Monster University- Beth

“I miss my husband at times. But if I stop and think of it, I am glad he is gone. He made me into this. I died. I had been killed when the village attacked us the first time and he made me live once more. I look into this mirror and see my green dead skin, my purple eyes and black purple hair. My ‘son’ had saved me that final night. The night Viktor died. He then wondered one way and found Cameron and I another. Mostly because in my anger I had blamed him. In my anger, I sent him away. I reconnected a century later and begged forgiveness. He said he forgave me, but I am unsure. We are after all dead beings. Our souls, that were once our source of life, after all, left us in death. And Frank was created from many people. It is ironic that I am a surgeon. I work in the Emergency Room and Plastic Surgery. I either try to save people; bring them back from the dead. Or I create them. In a different way than Viktor created Frank and myself. Or I allow them to die to continue to exist. Having to update our organs every decade; doing it bit by bit.”

Beth looked up at the door opening. She was eyeing the torso of the man she would be giving pec implants to. Not that he needed them. He would make a good torso for her son. Pity he would code on the table. She smiled. “Hello William.”

“Hello Doc! How are you today?”

“Oh, I am wonderful! I am a young grandmother now! My son found his child after his ex ran off and she had tried to kill the poor child.”

“Oh, Doc, that is horrible! At least it sounds like your son found them in time!”

“Yes, my son is quite a good man. Though he doesn’t always think that.”

“Yes, well, if people didn’t have messed up thoughts about themselves you wouldn’t have a job as a plastic surgeon.”

Beth laughed. “Yes, well, the human condition has made sure I have a job for many, many years! So shirt off and hope up on the table!”

“You know Doc, most people would say this is a start to a porn flick!”

Beth laughed. “Well, we know different don’t we William! Now let’s see. You wanted to go up two sizes, correct?”

“Yep.”

“You are a handsome young man William, why the body modifications?”

“So I can hold on to my girl. She is a ten.”

“Sounds a bit shallow, William.”

“Maybe but I love her and I am going to hang on until she leaves me.”

“Sounds unhealthy, William. But it is your life.”

“Yeah I know Doc, but love is irrational and makes your mind mush.”

Beth chuckled. “That it does, William. That it does.”

Once the exam was finished she sent him on his way with some instructions for when he came back in two days for the procedure. It was one of the few pieces she needed for Frank for the next few years; and Frank had already got her new parts last year.

She sat down at her desk and pulled out a worn picture. It was of her and Viktor on their wedding day. It was actually a photo of the portrait they had done that day. Viktor tried to make Frank look like such a mix of them after she had been unable to conceive. Beth had taken to Frank; however her irrational mind has created a void between them at times.

She always knew where to hit, where it hurt him the most. She would have to watch that now with her granddaughter. A baby in the Frankenstein family. She started laughing. There hadn’t been a baby since Viktor was alive, and he was that last baby. The thing that really made it more ironic the child was biologically Mary Shelley’s descendent; the one being that showed that Frank had at least a shadow of a soul. She put the picture back in her desk and shut down her computer. She had a grandchild to shop for!

Beth was sitting with Frank and Bo. “This is my grandchild, Bo.” She growled.

“We are looking for the father. Just in case it was a monster; we have to know what to expect Beth.”

“Don’t Beth me! I understand that we have to know, but I want it set up; we are doing the ritual! My granddaughter deserves immortality!”

“I am not saying she doesn’t Beth; but what is the hurry?” Bo sighed.

“What’s the hurry?” Frank yelled! “I want this done before she can remember! The ritual we are doing can give nightmares! And my daughter does not need to have those until she is old enough to cause her own!”

Bo held up his hands. “Goddess! Fine! I will find the fifty new mothers and twenty-five nuns. You may have to go to a larger city.”

Frank and Beth nodded. “I have booked a flight for NYC in a week. Frank is getting his chest switched out in two days.” Beth stated.

“Did you want an officiator?” Bo asked. “And have you already set things up with whom you need to in regards to Frank’s upgrade?”

Beth and Frank had a silent conversation. “Yes, Gus is on it. And No, I and my son should be able to perform the ritual just fine. Who did you have in mind?”

“Jacques Paris is in town.” Bo stated.

Frank lifted his head. “Marie’s first husband?”

Bo nodded. “Yes, he had me set him up as James Van Derke.”

Beth raised an eyebrow. “I am shocked he would be in the same town as Marie. Not that I blamed him. If Frank wasn’t set to stay with his friends, this time around I would have talked him out of this town with her in it. Zombies. Nasty creatures. At least Frank and I have minds of our own and aren’t controlled by a woman who gives…”

“Mother.” Frank flicked his eyes to his daughter.

“Oh, sorry, dear. I just really hate Marie.”

“Yes, trying to control the two of us; she is lucky she is alive. I wouldn’t have let her live if James hadn’t asked me. He was able to help me find a heart for mother.” Frank stated as he handed Beth his new little girl.

Bo sighed. “Yes, yes. Anyway, he can help or you can do it yourselves. What do you want her name to be?”

