It was only when her fingers went numb did Beatrix realize how tightly she was hanging onto the motorcyclist. She had pressed herself against his back, her arms wrapped around his middle as she gripped onto the front of his chest. Her nails dug into his leather jacket.
Beatrix loosened her hold, trying her hardest not to feel embarrassed.
Beatrix didn't know much about traffic laws, but all the weaving the cyclist did to get around other cars felt illegal. Even with the sidecar attached to his bike, his maneuvering was seamless.
The cyclist had put several blocks between them and the train station now, and he was finally starting to slow down as the trio approached the edge of the city. Beatrix peered over his shoulder to see where they were headed. A stretch of ocean shore ran parallel to the long highway they were getting onto. The farther away from the city they got, the less cars surrounded them on the road.
The calm ocean water beside them glistened in the soft Oregon sun. Now that the wind wasn't whipping in Beatrix's ears, she was able to check in with Autumn.
Autumn's scarf had mostly unraveled from around her face, now flying crazily behind her. With one hand, she was clutching onto the bags in her lap, and with the other she held her straw hat in place. Pieces of straw were slipping out of her seams and flying behind her. They almost hit the front windshield of the car behind them.
"Strawhead, how are you holding up?" Beatrix shouted over the engine.
Beatrix saw Autumn's stitched mouth move in reply but couldn't make out what she said.
She seems fine, Beatrix thought.
After another ten minutes of driving on the two lane highway, the motorcyclist veered off an unmarked exit and headed down a road leading towards an endless thick forest. Trees started whipping past them and there was nothing but deep, dark forest for miles. The trees were moss-draped and shadowy, trunks twisting upward reaching for sunlight.
The weaving road was leading them up a mountain. As they went higher in altitude, Beatrix noticed a layer of mist surrounding them. Everything became wet and green and drenched in shade.
Beatrix and Autumn locked eyes. Beatrix could read Autumn's thoughts just by the look on her face: Wait. Is this guy taking us into the mountains to murder us?
Autumn was completely frozen in fear. Beatrix knew Autumn so well she could tell the exact stream of consciousness going through her friend's head: Bea, there's no witnesses up here. This is the perfect murder scene. Is he even from Monster High? I could have been wrong. I mean, what do I know? I didn't even know what Monster High really was until recently. Oh no. I'm an idiot. We're on some guy's bike, trapped in the woods, about to meet our doom. I'm not fast enough to run away from him. I don't think you are either. We don't have any weapons. Do you have any spell powders to throw into his face to buy us some time? Maybe we should jump off his bike right now and book it back down the mountain. Bea? Bea, are you listening? We're going to die. I'm too young to die. I haven't finished sewing that tablecloth for Granny's birthday. I was almost done with it. I just need to finish that tablecloth, then I can die in peace.
There was something about Autumn's obvious terror that made Beatrix keep her cool.
Still pressed against the biker's back, Beatrix said, "Thanks for your help back there."
He didn't respond.
"Do you have a name?"
The biker didn't answer again. Beatrix huffed in annoyance.
"Please don't kill us, Mr. Motorcycle Man. We didn't mean to inconvenience you. We were just trying to get to school. If you let us go unscathed, we won't tell anyone you took us here," Autumn spat out.
The biker looked over at the scarecrow, probably perplexed under the dark helmet.
"Ignore her. So, do you go to Monster High?" Beatrix began. She hoped some information would put Autumn at ease.
"I do," he finally said. His voice was deeper than Beatrix expected.
"Ah, see, strawhead? Nothing to worry about. Just a fellow classmate helping us out."
Autumn visibly relaxed in the sidecar.
"Do you two make a habit of hopping onto strangers' bikes?" the cyclist asked.
"Well, it was either that or get dragged to the police station," Beatrix retorted. "We'd rather take our chances with you."
"Huh, you may end up regretting that decision," he said back.
"Oh really?" Beatrix smirked. But then she thought it over. He was broad-shouldered and she could tell he was in good shape beneath his jacket. If they really did have to make a run for it, they wouldn't have a chance. They didn't even know what kind of creature he was; for all they knew, he could be a werewolf with superhuman speed and claws. To make matters worse, all Beatrix knew about werewolves was from what she'd overheard from witchy gossip. Aside from the fact that her aunts had once used wolfsbane for a protection spell, Beatrix was clueless.
Beatrix peeked at his biking gloves. The shape of his hands looked utterly human.
