Chapter 11: Monsters In Training p3

The hearse was parked on the side of the road in another isolated part of the dark forest, while Dracula said to the mummy, "Okay, Murray, your turn."

But before the 'monster lesson' could begin, a human car pulled up beside them with a human couple inside.

"Excuse us," the man said, and Dracula leaned down to talk to them with little Luna peering over. The man asked politely, "Do you know where someone can get a bite around here?"

The woman tensed and asked in an embarrassed whisper, "Did you seriously just ask a vampire where to get a bite?"

Dracula gave them a displeased expression, and the man stammered, "Oh gosh, I didn't mean... we're not from around here."

"This is so embarrassing," the woman said with her hand over her head. "Just keep going."

"Keep going that way until you make a first left turn," Luna said politely to them.

"Thank you, cutie," the woman said gratefully.

"Sorry to bother you," the man stammered apologetically. "Love your chocolate cereal." And the couple drove off immediately.

"Me too," Luna smiled. "My mommy gives it to me and Dennis and Martha all the time."

Everyone looked down at her with weird faces, and Dracula slumped his shoulders again.

"So, what do you want me to do now?" asked Murray.

"Children, you're not going to believe this," the vampire tried to cheer up as he did strange body movements to try and look scary. "The mummy can crash through walls, and turn into a swarm of beetles, and put a curse on anyone." His sharp claws were bared at the last one.

"That sounds mean," Dennis and Martha said, discouraged.

"It's fun-mean," Dracula said, sweetly.

"That's not a real word, Daddy," Luna countered him, but he didn't listen to her.

"Okay, so check it out," Dracula said as he pushed Murray ahead of them. "Murray's going to conjure up the biggest sandstorm you've ever seen. Hit it!"

"Sandstorm?" Murray repeated in hesitation. "It-it's been a while."

"Not my problem," Dracula dismissed and ordered pushily the mummy. "Do it. Say your little spell."

"Oookay," Murray said, feeling less than confident. He took a breath and felt more confident this time. "I got this. Frank, Eunice , Wayne, Griffin, just try not to faint."

The four monsters just looked at him with less than impressed expressions while Murray pulled up his bandages to make them look like muscles instead of a big belly, but it fell with a bounce as he walked up on a boulder like a stage. He cleared his throat and began to chant an ancient Egyptian language as the moonlight shown down on him, his voice echoed with otherworldliness, and he did some kind of pantomime dance as he chanted. Dracula rubbed his hands together deeply impressed, confident this will work. The third times the charm. He leaned down to watch the two children trying to copy Murray's dance, having fun.

The spell began to reach its climax, but suddenly there was a sound of bones cracking as Murray groaned loudly, "Ow! My back!" Unable to move he fell with a hard bodily thump, groaning, "Oomph!"

A small pile of sand fell beside him, and the three kids ran up to it, giggling. They began to play and make a snowman out of the sand. Luna put two small sticks on the sand 'snowman' for the arms.

Frank, Eunice chimed in to help. "Oh, wait." They look out two raisins and a carrot from Dennis'and Martha' backpacks , and made them into eyes and a long nose.

Frank, Eunice , Dennis, Martha and Luna started laughing amusingly, as did Wayne and Griffin. But Dracula was more peeved than ever.

"How cute," Griffin gushed, but then Dracula gave him a purple nirple which made the invisible man groan painfully, "Oow! Ow, ow, ow!"

Back at Hotel Transylvania, Ericka walked into the new TV room where plenty of guests could enjoy different forms of entertainment. In one area, adult humans and monsters enjoyed a football game, all routing for their favorite team and taking bets. Another TV played the classic Ghostbusters movie, which excited the human kids but it actually scared the little monster kids themselves. Ericka lead the monster children that were too scared to watch the rest of the movie to another TV where the movie 'Monsters Inc.' was starting and the terrified monster children calmed down and decided to watch this movie instead.

An angered gremlin mother came up to Ericka , berating her about the Ghostbusters movie, "What kind of a place shows THAT to children?! Innocent ghosts being busted! What are you thinking?!"

Ericka gave the gremlin lady a firm irritated face, hollering, "Look, it isn't my fault the movie is too scary for them, if you hadn't noticed it scares some human kids too! That's why they're watching a different movie! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work!"

That told the gremlin mother to shut her mouth. Sometimes Ericka looked exactly like Dracula when she got angry.

Ericka left the TV room to take a deep breath as she tried to lessen her stress level. "Ugh. How does Drac do it, all by himself without me?" she wondered. "Speaking of which, I should give him a call." She pulled out her iPhone and dialed his number.

"There you are!" a familiar masculine voice broke her thoughts.

Ericka glanced over at the center of the lobby where she someone she never wanted to see again; James Quinston. Bubbling up from all her other feelings was anger and rage at the sight of him; James was a tall handsome man with an athletic build underneath his coat and white undershirt and he wore a dull blue pants with shiny black modern shoes, he has a small double chin, his copper auburn hair neatly combed in a front flip hairstyle and conniving purple eyes. Accompanying him were his two lackeys; Harper, a tall and skinny man with a pointy nose and he had a bald spot on his head despite having dirt blonde hair, and the other Levon, a short and chubby man with short dirt blonde locks.

James stride himself over to her, acting cool and casual. "After all these years, you're still as beautiful as the day you abandoned me. But I'm willing to forgive and forget."

