The water in the shower was cold. I had entered the first shower stall I saw and scrubbed myself gently with the provided and presumably clean washcloth. I kept Cleo's mummy on wraps and gently dabbed it with the wet and soapy washcloth, afraid to take them off after Deuce's warning.
I grabbed the towel just outside the stall and grabbed my dress as soon as I was dry. I let the towel drop at my feet and slipped it on. It fit better than I expected. The only problem was the zipper: I couldn't reach it. Whenever a dress would have a zipper on the back, I'd simply unstitch my hand and zip it up easily. But as I've come to miss the past couple days, Cleo's body wasn't Frankie Stein's. I grasped at the zipper and tried tugging it upward the best I could but no luck; I only managed to zip it up about halfway.
I sighed. Both Cleo de Nile and Frankie Stein would freak over this but, right now, I was just tired.
The weather outside was moderate, thank gore. I was worried it'd be too cold for short dresses. The sun was setting and I let out a yawn, placing the towel on the ground in front of the bathroom door so I could sit on it.
I began fiddling with Cleo's hair. Long and dark with golden streaks... Over five thousand years...
It bothered me to move her hands—her entire body—and not really own it. I wanted to see my own skin, my own hands; my own everything. But my friends were so excited to see Cleo... And so set on proving the Queen's hand in the reshaping of this new world. How could I take them off course when they're so ready? Whisp may have caused this, but I didn't even know how to get back into my body without her. Or if I ever could. My vision blurred. No, now wasn't the time to cry. I had to deal with this. I could do it. A part of me wished this was all some twisted dream. I put my face in my hands, both out of misery and exhaustion.
"You okay?"
I lifted my head out of my hands.
"Heath?" I acknowledged him. "Yeah, I'm fine just," I put my head back in my hands, "tired."
"But," I sensed him sitting down beside me, "party."
I let out a small laugh and looked back at him. "I know right? Talk about bad timing."
He chuckled and some silence passed between us before he spoke up again.
"Hey, Cleo. Can I ask you a question?"
I gave a quick nod. "Of corpse, Heath."
"Okay, well..." He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "Do... Do you think..." He sighed. "Do you think Abbey will like this?"
I looked down at his outfit: gray dress shirt, red tie, and navy blue pants. I nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"See, I don't know how formal this party is and all the ghouls tend to glam-out so I thought adding a tie would be a good idea."
"No," I shook my head, "why Abbey?"
The fire elemental exhaled heavily. "You're gonna make me say it?"
I scrunched up my brows. "Say..?" I giggled. "Of corpse you're going after Abbey again."
"It's like she's prettier than she used to be," he whined. "It's not fair."
I laughed heartily at that one. "Not fair? What about you? I hardly recognized you!"
He laughed. "Okay, okay." He rose up from where he sat. "See you later, then."
"Wait!" I shot up.
"Yeah?"
I turned my back towards him. "Could you zip this up, please?"
"Uh," he sounded uneasy, "okay." He hurriedly zipped up the dress.
I turned back to face him. "Thanks," I said.
He nodded, already turning away. "No problem."
I picked up my towel from the ground and we parted ways. I expected to return to my room full of noisy ghouls. But as I approached the room, it was strangely silent.
"Where is everybody?" I asked as I walked in.
Toralei didn't even move from the bed to speak to me. "Gone."
I sighed. "Yeah, I got that. Where?"
"To get ready."
"But they already showered... They were in their dresses..."
She rose up from her laid position and rolled her eyes. "They're," she lifted her hands for air quotes and rose her voice an octave higher, "'getting their hair done'." She flopped back down on the bed.
"Oh." I walked over to the dresser and placed my towel there. "So..." I turned around towards the bed, "why aren't you 'getting your hair done'?"
"Don't need to," she said curtly.
"Okay." I approached the bed, noticing her sprawled out, long, black-streaked ponytail. "I think your hair's nice."
Her mouth twitched. "Thanks."
That was unexpected.
It was quiet for a moment. "I like your dress." It was strapless and black with tears at the end like she ripped it herself.
"I like yours."
"Thanks."