“Sophie Elizabeth.” Frank stated. “We will perform the ritual ourselves. Just get us the ‘ingredients’ needed.” Frank took the papers to sign.

Beth smiled. “My little Sophie. You will be a spoiled little monster! Yes, you will!”

Frank smiled and continued to read the papers. He signed them with blood. Even if it wasn’t his own, he had made it his own and there was magic in blood. When he was done he handed them back. “Anything else, Bo?”

Bo looked over the papers. “No, everything is in order.” He stood and held out his hand. “Great doing business with you again?”

Beth smiled as Frank took Sophie and left. “Yes, always a pleasure, Bo. When you need new skin, come stop by and I will help you choose your fresh look.”

“Of course, you and Frank always take care of me, Beth.” He kissed her cheek and walked her out the door.

Two days later she had both William and Frank in her operating rooms. One with her staff and the other just Frank and Gus. She went and made sure all waivers were signed and put William under. Within fifteen minutes he had coded and with a DNR snuck into the paperwork they pronounced the body dead and rolled away. Beth pretended to be upset as she told his parents and girlfriend before going into her other operating room. “Ready Frank?”

“As always, mother.” His head responded setting on the tray by the surgical tools. “This William is a magnificent specimen, perhaps we should change out the legs as well, it is only six months early.”

Beth nodded as she drained William of his blood, putting it in a warmer. “I was thinking that, as well. It is a logical course of action. Less cutting, too. Just the head and the arms. Fewer stitches for you to cover as well this time.”

“Yes, that is a benefit with Sophie now.”

“How is my little granddaughter treating you at night?”

“She is doing well. She calms with me or Lucas.”

“Strange most children have issues with wolves.”

“Yes, well, Lucas has always had a quality about him that drew monsters and their children in.” Frank watched as his mother removed William’s head. “Watch out for that bleed there, mother.”

Just then an artery gushed, splashing them all with fresh dead man’s blood. Beth licked it off her lips before wiping her face with her hand before taking a lick. “Good blood.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you and Frank are vampiric, as well.” Gus stated as he finished removing the arms from Frank’s old body and started to put William’s arms on it.

“We crave blood as any Monster, Gus. Blood is where the life force is held. The soul remnants remain in the blood absorbing into us, allowing us to be something more than mindless monsters.”

Gus nodded as Frank put in his two bits. “Yes, it is what gives us a semblance of normalcy in our undead life. Even if we must drink blood to gain it.” He winced as his mother picked his head up and started to stitch the head in the new body and bolt the spine to the base of his skull.

Beth cooed to him. “Don’t worry baby boy, the pain will be gone, after the jolt.” She stated as she hooked his bolts to the power supply. It would cause the power to go out and many to die tonight if there were monsters who needed the flesh and blood.

Gus rolled his eyes. They were so sickening sometimes, he thought as he slurped up a piece of arm skin from William. “Mmmm… fresh.”

“You better not be snacking on my son’s new body!” Beth hissed as she stitched on Frank’s arms.

“No! William’s arms! Leftovers! Leftovers!”

“Better be Gus.” She stated. “Okay, let’s get this cleaned up so I can start up my son and he can get home to his daughter. Lucas is watching her correct?”

“Yes, mother.”

“Good.” She quickly stitched William’s arms and head on the now useless body.

Gus looked it over. “They will never know! G’night, Frank and Beth!”

Beth nodded as she quickly changed and cleaned up the blood. She took the machine that kept the blood warm and pumped it into Frank. “Okay time for the finale!” She started cranking up the power. “Ready, son?”

“As ever mother.” Frank accepted the piece of leather in his mouth and bit down.

Beth went back and pulled the switch. She watched as the body jolted. She stopped the power and did it again. She stopped the power and then did it one final time, leaving it on until all the breakers, fuses and generators blew. She then made her way over after switching the switch off. “Frank?”

Frank groaned as he moved to sit up. He disconnected himself, plugging the holes before too much blood was lost. He stitched them up. “Good as ever, mother.” He stated as he jumped off the table. “Good body. Healthy. Toned. Good muscle. This will last a couple decades this time. Arms for another five years.”

“Good. Good. Now go collect my lovely granddaughter, we have a meeting to get to in NYC.”

“Of course, mother.” Frank kissed her cheek and left.

It was several hours later, and Frank and Beth stood over a kiddie pool that Sophie laid in, in a baby bath seat. They were on once hallowed land that was now a doorway to hell itself. Land tainted by the evil of men that was once charged to keep it holy. They had their fifty new mothers and twenty-five nuns. They chanted their spell.

Frank went to complete the ritual. “Goddess of the Damned, I ask thee to bless my daughter with immortality. To bless her with power. To bless her with beauty, grace, and pose. To grant her a status above the mortals. As payment I, and my mother, Elizabeth Frankenstein, present the blood of fifty new mothers and twenty-five nuns that we shall bathe Sophie Elizabeth Frankenstein in.”

