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Chapter 6: Laws
"Addison! This is unacceptable!" Addison's mom, Missy, said with a raised voice, looking down sternly at her daughter who sat quietly on the couch. For now at least…
Addison had just told her mother and her father, Dale, about her day, and predominantly about her encounter with Wyatt. She and the aforementioned werewolf had come up with a plan together to get the werewolves into Seabrook. In order for Addison to properly meet them, the werewolves would attend Seabrook High with her. Addison saw no fault with this plan, since having both werewolves and zombies at the school would probably only help her in her cause to increase diversity and acceptance in the town.
"I really don't see the problem…" Addison feigned innocence as she simply shrugged in response.
"Inviting werewolves over to Seabrook! Inviting them into the school! You don't see a problem with that!?" Missy snapped.
"They needed help… Who am I to refuse them? And by the way, the woods are in the school district, so they have every right to attend." Addison fired back.
"It's not about where they come from, it's about what they are…" Missy groaned. "Addie, these things are not like the zombies… We have no way of controlling them…"
"Why would we want to 'control' them in the first place!?" Addison retorted in an almost disgusted tone. "And they're not things! They're a proud pack and they have just as much right to come to Seabrook and to school as you or me!"
"They're beasts!" Missy countered. "Our ancestors bravely fought them off when they raided the settlement and those wolves have kept to the woods ever since!"
"Wait, you knew!?" Addison exclaimed. "You knew they were out there all this time?"
"Of course we knew." Missy sneered. "As mayor, it is my duty to keep this town safe! We always knew that those savages were out there in the forest, and we graciously let them live their lives as long as they left us alone!"
"They are not savages!" Addison replied. "They are misunderstood! We have simply been blinded by this stupid rivalry that has been going on for far too long!"
"They are dangerous!" Missy stuck to her point.
"If they really are that dangerous, why have they never even set foot in Seabrook for as long as anyone can remember!? Why did Wyatt not attack me when he saw me in the forest, or when he looked for me at school?" Addison challenged.
"I do not trust that boy!" Missy immediately hissed. "You said that he tracked you all the way from the woods, and that he infiltrated Seabrook High without any of us knowing!"
"Because he needed help!" Addison pleaded.
"But why you!? Why come to you?" Missy almost cried.
"He thought I was special…" Addison mumbled with a small smile. "He said that he saw the kindness in me."
Missy scoffed. "He must have some ulterior motive… Maybe he somehow knew that I was your mother… Maybe he's trying to get to me and your father…"
"That's ridiculous!" Addison sneered.
"Dale! Say something!" Missy then begged of her husband, who had sat silently in a corner up to this point, reading a newspaper.
Dale chewed his cheek a little as he lowered his paper and examined his wife and daughter. "Dear… I already told you that we don't have enough intel on the situation yet…"
"I-Intel!? Dale, these beasts just entered Seabrook without anyone stopping them… People could have gotten hurt! Your daughter could have gotten hurt!" Missy rambled.
"He did not want to hurt me!" Addison opposed. "He didn't hurt anyone!"
"As far as you know!" Missy said with a pointed finger.
"Mom, why are you so against this!?" Addison inquired, gesturing wildly with her hands. "I have met a werewolf and he was a really nice guy… Have you ever even met a werewolf?"
"They are not allowed in this town." Missy answered curtly.
"Actually, dear…" Dale spoke up, finally rising from his chair. "The anti-monster laws are gone… Thanks to Addison for the most part… According to the law, these werewolves are as welcome as anyone in Seabrook."
Addison squealed on the inside as her father supported her point, but did get back to reality immediately when she saw her mother's furious stare.
"You dare to defend them!? After they snuck into the town without you knowing? Aren't your men supposed to patrol the streets?" Missy nagged.
"Not as much since the new laws passed." Dale answered. "Zombie- Or monster patrols have diminished over eighty percent since Zombietown opened up to the public."
"Well, those laws should be reinstated then…" Missy said, almost stomping her feet. "All anti-monster should be reinstated until further notice!"
"What!?" Addison loudly exclaimed. "Mom, that is so unfair!"
"That might be a little overboard, dear…" Dale added.
"I only want to protect this town!" Missy stated. "If that means reinstating some laws, then so be it!"
"But Zed and I have worked for months to get rid of those laws! You can't just do this!" Addison pleaded.
"You leave me no choice!" Missy fired back. "Your father and I have been more than lenient regarding you and that boy, but we are still your parents!"
"That 'boy' is named Zed!" Addison snapped. "And what do you mean 'lenient'!?"
"He is still a zombie, sweetie." Dale said.
