Frankie Stein and the New Ghoul at School Read online

  Batsy and Venus had obviously hit it off right away too. They were talking about starting up a new club at Monster High to bring awareness to endangered plants and species. Frankie smiled happily at the ghouls around her table. It felt like everything was working out just as it should.

  Partway through lunch, though, Isi suddenly leaped up. “There’s Twyla!” she exclaimed. “Frankie, thank you so much for inviting me to join you and your ghoulfriends for lunch, but if you don’t mind, I’m going to run over and catch up with Twyla. I was looking for her all morning, and there she is, finally!” She smiled happily at Frankie, then gathered up her things and pranced over to Twyla’s table in the cafeteria.

  Frankie watched her go. Isi had been looking for Twyla all day? Did that mean she didn’t enjoy the time she spent with me? Frankie wondered. She suddenly felt a little hurt and wasn’t entirely sure why.

  “Don’t look so down, Frankie,” Lagoona Blue said, glancing over at Twyla’s table. Twyla was greeting Isi, and the two were hugging. “Didn’t you say Isi and Twyla already know each other? It makes perfect sense that they would sit together at lunch, don’t you think? It’s great that she’s already made such a close ghoulfriend here at Monster High.”

  “You’re right,” Frankie said, trying to shake off her hurt feelings. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt a little bit sad that Isi didn’t want to sit at their table after spending the whole morning together. Frankie told herself that just because she was Isi’s Monster Exchange buddy, it didn’t mean they had to spend all their time together. Even beast fiends spent time apart sometimes! She smiled at Lagoona. “Of course she would want to get caught up with Twyla. I know they haven’t seen each other for a while.”

  Frankie and her ghoulfriends spent the rest of their lunch period catching up on what everyone had done during the scaremester break. Clawdeen entertained them all with stories of the extended family who had come to visit—she’d been stuck babysitting, and her stories about the mischief her twin cousins got into were a total scream!

  But after lunch, the afternoon dragged. Frankie couldn’t wait for the end of the school day to come so they could start the search for Zappit again.

  She met up with Isi at her locker after school and waited while her buddy packed up her things. Then the two ghouls hustled across the school grounds to meet up with Lagoona, Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Cleo. Cleo had even offered to cancel Fearleading practice that afternoon so the whole squad could help with the search.

  When Batsy and Venus found out there was a group heading into the forest near Monster High to look for a missing creature, they both offered to come along and help too. Batsy was eager to explore the natural habitats around Monster High, and both ghouls seemed sure they could help Frankie spot prints or other signs of Zappit’s movements.

  Isi had also told Twyla about Frankie’s missing pet, and Twyla had offered to join the search party. Frankie was grateful. The more monsters who were out looking for Zappit, the better! And Frankie noticed that Isi seemed extra joyful when Twyla was around. They really did make a voltageous pair.

  Back inside Monster High, Ghoulia and Kjersti were working together to figure out if there was some way they could find Zappit using a computer-based tracking device. Frankie had a feeling that even if they didn’t figure something out before Zappit was found, neither ghoul would give up until they had designed a program that could help their fellow students if they ran into this sort of problem in the future.

  “Thank you so much for helping, ghouls,” Frankie said to the creepy-cool search crew that had gathered. “I’m not sure what the best way to do this is, but I was thinking maybe we could split up into groups of two or three so we can search more places?” She looked to her ghoulfriends for ideas.

  “It might actually be a good idea to start our search as a group—stick together as a pack?” Isi suggested. “Every one of us has unique talents. If we use our strengths together and focus our search in the area where I saw her last night, we might have a better chance of finding Zappit more quickly.”

  “That’s a good idea, Isi,” Frankie agreed, once again grateful to have her new ghoulfriend there helping. “Why don’t you lead the way, since you’re the one who saw her last?”

  The group set off quickly, away from the gates of Monster High. Isi danced along in the lead, guiding them all through a park and into the woods near school. “This is where I went walking last night,” she said. “The clearing where I was dancing when I encountered Zappit is up ahead. Just through the woods a short ways.”

