"I'm home!" Christina called into the castle as she walked through the door.
"There's my little shadow," Radu greeted affectionately.
"Hello, Daddy," she greeted him with a hug, ignoring the cane clutched in his hand.
Her eyes slowly moved past her father to the imposing figure half-silhouetted in the shadows, "Grandmother," she nodded timidly.
"How was school?"
"I was mistaken for you twice," Christina headed for the staircase.
"She's been crying again," Radu observed, "My poor girl"
...
"Hey!" Melissa stepped into the house, juggling her school bag and some groceries, "Jenny? I bought stuff for dinner!"
"In here!" Jenny's voice echoed down the hall.
Setting the grocery bags in the kitchen, Melissa stopped briefly to pet Jesse before joining Jenny in Timothy's duck-themed nursery where she was trying to dress the wriggling one-year-old in a race car shirt.
"Here, can I try?" Melissa laughed a little watching her adopted brother shake his head wildly in protest of clothes.
"Be my guest," Jenny, looking oddly disheveled in wrinkled clothes with her hair falling out of its bun, handed over the shirt, "I'll check on Anya and make sure she's still sleeping"
Timothy didn't know many words yet, his vocabulary included, 'no', 'seep', and 'ah' among vocalizations that Melissa sometimes needed help deciphering. But, 'ah' was what he called her.
"No, no, no, no"
I like a challenge.
Though it was no challenge. Smirking she began to recite:
"Obtuse, rubber goose, green moose, guava juice
Giant snake, birthday cake, large fries, chocolate shake!"
This distracted Timothy enough for Melissa to slide the shirt on him, guiding his arms through the holes. Who knew that getting tired of dancing fruit and flipping through the kids' channels would grant her a bizarre secret weapon? An ironic weapon sure but it worked.
"Ah, Ah, Ah!" Timothy stopped laughing long enough to grab at her shirt, holding the fabric in his chubby little fist, "Ah, Ah!"
"How do you do that?" Jenny came back into the room, her hair tie on her wrist.
"Beats me, should I set him in his play pen?"
"Please and then tell me about school"
"Jenny, you couldn't wait until dinner?"
"Of course not"
...
Shaggy and Scooby came home to an empty house, their footsteps echoing back at them as they walked into the foyer. Shaggy shrugged limply supposing this was going to be his new normal. Sugie had also been accepted into the new prep school that had started two weeks before, welcomed onto a couple of sports teams, and had taken part in a few clubs. His mother took the chance for long nights at the office to tackle never-ending paperwork with his father's long hours at the police station which meant he had the mansion to himself. Walking into the kitchen, he set his backpack on the table watching Scooby slink under it, eyes dropping with exhaustion as the adrenaline that had kept the Dane moving all day finally left his body.
Within moments, Scooby was snoring leaving Shaggy to his thoughts as he stared out of the kitchen window watching clouds shift across the sky. He thought about calling the gang but thought better of it, remembering that they too were caught up in extracurriculars, trying to beef up their transcripts for college.
Opening his bag, Shaggy reached for the folder with the school crest on it only to find something else.
You might need these more than me- Christina.
The rest of the cookies from class that day. The oversized double chocolate chip masterpieces tasted like heaven. He'd seen her bag the leftovers but he didn't recall what she had done with them. With a soft smile, he cracked open the bag.
Christina was sweet to give him the cookies despite his initial reactions. He'd have to apologize when he saw her and say thank you.
...
"No, don't go! They'll eat you!"
It was the next morning, Melissa had just slid her backpack on when Anya, half dressed for preschool came racing out of the hall to curl around her legs protectively.
"Anya," Melissa sighed, patting the girls' head, "I'll be okay, okay?"
"They'll eat you!"
"And what makes you think that, hm?"
"The others at school said so"
"Just because they said it doesn't make it true," with a little effort Melissa managed to pry Anya off of her, "Now, I'll make you a deal you let me go to school and when I get home we can play ponies"
Anya's eyes grew large, "Really? We can play with your ponies?"
"Yes, but you have to let me go to school, deal?"
"Deal"
"Alright then," Melissa carried Anya back to her room, setting her down, "I'll see you later"
"Bye, Mel!"
...
Day two was shaping up to be only a smidge better for the boys as Melissa pulled up the long driveway to the Rogers mansion to find Shaggy and Scooby trembling on the wraparound porch.
"I brought Mcdonalds!"
"Recond Reakfast!" Scooby cheered leaping into the car.
"Thanks, Melissa," Shaggy shortly followed, accepting the sausage biscuit and hashbrowns.