"Why'd you choose the red one, anyway?" she asked after some time.
"I liked it." I didn't know what compelled me to choose the red dress. I've never seen Cleo wear red. I never wore much red either. Maybe as an accessory but then I ended up wearing more yellow, last I remember. Maybe I would've chosen the blue dress if the situation was different but...
"Something about all this makes me want to change things," I said. "Not just the dress and what you guys are doing here—discovering the cause of this new world—but also things for me... in my unlife."
The werecat scoffed. "You really do have amnesia."
I was getting really tired of that excuse. "Amnesia. Right."
Toralei craned her neck to face me. "How much do you remember, anyway?"
"Oh!" I suddenly felt flustered. "People."
She raised an eyebrow. "People?"
"Yeah," I tried to avoid her gaze now that she was looking at me, "like you, Toralei."
She rose to a seated position and folded her legs beneath her. "So you remember what I've done?"
I nodded. "Sure do. Everything I know about you."
"Then you should know we don't get along." Then she added under her breath, "Even when we were fused together."
I sighed. Why, why did I have to be stuck in Cleo's body? I loved her, but why? "I know." I paused. "Why aren't the twins with you?"
"Meowlody and Purrsephone?"
I nodded.
"Told them to piss off. For now, at least."
I was a little taken aback. "Oh. That's... different."
She didn't seem to want to dwell on the subject. "So you remember everyone but yourself?"
I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah..?"
Her tail swayed. "That's hard to believe."
I froze and took a step back.
"Then again," she looked up, "I don't know how amnesia works so..." she moved to the edge of the bed, "whatever."
I exhaled, relieved.
She shrugged and hopped off my bed. Finally. "I'll ask the nerd about it later."
"Jackson?" I asked.
"Yeah," she responded, already heading towards the door.
I hoped he knew nothing about amnesia. I didn't know enough to be coming up with the lies I've been using as a cover.
"Are you guys..." I paused, trying to find the right word as she looked at me expectantly. "Close?"
Toralei rolled her eyes. "Sure."
"Like, friends?" I asked cautiously.
"Yep. Bye." She walked out, closing the door behind her.
I scowled. I understood why she didn't want to confide in Cleo de Nile but that was just rude. I supposed some things would never change.
I heard a bunch of shuffling outside; some muffled voices sounded rushed and slightly frantic. I opened the door, revealing a bunch of ghouls running down the hallway in their party dresses.
"What's going on?" I called out to them.
"What do you think's going on?" a voice said behind me. I looked back and saw Operetta dressed in a white, purple cobwebbed-designed dress, clean and awake. She grinned while adjusting a heart-shaped mask. "The party's starting, ghoul! Get a move on!"
I gasped and rushed over to slip on the black wedges given to me earlier. I walked back to my door as Operetta was already heading out the building. I grinned.
A party. Finally something familiar.
-.-.-.-
It was mildly dark outside and stars began to show in the sky now that the sun had set. The party took place outdoors beside the dining pavilion, tables lined up at its edge containing snacks. There were torches at each corner; a string of multicolored lights connecting them and lined on the roof of the dining pavilion as well. I was impressed with how it all turned out. In the center was a large patch of dry, compact dirt—dance floor. The DJ booth was over towards the end, opposite the snack tables. Music blasted out of the speakers even though it lacked, well, a DJ. I guess no one had convinced Holt yet. In fact, I didn't see him anywhere.
"Cleo!"
I turned toward the voice, Lagoona beckoning me over to the snack table.
I smiled and joined her. "What's up?"
"What d'you think of the party, love? Pretty nice how it turned out."
"Yeah. I'm impressed."
Operetta slid in beside Lagoona. "You're welcome," she teased.
Lagoona smiled and rolled her eyes. "Thanks, mate."
"Oui," Rochelle walked in beside her. "We needed this. Merci, Operetta."
Operetta waved her hand bashfully. "Aw shucks, y'all, I can't take all the credit."
"That's right," Johnny Spirit said, phasing through the table.
Operetta glared at him. "Never mind. I'll take all the credit."
