Halloween Hilarity with the Gal Pals – Part Three
(Story Summary: While Miss Grimwood and the adults attend to the decoration details at the Loud House, Lincoln and the Gal Pals take her students on a tour of town. Meanwhile, word of these preparations and the presence of the Grimwood Ghouls soon reaches the ears of one Biff Packard; the "big shot" of Royal Woods Junior High and Lincoln's newest bully. What plans does Biff and his cronies have in store for our heroes...and will the Gals and Ghouls be able to get along before the big night arrives?)
(A note to my readers: I'd like to apologize to anyone who felt Part Two was lacking any exciting or fun moments. Bear in mind, that part of this oneshot was meant to serve as a "breather chapter;" something to introduce the guest stars into the story. But now, the fun will really start to happen)
The time was now 4:30 in the afternoon, which meant that almost two and a half hours had passed since Miss Grimwood and her students arrived at Lincoln's home that day. After he introduced the Ghouls to everyone, he and Carol's crew decided to take them on a tour about town; to show them how their community prepared for Halloween. During their walk; they saw that many of the houses, stores and even some parts of the suburban streets were decorated in all manner of macabre images.
"AW-RO-RO-RO! Your town really goes all out for the holiday, Linc" Winnie praised, "not as much as we do back at school...but still." Surprisingly, Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle in agreement; thinking that Halloween must be like Christmas for Miss G and the Ghouls. Meanwhile, Becky was in the midst of a personal conversation with Sibella on the "true nature of vampires."
"Okay...sorry if like this like, sounds invasive" she said hesitantly, "but I have to ask...is it real, that whole garlic thing?" Naturally, Sibella knew what she meant and said that it was indeed real. Due to the acidic chemicals within garlic cloves, the sent of it horribly agitates the senses of her people.
"What if you...you know, eat it somehow" Whitney asked hesitantly, "does it kill you right away?" Despite the rather morbid way the teen asked her question; Sibella responded in saying that while it doesn't instantly kill her, the taste of garlic often makes a vampire's throat swell. "However...there was this one time, on April Ghouls Day, where I pulled a most mischievous prank on my sister" she giggled naughtily, "I coated her Scream Cheese bagel with just a smidgen of garlic butter."
At first, the Gals felt horrified by this; thinking Sibella was trying to intentionally harm her sister. But the young vampiress assured them that Mavis was not harmed in any way. "You see, some vampires have painful reactions to garlic" Sibella explained, "but for others...it only affects their bowels."
For a brief moment, no one seemed to understand what she meant. But then, Lincoln put the pieces together and a heated blush formed across his face. "So...you're saying your sister was just...gassy that whole day" he asked uneasily, "Luan and Ronnie Anne might consider a 'weak sauce level' prank at best."
Upon hearing this statement, Phantasma floated over his head and told him that there was plenty of time to plan bigger tricks before the big night. "Okay, moving along" Whitney interjected, "what about all the other things about vampires...like a wooden stake through the heart, is that true?" Instead of Sibella; Winnie rolled her eyes slightly at this and proclaimed "who wouldn't get killed by that?"
"And what about sunlight" Dana interjected, "Haiku always tells us you need to stay in the dark or else...well, you know." With a soft smile on her face, Sibella revealed that sunlight used to be an issue with vampires...but not anymore. "There are two ways we can protect ourselves" she stated, "either with sunhats or a specially designed brand of sun block."
With that said, she looked up and saw that the sun was about to peek through the mid-afternoon clouds. Thinking quickly, she reached into her purse and pulled out a small white bottle. Then, she squirted an odd-looking substance onto her palms and started spreading it lightly about her arms and face.
Feeling curious, Carol picked up the bottle and looked at the label; which read "SPF: 5022." "Five-thousand and twenty two" she cried, "that's gotta be stronger than what I used at the beach last summer!" Sibella chuckled softly and proclaimed that for vampires, it was just the right amount of protection from the morning sun. "What about your sun hat" Carol inquired, "do you have that with you?"
Sibella shook her head in response, saying that she didn't think she would need such a thing for the Fall season. This in turn, caused Carol and her crew to smile broadly. "You know what this means, ladies" she said slyly, earning a slight nod from her friends, "TIME FOR SOME CLOTHES SHOPPING!" This bit of news not only caused Winnie and Zanya to roll her eyes but Lincoln as well.
"I suggest you go along with their plan, Sibella" the Loud boy murmured with a light grin, "it's hard to say 'no' to them when they're in a makeover mood." To drive his point home, he reminded the Grimwood Ghouls of similar moments he experienced within the letters he wrote to them; specifically, moments where his sisters tried to perform a makeover on him. "Was all that before or after the bad stuff you mentioned that went down" Elsa inquired, "because it sounds like one of those rare good times you spoke of."
No sooner had she mentioned this, the whole group suddenly went silent. All too quickly, Elsa felt she might've said something wrong and quickly apologized. "No...No, it's alright" Lincoln assured, "it's just...a little hard to think back to those days again, even after so much time had passed."
While eager to know more, the Ghouls did their best not to seem too nosey about it. It was here that Carol decided that they would tell them everything while on their way to Reininger's. In the meantime, they Gals asked to know more about their guests. "So...Winnie, are you like...a werewolf all the time" Becky asked hesitantly, "because I thought people only turned into a werewolf during full moons."
The preteen ghoul chuckled softly at her inquiry and proclaimed she heard plenty of people ask the same thing. "Long story short, I was born as a werewolf pup; not as a human baby" she explained, "it happens during the rare times when a werewolf falls in love with a human." At this point, Winnie confessed she couldn't go any deeper into detail; stating that her papa would only give her the full information when she's older.
"That's okay, I think we get the idea" Whitney stated, "still...all that fur must be hard to manage, especially your hair." With a soft growl, Winnie confessed that she only has issues with her fur during two times in the year; the summertime and shedding season. "In the summer, my fur gets all...poofy and frizzy" she grumbled, "which makes me look like I just got struck by a serious static bolt."
No sooner had she said this, Whitney suddenly started cackling madly; which made her friends groan under their breath. "THANK YOU...THANK YOU" she cried, "finally, somebody who understands how annoying poofy hair can be at times!" Hearing all this caused Lincoln to giggle under his breath; which didn't go unnoticed by the ladies, unfortunately.
"I...I'm sorry, sorry" he murmured while clearing his throat, "it's just...you ladies aren't the only ones with such a problem." From here; he confessed how his friend and classmate, Tonya, also had hair issues. "One time, right before picture day; she got all kinds of twigs and leaves stuck in her poof" Lincoln explained, "happened when this...freak gust of wind just blew in out of nowhere."
As if on cue; Carol, Whitney, Winnie and Sibella responded with "been there before." Upon sensing that they were on the same page, the ladies couldn't help but smile at one another; which Lincoln took as a good sign. Next, Dana proceeded to question Suki about her father.
"My brother absolutely loves all of his movies" she confessed, "but...we always thought it was just some guy in a rubber suit stomping on a diorama of Japanese cities." Suki giggled softly at her explanation, remembering how most human knowledge of monsters came from films and TV. "The truth is, my father is as powerful as those movies make him look" she stated, "but he only attacks whenever other Kaiju like him appears or when humans mess up the planet too much."
