Before Beatrix even realized that she’d passed out, she found herself floating up through the common room kitchen, her ghostly form drifting like smoke. She blinked in shock as she looked down at her own body below her. It lay still, chest rising and falling with shallow breaths as if she were in a very deep sleep.


    Beatrix flailed her translucent limbs in panic, the numb, disconnected sensation of being wrenched outside her body just as terrifying as the first time she experienced it.


    Desperate for any anchor back to the physical world, she scrambled to grab at the furniture below — the table with Astar’s belladonna tea cakes, the plastic fold-out chairs, the stainless steel fridge. But her hands simply passed through each object like they were nothing more than mirages.


    Right next to her body, Spectra hovered, her ghostly aura casting a lavender glow.


    "Spectra! Don’t you dare mess with my body!" Beatrix shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing.


    Spectra slowly lifted her head, giving Beatrix''s spirit a penetrating look, her purple eyes gleaming with a twisted delight as she watched her float toward the ceiling.


    "Spectra! I’m serious! Whatever you''re doing, stop it!"


    But Spectra ignored Beatrix’s demands. Instead, she began to hover over Beatrix''s empty shell of a body.


    Beatrix''s lifeless form began to shudder with jerky, unnatural movements, like invisible strings were yanking it. She watched helplessly as her own head lolled from side to side and her feet twitched, her entire body convulsing as Spectra drew closer.


    Beatrix strained with every fiber of her being to force her spirit back into her body, but it was no use. It seemed to repel her, as if her spirit and her body were two matching magnets. So all Beatrix could do was watch as Spectra descended into her body, seizing total control in an instant.


    The last thing Beatrix saw before she vanished through the ceiling was her own eyes snapping open, glowing purple just like Spectra''s. Then Beatrix was gone, flying up uncontrollably up through the dorm’s upper floors and out through the roof, propelled into the hazy twilight.


    The sky was stained a muddy brown — a result of the lingering smoke from the extinguished forest fire.


    As Beatrix flew further above the roof, the shock of being ripped from her body faded, and a memory cut through her swirling thoughts. She remembered Spectra’s instructions about her first out of body-experience: You’re not paralyzed. Stop trying to control it and just go. Think and it will be.


    Beatrix pictured her ghostly body righting itself, and thankfully, it did. She was able to will herself to hover steadily over the dormitory roof, now in control.


    Beatrix immediately flew back down, effortlessly gliding through the building’s floors and ceilings, racing back to the first-floor kitchen. But when she got there, the kitchen was empty. There was no sign of Spectra or the body she''d stolen from her.


    Beatrix flew through the halls, frantically whipping around corners and peering into rooms, trying to find any clue of where Spectra had gone with her body. She yelled Spectra’s name over and over, and after what felt like an eternity, Beatrix spotted a figure out the window — her own body walking to another school building.


    Even from a distance, Beatrix could tell something was off. Her body’s posture, the way it moved, it was all wrong. It was like watching a stranger with her own face. Like an alien was under her skin.


    “Spectra! Stop! Please!" Beatrix shouted as she rushed out through the wall.


    But Beatrix’s body ignored her.


    “Did you tell Astar to poison me? Or was this his idea?”


    Still no response from Spectra. Spectra wore Beatrix''s face like an ill-fitting mask and strode ahead with an eerie, single-minded focus, heading for the building that housed the creepateria and screamatorium.


    "Look, whatever you''re doing — we can sort this out!” Beatrix pleaded. “You don''t have to take me over! I’ll listen to whatever you have to say!”


    Spectra didn’t even spare her a glance.


    "Hey! Stop ignoring me! Get out of my body right now!" Beatrix shouted, darting in front of her own face. "C’mon, let''s talk this through. Help me understand — you''re the one responsible for keeping death out of Monster High?”


    "That''s correct," Spectra finally replied, her tone icy and foreign coming from Beatrix''s lips. “I''m the one who cast that wretched spell ages ago.”


    “So why are you trying to get rid of it?" Beatrix asked.