He glared back at her. "Do you remember who carried the sack?"
The musical ghoul crossed her arms. "Coulda done it myself," she muttered.
The ghost looked baffled. "You made me carry it."
"You didn't have to come," she retorted.
Johnny laughed. "You made me come!"
"Whatever. This party's dead. Let's dance." Operetta grabbed his wrist and dragged the startled spirit to the dirt dance floor. Not many people were dancing but the pair quickly livened up the party, allowing more monsters to join them.
"Hey." Deuce approached us, well, me. The ghouls giggled. Was this always what it was like for Cleo with her boyfriend? The Gorgon wore a black dress shirt and pants. He smiled down at me. "Do you like the party?"
I nodded. "Yeah. It's clawesome." Then the DJ booth caught my eye. "Though it might be better if we had a DJ."
He looked back at the booth. "Yeah, maybe."
"Did you talk to Holt?" Rochelle asked him.
He sighed. "I did my best."
Rochelle nodded sympathetically. "Nous espérons pour le meilleur."
Deuce shrugged. "Guess so."
I looked at him dubiously. "You know French, Deuce?"
"Uh, yeah." He appeared uneasy. "Rochelle and I hung out a lot."
I looked back at Rochelle, and she forced a sheepish smile. I knew Deuce and Rochelle were good friends back in high school. I also knew Cleo was never too comfortable with it either. But I would be honest. "That's nice."
Deuce looked at me skeptically. Then he looked to the side. I think I caught him mumbling "amnesia" under his breath. He turned back to me, his snake mohawk hissing softly as he spoke. "Wanna dance?" he asked, hopeful eyes almost visible past the dark lenses of his sunglasses.
Oh. Er... "Of corpse."
Somewhere, Cleo is trapped inside Nefera's body suffering an eternal slumber. But I didn't think anything would be more agonizing for her than what I just agreed to right now.
Deuce held out his hand and I hesitantly grabbed it as he led me to the dance floor.
-.-.-.-
I was worried that dancing with Cleo's boyfriend would be awkward. Thankfully, it wasn't. It was fun. Despite the circumstances, I enjoyed myself. Deuce wasn't that bad of a dancer and he was super nice whenever I'd step on his foot or slip up somehow. The sky darkened and the night air cooled as we danced. How long had it been?
"Something wrong?" Deuce asked. I hadn't realized I had stopped moving.
I smiled reassuringly. "No, I'm fine. I was just thinking—" A figure caught my eye; one that should've been here sooner. "Look." I pointed behind Deuce, and he turned around.
The Gorgon sighed. "Holt." He turned back to me. "I'll go talk to him. Thanks for the dance, babe." He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and rushed off toward the other monster.
I let out a frustrated groan once he was gone. I may have had a crush on him on my first day of school, but I missed my friendship with Deuce.
Someone stumbled into me from behind. "Ooh!" I exclaimed as I regained my balance.
"Sorry." I turned around to see Abbey.
"It's okay, Abbey," I said.
Abbey looked absolutely gorgeous in the dress she was wearing. It resembled the blue one she wanted me to wear except this one was a light purple color; her long, thick, white-multicolored hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. But, as great as she looked, she appeared to be a little on edge.
"Are you okay, Abbey?"
The icy ghoul looked down. "Not really."
"Why? Party."
She huffed out a short laugh, and then met my gaze. "Is Heath."
Now I was intrigued. A broad grin slowly appeared on my face. "Having fun?"
"Not exactly. Have been dancing with fire boy all night."
"I don't see anything wrong with that."
She sighed. "Dancing has been... awkward for Abbey. No talking, no looking in eye, just movement through motions."
I frowned. "Oh."
"Do not know what to make of situation. Especially because..." she trailed off.
"Because what?" I prodded.
Abbey leaned in a bit. "He says Abbey is no longer cold to the touch."
I reached out for her hand and touched it. I flinched and retracted immediately.
Abbey's eyes widened. "So I am still cold to the touch?" She seemed relieved.
I nodded fiercely. "Yeah."
