Lost In Purple
Chapter 45: Prank Tech (Part 3)
Melanie's POV
My claws tap against the floor as I finally find myself on the first floor. Throughout the past half an hour that I've been in the Fear Tech Scaring School, there has been thick sounds of scraping and thuds that fill the air. I know it's Johnny who's tearing up the place, but it still sends shivers up my vertebrae, making me wish that the agonizing sounds could stop so that I could focus on my job. I feel like the main protagonist in some horror flick just running around the place asking to be killed. However, Johnny isn't the one I'm worried about running into, it's the security guards. I'm mortified of being caught, and end up being forced to face the fist of justice. All it will take is for one security guard to hear something, and it's all over. With my blood pumping, I rush to finish placing all the glitter bombs everywhere. I'm guessing the point of them is to scare the Scaring professors. It sounds very ironic yet cathartic. I've heard from my Dad that they're not the friendliest of people so everyone probably thinks that they deserve to be spooked. Not to mention they'll be surprised by a cloud of colorful happiness the moment they lift it up.
Once the last glitter bomb is placed I hear a couple thumps come from behind me, and when I look back to see what it was, I see Johnny running next to me and winding up his next swipe at the wall. It causes an unnerving scrape and a couple of pages of paper to float in the air before they smoothly crash on the floor.
"Done already?" He asks.
I nod as I grab the bag that housed all the glitter bombs, and wrap it around my shoulder. It's miles lighter than what it was before. I would guess all the glitter bombs we had weighed around forty to fifty pounds because I felt my bones crack every time I picked it up until the last two floors.
"Good, don't drop that bag. We can't leave any evidence," Johnny instructs.
Makes sense. Don't want them figuring out where this bag came from and who bought it. I should focus on the current moment though. "Do you need me to help you?" I say offering my assistance.
I'm instantly swept off my feet and swing around in the air, landing on the back of the giant purple monster.
"Sure. You know I love doing things with you," Johnny mentions, "Just cover your ears when I do my thing. I don't want to damage your hearing."
I wrap my arms around his neck, prompting him to grab my hand to make sure I've balanced properly. While I appreciate the worry, I couldn't care less about that because I love it when he lets me sprawl out and embrace him like this in an unorthodox way. After simply resting my head on him, I can smell the usual lavender that aggravates the air and become satisfied when I feel his warmth transfer to me. I put my fingers through his fur and unintentionally pull each strand of hair gently every time my fingers swirl through. Johnny growls tantalizingly which was a response I accidentally caused. "Hey now, I get that I'm an attractive guy but I'm kind of busy at the moment."
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to," I apologize.
I can tell he's smirking while looking down at him. His head is turned to the side, letting me know that he's paying attention to me. "Are you now? Why do I have a hard time believing that?" He asks.
"Shut up," I chuckle, "I really didn't mean to do that, but I do like it when you let me do this."
"You mean carry you as if I'm your glorious steed? Kind of weird, princess," Johnny laughs.
"Weird?! You're the one who made it weird... and you're the one that lets me do this! If anything, you're the weirdo here," I say raising my voice.
I see him roll his eyes, not believing a word I say. We all know a person who knows they're wrong would have that response though. He knows what he's doing, meaning, he wants me to enjoy moments like these and make the most of them. "I'm not the one who's getting a little too handsy. Although, if you keep doing it, I might give you a reward," Johnny winks.
All the words I want to say get trapped within my throat, causing me to only let out a couple of embarrassing stutters. I can also feel my heart racing and my legs trembling.
"Aaah, Worthington's got your tongue huh?" He teases while beginning to strut to the next notice board down the hallway.
I continue stuttering while blushing. "Uh-um…Wh-I-I don't-uhm."
A couple more chuckles come from his chest before we reach the next objective on our mission. This notice board has a bunch of announcements for Scaring related clubs and due dates for several assignments that are soon to make many students stress out about to an unhealthy degree. Hopefully all the them have remembered all of this because they're never going to see these again. Low and behold, Johnny reaches up in the air, which is the signal for me to cover my ears, and he swipes downwards tearing everything in sight. The sound is reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard, and all the papers miraculously stay on the board. His nails are also miraculously still connected to his hands, and perfectly fine. I would have figured that it would hurt to cut that deep into something solid, but I guess it doesn't. The amount of force exerted on them should have also ripped off the staples as well, but what's left behind are the tops and bottoms of each paper and one colossal claw mark on the board.
