Frigid water briskly met my face, and my post-dream headache left as I wiped my face dry with a towel. This dream was hard to process. All I remembered were blurs of colors and numbing voices. Maybe it had nothing to do with Whisp and it was just a dream. I sighed, then headed out to the dining pavilion for breakfast.
It'd been a week—a whole week since I woke up to all this. Sure, I was getting used to being called "Cleo", but still, it was hard to hold back what I was keeping inside. I felt like could break down at any moment.
The past three days after the party had been somewhat uneventful. I heard Jackson and Holt got into a fight, then made up. The next day I found out about Twyla, who came the day before, and yesterday I heard that something happened between Heath and Abbey. They've avoided each other since.
I trudged through the grass. The sky was a bold blue painted with wispy clouds. Today was warmer than the other days; winter was nearing its end. I grinned to myself as I took off my sweater, and then wrapped it around my waist. I was so ready for Spring. Left in my cyan t-shirt and gray jeans, I made my way to the end of the food line, my tennis shoes scuffling across the dirt ground of the dining pavilion.
"Oi!"
I looked over my shoulder and cringed. "Hey, Scarah."
Scorn showed in the banshee's blank eyes. "Don't you 'hey Scarah' me," she spat, crossing her pistachio-green arms. "Did you forget that body doesn't belong to you, parasite?"
I grimaced. "Scarah," I said quietly, "I haven't forgotten."
She uncrossed her arms and waved her index finger at me. "Remember that you need an excuse to get out of here and back to—"
"—Monster High," I cut in. "I know."
The black-haired ghoul glared at me, her eyes narrowed. "You had amnesia, right?"
I nodded, wondering why she decided to bring that up.
"I read it in your mind," she said.
I stiffened. Did she just—
"Yes," she snapped. Then her expression softened. "You really don't... This world is entirely new to you, isn't it?"
A sigh escaped my lips. "Yeah," I told her. It's been hard, but I could deal.
Scarah scoffed. "Wait 'til you see the school, then you'll think otherwise."
I tried my best to glare at her. I didn't appreciate the invasion of privacy.
"Well, maybe if I knew who you were," she said pointedly, "I wouldn't be snooping around in there."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't understand why you can't find out on your own," I said. "You can just—"
"Hey!"
Scarah and I whipped our heads back at the voice.
"Please try to move up in line!" Bram called out at the line's end.
I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." I moved up in the line and Scarah followed suit.
"For some reason," she began quietly, "I can't identify your mind. It's like it's blocked by whatever magic got you stuck in Cleo's body in the first place."
Magic? How did she know—?
"I know of nothing else that can get someone trapped in another monster's body like you are," she said. "Magic is the only explanation."
Magic amulets and charms, yeah. "But why do I have to go there?" I asked while grabbing an omelet and a glass of orange juice.
Scarah followed me with a plate of scrambled griffon eggs and a glass of milk. "Like I said," she whispered, "you'll feel differently about all this once you see the school." You'll realize the gravity of the situation.
I almost dropped my plate when I heard her voice in my head. I turned to her with wide eyes, but she just smiled.
"Now, get me those books. The sooner you get in your own body, the better."
I nodded and she turned away to sit at a table with Operetta and Johnny. I found my own table and took a seat beside Lagoona.
The sea monster faced me and grinned. "Morning, Cleo."
"My ghoul," Howleen groaned across me. "Did I miss the memo or something?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Almost everyone's wearing t-shirts today," Twyla said beside her.
Howleen sighed. "It's just so boring."
"But it's comfortable," Twyla chipped in. "Maybe you should've worn a t-shirt instead of a dress."
"But it's cute," Howleen whined. I understood the feeling. The days after the party, I've been trying to break in Cleo's golden wedges and, as cute as they were, tennis shoes were such a relief after wearing her heels for three days straight.
"Eh," Toralei came to sit beside Howleen and looked over the Wolf's pink dress. "Could be better."
Howleen's ear twitched as she slouched over and sorely shoved strips of bacon into her fanged mouth.
I dug into my omelet. As I chewed, I came to a realization. "Deuce made breakfast, didn't he?"
Lagoona grinned. "Heath let him," she said. "Pretty obvious, huh?"
I nodded and took another bite of my omelet.
A thunk sounded as someone took a seat beside me. "Hey," Holt said, setting his breakfast down.
"Hi!" I blurted out, my mouth still full.
Across the table, Toralei gave me a look. Then she started laughing.
"Hey Holt," Lagoona said on the other side of me while Howleen asked Toralei what was so funny. "Hope you don't mind me asking, mate, but," Lagoona's brows furrowed together. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged and glanced over at me. "Deuce wants to see you."