He nodded to his mother as she grabbed the heads of the mothers and slit their throats over the kiddie pool. Draining them. Frank started in the other end and soon the blood of the mothers of new life were drained and Sophie happily splashed in the dark liquid of life. Frank moved and took the first nun. “We have given you the blood of the givers of life. Now we offer the blood of the pure.” He slit the first one’s throat and he and his mother made short work of the blood starting to overflow from the pool.

Beth kneeled down and bathed Sophie in the blood as Frank stood watch. Beth stood with Sophie in her arms. “Goddess, we release the blood onto this once hallowed but now cursed ground to complete our offering!” She nodded and Frank kicked over the pool and allowed the blood to soak into the ground.

Frank looked to the sky. “Goddess, does my daughter have your blessing and curse?”

There was a flash of light that was green and deep purple in color and then the light balled up and slammed into Sophie’s chest, causing the babe to cry out and then fall into a content sleep.

Beth looked at Frank. “Congratulations, Son, the Goddess has blessed your daughter. Let’s go.” She kicked a body out of her way. Who cares about the story the newspapers would run. Nothing would come back at them.

Frank didn’t even kick them from out of his way and just walked over them as he carried his daughter to leave for their current home.

Beth smiled as Frank doted on the little girl as they headed back to Grand Prairie Rapids.

Yes, this undead life caused them to be monster, but it was so worth it in the end. No matter the amount of blood on their hands.

Monster University- Frank

“What do I know about love and pain? What does anybody know about love and pain? I don’t know the pain of birth, of the start of life. I don’t know the pain of death. I never will. I was created. From parts of people who know the pain of birth, of life, of death. Those that knew love. But I have no soul. The people who once owned my body parts did, they could feel love, but I cannot. My ‘father’ created me hundreds of years ago. His death that night the village found out haunts me to this day. Is that love? I am haunted by his death. All their deaths. By my life. Is that Love?”

Frank looked at the clock and knew it was time to prepare for the day. He put his journal away; he placed it in his drawer on top of his father’s journals; the ones that had all the notes that caused Frank’s existence. He slammed the door, a little hard, and locked the drawer. He looked in the mirror, his skin had a light green tint, but it was nothing a bit of make-up could not hide. He had gotten very good at hiding the color of his skin. It took a lot more time to hide his stitching, but he had taken to wear long sleeve shirts and pants no matter the temp; after all, he was room temperature. He was dead. With no circulating blood. No soul.

He didn’t have to hide his bolts too much anymore. Thankfully strange and exotic piercings are popular during this time, and most people see them as a piercing. They always asked if his favorite book is Frankenstein. Frank hated that book. It made his father and himself as monsters. Well, that night he was when they killed his father. He killed the village. Mary Shelley was the only survivor. She wrote their story. He should have killed her. But she was a young child. He couldn’t bring himself to kill the child. After all, the death he has caused, he still hasn’t ever killed a child. He never would.

He looked at the note that Cameron had left for him. Something about picking up milk for some meal he wanted made tonight. Well, Cameron can cook for himself. The boy king got on Frank’s nerves. But he would be lost without him, Lucas, and Drake. They all met a few hundred years ago. Well, he first met Cameron. He used to be Tutankhamen. Frank had been wondering around Europe, looking for a place to live, when he ran into him. He took pity on the monster and invited him to stay with him. Frank didn’t know what pride was then and jumped at the chance. He barely could speak at the time. However, with Cameron’s help, he became highly educated. He sighed. Sometimes the boy king got out of control, only one that could control him was Nefertiti; sadly she didn’t come around often. He actually got on well with the Great Royal Wife. Of course, the fact Nefertiti, who now goes as Naome, was his mother and an ancient ruler herself, it was no shock she could reign in her son.

Education their path to living in mainstream America; moving here may not have been the best idea. Many people are too curious about newcomers, but on a college campus the majority of people are new, so it was easy to come up with a generic story to tell them about where they were from. Frank looked at himself in the mirror, his green skin now covered, and he was set to go about his day. But he was still upset, as he was every morning, but before he could be buried in his thoughts a thud brought back to life.

He saw Tony’s truck outside and remembered that Drake had a party last night. Frank found it easy, too easy most of the time, to turn a blind side to Drake’s parties. But what do you expect from a soulless creature? Of course, without Tony and Bo; they would never be able to live their half way normal undead lives. Tony, Bo, and many others make their lives almost seamless. If it wasn’t for the rash of bodies after they entered town or left town it was almost easy to forget they were monsters. Frank stood up and grabbed his books, took one last look in the mirror and left.

Lucas looked up. “Hey, man, the full moon is in a couple of days. I suggest staying in man.”

“Of course, Luc. Don’t get shot this time. I may have learned medicine and have my MD but patching you up isn’t something I enjoy doing.” He moved to the fridge to start breakfast.

“Funny you took after your creator.”

“I was called Frankenstein’s Monster, Luc. Victor Frankenstein created me. I couldn’t take his last name because of the taboo and that blasted book, but I could take Frank. It is all I really understood anyway when Cameron found me.”

