Sunlight threatened to peek through the heavy drapes. It was another day, and her world had fallen apart once more.

Nefera shoved her face into her pillow and let out another scream. This wasn't how it should've happened. It was supposed to be perfect. She rose her head back to the curtains where a large potted plant stood; it's petals no more than a bud. Nefera stared at it until her rage boiled over.

"WAKE UP!" She threw everything she could grab at the plant. "Damn you! Damn you! DAMN YOU!"

A knock sounded, and she begrudgingly sat up. "What?" she said flatly.

"Uh, your majesty," came a timid voice behind the elaborate door, "are you alright?"

"No," Nefera snapped. "I'm not." She didn't recognize the voice, so it had to be one of the servants. She let out a grunt. There was no way she'd spend valuable time talking to a servant, no matter how desperately she wanted to speak to someone. She took another glance at the plant and sighed. Amanita wasn't waking up anytime soon.

Nefera sat up and combed her bedhead with her fingers. "Get the head of the Law Enforcement Unit here as soon as you can."

"Y-yes, your majesty. Is there anything you'd like me to tell him?"

Nefera slid off the bed. "Just that he needs to hurry." She heard the scuttling of footsteps and smirked.

She moved to her mirror and marveled at her reflection. No green skin, bi-colored eyes, or awful stitches marred her glorious innate beauty.

Another knock startled her, but Nefera was quick to recompose herself. "Enter."

The opulent door heavily opened. "Your majesty?"

Nefera rushed to the entrance. The voice was hoarse. She didn't recognize it. Mustering up all her strength, she slammed the door shut. "Who are you? I asked for Valentine."

There was a pause until the voice croaked out, "Yes. I'm the one in charge..." He let out a cough. "Are you going to let me in or not?"

Panic rose in Nefera's chest. Should she ignore him? Or let him in on her secret and tell him who she really was?

"Hello?" He called, his voice muffled. "Frankie?"

Nefera sighed, knowing she couldn't do this alone. She had to confide in someone. The head of the Law Enforcement Unit was the best option. She released her hold on the door, and Valentine cautiously let himself in.

His eyebrows arched when he saw her. "Well, you're not the Queen."

"Ha!" Nefera scoffed. "You have the gall to look at me like that when you appear to have died twice over."

The vampire's face was gaunt and his skin lacked any pink previously there. He could easily be mistaken for a zombie.

Nefera turned her back on him. "I'm just not Frankie. I never was. I switched bodies with her, and now I'm in my rightful form. Now," she pivoted to face him, "why on Earth do you look like that?"

Valentine looked down. "I had a run in with the plant ghoul we put in the dungeon... I tried drinking from her, but her blood was poisoned. As you can see," he held his arms out, his frame now thin and sickly, "I have not fully recovered."

"Is she alive?"

"No." He glared at her. "You would know that if you kept up with the documentation we put together." He took a step toward her. "It's the least you can do..." he paused, "...darling."

Nefera rolled her eyes. "I have monsters like you for a reason, Valentine."

Valentine sighed. "I'm not surprised that you were never Frankie. There was no way that ghoul could become someone like, well, you." His dry lips morphed into a smirk and he stalked past her, arms behind his back. "I bet you were thinking it was smart of you to use her body the way you did. Everyone liked her. It's unlikely anyone would turn against her." He sat on the enormous bed in the center, his black uniform contrasting greatly with the white and gold silk. "Am I wrong?"

"It doesn't matter," Nefera sneered. "I deserve to be queen."

He chuckled. "Is that what you've been telling yourself? You had the ghoul's body and you could've done anything. You had the power to rule over this city, but you did nothing. Sure, it was only like a mayor but—"

"There's no power above me," Nefera countered. "I'm more than a measly mayor."

"That's not what the official documentation says," he said under his breath.

Nefera's fists clenched at her sides.

Valentine looked exasperated. "What was the point? Who even are you?"

