The University Quad was a bustling place, full of students hanging out between classes (and sometimes even during them). There were skateboarders, picnickers, and plenty of groups. But something seemed off about it today.
Perhaps it was the enormous empty space surrounding a group of six goth girls. Everyone that would normally occupy that space were pressed against the edges of the quad or simply hightailed it out of there as soon as they stormed in.
The newest member of the group, Abby, sat on one edge of the oval with the current president, Phoebe, directly opposite her. Abby coolly met Phoebe's piercing stare.
"We're at an impasse," she stated, just to break the air.
"Why should I let a freshie train us?" Phoebe snapped.
"I've studied all of the past Scare Games, I know what to expect. You saw that in the last challenge. And I don't consider it training...more like, honing your skills to the specific challenges." Many of the group seemed pleased with that phrasing. "Give me a chance. What have you got to lose?"
"The trophy?" Amber suggested.
"And that's different from last year, how?" Abby replied. Amber's eyes flashed, but Phoebe held her back before she could tear the freshman in two.
Phoebe studied Abby for a long time. Finally, she took the whistle from around her neck and dropped it into Abby's outstretched claws. "We better see results," she warned. "Or I'm sending you crying to Mommy."
Abby narrowed her eyes and scowled.
"Scary steps!" she shouted, blowing the whistle.
The members of HSS all got to their feet and started towards the School of Scaring, but Amber gave her a look before following her sisters. Abby ignored her and observed as they ran to the steps and began to run up.
"Listen up, HSSters," she lectured, climbing the railing with her legs. "The next event is Avoid the Parent. If even one of us gets caught, we're all out. So we have to work together as a team."
"Does that mean listening to you now?" Lily drawled.
"God, I hope not," Amber snarled.
"It means," Abby hissed, "that we need to be of one mind. Not going off and doing whatever because you think you're cool. Well, you're not cool. We all have to be team players, here. No lone wolves."
"We get it," Phoebe sighed.
"Oh. Right." Abby cleared her throat, then reached into her leather jacket to pull out the letter they had recieved that morning. The sisters of her sorority stopped running to gather around her. "Alright, listen up. Be quiet, be quick, scaring student beware: parents seem easy when the Dean's in her lair."
The young centipede monstress closed the letter with a whimper. "Oh, I don't have a good feeling about this one."
"Welcome to the Avoid the Parent challenge! Your task: to retrieve your team's flag...in the Dean's office!"
"I so don't have a good feeling about this!" Abby fretted.
"Hey!" Phoebe smacked her in the arm to shake her out of her panic. Abby quickly came back to herself, putting on a look of determination. "This is your chance to show us you have what it takes."
Abby nodded, and bent down to join her sisters in a starting position. "It had to be the Dean," she grumbled to herself. As the Greek Council leaders counted down, she glanced around for her sister. She could use a little of Arabella's encouragement right now.
But to her surprise, she couldn't find her among the crowd. By the time it had sunk in, the countdown had finished and the challenge had began. Abby couldn't help but look back into the crowd as she and her team pushed into the School of Scaring. She still couldn't find her even as Amber knocked her into running straight.
"Focus, Abby!"
"Right." The six of them started through the hallways. Scaring professors were lined up to catch any intruders and kick them out, but compared to Dean Hardscrabble, they were easy. HSS quickly passed them.
"Do we have a plan? I mean, we can't just barge in through the front door, she'll see us!" Lily pointed out.
"Abby?" Phoebe prompted.
Abby scanned the area for anything they could use to get into her office. Before she could set her mind on an idea, she heard rattling from the ceiling. "Hey!"
HSS glanced up. Arabella's sunset skin peeked through the grate in the ventiliation shaft. Pulling off the grate, she motioned "come here" and crawled off.
"No way," Amber said flatly.
"Yes," Abby corrected. "Sophie, you're with me. The rest of you, don't get caught."
Sophie leapt onto Abby's shoulder and the centipede girl used her claws and legs to climb up the wall and into the shaft. Phoebe nodded at Amber, who growled, and Lily, who sighed.
Sophie crawled ahead of Abby as the two made their way through the ducts. "Arabella?" Abby whispered, but no answer came.
"I guess she must have beat it," Sophie whispered. "Besides, isn't that cheating?"
"Maybe," Abby murmured. "But I don't care. Do you?"
"Nah. HSSters are famous for breaking rules!"
"Yeah. I think her office is up this way. Take a left."
True to her word, they came upon an opening in the shaft that lead right into Dean Hardscrabble's office. The grate had already been removed, so it was just a matter of retrieving the flag from the award shelf behind the dean. The elder Abigail was sitting at the her desk, filling out paperwork.
