"Thanks for the ride, guys," Abby said cheerfully, swinging her legs in her seat.
The rest of her team, all five other members, were squished into the back seats of Mike's car (with six wheel drive!). Sophie sat on the president's lap, with Phoebe in the seat next to her, and Amber, Lily, and Lexi were pushed together in the very last row.
"No problem," Mike replied. "We were going to go in anyway."
"Yeah, 'cause someone forgot his paperwork," Sulley teased him, turning his green face bright red.
Abby laughed. But except for her and Sophie, the rest of HSS had their jaws to the floor.
"Are you really the James Sullivan?" Phoebe asked in awe.
Sulley waved her off, flattered. "Just call me Sulley."
"And you're friends with Abby?" Amber added with a hint of incredulous doubt. She leaned forward in her seat, putting a hand on Phoebe's seat.
"Yep. Known her since she was just a baby."
"REALLY?" Amber, Lily, Phoebe, and Sophie all shouted at once. Abby blushed brightly as she knew the torrent of questions to come.
"What was she like?" "Did she poop her pants?" "Was she a crybaby?" "Did she bite anyone?" "Did she drool a lot?" "Was she a dumb kid or a smart one?"
Sulley laughed, attempting to cut them off. "Guys, guys. Abby was a pretty smart kid, and hatched scary. But she always got into trouble. She did have a habit of biting..."
"Every little monster bites!" Abby defended, her face flush. "I was teething!"
"And she got kicked out of employee daycare and preschool," Mike added. "Both for fighting. They told Ms. Flint she 'did not play well with others' and had to be separated from other kids during playtime."
"Everyone is stupid," Abby grumbled, glaring out the window.
"Aw, Abby. A true HSS girl from the start," Phoebe cooed, reaching over to pinch her cheeks. Abby withstood the gesture for only a few moments before she smacked her hand away.
"So I was a problem child," the centipede girl admitted with a roll of her eyes. "So what? I bet you all were!"
"Yeah, but I never got kicked out of preschool," Amber snorted.
"Shut up!" Abby reached over to claw at Amber, who shrunk back into her seat with laughter. Phoebe desperately tried to break the two up. "Girls, girls! Behave!"
"You don't know what it was like for me!" Abby snarled, lunging at her. "All of the other kids made fun of me! Told me that I was dumb and not scary and that's why my Mom left! They told me my Mama didn't even want me, that she just had to take care of me because no one else would take me! So yeah, I got into fights! What about it?"
Amber's eyes widened. The rest of the car looked sheepish and grim as Abby folded her arms and scowled out the window.
"Sorry, I didn't—"
"It's fine." Abby leaned her head against the window. "Happened a long time ago. Water under the bridge, practically."
An stiff silence followed until Sulley cleared his throat and pointed to the upcoming factory. "Hey, look! We're here!" he laughed awkwardly.
The girls all leaned forward in awe of the massive building. Smoke rose from the pipes, a clear sign of the amount of energy being harvested. Even Abby's eyes flicked over to coolly observe the place.
Mike swiped into the parking lot with his card and pulled into an open parking space. The girls all burst out of the car as soon as they stopped, chattering excitedly amongst themselves. Abby stepped out of the car calmly behind them.
"They seem excited," Mike commented as the girls raced each other to the entrance.
"They better enjoy it while it lasts," Abby replied, cracking her neck and shoulders. "They have a long day ahead of them." She peered at the two beneath her lashes. "Thank you again."
"Hey, if you ever need anything, you know who to call," Sulley said warmly. He held out his arms for a hug. Abby paused, looked around for any spectators to her kind and gentle gesture, then embraced him.
Mike stood back without a word, but Abby turned to him and smiled. It always stunned Mike how soft Abby could be. She pretended to be her mother, cold and ruthless, but deep down a part of her would always be that little girl they cared for. The one who would climb on Sulley's shoulders and gaze in awe at the view, the one who needed to be held when she missed her mother, and the one who would willingly hug Mike even if he was a "funny-looking eyeball".
