Headmistress Bloodgood was a sight to behold. Dressed in a striking velvet suit and slicked back bun, she sat before Beatrix and Autumn with impeccable posture in her high-ceilinged office.


    Not to mention, her detached head was sitting upright on her mahogany desk, staring straight at them. To be polite, Beatrix avoided looking at where Bloodgood’s neck abruptly ended.


    Over the past week, Beatrix and Autumn had taken a train across several states to reach Oregon, rode a shuttle up a steep and perilous mountain, and when they’d finally reached the foggy peak where Monster High was located, the girls had meticulously decorated their shared dorm room and bought a heap of school supplies for Autumn from the student store.


    Through it all, Beatrix could barely contain herself. She was getting a fresh start in New Salem, and she couldn’t wait.


    “Beatrix Felicity Ravenwood?” the headmistress asked.


    “That’s me.”


    Bloodgood’s body flipped through a thick stack of forms, her pale fingers flicking the pages. “Novice witch?”


    “If novice means newbie, then yes," Beatrix said.


    “You understand you''ll be Ms. Patches’ student aid for her sophomore year? As well as a part-time member of the creepateria staff?”


    Beatrix nodded eagerly.


    “Very good,” Bloodgood said. “Since you aren''t a student, you won’t be allowed to attend Autumn’s classes with her. You''ll only accompany her during certain intervals of the day to provide emotional and medical aid. This includes making sure she gets to all academic buildings safely, escorting her to and from Study Howl, and being on standby during her Physical Deaducation class for any torn limbs. I trust you’re up to the task?”


    “Absolutely,” Beatrix said.


    Bloodgood added, “As for your creepateria duties, you''ll be reporting to Marsha, our head lunch lady, at nine o’clock sharp every morning.”


    Although lunch duty didn’t sound very exciting, Beatrix assumed it would beat working for her aunts back home.


    “Thank you again for letting my friend come with me, Headmistress,” Autumn said.


    “Yes, well, it would have been dreadful to lose a student of your caliber, regardless of your…” Bloodgood glanced at Beatrix. “... special accommodations.”


    Autumn nudged Beatrix gently with her elbow.


    “Oh, right. Thank you, Headmistress,” Beatrix said. “I promise I won''t cause any trouble.”


    “I’m sure you’ll try your best,” Bloodgood replied, her decapitated head assessing Beatrix. “There is one last condition you must be aware of, Ms. Ravenwood. You will be attending the Monster Sensitivity Seminar—or ‘MSS’—every Saturday morning. MSS is for newly transitioned monsters who possess more human traits than usual compared to the rest of our student body.”


    Bloodgood continued, “The seminar will educate you on the different types of supernatural creatures at Monster High to help you get acquainted with your peers. Failure to attend will result in your immediate termination. Do I make myself clear?"


    Beatrix gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. “Crystal.”


    “Excellent,” Bloodgood said.


    Bloodgood’s body shifted her head closer to the girls. “Now, what I am about to tell you stays within the walls of this office.”


    “Yes, ma’am,” Beatrix and Autumn responded in unison.


    Bloodgood lowered her voice. "Having a witch at Monster High is… unprecedented. I only agreed to this because Ms. Patches wrote a very moving application essay about growing up around magic users and the importance of inclusivity."


    Bloodgood rubbed her temples, looking weary. “I won’t lie to you, Ms. Ravenwood. You''re likely going to face some hostility here. Old prejudices run deep. Nevertheless, I believe this could be a step towards officially opening our doors to witches one day. That’s why it''s of the utmost importance that you be on your best behavior. And it should go without saying that magic of any kind, for any reason, is forbidden. This is your one and only warning.”


    Beatrix smiled. “You can count on me.”


    However, behind Beatrix’s smile, a question still pestered her: why exactly were witches banned from Monster High in the first place? It seemed hypocritical for a school that prided itself on its diversity.


    Just as Beatrix was about to ask, Bloodgood rose to her feet, cradling her head in the crook of her elbow. “I appreciate both of you taking the time to meet with me this morning, but I’m afraid I have another appointment to attend to. You best be on your way to Autumn’s first class.” Her tone made it clear the discussion was over.


    Beatrix and Autumn stood as well. While Autumn thanked Bloodgood again, Beatrix had to admit she was glad to get away from the Headmistress’s severed head. Eager to start her first day of work, Beatrix walked to the office door, grabbed its brass handle, and tugged it open.