“Hey I get it, don’t worry. Hey, Darin is going to be moving in next week.”

“Darin?” He looked up from where he was cutting bacon.

“Dorian. He is Darin Black now instead of Dorian Gray. Seriously, he can annoy me at times with his name changes.”

“He fix that little problem he had of half his face turning into a skeleton?”

“Sorta. Once a month under the new moon he will have to deal with it. No big. We all have our issues with the things that go bump in the night.” Lucas laughed at his own poor joke.

Frank rolled his eyes as he flipped the eggs. “Seriously, centuries later and your bad jokes have gotten no better.”

Lucas laughed. “I am funny as hell. You are just envious. I will talk to you later, monster man!” He got up and ran out the door.

Frank moved to finish his breakfast and then went to class. He was set to be a classic literature major this time around. He hadn’t had a chance to look at the syllabus, just grabbed the bundle at the bookstore. He left for his first cclassintroduction to classic lit. Oh, so fun. He was around when all these books were written. Hell, he knew most of the writers! He moved and sat down in a middle seat. Middle seat dwellers always had less attention. He saw the teacher walk in. She reminded him of somebody. But he couldn’t place who; well that would bother him all flipping day.

“Hello class! My name is Professor Mary Sheldon! We are going to start with the book that got me into classic lit! Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein!”

Frank groaned. Not again! He couldn’t take that bloody book again. He would just pull out a damn paper he wrote and turn it. He should have killed the kid, or at least taken it and raised it so that blasted book that painted him in such an unpleasant light never existed.

The professor looked at him. “Something wrong with the book choice, Mr…” She waited.

“Victorson. Frank Victorson.” Frank answer. “And everybody forces us to read this from Middle School on. And everybody has the same thoughts. The monster was at fault and had to be destroyed. So killing Viktor Frankenstein and his creation were the right things to do. And it shocked them that the monster lashed out and destroyed and killed the people of the village.”

Mary raised an eyebrow. “And you have a different viewpoint, Mr. Victorson?”

“Possibly.”

“Stay after class.” She stated and then started her lecture.

Frank waited and at the end of class stood there. “Well, Professor?”

“I don’t really like your attitude about a great novel!”

“You don’t have to. You just have to grade me fairly on the work I do. Now if you excuse me, I have to get to my next class.” Frank stated.

“I am going to ask you to keep an open mind about this novel. It really is a piece of history.” Sheldon stated.

“I will not change my stance.” Frank left then.

Over the next month, as they broke down Mary Shelley’s lies of that night, Frank couldn’t help but feel as if Sheldon was stalking him. He was finding her everywhere, from his math classes, to outside his house, to the restaurants he went to with the guys. He was sitting with the guys at Morgan’s (pretty much the only place they went) and told them. “Seriously, my professor is stalking me!”

“Dude maybe she has a thing for students. Talk her up.” Lucas stated as he smacked his lips at his ‘mooing’ steak. “God, Morgan knows how to make a steak!”

“Considering how many ‘dogs’ she gets in here, I would hope she could make a steak.” Drake sneered.

“Oh, come on Drakey! Lighten up! Life is good!” Lucas held up his beer.

“We are dead Luc.” Frank still tapped his beer to Lucas’, “and we tend to be the monsters.”

“Monsters! We are gods!” Cameron laughed. “I mean, we live forever! We have money, power, looks, and we are the envy of men of campus!”

Frank rolled his eyes. “Yes Boy King, we get it. Maybe some of us didn’t want this?”

“What did you want, Frankie?” Cameron sneered. “You wouldn’t have gotten life without being created!”

Frank growled. “I may not have been born but even a ‘monster’,” he spat the words, “like me has wants.”

“Like what kids? A wifey?” Cameron rolled his eyes.

“I can’t have kids, but I wouldn’t mind someone to spend my undead life with. Don’t you want someone?”

“Nah. I am good. They would get on my nerves after too long.” Cameron flirted with the waitress across the room.

“Luc?” Frank looked to his friend, his best really.

“Yeah, wolves mate for life. And it is for life. So right now I have to be very sure before I bring someone into this life, Frank. But I get you.”

Drake sighed. “I don’t want to damn anybody to this life.”

“Please, at least you haven’t evolved into an Incubus yet!” Lucas laughed.

“Oh, but won’t that be fun when he does! Think about it! We can have orgies on Halloween! And all those other holidays!” Cameron laughed as he drained his beer.

“Seriously Boy King, you need to stop thinking with your smaller head.” Frank stated and rolled his eyes.

“Ah, but brother sex, drugs and rock n roll!” Cameron cheered and signaled the waitress for another beer.

The men rolled their eyes at the Boy King but toasted and continued their meal.

Frank was leaving with Lucas and pointed out a woman following them. “See Luc, behind us.” He whispered below human hearing.

Lucas stretched and turned his head to see her. “Man, she looks familiar.”

“Yeah she reminds me of somebody too. But I can’t quite grip the memory.”