"Must be Heath no longer feel cold after five years," she reasoned. "Lagoona talk about how he more adept with flames and heat. Fire body must adjust to differing temperature now."
I grinned. "You talked to Lagoona about Heath?"
Abbey looked away bashfully. "That and also," she turned back to me, "learned about fire elemental information on arrival."
I nodded slowly. Lagoona had talked to me about that. "Right." I felt a little embarrassed about calling Abbey out. "You should try to make the best of it. You never know what might happen."
She nodded and looked down, a grave expression etched across her face. "Something bad."
I shook my head. "No, Abbey," I reached out and put a hand on her cold, bare shoulder, "something good. Just make it that way."
The Yeti ghoul looked back at me with wide eyes.
I smiled. "Have fun. It might not be what you expected, but you'll only enjoy it if you let yourself."
Abbey gave me a small smile. "Cheesy yet inspiring talk from Cleo. World really is crazy."
I gave her a teasing glare. "Just go."
She laughed and ran off towards the fire elemental who was currently talking to Jackson at the drink table. Heath jumped slightly when Abbey held his hand.
"What's your problem?" a voice shouted. Behind me, I saw Bram Devein stomp up to where Deuce stood with Holt. Bram pushed past the Gorgon. "You can't DJ for one night?"
I didn't hear Holt, but whatever he said irritated Bram more, and the blond vampire advanced towards the other monster. Gory swiftly stepped in between them.
"Settle down," she told her boyfriend. "Don't waste your anger on him."
Bram relaxed, then smirked and brought Gory closer to him. "You're right." He brought his hands down to her waist. "We've lived for centuries and we're hardly legends. But him," he jerked his head toward Holt, "he was only sixteen and his name was known almost everywhere in the monster community. Now look," he scoffed, "he's so pitiful it's laughable."
Holt rushed at the vampire, snatching Gory off him. Bram stood stunned, his arms still outstretched to where he had held his ghoulfriend. Holt had his fist up in the air, but his asperity vanished and tenseness took its place. He stood awkwardly in front of Bram, restraining himself mid-impulse. The vampire remained unmoving and wide-eyed.
"Hey." Deuce approached Holt from behind and grabbed his shoulder, trying to pull him back. "Relax, dude."
Holt begrudgingly complied and wrenched his shoulder away from his grip.
Gory took the opportunity to grab Bram by the hand and rush him over to the dance floor, the blond giving off an uncharacteristically high-pitched yelp the second she dragged him off.
"How come you won't get on the booth?" Deuce asked Holt cautiously, clearly worried his temper would flare up again.
Holt groaned and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I don't even know where to start!"
This was getting ridiculous. Before I knew it, I was walking over to them.
Deuce looked surprised. "Cleo, uh, we can hang out in a sec but now—"
"What is wrong with you?" I asked Holt pointedly.
He opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off.
"Yes, things are different," I began, rushing out words with only my emotions to guide me. "And yes, everything pretty much sucks."
Holt's shoulders eased as he calmed down, and I surged on now that I knew he was listening.
"But even though there are plenty of reasons to feel bad," I poked a finger at his chest, "there is no reason to avoid something as good and as fun as the things you love. And the last monster I'd expect to dodge happiness—a chance to live in the moment—is you."
Holt stood there dumbfounded, his amber eyes wide. Deuce grinned beside him and chuckled lightly.
"The Holt I knew lived in the moment," I said, my spur of emotional flare subsiding. "He hardly had time back then, but now, with all the time in the world... Why isn't he taking the chance?"
Holt sighed, and for a moment I thought my words had failed to get through to him. He looked up in thought and then a smile—probably the first real one I've seen on him since I've been here—slowly spread across his face. "I'll..." He looked around at the crowd. Crowd? I hadn't noticed I had attracted so much attention. "Be back in sec." He turned on his heel and ran.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"What are they cheering for?" I asked Deuce. "He ran away."
Deuce grinned. "Nah, he just went to get ready for the party." He pointed his thumb toward the direction Holt ran, which led toward the cabins.
"Oh, okay," I replied. Now that I think about it, the clothes Holt wore stuck out from the rest of our party outfits. Funny how his really simple clothes made him stand out. Back then it'd be his flashy clothes that'd make him stick out.