"Alright, want to see a Fear Tech classroom?" Johnny questions.
"What? I thought all you had to do was tear up these boards?" I answer back with a question.
"Technically yes, that's all I had to do. You already know I'm a valedictorian though, and that I always have the hankering to go the extra mile. You've probably been hearing a lot of noises and that's because I've gone ahead and destroyed each classroom. I've simply tipped over desks, thrown chairs, and 'reorganized' everything else," Johnny elucidates.
"Wha- JONATHAN!" I snarl quietly while giving him a smack across the back of his head.
He puts his hand on his head and rubs it while still smirking. "Whaaat? We're here anyways, we'd might as well make these idiots regret what they did."
"I don't care! Do you realize how much time and effort it's going to take for others to clean up your mess! They don't deserve that!" I growl through my teeth.
"Oh? And how much time and effort is it going to take for all of us to repaint our houses?" Johnny asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Uhm," I scoff, "A lot less time and effort."
Johnny reaches for the door handle, choosing not to listen to me, and pushes downwards and then forwards. When he lets go, the handle recoils back to its original state, creating a metallic sounding clank that echoes off the whistle tile floor. I can hear it travel down the entire hallway along with THE SUDDEN DEEP VOICES COMING FROM TWO DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE BUILDING. Johnny reacts quickly by running into the classroom with me, pulling me off his back, and driving the door closed with his foot. The classroom has around 25 brown desks in it with wooden cabinets and white granite countertops all around it. There's several whiteboards placed around the place, and an unnecessary amount of posters with motivational quotes or random educational things that seem like they're made to brainwash people into thinking their workloads are normal.
The voices draw closer, and become more discernible with each inch they gain on us. "I told you something was happening! Someone's in here!" I hear one of the security guards bellow from the hallway.
"Woah, hold on…" Another guard says, "Are you sure it's just another student that's doing these things?"
They must be looking at the board that Johnny just destroyed, terrified to see the giant claw marks that dig deep into it. They're living within a literal nightmare right now and they know it.
"…Y-you know, I'll be honest with you, I was hearing some very bad noises coming from here for the past half an hour but I was kind of afraid to check it out alone," The first security guard mentions. He sounds fairly young and regretting the decision of being a security guard here now.
Johnny keeps his head close to the door, looking like he's struggling to hear what they're saying. I don't understand why because I can hear them clearly, and based on what I can hear, they're fairly close by. I mean I know I have really good hearing and everything, but do I really have good enough hearing to listen through literal walls?
"You mean you knew something was wrong and didn't tell anyone?!" The other security guard growls deeply.
"It sounded like bombs were going off in here man! I didn't sign up to die!" The younger guard says.
Johnny looks over to me with confusion and desperation. "Can you hear what they're saying?"
I nod, scratching the back of his head in hopes to calm him down a little bit. "We're alright so far," I whisper.
I listen back in on the security guards outside of the classroom. "…We have to go in this classroom right here. You saw it close as we came in right?"
Never mind, we're not alright. I take Johnny's hands and pull him towards the front of the classroom, crouching down so that we can hide underneath what looks like the professors desk. Johnny slides down on his stomach and curls up like a domesticated animal does when they're resting. I end up laying against his stomach and keep my feet from sticking out, listening to Johnny's heartbeat pound against his chest.
"We have to wait for them to open the door and then sneak behind them once they walk in," Johnny whispers.
"But we have to make sure they won't follow us. What if, once we leave the classroom, I distract them and make them move away from the staircase so we can escape," I hypothesize.
"No! You'll risk getting caught Mel! While that might work in the human world, it won't work here. There are serious consequences if one of those guards knows better," Johnny responds softly.