"No problem," Melissa sipped her Dr. Pepper, pulling out of the driveway, "Did you hear from the gang yesterday?"
"No, you?"
"No, they're probably settling in still"
"Probably"
...
"Hey, cousin!"
"Hi, Laura," Christina shut her locker with a tired smile, coffee in hand, "How goes being a student guide?"
"It's so much fun, well, they're nervous but, you know, did you meet them?"
"Shaggy's my partner for cooking class-"
"Fun-"
"He fainted when he saw me"
"Oh, no, don't tell me-"
"Yeah," the hybrid frowned, I've got to get to History, I'll see you later"
"Christy..."
Christina shrugged off Draculaura's hand, walking away with her books tucked under her chin, toying with the charms on her bracelet as she disappeared into the AP History room.
...
Melissa jumped back, the locker door nearly shutting on her fingers, "What gives?" she scowled at the orange werecat bad girl caricature.
The werecat ignored Melissa sniffing the air, looking at her companions, "What's that smell?" now she looked at Melissa, leaning in close, "Oh, it's you"
...
"Uh-oh," Clawdeen grabbed Duncan's arm, "Toralei's up to her old tricks"
"Come on"
...
Melissa took a deep calming breath and tried to walk past only to be boxed in by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
"Don't walk away when I'm talking to you!" Toralei grabbed Melissa, trying to yank her back only to find herself sprawled on the floor, jaw aching.
"Don't touch me, ever!" Melissa shook her hand out, leveling the twins with a glare, "I'm not apposed to declawing," she growled.
"That's your hint, ghouls," Clawdeen arrived with Duncan.
The twins ran.
Duncan hauled Toralei to her feet but left her to hobble to the nurses' office, "Couldn't even wait a week"
"Thanks"
"Melissa, right?" Clawdeen spoke
"Yep"
'Don't let Toralei bother you"
"No one bothers me," Melissa smirked, "Thanks though"
"No problem"
...
By the second period, everyone knew Melissa had knocked one of Monster High's worst bullies for a loop.
"They're all looking at us," Shaggy whispered.
"Me, not you," she passed him a stick of gum under the desk, "Chill"
"I'll try"
Glancing up from her textbook, Melissa scanned the room. Everyone was failing to hide their wide-eyed glances at her, everyone was glancing at her except for Christina who kept her head over her book.
She's in this class?
Christina hadn't been there the day before. So where had she been? This girl wasn't one you could miss. Then again, she hadn't seen her at all before free period. It was only the second day of the school year, it was common for classes to shuffle as adjustments were made to schedules. Melissa knew she'd been looking too long when Christina glanced up, eyes full of nervousness, and then looked away, her hand shaking as she fumbled to turn the page in her textbook.
Can't be scared of me? Could she?
Turning back to her textbook Melissa continued to ponder. Christina was scared of something. The tremors in her hands were similar to when Shaggy froze during a case or when the goon of the week was left to her for interrogation.
I wonder what's going on here?
...
Shaggy walked into Cooking class that day with his head down. The students continued to give him and Scooby a wide path wherever they went, but most of them now watched like he could snap. When they got to their kitchenette, Christina was already there, halfway through the worksheet that went along with the recipe.
"Hi," she greeted softly, "We're starting with breakfast foods, apparently"
"What kind?"
"First week basics, eggs, bacon and the like"
"That is a ton of eggs to cook"
Poched.
Boiled.
Scrambled.
Over easy.
Over hard
On and on and on the list went.
"He wants to see what we remember from last year," Christina indicated where the surly ghost teacher walked between the kitchenettes, "and, how far we can get before the end of the period"
"Okay"
"We can split the list if you'd like?"
"Like, I think I'd like to work together"
"Oh, okay," Christina seemed caught off guard, standing from her stool she placed the completed worksheet at the kitchenette entrance for the teacher to collect.
"Are you okay, Christina?"
"I'm fine, just tired," she pulled open the cabinets reaching for the stacks of pans only to scream with pain.
"What happned?"
Her hands were red and blistering as she rushed to run cold water over them.
"Iron"
"Someone switched the indicators around"
Now, Shaggy jumped, Clawdeen and Duncan were behind them now, the former holding a roll of gauze while the latter peeled the red tape off the cabinet handles.
"Toralei, I saw her coming out of here this morning but I didn't think about what she was doing," Clawdeen growled, "Onrey cat"
Panting heavily in a poor attempt to keep from crying Christina let Clawdeen bandage her up. Her eyes darted to every window frantic and fearful.
