in a deep breath as a blinding, green light filled the room. After a couple minutes, the light died, returning the room to its former lighting of the torches. Everyone blinked and rubbed their eyes, when suddenly someone screamed. No one knew who it was, they were all to busy staring at the figure that lay on the floor, dazed.
"Frankenstrike! Where are you?" Frankie frantically cried out as Ben groaned and sat up, rubbing his sore head. "Someone call my name?" he moaned absentmindedly, unaware of what he said until he realized all eyes were on him. "Uh, did I just say that out loud?" he asked quietly. Frankie right now, was hyperventilating with shock and worry, clutching her chest as she heaved in and out. "Easy, Frankie, easy!" Ben said, reaching with a hand. A low growl came his left and he turned to see Clawdeen growling at him, her teeth and claws exposed, daring him to touch her friend. Draculaura was hugging Clawd tight as her boyfriend watched him with a cold stare. Deuce's snakes writhed and hissed angrily, his hands on his sunglasses, prepared to tear them away and stone him. Ben quickly decided to back away.
"Who-who-who are you?" Frankie asked with shaky voice after a couple minutes. Ben opened his mouth and then closed it again, his mind racing along at a million miles per hour. He had been living a lie. He had been lying right through his teeth ever since he had set foot into this dimension, and it had just come to bite him back in the butt with the sharpest fangs available. Ben sighed heavily. It was time to let it all out.
"My name is Ben Tennyson," he began slowly. "I also go by . . . . Bullfrag, Ripjaws, Clockwork, Swampfire, or . . . . . Frankenstrike." he finished, feeling like everything he had said was made of lead and concrete. Everyone gave a collective gasp, though some, like Cleo, were still skeptic. "Prove it." she said with a steely gaze. Ben sighed again and pinched his brow. "Fine, fine." he grumbled before holding up his wrist for the crowd to see. "This device, called the Omnitrix, allows me to turn into aliens. And yes, I said aliens." he added when he saw some eye rolls. With great reluctance, he activated the watch and aimlessly scrolled through the listings, slapping down on the watch face as his few friends watched with wide eyes of fear and pity.
A green light washed over him as the Omnitrix changed his DNA on the molecular scale. The changes began as his skin turned icy blue, thick scales forming on his molding skin. His back swelled and hardened into a thick, hard, black shell. Four, large, blue dorsal fins sprouted from his back with a sickening sound as his face bulged outwards, black stripes forming around his eyes as pointed teeth began to line his jaws. His wrists swelled as four claws formed, chest plating appearing on his belly. The room temperature seemed to get lower as a icy vapor escaped from his nostrils, the Omnitrix appearing on his chest, completing the transformation.
"Behold, Articguana." he said sadly. And before anyone could say anything, Articguana tilted his head upward and let out a blast of icy breath, ice instantly forming around the disco ball hung from the ceiling. Everyone stood there wide eye as the Omnitrix timed out, reverting Ben back to his normal form. "And that's all there is to know." he said, ashamed. He looked up to see mixed expressions on all the looks of the crowd; looks of fright, looks of pity, looks of rage, even looks of excitement. That last one was only briefly seen on Spectra's face as she appeared from a wall, her iCoffin for once not in her hand as she watched the whole thing unfold. He returned his gaze to Frankie, only to find her gone. He heard hollow clopping sounds, followed by the loud slam of a stone door. He turned to see Venus glaring at him with hatred and sorrow as tears trickled down her face. Robecca was no where to be seen, though a clue to her whereabouts was a thin trail of oil drops on the floor.
"Frankie, wait!" he called when he suddenly felt a cool, wet touch on his shoulder. He turned to see Lagoona looking at him with wide, saddened eyes. "It won't do any good, mate." she said sadly, just before Gil pulled her back with an angered look on his face. Headmistress Bloodgood pushed her way through the crowd and walked up to Ben with stern, yet frightened eyes. "Mr. Tennyson? I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave school grounds." she told him. "And to never come in contact with any of our students ever again, or I will be forced to call the authorities on you."
"Yes, Headmistress." Ben said, bowing his head with shame before slowly walking out of the chamber and over the carcasses of the Mutant Pumpkins, Charmcaster having watched the whole thing unfold, grinning maliciously. "Best night ever." she said under her breath as Ben left the chamber behind.
With a heavy heart, Ben slowly walked the cold halls of the catacombs, the stone labyrinth seeming somehow more foreboding and merciless. He walked along, avoiding the hollow roars of the beasts of the catacombs and ignoring the clouds of bats on the ceiling and oozing goo on the floor. He eventually came to the exit, pushing it open with his head. The halls of the school looked darker and more hostile than he remembered. He heard a quite sobbing from the down the hall and walked towards it, coming upon a crying Frankie who had collapsed onto the floor in front of an open locker. He looked up to find it was her own, small stacks of books on the shelves and pictures on the back of the door. He looked closely to see pictures of her family and friends, before something caught his eyes. On the floor grasped tightly in Frankie's hands, was a picture of him and her, posing in front of the school. Small, pink hearts with little black bat wings were drawn around them. Ben sighed heavily, unable to see her this way.
"Why?" Frankie sobbed.
"What?"