It takes a couple seconds before the door slowly opens, letting in the powerful light of the security guard's flashlights shine against the back wall. Johnny and I can see their silhouettes move along the wall as their flashlights sway from side to side, and we can hear their shaky breathing as they move further in the classroom with slow stomps. "Get in here!" The older security guard whispers, probably gesturing to him as well.
The younger one listens and enters the room, letting the door annoyingly squeak as it leisurely opens. I can also hear his flashlight making subtle clanks as he shakes in terror. The battery must be loose and smashing against the hard plastic it's surrounded by. Johnny grabs me and cautiously places me along his back, wanting me wrap my arms around his neck once again. He's about ready to make his move, hoping to fly past them without making a sound. Knowing how experienced he is with this kind of maneuver, we'll probably be able to squeeze by without getting noticed. However, I still think it's better to distract them away from the exfil point.
The security guards start whispering to each other, and they both sound like they're a good distance away from the doorway, so Johnny takes his chance and pounces out from underneath the desk on all fours. As the wind passes by my head, we exit the room. Johnny wasn't careful enough though and made audible footsteps as his limbs made contact with the floor. I knew there was a chance it would happen, so I rapidly enact my plan. "Go upstairs," I whisper into his ear before I leap off of him.
He pushes himself back into his two legs and turns around while reaching his hand out, but I push him away and sprint down the hall behind me. I'm not the quietest when it comes to running, my feet are heavy and pound against the ground as I use all of my energy to get away as fast as possible. My claws also click against the ground, alerting the security guards even more.
"Who's there?! Get them!" The older security guard screams.
I make a turn to the left, realizing that this classroom and several other classrooms are set right in the center of the building, meaning I can wrap around and go back upstairs without getting caught. That is, if I can pull this off correctly. I then turn right and run further down the hallway before finding myself at a ground floor exit that reveals a couple guards talking to each other a hundred feet away outside. After turning right again, I quickly push my body against the wall, taking slow and steady breaths. The security guards seem to have already lost me, looking around the maze of a building they've regrettably occupied.
"I'm about ready to high tail it out of here sir! My heart can't take this shit!" The younger security guard panics.
"Quiet down! It's obviously some prankster that thinks he's funny, we just have to outsmart him that's all," The older guard hisses.
As much as I hate making people feel uncomfortable, I have to do this for Johnny's sake. He's already come so far in life, and I can't let him throw his life away just because he wanted some retribution for some petty little school feud. I would rather be the one to get caught because there's not a whole lot that me or my family can lose. I do exactly what I did during my scare final, and feel everything become weightless. The small blue glow from in between my scales exposes itself, and my hair floats around in the air as if the world had no gravity. With a deep breath, I let out a wail. The high pitch causes everything around me to rumble.
"WHAT THE FU- SIR WE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!" The younger security guards screams.
The older guard seems to disagree. "No! They're trying to trick us! I won't let them!"
I hear a couple more thumps come towards me before the older guard turns the corner and shines the bright light is shown directly at my face. I wail in pain, trying to swipe the light out of my face, but it's immediately moved away. The older guard regrets moving closer to the anomaly in the building and chucks his flashlight off to the side while screaming like he's never screamed before. "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE KID! SAVE YOURSELF!"
The guard retreats back to the younger one.
"WHAT?! DON'T TELL ME THERE'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING WRONG!" He responds.
I peek into the hallway and see the older guard pick him up as if he were a ten foot plank. "YES GO GO GO!"
The screaming continues for another few seconds before they exit the building entirely, leaving me the opportunity to go back to the staircase and upstairs to find where Johnny ended up. At least, I hope that's where he's at.
I scour every floor for Johnny but only find silence and the aftermath he left behind. The Fear Tech Scaring School has officially been obliterated by the hands of one person. I can't decide if I want to be impressed or disgusted by how easy it was to do so. Regardless, I'm going to give Johnny a piece of my mind once we're out of the fray. I reach the fifth floor and see Johnny standing at the hallway, looking out the window we originally entered. He's staring at what's outside with his hand on his head, probably trying to figure out what all that commotion is that echoes off the hallway walls. I can assume it's because those security guards ratted us out without knowing the situation in it's true form.