After they parted, Abby met up with her sorority at the receptionist desk. She passed her sisters by and leaned over the counter to talk to the snake-haired woman behind it.
"Hello, Celia."
"Abby! It's so nice to see you!" Celia gushed, standing up to pull Abby's head against her chest in a hug. Abby reddened, but regained her composure before the girls could see. "And are these your friends?" She and all of her snakes smiled at the girls, who greeted her politely.
"Well...they're my sorority sisters. We're on a team in the Scare Games. We've won every event except one...the Scare Simulator. Is Mama in?"
"Nope."
"Perfect." Abby grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Keep everyone out of the sim room today, will you?"
"Can do!"
"I knew I could count on you, Celia. Good luck with your date tonight."
"Thanks! And good luck with your event!" Waving Celia goodbye, the girls followed Abby down the hall. They each marvelled at the Scare Floors they passed, whispering amongst themselves about techniques and famous scarers. Abby seemed nonplussed about the building, and kept her cool composure until a large form pounced on her and lifted her into the air.
"AAAAAA! IS THAT MY ABBY?"
"Agh!" Abby wheezed, her intestines screaming at the stranglehold. All thirty of her legs flailed uselessly. "Rosie! Can't breathe!"
"Heh, sorry." Rosie put her down gently. "You're a sight for sore eyes, kid! Where've you been? Everyone's been asking about you!" Then she gasped, eyeing Abby's jacket. There was no denying the HSS logo embroidered on her collar. She noticed the rest of the girls, all standing around, all dressed in black with HSS designs. "Ab. No way."
"Yep." Abby shrugged her shoulders carelessly, smirking in pride. "You're looking at Eta Hiss Hiss' new president."
"You little rascal! Good for you!" Rosie punched her in the shoulder, making Abby stagger a few feet. Her legs crossed themselves but righted quickly after. She smiled, but rubbed her shoulder with a wince. "You didn't even tell me you got in! And here you are, the new president!"
"Sorry, Rose...been busy."
"Is that...Rosie Levin?" Phoebe finally blurted out. The rest of HSS had been staring in captivated wonder.
"The one and only!" Rosie laughed.
"Secret handshake!" Amber shouted, raising her fist. Rosie hit it, slapped her open palm, and a number of other tricks that they performed perfectly in sync with each other. When they finished, they both laughed. "Oh my god, dude, you are so awesome! I want to be you. I mean, I want to be like you. If-If that doesn't sound too creepy." A flustered Amber was tripping over her words, but Rosie took the compliment.
"Aw, thanks!" the scarer smiled. "You will be like me if you keep working at it. I promise you."
Abby pursed her lips. "Right. Rosie, this is my team: Amber, Phoebe, Lily, Sophie, and—"
"—Lexi?"
Rosie and Lexi turned and stared at each other in a strange standoff. Rosie seemed surprised to see Lexi standing there, and Lexi seemed grim at the sight of Rosie. Abby and the rest of the team watched curiously, but no explanation came from either of them.
"Ah, well," Rosie said after a minute. "Back to the grind." She rubbed Abby between the eyestalks affectionately. "Good luck, Abby."
"I won't need it," she replied dryly.
"That's a HSS girl." Rosie clicked her tongue and winked at her as she walked away.
Abby was left wondering what went down between the two when Sophie spoke up. "Abby, you sure know a lot of monsters around here!"
"I told you," she sighed as she guided them to the back offices. "I grew up here. My mama was a working single mother and I...had my issues in daycares and preschools, so she would bring my brother and I here. The scarers would look after us while she worked. They were my friends for a long time. I learned a lot from them."
She ignored the muttering of "lucky" behind her and stopped in front of two double doors. "Here we are."