    "If I''d known back then what casting that spell really meant — what it would do to me — chaining me to an eternity of limbo between life and death, I would’ve never done it. That damned barrier has kept me here," Spectra spat. "I alone am stuck in this purgatory because I was the one who cast death out from this mountainside. But now, thanks to one witch they decided to let into Monster High, I can escape the prison I put myself in, let the Reapers come and collect the undead souls they’re owed. They will finally give me eternal rest.”


    "But Spectra, you don''t need those rogue reapers to free you! Let''s just go and talk to Grey," Beatrix pleaded. "He can help. Don’t lower the barrier. You don’t have to let the three horsemen into the school. There has to be a way to release you that doesn’t put everyone in danger!”


    At that point, they entered the building and passed a windowed door to the creepateria. Through the window, Beatrix noticed someone hunched inside — Greta, the old goblin lunch lady, pushing a mop across the checkerboard tile.


    Greta glanced up right at that moment, eyes widening as she saw Beatrix''s ghostly form trailing after her own body. The old goblin''s face crinkled in confusion, then alarm. It was clear Greta knew something was horribly wrong.


    But Spectra kept marching Beatrix''s body forward, and Beatrix floated close behind, not wanting to lose her.


    Spectra laughed as she passed row after row of lockers. "But I do need those horsemen, Beatrix," she said. "Grey’s not an official Reaper yet, so he can’t send my soul to the afterlife. And even if he could, his scythe blade doesn’t work on this mountain with the barrier in place. He’s completely useless to me."


    "But Grey can get his dad involved! The Grim Reaper can help you—" Beatrix started, but Spectra cut her off.


    "No. This is the only way I’ll be free," she insisted. "This is the best way. That’s what Cassia said.”


    "Cassia? Astar''s mom? Don’t listen to her! She’s a devil — she doesn’t want to set you free out of the goodness of her heart! She has ulterior motives!"


    Rage surged in Beatrix as Spectra ignored her again, continuing down the hall in her body.


    Spectra shoved open the doors to the screamatorium and swiftly climbed onto the stage in a few quick strides. She then yanked aside a dusty velvet curtain to reveal a hatch on the stage floor, barely visible against the dark wood. A damp, foul draft wafted up as Spectra opened the hatch, carrying the scent of ancient earth and decay.


    Without a moment’s hesitation, Spectra lowered herself down a rusted ladder into a cavern below the screamatorium, disappearing into the inky darkness.


    “Where are you going?” Beatrix called out as Spectra descended. There was no response, just the echo of footsteps fading into the distance.


    Beatrix dove down after her, the darkness of the cavern swallowing her whole.


    "Spectra, listen to me!" she shouted. "You created a safe haven for the undead here, even if you didn’t mean to! Monster High is special — monsters can coexist here, learn together. But devils like Cassia and Astar are against all of that. They want chaos, they want monsters terrorizing humans, they want all undead creatures in hell. You can’t listen to them!”


    “This is the only chance I have — can’t you see that?” Spectra’s words echoed through the darkness, her stolen voice sounding ragged. “No witch has set food on these grounds since I put up the barrier. Until you came along. You are an opportunity — for me, for the Reapers — to break this curse. And I’m not letting some dim-witted sorceress get in my way.”


    Beatrix was stunned by the hatred in Spectra’s words. Why was she saying “sorceress” like it was an insult? Wasn’t Spectra a witch too? Or at least she used to be one?


    Spectra wasn’t done.


    "You don''t know what it''s like," Spectra yelled at Beatrix, “to have eternity stretching before you, feeling nothing, all because of one choice, a choice I thought I had to make… to protect…"


    “Protect who? Spectra, please, talk to me. We can work this out—” Beatrix said.


    "That''s exactly what my coven said when they came for us,” Spectra screeched. “‘We''ll figure this out together, Spectra. Everything will be fine, Spectra. Stop being disobedient, Spectra’ — No. Witches have been the cause of all my strife. I hate them with every fiber of my being, and you are no exception."