"And?" Addison replied, feeling the anger boil up inside her.
"Now, you must understand how it feels for your mother and I to see you with someone like, ehm… Someone like that…" Dale added.
"Wow, really?" Addison protested. "You're still hung up about grandpa getting his ear bitten off?"
"It was horrible!" Missy shrieked. "You wouldn't know, but the zombies weren't always as complacent as they are now!"
"They shouldn't have to be complacent in the first place!" Addison retorted. "They should be able to lead their own lives! Just like the werewolves!"
"You obviously have no idea how society works, dear." Missy told her daughter. "This isn't high school, where everyone happily fits in. Everyone has their place, and it's our duty as humans to preserve the peace and prosperity of Seabrook."
"And the zombies? The werewolves? What part do they play?" Addison challenged.
"Whatever part they want, as long as they conform to our rules." Missy answered.
"And what if they don't? What if they want to have their own lives?" Addison went on.
"We, as humans, have the right to protect ourselves from anything that threatens us!" Missy fired back.
"They don't threaten us!" Addison was now basically screaming. "It's all in your head!"
"Enough!" Missy snapped. "Addison, we have heard you, but this is a decision that adults will have to make…"
"Mom…" Addison pleaded.
"Addie, this is for your protection. You'll understand when you're older." Missy told her daughter.
Addison wanted to protest again, but this time her father intervened.
"Dear…" He said to Missy. "If you are serious about reinstating the anti-monster laws, I need to know what to expect…"
"All of it." Missy immediately said. "I want a reestablished curfew for the zombies, double the amount of monster patrols in and around the city and heavily restricted access to Zombietown."
"Mom!" Addison exclaimed, totally shocked by her mother's plans.
"I want no one entering or leaving Zombietown without us knowing, do you understand?" Missy asked her husband.
"I do." Dale nodded. "But it will be tough, since many of our inhabitants have taken a liking to the neighborhood. Some have even opened up stores there."
"Hmm, then they might object…" Missy pondered, stroking her chin. "Fine, humans can still enter Zombietown at will, but zombies will not be allowed to leave."
"You can't do that!" Addison kept on protesting, growing more and more frustrated with how all her statements fell on deaf men's ears.
"What about the school, dear?" Dale asked. "Dozens of zombies attend Seabrook High as we speak."
"They will all be suspended until further notice." Missy stated.
Addison felt as though her heart had just stopped beating. Had her mother officially become paranoid enough to deny all of the zombie children their education, even when they had literally not done anything wrong!?
"Dear…" Dale began, seeing Addison's shocked expression. "Don't you think that, ehm… Don't you think that goes a little too far? I mean, there are zombies on the football team now, and on the cheer squad… Cutting them could really damage our school image…"
Addison felt a pinch of hope. It was as if her father was trying to salvage the situation at least a little.
"Hmm, you could be right…" Missy contemplated. "Okay, the zombies will be allowed to attend school, but that will be the only occasion on which they'll be allowed to leave Zombietown. They will be allowed to join the cheer squad and the football team, but no further extracurricular activities! That means no prawn!"
"What!?" Addison shrieked, balling her fists in anger and astonishment.
"No prawn for the zombies!" Missy replied. "And that's me being nice!"
"Actually, dear…" Dale once again interrupted. "The school president is the one who mostly makes decisions on school policy and school activities."
Missy huffed in obvious annoyance. "Naturally… But that doesn't matter. Bucky will of course become school president and he will agree with my plans…"
Addison could not believe what she was hearing. Her mother was actually planning on using her family connections to push through her political ideas!
"Mom, you can't do this!" Addison once again begged.
Missy turned to Addison with a tight-lipped expression. "Addison, your father and I supported you when you took off your wig, undoing years of our efforts to let you have a normal life…"
"I was scared and miserable!" Addison protested, but her mother talked right through her.
"We even supported you when you started hanging out with that zombie boy…" Missy continued.
"His name is Zed!" Addison again yelled, still with no response.
"But this, the werewolves! This is the final drop!" Missy stated. "You bring disorder to this town and to this family, and I have had enough!"
"I'm fighting for change!" Addison objected.
"You are grounded!" Missy shouted, pointing towards the stairs.
Addison pulled up her eyebrows in complete astonishment. Never in her life had she been grounded. "What?"
"You are grounded! Go to your room!" Missy reiterated.
"Mom! Dad!" Addison pleaded.
Dale looked over at his wife, who was still breathing heavily in anger. "Do as your mother says, sweetie…"
"Dad!" Addison repeated.
"And hand in your phone!" Missy ordered, holding out her hand. "No contact with that boy!"