To drive her point home, Suki said that both these occurrences had one thing in common; whichever one happens, it throws the natural order out of balance. "So...you are saying your beastly father takes it upon himself to try and save this planet" Milly inquired, "seems rather tedious, especially when the humans 'reward' his actions with force rather than thanks." In response to this; Lincoln confessed that humans often did that, whenever they're faced with something they're afraid of or don't understand.
"That reminds me, we should keep the fact that you're real creatures under wraps...at least, for now" he whispered, "don't want to cause any accidental freak outs or have you ladies get hurt." The elder teens gushed adorably at Lincoln's protectiveness, thinking it made him seem rather gallant. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones who felt this way.
"Oh, Lincoln; we're more than capable of looking after ourselves in a pinch" Sibella said confidently, "but...it's sweet that you want to watch over us." No sooner had she said this, she proceeded to stroke his chin affectionately; like someone would do to a pet. Needless to say, it seemed to be doing the trick on Lincoln; who now sported a goofy squiggly smile on his face.
"Hey! Stop coddling him like that" exclaimed Dana, "only we can do that...and sometimes the Gals his age!" This exclamation caused the rest of the crew to blush deeply, which only made the Grimwood Ghouls laugh. "Wow...kinda possessive, ain't they" Winnie chuckled, "you must mean a lot to them, Linc."
After snapping out of his awestruck daze, Lincoln chuckled sheepishly and said that things weren't always that way "We can talk on that later, gang" Carol stated, "for now, let's continue our tour while we head off to the mall." After everyone sounded off in agreement, the group continued their tour.
(Line Break)
Over the next half hour or so, the Ghouls had seen a great deal of Royal Woods and thought it was a "charmingly cozy town" (much to their surprise.) They visited Ketchum Park, the Hole in One-derland mini golf course, all the different fusion food restaurants and even their old schools. "This is a nice town" Zanya murmured, "but...could we not linger too long by those restaurants, please; it's making my stomach growl."
The Gals hissed softly in realization and made a mental note to save a special place on their tour for last. Eventually, their trek led them to Flip's Food n' Fuel; a place Lincoln described where people could get cheap repairs at high prices. "HEY! I resemble that remark there, chief" a voice called out gruffly, "I'm just tryin' to make a...semi-decent livin' in this world!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked over at the store and sensed that the voice came from somewhere in the garage. They hurried over and spotted the old shyster inside, who appeared to be pounding his fist against a small box on the wall. "Darn generator, happens every Halloween" Flip ranted, "how am I supposed to win the contest now?!"
The whole time he acted this way, the Gals couldn't help but groan softly in annoyance. "This happens every year" Lincoln murmured, "he plugs both his electronic decorations and his machines into the same faulty generator he's used for years!" To make things even more laughably ironic, he revealed that Flip purchased the cheapest model on the market; which could've been a battery powered one.
"Hmm...I see" murmured Elsa, "well, if he's having technical problems; maybe I can help." Flip suddenly stopped punching the generator, after hearing the girl's offer; which led everyone to think he would accept it. But instead, he turned her down; proclaiming that the work was "too tough" for a little lady.
"I'm tougher than you give me credit for, Sir...and quite resourceful too" Elsa assured, "all I'll need is a pair of jumper cables." This request not only left Flip feeling confused, it baffled Lincoln and Carol's crew as well. With a light shrug of his shoulders, the middle-aged man collected a pair of cables and handed them to Elsa.
Upon taking a look at her appearance, Flip scrunched up his nose and furrowed his brow in confusion. "Here I thought I've seen all the Frankenstein getups" he thought mentally, "this girly looks like the Bride durin' her High School years." Meanwhile, Elsa made her way over to the generator with the cables in hand; ready to begin her work.
"Um...sorry if I sound stupid here" murmured Becky, "but how do you plan on fixing the generator with just a pair of cables?" The young Frankensteinian teen chuckled softly at her inquiry and claimed she wasn't intending on "fixing it," she was going to recharge it. It was here that she attached one end of the cables to the generator and the other end to her neck bolts.
"Okay...better step back a few steps, guys" Elsa ordered, "this could get messy." Not needing to be told twice; the Gals, Lincoln and Flip stepped outside of the garage. Once she had the proper room, Elsa took in a few deep breaths and clenched her eyes shut. Then, she began to growl softly under her breath; all while scrunching up her brow tightly.
For a brief moment, Carol thought that Elsa was having some sort of aneurysm; until she noticed small sparks flickering off her neck electrodes. Meanwhile, Flip still appeared rather lost and was moments away from telling Elsa to step aside. "Leave her alone, Flip" Whitney ordered, "she knows what she's doing."
In spite of the teen's moxy, Flip still refused to budge; betting that if she turned out to be right; he'd give her whole group a month's worth of free Flippees. "The girls can have those" Winnie stated, "as for me, I want one of those hot dogs roasting on the rotisserie instead!" The Gals couldn't help but chuckle a little at this statement, mostly towards the irony in a werewolf wanting to eat a hot dog.
"Um...sorry to be the bearer of bad news, lil' wild child" Whitney stated, "but those dogs are as rotten as Wall Street." Surprisingly, Winnie didn't seem to mind this news; proclaiming that gas station food was "the best kind of rotten food out there." "Okay, wolf girl; I dunno if this is some kinda Halloween joke you're pullin'" Flip grumbled, "but could we ease up on the rotten food thing...if anyone hears ya, they'll call the Health Inspector and I'll have to pay a fine!"
Before anything else could be said, a massive crackle noise sounded off; as well as a strained groan coming from Elsa. Then, everyone could see the lights flickering softly; which meant that...whatever she was doing was actually working. "I dunno what you're doin' there, girly" Flip stated, "but whatever it is...keep it goin'!"
Not needing to be told twice, Elsa took in a deep breath and poured on as much of her power she could give. Then, as her bolts started surging with electricity; the lights of both the garage and the convenience store suddenly turned on. "Hee-hee-hee! Wait to go, Elsa" Phanty laughed happily, "we knew you could do it...well, except for the humans."
Speaking of whom; the Gals and Lincoln stared in dumbstruck silence at their friend; who appeared relatively unfazed after generating several hundred volts worth of electricity through her body. Meanwhile; Flip, who looked like a hungry frog with his mouth hanging agape, proceeded to make his way into his establishment. "Welp, ladies...a deal's a deal" he murmured, "looks like free Flippees all around...and a hot dog for the girl in the wolf costume."
With a disgruntled growl, Winnie was moments away from telling the man she wasn't wearing a costume. But then, Lincoln quickly shushed her; reminding her about keeping a low profile...for now. Reluctantly, she went along with his wishes and held her tongue about her true identity.
"Make sure to put on plenty of that green stuff on it, mack" Winnie called out, "what do ya call it...guac?" Flip nodded in understanding and hurried inside the store, leaving the ladies and Lincoln outside to wait. "Okay...I just have to ask you something, Elsa" questioned Carol, "How in the hey were able to do that and survive?"
The Frankenstein teen chuckled softly and responded in saying that electricity was her "life blood." "After my Dada brought me back to life the same way he was given life, electricity doesn't bother me all that much" she explained, "but I can't exactly control how much power I need to harness very well." After everyone shared a quick chuckle, Carol pointed at the lit up store and said "looks like you were in control to me."
(Line Break)
We leave behind our heroes for a brief moment, as the scene now takes us to the Royal Woods Mall. There we find Biff Packard and his two cronies, Vicky and the punk rock kid; who were seen coming out of a costume shop with armfuls of bags. "Oh, boy; I think we've got all the stuff we need to win the contest, Biff" the punk rock kid said, "we've got enough fake blood, fake body parts and creepy stuff to make the rats wanna flee from your house."