    But as she stepped through the doorway, she collided with a wall and was nearly knocked off her feet. Strong hands quickly gripped her upper arms, steadying her. The scent of leather and pine needles hit her immediately.


    “Bea! Are you okay?” Autumn cried out.


    Dazed, Beatrix blinked rapidly until the spinning corridor righted itself. It then dawned on her that she hadn’t slammed into a wall. Rather, she’d slammed into a tall guy’s chest. She lifted her head and found herself looking into a pair of eyes unlike any she’d ever seen.


    They were black—completely black. There were no whites to this stranger’s eyes, no irises, just darkness. His eyes were so dark they almost looked hollow, like bottomless caverns Beatrix could stumble down.


    Beatrix took in the rest of the teenage boy who stood before her. He was tall, towering over her by nearly a foot. His hair was buzzed close to his skull, he wore a battered leather jacket, and his skin was a shade of washed-out gray. A chain necklace glinted at his throat, and at his hip, a strange contraption hung from a silver ring—a retractable staff of some kind. Beatrix couldn’t tell what the staff was meant for.


    It took a moment for Beatrix to realize he was still gripping her arms. She jerked back, embarrassed, and he released her immediately, but his eyes never left hers as his imposing frame loomed over her.


    “Grey,” Bloodgood said from behind Beatrix, “meet our newest additions to Monster High.”


    “What’s a witch doing here?” Grey asked. His deep voice spat out “witch” like it was a bad word.


    Beatrix’s heart dropped. How did he know she was a witch? She had dressed as casually as possible, opting for a simple pair of skinny jeans and blouse for her first day. She''d even hidden her crooked witch hat in the back of her dorm closet. There wasn’t a hint of her heritage visible, yet somehow Grey saw right through her.


    “Why don''t we talk in my office?” Bloodgood interjected, stepping back from the doorway and motioning for Grey to come in. “Have a good first day, ladies.”


    Grey brushed past Beatrix without a second glance. By the look of him, Beatrix assumed he was visiting Bloodgood for disciplinary reasons.


    “Wait,” Beatrix said.


    Grey paused. His dark eyes met hers again.


    “How can you tell I’m a witch?” Beatrix asked. She couldn’t bear not knowing.


    Grey glowered. “I can spot a claimed soul a mile away.”


    Without further explanation, he disappeared into Bloodgood’s office, the heavy door thudding shut behind him, leaving Beatrix and Autumn alone in the quiet hallway.


    “A claimed soul?” Autumn whispered. “I thought you got to keep your soul until you turn sixteen.”


    “That’s what I thought too…” Beatrix murmured, distracted, unable to tear her eyes away from the closed office door.


    Despite her family’s long history of making deals with devils in exchange for dark powers and knowledge, Beatrix still needed to sign her own soul away to make her contract official. And she definitely wasn’t going to go through with that.


    So why does Grey think my soul is ‘claimed’? How does he know anything about my soul at all?


    Thinking of his blacked-out eyes on her sent a shiver down Beatrix''s spine. She didn''t think blending in at Monster High would be this hard.


    Autumn linked her soft arm in Beatrix’s. “We should get going."


    ~ o ~ O ~ o ~


    As Beatrix and Autumn wove through the hallway, glimpses of scales, wings, and horns whipped past. Monsters of every imaginable shape and size flowed alongside them — massive trolls with scaly green skin, elegant vampires with glinting fangs and ruby-red lips, translucent phantoms drifting silently through the air. The school was alive with growls, shrieks, and roars, while clawed feet clacked against the stone floors and wings flapped overhead.


    This place is like a labyrinth, Beatrix thought, unsure which way to go to find Autumn’s first class.


    Autumn’s straw-stuffed arm was still linked in hers, and Beatrix could feel her friend’s grip tightening. While Autumn’s face stayed neutral, Beatrix knew her well enough to know she was terrified.


    “You’re gonna do great,” Beatrix reassured her, giving Autumn’s arm a comforting squeeze.


    “I don’t know,” Autumn’s voice trembled quietly, nearly drowned out by the monstrous noises around them. “I heard that I’m one of the only transfer students this year. What if my homeschooling wasn’t good enough? I might not be qualified to be here. What if I’m the dumbest person in class, and everyone knows it, and I trip and my stuffing falls out, and—”


    “Autumn. Breathe,” Beatrix reminded.


    Autumn took a deep breath and loosened her grip on Beatrix. “Right. Okay. It’s going to be okay,” she said.