Addison could do nothing aside from simply staring open-mouthed at both her parents. When she had thought of her little plan to get the werewolves into Seabrook High, she could not have imagined that it would backfire so spectacularly. A part of her mind thought of conceding, but then she remembered that she had already given Wyatt her word. The werewolves were coming, and she would fight to have them allowed into the town.
"His name is Zed…" Addison mumbled as she begrudgingly handed her phone to her mother.
"To your room, now!" Missy again ordered.
Addison threw one more foul look at her mother before stomping up the stairs to her room, where she slammed the door before letting herself fall roughly onto her bed. She screamed into her pillow and stomped her feet on her mattress, all fed up with the injustice of the whole situation.
She didn't cry yet, but did feel a stinging pain in her chest which she guessed could only be from anger. She was also disappointed, mostly with her mother and the system, but also a little bit with herself. She had promised Wyatt that the werewolves could come to Seabrook, that they would be welcome… Now she would undoubtedly let them down…
A knock on her door momentarily distracted her from her troubled thoughts, but she did not answer.
"Addie?" Her father's voice said as he entered the room. "Addie, I'm sorry for what happened back there…"
"Why did you agree with her?" Addison asked in a soft tone. "I thought you liked the zombies…"
"I do, honey…" Dale spoke, sitting down on the foot end of Addison's bed.
"Then why did you not try to stop her?" Addison inquired, removing her head from her pillow.
"This is all temporary…" Dale tried to assure her. "The werewolves need some time to adapt, your mother needs some time to cool down and then everything will go back to the way it's supposed to be…"
"How? The werewolves aren't even allowed in the town…" Addison moped.
"They are, however, allowed to go to school…" Dale stated.
"What!?" Addison exclaimed, immediately sitting up straight.
"Your mother said so herself. The zombies, which means all monsters, are allowed to go to school and join the cheer squad and football team. And, as you so graciously mentioned, the werewolves live in the school district and are thus able to attend." Dale grinned.
"Are you serious!?" Addison asked, now smiling excitedly.
"They are furthermore legally allowed in Zombietown and I will inform my men that they should not harass or retain any werewolf or zombie that does not cause a disturbance. I'm sorry, sweetie, but that's all I can do for now…" Dale concluded.
"Thank you!" Addison squealed as she hugged her father tightly.
"I will try to talk some sense into your mother, as well as the other city council members… But I'm afraid that I won't be able to dissuade Bucky from what he plans on doing as school president… So, I would still prepare for a prawn without your, uh, friend…" Dale went on.
Addison let go off her father and sat back upright. "His name is Zed…" She said for what felt like the tenth time this evening. "Why can't you just accept him?"
"You're our little girl, Addie…" Dale said after a long sigh. "We only want the best for you, and being with a zombie… It will always carry complications…"
"But that's what Zed and I are fighting against, don't you get that? We want a future where those complications won't exist…" Addison replied in a sad tone.
"And that's a course worth fighting for…" Dale acknowledged. "But the town's ideals won't change overnight… So, I just need to know if you would be prepared to live life as an outcast to the people of Seabrook?"
"I already am an outcast…" Addison sighed, twirling a lock of her white hair.
"You are perfect, just the way you are…" Dale almost whispered, softly squeezing Addison's shoulder.
"Zed keeps telling me that as well." Addison told her father.
"Well, then maybe he's not as bad as your mother and I thought…" Dale shrugged.
"Dad, I'd like to be alone for a moment, okay?" Addison asked.
"Sure, sweetie…" Dale nodded before standing up, looking at her one more time and leaving the room.
Addison lay down on her bed again, taking in the heated conversation she'd had with her parents. Her mother had almost seemed maniacal in the way she opposed Addison's plans to allow werewolves into Seabrook, but she had always been somewhat of a traditionalist… Her father seemed to at least understand her point, but he was also still somewhat caught up in Seabrook's past ideals, and those weren't easy to get rid of.
"Addison! Addison!" Zed shouted as he sprinted towards her, shoving away many people as he tried to get to her.
"Zed…" Addison said in a sad tone once he was close enough.
"Addison, they've closed up Zombietown again!" Zed told her in an almost panicky tone. "The patrols are back! They're not letting anyone out! All of the human shops can't allow zombies in anymore! What's going on!?"
"It's my mom…" Addison sighed, before Zed could continue his rant. "She freaked out about the werewolves and reinstated most of the old anti-monster laws…"
"What!?" Zed exclaimed. "But we worked so hard to get rid of those…"
"That's what I said. But she's stubborn… Dad said it was all temporary, but I just can't know with mom…" Addison replied. "How's everyone taking it?"