Throwing the doors open automatically triggered the lights. The simulator stood, in all its glory, in the middle of the room. The rest of HSS all gasped in astonishment, but Abby's eyes diverted to the control panel. "Alright. Who's first?"
"Um." Before anyone else could volunteer, Lexi stepped forward. "Me. I...I want to."
Abby turned to stare at her. "What's that?"
"Me!" Lexi said, louder and more confidently.
"That's better." Abby nodded to the door station in front of the simulator. "Starting position."
As Lexi meandered up to the door, Abby took her mother's seat in front of the control panel. Phoebe approached her as she cracked her knuckles. "Sure you know how to work this?"
"Please," Abby snapped, slightly offended. "I've seen my mother do this plenty of times." But as she flipped switches and dials, one accidentally shut off the cameras. "Whoops. Ready, Lexi?"
Lexi nodded, and Abby flipped one last switch.
"Simulation start." The wall to the simulator lowered and the lights dimmed. As it set, Lexi swallowed. She opened the door and crept inside, making sure to avoid the toys that had been scattered along the floor. But a particular large step made the floor creak, and the child dummy slowly rose in suspicion.
At this point, a seasoned scarer would have prepared their scare. Unfortunately, Lexi did not. Instead, as the boy's head turned to her, she shrieked in terror and crashed against the plastic window.
"Simulation terminated." Phoebe had her hands over her face and Lily looked skeptic, but Abby's face hadn't changed.
"I'm sorry! I just got freaked out!" Lexi cried. "It's so creepy!"
"It's okay, that's what we're practicing for," the centipede girl soothed calmly. "Let's try it again. And remember, this simulator is state-of-the-art, so it's a touch more sensitive than the one we have at school. Don't worry if your score isn't what you think it should be."
Abby restarted the simulator as many times as she needed. Lexi had to stop and watch the doll with the lights on to get completely comfortable with it, but soon she scared it easily. Phoebe's also went well, although Abby could tell she was trying different styles that she hadn't yet incorporated. However, Amber got caught in her own tentacles and hurled the soccer ball at the dummy in a rage, and Sophie jumped on the bed and laughed instead of scaring. Lily's performance barely scraped a quarter of a scream can.
Abby worked with the team all day, perfecting their positioning and offering advice. She gave each of the girls a chance to rest while she worked with another one-on-one. She only took a break when Celia came in with apple juice and cookies from the break room. Then they all gathered in a circle and exchanged stories until Abby ordered them back to work.
When it was time to leave, the team filed out of the simulator room chattering amongst themselves. Before Lexi could follow them, Abby grabbed her arm.
Lexi turned to meet eye to eye with Abby's silver pools. "What happened between you and Rosie?" she asked. Her voice held no malice, only curiosity. The older avoided her gaze, but Abby did not relent. "You're related to her, aren't you? You look a bit like her."
"She's my aunt," Lexi finally murmured. A silent moment followed before she spoke again. "You know, everyone in my family thought I was hopeless. But you, Abby, you showed me differently. You believed in me and what I was capable of."
Abby wondered if anyone else could understand that as well as she could. Being rejected by your family was something she knew all too well. It was a shame that instead of motivating Lexi like it had Abby, her family's constant rejection beat her down into a quiet, unheard presence. Until now.
Lexi took Abby's hands in hers and gazed warmly into her eyes. "And not just for me," she continued. "For all of us. You didn't just give us scaring advice, you gave us the confidence to be the best we can be. That's why you deserve to be president. Thank you, Abby. For everything."
Abby flushed a dusty maroon. "Oh," was all she could say. "It's nothing."
Freshly painted claws wrapped around the knob of a dressing table. Pulling the drawer out revealed a few makeup supplies and a collection of bows. Oddly enough, while some of them were intact, others had been scorched or ripped. Orange fingers placed the bottle of nail polish in and shut the drawer.
When Arabella looked in the mirror again, her mother was standing at the doorway.