Okay, so no claws… Beatrix tried to subtly feel beneath his jacket. … And he doesn't feel hairy, I don't think…
Nevertheless, she found herself growing more and more apprehensive towards their anonymous rescuer.
"You guys have a lot of stuff," the biker observed, looking at Autumn struggling to hang onto her bags.
"Tell me about it," Beatrix rolled her eyes. "So, are you gonna tell us your name, or not?"
"Grey."
"Like the color?"
"What other Grey is there?" he countered with a hint of snarkiness.
"And what kind of monster are you, Grey?" Beatrix emphasized his name to needle him.
"I should be asking you that," he said. A stab of insecurity hit Beatrix. She hadn't expected him to redirect the question.
I'm going to have to get used to it. I'm the one out of place, here, Beatrix reminded herself.
Instead of answering his question, Beatrix moved on. "How much longer until we get to the school?"
"Almost there."
Grey winded through the woods on the narrow road, climbing higher and higher into the mountainside. There were no street signs that Beatrix noticed. It was difficult to know which direction they were headed in.
Then, without warning, Grey turned left onto a small gravel road between two massive alpine trees. It looked like one of the rural roads Beatrix used to see in Iowa: it was narrow, had no guardrails, and the road's surface was rough. This passage was darker and the forest grew denser around and above them.
Beatrix and Autumn exchanged looks again. Autumn's expression read: Are we really counting murder out of the question?
Suddenly, a gate came into view. Iron spikes protruded from the top and Beatrix couldn't tell how long the surrounding fence was because it was shrouded by trees.
Grey stopped and the silence of the forest became apparent. Everything was still. There was no movement from birds or passing animals. Only the rumble of Grey's bike.
Grey's boot hit the gravel beneath them as he steadied the bike, waiting.
"Identification."
Beatrix's head snapped to her left to find the source of the new voice.
A hunch-shouldered man with sunken cheeks and knobbly hands walked into the clearing. Behind him, a crooked booth could be seen amongst the trees, with a sign reading "New Salem Preparatory Academy Visitors' Entrance."
The man shuffled over to Grey, wheezing with each step. The man had greasy bald patches and wore an ancient black suit and tie. As he got closer, Beatrix caught a whiff of him. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. He smelled like mothballs and mold, which reminded her of the time she was ordered to clean Aunt Constance's closet as a punishment. The memory made her skin crawl.
This man made her aunts look like beauty pageant contestants, and that was a hard feat to accomplish.
"I said, let's see some identification," the gatekeeper croaked.
Autumn rummaged through the bag on her lap as fast as she could. Plaid shirts and nightgowns threatened to spill out onto the ground as Autumn searched for her wallet.
"It's in here somewhere," she murmured. She zipped up the bag and moved onto another one.
Beatrix climbed off the bike and went over to help her. She dug into the bag, feeling around for the wallet.
Beatrix pulled out something soft. "Autumn, you brought Edgar?"
"No unauthorized pets allowed!" the gatekeeper scolded.
"It's not real," Beatrix showed him the stuffed crow. "It's a toy."
Beatrix had made the stuffed animal years ago to help Autumn overcome her fear of birds. She was touched that Autumn thought to bring it with her.
"Vincent Van Crowe isn't a toy," Autumn said bashfully, shoving the crow back in the bag.
"I thought his name was Edgar Allan Crowe," Beatrix said.
"That name seemed too dreary."
"I mean, if that's your logic, Vincent Van Crowe isn't the most sunshine name either. You know he cut off his own ear, right?"
"Any day now!" the gatekeeper hollered.
Grey seemed to find humor in the situation from beneath his helmet.
While Beatrix kept searching, she muttered, "Real funny, biker boy."
Beatrix had to dig into a third bag to finally find Autumn's wallet.
The gatekeeper evaluated Autumn's ID in his ancient, quivering hands. One of his eyes bulged out slightly as he evaluated the card. "Autumn Matilda Patches. Sophomore?"
"Yes, sir," Autumn said.
The gatekeeper turned to Beatrix expectantly. "Going to keep me waiting even longer?"
"Oh, I don't have an ID yet. I have to get–"
"No identification, no entry," the gatekeeper interrupted.
"She's with me!" Autumn spoke up.
"Then she needs a visitor's pass," the gatekeeper said.
"So can I have a visitor's pass?"
"No. Only those who get special permission from the Headmistress can receive a visitor's pass."
"We're on our way to see her right now, she'll vouch for–"
"No permission from the Headmistress, no entry."
