Monster High: Season of the Witch

46. Witch in the Wood

Astar crumpled to the kitchen floor.

Beatrix reached out, but yanked her hands back before she could grab him, remembering that her hands were piping hot.

"Quick! Catch him!" she whispered.

Startled, Autumn and Jackson jumped up and worked together to lay Astar on the tile floor. They strained under his weight.

"What's wrong with him?" Autumn almost whimpered, clearly worried.

"He's fine. Just asleep."

"Don't tell me you..." Autumn began.

"Used a sleeping elixir. Like during the field trip," Jackson realized. "When did you..."

"I made a dose this morning and mixed it in that serving of ghoulash. I needed him to eat it before pairing it with a siren song," Beatrix said.

There'd been a 50-50 chance of success because she hadn't been sure if Astar would be immune to witchcraft. Now she knew: with his current physical form, potions could affect him.

Still, she didn't know whether the sleeping elixir would be as effective on a devil as it had been on Mr. Gore and Johannah.

Time would tell.

Astar's chest rose and fell peacefully.

"Hurry, we need to be back here before he wakes up!" Beatrix said, dashing toward the kitchen's employee exit.

As she rushed out, Beatrix spotted Greta watching them leave.

Yikes. Busted, Beatrix thought.

She hoped Greta wouldn't rat on them while they were gone.

Beatrix opened the exit door with her elbow, making sure not to touch anything with her scalding hands. The brisk winter air hit her hard, but the cold didn't deter her from hurrying across the back lawn behind the creepateria, straight to the border fence on the south side of school.

"Astar's gonna be mad when he finds out you dosed him!" Jackson panted. "What's the plan when he wakes up?"

"Tell him he slipped and hit his head!" Beatrix called back.

"Why did you knock him out?" Autumn huffed, visibly distressed.

"If I hadn't, he would've kept us from checking the woods."

"You don't know that!" Autumn protested.

"He stopped Grey from hopping the fence last night! I don't want him getting in our way."

"You should've told him the truth! I'm sure he would've helped!"

"I don't trust him! And you shouldn't either!" Beatrix said.

"He's not a bad guy!" Autumn argued.

Beatrix scoffed. "Pfft, ya, the demon isn't a bad guy!"

"G-guys! Someone's up ahead," Jackson interrupted.

The trio halted next to the library building. There were hardly any students around, but a gargoyle guard was patrolling the casketball courts at a measured pace.

However, the security guard was soon drawn to some ruckus on the blacktop.

Orion stood in the midst of a bunch of junior and senior werewolves, challenging Clawd to another faceoff—likely to bolster his standing in the pack.

Clawd looked mildly amused, at best.

"Isn't Orion trying to date Howleen?" Autumn raised a brow. "Harassing her sibling is an interesting way to go about it..."