    Spectra plunged further into the darkness. Dumbfounded, Beatrix flew after her. Spectra reached the bottom rung of the ladder and they journeyed further into the catacombs of Monster High, flickering torchlight casting shadows on the stone walls as they ventured deeper and deeper. Beatrix watched her own body navigate a maze of dark tunnels and crumbling stone that sprawled beneath the school.


    Spectra’s words echoed as she moved through the twisting passages ahead. “I never meant for any of this to happen. I had no idea something like Monster High would come about because of my spell. The barrier keeping death out had nothing to do with any of that.”


    Beatrix''s spirit swirled around Spectra, desperate to understand. "Then why did you cast the spell in the first place?" she asked, hoping that if she could just unravel Spectra''s true intentions, she might convince the frenzied apparition that there was another way to handle things.


    Spectra''s stolen face twisted, a manic glint in her eyes. Her words came out in erratic bursts. "Witches hunted us down. My coven came after me. I had to get away from them – to protect everyone, to protect her."


    “Her? Who are you talking about?" Beatrix pressed.


    "Witches did this to her, to all of them,” Spectra muttered. “Turned them into monstrosities — my friends. My family. I hate them. I hate them. I hate you."


    "Spectra, I don''t know what you''re talking about — but I swear I’m not like your coven. I''m not a witch out to hurt you!"


    Spectra kept it moving, navigating the labyrinthine passages as if she''d walked them a thousand times before.


    "Spectra, please, don''t listen to Astar and Cassia. They’re demons, liars. They never do anything that doesn’t benefit them. If you lower the death barrier, you’re damning hundreds of monsters to spend eternity in the circles of hell. Don''t do this — you''re being used!"


    Spectra sneered. "You’ve been here, what, eight months? I’ve been here for over four hundred years with no possibility of ever leaving. If you think I’m going to let this opportunity go to waste then you’re an even bigger fool than I thought,” she said. “Astar’s mother told me how to lower the barrier, gave me the knowledge I’ve been craving all this time.”


    The narrow passageways gave way to a vast cavern. They were in the heart of the catacombs now.


    “During my mortal life, the other witches never let me commune with demons,” Spectra continued. “They considered me unworthy because I wasn''t born into a family of magic users like you — I was a mere human when I was recruited by my coven, naive and ignorant about so much.”


    Spectra went on. “I was no more than a slave to them. The other witches only taught me the basics of magic to carry out their chores. I had to learn everything else on my own. Just imagine what I could have accomplished with a devil''s help back then, if I could’ve communed with the dark lords directly, instead of taking orders from incompetent, heartless sorceresses.”


    Suddenly, Spectra threw herself at one of the walls of the cavern, her fingers frantically clawing at the stones. She wrenched the old, withered stones out one by one, dirt flying. Finally, Spectra tore away the last crumbling bricks, revealing a jagged opening in the wall leading to an even darker chamber. It was so pitch black that Beatrix couldn''t make out anything. It looked like it hadn''t been touched in centuries.


    "I have one last lesson for you, Beatrix. From one witch to another. Pay attention, now." Spectra''s voice was a mocking singsong as she snatched a torch from the wall.


    The flickering light from Spectra’s torch filled the chamber. Beatrix gasped. Bones upon bones were scattered across the dirt floor in a chilling pattern — an odd asymmetrical circular shape. The same rough shape as Monster High’s campus.


    And the bones were odd. They were twisted, curved, short in strange places. Humanoid, but not human. They had to be the bones of some kind of monster.


    “Whose bones are these?” Beatrix asked, terrified.


    “My friends. My family. My loved ones. Does it matter? My coven didn’t care about them — why should you?” Spectra’s words were laced with an ancient, unfathomable grief. “Now look, Beatrix. Can you guess how I created the barrier that keeps death at bay?”


    “Spectra… please…”


    "Wrong answer! You should know by now that replicating a monster''s power is one of the best forms of magic we witches can draw upon!” Spectra chided. “I''m disappointed, it seems my pupil hasn’t been listening to me.”