What's she searching for? Shaggy followed her gaze to a window he'd nearly missed. Just outside the window was a large old tree. A tree nearly weighed down with more birds than he'd ever seen in his life. All of which were crows. Staring directly into the window, watching them.
"I-I think I-I-I-"
"C'mon Christy," Duncan eyed the window, "Let's take you to the nurse,"
"Let's go," Clawdeen rested a hand on Christina's shoulder.
"She's coming"
"It'll all be okay"
"Doesn't leave me alone"
"We know"
"It's not fair"
Their voices faded as they left the classroom. Shaggy looked back at the window to find the birds that caused Christina obvious distress were gone.
What was going on here?
...
Half listening to the teacher prattle about perspective, Melissa ignored her class-assigned sketchbook to favor her personal one. No one gave her sketchbook a second glance. Perhaps they assumed Avalon was a brand and not another name. Either way, it was comforting to have the sketchbook with her, tracing the globe embossed on the frontmost page. Her mother's secret signature.
I miss you.
Glancing around the room she looked at the faded walls, covered with years of student work. Famous characters, inspiring quotes. There wasn't a blank wall in the whole room. Not even the door was spared. It was a cascading rainbow of colors...
Christina passed by, her bandaged hands the first thing Melissa noticed.
What happened to her?
"Melissa! Are you paying attention?"
"You tell me," Melissa pointedly flipped open the class sketchbook to a cityscape, the buildings seemed to tower over the viewer, "I know prespective very well"
"So you do," the teacher curtly nodded, "Carry on then"
When she glanced at the door again, Christina was gone.
...
Christina stared blankly at the curtain, closing the room off from the rest of the office. 3...2...1...
"What happened?" the curtain opened, Maleficent stood before her, awaiting an answer
The hybrid turned away.
"Christina, what happened?"
"Go away," Christina hissed.
"Tell me-"
"GO AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY!"
"I'll see you at home"
The shell-shocked nurse shakily shut the curtain again.
In the darkness, Christina let the tears come.
...
Melissa moved through the halls, her mouth set in a grim line as she lost herself to mental gymnastics. There was a mystery. One with Christina at the center of it. She'd seen the hybrid in passing a few times now. Her hands were still bandaged, she avoided looking out of windows, the cloud of crows always following a few steps behind. Weirdly, she also avoided mirrors, she had her eyes closed when encountered in the girls' bathrooms and shied away from her cousins' compact when it was passed from ghoul to ghoul at lunch so they could touch up their still flawless makeup.
It wasn't for lack of reflection. Unlike Draculaura Christina had one, not just clothes and hair framing an empty space, but a full-on, can see every detail reflection. As plain as hers in the bathroom mirror each morning.
Questions formed, tumbling end over end until they were all she could think of.
"Too early to lose my mind this year," Melissa shook the questions away with a sigh, glancing at the watch on her wrist.
Had it only been ten minutes since the start of free period?
"Melissa?"
Speak of the devil.
"Hi, Christina"
"Is something wrong?" the hybrid asked in concern, "You look upset, did something happen? I know Laura can be a little excitable but she'd be happy to help"
"No, nothing happened, I just look like I'm permanetly pissed off, RBF I think they call it?"
"Okay"
"Hey, I heard from Shaggy you had to go to the nurse today, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Christina's eyes darted briefly around, searching for windows. "I'm fine, promise,"
"Sure?"
"Yeah, I'm going to grab a smoothie, see you later"
"See you"
She's not fine.
A smoothie sounds delicious actually,
...
Shaggy wandered aimlessly through the school. Any students he encountered still gave him a wide path. Melissa's reputation succeeding her. Guilty by association perhaps? Though he wasn't being picked on so he couldn't complain.
"Raggy, hear rhat?" Scooby stopped suddenly, head cocking to the side as he tried to hone in on whatever had piqued his interest.
"What is it, bud?"
"Rhis ray," and Scooby took off running stealthily down the hall.
Wonder when Melissa taught him that?
Following at a leisurely pace he joined Scooby who was peeking curiously into the music room. Christina sat at the piano oblivious to their presence as she finished playing.
"Every smile you fake is so condescending
Counting all the scars you made
And now that I'm sitting here thinking it through
I've never been anywhere cold as you"
What was she so upset about?
Shaggy was torn. Half of him wanted to ask her if she was okay and the other half of him wanted to leave her alone, she clearly wanted to be by herself.
But, something was wrong.
Very wrong.