"Are you kidding me? It's my first time here, how can I possibly have special permission from the Headmistress if I haven't met with her yet?" Beatrix fumed.
"Headmistress Bloodgood's secretary told us to go to her office," Autumn added.
The gatekeeper repeated, "No permission from the Headmistress, no–"
"I'm escorting them to the front office, Mr. Gore," Grey said. "I'll keep an eye on the witch."
Beatrix's heart jumped.
How did he know?
The gatekeeper was taken aback. He looked over Beatrix suspiciously. "Is that so? We've got a witch on our hands? Interesting."
Grey let the silence sit and kept his nonchalant composure. It helped that his face was hidden beneath a helmet. Beatrix now recalled that the gatekeeper hadn't asked Grey for his ID.
After a moment, the gatekeeper threw his wrinkly hands up. "Take her straight there then. I'll lose my head if an unauthorized spellcaster is seen roaming the grounds." This sneer was clearly directed at Beatrix. However, the snide remark was lost on her because Beatrix couldn't get over the fact that Grey had known about her witch identity.
Mr. Gore shuffled back to his shack in the thicket and fumbled with something inside. Immediately, the iron gates glided open on their own.
Grey rode ahead, keeping a slow and steady speed entering the school grounds.
Beatrix could hear Autumn oohing and awing over the campus scenery, but Beatrix found herself zoning out and staring at Grey's back instead.
How could he tell? Is it that obvious? Is it because I'm wearing all black? I'm not wearing my hat though. But Mr. Gore the gatekeeper didn't know until Grey told him.
By the time Beatrix had mulled it over, Grey came to another stop. After a five minute ride down the visitor's entryway, they'd reached one of the school buildings on the edge of the campus. The administrative offices were a sight to behold.
Intricate carvings lined marble columns and enormous stone gargoyles were posed overhead, looking like they were ready to strike. There wasn't a soul in sight, which wasn't a bad thing for their first visit to the school. Beatrix figured that arriving on campus before the semester started would give Autumn a chance to get adjusted.
"This is you," Grey said.
Beatrix climbed off the bike and helped Autumn with the bags. She flung her crossbody satchel over her shoulder. The mountainside casted the school grounds in shade and there was a light dew on the grass around the administrative offices. Beatrix could make out the larger school buildings a distance away, but only if she squinted. The campus was massive.
"Thank you so much for all your help. We really can't thank you enough," Autumn said.
Autumn nudged Beatrix.
"Right, thank you. I don't think we could have gotten here without you," Beatrix said.
"You've convinced us to take rides from strangers more often!" Autumn joked nervously. "Thanks for not murdering us."
"Don't mention it," Grey said, revving up the engine to leave.
"Wait!" Autumn stepped toward him. "Can we see what you look like?"
Beatrix was in awe of how bold her friend was being. Autumn is full of surprises these days.
Grey paused.
"Um, I mean, we don't know anyone here and, well, it would be nice to see one familiar face when school starts. If you don't mind," Autumn stammered.
Without a word, Grey removed his bike helmet.
The first thing Beatrix noticed was his buzz cut and pale skin.
Am I crazy, or is his skin a light… gray? Beatrix wondered. That explains the name.
What really stood out was Grey's eyes.
Beatrix held back a gasp.
Where his eyes should have been white, they were black.
Additionally, there were no irises to be seen. Beatrix couldn't tell if he didn't have irises at all, or if the colored part of his eye was also jet black–either way it was indistinguishable.
His eyes almost looked hollow, they were so dark; like bottomless caverns Beatrix could stumble down. It was unnerving. And captivating.
"Thank you, again," Autumn said. If her friend was scared of Grey's appearance, she didn't show it. Sometimes Autumn's politeness won over her nerves.
Still, Grey looked ready to leave.
"Hey, wait. I have a question," Beatrix said.
Grey's gaze sunk into Beatrix's as he waited for her to continue. Although he sat on his bike, his large frame was imposing as she looked at him head on.
"How did you know I was a witch?"
A smirk pulled at Grey's lips.
"Well?" Beatrix pressed.
"I can spot someone without a soul a mile away."
Beatrix was stunned. She couldn't even begin to fathom how that was possible.
She was at a loss for words.
"The office you're looking for is down the hall to the right," Grey said. With that, he put his dark helmet back on and rode off.
Autumn shifted in discomfort next to her. "You okay?" she asked.
Beatrix watched Grey disappear around a bend, captivated. "There's a lot I don't know about the monster world."