At first, the punk kid expected his "leader" to reward him for his words of praise. But while Biff found half of them appealing, he still slapped him in the back of the head; scolding him for the rats comment. "But you're right, though" Biff said with a confident grin, "and once we win, we'll make our Halloween party the single most exclusive shindig in all of Michigan!"
As the final nail in the coffin, he proclaimed that if any kids wanted to join the party; they'd have to surrender every bit of candy they got from trick R' treating. "HA! Great idea, Biffy" Vicky cackled, "who needs to walk door-to-door for candy when you can just fleece it outta everybody in town?" With that said, they proceeded to make their way out to the parking lot.
But then; just as they started to think victory was assured for Biff, the punk kid brought up a small flaw in his plan. "Are ya sure we can really do this, Biff" he asked cautiously, "because the competition may be pretty stiff this year...especially if she's gonna be part of it." It didn't take long for Biff and Vicky to understand whom their friend was referring to; the town's resident Mistress of the Macabre, Lucy Loud.
"Word on the street is she and her siblings once spooked a couple of big bruisers from Hazeltucky" the punk kid stated, "if they can do that...there's a chance you might lose, Biff." As much as he wanted to discipline his friend for failing to keep quiet, once again; the young jock realized he had a point. "My little sister went Trick R' Treating at his freak house, last Halloween...and she called it the best place on the block" Vicky sneered, "in which case, we may be in trouble."
Hearing all this "praise" for the Loud Family's Halloween décor fueled Biff's hatred for Lincoln even stronger, which was already pretty fierce before. "I still have a score to settle with Loud, after what he did to me at school" he said with a vicious scowl, "what better way to do that than to utterly humiliate his freak of a little sister?" His colleagues snickered wickedly in agreement and vowed to either win the contest for themselves or shake down all the kids for their Halloween candy.
Whatever plan they went with, one thing would be certain; in the end, Lincoln and those with him would have the worst Halloween of their lives. With that wicked plan in mind, the trio resumed lugging their bags off to the parking lot. But just as they reached one of the cars, Biff looked ahead and saw the "object of his hatred" heading towards the front entrance of Reininger's.
He also noticed the group of ladies walking alongside him, half of which appeared to be dressed in...incredibly lifelike costumes (in his eyes, at least.) "Those look like High School or College kids" the punk kid stated, "what the heck are they doin' with a loser like Loud?" As surprising as it seemed, Biff was on the same page as his friend.
How on earth did Lincoln get connections with people as old as his oldest sisters? Perhaps, he talked some theater kids into helping him set up his house for Halloween. "With costumes like those the judges will go wild" Vicky murmured worriedly, "which means...we could lose!"
Upon hearing the "L" word, Biff's face started to blaze red with anger. It was there he decided to "investigate" on what Lincoln and Co. were "plotting." Thus, he commanded his cronies to follow his lead into Reininger's and see what was up. "I can't put my finger on why" Biff thought to himself intently, "but something about those...'monster girls' seems familiar."
(Scene Change: Reininger's Dressing Rooms)
Meanwhile, inside of the store; Carol and her crew were already going to work on finding new threads for the Grimwood Ghouls. In Carol's mind; she thought that if they shared her mutual admiration for Lincoln, they might have her same love of fashion as well. Sadly, whenever she or Dana brought out something they thought was cute; the Ghouls cast it aside.
"Don't you humans have anything good on display" questioned Winnie, "like shirts that itch, tattered raincoats or even some pants with holes in the legs?" Upon hearing each example, the Gals weren't sure if she was being serious or just messing with them. As if sensing their confusion, Zanya approached them and decided to give it to them straight.
"I can't speak for myself because...well, I used to be human before" she stated, "but my ghoul friends here...they're more into anything that's weird, horrific, rotten or just plain gross." After letting all this info sink in, Linc and the Gals gasped loudly in realization. Now, it all made sense; monsters always felt drawn to anything outside the norm (such as Winnie wanting a possibly spoiled hot dog at Flip's.)
"So...I'm guessing that's a no on the sunhat, then" Dana asked, "guess this means our makeover idea was a bust." With that, she was prepared to head over to the cashier and pay for all the things she purchased. But then, Lincoln stopped her and insisted that there could be something in the store that's right up Sibella's alley.
Then, at that moment; a voice called out to them suddenly from behind. The group turned around and saw Leni at the desk with Fiona and Miguel at her side. "Hey, Lincoln; that looks like your big sister" Tanis stated, "does she work here?" With a quick nod; the young Loud boy explained how Leni gained the job after Ms. Carmichael, the store's owner, saw how kindly she treated the patrons.
"Those two with her are her work friends, Miguel and Fiona" Dana added, "they're also pretty tight with us as well." After hearing all this, a hopeful smile slowly formed on Tanis' face; hoping that they could become her friends too. After hearing Leni give one final call, the gang made their way over to say hello.
But once Miguel got a look at the Ghouls, he suddenly sensed an odd feeling of amazement and mild uneasiness swell up inside of him. Meanwhile, Fiona was lost in awe at how Sibella looked; calling her dress and hairstyle deliciously creepy. "So, guys; what can I help you with" Leni offered, "looking for anything in particular?"
Without missing a beat, Lincoln asked her if the store had any sunhats available; specifically ones that were more Sibella's "style." "If you're asking if we sell any Goth wear here, I'm afraid you came to the wrong place" Miguel replied, "but...seeing as how it's Halloween, I think we could find something for your girl here." With that, he led Sibella over to the hat section of the store; leaving the rest of the Ghouls with Fiona and Leni.
"I gotta say, I really like your looks" the former said with a light smile, "I especially love the adorable bow on your mummy friend's head." Upon hearing the compliment, the wee mummy smiled up at Fiona and thanked her. "So, are you ladies from outta town" she asked, "don't think I remember seeing the likes of you here."
After taking a moment to consider his words, Lincoln explained that the group was a collection of pen pals he'd been writing to over the past year. "We're not actually from here, truth be told" Milly stated, "some of us come from places...far beyond the reaches of this little town." Naturally, this little statement freaked Fiona out a little; which prompted the rest of the gang to remind her to keep up her low profile.
"Truth is, we're all students from a finishing school down in the Midwest" Zanya explained, "our pen pal, Lincoln here contacted our headmistress recently; said he needed help setting up for Halloween." Fiona blinked her eyes in confusion at this reveal and asked how Lincoln was given that responsibility. "From what Mrs. C's kid tells her, your little sister does that job every year" she stated, "is anything wrong?"
With a soft sigh, Lincoln revealed that his sister got sick with a cold and the family voted him to be her replacement for this year's celebration. "Truth is, though...I don't know anything about putting on a scary display" he confessed, "so, I called on my friends here for some help." Fiona found herself nodding in understanding; recalling the time she sought out help from Leni's school friends, Jackie and Mandee during a huge blow-out sale.
At that moment; Miguel and the girls came back with something in their hands, a black sun hat with a wide, floppy brim. "It was one of the last ones we could find" Winnie called out, "but I think it might just be what Sibella's lookin' for." To see if her words were true, Sibella took a seat at the desk and positioned herself in front of a small mirror.