    Spectra brought the torch closer to the configuration of bones. She said, “Let me enlighten you then. I tapped into a Reaper’s abilities by using death magic. With these bones and some runes as the base for this spell, I was able to place a veil over the mountainside to keep Reapers from coming in.”


    With a mad grin, Spectra began scooping up the bones in her arms. She then dumped them into a centuries-old knapsack that sat in a cobweb covered corner.


    Beatrix watched with mounting horror. As Spectra scooped the bones up, she seemed to be working herself into a frenzy. Spittle dripped onto her chin and the shine of tears twinkled in her eyes. Soon, the chamber was picked clean, and all the bones were now packed into Spectra’s knapsack.


    Then, Spectra exited the dark room, squeezing back through the hole in the dirt wall she''d dug out, dragging the knapsack bulging with bones behind her. It caught and snagged on the rough edges of the opening, but she yanked it free with a vicious tug. Spectra was headed back the way they came, toward the ladder. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    “Oh, how glad I am that I met you, Beatrix!” Spectra cackled with glee.


    Beatrix followed Spectra back up into the screamatorium, her mind racing about what to do. But Spectra was moving too fast. The journey up through the trapdoor and back into the screamatorium passed in a surreal blur, and then Spectra was bursting from the screamatorium into the smoky evening air.


    Spectra dumped the sack outside the building with a grunt, yellowed skulls, femurs, ribcages, and other shards of bones spilling out onto the pavement with a clatter.


    Spectra dropped to her knees and immediately began to pulverize the bones with her bare hands, pounding them into the concrete one by one. For the bones that wouldn''t break, Spectra got up and brought the heels of Beatrix''s boots down on them. Beatrix watched, helpless and petrified, as Spectra used her own body to stomp again and again until the bones were ground to dust against the concrete.


    Soon, a small crowd of monster students gathered, drawn in by the commotion. Their expressions cycled from amusement to concern as they watched “Beatrix” carry out this baffling ritual. No one dared approach the girl who had seemingly lost her mind.


    “Someone stop her!” Beatrix shrieked, not restraining her utter panic anymore. But no one heard her. In her ghostly form she was invisible to most creatures.


    As Spectra carried her work out, something in the sky caught Beatrix''s attention. The air around Monster High was shimmering and warping like a desert heat haze.


    With suffocating dread, Beatrix watched a giant dome flicker into clarity, like an iridescent soap bubble encasing the entire campus. It quivered and swayed, as if in the throes of some invisible struggle, the protective magic around Monster High laid bare for all to see.


    For a single moment, the very air seemed to hold its breath. Hundreds of watching eyes were all fixed on the school’s barrier.


    The barrier shuddered. Rippled. And then, like a soap bubble, it was gone.


    "No!" Beatrix screamed in her ghostly form, the implications hitting her all at once. The horsemen could come for them now. For her friends. For Autumn. There was nothing stopping them anymore. Monster High was now completely exposed and defenseless.


    Spectra, lost to madness, scooped up handfuls of the bone dust, letting it sift through her fingers as she cackled in triumph towards the woods beyond the iron fence. "It''s gone! My purgatory has ended! Come forth!" she cried, her voice hoarse.


    Suddenly, movement caught Beatrix’s eye. Greta, the old goblin lunch lady, was shuffling out of the school building, heading straight for Spectra.


    Oddly, Spectra, caught off guard by Greta’s approach, stammered when she saw the goblin woman. "Greta? Greta — I did it. I did it! Finally — I’m sorry, I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t endure another century like this—"


    But Greta didn''t say anything to Spectra. Instead, in one swift motion, the goblin woman pulled something from her apron pocket and thrust it under Beatrix''s body’s nose. The pungent, chemical smell of ammonia filled the air.


    And just like that, Spectra was expelled from Beatrix''s body, and Beatrix snapped back into herself, stumbling forward as she regained control.