“Spooky man; especially with what your maker did with your brain. Some of the best of your time’s smartest minds.”

“Yeah. Let’s go, I do have a paper to turn in on my supposed badass self.” Frank laughed and clapped Lucas on the back.

Lucas laughed. “For a soulless creature you are at least a decent monster. I got class tomorrow too.”

Frank turned in his paper; arguing that the monster wasn’t a monster. Humans were the veritable monster that night and the monster couldn’t kill the child because even soulless he had somewhat of a conscience. That humanity is the veritable monsters in the book; but written to view them as the heroes. After all, only one moment in time can change a hero to a villain and a villain to a hero.

The next week Mary Sheldon called out as he was leaving. “Mr. Victorson! Stay back, please.”

Frank waited and watched her lock the door. “Well, Professor, what do you want?”

Mary walked over to her desk and picked up a knife. “My ancestor was Mary Shelly. She has a picture of the monster that killed her family.” She slapped a photo up on her board. “Funny how if you add a bit of make-up it looks like you.”

“Oh please; you believe in immortality, little girl?” Frank sneered.

“I believe in monsters. And I heard from you and your little friends on how you were built. That you creator, that Frankenstein killed the brightest of my ancestor’s time! A monster ripped apart my ancestors! Left my many great-grandmother to die!” She brought out a knife and tried to stab Frank.

Frank sneered as the knife entered his chest. He grabbed the wrist of the woman. “Wrong move, little girl! I am already dead. And they were already dead when he took their parts. You can’t kill the dead.” He whispered as he grabbed and pulled; ripping her arm off. He allowed her a moment to scream. He then took his large hand and wrapped it around her throat. “Good bye Miss Shelley.” And ripped out her throat; dropping it on the ground. He listened to her gurgle her last breaths.

He moved to leave and place a call to Tony when he heard a faint crying. He turned and sneered at the bleeding body. He bent under the desk; there was a babe. Barely a few months old. He looked at the tiny thing that looked at him with eyes as green as his skin. He sighed and picked up the phone. “Tony; Classic Lit Hall. Body. Full clean up…” He paused for a moment. “That is it, Tony.” His choice made. He hung up to place another call. “Bo…” He sighed. “I need to make a kid mine…” Frank smirked. A child. One to make immortal and be his child. After all, there were ways to make children immortal. They would grow until they were sixteen through twenty-one; then stop aging. Of course the ritual that Frank had in mind needed the heart of fifty new mothers and twenty five nuns; but a small price to pay for his child’s immortal life. A trip to the closest major city was in order.

Monster University- Draco

“I have always been dangerous. I have always only carried for my needs, my wants, my desires, and most of all I did what I wanted when I wanted, even who I wanted. This curse annoys me to no end. I can’t believe it has been twenty years since I last killed my shot at redemption. This twenty-year cycles continue to haunt me. I find her. And instead of trying to gain forgiveness, I took her by force. Then she refused to forgive me the bloody witch. So I killed her. Then for five years I spent my life as a bloody Mugwump! I was such an ugly bird, and I am forced to sit on a fence with my head leaning over one edge and my ass over the other. Only children can see me, and they laugh at me. After that five years, I am once again a man. Then I have fifteen years to find her and seek forgiveness. But I never look until she is eighteen; then I hire Bo and his private investigator to find her. If at the end of the twenty years, if I haven’t found her, I turn to a Mugwump and she mysteriously dies, and it starts all over again. Well, she is twenty now and maybe I will finally learn my lesson.”

Draco threw his journal into his drawer. He looked at the little dorm room that he was in. Why they choose this little bitty town of Prairie Rapids Crossing and the college here, he would never know. But Bo suggested it, and nobody bet against Bo. He has been their lawyer for centuries. The only other one that they depended on as much as Bo and each other was Tony and his son… or was it his nephew? Who cared? Draco thought. He looked at his set of journals going back from when he was named Griffin to now where he was Draco.

Unfamiliar names, unknown pasts, he needed them more than the others. He never learned to control the anger and monster inside of him. He might never learn to control it. Mostly because he was trying to gain forgiveness from the blasted witch that cursed him.

She was reincarnated each time and wouldn’t gain her memories until he asked for her forgiveness. He looked down at his schedule. Since he generally only lived as a human for fifteen years out of every twenty he was a transfer senior. He would graduate this year. He would also more than likely be dying within the next few months as well.

Well, dying was such a harsh term. Turned into a blasted ugly monster of a bird and forced to sit on a damn fence was what really happened. He sighed as he stood and went to his air brushing machine with inks and dyes. He put on the fake skin over his actual skin and air brushed life into his fake exterior.

He hated being invisible. He barely remembered what he looked like anymore. He had long ago figured out how to move in society thanks to the underground group of ‘monsters.’