    In the chaos, Beatrix didn’t even notice a disembodied hand running past them on its fingertips, pale green fingers working like the nimble legs of a spider.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    “Bea! Look!” Autumn pointed.


    The green hand scurried between all the shuffling feet and clacking hooves with surprising speed.


    “Someone grab it!” a loud voice shouted.


    Before Beatrix could react, Autumn hopped ahead and snatched up the scrambling hand. She clutched it tightly to keep it from wriggling free.


    A girl stepped forward from the passing crowd, standing over six feet tall, with the same unusual shade of pale green skin as the squirming hand. Lines of crooked black stitches crisscrossed over the girl’s body, and she had two different colored eyes—one an electric blue, the other emerald green. Both eyes lit up when they landed on Autumn.


    “You have crazy quick reflexes!” the green girl exclaimed. Sparks snapped from the metal bolts that protruded from the sides of her neck. “Usually catching my hand is a handful.”


    Autumn giggled at the pun and carefully passed over the appendage. The green girl hastily began to reattach it to her wrist with a wonky surgical needle. Beatrix had to suppress a shudder as she watched the girl pierce her green flesh and pull the thick black thread through in sloppy, uneven stitches, wincing at each graceless jab.


    No wonder her seams are so crooked, Beatrix thought. Beatrix was tempted to sit the girl down right there in the hallway, whip out her own needle and thread, and sew that rebellious hand back on herself.


    “Sneaky little thing,” the girl said, stretching her reattached fingers. “I’m impressed you caught it! With your quick reflexes, you''d make a good fear squad member.”


    Autumn beamed with pride. Beatrix knew she wasn’t used to getting compliments about her agility.


    “What’s a fear squad?” Autumn asked.


    “It’s a team I joined last year as a freshman. We cheer and host pep rallies for the sports teams here. How strong are you?”


    “Oh, not strong at all. Look at me,” Autumn said, wiggling her straw limbs. Her frame was a stark contrast to the green girl’s study muscles. “Even for a scarecrow, I’m weak!”


    “That’s okay! I’m sure we can find a spot for you. I’ve never met a scarecrow before! Are you one too?” the girl asked, turning her mismatched eyes to Beatrix.


    The question made Beatrix pause. Unlike that Grey guy, this girl didn’t know she was a witch at first glance. I guess it’s not obvious to everyone, Beatrix realized. She felt relieved. Maybe she could blend in here after all.


    “No, I’m just Autumn’s student aid,” Beatrix said, deciding to keep her true identity to herself for now.


    “Frankie!” someone called.


    Beatrix saw a copper robot, a granite gargoyle, and a green plant monster waving at Frankie from across the hall.


    “I better bolt,” Frankie said. “Hope to see you at fearleading tryouts!”


    With a wave, Frankie journeyed over to her friends, who were glancing at Beatrix suspiciously.


    “She was nice,” Autumn said brightly, oblivious to the group of ghouls.


    However, Beatrix kept an eye on them. The robot, gargoyle, and plant monster clustered around Frankie, whispering something to her.


    Suddenly, Frankie spun around to look back at Beatrix, her voice booming over the crowd. “She’s a witch?”


    Beatrix’s heart dropped for the second time that day.


    Almost every monster in the hall halted in their tracks and followed Frankie’s gaze to Beatrix. The flow of students parted around Beatrix and Autumn, leaving them standing alone in an empty spotlight. Murmurs rose from all sides, some curious, some confused, some displeased.


    Beatrix then became hyper-aware of the sharp talons and teeth around her. Her aunts’ voices swirled inside her head: The students at your monster school will treat a witch as warmly as humans do…


    “How does everyone already know about you?” Autumn whispered. "I thought you’d stay under the radar for a few more days, at least.”


    Beatrix had no idea how Frankie’s friends had figured out what she was so quickly. All this attention on her made Beatrix worry about how Autumn would suffer by extension. The last thing Beatrix wanted was for Autumn to become a social pariah because of her.


    “You’re the transfer student, right?”


    Beatrix turned to find two huge sea-green eyes peering at her, framed by a wild tangle of golden curls. The eyes belonged to a fish, or rather, a fish girl. Fins stuck out where human ears would be, and thin webs stretched between the fish girl’s fingers as she clutched a turquoise binder.


    “Oh, uh, I’m not a transfer student. She is.” Beatrix pointed to Autumn.