"John!" I whisper.
He looks over to me, pleased that I made it back unscathed. He runs over to me and picks me up to place me on his back again. "Oh thank god! Mel we have to leave, now!"
"Ok ok! Do we just head back to the tunnels?" I ask while out of breath, clinging to him like my life depended on it.
"No, security's all over the place. I have a different idea," He pants.
With a hurdle over the windowsill, we find ourselves back outside on the rain gutters with our hearts racing. Johnny was right, there's guards all over the place that are running in every direction possible. It's almost like theres some sort of military drill happening because it's basically a battlefield out here. The guard's flashlights light up the sky like lighthouses, and their keys and belts full of weapons jingle with every step. It's either that we were the catalysts for this disaster or they caught on while we were inside. It's totally plausible that they saw one of the others messing witht he campus and set the campus on high alert. All we can do is hope that nobody else got caught and find our way off campus.
"I don't know where anyone else is, and have no way to contact them, so we're on our own," Johnny growls in slight frustration.
"How do we leave without being seen?" I question in genuine fear.
"Just like we would in the human world: stealth," Johnny replies.
He slides down the gutters with me still on his back, and lands smoothly on the sandstone ground before dashing in between all the hedges, statues, and small walls that line the pathways. We have to stop behind a trash can, slouching as far down as we can and wait when a group of security guards come sprinting in from the front of the Scaring School, swinging their beams of light to every square foot of campus.
"How did nobody notice anyone?!" One guard asks.
"How should we know?!" Another answers.
"Yeah! I've worked here for 2 years and nothing like this has happened before!" A third guard screams.
"So?! Others have already reported a bunch of young adults TPing the place, pouring some sticky substance all over the campuses floors, and bunch of other annoying stuff! How are you all that incompetent at your jobs?!" The first guard berates.
Johnny and I keep listening just like in the Scaring School, waiting for the golden opportunity to slip away into the night. Even though we're doiung our best to survive right now, it's kind of entertaining to hear some old geezer place all the blame on his subordinates like some out of touch douchebag.
"Grrrr…Come on, Officers Fangstaff and Scalin reported some disturbance in the Scaring School... I swear to god, if we don't figure this out, you're all in big trouble!" The first guard snarls while running towards the back of the Scaring School.
The guards all follow him closely, aiming their flashlights ahead of them, grunting with every breath they take. This is the opportunity that Johnny is waiting for. "Ok go," I whisper to Johnny.
He lunges onwards, digging his claws rhythmically into the frozen ground and sending bits of dirt into the air behind us. The trees sway in the wind, giving us some auditory cover in our desperate escape from the campus, but in the end, it's not enough for us to be in the clear. I can hear even more guards are about to come running up to the left of us, from the path in between the science building and dormitory on the western end of campus.
"Go right!" I exclaim.
With an unrivaled reaction time, Johnny swerves to the right, still catching the attention of the security guards but eating his dust as we draw closer to the dormitory. There's a retractable ladder that hangs from the middle of the building that catches Johnny's eye, prompting him to speed up in order to have a chance at climbing it. The first step hangs a couple feet in the air, so we have to jump high in order to grab onto it. As we face the brick wall, Johnny digs into it, leaving scratch marks on it as his claws scrape against it and miraculously grasps onto the very first step with both of his hands. The security guards are screaming at us to stop where we are, but I can safely say that we won't anytime soon. Since Johnny is stubborn and has an amazing amount of upper body strength, he pulls us up further, beginning our ascent to the roof of the dormitory.
"The only option we have left is to climb the wall," Johnny mentions.
"What?! Don't you dare! You'll hurt your legs if you do that!" I shriek.
"We'll be ok, I promise! I know where to go," He replies, "Just hold on."