As the young vampiress prepared herself to try on the hat, Miguel and Fiona decided to have a chat with Lincoln. "So, Lil' Loud; these ladies give you the magic touch you needed" inquired Fiona, "because I want to see all that 'cool creepy stuff' Leni always tells me and Miguel about after Halloween's over." Intrigued by this reveal, Lincoln asked her if she ever felt compelled to check out the festivities for herself.
"Nah, not really" Fiona said immediately, "Halloween seems like a little kid's thing; getting into costumes, eating candy and goofing off." Almost immediately, Miguel sounded off in agreement to her words; while adding that Mrs. Carmichael hardly lets them off work on that night.
"Aw! C'mon, guys" Winnie urged, "there's loads more to Halloween than just all that usual stuff." Tanis nodded in agreement to her friend and said how every year, their fathers would come to the school for a visit. "There's dancing, games, food" she listed, "and we even get to show what we worked on over the school year to our daddies."
While she found it...a little strange that the girls' fathers would choose to visit on Halloween night of all times, there was something about Tanis that Fiona found simply precious. "She's right, you know" Sibella interjected while tilting the hat on her head slightly, "Halloween is a great time for us ghouls, where we can show off who we are in the best of ways." Naturally, hearing the girl address her group as "ghouls" left Fiona and Miguel feeling a tad confused.
But after a few seconds, they just shrugged their shoulders and thought "each to their own." Then, just when they thought things couldn't get any stranger; they looked at the mirror Sibella was using and gasped. Even though she was still seated in her chair, neither of the teens saw her reflection in the mirror.
What they did see was the hat seemingly floating in the air, which made them feel all the more freaked out. "Hmm...This is quite ghoulish" Sibella murmured, "but the color doesn't quite match my style." Without a moment's pause; Phantasma floated over and suggested that maybe, Miss Grimwood could help change it for her.
"That is worth looking into" Sibella stated, "in that case, I shall purchase this hat; how much do I owe you?" Just as she said this, Dana immediately intervened; proclaiming that she would pay for the hat. "You're a guest in our town, Sibella; same as the rest your friends" she said firmly, "therefore, we will do what we can to help make your time here pleasant...er, I mean...well, you know."
Sibella smiled lightly at her, nodded in understanding and thanked Dana for her generosity. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group; Biff and his crew watched the whole scene before them while hiding within one of the clothing racks. "Dudes...did you see that" murmured the punk rock kid, "that vamp chick didn't cast no reflection in the mirror."
Vicky seconded his observation, bringing up all the "knowledge" she had gained over the years from reading about vampires. Granted, she got all this from trashy supernatural romance novels but she still considered it valid. "It could just be a faulty mirror is all" Biff whispered, "still...there does seem to be more to these girls than meets the eye."
Soon after he said this, some people walked by and the group could hear them saying some things about Flip's place. They spoke about how one of the girls from Lincoln's group seemingly helped restore power to the store, after the generator died out. "I think he said one of the girls did something with the jumper cables" one of the crowd members stated, "claims she...attached one end of them to her neck bolts and actually helped recharge his generator."
Naturally, this story caused those beside this individual to burst out in uproarious laughter. At the same time, Biff's cronies couldn't help but snicker a little as well. But they were quickly yet quietly silenced by their leader. "Quiet, you idiots; you want us to get caught" he hissed, "that being said...the guy's story is worth looking into."
Before Biff could talk anymore on the matter, he suddenly heard the voices of Lincoln and his lady friends approaching. After giving his friends a soft hiss, they became as quiet as church mice. "Fangs a lot for the hat, Fiona" Sibella's voice said in gratitude, "we hope to see you again soon."
Following her lead, the rest of the Ghouls sounded off their own greetings; while Carol hugged them both goodbye. "Good luck on your preparations, lil' man" Miguel's voice stated, "I might actually consider popping by...just to see what you've whipped up." Fiona echoed in agreement with her friend and co-worker, while fretting about not being able to come up with a good costume for the engagement.
"Don't you worry, Fiona" Leni assured, "with my outfit designing skills and my little brother's ideas, we could think of something." With that, she wished everyone a safe trip home and said she would be home by suppertime. The next thing that could be heard were the sounds of the door chimes going off, indicating that the groups had left.
After that, all was quiet; save for the light chatter being exchanged between Miguel and Fiona. "So, what'cha think of the lil' man's new friends" the former asked, "I think they're...pretty weird, cool...but weird." Leni couldn't help but chuckle a little at him, while also mentioning how much he kept giving Sibella the love-struck puppy stare.
"Okay...you got me" he chuckled sheepishly, "but still, their costumes looked so...realistic and how weird was it that Sibella's face didn't show up in the mirror?" Fiona scoffed lightly at the idea, proclaiming that he might've been seeing things. "Still, they aren't the kind of girls you see around here" she murmured, "will your brother be okay around them?"
Leni smiled warmly at her bestie's concern for Lincoln and hugged her gratefully. "Linky will be fine, I know it" she assured, "besides...he's been so used to my sister, Lucy's quirks that such things don't quite bother him as much." After hearing all this, Vicky didn't know whether to vomit or to call the "men in the white coats."
"Hold that thought" Biff said suddenly, "after seeing that thing with the mirror and hearing those people talk about what that girl with the weird hair did at Flip's, I think I've got an idea about who those chicks are." Eager to learn more, the two teens leaned in close to hear him clearly. But before Biff could speak a word, the coats they were hiding behind suddenly split up; revealing a rather bothered Fiona and Miguel.
"Were you planning on buying any of these shirts...or are y'all just hiding around like a bunch of creepers" the latter teen asked, "think carefully before you answer." Just as Biff was about to respond, the punk kid proclaimed they were spying on Lincoln's new friends; to see if they were "on the up and up." "Wrong answer, bub" Fiona said firmly, "I think it's time you all left."
In an attempt to stay the teenager's wrath, Biff used his "charm" to try and woo her (or at least, lower her guard a little.) In the end, it only led to Fiona and Miguel pushing a button beneath the reception desk. Seconds later, Biff and his cronies were roughly tossed out the store by a pair of security guards.
"You three are all banned until New Year's Day" Fiona exclaimed, "if we catch you creepin' around here again, we'll have our boss call the police!" After that, she made her way back into the store; causing the sliding doors to slam shut. With their heads spinning, their clothing mussed up and their pride broken slightly; the trio felt almost inclined to call it quits.
"No way, guys" Biff said firmly, "we won't let this hiccup stop us from humiliating Loud and taking the title of Best Halloween Planners for ourselves!" Despite his enthusiasm, Vicky felt certain they would lose in the end. "Face it; even if his little sister is sick like he said; Loud has us outmatched" she murmured, "he's got all his other sisters, talented friends half our age...and who knows what those weird girls have up their sleeves."
While there was some truth in her words, Biff wasn't willing to accept defeat. "I now know who those chicks were" he proclaimed, "one of them mentioned the name 'Miss Grimwood' earlier, which could be the same woman who runs that weird finishing school in the Midwest." Upon hearing this information, the punk kid asked how it was connected to their current situation.
"I have a cousin who goes to Calloway Military School, which is right next door to Grimwood's" Biff explained, "he said those girls used all sorts of weird tricks to beat him and his team at their annual volleyball game." He then explained that victory would've been theirs again, had it not been for their hippie gym teacher and his pet dogs. "More to the point, my cousin said he saw them do some weird things" Biff stated, "such as seeing the purple chick turn into a bat."