    The fish girl smiled and shifted her attention to the scarecrow. “You must be Autumn Patches.”


    Autumn blinked her button eyes in surprise. “I thought Bea was the one everyone knew about. How do you know my name?”


    The fish girl tucked a lock of curly blonde hair behind a webbed ear. “Bloodgood told me to look out for a new girl starting class today. Perks of being on the student council,” she said with a playful wink.


    Since the fish girl had approached them, the gawking students had dispersed. The hall was in motion again and the clamor of conversation was picking back up.


    “Are you lost? You look lost,” the fish said.


    Autumn fumbled in her plaid skirt pocket and pulled out a class schedule. "Do you know where room 217 is?"


    “Clawculus with Mr. Rotter? I don’t know any sophomores taking Clawculus besides Ghoulia. You must be a smart cookie. It’s right upstairs, c''mon,” the fish girl said warmly. “Name’s Lagoona, by the way. Lagoona Blue.”


    Beatrix couldn''t fathom why Lagoona was being so welcoming when other monsters were treating her like she had the plague. Still, she was relieved someone was being nice to them.


    Lagoona led Beatrix and Autumn through the crowd, her blonde curls bouncing ahead of them as they ascended a staircase to the second floor. Beatrix couldn’t help but notice how much space other monsters gave them as they passed, feeling the weight of countless suspicious eyes on her.


    ~ o ~ O ~ o ~


    “Here''s the brown slop. Here''s the green slop. Never mix the slop. Got it?”


    Beatrix grimaced at the food options in front of her. The slop didn’t resemble anything edible. “Loud and clear,” Beatrix said. “Thanks for showing me the ropes, Marsha.”


    “Yeah, yeah. Now go fill the strawscarry containers.”


    Marsha, the gruff head lunch lady, had mossy fingers, reeked of ammonia, and made Beatrix’s aunts look like beauty queens—which was an impressive feat. However, Marsha didn’t seem to have a mean-spirited bone in her body, and she’d already taught Beatrix how to prepare spooketti, making her first shift at the creepateria productive so far.


    Food prep was proving to be much easier than brewing potions.


    “One minute ‘til the bell,” Marsha announced to the rest of the kitchen staff.


    As Beatrix dumped a bag of strawscarries into their designated tub, the lunch bell pierced the air, its shrill ring unleashing a stampede of ravenous students. In no time, the line was already out the door, an unruly mob of claws, fangs, and tails all jostling for a spot. The lunch ladies began piling dishes onto hundreds of trays.


    Meanwhile, a pack of werewolves wrestled in the middle of the creepateria, their fur standing on end as they playfully tackled each other. The largest of the pack, a hulking brown wolf in a casketball hoodie, had a small silver wolf trapped in a headlock.


    “Give it up, Orion!” the other werewolves taunted, laughing and howling. “You can''t beat Clawd!”


    Then, a hush fell over the rowdy pack as a newcomer entered the creepateria.


    Beatrix recognized that leather jacket and those pitch-black eyes right away — it was Grey, the tall boy who had easily known what she was when they met at Headmistress Bloodgood’s office.


    As Grey strode past the wolves, Clawd nodded to him, and Grey nodded back before continuing on. An aura of authority radiated off of Grey that Beatrix couldn’t quite explain. His broad-shoulders set him apart in the lunchroom, and everywhere he walked, students shifted to make way.


    Beatrix quickly averted her gaze. She didn’t want his dark eyes peering at her soul again.


    “''Trix, more spooketti!” Marsha hollered.


    Beatrix hurried to the serving counter with a bowl of noodles in hand, the sauce sloshing precariously as she rushed to replenish the rapidly dwindling supply.


    “Oh. My. Ra!”


    An Egyptian girl, draped in gold wrappings, twisted her pretty face in disgust as she stared down at the sauce splattered on her designer top.


    “Shoot! Sorry,” Beatrix said. She grabbed a napkin and reached out to dab the sauce away.


    “Don’t touch me! This top is priceless!” the girl sneered. She scanned Beatrix from head to toe. “You must be that witch everyone’s been talking about. What a surprise.”


    The venom in her words made Beatrix’s blood boil.


    Marsha stepped in. “Apologies, Miss Cleo. Why don’t I help clean your shirt? ‘Trix, back to work.”


    Beatrix did as she was told. She stomped over to the sinks and attacked the dirty lunch trays with a vengeance, scrubbing so furiously her knuckles went white. She hated being looked down on, and Cleo had looked repulsed by her.