They were soulless beings and monsters, but some liked to think they were misunderstood. Frank was one of them. Though he just rips the throats out of the people who annoy him. Though he heard Frank was trying something new. He should go visit the man and the annoying screaming machine he seems to have adopted. He finished his application and put on a pair of pants and a white button-down. He smirked as he messed with his wig. It was almost the same color as the hair he was born with. He created a very hot man. Now to go and woo that damn reincarnated witch.

Draco watched her. He bar-tended on campus. It allowed him to see all the students and compare them to the witch. She always looked the same. Short. Black hair. And these honey burgundy eyes that cost a man his soul. Everybody wants blonde, blue eyed leggy models, but a short brown-eyed girl will give their hearts and souls to the people who own her heart. He learned that well. So well in fact that to cross one of these witches it would cost one any semblance of a normal life. He was brought out of his thoughts by the phone ringing. “Jo’s Pool Hall.” He answered.

“Dragon! Is Jo there?” Draco winced, hearing Kat’s voice. She was more of a seductress than Jo, and Jo was a Succubus. The fact Kat was also the famous Voodoo Queen Marie LaVeau also made Draco want to run far, far away. Kat owned the local bookstore and was best buddies with Jo.

“Jo is busy now, Catherine.” He stated.

“Ahh, did she find a source for tonight? Pity, I was hoping to double date. I met some fresh meat.” She gave a chilling laugh.

Draco shivered. “She is busy tonight. Try tomorrow.”

“Good bye my darling Draco. Pity, I can’t reverse your curse just to have a chance at you.”

Draco never was so thankful for his curse. “I have to go, Catherine!” He yelled and slammed down the phone. Draco shivered again and turned at a yell of ‘Hey!’ He turned and blinked. There she was. That blasted reincarnation of the witch that destroyed his life. She was quite ‘painted’ tonight. Of course being as old as I am I call all make-up painted. Today’s society would call it barely there. He moved down. “How can I help a darling out?” He drawled.

“Three tequila shots and three Long Islands.” She stated.

“I am Draco, darling, and your name so I can know who to run the tab under?”

“Flo. Now hurry up, Draco, I haven’t all night.”

Yep, still a bitch. “Coming right up Flo.” He makes the drinks and sends them on their way. He spends the rest of the night making a pro and con list of being stuck as a Mugwump for five years again.

For the next three weekends, Draco tried to get somewhere with the witch. He was nice, bought her drinks, helped her with her damn chemistry homework! “Want to go to dinner, Flo?”

Flo laughed. “Oh honey, you are not getting anywhere with me. You know your chemistry and seem to be loaded. I am just using you.”

Of course, Draco saw red and left. He went home and removed all his coverings. He was going to make her pay. Only she could see him. He waited outside her door as she entered he pushed her in. “Use me, you blasted witch! I ask your forgiveness!” He said the magic words.

“Griffin?” Flo asked, her eyes wide with fright.

“In the not so flesh!” Draco laughed.

“Griffin, don’t. Not again!”

“Do I have your forgiveness, Witch?”

“No, you still don’t love me!”

“You use me in over half your lives! How can I love you?”

“And you didn’t use me?”

“I cheated on you once! I was drunk, and I thought she was you! I asked forgiveness! I begged, and you cursed me!”

“You cheated! And you still don’t love… I deny you your forgiveness.”

“And I am sorry you just signed your death again!” He took the knives in his hands and drove them into her hands and feet. “But a bit of fun first?” Draco smirked as he ran the knife down her sternum and stomach, slicing her open.

An hour later Flo lay passed out from pain, bloody and torn apart. Her heart beating its last beats. Draco bent down to her ear. “I don’t know if you can hear me Flora, but I did love you. I loved you enough, I was being disowned to marry you. You killed that love, and now we are stuck in this endless cycle. I hope we can find it again. But with my anger and your grudge, I feel the world will end and they will judge us to continue this cycle in hell.” He kissed her cheek as she took her last breath and her heart beat one last time.

Draco fell down to the ground in pain. He had killed her again. The transformation into the Mugwump wasn’t what was painful. It was that he let that dark side out and killed her again. After the transformation was complete, Flora’s body was left to be discovered and Draco found himself thinking of a new name as he sat on the fence facing a highway punished to never move, and never to be seen but by children playing car games.

Monster University- Drake

“I look at my prey, I hate what I am. I hate this need to hunt; but I am afraid of death. That is why I am in this situation to begin with… that fear of death… I stand here writing in my ancient diary while I contemplate drain the woman who is sitting alone in the corner…I HATE MYSELF!”

Drake put his journal in his desk and turned the key, locking it away. He looked at the mess of people. He had a party each week; a part of him, that he hated, needed them. He had tried to go without. He had tried so many times. So many times it would drive him mad and he would satisfy this thirst in the most horrific of ways.

He is grateful for his roommates. Cameron, Frank and Lucas all understand the curse he lives with; the death he must inflict so he could live. He is happy he found them many centuries ago. With this new world they knew they had to blend in, so they decided to mainstream and go to college. So many careers demanded the paper over experience. Maybe next time he could be one of the business owners. They were what the dean had called freshmen.