"Eliza is out on a warpath…" Zed groaned. "She got her megaphone out again and is rallying zombies to her cause… Most of the others are taking it well enough… Dad still has his job, and so do the other zombies, so they're just gonna live their lives… They're used to this stuff by now…"
"They shouldn't have to be used to this…" Addison protested. "They shouldn't have to live in fear…"
"Come here…" Zed said as he pulled her in for a hug. "We'll get through this… Surely the town will eventually lose some of its stupidity."
Addison snickered despite herself as she squeezed Zed for a moment. "I'm glad to see you still have that positive outlook."
"Well, I am still allowed to go to school, and see you…" Zed grinned.
"Yeah, thanks to dad by the way… Mom wanted to go full megalomaniac, but dad managed to keep some of the zombie rights intact." Addison recounted.
"Yeah, my dad talked to him as well." Zed nodded. "At least the zombie patrol won't randomly retain citizens."
"That's a very slight compensation." Addison shrugged.
"Still, I'm happy to finally have you in front of me!" Zed said, suddenly enthusiastic. "Addie, I know that we've not that much time together, with the bus crash and the werewolves and all…"
"Zed…" Addison groaned, but he talked right through her.
"I never stopped thinking about you while you were away at cheer camp. And even though my surprise kinda got ruined, I don't give up easily…" Zed went on, going down on one knee.
"Zed…" Addison repeated, but again he did not pay her any mind.
"Addison, will you make the luckiest zombie in the world and be my date to prawn?" Zed asked, grasping Addison's hand and looking up at her with twinkling eyes.
"Zed…" Addison sighed, though she did crack a smile. "No…"
"Great!" Zed exclaimed. "We'll get… Wait! No?"
"No…" Addison repeated. "My mom… Along with the anti-monster laws, she forbid zombies or any monsters from going to prawn…"
Zed still seemed somewhat shocked, and no sound escaped his open mouth.
"But we're going to fight this, Zed!" Addison reassured him. "Once the werewolves prove that they're not a threat to anyone, things can go back to the way they're supposed to be…"
"T-the werewolves are still coming?" Zed questioned.
"Yes, of course… I'm not just gonna abandon them…" Addison answered.
"But… How? The town's on lockdown…" Zed pondered.
"Zombies, and all monsters, are still allowed to go to school and Zombietown, meaning that the werewolves are still coming…" Addison proudly said.
"Oh…" Zed mumbled, not looking as thrilled as Addison had hoped he would. "So, they're still coming to school… And they can visit Zombietown…"
"Yes, isn't that great?" Addison inquired, hoping to get a more positive response.
"Ehm, yeah… Yeah, totally…" Zed replied, feigning a smile. "But wait… That's why you said no? Because of the anti-monster laws?"
"Yeah…" Addison answered, suddenly seeing a broad smile appear on Zed's face. "Why are you smiling?"
"Because when you said no, I thought that you didn't like me anymore… But the problem is just a bunch of bloodthirsty werewolves! We can so fix that!" Zed smirked.
Addison rolled her eyes, but did crack a smile. "They're not bloodthirsty… And I need you to help me prove that to everyone…"
Zed took a deep breath, shuffling on his feet. "Are you absolutely sure that we can trust them?"
"Zed…" Addison said in a warning tone.
"I know… I know that you trust them… And him…" Zed mumbled, obviously referring to Wyatt.
"I need you on my side… Now more than ever…" Addison pleaded, batting her eyelashes.
"I'll be there…" Zed nodded, squeezing her hand softly. "And I will find a way to get us to prawn!"
"Or we could miss it together?" Addison proposed.
"I'm not letting you miss prawn! You've looked forward to this your entire life!" Zed protested.
"I'm not going if you can't go!" Addison objected.
"Well, I like you too much not to let you go!" Zed sneered.
"Well, I like you too much to leave you behind! I'm so not going!" Addison challenged.
"Ugh, you guys even fight like the perfect couple…" A voice from behind Addison scoffed.
"How's it going, Eliza?" Addison asked with a smile as she saw the green-haired girl approach her and Zed.
"You know, fighting injustice has got me busy…" Eliza shrugged.
"And looking good doing it, Zom-bae." Addison giggled.
Eliza smiled in response, but then turned serious. "Did you know about all these anti-monster laws being reinstated?"
"It's my mom…" Addison groaned again. "The news about the werewolves completely freaked her out and she doesn't care that the zombies are being unjustly victimized…"
"Well, I can't be certain about the werewolves yet…" Eliza pondered. "But I, as a zombie, won't stand for this…"
"Neither will I." Addison confidently replied. "I don't care what the laws say, the werewolves are still coming."
