Monster High: Season of the Witch

45. Hot Head

Beatrix returned to the stovetop and resumed stirring her batch of ghoulash.

Jackson and Autumn were quietly chatting, and Autumn mentioned how prom was likely going to be canceled this year.

"Really? Orion was gonna ask Howleen to go," Jackson said absentmindedly.

Autumn stilled. "Howleen? Clawdeen's little sister?"

Jackson's eyes went wide. "Oh no. Orion is going to kill me. P-please don't tell the fearleaders."

Autumn's stitched lips turned up into a sly smile. "I promise I won't—but on one condition. If prom ends up happening, you have to ask Frankie to go with you."

Jackson's face went red as a tomato. "W-what?"

"She's been dying for you to ask her."

"Really? I, um..."

As they were distracted, Beatrix held out her right hand and traced a symbol, the one Astar had shown her. Running her finger across her palm lines, she drew a small square with a few lines extending from it.

As soon as she'd finished tracing the shape, she heard Astar's voice behind her.

"And then I had that punk demon in a headlock, like this—whoah!" he exclaimed.

Beatrix turned to find Astar getting his footing, like he'd been knocked off balance. He'd clearly been pulled from a conversation elsewhere on campus.

"That was easy," Beatrix said, feeling a tingle where she'd drawn the symbol.

"Astar!" Autumn whispered. "When did you get here?"

The devil surveyed his surroundings and flashed Beatrix a grin of approval. "Usually, interruptions annoy me. But how can I be annoyed when my little Bee is summoning me?" he said.

Beatrix grabbed the devil by the arm and pulled him to the fridges. "None of you are supposed to be back here. So keep quiet."

Thankfully, Astar obeyed and tucked in his wings, squatting down beside Jackson and Autumn.

He smiled at Autumn. "Hey, Patches." Then he nodded at Jackson. "Four-eyes."

Jackson pushed up his glasses, peeved.

"What can I do for you, Bee Bee?" Astar asked. "Want someone devilishly handsome to chat with? Got another attic to clean? ... Need another spell to try?" He emphasized that last part.

He turned to Autumn and Jackson. "Did you hear about her wild night out? She missed me so much she stalked me on the library roof."

"Yup, they know all about it," Beatrix said, attempting to sound agreeable despite how much that misconstrued story bothered her.

Astar smiled devilishly. "It's great to see you using new magic. I was wondering when you'd start experimenting again. Your ghostly adventure must've been fun."

Astar eyed the simmering ghoulash on the stove.

Beatrix forced a smile. "Thanks. I know you wanted me to do more magic this semester, so I figured it was worth a shot."

Astar looked shocked at how pleasant she was being to him. "Sounds like you're finally loosening up. Perfect, because I have so much to teach you. I've been wondering how you've been liking 'old magic.'"

"What do you mean 'old magic'?" Beatrix asked.

"That whole 'copying monster traits' thing you've been doing. You're using ancient techniques," Astar said. "It makes sense to draw inspiration from monsterkind, since the essence of their life force is from witchcraft. Witches used to create monster species to borrow and utilize some of their abilities from time to time."