Disclaimer: This is a complete work of fiction, there's no resemblance to actual persons or events or places. If so, it is utterly not intended. I do NOT own Monster High, or anything to do with it. Thank you. :)

A / n: Thank you soo much you guys! Wow, five reviews and a favorite and a follow? That's wicked awesome! I really hope you guys continue to read this story! We're having a great time writing it for you. I'll try to update whenever I can, much thanks to you all. It wouldn't be posted without you guys. Don't forget to read and review to let us know what you thought. It's always appreciated! Now please, enjoy.

Cast In Stone

Chapter Two

Jackson had walked quite awhile after riding the train to the right destination. He'd met up with his mother and they made a subtle entrance. He didn't enjoy coming here at all. It always smelled like a hospital and seemed to run like one. It wasn't personal at all and quite frankly one of the last places he ever wanted to be – or end up.

His mother however, carried such a sunny, positive attitude when it came to coming here. She truly believed that bit by bit, visit after visit, things were getting better. However, Jackson seemed to be the only one who disagreed with that thought. He waited in the waiting room area, while his mother went right on into the room. One nurse following her just to be safe.

He sighed, pulling out the proper text books he needed for Dead Languages he figured he'd better get a head start on that essay he was assigned. Sighing again, he reached for his music playing device. He couldn't afford one of those awesome, fancy iCoffins or anything so this would have to do for now.

Suddenly, he stopped himself. He knew what listening to music did to him and he could not have that happen here. So there went that idea. He sighed, deciding to settle with tapping his foot to the rhythm of a song stuck in his mind. Not the same as the music actually playing of course but it'd have to do.

He still had headphones in. He figured that if people saw them, they'd be less apt to talk to him. He hated socialization. It didn't help that he was just outside the room and heard the conversation unintentionally. "I'm just saying, we could start over baby. Just us, and our child."

"But Jackson, he -"

"That person doesn't exist to me, I have no son."

Jackson felt that same damn stinging sensation he'd felt earlier that day. Why was it happening again? This wasn't anything he hadn't heard before. "Yes, you do…"

"No, darling – we don't. Let's have a baby. Our only child. A perfect, beautiful, healthy, happy - normal child." With each word, Jackson's heart was breaking. Pretty soon, it'd be shattered for good.

There seemed to be some protest, "But we can't just… up and have a baby." She told him, Jackson hoped that his mother would at least defend him if not notice him on a daily basis.

"Sure we can, let's start over. Let's be a real family. A real, true, normal family. Please, I want that so badly. It's the only thing I want, please… please, my beautiful wife – I just wanna be with you and *our* family. Our new family." He heard his mother's hesitation.

Jackson shut the books angrily, a few tears having spilt on them already – all his father wanted was to have a normal family? He witnessed him saying that he wanted just a normal life. He'd heard it with his own ears… his own heart now had to go through the emotions and feel the pain again.

He wished he could be like everyone else at Monster High – who didn't have hearts or the need for a beating heart, or to have feelings or emotions or… anything, like that. If he didn't have them everything would be so, so much easier.

Running a hand through his very soft hair, he held his head in his hands. Hearing more talks about plans for a new baby, plans to come home and live that "normal" life he wanted to live so badly… the more he heard, the more he wished he'd become deaf. At least if he couldn't hear them, he couldn't hurt anymore, right?

Then again, would that even stop the pain? Or would he run into other things to remind him? Yeah, that'd be his luck. After being able to let out a few tears, by cradling his head in his arms and knees up to his chest – he was now ready to get re – started on the assignment. Ready to get it done and over with already.

When the ball he was tossing up and down smacked him in the face, he chucked it through the closet door, cursing at it and then continuing to put his arms behind his head. He let out a sigh, trying to find comfort upon his bed. What he truly wanted to do was just get some sleep – but he couldn't. Not with the images still in his mind. The very vivid images of Jackson Jekyll and his leaky eyes.

Manny curiously asked his mother if she had known anything about normies. She told him that they were fascinating creatures and that she actually had a degree in studying them. He wanted to know more about them than the fact they were fascinating and not like fellow monsters.

So he'd asked her about how they leaked water from their eyes. She had warmly told him they were something called 'tears' which was caused by something called 'crying' and this 'crying' occurred when a human being was sad, or upset.

Drawing conclusions based upon what he'd learned so far, he realized that the normie was a sad being. But what made him sad? That was what Manny didn't know but what puzzled him so badly. Part of him knew he shouldn't care about what the pathetic normie was feeling, it was part of the bully streak the males in his family had, but suddenly keeping that bullying streak wasn't as important to him as the feelings of the male in his mind.

Sighing heavily, he gave a shrug. He wasn't good at this analyzing thing, his mom was. Maybe he should go talk to her about it?

Lazily he managed to get up off his comfortable bed, towards the bedroom door. Stepping outside into the hallway he felt a light breeze but ignoring it, he made his own way towards his mother's office. "Hey Manny dear," she greeted, looking through a couple books, making her own notes as he stepped right into the study and plopped roughly on a chair.

"Mum, I ain't understanding this feelings stuff… I don't know what to do and it's driving me crazy and I just, I got no clue."

She gave a quick nod, setting everything else to the side. "Alright, let's start… from the beginning."

Throwing his gym bag into the car along with his backpack, today Deuce had to get up a little earlier than normal because of casketball practice. Not really awake yet, for some reason lately no matter how much sleep he had gotten he was still dead tired - maybe it was trying to keep up with his girlfriend Cleo?

It seemed that Cleo was trying harder and harder to stand out as the 'it couple', when everyone already knew they were. It wasn't that Deuce didn't love being around Cleo, because that wasn't it at all. It was the fact that it seemed their relationship lost the spark it once had; maybe it was because they didn't get a chance to miss each other?

He was brought back down to Earth when he felt his mother's hand on his shoulder. "Deuce," she said at first making sure she had her son's full attention before continuing with her statement. Shifting his gaze and his body towards his mother, he gave her his full attention. "Just wanted to say have a good day and that I want to give you this." She held out some money towards her son. "Either for gas for the car or lunch for yourself, whatever you see fit." She told her young man as she slide the money into her son's hand.

Deuce could not help but crack a smile, he did have his own money but he knew it was his mother's way of doing something nice for him. "Thank you mom." He said placing a loving kissing upon her cheek. "I better get going before I'm late for practice though." Nodding her head Deuce's mother made her way back towards the front door. "See you after school mom." Deuce shouted before climbing into the driver's side of the car. Now it was time to pick up Clawd Wolf, something he did on these early morning casketball practices.

The drive wasn't long to Clawd's house but it gave Deuce time to think to himself, something he needed to do now and then. Nothing worse than trying to play casketball and having your mind on something else besides the tasks at hand. Sitting in the car just outside the house, Deuce had just sent Clawd a text message on his iCoffin saying 'Here, with your doggy bone. Come get it. :)'

'Hold onto your snakes :P, I'm on my way out the front door as we speak.' Clawd jokingly sent back to Deuce via text message. Carrying his gym bag along with the book bag he needed for school, the big wolf walked outside the door and towards the male's car. Deuce cracked a smile upon reading the text message, today was slowly turning around to be a good one.

Let's applaud for the bestie's writing! xD Review, review, review please! It's always appreciated. Thank you!