  “These shoes don’t do woods. Isi might be comfortable hoofing it through sticks and leaves, but I definitely am not,” Cleo muttered. Then she glanced at Frankie, who looked so worried about her missing creature, and released a deep sigh. She blew a kiss to her shoes. “Farewell, my golden lovelies. Into the woods we go. For Frankie.”

  As they made their way through the trees, the pack of ghoulfriends fanned out and shouted, “Zappit! Zappit, where are you?”

  At one point, Frankie thought she saw something moving in a tree high above her. She unstitched her arm and sent it scuttling up the tree for a closer look. But it came back empty-handed, so Frankie realized she was probably just imagining things.

  Clawdeen raced after something small that darted into a thick grove of trees, but she too found nothing. Venus and Batsy rooted carefully under low-hanging branches and plants, but the only things they found were a few interesting animal tracks and a small, empty den that some creature had recently used for a bed.

  Before long, the group emerged on the other side of the woods. Cleo dusted herself off. Beside her, Clawdeen picked a few thorns out of her thick hair. “I’m so sorry, Frankie,” Isi said sadly. “I really thought we might find her here. But don’t worry… we won’t give up hope—every one of us will continue to search until we find her.”

  I’m so grateful that Isi and the other Monster Exchange ghouls have been willing to help me look for Zappit—I truly have the most voltageous ghoulfriends—new and old! And it was creeperific of Cleo to cancel Fearleading practice today (and even sacrifice a killer pair of shoes!) so all the ghouls could help. I am so lucky!

  But I’m still so worried about my little pet! Isi keeps telling me that she believes Zappit is fine, and I trust her instincts. She’s lived around animals all her life, so she knows a lot about them.

  This morning, Dad told me Zappit’s charge should last for at least a few more days before she powers down. I really hope we find her before she runs out of juice. Ugh. I’m hoping for some breakthrough that might get us closer to solving the mystery of where she’s gone. Fingers crossed… but in the meantime, I have an idea that will let me feel like I’m doing something, even if I can’t be out searching all night long!

  Frankie

  As the afternoon light faded away, the ghouls agreed to split up and continue their search. Dinnertime came and went, but still Frankie wasn’t ready to give up the hunt. She, Draculaura, and Clawdeen continued to search in their little group until the last light of day was extinguished. By the time night rolled around, even Frankie had to admit that they needed to take a break until morning.

  After saying good night to her ghoulfriends, she ran home to greet Watzit. Frankie had missed him so much while she was away at school—somehow the search for Zappit had made her even more eager to spend extra time cuddling Watzit when she got home.

  “Hey, Dad?” Frankie said, poking her head into the lab after she and Watzit had played a quick game of fetch. He trailed behind her, then settled into his little bed in the lab for a snooze. Frankie could tell Watzit had begun to enjoy his time in the lab almost as much as she did.

  “Frankie!” her dad exclaimed, looking up from his lab bench. “Did you find Zappit yet?”

  Frankie shook her head sadly. “Not yet. We’ve been searching for hours, but there are just so many places she could be hiding.”

  Mr. Stein pulled her close for a hug. “You’ll find her.
And you needn’t worry about her safety—I’m sure she’s going to be just fine.”

  “That’s exactly what Isi said,” Frankie said, nodding. “It’s hard not to worry, though. She’s my first creation! I just can’t believe she’s gone.”

  Mr. Stein smiled. “I understand exactly how protective an inventor can feel about his creations,” he said, smiling at her. Then he looked at his watch and gasped. “Speaking of my creations, I can’t believe you are still awake! Look at how late it is, Frankie!”

  “I couldn’t get to sleep when I knew you were still in here working,” she admitted.

  “Ah,” her dad said, grinning. “Do you have the inventor’s curse?”

  “What’s that?” Frankie asked.

  “Does the lab call to you, even when you should be doing other things?” he said.