    Through blurry eyes, Beatrix saw Greta clutching a small jar of bath salts. Beatrix had scrubbed countless floors with the stuff during her janitorial shifts. Somehow, the salts had been enough to break Spectra''s possession and reunite Beatrix''s spirit with her physical form.


    But it was already too late. Spectra, a spirit again, cackled and hovered above them, lit from within by a feverish purple glow. Spectra kept her eyes locked on Beatrix. "It’s done. The horsemen ride for Monster High tonight. It''s just a matter of time until they come for all of us," she crowed. Then Spectra shot straight into the nearest school building, disappearing from sight as she ascended toward the upper levels.


    Beatrix turned to Greta, wobbling on shaky legs, a thousand questions tripping over themselves on her tongue.


    "Greta—" Beatrix started, but suddenly a solid mass slammed into Beatrix, sending her crashing to the ground.


    Pain lanced through her as her back and forearms skidded against the rough pavement. Beatrix’s head hit the concrete, stars exploding behind her eyes.


    Through the haze, Beatrix blinked and saw Grey looming over her, backlit by the smoky brown sky, his face furious as he pinned her wrists to the pavement.


    “What did you do?" he demanded.


    Grey''s grip tightened on Beatrix''s wrists. Her back was in pain but that was nothing compared to the ache in her chest as she watched Grey''s trust in her shatter before her eyes.


    "The barrier’s gone! How did you do that?” Grey yelled. His face was inches from hers, his voice pure rage. “Was this your plan all along?”


    Beatrix flinched at the hatred in his voice. "No, Grey, it wasn’t me!" she pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes, blurring her vision. "It was Spectra — she tricked me, possessed me — she''s the one who did it, I swear!"


    Grey was beyond listening. Beatrix recognized that look. The stubborn set of his shoulders, his clenched jaw. There would be no reasoning with him now.


    Beatrix''s eyes darted to Greta, who stood off to the side, still clutching the jar of bath salts. Beatrix silently pleaded with her, hoping Greta would speak up and back up her story, but the old goblin woman looked torn.


    “How am I supposed to believe a word you say?" Grey yelled. "You''ve been buddy-buddy with Astar for months!"


    Grey released her wrists, as if her very touch burned him. Stepping back, he glared at her with disgust. “You''re just like them. A demon waiting to stab us in the back. Now the Reapers can waltz right in!"


    Beatrix pushed herself up, her body aching. "No!" she protested. "Grey, come on, you have to believe me! I''d never betray you — any of you!"


    For a split second, Beatrix saw a flash of doubt in his eyes. She dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, she was getting through to him. Grey searched her face, but then, the moment was gone. Grey''s face hardened, like someone had slammed a steel door shut. Whatever he''d been feeling, he''d buried it deep.


    "Get out of here," he said, his voice cold as ice. He turned away, as if he couldn''t even bear to look at her. "Run back to Astar."


    Beatrix stumbled to her feet, back aching in pain.


    “Grey—” her voice cracked.


    “Go!”


    So Beatrix left, her feet carrying her across campus in a daze, leaving Grey and the bewildered crowd behind.


    Before she knew it, she found herself at Monster High’s old clock tower. Its weathered stone base was overgrown with thick ivy, and Beatrix ducked into a hidden nook to hide herself. She sank to the ground, pulled her knees up to her chest, and buried her face in her arms. Tears threatened to spill as she heard shouting in the distance.


    Beatrix was sure that Grey was telling everyone what had happened, organizing evacuation plans. But what could he and Bloodgood possibly do now? Her tears began to flow despite her best efforts to contain them.


    Lost in her despair, Beatrix almost missed the quiet shuffling of approaching footsteps. She looked up to see a wrinkled green face peering around the corner of the tower. Greta. The old goblin lady didn''t say a word. She simply eased down next to Beatrix with a quiet grunt and sat with her in silence. That did it. The floodgates burst open, and Beatrix buried her face in her hands, shoulders heaving as she tried to muffle her sobs.