    “Never thought I’d see a Nicnevin again,” a shaky voice said.


    Beatrix looked up to see an old goblin lunch lady shuffling into view. The creature’s back was stopped with age.


    “A Nicnevin?” Beatrix asked.


    “Nicnevin. Magi. Enchantress. All the same,” the goblin croaked.


    Oh, she means ‘witch.’


    “By the way everyone’s been acting, witches are worse than cockroaches,” Beatrix said.


    The goblin’s green claws quivered as she scrubbed trays alongside Beatrix. Her name tag read “Greta.”


    “Be glad it was Miss Cleo you spilled on and not a vampire,” Greta said. “Trust me on that one.” The old goblin’s words hung ominously in the air.


    Then Greta abruptly changed the subject. “Let me show you the blood bags.”


    With a grunt of effort, the goblin shuffled over to the massive steel refrigerators that loomed against the far wall, pulling open the doors to reveal shelves upon shelves of crimson hospital bags.


    “That’s a lot of blood,” Beatrix murmured.


    “Be careful handling these,” Greta cautioned. “We don’t get replenished often from suppliers. Every bag counts.” Greta gently grabbed a bag that was labeled differently than the others. It read: Veterinary use.


    “For Draculaura, the ''vegetarian,’” Greta explained. “She only drinks animal blood, unlike the rest of them.” Every word sounded strained, like Greta had been a lunch lady for a few too many decades.


    With practiced movements, Greta showed Beatrix the proper way to prepare the bags for serving. Beatrix watched intently, committing every step to memory. When Greta was finished, she offered some parting words.


    “Take care of yourself,” the goblin warned. “And watch out for those blinded by their own purposes.”


    Beatrix was unsure of what the cryptic message meant. However, Greta didn’t elaborate and shuffled away, her stooped form disappearing into the shadows of the kitchen.


    Left alone again, Beatrix turned her attention back to the blood bags, but a strange noise caught her attention.


    “Psst.”


    Is that a damaged pipe?


    “Pssssstt!”


    Beatrix glanced around. To her surprise, she spotted her scarecrow friend crouched beside the refrigerators.


    “Autumn! What are you doing back here?”


    “I couldn’t find Lagoona! I don’t know where to sit! It’s terrifying out there.”


    Beatrix gave a quick scan of the kitchen to make sure no one had seen Autumn. Thankfully, the other lunch ladies were still absorbed in their duties.


    “You can hang here, but stay hidden. I don’t want to break any rules on my first day.”


    Autumn nodded eagerly and watched Beatrix resume her work with the blood bags. “How are things? Better than the farm?”


    “Absolutely. I think I have a knack for food prep,” Beatrix said with a grin. “How are your classes so far? Any injuries?”


    In response, Autumn pulled up the hem of her skirt. Bits of straw stuck out from a tear on her knee. “I tripped over someone’s tail during third period. I tried patching it up myself but the angle was tricky.”


    Beatrix peeled off her plastic gloves and fished her trusty needle from her pocket. She sewed up the knee as quickly as she could, finishing in record time.


    “You’re all anyone’s been talking about in my classes,” Autumn said, sounding concerned. “I don’t get how everyone found out you were a witch so fast. Bloodgood didn''t tell anyone, did she?”


    Beatrix shook her head. “Bloodgood told us to take things slow and let students get adjusted to me. It wouldn''t make sense for her to tell everyone on our first day.”


    Autumn’s button eyes widened. “Bea, I think I might know who started the rumor.”


    They shared a knowing look, on the same page.


    Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the kitchen, sending Autumn ducking behind the fridges and Beatrix scrambling to look busy with the blood bags. But the person didn’t spare a glance in their direction.


    Speak of the devil, Beatrix thought.


    Grey rushed through the kitchen, his hand clenched around the strange contraption at his belt, and left through the employee exit without a word.


    “What was that about?” Autumn whispered, poking her head out from her hiding spot.


    A distant rumble came from the creepateria; the sound of unsettled monster voices.


    Abandoning her post, Beatrix hurried over to Marsha. “Is everything alright?”


    The lunch ladies all wore the same expression: brows furrowed, hands wringing together nervously.


    Marsha''s reply was hardly audible in the growing commotion. “A student was found in the woods outside the school,” she said.


    It took Beatrix a second to process what Marsha meant. Then it clicked. Beatrix’s blood turned to ice.


    Someone died?