Monster High: Season of the Witch

12. The Homecoming Assembly

"Who's ready to get their school spirit on?" Cleo shouted through a megaphone.

A deafening roar shook the screamatorium in response.

"Let's go, ghouls!" Cleo ordered.

The team of fearleaders took their positions on stage. Autumn wore a pink and black uniform and stood between Clawdeen and Frankie, pom poms at the ready.

Music blasted through the stage's speakers, enveloping the screamatorium in heavy beats and flashing lights. Autumn and the rest of the team tightly hit their marks to every pulse of the song.

Beatrix watched the spectacle from backstage.

"Holy hells. What is this, a rave?" Beatrix guffawed.

A purple-skinned girl with a mask covering half her face swiveled to face Beatrix. "Pardon?"

Beatrix noticed a name tag on the girl's shirt. It read: Operetta. Stagehand.

"This is crazy!" Beatrix yelled over the music, shocked that all this spectacle was needed to promote the homecoming dance.

"Darn right! Cleo doesn't mess around. She knows how to get a crowd going," Operetta yelled back in a Southern drawl.

From behind the curtain, Beatrix could faintly see the students watching in the audience. One minotaur was getting especially rowdy. He was bellowing and roughhousing with his friends amidst the cheering crowd. By the way the minotaur was recklessly swinging his head, his pointed horns were a safety hazard.

"Gosh darn it, Manny," Operetta said, then she asked Beatrix, "Could you cover your ears for a sec, doll?"

Despite Beatrix's confusion, she did as she was told.

Once she'd done so, Operetta leaned forward and Beatrix saw her lips move, like she was singing some sort of melody.

Beatrix looked at the minotaur again. Just as Manny was about to knock into someone, he suddenly went slack jawed and his eyes glazed over. The minotaur froze in place, went limp, and took a seat.

Beatrix felt a tap on her shoulder. Operetta was motioning for Beatrix to take her hands off her ears.

"Did you do that?" Beatrix asked.

"What? Calm that silly ol' minotaur down? Indeed I did," Operetta gloated.

"Amazing! How did you do it?"

Cleo's voice boomed on stage. "I wanna hear you scream, Monster High!"

Beatrix couldn't hear Operetta's reply over the chaos.

"What?" Beatrix asked.

"I sang to him!" Operetta repeated, a wild grin spreading across her face.

Beatrix couldn't comprehend how singing could do anything, much less compel a minotaur to do Operetta's bidding.

"Is it, like, mind control?" Beatrix asked.

"Sorta," Operetta said. "I was born with the gift—it's from my daddy's side. He was quite the hypnotist."

"What a cool gift," Beatrix complimented.

Since arriving at Monster High, Beatrix had seen students soar among the clouds, control all forms of plant-life, and slip in and out of rooms as smoothly as shadows. Beatrix was enthralled by the monster abilities around her.

Controlling others using one's vocal chords seemed too powerful to be yielded. Yet here Operetta was, muttering lullabies to manipulate minotaurs.

Right as Beatrix was about to ask Operetta more, Autumn and the fearleaders jogged off the stage.

"Bea! Did you see me?" Autumn squealed, catching her breath.

"You did great!" Beatrix said. She didn't want Autumn to know she'd been distracted by Operetta for part of the performance.

Beatrix noticed a seam on Autumn's arm coming loose, so she tightened it for her.

Frankie rushed over and clobbered the scarecrow. "You were amazing!" she exclaimed.

Clawdeen and Draculaura joined and gushed about how well Autumn had kept up with the rest of the team. Due to her short height, Draculaura had to stand on her tiptoes to throw her arms around Autumn. Even Cleo looked impressed with the scarecrow's work.

Beatrix stepped to the side and watched Autumn excitedly chat with the girls. During their fearleading routine, each of their monster abilities were displayed. Draculaura had been so light on her feet she looked like she was floating; Frankie's arms were so strong she could lift two girls at once; and Clawdeen was so fast she could scale a pyramid of fearleaders in a heartbeat.

Beatrix was even amazed by the orange werecat who didn't seem to like Autumn much. The werecat was far more limber than any normie gymnast.

The ghouls each embraced their unique skills openly and used them to their advantage. Beatrix felt like she paled in comparison to them.

Autumn softly squeezed Beatrix's hand. "Everyone's going to the Coffin Bean after this. You coming?"

Beatrix suppressed any resentment, put on a happy face, and agreed to go.

"Great! I'm gonna get changed. Be right back," Autumn said.

The next assembly performance began and the crowd chanted, "Heath! Heath! Heath!" On stage, a boy with flaming hair juggled dozens of fireballs.

Operetta, the stagehand, had disappeared, so Beatrix waited for Autumn alone. She twiddled her thumbs and observed the other stagehands rushing back and forth.

I might always be the odd witch out at this school, Beatrix thought, bitterness rising within her again. She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts for too long.

Then, Beatrix heard a whisper in her head from a voice that didn't belong to her.

Something bothering you? it said.

Not at all, Beatrix instinctually denied.

Why the long face, then? Jealous? the voice echoed.

"I'm not jealous!" Beatrix blurted out.

A merman in a wheelchair stopped as he passed by Beatrix, confused if she was addressing him or not.

Beatrix sheepishly smiled and pretended like she hadn't just shouted out of nowhere.

The merman shrugged and wheeled on.

"Hells, that was embarrassing," Beatrix said to herself. She shook her head to free herself from the prying voice. As she did so, a spirit passed through the wall in front of her.