He is far from a fresh man… he died over five hundred years ago, but afraid of death he took a deal to grant him immortality. He has been called many things; in fact, he is the basis of that silly little book Dracula.

He knew Bram Stoker; a crazy little man who was obsessed with the beings that went bump into the night. Ever since Drake had tried to drain him, that was until he tasted his blood; they had tainted it with holy water; sadly, the little insane man thought it worked against vampires. In a way, he was right; it only worked because he believed it would. Holy objects only work if the person believes it does. He was only evil in the fact he needed fresh flowing blood to live.

After all, in the blood is the very essence of the soul. Blood is life, it is why most ‘monsters’ crave it. Blood is life. And without life, there is death. He hated that part of this curse. He didn’t really think when he was offered the escape from death. After all, his fear back then was not living up to his family name. Dying before he could prove himself as a Dracula! He should have taken time to think; but he was dying, and he became a killer who shattered the lives of not only his victims, but of their entire families.

Cameron is the one that suggested coming to the new world. So they took the chance. It was a chance to start over somewhere new. There were many places in Europe where they were still hunted. They bought a house, bought some fake documents and signed up for college. Good Lord, what they would do without their contacts they didn’t know, and Bo was one of the best at getting the fakes with Sebastian. After all, what could it hurt to come to a new world? To live some place different for once. Besides their victims…

Sadly, they cannot escape their curses. Some may be have clauses in their curses but he has never meet one to escape their curses. Nobody had ever escaped. Nobody ever would. They can be changed, they can be amended, but they would all remain forever cursed.

Drake sighed and walked- well glided- over to his prey. He watched in her eyes as he flashed an award winning smile and sat down next to her. “Hello, my dear. I am Drake.” Drake knew nobody was immune to his charms, his thrall. After all, Old Man Abe had something right about vampires. Thrall, blood draining, hell he even had the brides correct, but he never kept them for long. He sent them out on their own after he had his fill. After all, after a while the Thrall would wear off and well new vampires who weren’t controlled were never fun to deal with; and he for sure didn’t have the patience. Which is why since Old Man Abe killed his last three he never made any more, he didn’t have the patience to deal with them. Only his true brides would be forever loyal. He flashed his smile and started his thrall toward his prey.

“Hi…” She started and blushed. The blood to her face made Drake’s desire for her blood stronger. “I am Sam.” She was a shy, timid woman.

“Nice to meet you, Sam.” Drake took her hand in his, and held it there. “Would you like a tour of the house? Maybe a drink?” Drake pulled her up with him.

“That would be great.” She said and got up to go with him; she seemed to bask in his attention.

Drake kept her hand and grabbed a potent drink from Lucas along the way. “Well, let’s start down stairs…” Drake started and led the shy young Sam to his room. There was a reason he chose this type of woman. Shy, timid, not many friends, far from home, would be a few days before she was noticed missing. She was the perfect prey.

“Oh, your room is in the basement…” Sam said in shock when they walked into his windowless room.

“Oh, yes, this is my room.” Drake came up behind her. “Do you like it?” Drake asked as he pushed her hair away from her neck. He bent and kissed her neck before she could respond. He touched the tip of his tongue to her neck and heard her gasp for breath.

Sam was torn between fear and desire. She had come to this party on her friend’s suggestion, and then her friend had left her when she went to dance with her newest boyfriend. “I…”

Drake turned her around and kissed her; and pushed her toward his bed. He felt as she fell back onto the bed and he climbed in with her. “I hope you do…” Drake laid down almost on top of her and planted a string of kisses along her neck.

“Drake…” Sam struggled for thought, but she knew she didn’t want this. “Stop.”

“No…” Drake said, and he felt his fangs extend. He struggled against the monster within himself. He tried to push himself away from her, but he was too weak… he had gone too long without the flowing blood of life.

“NO!” Sam struggled to get free. She screamed and hoped that someone heard her; never knowing the rooms in the house were built to be sound proof for many different reasons. Then she went silent when she felt the pain in her neck.

Drake bit her. He hit the sweet spot where the blood flowed quickly and freely and he started to drain her. She went silent with the first bite, but she continued to struggle.

Sam tried to get away, but she started to get weaker and weaker. Soon she could not move… and she felt cold.

Drake knew when she gave up. He knew the moment she accepted her death, and a tear escaped his eye as he completely drained her. Once the last drop was gone, he rolled to the side, and exhausted from his gluttony of blood, passed out.

Drake awoke the next day and looked at the body beside him. Sam’s eyes staring into space; clouded over with death. He sighed and picked up the phone.

On the fourth ring it picked up. “Tony’s Cement Shoes. You Kill ‘Em, We Sink ‘Em.”

Drake sighed, but only those who Tony trusted would have the number, anyway. “Is Tony in?” Drake asked.

“Drake, my man! Tony is on his way to your house. He knows when you have a ‘party’.” The person on the other line stated.