Nefera stilled. A second later, her eyes filled with malice. "Who am I? I am Nefera de Nile and I am your queen! Can't you get it through your head? You do what I say!"

The ghastly vampire held up his hands reflexively, then lowered them. His brows furrowed together. "De Nile... Like, Cleo de Nile?"

She bit her tongue at the mention of Cleo. "Yes. She's my little sister."

"Oh. You must hate her."

"What makes you say that?"

"Darlin', you sent her to the dungeon so she could die."

Nefera was about to say that it was Frankie, not her sister, but instead, she shook her head and dismissed the thought.

"If I had a sister," Valentine continued, "hell, brother even, I wouldn't..." He stared past Nefera, his eyes carrying a sense of grief. Or was it guilt? Maybe it was both. Nefera didn't care.

"Snap out of it and help me."

His gaze turned her way and she was almost struck with the intensity of it.

Valentine was in pain.

It had been years since Nefera had seen him with an expression remotely resembling this. In the beginning, when everything fell apart, Valentine was there to help. Whisp, on the other hand, became useless; the genie drove herself insane with guilt. So Nefera locked her away, nothing left for Whisp but to relive a fantasy. Nefera didn't show any concern, but Valentine did ever since her "disappearance". The two seemed to have been friends once.

Nefera was left with Valentine, who suggested using the amulets to build the palace and construct a massive city. A city of every monster's dream. But, more importantly, a city in which Nefera ruled. Imprisoned in Frankie Stein's body, Nefera played the part up until the point she couldn't and retreated to solitude. She ruled for a couple months, and then he took over at her request. Valentine didn't seem to mind.

They weren't friends; Nefera was repulsed at the mere thought of it. Even so, through his work and perseverance, Nefera began to believe that maybe what she had done wasn't such as bad thing. Abusing a genie's power, cursing her sister, separating the human world from the monster world, tricking monsters into believing she was someone else; causing the destruction of Monster High...

The only difference was now there was no Frankie to hide behind.

Valentine let out a huff and sat up. "I'm leaving."

"Wait." Nefera strode up to him. "I told you to help me."

He closed his eyes in annoyance. "Alright."

The mummy ghoul smiled. "Now..." She pointed a finger at his chest. "What. Should. I. Do?"

"You haven't done anything these past five years but sit on your throne and hide in your room. How do you think you can move past," he gestured at her, "this? Especially when you're not Frankie anymore?"

She wanted to bite back; lash out at him, but he was right. And Nefera hated being wrong. "Look," she said sternly, her expression morphing into a harsh scowl. "I'm the rightful ruler of this city no matter what you've done before. Look at yourself! You can barely hear the pathetic southern accent in you! I have to lead. I have to be the queen I was destined to be—born to be; not some puppet in another ghoul's body."

Valentine didn't say anything at first, then tilted his head to the side. "How?"

Nefera glared at him a split second before looking down. Her eyelids squeezed together. She was frustrated not only at Valentine's incessant questions but also at herself. She knew what she had to do. "I will need your help," she said through gritted teeth. "And everyone else in the palace."

After some time, the vampire let out a sigh. "If you want our help, you know what that's going to require, right?"

Nefera wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yes."


A brisk touch to my shoulder jolted me awake. "Abbey?" The Yeti ghoul loomed over the bunk. The silence was overwhelming. "Where is everyone?"

"Already off bus," she said, moving toward the exit. "We're here."

I flung the sheets off and snatched my knapsack from the bedside. Curiosity prickled at my skin. Our group had resided in an old camp away from the city, and even they weren't concealed from Nefera's lackeys. What had kept these monsters hidden?

Soft grass met my bare feet when I stepped off the bus. It was so lush, my skin looked dull in comparison. Keeping my eyes on the ground, I took careful steps forward until I caught sight of Abbey's icy hue.

The feel of my feet sweeping across the grass made me giddy. "Can you believe how green this is?" I glanced back at the ground, then back up. My mouth went dry.

