What makes a monster, really? I can't quite wrap my head around the answer to that.
It's pathetic, I think. How one person could be asking themselves the same question daily, but still fall just short of the meaning.
What does it mean to be a monster, exactly? To call someone that? Is it their appearance? I find most monsters have a unique look compared to humans. All humans are relatively similar, but monsters...? certainly not. Some have scales all over their body, and some are fully transparent, lacking a true body.
Or could it be in one's ability? I've observed that most monsters have "talents" ("talon-ts", as I'm sure they'd call it) that humans couldn't ever dream of performing. Like breathing fire, or screaming in a way that could burst anyone's eardrums.
No.. no! It has to be more than that. There has be something deeper that I just haven't grasped yet! It's this that keeps me up at night. I can never seem to come up with the right answer.
Now, I would continue brooding and ranting about this to you all, but it's hard to keep a steady train of thought in my current situation.
"Gen! Get your bag ready. It's the next stop on the left!"
I could tell by just a quick glance at the place that this was an establishment that liked to blow its own horn. "Monster High" it was called. My first thought about that was, "huh. That's a rather general name for a high school. Not very specific." But I realized in a short amount of time that this school wasn't very specific either. Not in the least.
Monsters flocked to every nook and cranny of the outdoor campus. It was a barrage of so many different colors- I swear my eyes started to ache. They all wore such bright clothing. The vast majority seemed almost gaudy looking. This wasn't too new to me though. Monsters did seem to have a... unique sense of fashion. Not one had the same aesthetic look. You could search a thousand years and find that no one would be caught alive looking the exact same as another. It's fascinating to me.
The next thing I realized was that I was not the only new student rolling in. Now, I didn't expect to be the ONLY one- but this was insanity. One glance out the window showed me an entire line of cars. An entire line of anxious teens being comforted by their probably just as anxious, if not more anxious parents. The fact that I wasn't about to start sobbing like these other students was comforting to be sure. My mother, well, "mother" (more on that later), kept looking back at me in the mirror. I don't think she knew I caught her doing that. She must've assumed I'd be nervous about the whole arrangement. It was laughable. With how many schools I've attended in my life? How could I be anything other than rehearsed? It would only be a matter of time before I have to leave this school for reasons no one can share with me, just the same as all of the other schools. Why did this ever happen? Like I've said, no one has ever told me. I've always assumed it had something to do with my heritage, but no one would ever indulge me with the specifics. See, I'll be at a school for a few months with everything going perfectly fine. It will be just when I'm beginning to get accustomed that I have to leave for a reason never explained. I'll have one blackout moment during the school day, and then poof! I have to pack my bags, go live with a new family, and try attending a new one. The folks I'm living with now aren't my real parents, obviously. For starters, they're monsters, and I'm a human. A "normie" is the monster slang term. I'm sure there's some sort of derogatory word for a normie being raised by monsters and I just haven't picked up on it yet. Anyways, they are both spider monsters. Distant relatives of Arachne, maybe?
This wasn't the first time I was placed with a monster family. Not even the first time I've been sent to a monster school, actually. I guess after all of that transferring, this must be the bottom of the barrel, so to speak. Very reassuring.
I slung my bag over my back and began to open the door when she stopped me with an arm (leg?) to my shoulder.
"Honey- sorry, sorry.. Gen. Do your best, alright? I've heard this school is very welcoming. Enjoy your first day." She seemed very intent on this. Me enjoying my first day, that is. That almost distracted me from the nickname slip up. Almost.
"Will do, mother." was my only reply. There wasn't much else to say anyways.
I pulled the sliding door open. The sound that it made never failed to get on my nerves... Like a werecat's claws on an old blackboard.
I then took my first step out onto the campus. The air smelled faintly of smoke and cinders. Probably the fire elementals' doing. Finally, I got a good look at the school itself- and what a school it was. It was astounding...! The architecture reached high into the sky, giving it the appearance of a castle. It did seem a bit outdated, though. Commonplace in most high schools I've seen. This did give it the air of a medieval noble premises and this would be intimidating if not for the hot pink banners plastered all over the place. If this was really the bottom of the barrel.. why did it look so prestigious?
"Hiii! You're a new student, right? Welcome to Monster High! Here's a name sticker! If you need a pen, I've got one right here!" I was so absorbed in my admiration of the building, that I nearly missed the ghoul that had quickly appeared in front of me offering a sticker. One of the ones that was used to introduce yourself. That, and a pink sharpie. She was a vampire, and a well dressed one at that. She had long ebony hair tied in two pigtails. Her locks were lined with pink streaks. What a contrast it was...! Her outfit continued this contrast of black and pink right down to her shoes. She clearly took great care in her dressing routine.