At first, he expected his colleagues to call him a liar. But after what they saw in the store and heard from the one patron, they weren't quite sure what to believe in anymore. "So...what are you saying, Biff" questioned the punk kid, "do ya really think Loud could have real monsters for 'friends?'" Admittedly; while the idea seemed absurd to him as well, the young jock felt that it was still a strong possibility.
"Any kid who isn't freaked out by such creepy people is totally messed up in the head" Vicky murmured, "which makes Loud the weirdest kid of them all." Biff grumbled softly in agreement, while also thinking about what he heard earlier. "Something weird is going on in the Woods, this Halloween" he murmured, "and it's time we get to the bottom of it."
With that, he and his cronies began to put together a scheme; one that would not only ruin Lincoln's chances at creating a winning Halloween theme for his house...but also expose his "friends" to the rest of the town (if not the world.)
(Line Break)
Sometime after leaving Reininger's, it was getting close to dinnertime and Lincoln was in the midst of calling his parents to let them know he was heading home. But when his mother answered, she revealed that their work on the house was taking longer to do than everyone anticipated. "Because of this, Lori's taking your sisters off to Jean-Juan's for dinner tonight" Rita explained, "would you like for me to send someone to drop you off there?"
As if on cue; Carol quickly stepped in and informed Mrs. Loud that they had already had something in mind, Gus' Games n' Grub. "Granted, having dinner there wasn't originally in our game plan" she admitted, "we were just going to show the Ghouls here around the place...as well as take a little nostalgia trip." Rita couldn't help but coo adorably at her statement; in some ways, the place held special significance for Lincoln's group.
"Well, I think it's a wonderful idea" she stated, "I just hope the ghouls will like it...particularly Sibella." Upon hearing this statement, the young Dracula girl questioned why she would not enjoy Gus'. "Well...we're not exactly sure if you ladies are familiar with arcades" Lincoln murmured uneasily, "but the main reason is simple, we're worried the smell of garlic knots might bother your...allergies."
Sibella's eyes suddenly widened with realization, upon hearing this reveal. Though she was not quite familiar with what "Garlic Knots" were, she knew that anything flavored with garlic could prove hazardous to her. Then, at that moment; Miss Grimwood appeared on the screen and decided to help provide a solution to her problem.
Before anyone had the chance to speak up; the headmistress snapped her fingers and then, everyone could suddenly see Sibella's nose giving off a green glow. "There we are" Miss Grimwood said with satisfaction, "with this spell, your sinuses shall be protected from the garlic's aroma...just make sure not to sample any of them." Sibella nodded in understanding and gave her teacher a "Scout's Honor" salute; while Carol's crew vowed to keep an eye on her.
"Thank you very much, everyone" Miss Grimwood said gratefully, "oh...and one more thing, girls; while you were away, I received word from your fathers." From here, she mentioned that they would arrive later in the week; which caused the ghouls to giggle/cackle madly with joy. "Quick question, Ma'am" Lincoln asked politely, "will they be arriving at the school...or will they be coming into town?
Straightaway, Miss Grimwood revealed they would be coming to Royal Woods for the meet and greet. "At first, some like Sibella's father felt it was risky for us to meet amongst humans" she stated, "but I explained to the count and the rest of the parents that this would be an excellent way to test the waters for interspecies relations." Understandably so, the kids felt nervous about the idea; fearing that even the smallest mishap could cause a scene.
"Don't worry about it now, girls" Miss Grimwood urged, "just enjoy your time with everyone and I will see you soon." With that said, both sides shared their goodbyes and the phone line went dead. Afterwards, the Ghouls took a moment to observe the scenery around them with looks of awe and slight confusion (mostly on Milly and Gila's part.)
"I haven't been to an arcade since before my accident" Zanya exclaimed, "this is gonna be fun!" While the rest of her crew hoped she was correct, they asked why Lincoln and his friends brought them here of all places. "I think I remember Lincoln mentioning something about this place one of his letters" Tanis answered, "he said this was where his whole 'adventure' with his lady friends started."
Without hesitation, Carol happily confirmed that the wee mummy's words were true; while also adding that she didn't originally intend on visiting the establishment that faithful night. "Granted, I heard of this place a lot from my friends here" she stated, "but I've never been inside...until recently." Despite however sentimental the story sounded, Milly confessed that she didn't quite "understand" the appeal of Gus'.
"All the noise, odd smells and the frantic behavior you humans show towards these silly games" she listed, "it all seems rather juvenile." Rather than be put off by the Martian's comment, Lincoln offered up one simple phrase as his rebuttal; don't knock it till you've tried it." With that, everyone went their separate ways; eager try out just about everything.
But unbeknownst to him; the punk rock kid from Biff's crew was sitting at a nearby booth, watching them closely. "Just you wait, freaks" he murmured, "first chance I get...I'm gonna expose you and have you kicked outta town." After making this vow, he raised his hand up and asked for someone to bring him a basket of fresh garlic knots.
(Line Break)
Over the next half-hour or so, the ladies and Lincoln were having the time of their lives. Elsa and Becky danced up a storm together on Dance Battle, Winnie managed to get the highest score at the hop game (thus beating Lynn's record.) Gila and Sibella took a few pictures in the photo booth with Phoebe (even though only Sibella's hat showed up in the middle.)
Meanwhile; Milly, after making careful calculations, managed to snag a prize at the claw game and Zanya was playing a first-person zombie shooter game. When Stella caught sight of this, she couldn't help but ask if playing it felt...odd to Zanya. "No way, girlfriend" the young zombie stated, "I may be a zombie...but I was human first and any zombie that acts hostile towards humans gets taken down!"
After making this decree, Zanya laughed madly while shooting away at the oncoming zombie hordes; much to the mild confusion of Stella. Elsewhere, Suki wanted to try her hand at a racing game...but couldn't seem to fit herself properly in the seat. So, she decided to try a hand at Whack-a-Weasel with Lincoln.
"Now, remember; you don't have to smash them" he explained, just tap them on the head...but you gotta be quick." No sooner had he said this, the game started up and the plastic weasels started popping out from their holes. At first, this sudden occurrence startled Suki but it didn't last long.
Then, she held the foam mallet within her right paw and did her best to memorize the pattern of where the weasels appeared; while also keeping memory of how fast they popped up. After a while; Suki got the groove down and soon, she went to work. As carefully and gingerly as she could, the young Kaiju tapped her mallet against every weasel she spotted.
Sadly, she didn't seem to be doing quite as well as Lincoln; who appeared to be bopping weasels with a relative ease. "C'mon Suki, you can do this" she murmured, "just hit as many as you can find." With that said, Suki swung down her mallet and...she struck one of the first weasels that popped up.
"Nice one" Lincoln cried out with delight, "just keep doing that and you might earn some points." Inspired by her friend's confidence in her; Suki made another attempt to hit a weasel, only to miss it by just an inch. A split second later, another one appeared and she managed to strike it square on the head.
As the game progressed; despite missing several weasels, Suki was still thoroughly enjoying herself. But then, just as the game slowly reached its end; Suki was filled with such an adrenaline rush that she bellowed out a belted out a more...high-pitched version of Godzilla's iconic roar. Naturally, this sound attracted quite a bit of attention from the other patrons.