  “I guess a little bit,” she admitted.

  Mr. Stein rubbed his hands together. “Excellent! And are you so distracted by your ideas that it’s sometimes hard to stop working for meals or friends or other activities?”

  “I’m not as bad as you yet, Dad,” Frankie said with a laugh. “I always have time for meals and my ghoulfriends! Mom is right, you know… you probably should get out of the lab a little more often.”

  Mr. Stein shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I really should.”

  “Also,” Frankie said, “I had an idea. Want to talk about it over a snack upstairs?”

  Mr. Stein looked around the lab sadly. “You want me to go upstairs and leave my precious—” He broke off suddenly and looked at her sheepishly. “What I meant to say is, of course I would love to go upstairs and enjoy a snack and a chat with my precious daughter.”

  As they made their way up the stairs, Frankie said, “I think it’s a good thing I’m going to be spending more time working in there with you from now on, Dad. I’m going to make it my mission to help you remember that life exists outside the lab!”

  “I like the sound of that!” Mrs. Stein said, greeting her husband and daughter inside the kitchen. “Sounds like you have some very good advice for your dad, Frankie.”

  Mr. Stein laughed as he made himself a cup of tea. “So what’s this idea you’ve had?”

  Frankie grabbed a cookie from the cookie jar and took a big bite. “I was wondering if you’ve ever had any luck creating a tracking device in the lab. I was sort of inspired by this GPS tracking program Ghoulia and one of the new Monster Exchange ghouls started working on today. It got me thinking… maybe we could try to build something in the lab that would help me find Zappit? Something with magnetism or something?”

  “Hmm,” Mr. Stein said. “Interesting. Perhaps magnetism and…” He began muttering to himself, and Frankie and her mom exchanged a look.

  “So?” Frankie asked, nudging him to get his attention back. “Think it’s possible?”

  “Sure, it’s definitely possible. I’m not sure it’s something we could put together overnight, but I can certainly try.” He pulled his eyebrows together in concentration, and Frankie could tell his mind was already whipping through possible designs and specifications in his head. “I like the way you’re thinking!”

  “Can we start to work on it right away?” Frankie begged.

  Mr. and Mrs. Stein exchanged a worried look. “It’s very late,” said Mrs. Stein. Then she added, “But if working in the lab will help you feel like you’re doing something more to find your pet, then I suppose you could spend a little while in there with your dad tonight.”

  “As long as your homework is done,” Mr. Stein added.

  “All done with my homework already!” Frankie cheered. Cramming her fall project into just a few days had taught her not to wait until the last minute again! She shoved the last of her cookie in her mouth, then dashed toward the stairs. “Let’s get started right away.”

  By the time Frankie and her dad closed up the lab for the night, they had already made great progress on a search bot. Mr. Stein promised Frankie he would continue to work on it the next day while she was at school. He hoped to have it ready by the time school was out.

  Frankie was exhausted when she finally went to bed—working in the lab was both exhilarating and exhausting. She curled around Watzit and then fell into a deep, dreamless slumber. When she woke in the morning, she checked Zappit’s charging station in the lab, just in case her little creature had returned in the night. But as she knew would be the case, there was still no sign of her. Frankie got dressed quickly and rushed to school, posting more MISSING signs everywhere between her house and Monster High.

  As Frankie unloaded her things in her locker, Isi rushed up and squealed, “I found Zappit!”

  Frankie threw her arms around Isi. “That’s voltageous! So where was she?”

  Isi took a deep breath. “Right where I saw her the first night. Last night I went back there. When I closed my eyes and danced in the light of the moon, I felt something creep up beside me. I opened my eyes, and there she was! It was almost as though she had been waiting for me to come to dance.”

  “Seriously?” Frankie asked. “Do you think she was hiding out in the forest that whole time? I thought I saw something moving in one of the trees yesterday—do you think it could have been her? I bet the tracks Batsy and Venus found were hers!”

