The cockpit doors opened and the Wishbones walked out.
"Oh that is so unfair!" Fay stomped the ground after seeing Sofia.
"Congratulations dear!" Emma looked happy for her.
"Come one, we don't have all day." Max opened up the jet's exit. The bats ran forward and the ramp froze over as it touched the snow.
"Welcome to the Himalayas. As you disembark, please remember your luggage, and tell your pilot just how devilishly handsome he is." Came Dracula's voice.
The bats slid down the ramp laughing, but soon regretted it as they fell into the snow. They quickly flew back in and turned on the fire pit.
"We'll be back." I called out to the bats and Sofia. "You two should stay back too." I pointed to the twins.
"Why us?" As they whined.
"Because it's below freezing temperatures and you're both humans." Harrison pointed out.
"Oh" The twins echoed.
Us monsters went out into the cold as the humans, and bats, stayed behind.
"I'm not wearing enough bandages for this." Fay shivered.
As soon as I felt the cold I took out my taped up wand. I hoped it still worked. "Let us wear what the weather can bear." My black smoke and gold spiders magically made me, Emma, and Fay have winter wear.
"Thanks!" Fay smiled down at her gloved hands.
"Thank you Lizzie." Emma smiled at me.
"Don't mention it." I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. I managed to do magic with a broken wand. But, Baba and Spider weren't here to see it. They would probably freak out, or even be proud. But, they weren't here to see it.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Harrison. "Is everything alright?" He asked.
Before I could answer Max shouted. "Look, footprints!" He pointed at large footprints in the snow. "These feet are as big as yours dad!"
"Ufta." Frank looked at the tracks. He tilted his head and stepped into the tracks.
"These might lead us to Mila!" Max followed them.
I felt Harrison freeze up.
"Oh, so now she's Mila?" Fay teased.
"It has to be her." I heard Harrison uttering.
I turned to face him. "We'll figure this out. We'll find out who took her and find a way to take her back with us." I grabbed his hand. "I promise we'll get to the bottom of whatever this is." I gave a stern look. We were going to get Harrison his daughter back and everyone she took.
Harrison smiled at me. "How did Dracula get so lucky?"
"Huh?" Before I asked what he meant, Max started shouting in fear.
"Yeti!" Max ran behind his mother.
Said Yeti was large, bigger than Frank and Harrison. Its footsteps shook the ground as it walked towards us.
"It doesn't look too happy." Emma walked backwards with her children.
The Yeti threw a giant snowball at Fay, she dodged and it hit Frank instead. He did not look happy.
"I'm sure that if we say why we're here, he won't eat us." Emma tried to reason.
"Okay, you first mom." Fay gulped.
"Greetings-" The Yeti roared and screeched in Emma's face. "We come in peace." She squeaked.
Frank threw a snowball at the Yeti's face, and walked up with a snowball in his hand. "Ufta?"
The Yeti seemed to recognize what he said. "Ufta." It replied. They started to communicate with each other animatedly.
"It's a language?" I was surprised.
"You didn't know?" Harrison asked.
"We never encountered someone else that spoke it-" Harrison pulled me out of the way as the Yeti tackled Frank.
"Bee Jebus." I held onto his shoulders. "Thanks, Harrison."
"No problem." He carried me over to where Frank and the Yeti were playing.
"I'm so glad no one else can see this." Fay said embarrassed as everything unfolded.
"Um," I felt weird being held by Harrison. "You can put me down."
"Oh," Harrison sounded dejected. "Sorry." He set me down.
As the Yeti dived into the snow, it shrunk in size. Mila came into sight holding a ray in her hand. "Thanks for distracting him for me!" Mila grabbed the shrunken Yeti and placed it into a clear orb.
"Mila!" Max called out.
Mila put the Yeti in her backpack. "Sorry, pizza boy. Gotta fly!" She threw her bag to her back, it seemed to be magnetic, and walked away.
"I've got it." Fay spoke with confidence. "Snow and sand are kind of the same thing. Small specks that I can control." She started spinning and made herself a tornado of sand and snow.
The snow above us started to rumble and sprinkle down. Harrison shouted in fear. "Wait, don't!"
"Fay!" Max called out as the snow on top of the mountains started to move. "Stop spinning! You're causing an avalanche!" He ran past her as she stopped. "Mila, look out!"
It was too late, she was swept away by the snow.