We reach the top of the ladder, and Johnny books it towards the far end of the dormitory, giving himself a good run up to make the jump. At first I didn't understand what Johnny was implying other than banging his legs up against it by landing on it, but now I see it clearly. The dormitory is at the edge of campus, and Fear Tech happens to have a brick wall that separates itself from the rest of the Monster World. He wants to jump over it instead of walking along it and finding a normal exit. I guess it makes sense considering that this campus feels like a prison. Student curfew, complete shutdown of all the buildings, security guards patrolling everywhere, like it's literally the exact opposite of what should be a safe space.
I'm pulled off his back and repositioned to his chest with my arms still around his neck. "If I knock myself out, try your best to drag me into the best hiding spot you can find," Johnny mumbles.
He might get knocked out?! "Wait Joh-"
Every ounce of energy he has left is thrown into his dash forward, making it feel like he's faster than a car, and with one large leap, we're floating in the air high above the brick wall with large black metal spikes atop of them. The wind blows in the direction we're moving, and the cities lights dazzle along the horizon. The moon strikes our eyes and the stars shimmer, giving us one of the best views that suburban Monstropolis has to offer. After all the adventure, nervousness, and fear, I think I actually just had my life flash before my eyes. Although it feels like we were in the air for an eternity, all good things must come to an end. The impact of Johnny's feet hitting the ground ripples through me before he pushes my hands off of him, and curls up to me before we both roll on the ground a couple times, dodging all the naked trees, and landing into a freezing cold river that makes Johnny roar out in pain when he feels it run through his fur. I don't get a single drop on me, but I can tell that its a couple degrees away from freezing entirely. Johnny sprawls out on his back, glad that he's almost made it out of trouble once more, and panting heavily. "Are you…are you alright?" He asks with wide eyes while taking the both of my hands.
"Y-yeah…please tell me you're ok too," I answer.
"Yeah. Just exhausted…and cold," Johnny shudders.
There's many loud noises that make their way over the brick walls, meaning that the security guards are going to send people out here to search for us. I have to make sure Johnny is able to get out of here with me. If not, I'll suffer the consequences along with him, and I can't have him lose his chance at becoming a Scarer. "There sending guards to follow us John. We have to go," I say rushing him.
"Ok," Johnny groans like an old man while standing up with me in his arms, "Like I said, I know where to go."
Water drips off of him, making tiny waterfalls before he shakes all the water of off him. He's a little bit fluffy now which makes me feel a little happier when he starts running with me. It's good to know that he hasn't unintentionally injured himself after pulling one of the most reckless stunts I've ever seen and or been a part of. I don't know what would have happened if he actually ended up breaking his leg or being knocked out…Or well, I guess I can. We would have been in the nearest holding cell waiting to be sentenced for our crimes.
While trying to forget about all the things that could have been, Johnny follows the river westward. We pass many houses that line it, and go under several roads that block the worlds view from us. Even though it's nearing the very late night, the roads are still busy and there are many monsters out and about as if it were daytime. Although, it might just be me not being used to living in a place where people enjoy being out of their house and finding it weird that people are out this late. Cormeadow is the most weirdest of places anyways. After another while of running, Johnny finally splits off from the river, darting up a grassy hill and in between two large buildings with glass domes on top of them. The moment we hit the pavement of the street on the other side of them, the streetlights shine against us brilliantly, unveiling where it is that that Johnny has taken me. It's a beautiful outdoor mall that's adorned with cobblestone sidewalks, flower bushes, sycamore trees, vines that are well controlled and climb against many of the walls, and rock work that encircle ponds in spaces not meant to be trekked on by monsters. I wish I could have grown up in a place like this, because I feel almost excited to just be here in general.
"Where are we?" I ask as Johnny finds a bench to set me down on.
"Thornberry. My hometown," Johnny smiles tiredly.
"Wh-why here? Is there a place for us to hide or something?" I continuing questioning.
"I guess you could say that. Nobody at Fear Tech would even think to look here since us 'rich-folk' aren't trouble makers, but I can take us to my parents place if I have to. I don't believe that we'll be doing that though," Johnny clarifies.
Many monsters pass us by, carrying large bags of clothes and others goods from expensive brands. There's even an elderly women that walks by with a large silk dress that looks like it came straight from some royal castle somewhere in another country.