A massive, gothic building towered directly in front of us. The landscaping surrounding it only added to its daunting form. It was like a something out of a magazine. I blinked repeatedly. This was real.

"A mansion?" Heath exclaimed. He turned to Gil, wide-eyed. "You've been living in a mansion?"

Gil grinned sheepishly. "Yeah... Let me show you guys around."

After a sharing of tentative glances, we followed Gil past the fence: tall, interlaced iron spikes surrounding the entire mansion. The cobblestone path leading in was long and wide; black rose bushes decorated the porch side. Unlike the building itself, the front door was unassuming, as if it was the entrance to a home in the suburbs.

There was sudden tenseness amongst us when it opened, but it dissipated like smoke when a friendly face poked her head out.

Gigi's blue eyes gleamed. Her mouth was opened as if she was trying to say something, but all that came out were sputters. "I can't believe you're here," she spewed out, opening the door wide.

The rest seemed just as stunned, yet took the genie's invitation regardless. Some monsters pummeled her with questions and cries of relief like they had Gil. Finally, she raised her arms and smiled. "I'm just happy to see you."

Then she looked past the heads, and her eyes caught mine. "Frankie?"

I was still at the door. Why hadn't I approached Gigi, my friend, as the others had? My body belonged to me now, why didn't I behave like I had before I was swapped out of it? It was like I was hiding a secret; like I was still trapped in Cleo's body, pretending to be someone else. Except, this time, I wasn't pretending.

Gigi swam through the crowd, hesitantly stepping toward me until Gil leaned down and mumbled something into her ear. The genie's coral lips morphed into a gentle smile, and I was soon wrapped in a hug.

"It's great to see you," she said as she retracted herself. "But, according to Gil, you have some explaining to do."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"What are you doing in a nightgown anyway?" Gigi teased. There was excitement in her voice, "Let me show the ghouls to their rooms! Do you think you can show the guys to theirs, Gil?"

He gave her a quick nod and beckoned them to follow as he proceeded down a hallway. Deuce still held onto Cleo's hand and promised to lead him to his room later. The foyer was spacious and accented with small decorations and a curved, gothic-style staircase lay at its center. The boys went to the hall on the right, which obviously led to a series of rooms. There was another hall to the left, and by the smell wafting out, I could only assume it led to the kitchen.

Gigi scampered up the stairs. "Come on!"

We followed her through what seemed like a labyrinth, turning at every corner and stopping at each lavish room set aside for entertainment. Finally, we made it to our hall.

Gigi looked over her shoulder. "Do you mind if I ask you guys for a wish?" Her expression turned wary. "Preferably not from Toralei."

"Sure, love," Lagoona said. "What do you need?"

The genie shrugged. "Just that the doors in this hall would open. It'd make it easier for you ghouls to decide on rooms."

Lagoona complied, and Gigi clasped her palms together. Each door swung open with a loud thud. Gigi grinned. "Go ahead and take a look."

We had hardly inched forward when one of the doors abruptly slammed shut. A few of the ghouls jumped.

Iris charily pointed a finger at the door. "Um, what was that?"

Gigi cringed. "It must be Wydowna..." she admitted sheepishly. "She's probably in the middle of a comic or TV show or something... She doesn't like being interrupted when something important happens..."

A loud gasp resonated from the spider ghoul's room, and soon we heard panicky voice. "No! No, no, no..."

Gigi gave a nervous laugh. "Yep, definitely something important. You might want to keep your voices down for now."

"So which ones do we avoid?" Operetta asked, tugging her city-brought suitcase along as she meandered down the hall. "Some of these are yours, right?"

"Only the rooms up front, like Wydowna's," Gigi informed. She pointed her thumb to her side. "This one's mine and the next two have been taken by Jinafire and Jane."

"What about the ones across?" Rochelle asked, casting her pink-eyes to the two doors beside Wydowna's.

