Frankie Stein and the New Ghoul at School Read online

  “Okay, then if you don’t mind, I’m going to go over there!” Isi said as she gathered up her books.

  Frankie felt a pang of jealousy. Didn’t Isi want to spend as much time together as she did? She shook it off and said, “Of course I don’t mind. I’m so glad you and Twyla are becoming such good ghoulfriends.”

  Isi grinned and walked across the classroom to take a seat in the back, next to Twyla.

  “Isi seems so sweet,” Draculaura said, leaning in close to Frankie just as class was starting. “She and Twyla make a great pair.”

  “They really do,” Frankie agreed. Twyla and Isi were a perfect match—just like she, Draculaura, and Clawdeen made a voltageous threesome.

  “Have you told her about the Fearleading squad?” Cleo asked, turning around in her seat. “I’ve seen her dancing around in the halls, and it seems like she could be a fab fearleader! I’d love to have her on our squad!”

  “I haven’t talked to her about activities yet,” Frankie said. She felt a twinge of regret that she’d been so focused on the search for Zappit, she’d forgotten to do everything she could to make Isi feel at home as part of the Monster High community. Was that why Isi didn’t want to spend more time with her? “But I will! Promise.”

  All through class, Frankie thought about how glad she was to have Isi as a new ghoulfriend—thanks to her she would probably get Zappit back that very afternoon! And, on top of that, Frankie already had an idea for her next lab creation thanks to Isi. She couldn’t wait to get started on it just as soon as Zappit was home again.

  I was so excited to see Zappit when Isi brought her home to me today that I sparked like crazy! I almost zapped poor Zappit! Zappit was being shy around me, but I think she was happy to be home. At least I hope so!

  It was so much fun showing Isi around Dad’s lab today! He showed her all his creeperific machines and even let her combine two beakers of liquid to let her see what would happen. She totally freaked out when the new mixture started fizzing and spitting. She dropped it, and the whole thing exploded in sparks. Dad and I both cracked up, but Isi didn’t think it was quite as funny. She grabbed Zappit for comfort, then she and my little creature rubbed noses and danced around together. The two of them really do have a connection. I’ll have to be sure to invite Isi over to visit her a lot.

  My dad was acting super proud when he starting telling Isi all about how I’d constructed Zappit with almost no help from him—and also about my idea for the tracking bot. I love this special bond I have with him. I can’t wait to tell him my plan for what I’m going to build next.

  After Dad gave Isi the lab tour, she and I hung out in my room for a while, watching Zappit and Watzit while they played. Or, more like, not played. My two pets don’t really have the connection I thought they would… but I’m hoping if I give them some time, they’ll get their gears in sync. When we first got to my room, Watzit wouldn’t stop barking, so Zappit started growling. Then, after a few minutes of sniffing each other curiously, they retreated to opposite ends of the room and curled up—Watzit at my side, and Zappit beside Isi.

  So scary-cute! Well, I guess we’ll see how things go. I’ll get Zappit charged up, then the two of them can take all day tomorrow to get to know each other better.

  Frankie

  After Isi left that night, Frankie joined her dad in the lab again. “I have an idea for what my next invention should be,” she announced. Watzit was already curled up in his bed on the floor of the lab, while Zappit charged nearby.

  Mr. Stein looked up, obviously pleased. “You’re really cranking out ideas, sweetheart. What are you going to make this time?”

  Frankie smiled. “So, the thing I’ve learned since meeting Isi is that she’s really missing her family. She’s very close to them, and when she’s home, she told me she spends a lot of time in the woods with the animals who live nearby. Today, I was thinking it might be fun to build a pet for her too. She and Zappit hit it off right away, and I think it would help make it easier for her to be away from her family if she had a little critter she could care for.”

  Mr. Stein nodded. “That sounds like an excellent plan. Do you need my help?”

  “Nope,” Frankie said happily. “You’re such a great teacher that I think I’ve actually got the hang of it this time! Practice makes perfect, right?”

  “That’s absolutely right,” he said. He put one hand on her shoulder and added, “You’re proving what a great friend you are, Frankie. It seems as though you’ve gone out of your way to be kind and welcoming to Isi, and she’s lucky to have you around this week.”