But as surprising as that was, what happened next certainly raised a few eyebrows. As Suki kept playing, she was so caught up in the rush that she soon lost control...and smashed her foam mallet hard atop one of the weasel's heads. After hearing the sounds of wild electronic beeping and the crack of plastic, Suki immediately snapped out of her daze and saw what she had done.
Then, before she knew it; the machine suddenly started spewing out paper things from a small slot like water from a broken faucet. "Oh, no...no-no-no-no-no" Suki murmured frantically, "I'm so sorry I broke the machine...I don't know what came over me." After that, she turned towards the crowd behind her and started bowing low in apology; all while muttering "Gomen'nasai" repeatedly.
As she kept apologizing to everyone, a waitress approached her and did her best to calm Suki down. "It's okay, young...lady" she said sympathetically, "you'd be surprised by how many people here often go...a little too far while playing this game." As if expecting this sort of statement; Lincoln brought up all the times his sister, Lynn went too far at the arcade games.
"But...But then, what about those things coming out of the machine" Suki asked, "is that supposed to happen?" With a bright smile on her face, the waitress explained that the things she saw were prize tickets; which could be exchanged at the prize wall for different items. She then gestured at the wall in question; which was filled with all manner of toys, electronic games and there was even a selection of sweatshirts hanging there as well.
This news all seemed to please Suki, mostly because it meant she wasn't going to get in trouble. At the same time, however; she didn't know what to use her tickets for. "It all looks really nice" she murmured, "but I don't really play with toys and those shirts look...too small for me."
As she continued to stare at the prize wall, scratching her chin in thought; a little girl (about Lana and Lola's age) approached the desk and placed her tickets down. "Here are all the tickets I've won" she said adorably, "may I have the stuffed kitty, please?" Feeling curious, Suki looked up at the wall and saw a giant plush cat doll hanging seated in the middle.
But what she also noticed was the number of tickets required to receive it, which was approximately four hundred of them and the little girl only seemed to have twenty. With a heavy heart, the employee managing the prize wall looked down at the girl and told her the bad news. Upon seeing the little human frowning so sadly and taking note of her own collection of tickets, Suki came up with an idea.
"Little girl, would you like to use my tickets to get your toy" she offered kindly, "I don't really need them." The girl looked up, saw the pile beside Suki and gasped in surprise. With that many, she could definitely get her toy. "Are ya sure" the little girl asked, "I don't wanna take your stuff from you."
Suki smiled warmly at her and, without a moment's pause, slid her pile of tickets over to her side. "I don't really need my tickets, truthfully" she admitted, "so...this should be more than enough for your cat doll, little one." The little girl gasped in awe at the wee Kaiju's gesture, leapt up into her arms and hugged her tight in thanks; which caused the entire crowd to gush adorably.
Meanwhile; the prize wall employee, who was also smiling from the scene, collected the doll from behind him and handed it to the little girl. "Thank you...thank you both so much" she said gratefully, "have a happy Halloween, Dino Girl!" With that, she picked the doll up and hurried off to meet back up with her mother.
For a moment or so, Suki remained frozen in place with shock; trying her best to process what had just transpired. From the day she hatched, never before in her whole life had a human showed such affection towards her. Then, just when she thought the surprises ended there; the sound of hearty applause suddenly rang through Suki's ears (or lack thereof.)
She turned around and saw Lincoln and the Gals cheering her; which signaled for many of the other patrons to do the same. Though slightly confused by all this, Suki still did the respectable thing and bowed in thanks to everyone.
(Line Break)
After having their fill of games for the moment, the Gals and Ghouls decided to sit down for a nice meal. But just as the waitress arrived with a pair of warm pizza pies, Zanya promptly stopped Carol from reaching for her change purse. "Please, Carol; I insist" she said firmly, "your friends were already kind enough to buy Sibella's hat for her, the least one of us can do is help go Dutch; if ya know what I mean."
Within seconds, Carol gave a reluctant sigh (while also smiling) and consented to the zombie girl's wishes. "But I'm only letting you do it once while you're here" she said firmly, "and only because we're friends." This sudden declaration caused the Grimwood Ghouls to softly gasp in surprise.
Then, after a moment or two of silence; Tanis looked up at the four teenage girls and asked if they truly were friends now. "Look...when we first heard about you, I'll admit that we were...a bit jealous" Becky confessed with a sigh, "the idea that Linc was telling strangers from across the country about his troubles was admittedly, a little concerning." The Ghouls murmured lightly amongst themselves, understanding that the Gal Pals were simply worried for their friend.
"Of course; with that news in mind, we couldn't help but feel jealous" Carol added, "after being by Lincoln's side through so much this past year, we've grown pretty close." Lincoln smiled warmly at his head guardian and rewarded her sweet words with a big hug, which she wholeheartedly returned. "Plus, it certainly didn't help things when Sibella acted a little flirty towards Linky; every now and again" Dana grumbled with a pout, "just be glad Jordan, Cristina...or even Ronnie Anne didn't see it all."
After hearing this information, Sibella let out a light chuckle and assured them that Lincoln was quite alright. "Don't get me wrong, I now see why you all care about him so much" she said while playfully toying with his cowlick, "but...I'm just not ready to follow in my sister's footsteps just yet." Mildly confused by her statement, the Gals asked what her sister had done.
"To make a long story short, she also befriended a young human" Sibella explained, "but that friendship swiftly grew into a strong love and then...they got married and had a child together." After that; she took out her phone and revealed a picture of Mavis' husband and son "Wait...she's married" Whitney asked, "your sister must be like...in High School or somethin'."
With a light laugh; Sibella revealed that for a vampire 118 years was considered quite young. Of course, this news almost caused Lincoln to choke on his soda; it was so surprising. "Hold on...back up, she's a hundred and eighteen" Becky asked in astonishment, "then...how old are you, Sibella?"
After giving another light chuckle, she revealed herself to be 116; only two years shy from her sister. "Wow...you vampires really look good for your ages, if I may say so" Carol gushed, "I mean, I just love how your cheekbones pop." After that compliment, both groups indulged in a most delightful conversation while sampling their meal.
Meanwhile, just about three booths ahead of them; Biff and his crew found themselves gawking at the ghouls in astonishment. When they finally snapped back to their senses, they held their menus up over their faces; so that they could whisper amongst themselves. "Did you guys hear that" murmured the punk rock kid, "that purple chick said she's a hundred and sixteen!"
Vicky nodded in agreement and proclaimed that such a statement should confirm that Lincoln's new "friends" were indeed, monsters. "You may be right, Vick" murmured Biff, "but if we want to expose these girls and beat out Loud, we're gonna need some proof." As the jock sat in his seat thinking, a waitress arrived and placed a basket of garlic knots at his table.
It was then that he got the perfect idea to expose the girls...or at least, one of them. Of course, he couldn't risk anyone interfering with his scheme (specifically Lincoln.) Thus, he waited until he and his lady friends went off to wash their hands before eating.
This left the Ghouls on their own at their booth, which gave Biff the perfect chance to strike. He plucked one of the garlic knots from his basket, dusted it clean of all signs of green garlic crumbs and even used a napkin to dab away all the traces of garlic butter that coated the pastry. Once finished, it looked like a perfectly harmless piece of knotted dough.
"What me work, everybody" Biff murmured with a confident chuckle, "that vamp girl won't know what hit her!" With that said, he cleared his throat and made a casual walk over to the Ghouls' booth with the garlic knot in hand. Immediately, Sibella noticed his approach and waved at him; greeting the jock in a respectable way.