  “Possibly,” Isi said, nodding. “It’s also possible she was hiding from us. She seems very shy, and she resisted following me when I called to her.”

  “So where is she now?” Frankie asked, hustling along beside Isi as they made their way to their first class.

  Isi took a deep breath and looked Frankie in the eyes. Frankie could sense something was wrong. Isi told her, “When she came to my side last night, I checked her over right away to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Then I tried to lead her out of the woods, but as soon as we neared the edge of the forest, she stopped and wouldn’t move any farther.” Isi’s eyes filled with tears, and she said, “I’m so sorry, Frankie. I helped her build a small, cozy den on the edge of the woods. I checked on her as soon as I woke this morning, and she was content and as happy as can be.” Isi smiled. “She’s just the sweetest little creature—I must admit, spending time with her was such a comfort to me last night. I went into the forest feeling sad about missing my family. And then Zappit was at my side, and I instantly felt so much better. Being near her somehow made me feel less homesick.”

  “Oh, Isi,” Frankie said, nearly bursting at her seams with relief. “I am so sorry to hear you were feeling so homesick! I’m glad Zappit brought you some comfort! Thank you for taking care of her last night. Will you show me where her den is after school? I can come pick her up there!”

  Isi paused, and Frankie thought she saw a brief flicker of sadness pass across her ghoulfriend’s face. “Why don’t I bring her to you?” Isi said finally. “Now that she has danced with me, I believe we have bonded, and I think she has grown to trust me. Maybe if she and I dance to your house together, she might feel more comfortable being led out of the woods. She seems to have decided she loves my dancing,” Isi said with a shrug and a smile. “Besides, if I bring her to you, I can see where she was created. Your dad’s lab sounds so freaky-fab!”

  “That would be great! And you’re right—Dad’s lab is totally voltageous,” Frankie grinned. “I can introduce you to Watzit too.”

  “Who’s Watzit?” Isi asked.

  “Watzit was my first pet. My dad created him for me out of spare parts he had in the lab. He’s part of the reason I created Zappit in the first place! I’m hoping the two of them will like having each other to hang out with during the day while I’m away at school.”

  “What a nice idea,” Isi said. “Watzit is a very lucky pet.”

  Frankie settled into her seat next to Draculaura, making sure there was an open seat for Isi on her other side. Then she told Isi, “Watzit loved having me around last week during the scare-mester break. I bet he’s sad that Zappit ran off before they ever really got a chance to get to know each other. I can’t wait to see t
he two of them playing together.… It will be so cute!”

  Suddenly, Isi frowned.

  “What is it?” Frankie asked.

  Isi shook her head. “It’s just… some animals are solitary creatures, Frankie. There are many animals who prefer to spend their time alone.”

  “How sad!” Frankie exclaimed. “All alone?”

  Isi laughed. “Many animals love to be alone—some monsters too. Not everyone longs for a pack, like you do. Some creatures take comfort when they’re in smaller groups or solo. Like Twyla—she prefers the company of just a few ghoulfriends, rather than many.”

  “Do you think that’s why Zappit ran away?” Frankie asked worriedly. “Because she wanted to be alone?”

  “It’s a possibility,” Isi admitted. “She seemed so shy when she approached me in the forest, and she waited until it was quiet to join me. This is just something to consider. It’s possible she didn’t know what to do when faced with the company of a little creature like Watzit.”

  Frankie was shocked. She hadn’t even considered the possibility that her two pets wouldn’t get along! She had assumed that they would hit it off as instant BMFFs. After all, they were designed in the same lab—they were destined to be buddies, weren’t they?

  “I may be monstrously wrong,” Isi said when she noticed the concerned look on Frankie’s face. “But it is one possible explanation.” Suddenly, she spotted Twyla across the room and waved. “Oh, Frankie—I told Twyla I’d sit with her during class today. Want to join us?”

  Frankie glanced over at Draculaura. “I’m going to stay here with Draculaura. We always sit next to each other.…”