"Why? Why did you lie to me?" Frankie asked, not looking at him. Her heart had been torn in half, the pieces ground into the finest dust and they burnt to a crisp to be blown away by the wind. She thought she had found love once more, and once more, it just wasn't meant to be. Ben sighed heavily before speaking. "I . . . . I wasn't sure how to tell you," he said softly. "I've heard how your friends felt about Normies, and thought I-"
"Just go." Frankie suddenly cut in. "Just, get out!" she sobbed. Ben stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He reached out to touch her, but the image of every monster in the dance chamber glaring at him shot through his mind. And the hurt and pained look on Frankie's face just made it worse. With another heavy sigh he turned to leave.
"I did love you." he said softly. "I hope you'll someday realize that."
Without another word, he left Frankie, walking to the main entrance of the school in complete silence. The thumping music from below and long since stopped, though nobody had emerged from the party ever since. Ben slowly walked the halls, memories of first few months coming back to him. As he passed Mr. Hack's room, the memory of Bullfrag came back; he remembered how he loved watching the sadistic teacher whimper like a baby as he rescued the frogs from dissection, Lagoona's happy smile on her face for the rest of the day. The Creepateria brought back another memory, the one where he had rescued Robecca from being a pile of pieces. He had loved how she felt so happy, having conquered her main goal in life and finding a comforting friend in one day. The large hole in the wall brought the memory of the Kraken back to him, how good it felt to have fight alongside friends. Those memories however, were just that; memories. He knew he would never be allowed back onto the school grounds, and he couldn't even talk to the few monsters he had made friends with or try to repair broken friendships after he left. It felt like the world was crumbling around him again, just like the time Gwen and Kevin had left town (only this time there was no criminal clown to make fun of him). It was just him, a boy and his watch left to pick up the shattered pieces of himself.
He pushed the door open and inhaled a breath of chilly, night air. The leaves of Autumn fluttered in the cool breeze, dancing across the ground like the many couples down below him. He felt a stab at his heart when he thought about and pushed it away. He needed to clear his head; he obviously didn't belong in a world where monsters and humans hated each other, and him caught between both worlds. He would surely be shunned from the Normie schools, just like he had from Monster High. Right now, he just needed time to think and get his head on straight. Ben trudged down the steps and slowly walked across the grounds, the ghosts of his memories dancing around him as he remembered his first day at Monster High. And now, less than a month after that, it was his last. He was nearing the gate, when he felt a weak hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Ghoulia looking up at him with her saddened puppy eyes. Behind her were Lagoona, Skelita, Hoodude, and Spectra, all looking at him with pity.
"Ben, mate, please, don't do this," Lagoona begged. How she had managed to get away from Gil was beyond Ben, but he soon discovered she managed to talk him into it; he was waiting on the school steps, glaring at him with disapproval. Ben shook his head. "I can't," he said sadly. "I need time to sort this all out. Besides, everyone hates me." Hoodude gasped. "C'mon, man! We don't hate you! You're the coolest guy I know! And I only knew you for a couple of days!" Ben sighed to Hoodude. "Hoodude, I just can't do it. I need to go." he said gloomily, taking the voodoo doll's hand and shaking it before turning to Lagoona. He open his mouth to say something, but the young sea monster beat him to it, pulling him into a hug. "Good luck, mate. Come back soon, you hear?" Ben nodded, putting a smile. He almost hated to remind her that he wasn't allowed back onto the school grounds. He turned to Ghoulia, who merely gave him one of her odd smiles. He then wrapped Skelita in a hug, pecking her on her bony cheek as her face turned red. Ben grinned before turning to Spectra, who looked uncomfortable.
"Thanks, Ben. For everything. I-" Spectra began before she felt his lips pressing against her own. After a couple seconds of surprise, she melted into the kiss. She had never experienced one before in her life, either when she was alive or not. Now she understood why all the ghouls obsessed over boys. They soon broke away, Spectra's face a bright red. "Thanks for being there for me, Spectra. I couldn't have made it this far without you." he said to the young ghost. "And I'll never forget you. Any of you." he said, walking a short distance away from the group, giving them one last forlorn look, before walking away from the school's gates, his heart shattered into a million pieces. The iron gates slammed shut behind, blown by a gust of wind, but it signaled he was never to return and that he wasn't wanted there.
And as he left, each of his friends felt a piece of their own hearts go with him.
Whew! Longest chapter yet! Now, for all of those wondering, I just decided to keep the dance all monsters to make things more simple (plus, I never got a chance to see Ghouls Rule. Never had the time). Also, I have decided to make this a harem story, but there will be one ghoul who'll Ben love the most. And Hoodude is not part of said harem (just for those of you who were wondering)!
And for you BenxSpectra fans out there . . . . . ARE YOU HAPPY NOW (Sorry. I have eaten too much candy, and now I'm all hyper! Woo-hoo!)!?
And now, onto the pressing matters. Quite a few of you have been asking for Ben to receive a pet at some point, just like most of the students at Monster High have. While Ben probably won't be getting a pet Godzilla anytime soon (sorry ZILLAFAN), I have little idea of what animal he should get. So, I've decided to leave it up to you guys! Please leave your votes and suggestions in the reviews below among your other suggestions and comments.
Happy Halloween!
