*{Chapter 8}

"Ashleigh, enough is enough now! We've searched everywhere for you, that's enough of this. The game is over now, don't you think?" Symphony called out. A giggle sounded about the gym, echoing loudly. The three ghouls looked up, seeing where the voice had come from. They looked over to Symphony, starting to laugh.
"Found me." Ashleigh said, dropping from above and now dangling from his neck. She swayed, her arms tightly around his neck.
"She's such a silly thing, isn't she?" Iris said with a giggle as she trotted down the dull green bleachers.
Mortalia's head fell to the side. "That's Ashleigh?"
"Yep, that's Ashleigh." Odile nodded, smiling playfully. "Cute, don't you think?"
"Cute?" Mortalia repeated, staring at the girl. She's been a Normie with butchered, all over the place, messy yet straight red hair, peach skin, and dark curious, questioning eyes. She had a small button nose and was wearing a green dinosaur costume. "How did she even get in Monster High? Sure, she's wearing that costume…but you can tell she's not a monster at all."
"Don't be so sure." Symphony said as Odile and Mortalia joined them. "She's quite the…something or other."
Iris giggled, Odile smiled. Mortalia gave a half-grin, not satisfied with that answer. "What do you mean?"
"Well she's human and more or less part monster." Symphony answered with a lazy shrug. "Want to show her, Leigha?"
The Normie girl, around the age of five or so nodded confidently, jumping from Symphony's arms. "Sure, Leigha will show her."
Mortalia blinked in confusion as the Normie girl took her hand. "What are you doing?"
"You'll see." Symphony said, rolling his eyes.
"Ouch!" Mortalia's eyes darted over to Symphony. "She just bit me."
Ashleigh waited a moment before giving a squeeze to Mortalia's hand, forcing Mortalia to look back to her. She looks up at her, letting her head fall back, her feisty red hair falling from her face. The green dinosaur face looked up at her too. "You're a Demon type monster."
"What?" Mortalia said, a little freaked out. She took a step away.
Ashleigh blinked her black eyes. "You're like Ashleigh too. You're also part Human. Ashleigh knows."
"Creepy," Mortalia said, going to hide behind Odile. "What is she?"
Symphony smiled softly, caringly as she caught the jumping Ashleigh that was falling into his arms. He picked her back up, carrying her on his hip.
"Like I said, more or less human and something or other. She can absorb any monster's personal information fairly quickly just by biting them. It's sort of her way of getting to know someone, if you will." Symphony said, pitching the girl's nose. When slapping at his hand didn't work, he shook her head fiercely, forcing him to let go.
"Yeah, but she only speaks to a monster once – and that's when she's meeting them. Its only to guess their monster species. She doesn't speak to them after that." Iris added, crossing her arms.
"Other than that, it's like she's basically mute, but will only speak to Symphony. " Odile noted.
"Think of it as having a reflective tone." Symphony said to Mortalia. "Don't take it personally."
"Um, I won't." Mortalia blinked. "So, who is she anyway?"
"Her full name is Ashleigh Louis Portmen, but she allows me to call her Leigha. She likes to eat, pretend to breathe fire like a demon hound when dressed in her dinosaur costume, play hide and seek, and bother me, isn't that right, Leigha?" Symphony asked, lifting the girl in the air. She started to scream, as if being afraid of heights. She pulls his hair, demanded he put her down. When he didn't and began to spin, she screamed even more.
"Enough, please." Iris said, putting her hands over her ears.
Symphony chuckled, sitting her down calmly, as if not affected from the spinning. Ashleigh swayed a bit, dizzy. "Well then, shall we get you home then, Leigha? We can stop for ice-cream on the way."
She gave a nod, still holding his hand. "Leigha wants ice-cream."
"Alright then, its settled." He said to her and rustled her exposed red hair. She shook her head again to get him to stop, put back on her dinosaur hood. The mouth of the dinosaur served as an opening for her face. Symphony turned to Mortalia, offered a warm smile. "Will you be coming along?"
She nodded shyly. "I'd, um…love to…I mean, I could go for some ice-cream, if Ashleigh doesn't mind."
"Well, do you?" Symphony asked the small girl. She shook her head, her expression blank. She blinked, running over to Mortalia. She took her hand, pulled her over to Symphony and took his hand too. The three of them were now linked.
Mortalia smiled, blushing just a bit. "Odile was right, you are cute."
"Anywho, we'll be taking our leave now. Goodbye the two of you." Symphony said, nodding to his friends as they began to walk.
"Bye!" Iris called, waving.
"Have fun without us!" Odile called too.
As Symphony shut the gym door, Ashleigh bended her knees, putting up her legs into a sitting position. Mortalia giggled. "Should we swing you then?"
The girl looked up to Mortalia for a moment. Although she didn't smile or laugh, or even offer a simple nod, her eyes seemed to dance happily.
"Let's a good idea, pet." Symphony said as they stalked down the maze-like halls.
"Um, about 'pet'…" Mortalia said quietly with a timid tone. Symphony glanced over to her, catching her drift and getting her hint.
"Alright then," he said, his eyes now more gentle as he stared at her. Somehow she became prettier, like a girl who had matured in her appearance over the summer. She seemed like more of a woman, a maiden with fair looks. As of now, he'd been looking at her differently, acknowledging that she was now a girl in his eyes.
He chuckled softly to himself, his eyes narrowing. "How about I refer to you as 'love'?"
Mortalia continued walking, her knees now feeling wobbly as her lips seem to fidget and prevent her from speaking. Her heart pounded in her chest, causing an invasion of butterflies and nervousness. She grew warm quickly under her turtleneck and extra shirt with her wrinkled jeans, her temperature rising. She gave a nod, smiling bashfully, her eyes twinkling.