The genie unsuccessfully hid a grin. "You'll see those ghouls at dinner." She stifled a giggle. "Anyway, I'll leave you ghouls to it. See you at dinner."

I watched as she disappeared out the hallway, the ghouls already peeking into the rooms. Some looked excited, like Iris, Robecca, Rochelle, and Honey, scurrying into the first room they saw. Others, like Operetta, Gory, Toralei, and even Howleen, seemed pickier about their choices and grunted dismissively until settling on one. Cleo clearly wanted to get the best room, and poor Deuce was dragged behind her as she skirted past doorways. The werecat twins took rooms next to one another; Viperine took one with a vanity, opening her suitcase and reapplying her makeup. The rest of us glanced about the rooms carefully. Twyla settled on one's whose bedsheets and drapes had a purplish hue, Scarah took a green-themed room, and Lagoona decided on one with a spectacular view. That left me with Abbey, Whisp, and...

Draculaura placed a hand on my arm. "I'm going to check on Clawd. The pink room's mine!"

I couldn't get a word out before a dark glow emanated from her skin, and a bat poofed in her place, madly flapping its wings down the corridor.

"Must be convenient," Whisp said. "I wish I could turn into a bat and fly away."

Abbey seemed unfazed by her solemn remark. "Where have you been? Gigi was just here. Are you not wanting to see her?"

Whisp looked down. "Maybe later."

The Yeti ghoul sighed. "If you are sure." Then she walked into a completely white room. She probably decided on it because it reminded her of home, but I felt that it wouldn't do the trick unless it had some intense air conditioning.

Whisp and I continued down the hall, making sure to avoid the pink room Draculaura had claimed. I found myself stopping at the threshold of a simple, black and white themed room with baby blue walls. It was comforting to look at, even though it lacked in color. Then I realized Whisp was still trailing down the hall; she walked with her head hung. I raced to her side, hoping the company would relieve her. If she knew I was there, she didn't show it and the silence ensued.

Eventually, we halted, and the pink-skinned genie let out a long sigh. "I wish I could face her."

"Who?" I asked. "Gigi?"

Whisp nodded. "She's my sister, right? I should be happy to see her. But all I can think about is," she hesitated, "my finder."

I paused. "Valentine?"

She took a step back and sighed, not looking me in the eyes. Then a door shut in my face. Whisp had found her room, and something told me she was going to skip dinner.

With a resigned exhale, I hastened to mine. A checkered full-sized bed rested in the center, a black nightstand on one side and a white one on the other. A large white dresser lay on the left portion of the room with a door I presumed was the closet beside it. But on the opposite wall was another door... I shrugged my knapsack onto the bed and turned the knob. A bathroom—shower, bathtub, and all—greeted my vision. A surge of glee ran through me. Were all the bedrooms like this?

"Frankie!" Cleo's anxious voice came from the hall. My hand was still on the doorknob when she scrambled into my room, still hand in hand with Deuce. "Look in your closet!"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just look!" She gestured frantically to the door across from me.

"Oh-kay..." I made a move for the closet, but apparently, Cleo thought I was too slow and took it upon herself to fling it open. I gasped. "Wow..."

Hanging from within the closet were long, gorgeous, intricately-designed gowns. Below them were shoes ranging from sneakers to flashy pumps. But I was taken away by the dresses. "Cleo, this is amazing!"

Her brows furrowed when she glanced back at me. "You think so?" Cleo put a hand on her waist. "The ones in my room looked better."

"Cleo thinks we should have a party," Deuce said, abandoned at the entrance. He stomped forward, clearly trying to get his ghoulfriend's attention until she finally returned to his side and got a hold of his hand.

"These gowns are to die for, Frankie," Cleo squealed. "We can't just let them hang there! Not when they have me to wear them!"

I laughed. "You're right." I ran a hand along one of the gowns. Red. Silky. My fingers stilled. "But... do they really expect us to wear only these?"