  “I’m so glad I’ve had her around too,” Frankie agreed. “I don’t know if I ever would have found Zappit without her help.”

  “That’s true,” Mr. Stein agreed. “You’re lucky to have each other. It really proves what a special ghoul you are that you would be willing to give up one of your own lab creations to comfort a friend. I’m proud of you.”

  Frankie buzzed with happiness. “Thanks, Dad.”

  Mrs. Stein poked her head around the corner to see what was cooking in the lab. “How are you two crazy inventors doing down here?” she asked.

  “We’re voltageous!” Frankie answered. She invited her mom over, and told her about her plans to create Isi a pet of her very own.

  “You sure do seem to be hitting it off,” Mrs. Stein noted. “Is Isi getting along well with your other ghoulfriends too?”

  “Yeah. Everyone really likes her. I think she’s going to be such a great addition to our group,” Frankie said. Then she frowned slightly. “The only thing is…”

  After a pause, her mom prompted, “The only thing is…?”

  “Well, it’s just that Isi seems to be more interested in Twyla than she is in me and my ghoulfriends. She’s really nice to us and everything and we get along great, but it just seems like she’s really connecting with Twyla. I think maybe she prefers Twyla over us.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Mrs. Stein asked gently. “Isn’t it good that she’s becoming close with another ghoul at school so quickly?”

  “Well, yeah, I guess.” Frankie chewed her lip.

  “You don’t sound so sure,” Mr. Stein said. “Is Twyla nice, or are you worried Isi is spending time with someone who isn’t going to be a true ghoulfriend?”

  Frankie gasped. “Oh no! It’s not that at all. Twyla is voltageously nice! And she and Isi seem to have really bonded.” As she talked to her parents, Frankie began to realize something. “It’s just, I sort of thought Isi and I would be beast ghoulfriends. I mean, I am her buddy in the exchange program and all, so I thought we would really hit it off. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work? Ghoulia and Kjersti act like they were programmed for each other, and Venus and Batsy are like two petals on the same flower. I just assumed Isi and I were meant to have perfect chemistry too.…”

  Mrs. Stein tilted her head as she thought about what Frankie had said. “I don’t think that’s the point of the buddy program, Frankie. You’re supposed to be her guide—to help her find her way during her first week. You’re not necessarily supposed to become beast ghoulfriends. That sort of special connection doesn’t always happen, and it certainly can’t be forced.”

  “I know!” Frankie said, feeling frustrated. Everything her mom said made sense, but Frankie still felt bad. “I just thought…” She didn’t know how to explain what she thought. That she and Isi would become fast ghoulfriends, and then—what? Frankie already had so many creeperific ghoulfriends including Draculaura, Clawdeen, and everyone on the Fearleading squad. Of course, they always had room for more in their group, but did that mean Isi had to pick them as her main pack?

  Mrs. Stein smiled and put her arm around her daughter. “Frankie, I love that you’re so excited to get to know and love every ghoul at Monster High, but you can’t be beast ghoulfriends with everyone.”

  Frankie nodded. Her mom was right, of course. She knew she shouldn’t feel jealous about Twyla and Isi spending so muc
h time together. Just because she and Isi weren’t becoming beast ghoulfriends didn’t mean they couldn’t be ghoulfriends at all. “You’re totally right, Mom. And you too, Dad.” Her parents smiled. “I just want everyone to have a ghoulfriend—and I should be happy that Isi has already really hit it off with Twyla! Right?” She grinned.

  “Right,” her parents agreed.

  Her mom added, “You know you can always talk to us about this stuff, right, Frankie?” Frankie nodded. Then her mom gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “Twenty minutes until bed. Deal?”

  Frankie leaned over to give her mom a hug. “Deal.” She felt so much better after talking things out with her parents. She had just been so worried about helping Isi fit in and finding Zappit and keeping Watzit happy the last few days—it was easy to get carried away with all the things buzzing around in her head!