"That was some talking to you gave 'im, Cleo," Operetta said as she approached me.
"Mmhmm." Honey Swamp walked in beside her, Viperine at her side. "Nice work, sugar."
I blushed and thanked them.
I felt Deuce put his arm around me and I stiffened for a second. "That's my ghoul."
...
Guilt doesn't feel good after lifting someone else's spirits.
I waited anxiously for Holt to come back. It wouldn't be a real party without him as the DJ and he was going to do it. My bolts would be sparking with excitement if I was in my own body. I let out a frustrated groan at the thought.
Deuce pulled back his arm. "You okay, babe?"
"No, no, I'm fine," I assured him. "Something came across my mind and... yeah."
The Gorgon shrugged in response and gently reached for my hand. I let him hold it.
I looked out toward the party scene. We were at the edge opposite the tables so it was nice to overlook the party like this. I noticed Abbey scolding Heath by the table Jackson stood by, who looked really frustrated with the two of them. Lagoona was laughing as they argued while Scarah... She was looking straight at me, her blank white eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed. I wonder why she'd be—
Stay right there.
I jumped at the sudden voice. It... It was Scarah's. In my...
Deuce squeezed my hand, sensing my unease. "Sure you're okay?"
I looked up at him and forced a smile. "I'm fine, um, Deucey." Cleo called him that, right? "I just—"
Scarah appeared in front of me. "There you are!"
"—need to get some punch! Come on, Scarah." I grabbed her forearm and led her toward the snack table. "Let's get some punch."
She didn't say anything as we made our way across the dance floor to the tables, but she pulled back her arm once we were there.
"So Scarah..." I said slowly. "What's up?"
"I'll tell you what's up." She pointed at me. "You have been lying to us."
I stiffened. "About what?" I asked, my question sounding much too perky to sound believable.
The green ghoul stepped closer to me and whispered softly, "Cleo isn't in there, is she?"
I let out a tiny yelp. There was no use backing out of this. Scarah was a telepath.
She stared at me incredulously, her white eyes wide. "Who are you? Why are you here?" she whispered harshly. "Why would you take over Cleo's body and play us like this?"
"You don't know who I am?" I asked timidly
She shook her head. "I know you don't belong in there."
"I promise you, Scarah," I began steadily. "I'm a friend."
She scoffed. "Or a parasite."
"No!" I interjected. "A friend," I coaxed. "You can trust me. Please."
She stared at me for a moment, then sighed. "Why are you in there anyway?"
A weight lifted off my shoulders. "I didn't want to be. It was a... mix up."
"Are you going to tell me who you are?"
I thought about it for a moment. It'd be nice if someone knew but... "Not yet," I told her. "You'll find out soon enough."
She narrowed her empty eyes at me. "And I should just trust you, then?"
"Please, Scarah, I just want to get back in my own body. Cleo, too."
The Banshee's daughter shrugged. "I can help you with that."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Seriously?"
Scarah nodded and I was fidgety with excitement. I moved to hug her, but she stepped back.
I brought my arms down sheepishly. "Sorry."
"It's fine," she replied. "But you should know that I can't do it without the other body."
"Oh." My excitement faded. "Right."
"So you need to get it and bring it here," she stated like it was the simplest thing in the world.
I tried saying something but it came out like a bunch of stutters. How could I explain that this was a lot more complicated than it seemed?
Scarah ignored me and continued. "And mind swapping is a real toughie, reserved for only the highest level telepaths..." She seemed to be talking more to herself than to me. "I'm gonna need some reference."
I hadn't realized she brought her attention back to me. "Huh?"
"Books," she said, "about more advanced forms of telepathy. I wouldn't wanna wreck anything." She paused. "Tricky thing is, there aren't any books like that here. And the only place where I know there would be is..." she trailed off, her expression darkening. She was silent for a long moment.
I was growing impatient. "Where?"
She looked back at me, a dismal look in her blank eyes. Scarah took a deep breath before she finally answered:
"Monster High."
