In the ghoul's locker room, Velma and Frankie were looking for clues.
"So, Frankie, do you any idea of who would take everyone's things?" Velma asked as she inspected a locker.
Frankie tapped his chin. "Well, if there's trouble going on, usually Toralei's behind it."
"Toralei?"
"Yeah, Toralei Stripe." said Frankie. "She and her friends Purrsephone and Meowlody like to cause trouble, mostly just for fun!"
Just then, something that sounded like a meow came from behind Velma. "Well, well, sounds like my reputation proceeds me."
Velma turned and took a giant step back.
A girl in spiky, punk clothing flashed her green, cat eyes at Velma. She was covered in orange fur and had cat-like ears.
In fact, she looked just like a cat only she was walking on two legs like a person. She was a werecat.
Standing behind her were more more cat girls. They had grey and white fur, only one had black hair and the other had white hair.
"Who invited the nerd?" the orange cat girl sniffed. Her buddies laughed and ended with a purr.
Velma frowned. "I take it your Toralei?"
"That's right, and what are you doing here?" Toralei said, strutting closer. "This is a monster school. No normies allowed!"
Her werecat friends hissed at Velma, but Frankie stood to defend her. "Leave Velma alone, Toralei!"
Toralei snorted. "Velma? What's a Velma?"
"I'm a Velma and I'll thank you not to harass me." Velma said firmly. "I thought this was a high school, not a kindergarten."
The werecats sneered. "You think you're so smart, don't you?" Toralei said.
"Why, yes. As a matter of fact I do." Velma said, pushing her glasses up her nose.
"Look, Toralei. We don't want any trouble." Frankie said. "We're trying to catch the thief."
"What thief?"
"The one that's been stealing everyone's stuff." said Frankie. "A lot of things have been taken. Like Cleo's nail polish, my bracelet, Mr. Where's watch..."
"Perhaps you know something about it?" Velma said, interrogating Toralei.
"Oh, please. What would I want with that tacky junk?" Toralei replied. "Well, I can tell you one thing, your thief has pretty bad taste." She laughed as she and her posse walked away.
"I think we found our first suspect." Velma said. "As well as accomplices."
"Perhaps. But we can't outright accuse Toralei of anything unless we have the right proof." Frankie reminded her. "Let's go find the others and see if they found anything."
Fred and Daphne followed Draculaura to a wooden green door. "This is the door to the catacombs." she said.
"You have catacombs under the school?!" Daphne said.
"Sure, it's like an underground city down there! And down there is the only person who knows every nook and cranny of it. Follow me!"
The teens went into the dark catacombs. Draculaura took them inside an old elevator and went down to one of the deepest, and darkest level.
"We're almost here." Draculaura and her friends went down a long hallway and entered a room that was pitch black.
"Jeepers! I can't see an inch in front of my face!" Daphne said.
"No worries! Here we are!" Draculaura came across a long, blue curtain that hung very high. She pulled them back to reveal an enormous stage.
"Whoa! This place is huge!" said Fred.
"A theater in catacombs?!" Daphne said, amazed. "This is some school!"
"You bet your mini dress it is!" said a voice with a Southern twang.
Fred and Daphne jumped when a girl swung down from the ceiling and landed on stage. She flung her head back, whipping her bright red hair. She had purple skin and had a heart-shaped, musical note mask over her right eye.
"Well, bake my cake!" she said. "What brings normies to my stage?"
"Uh, we're just looking for clues, Miss...?"
"Operetta, not 'miss'." she replied. She strode up to Fred. "And you might you be, honeycomb?" She batted her eyelashes at him.
"Fred Jones." a scowling Daphne said as she pulled Fred away from the flirty phantom.
"Guys, this is Operetta. The Phantom of the Opera's daughter." Draculaura introduced.
"The Phantom of the Opera?!" Fred and Daphne said together.
"That's right." Operetta said.
"But...why do you sound like a country singer?" Daphne said. "I thought the phantom was all about opera."
Operetta frowned at Daphne's comment. "For your information, sugar snap, I ain't into that stuff-shirt hootin' and hollerin' like my daddy." she said. "We came from France, but we moved when my daddy got a job to haunt a riverboat in Gnarlston. And over there, the music is a lot better."
Fred and Daphne were pretty blown away. And they've been through a lot for just one day.
"Uh, my bad." said Daphne.
"Anyway, Operetta. We came here to ask you if you've seen a thief around here!" Draculaura said.
"Or seen anything suspicious around here?" Fred added.
"Besides you two here? Well, I have been missing my favorite guitar pick. I remember I took it to music class. But I forgot to pick it up. When I went to get it, it was gone!"
"Was there anything else that stood out before or after your pick was taken?" asked Daphne.
Operetta hummed. "Well, I think I saw scratch marks from where I left my pick." she said. "I think, I mean, there are a lot of monsters here with all kinds of claws!"
"Claws?" said Draculaura. "Maybe Toralei took it! Maybe she's the thief!"
"Toralei, huh?" Operetta said. "It's always that conniving kitty, isn't it?"
"Who's Toralei?" Fred asked.
"She's only the meanest ghoul in school." Draculaura said. "A werecat with a real big cattitude!"
"A werecat?!" Daphne said.
"You've got to be kidding!" Fred said. "I've never heard of a werecat!"
"They're just like werewolves only they're cats!" Operetta said. "I bet if we find Toralei and give her the ol' monster try, she'll confess right away!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find that uh, werecat!" Fred exclaimed.
And the four teens took off in search of Toralei.