I took her offerings and wrote down my name in a rushed fashion. "Gentaro Kosminski". Not a name you hear everyday, I imagine.
"You know.. You didn't have to write your last name on there. But it's fangtastic to meet you, Gentaro! My name's Draculaura! You're going to love it here! Feel free to ask me any questions you might have! I know coming to a new school can be a little wild, so- as a member of the newly formed welcoming committee, I'll help you with anything you need help with!"
Optimism radiated off of her. The smell of recently eaten tomatoes did as well.... That... Was she a vegan vampire? I didn't think that was possible, given their diet. That wasn't the most confounding thing about this encounter, though. What was strange was that there was not a hint of confusion on her face! Me, a normie, waltzing right up onto campus as a new student, and no questions from her? This must mean she's used to such a seemingly bizarre thing happening. That intrigued me for sure.
"Thank you. I'll remember the offer." I said with a nod.
I stuck the sticker on near the collar of my blazer, vaguely wondering how long it would stay on there for. Step by step, I made my way to the entrance. Ah, there it was. I was wondering when the stares would come. In the corner of my vision I saw a cyclops glancing in my direction. When she happened to notice I had caught her, she quickly looked away, embarrassed. Figures.
Upon reaching the entrance, I moved forward to push the door open only to be forced to step back as a pair of monsters nearly walked right into me. The two were holding hands and laughing at something one of them said. They were most likely a couple. As soon as they saw me, they stopped laughing.
"I'm sorry... um.. Are you supposed to be here?" the ghoul asked. One of her bushy eyebrows was raised in confusion. Or was it suspicion? Possibly the latter.
"Yes... I'm attending this school. Why else would I be here?" I asked her in response. I felt myself getting strangely defensive all of a sudden and I didn't like it.
"No need to get upset. Seriously. It was.. uh.. just a mistake on my part."
There was hesitance in her deep voice. This kind of hesitance was nothing I haven't experienced before, mind you. The manster holding her hand gave me an annoyed look. But only for a moment, because he immediately glanced back at his friend.
"Let's get going, Rue. I'm on a tight schedule here." he said to her. Trying to tug one of her massive arms forward with him.
she could barely get a word out as she was dragged right around me. I barely even saw them as they went, only catching a glimpse of the word "Nevermore" written on the back of her partner's jacket.
"Right, right.. well, welcome to the school."
That was the last thing either of them said. They left just as quickly as they came. But they didn't leave my thoughts. The ghoul- "Rue" he had called her- was definitely a strange one. Her entire body was covered in thick black fur. But she was definitely not a werewolf. She looked like some sort of ape monster. She was far taller than her companion and far more broad. The manster on the other hand, was shorter than the average monster. He had the appearance of a raven with many human qualities. He had short black hair that reminded me of my own, and his skin was very dark. There were haphazardly placed feathers all over his clothing. But his most prominent trait was the large pair of midnight black wings upon his back. Until now, I had never seen anything quite like those wings. They were truly stunning.
That oddness aside, I finally entered the school. Purple was the first thing I noticed. And lots of it. The walls were purple and so were the beams that touched the ceiling. The lockers, too, were purple, though they were a different shade. The only reprieve was the doors. They were a nice cyan color.
"Woah..." I gasped. I could feel my mouth form a small "O". I've been to many schools, as I've said. And not one looked anything like this. I took slow steps forward, looking around in all directions to soak it all in as best I could. Before I knew it, though, more students flooded in until I was practically surrounded. Packed like sardines, we were.
"Attention, new students!" came a stern voice from over the loudspeakers. Any talking that was happening immediately ceased. I couldn't believe that all of the monsters in this area were new students. That was just inconceivable. The sheer numbers..!
"This is your headmistress speaking. I would like you all to get in a single file line alphabetically outside the main office. We will pull small groups of you in to get your student IDs. I want you all to be quiet, and I don't want to see anyone fooling around. After you receive your IDs and information, you are to go straight to your first hour class. This may be the first day of school, but unnecessary delays will not be tolerated." the audio stopped. Are we supposed to just... Line up now? I guess so, then.
I was quite literally shoved into my place in line by both the bustling student body and the hall moaniters who were getting all the newbies organized. This felt uncomfortable. It almost felt like a blackout was coming on already...
No- pull yourself together, Gentaro. It's the first day. Wouldn't that be embarrassing? "New guy passes out not fifteen minutes after walking through the door. Has to leave school." I could see the headlines now. It was only IDs and schedules. In and out. Not a big deal whatsoever.... I've never been nervous about coming to new schools. This would just be another one of those past occurrences. And this never upset me. I always knew going in that it would be too fleeting to hold on to any real friends. Too insignificant to leave that much of an impression. And this would be just the same.
Or so I thought.