"I also hope that you won't feel too out of place. Thornberry is essentially the opposite of where your family is from," Johnny adds.
I push my hood back, revealing my entire face to the street. I also take Johnny's hood off in the process, making sure he didn't damage his horns or his skull for that matter. I take my claws and put them under his chin, using them to move his head around. "I'll be fine. Are you sure you didn't hurt yourself though? There's no way that landing didn't hurt."
He chuckles. "Yep…I…I just want to thank you. I don't think I would have gotten out of there without you."
"You…wouldn't have?" I ask calmly with curiosity.
He sighs in slight frustration. "Yeah. I would have ran right into that group of guards that came running from our left. We also most likely wouldn't have made it out of the Scaring School unless you distracted them. There was more that were going to come into the School before you sent those two guards running out in terror too. I was too stupid to even think that something like that could happen..."
I look at him with worry. He's upset with himself that he didn't see the danger that was right in front of him. I don't think I would have either if I was blinded by rage and held onto the goal of revenge. He instantly hides how he feels though, and looks back into my eyes. "…May I ask what you did as well? What I heard was something I never want to hear again. While it scared me…it also made me…uh…slightly aroused," Johnny chortles.
I stand up out of embarrassment, blushing like I've never blushed before, but also wanting to run away in outrage. I can feel my cheek muscles trying to get me to smile, but I won't let them. I feel my head get extremely warm, and the hoodie I'm wearing doesn't help with that. Also, why is he talking like this when we were moments away from getting arrested! God I want to just strangle him right now! "Jonathan Worthington The Third!" I say stomping on the ground.
"What?! Hearing you scare the living daylights out of two grown men made me so proud of you that I couldn't help but love you more than I already do! What's so bad about that?!" Johnny argues.
"Ugh! I don't want to talk about it! I could have sworn that my life was over right when they turned the corner and saw me, and all you want to talk about is sex!" I whimper while feeling a couple tears developing in my eyes.
"Woah, Mel, I didn't mean to make you upset. I-I just…I'm sorry," Johnny sighs.
All of the anger that I've had with this whole situation seems to be pouring out right now. All the unnecessary things that I've disagreed with, all of the fear that I couldn't properly show, it's just pouring out in an uncontrollable manner.
"Johnny you were supposed to just tear up the notice boards, not the entire building! Why do you have to make things a whole lot worse than they have to be?!" I cry.
"What are you saying? It wasn't me who started all of this, it was them! The moment they decided to vandalize our houses, it became necessary that we destroy everything. While it wasn't a part of the plan, I wanted to make sure that they didn't lay a finger on Monsters University again. I don't want them ever messing with you either…I won't be able to do anything about it once I graduate," Johnny counters.
"Please don't talk about that," I groan, "I don't even want to think about that right now."
"See, things will already be bad with me just being gone. I can't have them adding to all that stress you deal with," He responds.
"Still…doing what you did was beyond cruel! Everyone there is going to think that there's some psychopath who's out to get them now, students won't feel safe going to class now," I whine.
I don't hear him say anything in response.
"Seriously John, what they did wasn't personal. Aside from the JOX, they painted everyone's house on the block. But what you did was personal, you thought it was a direct attack on your ego and reputation, so you completely destroyed theirs…again," I attest.
Johnny sighs as he puts his hand through my hair. "Yeah…I guess you're right when you put it like that."
We both don't say anything, we just stand there under the lamplight, hugging each other as a peaceful way to vent all of our anger.
"…If you want to know, I just did what I did during my scaring final to scare the guards. They threw their flashlights away because they were so scared and run out of the building," I say to finally answer his original question.
"That's it?" Johnny asks.
"From what I know. I don't remember doing anything different than what I usually did," I exhale while wiping my nose of all the mucus that's beginning to drip out of it.
"…Hehe…I'm still proud of you," Johnny mumbles.