Ignoring her, she began the process of loosing the white bow from around her horn. Her mother remained silent as she watched with razor sharp eyes. Arabella didn't feel anxious or scared, as others did. She patiently waited for her mother to speak.
"Do you truly plan to go the event tomorrow?"
"Yes."
Another silence. "I suppose I can't stop you."
Arabella unwrapped the bow. "No." When Abigail didn't say anything further, she reached for her other bow. She began to loosen it from around her horns as well, but she fumbled with it. Before she could get a better grip, her mother's hand covered hers. The elder then began to undo the fabric around her daughter's horn. Arabella remained silent and still.
"I know we have a lot to talk about," Abigail sighed, purposefully taking her time with the bow. "I know you have a lot of questions. I will answer them in time. But now, I have a question for you."
Arabella didn't answer.
"I know that...you and that girl are close. I know that she visited you in the hospital, and I know you've been seeing her behind my back, and I know that you're going to the event tomorrow because of her. But why? Arabella, that girl feels nothing for you but contempt and jealousy. She attacked you when you were a little girl out of pure rage. Why do you give so much of yourself to someone who feels threatened by your mere existence?"
Arabella had that look in her eyes again, that one Abigail hated. She thought her mother was wrong. Arabella used to believe her so fully, and now she didn't trust her at all. Not only was it sad, it was infuriating. Arabella knew that she was never wrong, so her blatant disregard only made the dean's ire worse.
"She may have used to feel that way, but things have changed," Arabella said. "When she attacked me when we were little, it was out of desperation. I could see it in her eyes. She was so lonely. She had her brother, and her mother, but she still felt alone. There was no one that could understand her. She thought you could, but it was me that did. There is no one, no one that could understand her better than I do. Not even you."
She closed her eyes as she remembered the look on her young sister's face. Her claws extended, her face contorted with pain, a desperate and lonely look in her eyes. "I knew what she was feeling. I knew what it was like to be surrounded by people and yet feel so alone. And she knew me, too. That's why...she warmed to me, and we're best friends now."
She crossly glanced at her mother's reflection in the mirror. "Not that you would know anything about friendship."
Abigail frowned thunderously and placed the unwrapped bow onto the vanity. "I simply worry that you will get hurt."
"From who? From Abby?" In a surge of frustration, Arabella swept away from her mother in a huff. "She's not evil, Mummy! She's not some sort of villain who's out to get me! She's sensitive and she cares so much about everything, maybe even too much sometimes. She might not always know how to handle what she's feeling and she doesn't know how to outwardly show her love but that doesn't mean she doesn't have any. And yes, she might be a little selfish sometimes, but that doesn't make her bad."
She approached Abigail again, clutching her wrists as she looked into her eyes. "It just makes her like you!"
The young girl desperately wanted to change her mind, despite knowing that it would be almost impossible. They were both so stubborn. But maybe trying to get Abigail to see herself in her daughter would be a good start. If there was anything the dean truly loved, it was herself. If she could see Abby as a misunderstood genius, like herself, then maybe...
"I would never do those things," Abigail scoffed. "I at least have the capacity to control my anger, and the knowledge not to do anything idiotic like she's done!"
"Really? You've never done anything stupid?" Arabella snapped.
"Arabella," her mother warned.
"I just don't understand." Arabella's hands fell to her sides. "She loves you. She'd give the world to you, and you take every opportunity you can to beat her down. I know you love her, I do. I know you love her deep, deep down. But she doesn't. If you and her continue like this...I just don't want her to get hurt. I'm her older sister, after all."
Taking a deep breath, she let out a shaky sigh. "I'm her older sister. I wasn't there for a lot of things in her life that I should have been, but I'm going to be there for her now. That's why I'm going to the scare simulator event tomorrow and you can't stop me."
Abigail's face had frozen into a venomous glare, but she slowly composed herself. It was clear she was finished with the conversation. "Very well, then," she said shortly, walking out the door. "Good night, Arabella."
"Good night, Mummy."