"For real? That plan wasn't cancelled?" Eliza asked.
"No, they're going to join Seabrook High." Addison explained.
"Does the school know?" Eliza continued, though she did start smiling.
"My parents know, and they should have told the principal…" Addison clarified. "I don't know when they're gonna announce it, but it should be soon. Mom wasn't thrilled that I outsmarted her stupid laws, but I don't really care…"
"Addison's a stubborn one." Zed grinned.
"Never would have guessed…" Eliza smirked. "And that so-called fight you just had, was that about prawn?"
"Yeah, did you hear that we can't go anymore?" Zed asked.
"Yeah, Bucky was already gloating near the entrance." Eliza answered, rolling her eyes. "The election for school president hasn't even started yet, and he's already planning to reshape the school in his image…"
As if on cue, Bucky and Jacey turned around the nearest corner and walked in their direction.
"I'm thinking the student president should get his own corner office… Let's see if we can move out the math department… Did you write that down?" Bucky stated as he stepped on.
"Done!" Jacey mumbled, scribbling down notes almost frantically.
"Addison!" Bucky exclaimed with a wide smile. "And your zombie friends… How lovely… Now, I'm sure that you have all heard the news about prawn…"
"We have…" Addison nodded.
"Well, let me be the first to say, sorry not sorry…" Bucky went on, still smiling broadly.
"You didn't even make that rule." Eliza scoffed.
"But I can reinforce it when I become president." Bucky stated. "And when I become president, you will also always be able to cheer for me, cuz."
"I can't wait…" Addison murmured, rolling her eyes.
"Cheer up, possible new cheer captain." Bucky told Addison. "You do still want to become cheer captain, right?"
"Of course!" Addison immediately piped up
"Great!" Bucky went on, snapping his fingers to Jacey. "Be sure to attend my official nomination this afternoon… Bucky for president!" He added as Jacey handed him a few flyers, which Bucky then shoved in the hands of Addison, Zed and Eliza. "Okay, let's keep my nomination understated, yet extravagant and flashy…" He then told Jacey as they walked off.
"I feel violated." Eliza sneered as she examined Bucky's bright pink flyer.
"Ugh, I get you…" Addison moped as she tossed the flyer away. "I feel like cheer could be so much more than just pom-pomming for Bucky…"
"Then you make it what you want it to be when you become captain." Zed encouraged her.
"If I become captain…" Addison retorted as they started walking for the cafeteria.
"Come on, who's more perpetually peppy and annoyingly bubbly than you?" Eliza teased.
Addison grinned, but felt her smile drip right from her face when they turned a corner and ran right into Lacey and Stacey, who were in the midst of putting up an enlarged version of Bucky's flyer on a wall.
"Oh, look who it is…" Stacey said in a sassy tone when she noticed Addison.
"The 'wannabe' cheer captain…" Lacey added.
"Is this your way of sucking up to Bucky?" Eliza sneered, nodding towards the poster.
"No one asked you anything." Stacey scoffed.
"Too bad, because I love having opinions." Eliza challenged, stepping towards the Aceys before Zed dragged her back.
"You hang with the wrong crowd…" Lacey told Addison. "Once we're cheer captains, you're so off the team."
"And if I become cheer captain, you'll be welcome to stay. Because I'll be making cheer about bringing people together." Addison retorted.
"That's awful trash talk." Stacey snickered.
"I know, right?" Lacey added. "You… You will never be cheer captain, freak…"
Addison kept eye contact with Lacey, but also felt a slight blush creep up on her cheeks.
"See ya!" Both the Aceys then said as they simultaneously turned around.
"Don't pay attention to them…" Zed whispered as he softly squeezed Addison's shoulder.
"I won't…" Addison mumbled, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.
"They're just jealous!" Zed added, stroking Addison's upper arm. "Jealous that they could never be as kind, as smart or as beautiful as you…
Addison started blushing again, but now because of Zed's compliments.
"They don't have a braincell between them." Eliza joined in. "Why did you not let me scratch their eyes out?" She then asked Zed.
"Because we need to be on our best behavior…" Zed answered. "That will be the only way of getting these anti-monster laws reversed… And then I can take Addison to prawn…"
"We can always crash it!" Eliza enthusiastically proposed. "I mean, we can't make the rules, but we can break them!"
"But we can make the rules!" Zed suddenly exclaimed, causing both Addison and Eliza to look at him with surprised expressions. "We just need the right leader…"