I feel myself start to smile, but before I can fully smile, we both hear the sound of the televisions play the breaking news segment within the windows of a store, making many monsters turn their attention towards it. The anchor begins speaking firmly and clearly. "Breaking News in Thornberry tonight as Fear Institute of Technology has had a massive security breach. The universities security team has been on high alert after many acts of vandalism have occurred in just under an hour. Security has shared with us that many places have been graffitied on campus as well as being adorned in toilet paper. Several other things have happened but the biggest concern happened at the Scaring School. Almost every classroom has been torn to shreds and mysterious boxes have been placed in front of all the classrooms, which has caused the university to call upon bomb squads. One security guard even tells us of a strange yet terrifying occurrence he saw within the school at the time of the crime. Here's his story…"
Johnny puts his hands on my shoulders and looks down at me in surprise before listening to the televisions once more.
"'I don't know what is was' says Officer Fangstaff of Fear Tech Security, 'It was something straight out of a paranormal horror movie.'"
The many monsters around us become slightly more intrigued and concerned, moving closer to the TVs.
"My coworker and I were just walking around, doing our job, and then we were told that there were several disturbances around campus. We were advised to check the Scaring School to make sure nothing was happening in there, and when we entered there was a door that slams shut," The older security guard that we've come to know and love explains in his interview. He's standing in front of the Fear Tech entrance, still freaked out beyond belief. "When we opened the door to see what it was, there…was nobody there. We took a closer look and then there was sounds of running in the hallway and we followed them. We figured it just some sort of prankster who took refuge in the school for the night, b-but we couldn't have been more wrong. Thinking we caught them, we shine our flashlights to see who it was but it was a literal ghost. You could see right through it and everything."
The monsters that have gathered around all gasp, not expecting to hear something so crazy.
"Officer Fangstaff claims to have seen a ghost. A transparent blue ghost that's nothing but bones, a visible ribcage, long flowing hair, razor sharp claws, and a jaw that looked to have abnormally stretched downwards. Here's a drawing of what he claims to have seen," The reporter says.
The onlookers all recoil in horror, afraid to even look at the screen in front of them. Johnny and I both narrow our eyes, looking at the drawing while being critical about it. It looks nothing like me, but contains details that we know I can exhibit. It's a drawing that looks like what you would find if you looked up the word 'banshee' on the internet.
The screen switches back to the security guard. "I wouldn't have taken this job if I knew I was going to run into that. Now everyone's going to think I'm insane when talking about this."
The story finally wraps up and goes back to the anchor who asks for people who know anything to come forward and say something to the authorities. I don't think there will be anyone who does though. Nobody seems to have gotten caught nor did it seem like any security guards were able to get an accurate description of anyone else who invaded campus tonight.
"Mel…Holy shit," Johnny whispers with a baffled look.
I move my hands up to his chest. "I swear I didn't feel anything different or try to do anything different. I don't know why he saw that," I whisper back.
Johnny grins and shakes his head. "Pfft. I don't care about that. I care about you being able to scare. I wouldn't have been able to do something like that. Just wait until everyone hears about this back on campus, they'll go nuts!"
"No no! You won't say a word! I'm not letting this fly out of control!" I say wiping my eyes of the last few tear drops.
"What?! Why not?! if I were you, I would take all the glory I could get," He laughs.
I shake my head and back away from him. "Whatever...We should go back."
With a shrug, Johnny closes his eyes and replies, "Meh, we can if you want to. If you'd rather stay here and have some fun looking around we can though. I haven't been back here in four years, so maybe there's something cool around here for the both of us to experience."
Hearing this comes as a surprise. Why hasn't he been back? This place is amazing for what it is, like I straight up feel like I'm on vacation in some fancy country. "You haven't been back? Don't you have any friends who live here? Have you actually not spent anytime with your parents since high school?" I interrogate.
"Nope. Don't have any other good friends from here aside from Javier, and my parents don't really have an interest in seeing me,' Johnny answers with a partial smile.
"Ok then...are there any places to get something good to eat? Not like a restaurant or anything, but like a snack shop or a candy store?" I question.
"Hmmm…There are, but I have a better idea," Johnny answers while pulling me along the sidewalk.