"No!" Both Harrison and Max shouted in horror.
Frank managed to slam us all against a large rock to avoid being swept away too. As soon as the snow settled, Harrison clawed away the snow covering us.
"We have to save her!" Harrison snarled and ran off, Max ran with him.
"It's all my fault!" Fay blamed herself.
The rest of us followed the werewolves. Emma slipped and started to slide down, then Frank fell behind me and swept me down too. Soon all of us were sliding down the mountain at a fast pace. A small ledge caused us all to fly up into the air, Frank somehow in the lead instead of behind. As he and Harrison landed, they stopped sliding and the rest of us slammed into them before the edge.
We spotted Mila's things, but not her. "Where's Mila?" Max ran up to the edge. "Mila, hello? Mila!" He shouted below.
"Hello!" Mila's voice echoed back. "I'm here!"
Harrison sighed in relief and went to the edge with Max. "Mila!" Both of them shouted.
"Pizza boy!" She sounded relieved.
"Hold on!" Max shouted.
"I wasn't planning on letting go." She called up. "Can you see my backpack?" She asked. "There's a rope in."
"We'll get it, sit tight." Harrison called down.
"Don't go anywhere!" Max turned around.
"Here you go, pizza boy." Fay tossed the bag to her brother.
Max opened the larger compartment. "I can't find it!" He called out.
"Left pocket!" She called back. She sounded like she was struggling. "Red rope!"
I looked over the edge to see Mila barely holding on to a pickax. There has to be something my magic can do. If only Spider was here to tell me.
Max opened the pocket only to find a red thread. "You meant the right pocket." He opened the other side and took out said rope.
"I don't need a lesson!" She cried out. "I just need a rope."
Max ran close to the edge. "Stop!" Emma grabbed his shoulder. "I can't have you fall down too."
"You're wasting time!" Harrison took the rope and threw it down to Mila. But, Mila's grip weakened and she fell. As the rope went down, her fingers only grazed the end. "No!"
Without holding my wand I shouted the first spell in my mind. "Disappear pronto!" I felt myself consumed by magic and found myself falling next to Mila. She shouted, startled, as I pulled her into my arms. Instinctively she latched on. "Disappear pronto!"
Being consumed in magic again, we continued to fall until I felt myself be caught in hairy arms. I looked up to see Harrison relieved and happy. "You're both alright!" He pulled us close in a hug.
"You saved me." Mila looked up to me with wide eyes.
I smiled at her and gave her a squeeze. "And I'd do it again."
"Mila!" Max shouted. "You're ok."
As Harrison set me and Mila down, Max hugged Mila. "Yeah, I'm ok, pizza boy." She hugged him back.
As they pulled back, Max squared up his shoulders. "So, Lizzie just saved your life." He gave her a stern look. "I think you owe us some answers. What happened to our friends?"
"They-" Mila picked up her things."They're with my parents." She stuttered.
"Your parents?" Harrison questioned.
"What are they doing to them?" Fay asked with her arms crossed.
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I just know that they need them." She started to walk away.
"For what?" Max asked while he followed her.
"To save humankind!" She deflected and started a faster pace..
"How?" Max asked as he caught up to her.
"I don't know." She replied. "They only tell me what I need to know to do my job."
"So you kidnap our friends, drag creatures out of their homes, and you don't even know why?" Max sounded exasperated.
"My parents have their reasons." She defended them. "They're the Starrs."
"The Starrs?" Harrison sounded shocked. I remembered Hans saying something about her suit being a Starr's uniform.
"They can't be good reasons if it means taking everyone against their will." Max pointed out.
"My parents are the best and most noble people on Earth!" Mila talked as if they could do no wrong.
"Noble people don't go around kidnapping others." Harrison spoke up with a growl. "Or, send their daughter away on dangerous missions."
"No parent, in their right mind, would send their child on said dangerous missions" I added. "Much less, send them monster hunting around the world. Alone."
"Mila," Max pleaded, "think about it. Something isn't right."
Mila had a look of confusion. "I've, I got to go."
"Wait!" Max tried to go after her, but Harrison held him back. "Mila!"
Mila took to the skies with her drone. "What?" She asked, her voice cracking.
"Ask your parents what their plan is!" He urged.
She quickly flew out of sight on mechanical wings.
"Is it me, or is it getting colder?" Fay shivered. The wind started to pick up. "Me and my big mouth."