"Thank you kindly, young lady" Biff stated, "listen...I heard about what's been happening with Lou...I mean, Lincoln and I think it's admirable that you came all this way to help him." The Ghouls murmured humbly at his words, proclaiming that they were happy to help a friend like Lincoln. "That's very commendable" Biff said with a fake grin, "such selflessness deserves to be rewarded."
With that, he bowed his head and presented that garlic knot unto Sibella like a gentleman would a rose. Now, the young vampiress wasn't entirely familiar with the look of such confectioneries and thought Biff's gesture as rather sweet. "Fang you very much, young man" she stated, "I would be happy to accept your gift."
With that; Biff smiled at her (a slight yet wicked smile,) placed the garlic knot into Sibella's palm and bade her good afternoon before returning to his booth. Meanwhile, the others each had different feelings towards the kid's gesture. Some (like Zanya and Milly) saw it as rather suspicious, believing that it harbored the aura of malicious intention.
Others (like Tanis, Gila and Suki) meanwhile, thought the boy was being rather sweet in offering the food to their friend. Lastly, Winnie believed the "stiff" should've offered more for the rest of them. "Don't get your fur in a knot, Winnie" Sibella urged, "perhaps Lincoln could order some of these for us."
As if on cue, the aforementioned boy soon stepped out of the Men's restroom. Not long after that, the Gals each stepped out of the Ladies' room. Both sides had finished drying their hands with some paper towel sheets and were ready to head back to the table to eat.
"We best hurry, everyone" Carol urged, "the pizzas must've cooled down by now." Not needing to be told twice, both Lincoln and the gals made a quick beeline back to their table. But as they drew closer, they could hear the sounds of vicious gagging coming from there.
At the same time, they saw several people (the Ghouls among them) surrounding the area worriedly. "Hey! Back to your tables, everybody" Whitney shouted, "we only left to use the restroom a moment ago, nobody's stealin' our pi..." Before the teen could finish her train of thought, she soon discovered the source of the gagging and gasped with fright.
There, twitching on the floor was Sibella; who appeared to be clutching at her throat in pain. At the same time, everyone also saw what looked like a green froth seeping out of her mouth; which must've been Sibella's saliva foaming. "What the...What happened here" Lincoln demanded softly, "how did this happen to Sibella?!"
With a tearful sniffle, Tanis stepped forward and explained everything to Lincoln; while also showing him the half-eaten knot. "What the...Who gave her this" questioned Carol, "this is what a garlic knot is, which is what we were trying to get Sibella to avoid." Almost immediately, the group frantically apologized for this turn of events; stressing that they didn't know what it was until after Sibella bit into it.
While everyone was eager to get to the bottom of the situation, they needed to focus on saving Sibella. "Leave that to me" Milly stated, "one blast from my rejuvenation ray will ease the vampire's suffering instantly." Before anyone could question the wee Martian on her words, she raised her wrist and revealed a rather odd-looking wristwatch.
In reality, this watch was actually a Martian weapon; one that contained a variety of offensive and defensive applications. After pressing one or two buttons, Milly found what she wanted and aimed her watch over Sibella. Then, in the blink of an eye; a strange blue light emanated from it and washed over the young vampiress.
This process went on for almost ten seconds until at last, the light faded away and Sibella had ceased twitching. For a moment or two, no one dared to say a word; fearing that doing so might agitate the situation. Then, Sibella suddenly shot upright and started coughing violently for a few seconds.
Overtime; it slowly died down to a light cough and then, she smiled gratefully at her friend. "Fangs a lot for the save, Milly" Sibella murmured softly, "I don't know what had happened." While she didn't doubt the young Martian's medical tech, she wanted to play it safe and immediately collected something from her purse. It was small but when everyone saw the item, they could tell it looked like some sort of pill or vitamin.
Without a moment's pause, she popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it down with a sip of water. Then, seconds later; Sibella's pained expression shifted into a more relaxed one. "Ah! That is much better" she sighed deeply, "good thing Miss Grimwood packed in my pills before we left school.
Though they were relieved to see that she was okay, the Gals asked Sibella about the odd pill that she just ingested. "Oh, it's quite alright" she assured, "it's an anti-garlic pill Miss Grimwood helped our school nurse create." From here, Sibella explained that the pill had chemicals that would cancel out the chemicals of any form of garlic.
"This was something my father actually requested Miss Grimwood to make" Sibella stated, "after my little prank towards Mavis, he didn't want anything serious to happen to us whenever garlic was involved. Everyone murmured softly in understanding, while also praising the Count's parenting skills; despite seeming mildly overprotective. Then, Lincoln stepped forward and asked how the whole situation went down.
While feeling understandably nervous about the request, at first; she still agreed to it and handed Lincoln the garlic knot she sampled a moment ago. "I simply took a small nibble from it and then, I was on my back; chocking madly" Sibella explained, "was that one of those garlic knots you spoke of before?" Without a second thought, the Gal Pals nodded lightly in response; while also apologizing for not being present to stop her.
"But how can that be" Winnie inquired, "even though Sibella's nose was protected from the smell, neither her or me sniffed any traces of garlic on that thing." After taking the item in hand, Elsa took a closer look and saw faint traces of garlic pieces baked inside of the dough. "Before we go any further; tell us one thing" Lincoln asked, "who gave you that knot?"
Without hesitation, she revealed that a young boy in a jersey offered it to her just moments ago. "I saw him in a booth near the entrance with two others" Sibella explained, "one had red hair and a wool shirt and the other had...a rather bizarre hairstyle." After hearing her description, Lincoln's demeanor suddenly changed.
In the blink of an eye, a look of unbridled rage formed upon his face; which the ladies found to be rather alarming. Meanwhile, Sibella turned towards the entranceway of the building and saw that the trio was no longer present in their booth. "It's okay, Sibella" Lincoln assured, "I've already got a pretty good idea on who you were talking about."
Not long after that, the Gals said the same thing; explaining that Lincoln had told them about these three individuals before. "I know what this is all about" he said suddenly, "Biff has a some kind of a 'score' to settle with me over what happened between me and my sisters." When the Ghouls asked what happened, Lincoln said there was little time to explain now.
"All you need to understand is this" he stated, "Biff is just as eager to win the Halloween contest as much as anyone in town...and he thinks we're a threat to his chances at victory." As expected, the four elder Gal Pals felt that winning a contest was a rather poor excuse for almost poisoning someone. "It's not just about the contest, girls" Lincoln said bluntly, "he wants to humiliate me in any way he can...as well as possibly ruin Halloween for everyone else in Royal Woods."
After hearing all this, Lincoln suddenly felt an odd sense of déjà vu wash over him. Meanwhile, Carol was able to put the rest of the pieces together. "Somehow, Biff and his crew must've learned you girls are real monsters" she whispered, "him tricking Sibella into eating that garlic knot must've been some sort of sick plan for him to get proof."
After hearing all this, the Ghouls couldn't help but growl a little; thinking that Biff was probably the worst among humans. "I knew some humans were bad" Gila said with a sniffle, "just like my Daddy warned me." After that, she suddenly started to cry; wishing to leave as quickly as possible.
But before the little fish girl could shed any more tears, Carol suddenly took a knee and hugged her tight. "You're father was right, sweetie...there are bad humans out in the world" she whispered soothingly, "but there are also good ones, like Lincoln and all of us." No sooner had she said this, Suki was suddenly hugged from the side by the same little girl she saw earlier.