Cleo's cyan eyes rolled. "The casual clothing is in the dresser. But those don't matter nearly as much as the party gowns!" She let out another squeal, then her gaze turned frightfully serious. "You must be with me on this."

I raised my hands, surrendering. "Yes, okay, Cleo, I am. One-hundred percent."

"Fangtastic!" Cleo sang. "I can't wait to tell everyone at dinner! See you later, Frankie!" She proceeded to prance out the room, chiding Deuce about the suits they had to have in his closet and whether or not it would match her favorite of the gowns.

A giggle fell from my mouth. Cleo was right. A party would be fun. And a formal one like she was suggesting? I brushed my finger along the gown again and flinched when the touch shocked me. The idea had me sparking at the bolts.

-.-.-.-

It wasn't difficult to find where dinner was held. We followed the smell of food downstairs to an enormous gourmet kitchen; a glance ahead leading us to the dining room. The seats flanking the long, mahogany table were promptly filled. A crystal chandelier hung above. Everyone sat down stiffly. Our outfits looked like rags in the grandeur of the mansion. How did they afford all this? Catty couldn't have spent everything on such a small group of monsters.

"Welcome everyone!" a low, female voice sounded. "It's such a relief to see you all!"

A petite figure strolled to the head of the table, and Draculaura leaped out of her seat. "Elissabat!" In an instant, she tackled the other vampire in a hug.

Elissabat's lavender eyes were wide with surprise before she returned the gesture. Another chair was loudly thrust aside, and Viperine was on her feet to greet her old friend.

Elissabat looked overwhelmed. Her words tumbled out between laughs, "Ghouls, it's great to see you but, please, sit down." The two reluctantly obeyed, but Elissabat failed to wipe the smile off her face. "Now, I'm sure you all are wondering—"

"Why a mansion?" Heath cut in. He leaned back in his chair. "It's a bit much, don't you think?"

The vampire's lips upturned slightly. "This mansion has belonged to the vampire queen for centuries. It's a last resort, like a safe house." She glanced around. "...ish. Before the monster and human worlds were separated five years ago, this mansion was in the middle of a prestigious human neighborhood, away from prying monster eyes and ears. It's remodeled and updated whenever a new queen takes over because, whether she wants it to or not, it has to befit the times."

Heath raised a finger. "That didn't answer my—"

"The mansion isn't just for the queen," Elissabat said sharply. "At least, not when I had it remodeled. I made sure to have rooms for all the servants. Of corpse, now it... It doesn't matter, does it? Not since all the elder monsters vanished."

Heath's lips turned into an awkward thin line, having received more than what he had asked for. The room was silent for a moment. I glanced about. No one besides Draculaura and Viperine had been ecstatic over Elissabat's appearance. The other monsters didn't even seem too surprised.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I..." She clapped her hands together. "I'm sure you're all wondering how we've survived the fall of Monster High." Elissabat swept her pale, pink-hued hand to the left. "Romulus can fill you in."

An almost-white gray werewolf with auburn hair stepped in from the archway leading to the kitchen. Bram shifted uncomfortably in his seat while Gory glared daggers at the newcomer. Romulus chuckled. "I'd prefer to give them the short version."

His dark green eyes landed on the vampire couple, and he grinned slyly before focusing on the rest of us. "Unlike you guys, we didn't make it out the day the school fell. We were trapped under it. I was one of the luckier ones, but some monsters were stuck in the rubble." He looked at Gigi, who was seated near the head of the table. "I found Gigi first, and my wishes helped free everyone else who... survived." He cleared his throat. "It took a while to get out—maybe a day or two. Nine of us survived. There are seven of us here now. Catty's on tour, and Skelita went to Hexico."

"Skelita?" Jinafire sat straight up in her seat, her clawed hands stiffening on the table. "You didn't tell me she was one of you."

"She's not," Romulus said. "She went to her family as soon as we got out of Monster High."