    Greta patted Beatrix''s knee with a gnarled hand.


    "Why’d they do it?” Beatrix choked out. “Astar… Spectra… They both pretended to be my friend, taught me magic…”


    Beatrix wasn’t expecting an answer, but to her surprise, Greta spoke up.


    "Oh, dearie. You set off a lot of things that have been brewing for a while."


    Beatrix managed to lift her tear-stained face, curious.


    Greta looked Beatrix square in the eye. “Spectra’s been a prisoner of her own magic longer than you’ve been alive… Makes a spirit desperate after a few centuries...” Greta clicked her tongue. “And that demon Cassia… she took advantage of that, didn’t she?”


    Beatrix''s eyes went wide. “How do you know about that?”


    "You see, Spectra didn''t have the foggiest idea how to undo her own magic,” Greta said. “But those demons you brought along finally clued her in. Cassia must’ve realized only a witch could destroy that death barrier from the inside. That''s why Spectra needed you, a living, breathing witch, as a vessel."


    Beatrix held her breath as Greta continued.


    “You were the missing piece in this whole mess, I''m afraid,” Greta said. “Though I can''t wrap my head around why your devils wanted that barrier gone so badly."


    Beatrix swallowed hard, her throat dry. "I know why," Beatrix said. "Devils need Reapers to round up all the souls at Monster High… because they want to get rid of all the monsters here and burn them in hellfire."


    Greta''s expression darkened. "Aye, that tracks," she muttered. "Those three horsemen have been sniffing around ever since Monster High opened its doors. But you showin’ up? It was like blood in the water for them. Your demon probably tipped them off about you coming, that the barrier could be broken."


    The blood drained from Beatrix''s face. "You mean the Reapers were in the woods... killing students…” Her voice broke. “They were lurking around because of me…?"


    Greta looked at Beatrix with pity. "You''re the first witch in history to step foot onto Monster High, their one chance to bring it all crashing down. But you couldn’t have known, dearie. Even I never thought the horsemen would team up with demons..."


    A memory flashed in Beatrix’s mind: when the tall Reaper — Viggo — had ignored her in the woods, and instead chased after Autumn and Jackson with his scythe. The pieces clicked into place: The Reapers left me alone because they needed me alive.


    Beatrix sat stunned and unmoving for a long moment.


    “… I didn''t mean for any of this to happen," Beatrix finally said, her voice hollow. "I just came here for a fresh start and to help my friend. But instead… I ruined everything." A bitter laugh escaped Beatrix’s lips. She didn’t have any tears left to cry.


    Greta squeezed Beatrix''s arm gently and they sat side by side in somber silence. The old clock tower creaked above them, each tick counting down to Monster High’s doom. Beatrix kept her eyes fixed on the treeline, waiting for a dark horse to come charging out. Any second now…


    Finally, Beatrix had to ask, "How do you know about the Reapers and demons'' plans? About all of this?"


    "Let’s just say I knew Plague, Famine, and War had a score to settle," Greta replied cryptically.


    "Did you read the poem too?"


    "Read it? I wrote it,” Greta said.


    Beatrix''s head snapped towards Greta in surprise. “But how…?”


    “I was here when this whole mess started."


    Beatrix stared at the old goblin. The lunch lady who''d worked alongside her every day suddenly seemed like a stranger.


    "I''m the only Monster High employee who’s never left the school," Greta said, tapping one of her claws on the ground.


    Beatrix frowned as she processed what Greta was saying. Then realization dawned. "Greta, how old are you?"


    The goblin''s eyes became distant, like she was peering back through time. "A little over four hundred years old," she replied quietly.


    "Four hundred..." Beatrix echoed.


    "I was there when Spectra put up the death barrier,” Greta said. “She went by ‘Petra’ back then."


    Beatrix was speechless.


    Greta’s beady eyes stared out at the smoke-stained sky. "You know, Petra wasn''t born into a line of witches. She was as human as they come. Just like I was,” Greta began. “We were settlers, trekking across this vast country, and ended up here in Oregon. On this very mountainside.”


