AN: thank you to everyone who has chosen to follow along! I hope the rest of the story does not disappoint.
Jackson Jekyll nervously walked along the path that led to Monster High. The school perched at the top of a hill, the gothic building towering over him as he walked towards it. Today was his first day at Monster High. His mother had made the decision that he would switch schools after his transformation trigger changed late last year. It was far harder to avoid music than it had been to weasel his way out of any school events that took place after nightfall.
He wasn't thrilled to be switching schools sophomore year. Sure, the bullying at New Salem High had been intense as soon as they found out about Holt. That didn't mean he wanted to go to Monster High, where the closest thing he had to a friend was his cousin, Heath. Heath had always been closer with Holt than with him. Hell, it seemed like Heath got along better with Brett than him.
"Hey, wait up!" A voice from behind him yelled. He turned to find a green monster with black and white hair barrelling full speed towards him. This was made slightly alarming by the fact that they seemed to be wearing heels. Jackson stepped towards them, trying to help them as they lost their balance. As he did so he slipped on wet grass, falling himself as the green monster stabilized. They had stitches on their arms, legs, and face.
"Sorry about that! I'm Frankie, Frankie Stein. Pronouns they/them. It's scary nice to meet you!" They had a bright smile as they held out a hand to help him up. As he took it, it fell off in his grasp. He hurriedly handed Frankie back their hand and got up himself.
"I'm so sorry about that. I'm Jackson Jeykll. He/they. Nice to meet you, too. It's my first day." He awkwardly brushed himself off. Frankie was still grinning at him, and it made him smile slightly as well.
"Oh, don't worry about it!" Frankie said brightly, "my stitches are always coming loose. It's my first day at Monster High as well."
The two of them walked towards monster high, Frankie chattering animatedly about things they'd read in teen magazines.
"I'm so excited to meet everyone!" Frankie said as they were about halfway up the hill, "I mean, magazines aside, the school is supposed to embrace every monster, freaky flaws and all!"
"Yeah, well, I'll believe that one when I see it. Even with something as simple as pronouns, not everyone's as accepting as you, Frankie." Jackson sighed. He'd never come out at New Salem High. He knew the bullying would've been just as intense as when the student body found out about Holt.
Frankie frowned. They stopped, looking Jackson dead in the eye.
"Well, we'll just have to be accepting together then!" Frankie said, resolutely. It was with such conviction that Jackson couldn't help but smile.
"Being accepting together sounds nice," Jackson said. He liked Frankie. Their optimism was a pleasant change of pace.
"Great!" Frankie grinned, "It's nice to have a friend already. Thanks for waiting for me, and for trying to help! I'm sure this will be a great way to start the first day of a great year." Jackson nodded in acknowledgement, smile mirroring theirs. They took the walk up the hill together in companionable silence. As they made their way further towards the school, a metallic tang became noticeable in the air.
When they reached the top of the hill, Jackson couldn't tell if the scream had come from himself, Frankie, or both of them. He pulled out his phone as Frankie rushed over to the body. They turned back to Jackson with a lost look in their eyes, and Jackson found himself looking at the body closer. He gasped.
"Oh, shit. I know her."
"You do?" Frankie asked, frantic.
"That's Lucy Harker. Is that— Frankie is that a bite mark on her neck?" Jackson looked away as he asked that, feeling a little guilty for doing so. He dialed 911.
"It looks like it," Frankie said, before stepping back, "oh my ghoul, what happened here?"
A voice crackled out from Jackson's cell phone: "911, what's your emergency?"
He breathed shakily, unsure if he could answer. He knew Lucy. She'd been the least cruel of the popular crowd. He couldn't fathom that she was dead. Frankie came to his rescue.
"We're at Monster High," they said, "and there's a body."