Howleen was hesitant to speak from across the room. "Why aren't you with yours?"

He beamed when saw the youngest Wolf. "My sisters are living in the city. They're happy but... We have things to do here."

Her amber eyes wouldn't meet his gaze. "Do they know you're alive?"

He didn't hesitate. "They will."

I heard Lagoona say under her breath, "If I had the chance, I'd visit my siblings down under..."

"Wait," Gigi said suddenly. "Things to do?" she asked Romulus. "I thought we gave up on that."

Elissabat shot her a warning glance. "We'll talk later, Gigi."

The genie looked to her lap with a small pout. What could they be talking about? A few monsters opened their mouths, ready to question them when someone barged in.

"Au revoir everyone! Tonight I leave for Scaris. I hope—Mon Dieu! I didn't know we had guests." The sight of the white-furred werecat made me grin.

"Catrine?" Rochelle said warily. "You're leaving for Scaris?"

Her light blue cat-eyes widened. "Rochelle!" She made a dash for the other French ghoul. "You're... Completely out of season."

The gargoyle laughed. "Oui, I suppose I am. But... you said you were going to Scaris."

Catrine nodded, her mauve-colored hair bobbing at her shoulders. "Tonight."

Rochelle twiddled with her pastel strands of hair. "You don't think... Perhaps that maybe I could... come along..." Her stone wings twitched in anticipation.

"Well..." Catrine glanced over her shoulder to Elissabat, who gave a quick nod. "I don't see why not. We're going to Scaris!"

"Really?" Rochelle's eyes seemed to light up the dim room. "Merci Catrine, I cannot tell you how much this means to me! You see, I haven't... I haven't seen Garrott in years."

At the mention of the ghoul's boyfriend, Catrine placed a reassuring hand on Rochelle's shoulder. "And now you will."

Rochelle eagerly rose. "When does your flight leave?"

Catrine grabbed her wrist. "I have to leave now. Let's go!"

Startled by the abruptness of it all, Rochelle hastily plastered on a smile as she waved goodbye. A chorus of farewells followed her. She was almost dragged out under the archway when Catrine reeled back, her ears flattened to her head in pain.

Confusion creased Rochelle's brows. "Catrine?"

She hissed, "Mon Dieu, Invisi Billy. Don't do that."

"Sorry." The monster materialized in the space in front of the two ghouls. He stood well over a head taller than both of them, even Catrine in her pumps. "I couldn't let Rochelle leave without saying goodbye."

The gargoyle raised a hand to her mouth, expressing the emotions radiating across the room. Invisi Billy had made it out. Like the other monsters here, his style hadn't changed much; the only thing notably different was his shorter hair, dark blue tufts of it escaping from the top of his beanie. He held out his arms, a grin on his bluish, white-skinned face. His gray eyes gleamed. Rochelle reached out and hugged him until Catrine tapped her shoulder, and she tore away. She glanced back at us, her pink eyes glassy. "Au revoir."

The next thing I knew, I was out of my seat and moving around the table to her side. I pulled the gargoyle into a hug. Though it'd been five years—longer than I've known Rochelle—she was my friend before, why shouldn't I treat her as one now? "Goodbye, Rochelle."

It took a moment for her stone body to relax, and she returned the hug. "Goodbye, Frankie."

A spark flew off my bolts when another pair of arms encircled us, but before I could decipher whose a sudden warmth overcame me as more joined in. There was a brush of scales, fur, and a rainbow of skin tones—all surrounding us as we hugged goodbye. But at that moment, it didn't feel like goodbye. All of us, together, a cluttered mesh of bodies embracing one another on either side of an archway in a gothic mansion... That moment felt more familiar to me than anything in this strange world, but at the same time it was so breathtakingly new I didn't want it to end.

At that moment, I didn't think it would.

-.-.-.-

Dinner was an experience. It wasn't the food, which paled in comparison to Deuce's cooking, but the company. The area accelerated in volume as we stuffed our faces.