  Mr. Stein returned to his own work then, while Frankie got started drawing up the plans for her newest creation. She tried to think about what kind of pet Isi would love most. Since Isi loved the outdoors, Frankie knew she should develop a pet that would enjoy taking walks with her in the woods. She scribbled some notes and began to sketch a few ideas. But she was having a hard time coming up with the perfect pet for Isi. For some reason, her mind kept wandering back to Zappit.

  Frankie hadn’t made a lot of progress before her mom poked her head around the corner of the lab again and cleared her throat. “Tonight you both need to get some rest. Last night, you were up until all hours working down here—tonight, I’m forcing you both to take a break from the lab!”

  Frankie and her dad looked at each other and laughed. Mr. Stein put his hands up in surrender and said, “Fine, fine. She’s right, you know—all of this will be waiting for us here tomorrow. I suppose it is important to take a break from your work every once in a while to let your mind recharge.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” agreed Mrs. Stein.

  When I woke up this morning, I knew right away that something was wrong. Watzit was snuggled up next to me, but when I reached down to pet Zappit, I realized my new little creature was gone. Again.

  I jumped out of bed and searched all over my room, then ran into the lab to check the charging station. She was nowhere to be found. Obviously, my little escape artist had managed to get out for the second time.

  Of course I’m upset that she’s gone again, but this time I’m a little less worried. I know she’ll be okay. And I’m also beginning to wonder if maybe Isi was onto something when she told me she thought Zappit preferred to be outside. Maybe she was also right about Zappit not really wanting to be around another creature all the time.

  What if I’m trying to force Zappit and Watzit to get along and be beast friends, when really they’re not meant to be BFFs? Maybe Zappit is actually better suited to someone else or somewhere else…?

  Frankie

  When Frankie got to school and ran over to tell Isi about Zappit escaping again, Isi laughed and said, “I know.”

  “What do you mean, you know?” Frankie asked.

  “When I got up this morning to greet the sunrise and stretch my legs, I found Zappit curled up in the little den I helped her build on the edge of the forest. It seems she’s comfortable there.”

  “I think you’re right,” Frankie said, nodding her head. “About that…”

  Isi quickly said, “I’m really sorry, Frankie. I didn’t realize she would fall in love with that den, or I wouldn’t have helped her build it. It’s just that when she came to me the other night and wouldn’t follow me out of the forest, I wanted to do whatever I could to make her feel comfortable and at home until I could return her to you. Only now I think she might think that den is her home.”

  Frankie nodded again. “I’m so glad you did what you did when you found her alone in the woods! And, Isi, I’m beginning to wonder something.…” Frankie paused. She thought back to the conversation she’d had with her parents last night—about how Isi and Twyla were a perfect match for each other, even though Frankie had been assigned as Isi’s buddy—and how she’d been working on building a pet for Isi to make her feel more comfortable during the time she was at Monster High. Then she thought about her connection with Watzit, and the way Isi and Zappit seemed to have a similar connection. Suddenly, she knew exactly what she had to do to be a good friend. “I was wondering if maybe you want to care for Zappit,” Frankie asked Isi. “For a while… or forever?”

  “Are you serious?” Isi asked, her eyes wide. “I would love to take care of her! But I know how much you love her, and I don’t know if I could take her away from you!” From the way her eyes shone, Frankie could tell she wanted to accept. Then Isi shook her head. “No, I couldn’t take her from you. Zappit is your new pet! You created her. I’m sure there must be some way for us to help her learn that your house is her home.”

  In that moment, Frankie was absolutely certain that this was what she was supposed to do. She didn’t know animals as well as Isi did, but she could tell when someone needed a friend and some comfort. She could tell that Zappit was just the friend Isi needed… and Isi was the right person to help care for Zappit in the way she most needed to be cared for. “Please, will you take care of her?” Frankie asked, placing a hand on Isi’s arm. “It’s what I want. And I think she’s just what you need. You are the perfect pair!”

  Isi threw her arms around Frankie and cried, “Of course I will. Oh, thank you, Frankie!” She pulled away, and Frankie could see there were tears in her eyes. Zappit was just what Isi needed to make her feel perfectly at home during her Monster Exchange. Just like Frankie, Isi longed to be surrounded by family—and Zappit could be her family while she was away from home. “But please, will you let me do something for you too? To thank you for welcoming me to Monster High, and for sharing Zappit with me?”