-.-.-.-
Once I finished eating, I went over to the cabins. Holt had told me Deuce was preparing for the task he volunteered to do. He was leaving today. As I approached the wooden building, I couldn't help but imagine the worst. The task was called "the search" for a reason. If it was dangerous enough for monsters to get lost out there, then what could happen to Deuce? I didn't want Cleo to finally come back into her body with her beloved boyfriend nowhere to be found.
The door creaked as I opened it. It shut behind me and I walked into the first room on my right, its entryway wide open. Sunlight streamed in through the window, lighting the room slightly. Deuce was kneeling on the floor by a bag and an audible zip sounded when I walked in.
The Gorgon smiled when he saw me. "Cleo," he breathed, rising up and walking toward me. "I'm glad you're here." He reached for my hand, and I let him hold it.
I gave him a small smile. "I thought you wanted to see me."
He laughed softly. "Doesn't mean I can't say I'm happy to see you."
"But..." I looked to the side, avoiding his gaze.
"Hey," his hand went under my chin, and I swiftly met his sunglasses-clad face. "There's nothing to worry about," he assured. "It's just a couple of days."
It wasn't that, but I wasn't about to tell him. Deuce needed to be out there assured that his ghoulfriend was safe; that she was here waiting for him.
I didn't respond for a while, and I closed my eyes so I couldn't see the look he was giving me. I've never seen him so genuinely concerned about another person like this. Deuce was always so calm and cool, any sort of emotion straying from that being far from palpable on his face. At first, I thought it was because his presumed-dead ghoulfriend had miraculously appeared, but I've come to realize that the way he acted around me—around Cleo—was simply that. His deepest fears his greatest dreams, all laid out for his ghoulfriend to see. Yet here I was, unfairly taking advantage of everything. So yes, I was worried about Deuce. But I've also realized that the harder I tried to hide my guilt, the stronger it became.
"Be safe," I croaked out, which confused me for a moment until I felt something warm sliding down my cheek. I opened my eyes and Deuce was looking down at me, concern practically radiating off him. He took his thumb and gently wiped the tear off my face. I was crying. Next thing I knew, my vision became blurry and I made awful gasping sounds. Tears flowed down my face like a waterfall. It'd been a week. Had it finally gotten to me?
Deuce pulled me close, and I sobbed into his chest. I felt so pathetic. Why couldn't I just tell someone what was going on?
-.-.-.-
After that fiasco of a goodbye, I went to my room to regain my composure. I was lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I sighed. Deuce had to have left by now. If only he could come back home to his actual ghoulfriend.
Wait.
I sat up at my epiphany. I could get Cleo. I knew where to find her and... Scarah.
I hopped off my bed and made my way out my room. I needed to leave. I needed to do as had Scarah asked: go back to Monster High and, somewhere along the way, get Cleo. Even if she was trapped in Nefera's unconscious body, Scarah could at least transfer Cleo's mind into her rightful body—the one I was currently invading. But what could I say that would allow me to leave this place?
When I walked out the ghouls' building, I saw that my job had been done for me.
Heath stood on the porch, an empty brown knapsack in his hands. He tossed at me, and I caught it reflexively.
"You gotta go," the fire elemental stated, his tone serious.
I wasn't expecting this to happen so abruptly. "Um. Why?"
"Scarah told me she scanned your mind. You should've told us."
I froze, and my eyes widened. "Y-you know?" I said, barely above a whisper.
The fiery-haired monster nodded. "Yeah."
My face fell. "Heath..." I looked down, guilt once again coming over me. "I'm sorry that I've been—"
"I didn't know your brain was encoded with a mission!"
I quickly looked back up at him. "Wha—?"
"It's why you woke up with amnesia: so you can focus on the mission!" Heath seemed oddly enthusiastic about it, and I stood there silently. So this was what Scarah meant by an excuse.
"Uh yeah," I said, slinging the knapsack's strap over my shoulder. "Exactly. The mission is what matters."
He seemed convinced. "Awesome. Well, you have to leave as soon as you can. But you shouldn't go alone so..." he looked at expectantly.
"Oh, well, um..." The next words sprung out of my mouth as I spoke. "At lunch I'll, um, inform the monsters of the, er, situation and whoever's interested can come along, I guess."
Heath grinned broadly. "Scorchin'!"
I couldn't help but smile. Same old Heath.
-.-.-.-
I tripped when going down the porch steps. It was finally noon and I was heading to lunch after having spent the past few hours in my room not only for emotional reasons but also because I needed to come up with a believable "mission". When I finally left the ghouls' cabin I had fallen forward and landed flat on my face in typical Frankie Stein fashion.
I rose onto my knees, spitting grass from my mouth. Then I stood and brushed some off my jeans. "Cleo de Nile is not a klutz," I thought aloud. "How is anyone going to believe I'm her when I can't even—!" I lifted my head and froze.
"You okay?" Holt asked, amusement glinting in his sunset-colored irises.