    Fond memories crossed Greta’s face. “Petra was a servant for my family, but more than that, she was my friend. Always an odd duck, that one. A bit of an outsider, you might say." Greta''s smile faded. "I suppose that''s why that coven of Nicneven set their sights on her."


    Beatrix leaned in, hanging on every word. Greta''s voice took on a far-off quality, as if she was watching it all unfold again.


    "A coven of witchy women from the east," Greta explained, "set up camp outside our little village. Got their hooks into Petra when we were just kids, with their strange customs and mysterious midnight firesides. I was afraid to talk to them, but not Petra. She was fascinated. They told her she didn’t belong in the village, she was much more than a servant. She joined them in the woods, wanting so badly to have a family, to belong. They used that against her, they lied to her and did unspeakable things. They used their witchcraft on us regular village folks. Some didn’t survive, others turned into monsters.”


    Greta gestured to her goblin body with a hand. "I’m all that’s left of their twisted magic.”


    Beatrix tried to picture Greta as a human girl, but the image wouldn''t come.


    Greta took a deep breath and kept going. "But Petra refused to abandon us. When that coven turned us all into monsters, she told us to high-tail it into the caves under the mountain. Petra was dead set on keeping who was left of us safe, no matter what."


    Beatrix thought back to the disturbing story Deuce Gorgon had told around the campfire on All Hallow''s Eve. Beatrix interrupted, "Wait, so… Spectra didn''t sneak down into the caves and torture you guys?"


    “What? No!” Greta shook her head vehemently. "She was trying to keep us safe — to keep me safe. It was her coven that was cruel. But they suspected her loyalties were with us, so they followed Petra down into the caves where she was hiding us."


    Greta''s voice dropped low. "Down in those caves… the Nicneven found the monsters that Petra was hiding. I ran and hid and kept my eyes shut tight, but the screams… the screams… those witches were melting people from the inside out with their black magic. In seconds, there was ash and piles of bones everywhere. My friends, my family — all the villagers were gone in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, I was the only one left.”


    Tears welled up in the old goblin''s eyes. "They found me and were about to attack when Petra started chanting, she was repeating strange words I couldn''t understand. Then she arranged those bones and sprinkled the ash in a strange pattern. The Nicneven told Petra to stop, but they couldn’t get to her fast enough. She took a black blade and..." Greta paused. "She sacrificed herself. Enchanted this mountain to be free from death, all to save me." She choked on the words as they came out.


    Beatrix''s brain was going a mile a minute. On All Hallow’s Eve, Deuce had said that a cave monster had ‘sunk a claw into the sorceress''s side'' — but the story got it wrong. It was Spectra, driving a blade into herself, to seal the death barrier ritual with her own blood.


    "I... I’m so sorry. I don''t even know what to say," Beatrix managed. "Those bones in the catacombs... they''re your family''s?"


    Greta nodded slowly. Deep melancholy seemed to age the goblin even more. "Spectra gave up everything for me. Her life, her humanity... her soul."


    Beatrix stood up, struggling to find the right words. "... why did you keep this from everyone?”


    "I wanted to tell you, truly. I tried to talk Petra out of using you like this, I begged her,” Greta said. “And when I saw you knock out your devil familiar with that ghoulash, part of me hoped you''d uncover the truth about the horsemen in the forest. But..."


    Greta wrung her gnarled hands, voice heavy with regret. Her eyes dropped to the ground. "Spectra has been trapped here for so long, frozen in time watching other monsters and spirits come and go. I''ve watched her mind unravel, bit by bit. This limbo... it''s been worse than any torture those witches could have dreamed up. Another hundred years like this would destroy whatever''s left of her.”


    Greta met Beatrix’s eyes again. "The Reapers... I think they might finally end her suffering. She’ll finally be at rest."


    "But Greta, you know what that means. If the Reapers collect her soul, Spectra will be damned to hellfire just like the rest of monsterkind. Is that really what you want for her?" Beatrix asked.