  “I don’t need anything!” Frankie said with a smile. “Knowing you’re happy here at Monster High is enough for me!”

  “Please,” Isi said. “I insist.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Come to the woods tonight,” Isi said, beaming. “I want to show all of you what a harvest moon celebration is like! And you can give Zappit a hug. I’m sure she would love to show you her den.”

  Frankie buzzed through the rest of the day feeling more electrified than she had in days. She couldn’t wait to go to Isi’s party that night. Isi had invited everyone who wanted to come—including Watzit!—and they were all going to meet at moonrise in the clearing near the edge of the woods.

  When school was out, Frankie rushed home to tell her parents about the party and to grab Watzit. Watzit was just as excited as Frankie about the outing and trotted along happily by her side as they made their way toward the forest. When they arrived at the clearing in the forest, Frankie could see that a big bonfire was roaring. All her ghoulfriends were already fanging out, relaxing on rocks and tree stumps. It was a voltageous party!

  As soon as she saw her approaching, Isi pulled Frankie into the circle. Frankie looked around at the group and saw the smiling faces of all her ghoulfriends—Clawdeen, Draculaura, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Batsy, Venus, Kjersti, and, of course, Twyla. Zappit, who stuck close to Isi’s side, poked her snout out and greeted Watzit timidly. The two sniffed each other curiously, then Zappit returned to Isi’s side.

  “Tonight,” Isi announced to everyone, “we are having a harvest moon dance party in Frankie’s honor!” Isi turned on some music. Spinning and dancing to the music, Isi took Frankie’s hands in her own. “On the day we met,” Isi said as they twirled through the firelight together, “you mentioned something to me about wishing you had a big family like me or a pack like Clawdeen. I’ve been thinking about what you said, and here’s what I’ve realized: Even though you don’t have any brothers and sisters, you do have a pack.” She gestured around at the crowd of Frankie’s ghoulfriends. “All of us. We’re your pack. You bring us all together, like a family.”

  Frankie grinned h
appily. Isi was right, of course. Frankie had been wishing for a pack of her own, and here she’d had it all along.

  Isi wrapped her arm around Frankie’s shoulders and went on, “This week, the Monster High family—and you, especially—made me feel at home. Of course I miss my family back in Boo Hexico, but with a family of friends surrounding me—and now Zappit!—I know I’ll be just fine during my Monster Exchange. Thank you so much for being such a good ghoulfriend!”

  Frankie pulled her in for a hug. “Oh, Isi, that’s just so sweet of you to say. And you’re right. These ghouls really are my pack! The best pack ever.” She squeezed her new friend tighter. “And I’m so glad you’re a part of it now.”

  “You know,” Isi said, swaying beside her, “Zappit’s still going to need a charge every once in a while.”

  “Oh!” Frankie gasped. “I almost forgot about that!”

  “Here’s what I was thinking…” She looked over at Zappit and Watzit, who were curled up happily on opposite sides of the fire. “Maybe she and I could come over once a week for a charge… and to fang out? I think I could get her to leave the woods every once in a while, as long as I promised to bring her back to her den to sleep!”

  “I would love that,” Frankie replied.

  Zappit ran over then and nuzzled against Isi’s leg. Frankie reached down to scratch her. Then she looked back at Isi and said, “The two of you are so well matched; it’s almost as if she was made for you.”

  Isi smiled in the moonlight. “You’re such a good friend, Frankie Stein, that I wonder if maybe somewhere deep down, you knew I was coming and would need a friend. So you created her—just for me.”

  Twyla suddenly approached the two ghouls from out of the shadows. She wasn’t dancing with abandon like everyone else, but she was swaying a bit to the beat of the music. “Will you come join the group?” she asked, smiling shyly at Frankie and Isi. Frankie and Isi happily danced back over to where everyone else was. The whole gang spent the rest of the night talking and dancing and having a voltageous time under the harvest moon. With a pack like this, Frankie had a feeling this was going to be the best scaremester ever!