"Oh, I'm fine," I replied, awkwardly brushing past him as I made my way towards the dining pavilion.
He turned and caught up with me. "Deuce already left."
"I figured..."
"So you said 'bye'?"
I stopped walking and sighed. "Yes. Why?"
"'Cause I didn't get the chance." Holt moved to stand in front of me. "But yesterday he told me not to tell you 'bout the whole 'looking out for you' thing." He flashed a lopsided grin. "Whoops."
Holt had been smiling a lot more recently, that and wearing brighter clothes. He almost seemed like his old self and not the doleful monster I had met in this crazy future. I started walking again, and he walked beside me.
"I would've forgotten if he didn't lecture me about it yesterday," he admitted. "But, come on, how much lookin' after are you gonna need? You're just staying in the camp."
I sighed. "As much as I appreciate it, I think that Deuce may be being a bit... overprotective."
"Yeah, well, I don't blame him," he said. "We all thought you were dead. And Deuce... he was a wreck."
I fell silent, and a sliver of guilt cut through me.
Holt seemed to notice how the mood had changed, and let out a short laugh before he spoke again. "But now that you're here, it's all good."
"Cleo! Over here!" Heath was calling out to me from the edge of the dining pavilion.
I acknowledged him with a small wave. "Um, I'll talk to them in a sec let me just get my lun—Hey!"
He rushed over to me and grabbed my wrist. "Later! You gotta tell them while they're all here."
"O-okay," I managed to say while he pulled me along. I winced as my wrist began to heat up.
He stopped suddenly and I wrenched my wrist from his grip. I let out a hiss and rubbed it gently. Thankfully, it wasn't burned, but it did sting. I narrowed my eyes at the fire elemental. "Please keep your heat to yourself, Heath."
He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I've been really..." he paused, biting his lip before he continued. "Excited since you guys came and now I'm having a harder time keeping my power in check."
I wasn't about to give it much thought but, clearly, there was something more than that. Even so, it seemed like everyone was reverting back to the monsters I knew. The thought was comforting. I giggled. "It's okay, Heath."
He cleared his throat. "Okay, well, whenever you're ready..." He took a few steps backward and I was about to follow him until I realized he had dragged me to the middle of the dining pavilion.
I was surrounded by picnic tables crowded with monsters. I looked back to Heath for guidance, but he had already gone. I gulped when I met the eyes of the other monsters, anticipation overcoming me. "Um, hi."
They all continued staring at me with listless expressions, like students in a classroom. I failed to avoid eye contact and I skimmed gazes until I met Scarah's, her blank eyes urging me to speak. I breathed deeply before I started my explanation—my lie.
"I have something important to tell all of you," I said, which somewhat caught the monsters' attention. "I need to go back to Monster High."
Everyone became deathly silent. I could hear the soft gnawing of food.
I cautiously continued, "It's crucial that I go back and get certain books from the library. I know it's been caved in but..." I trailed off when I noticed no one seemed convinced. I cleared my throat. "I woke up with amnesia... most of you know that. I also have a..." Here it goes, "A mission imprinted in my brain, and I wasn't aware of it until recently."
This seemed to shake the monsters free from their befuddled states, and their eyes lit up with sudden curiosity.
I resumed with newfound confidence. "It's hard to explain but, the point is, I need to go."
The infamous awkward silence of the future once again decided to plague me, but I tried gathering a sort of response from the monsters. Their expressions were unreadable. The information I had given them wasn't enough to sway them. I had to come up with another lie.
"The mission isn't just about getting books, though." I paused. All I could think about was Whisp and the dreams I had. I couldn't even remember the last time I saw her... The next moment, the lie I needed finally came, "I also need to get Whisp's lantern from the swimming pool."
The place was still dead silent, but now I had everyone's attention. Familiar faces were staring at me from all sides. Whisp's lantern wasn't in the swimming pool, and I hoped no one else knew that finding her was hopeless, but I needed to find the books. I needed to go back for Cleo. I held my breath.
Then I heard a loud sigh from behind me. "I guess you're gonna need a watchdog after all," Holt chided.
The dining pavilion instantly erupted into chatter and other voices started to speak up.
"You can count me in."
"And me."
"I'll go, too."
The sudden commotion was overwhelming, but I was thankful for all the cooperating offers.
I exhaled in relief. "Alright," I said as a grin spread across my face. "We leave tomorrow morning."
"Morning?" Holt groaned.
"She's gotta do this as soon as she can," Heath prodded.
The other rolled his eyes. "Fine."
I made my way to the end of the lunch line, and Scarah confronted me again.
"Nicely done," she praised. "Whisp's lantern? I may have come up with the 'mission' part but I would've never thought of that."
"So you're not coming?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Sorry but, no. These lads would feel a lot safer having a telepath in their mists." She continued, quieter now, "But here are the book titles..."