Behind her was an older woman (presumably her mother or elder sister,) who helped hold her little one's cat plushie. Upon close inspection, Suki saw that both of them were smiling warmly at her. "Thank you so much for getting my daughter the doll she wanted" said the woman, "she had her eyes on it since two weeks ago."
As if on cue, the little girl also expressed her thanks while also telling Suki "I love you" in a most adorable voice. "It was my pleasure to help" Suki said with a light bow, "I hope you enjoy your doll...little friend." Upon hearing the "L" word, the little girl squealed with delight and leapt into Suki's arms; hugging her tight.
After that, they said their goodbyes and headed off to the parking lot; eager to return home. "You see, that's what we're talking about" Whitney affirmed, "you can still find plenty of good eggs out in the world...even if the bad ones will cause you trouble." The Grimwood Ghouls took a moment to let her words sink in and once they did, several smiles began to creep up on their faces; especially Milly's.
"Perhaps there is more to the humans than I gave them credit for" she thought, "I should inform my parental units about my findings."
(Scene Change: The Loud House – 6:30 in the evening)
Sometime later, everyone returned to Lincoln's house and informed everyone on what happened. While also speaking about the good moments, like Suki helping out a little kid or Elsa giving power to Flip's store; they also mentioned how Sibella was almost poisoned. When Lincoln informed Lynn that Biff was behind it all, she was livid.
"That doofus, I thought he learned his lesson after when he got busted for hasslin' you on your first day of school" she grumbled, "guess not." The parents and Miss Grimwood were no happier about the situation either. "If the Count learns about this, our plans could be ruined" the headmistress said worriedly, "why would he harm someone else just to get a rise out of you, Mr. Loud?"
At first, Lincoln thought she was blaming him for what happened. But he soon realized that her words were not spoken out of spite, only concern. "I don't rightly know, Miss G" Lincoln said honestly, "I guess he thinks anyone who calls me their friends are just as big of 'freaks' or 'losers' as he thinks I am."
While the explanation didn't make that much sense, Miss Grimwood swiftly realized that the mentality of a bully is often a confusing one. "What are we gonna do" Winnie asked, "those guys have gotta pay for what they did to our friend!" The rest of the Grimwood Ghouls sounded off in agreement; while also saying that if none of them will do something, Sibella's father will.
"Those ruffians shall, indeed pay" Miss Grimwood assured, "I imagine Mr. and Mrs. Loud will tell their associates within the local law enforcement about this." Without hesitation, Rita and Lynn Sr. vowed that justice would be served; one way or another. "In any case, I should probably take Sibella back to the school to recover for the next few days" she stated, "at least until everyone's parents arrive."
No sooner had she said all this, Lincoln asked if she still planned on helping his family out. "But of course, my dear" assured Miss Grimwood, "once Sibella is well; we shall make our swift return and begin our work." While the Loud Sisters feared such a process would probably go past the deadline date, they realized their friend's health was more important than a contest.
"We'll be waiting here for your return, guys" Lincoln murmured with a light smile, "thanks for visiting, agreeing to help and...everything." The Grimwood Ghouls cooed softly at his kind words and rewarded his thank you with one of their own, which involved a massive group hug. However, Sibella chose to hang back; proclaiming she had a special thank you in mind for Lincoln.
But before he could ask what it was, his voice was muffled out by Sibella's lips pressing over his own. While Carol and Dana remained silent through the whole thing, as they suspected; Cristina, Jordan, Paige and even Ronnie Anne's jaws fell in shock. When she finally pulled away, ten seconds later; Sibella smiled playfully and patted Lincoln on the head.
"That was to thank you for coming to my aid earlier" she whispered into his ear sultrily, "I'll make sure my family knows about this." With that, she bade everyone farewell and rejoined her fellow Grimwood students; just as their headmistress reopened the portal. "We shall see you soon, everyone" Miss Grimwood stated, "and do not worry...this year's Halloween shall be a true scream for the town."
With that, she and the girls stepped into the other side and the portal swiftly disappeared; seconds later. Once they were gone, Lincoln suddenly fell over with a lovestruck swoon; which caused Cristina, Jordan, Paige and Ronnie Anne to promptly snap out of their daze. "Okay...I've got a small question" said the young Santiago girl, "could someone please tell me...WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!"
Not long after that, the other three preteen Gal Pals proceeded to question Lincoln on what Sibella's kiss was about; which signaled Carol to immediately intervene. "Girls, it meant nothing" she assured, "we just...kinda, sorta told Sibella that you could feel just as jealous; whenever another girl flirts with Lincoln." This reveal caused the foursome to blush an even deeper shade of red; not from embarrassment, mind you...but out of frustration.
"You better not have put some wild ideas in her head, girly" Ronnie Anne threatened, "Linc and I are...just friends, you know that!" This only made the Gals laugh harder, while Mr. and Mrs. Loud were otherwise occupied; doing whatever they could to wake Lincoln back up.
(First AN: What better way to end part three than with a cliffhanger. It's not a stressful or a dramatic one but still. In any case, it looks like Lincoln's first fear has been conquered; The Gal Pals and Grimwood Ghouls have become friends.
But now, he has to worry about setting everything up in time for the big night. Once Sibella has recuperated; will she, her friends and Miss Grimwood be able to help Lincoln in time and what about the Ghouls parents? Will they be able to lend a hand...or will they want to stay away after Sibella's accident?
What about Biff and his lackeys, will they be able to "expose" the Ghouls to the town and what will happen when if their plan succeeds? Tune in next time for Part Four of Halloween Hilarity and the finale of the Fall Arc.)
(Second AN: Much like with Part Two, this contained a few other references from the Hotel Transylvania films about Vampire culture. Among them are the mentions of Mavis' age, the reference to Scream Cheese, the notion of Vampires getting gassy after eating garlic, her family and of course, Winnie's comment about a wooden stake to the heart. Meanwhile, the SPF: 5022 sun block is a reference to Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf)
(Third AN: While it has never been referenced within any of his movies. I thought Frankenstein...or Elsa, in this case, harnessing electricity through her bolts to help relight Flip's would be a cool ability for a creature like her to have)
(Fourth AN: The Colonel Calloway Military School Biff mentions is a rival school to Grimwood's, as well as one of the locations featured in Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. While he hasn't been shown or mentioned by name yet; the cousin Biff references is Tug Roeper, the leader of the Calloway Cadets. In typical school rivalry fashion, the cadets always look forward to possibly defeating the Ghouls at volleyball.
Expect to possibly see them in the finale, however big or small their presence may be)
(Fifth AN: While it's quite obvious to tell who Suki's father is; understand that while Godzilla is real within this universe, like the other monsters, he's much different than how the films portray him. He seldom attacks cities and prefers to live peaceful on his home of Monster Island. However, you may expect him to make his appearance during the big Halloween celebration.
The question is...will Royal Woods be big enough to hold him, when he does arrive)
(Final AN: The kind gestures Elsa and Suki performed during this part was about more than just providing cute/cool scenes for the girls. They will serve as an important factor, when Biff attempts to bring the town to rise up against Grimwood's group. But who will come out on top, when the moment arrives?
Will open-mindedness and acceptance win the day or will the humans of Royal Woods be too stuck in their own fears to see the good in Grimwood's students)