Our small walk turns into a lengthy journey with him taking me to an ice cream shop. The place is soothingly white, and decorated as if it were made to be a place where kids come to hang out after school. Johnny says it was the only ice cream place he ever went to as a kid because it was the only one that didn't taste like it was made of processed chemicals that destroy their customers stomach lining. If Johnny says something like that, then the ice cream must be really good…and it was. He got me a medium bowl of strawberry ice cream that was topped with all flavors of gummy bears. While it sounds really simple and boring, it was the creamiest, coldest, and tastiest I've cream I've ever had. Johnny just got a basic vanilla cone since he wasn't really that hungry nor did he really want ice cream, but he didn't want me to feel rushed or lonely. We both talk about the atmosphere here in Thornberry, and he describes all the places he can remember going to growing up. He says that Thornberry has Monstropolis' most beautiful parks, and even a theme park that he would like to take me to someday. I take him up on the offer and quickly finish up my ice cream since he looked like he was ready to go. After that, he took me to a couple of clothing stores. Instead of shopping there, we just browsed at all the selections and made fun of all the stupid things that the stores sold. Apparently people around here buy all sorts of stupid clothes that they think is 'hip' and 'trendy' but actually aren't. Living under a rock is apparently one of the curses of being wealthy in Monstropolis, and Johnny was lucky enough to not be one of those people. Soon after we finished that, Johnny decided to take me back to Monsters University since we were supposed to be back there already. He let me onto his back and he transported me like that until we hit a bus stop that took us all the way to the entrance. I ended up falling asleep the whole ride back, leaning against his shoulder as he texts Javier that we made it out alright with very minimal injuries. When we do eventually arrive at Monsters University, we both make it known that we love the general vibe of the place. No other location in Monstropolis has such comforting foliage, and no other place feels as homey.
With a another tiring walk we end up back at Frat Row where everyone else is still hanging out and waiting for us in the middle of the street, probably thinking that we got arrested and trying to think of ways to help us out. They've all changed out of their black clothing and have various kinds of drinks in their hands as well. Luckily, Carrie notices us as we reunite with everyone. "Johnny Worthington! Why has this been the second time that we've lost you?!" She screams down the street.
"Don't even start with me Williams! I'm tired enough as it is!" Johnny roars.
I grab his arm and give him a menacing glare as he looks down at me. "I'm not going to do anything Mel, I'm just messing with her," He chuckles.
"You'd better not, she's only trying to look out for you" I mumble.
Once we finally find ourselves further down the street, everyone crowds around us asking about what happened. While I try to stay awake, Johnny explains to them how I placed all the glitter bombs and he destroyed the notice boards, but also explained how he trashed every classroom as a bonus. Everyone congratulates him on doing that but soon became entranced in his story telling once he talks about everything I did. With great detail, he recalled the entire story he heard on the news, leaving everyone amazed when he speaks about how I turned transparent, and that I was something that came straight out of a fable. I thought I told him I didn't want anyone to know, but I guess I can't do anything about that now. I don't really know what I was expecting anyways considering he's already told me that he's really proud of me. My tail wags at the thought of that.
It doesn't take very long before he excuses the both of us, and we retire to our bedrooms for the night, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves. I happily put on my pajamas, and pray to whatever gods above that I don't have to do anything like this ever again for as long as I live. I take my blankets and lift them up so I can slide under them, and fluffing my pillow before getting comfortable. Just as I close my eyes, Johnny lightly knocks on my door and peaks in with one eye. "Can I sleep in here tonight?" He asks.
I nod my head and reach my arms out for him, giving him permission to engulf me with his massive proportions.
"Thanks Mel," He whispers as I notice visible bags under his eyes.
He lightly jumps up onto my bed and lays down on top of me, and lets me be submerged into his snuggly fur. You would think that it would hurt to have him do something like that, but it actually just feels like a weighted stuffed animal landing on you, so it only takes a couple minutes for the both of us to drift off into another night of sleep. Considering that it's still the weekend, I hope we won't get interrupted tomorrow morning and that we can just sleep in like we wanted to. You know, the whole reason that we didn't get to do that was because of the Fear Tech Frats. Even if what we did was pretty cruel, they can just deal with it. We have other things on our minds anyways.