Suddenly, the door opened to reveal the athletic EEK girls. Apparently, they thought Hardscrabble's office would be empty. They shrieked and began to make their escape, but the dean was faster. She grabbed each one of the girls by their collars, three per hand, and flew up into the skylight. With a great heave, she threw the girls out and onto a bouncy house with the a banner depicting the word "LOSERS" decorating it.
Abby and Sophie both gasped at the sight, exchanging frightened looks.
"We're counting on you," Abby hastily whispered, pushing Sophie out the opening. Sophie struggled for only a minute, but silenced as soon as Dean Hardscrabble returned to her chair. Finally, she shot a string of web up to the ceiling and swung over to the flags.
When she landed on the glass case, it made a small thump. Abby could see the dean's attention alerted, and immediately withdrew a slingshot from her jacket pocket.
"Oh, no you don't," she growled as she loaded a pebble into the slingshot and fired it at the glass window of her door. This drew Abigail's attention towards the door, and she stood up to inspect it.
Both Sophie and Abby sighed in relief. Abby kissed her slingshot, thanking herself for all those years of pranking professional scarers at Monsters Inc, and tucked it neatly back into her jacket as Sophie returned with the flag. Abby grabbed Sophie like a basketball and quickly crawled backwards.
The two found their companions hiding behind potted plants and made their way outside to cheers and applause from the crowd. They had gotten second this time, right behind Roar Omega Roar. Slugma Slugma Kappa, of course, was eliminated.
"Not bad, freshie," Phoebe praised, putting a hand on her shoulder. Abby simply smirked and held her head up.
Unbeknownst to her, Dean Hardscrabble was also watching their celebration from the window of her office. Her face was blank, unreadable, but she stared at Abby relentlessly.
"Guys!" Arabella ran up to them, much like she did after the last event. But this time, she had black bags in her claws. "That was awesome! Great job! Here are your new clothes. Sorry it took so long!" She handed each one to its owner, and the girls took out lovingly hand stitched black clothes from the bags. They each declared their love for their own outfit, thanking Arabella for her hard work.
"Thanks for the help," Abby mentioned.
"What help?" Arabella turned her head, looking at Abby with a sly expression. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Abby's sharp teeth peeked from her grin. "Sure."
Dean Hardscrabble sat in the office of her home, body leant forward on the plush leather chair. One hand was on her temple, the other holding a photograph. She looked exhausted and miserable, as if she hadn't slept in days.
The picture flew to her lap as the door opened. In the doorway stood her daughter holding a tea tray. "Sorry for bothering you, Mummy," she said, inching in cautiously. "But I thought you could use a cup of tea."
"Oh. Thank you, Arabella, that's very sweet of you."
Having been granted permission, Arabella shut the door behind her and placed the tray on the desk. Abigail noticed her only take out one cup and stopped her before she could grab the teapot.
"Pour two. Sit and talk with me. We've barely spoken all week."
Smiling, Arabella did as she was told and took a seat in the plush red chair across from her mother. "What were you looking at?" she asked casually.
Abigail's soft smile disappeared. "Oh. Nothing. Just a...an application. Boring paperwork."
Arabella doubted that, but took a sip of her tea. "Okay. How are the Scare Games going so far?"
From her expression, the dean didn't want to talk about that either. "Very well. I'm disappointed that Slugma Slugma Kappa didn't make it far, but they have some serious competition this year."
"Yeah, HSS is really going for it," Arabella remarked. "They could be in the top two this year, but beating ROR will be a challenge."
"Yes." Abigail finally stopped avoiding her daughter's eyes and swept her own over her outfit. If there was anything to show off, it was Arabella's fashion sense. Her daughter was always dressed to the nines, much like Abigail herself. They were both somewhat ostentatious.
"Those bows are very cute," Abigail complimented, nodding to the ones attached to Arabella's horns. They were black on the base, but had silver swirls through them.
"Thank you. I decorated them myself."
"Very nice. Did you show your father?"
Arabella frowned. "Yes. He didn't like them. Said a horrifying monstress would never wear something so silly and girly."
"That's nonsense," Abigail snapped, scowling darkly. "A girl can wear what she wants in this day and age. Scariness doesn't come from clothing, it comes from within. Never mind what your father said, wear whatever you like. You don't need to please anyone."
Arabella smiled gratefully at her mother. "Thank you, Mummy." And, just for kicks, she added: "Taking that into consideration, any chance I can get you into a dress?"
Abigail glowered at her. "Not one."
The younger giggled. "Ah, well I suppose I should get to bed now. Good night, Mummy."
"Good night, darling. Thank you for the tea."
After the door closed yet again, Abigail pulled the photograph from her lap. Her amber eyes swept over it once more before closing.
And she set the picture of Abby to the side.