"Ugh, hello James ," greeted Ericka ,dryly.

Not far behind James in the distance, three female triplets named Amber, Lavender and Juniper swooned and sighed like a trio of lovesick high school girls over a very handsome popular jock. They were deeply infatuated with James , not aware over his boorish attitude, but he had no interest in either of them.

"What's up, Helsing ?" Harper added, slightly waving.

"Er, hi, Harper," Ericka said.

"Hello, gorgeous!" Levon got up in her face like lightning, giving her that lovestruck goofy grin and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Humph! Hi, Levon," Ericka grumbled, it was not surprise to her that Levon had a crush on her for a long time.

Irked, James grabbed Levon by the collar of his jacket and flung him off to the side, causing Harper to snicker, and James immediately resumed his polite persona, "Wonderful castle you live in."

"Thanks, but have you ever been here before?"

"Not this one, but, you know... castles." James noticed the iPhone in her hand. "Making a reservation call?"

"No, I was just calling my husband." Ericka hid a snicker at catching James eye twitching at the mention of her beloved vampire.

Lavender, Juniper and Amber grew ecstatic upon learning that the girl their dear James oved was actually married, meaning this could be their chance to win over James , whoever got him first that is.

"Oh, so you're married." Nevertheless, James kept his cool demeanor. "Congratulations. How long have you been married?"

"Eight years," replied Ericka . "Dracula and I have a little girl."

"Dracula?" James's eyes widened. "As in... Count Dracula? And you said you... had a kid?"

Ericka gestured to the giant portrait of her and Dracula in their wedding garb. James looked as though he was going to have a mental breakdown while he clawed the top of the red cushion chair too tightly and tore it off.

Ericka snickered. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have to make a phone call." And she left.

"It looks like you lost her forever," Harper joked, giving James an elbow shove.

"So, are you moving on?" asked Levon, having returned.

Juniper, Amber and Lavender rushed forward, all eager for James to choose one of them to be his beloved wife.

"No, boys." James scowled and shook his head, determined not to give up on his target. "Sorry, ladies." He completed ignored Amber, Lavender and Juniper as the triplets were dejected over his rejection.

"It's women like her who play hard to get. That's what makes Ericka so alluring. She's made a fool of herself in her father's eyes, but he's gaining in my favor."

Meanwhile in Santa Cruz, Johnny had gotten Mavis to leave the mini-mart at last. They were in the car again, when Mavis spotted a bunch of kids riding BMX-type bikes in a skate park.

"Wait! Stop at that playground!" Mavis shook Johnny's shoulder upon seeing the kids' tricks. "Look at these cute kids!" After parking the car and getting out to explore the skate park, Mavis marveled at the kids performing all kinds of tricks on their bikes. "Holy rabies! This looks like a blast!"

"I don't know, Mavy, this can be pretty dangerous if you don't know what you're doing." Johnny warned, and Mavis looked at him, thinking he was taking after her father, until Johnny's face went from serious to a huge grin. "Of course, I rock these bikes. May I, little dude?" he asked a young boy to borrow his bike.

After having been allowed to borrow the boy's blue BMX bike, Johnny put on a helmet that was way too small for him. "Check it out! Oh yeah! This is how I rolled every summer!" he bragged as he move toward the edge.

The bike fell the edge and Johnny rode over a ramp, acting more like a poor pathetic loser while screaming and trying to hold on for dear life. Mavis watched in amazement, not bothered by his demonstration. He came falling back down and crashed in front of Mavis and a small group of kids, destroying the blue BMX bike.

"I think I scratched it," said Johnny, and the boy who owned the bike moaned sadly.

"My turn!" Mavis announced, grabbing a pink BMX bike from a young girl.

"Mavy, I told you. It took me years to get this good," warned Johnny.

"Well, I'll give it a try," Mavis said, slightly nervous.

The pink helmet fit her better than Johnny. Mavis stood ready to roll... and a trail of fire was all that was left of her when she took off, riding up the ramp and soared into the air. Johnny was astonished and the other kids were stunned. Mavis began performing all kinds of tricks while going airborne. She used the bike to surf on the powerline, before ending her final trick and froze in midair, until her feet and the bike touched the ground.

The kids broke out into an applause.

"Oh-ho-ho! You feel me now? That's my girlfriend, suckers!" Johnny boasted, proudly.

"Your wife, Johnny," Mavis remined him.

"My wife! Even better!" Johnny corrected.

"That was sick, lady! Where did you learn how to do that stuff?" asked the girl who owned the pink BMX bike.

"Transylvania," answered Mavis, taking off the helmet and handing it and the bike back to her.

"That's cool. I have a cousin from Pennsylvania," said the girl, while she and the other kids left.

"Aw, these little guys are so sweet. Dennis and Martha would love them!" Mavis marveled. "What an awesome place to raise some kids !"

"Oh? To raise some kids ?" Johnny got worrisome. He had to keep his part of the plan for Dracula's sake. "I don't know about awesome... maybe tubular... uh, capiche?" He followed after her while leaving the skate park. "Anyway, we should hit my folks' place. I said we'd be there by now."

"Sure," Mavis agreed, but then remembered something else. "Oh, hey, it's after three in Transylvania - I'm gonna check on Dennis and Martha, okay?"

At those words, Johnny grew more worried than ever.