    Greta opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, second-guessing herself. Her shoulders slumped. "You haven''t seen what I’ve seen, watched your only friend fade away, day by day, year by year. I... I didn’t know what else to do."


    As Beatrix stood there, she wanted to scream, to rail against the unfairness of it all. To learn that so much of her life in the past year had been orchestrated, that she’d been manipulated like a piece on a chessboard. But when she looked into Greta''s pained eyes, she felt her anger ebb away, replaced by an aching sympathy for both Greta and Spectra.


    Suddenly, a bone-chilling neigh pierced the twilight, echoing from the darkening woods beyond the school''s fence. Beatrix’s blood ran cold.


    "They''re coming," Greta said gravely. "The horsemen ride for Monster High. You need to go."


    Beatrix turned to the old goblin, hesitating. "What about you?"


    Greta gave her a sad, resigned smile, not moving from her spot against the base of the bell tower. "I''m sorry, child. For everything. But my time has come to finally leave Monster High. I''ve been here far too long."


    "Greta—" Beatrix started to protest, but Greta cut her off with a shake of her head.


    "Go," Greta urged. “Take your friends and run.”


    The word ''friends'' made Beatrix jolt up. "Autumn," she gasped. "I need to find Autumn!"


    With one last, anguished look at Greta, Beatrix darted away, her feet pounding against the cobblestone path that snaked between the school''s buildings. The once-whimsical architecture of Monster High now loomed threateningly in the fading light. Gothic spires clawed at the smoke-filled sky, and grimacing gargoyles seemed to watch Beatrix''s every move as she raced towards the massive oak tree near the boys'' dorm where she''d last seen her friends.


    Her lungs burned and her heart thundered in her ears as she approached the tree. To her dismay, there was no sign of Autumn, Draculaura, Frankie, or the Wolf siblings. Beatrix skidded to a stop, doubling over as she fought to catch her breath.


    Everything was total chaos. Students rushed past in a panicked frenzy. Teachers were yelling and trying to herd everyone into buildings to hide. In the sea of terrified faces, Beatrix''s eyes darted frantically from monster to monster, until she caught a glimpse of familiar blue scales.


    "Lagoona!" Beatrix cried out.


    Lagoona turned at the sound of her name, her sea-green eyes meeting hers. Beatrix pushed through the throng to get to the sea monster.


    “Have you seen Autumn?" Beatrix asked when she reached her.


    “I saw Astar flying off with her. I don''t know where they went," Lagoona said.


    Beatrix felt as if the ground had dropped out from under her. What in the nine hells was he planning to do to her best friend?


    "Do you know what’s going on?" Lagoona asked, grabbing Beatrix''s arm with a webbed hand. "I heard Grey shouting. He said there used to be something magical around the school, and to evacuate or hide—"


    "He’s right, there was a protective barrier around the school that kept Death out. And now it’s gone. All the monsters here are in danger," Beatrix explained hurriedly. "Three rogue Reapers are coming, and they want everyone’s souls. We gotta do something—”


    "Crikey! Reapers? But why..."


    Beatrix looked away from Lagoona and focused on all the monsters rushing into different school buildings. The werewolf pack was sprinting to the gym, Gory and her vampire crew were heading to a dark basement, and gorgons were slithering fast, their snake hair hissing with anxiety. Even the zombie students were shuffling with uncharacteristic speed, heading for the creepateria.


    As she watched all these different supernatural creatures, Beatrix thought about everything she''d learned over the past year — all the spells and rituals and power she''d been tapping into. She''d been learning so much from the monsters at this school, from their unique abilities…


    A fierce determination started to bubble up inside her, pushing away the fear.


    "I''ve got an idea," Beatrix said with sudden resolve.


    Lagoona looked confused. "You do?"


    "We aren''t helpless. Every monster here has a power we can use," Beatrix said, her voice growing stronger. She gripped Lagoona''s shoulders. "It''s time we showed Death what we''re really capable of. We''re not going down without a fight."