First, Cleo and I explained ourselves to the other monsters, and how the whole body-swap went down with Nefera. They were all relieved I was never the Queen to begin with. Unfortunately, Clawd was the only one uninvolved but, luckily, Draculaura promised to relay the information. Elissabat took the news steadily, her expression unreadable when I told her Nefera had started the events that led to Monster High's destruction. I left out Whisp. She would have to tell them herself. But from then on, the mood brightened.

Invisi Billy had reunited with Scarah, whose blank eyes were still filled to the brim with tears. They paid more attention to each other than their food—or anyone else, much to Operetta and Johnny's displeasure, who wanted nothing more than to talk to their banshee friend. Gory and Bram also focused on one another, occasionally tossing a snarky remark at almost everything they'd overhear.

Draculaura fainted twice at the sight of bloody meat, and Heath burned his meal but was forced to eat the charred bits regardless. When Toralei finished eating her fish, she flicked the eyeballs into other plates while the twins meowed in approval. Twyla sank into the shadows for almost the entire meal, making Howleen look like she was talking to herself. She decided to catch up with Romulus when she realized how silly she looked.

Jackson took hesitant bites of his food at first, then pushed the plate across the table to Holt, who ate it without a second thought. He'd eat it with his fingers, though, since he accidentally melted the silverware. Cleo constantly rattled on to Deuce about how she'd rather be eating his cooking. Viperine and Honey were catching up with Elissabat, who had been with Draculaura until she dismissed herself to check on Clawd.

Every now and then, we'd be involved in one enormous conversation and laughter would bounce off the walls. Lagoona had her chair against Gil's and Robecca chatted absentmindedly to Jane. Iris and Gigi seemed to be catching up while Jinafire was asking me questions, Abbey throwing in blunt responses before I got a chance to answer.

Put simply, it was amazing. And no wild adventure, no hijinks or pranks or monster hysteria leading to a rousing speech could top this.

Then the doorbell rang. Nothing but a faint, echoing sound in the rowdy atmosphere.

I expected the energy carry on; for someone to get up and simply answer the door but, instead, it gradually became quiet. Elissabat was frozen mid-sentence.

Honey's pointed teeth formed a grimace. "Elissabat, hun?"

The vampire blinked. "I-I'm sorry I..." She glanced over at Romulus. "Did you hear that?"

He nodded slowly, already ignoring Howleen's incessant ramblings. "It can't be Catty. She wouldn't use the doorbell. No one would."

"What's the big deal?" Toralei interjected—somehow she had ended up sprawled out on top of the table. "The doorbell rang. Go answer it."

"I don't think you get it," Invisi Billy said, having pried away from his ghoulfriend. "Nobody who knows about this place would use the doorbell. In fact, it's not even supposed to work."

"I didn't even know we had a doorbell," Gigi muttered.

"I'll get it," Wydowna said as she stood up from her chair, four of her arms prepped to scuttle up the walls while the other two put her scarlet-red hair up.

"No," Elissabat said sternly. Her gaze landed on Invisi Billy. "You should go. Stay invisible."

"Got it." With a curt nod, Invisi Billy vanished from sight.

After making sure no one was looking, I did too. He was invisible, but I followed the best I could, ducking behind furniture and potted plants in case he looked back. When we made it to the foyer, I distanced myself from the front door, yet a bunch of voices caught in my ears.

"Why would you ring the doorbell? We don't even know if this is the place."

"You followed the tracks to this bus, which happens to be parked in front of this building. And there's a doorbell so why not?"

"You don't just ring the doorbells of buildings in the middle of nowhere!"

"Don't be so harsh on him, Clawdeen. He's just trying to help."

"Come on, Spectra, he's—"

I darted forward at the sound of their names.

Invisi Billy materialized at the doorframe. "Wait!"

But I already had my hand on the knob, and I wrenched the door open.