Drake could almost see the quotation marks that he was sure Tony’s clerk, and nephew, had made. “Bleu, very funny. Tell your uncle to charge the account.” Drake hung up the phone. He looked at the body for a moment, shook his head and wrapped it in the white sheet; just a few spots of blood on it. Drake took one last look at the scene and then at the time. He picked up his books and left for class. He pushed the body of the young woman, whose name had been Sam, out of his head; never to be thought of again… Or at least he told himself as he pushed her from his thoughts…

Monster University-Rachael

Story One

Rachael

“I watch the monsters day in and day out. They never notice me the lowly human. But I watch them. I know them. I know their weaknesses, their strengths, their desires. They don’t think anybody could ever figure it out. Ha! One only has to watch and listen to see what is really going on. Nobody watches. And nobody pays attention to the dying girl. The girl that is quiet and mousey, the girl that doesn’t say two words unless she is in class or spoken too. No nobody notices the dying girl. And because of that, I can watch them. Study the monsters. And learn how to kill them. I don’t have the strength to kill them. To get rid of the evil that plagues this town. But I hope that some day that humanity won’t be lost to them. I hope that some day that someone will have the strength to take them down. But I watch. That is all I can do. Watch and record. And now I want to share this all with you. Share with you how I came to find out how things go bump in the night. And the stories of Monster University.”

Rachael sat and watched the new students. Rachael was a professional student. She chose this life because she was dying. She always knew she would die young. Terminal Genetic Conditions. She snorted. People ignored her. She was always quiet. Afraid of trying to find friends. Afraid of falling in love. Why do so when you are just going to leave them? Even her parents were distant after they diagnosed her at eight. Two years later, her very healthy baby brother and sister were born. They were the only ones she really cared about in life, anyway. She always sacrificed for her brother and sister. They were her life. She gave them everything that she refused to give anybody else. Because of that, most people thought she was lost in her head a lot. Her books, her stories, her writings and musings. That she refused to get a job, even with her many degrees. Cemented that she was a bit touched in the head. But really, she was watching. Observing. Writing what she saw. And as the new students moved in and the town got a new bar, a new restaurant, new businesses… okay, let’s be honest, not that strange. They were in a college town and people moved in and out all the time. Sometimes families moved to be with their kids; sometimes people moved to make a go of a business in a college town that would have many people for at least eight of the twelve months of the year. The bonus with this town is that it was very, very close to the larger towns in the state. And was considered a larger town in of itself. So even ‘seasonal’ businesses could make a go of things year round.

One day Rachael was helping with the registrations. And she noticed some strange behavior in a group of kids. Now it was a college campus, and strange and abnormal behavior was normal. But some of these kids were speaking as if they were misplaced out of time. They dressed as if they looked into a catalog and just picked clothing to mimic what the model was wearing.

So, Rachael did what Rachael did best and observed them. She watched them every day and eavesdropped in on their conversations. She wrote down everything. She listed everything. She discovered the truth not long after they all started. They never noticed her and talked around her. They were monsters! Vampires, werewolves, mummies, zombies, undead killers, they were all real! What could she do?

She knew she could never fight these monsters. Instead, she stayed in the shadows. She documented the monsters. She watched them day in and day out. She was dying, and they killed to live. It made her mad. It pissed her off. She watched them kill to live. She watched them kill for sport. She watched them laugh about it. She watched them live life when she would die.

She vowed somehow that people would know their stories. Their weaknesses and their powers and their rituals; so that one day people could rise and bring them down. She wrote these stories and hid them when she was finished.

She followed them. She got to know them. She probably knew them better than they knew each other. This went on for months. She would put the pieces together. And being a woman who was used to being in the shadows, she knew how to stay hidden.

One day Rachael had just finished documenting the last of the monsters in town. She found the rituals they had to perform. Their weaknesses. And their strengths. She wrote them as short stories. She left the bank to be surrounded by the very monsters she had been hunting. She had messed up just a few days before. She had known it too. She had gotten so angry that one of the women was so bored with life that she was just going through the motions. That she kept doing her rituals only so she wouldn’t have to pay the price of burning in hell.

Rachael yelled at her when she went to the bar to watch one of the last monsters. She had yelled that she wished that she could live. She wished that she had the opportunity that the soul sucking monster she was had; but she was dying. She messed up and quickly finished her documents. She had to. Her will stated to publish them. To publish them as fiction so that way people would read them. But those who were smart, those who could put the pieces together, that they would understand that they were after a while. And maybe one day hunt them down and destroy them all.

Now she stood surrounded by them. Taken into a back alley into the city. She swallowed. She took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, for she knew her time had come. She asked one thing. “Let my parents bury my body…” She whispered as her world went black.

“These are my words. My stories. Read them. Understand them. And watch for the monsters hidden within our society. If you are reading this. You know my story. A girl who died too young. Her genetic condition taking her quickly as she left her ultimate piece of work in a safe deposit box to finish. These are my last words. I know when I leave this bank I will die. Be aware of the surrounding people. You never know which may hide a monster within. And if you are brave enough, strong enough, powerful enough… Please finish what I wanted to start and destroy them all…”