The Haunting History Of Monster High

Monster High intercom system rattled to life with an announcement from Headless Headmistress Bloodgood: In light of tomorrow’s 13-13 school howliday, classes will be dismissed 13 minutes early today. Enjoy the rest of your day, as well as your day off tomorrow.

She could hear the cheers echoing from the classrooms and down the halls as she placed her hands on each temple, gently lifting her head from the desk and back on her body. Headmistress Bloodgood’s hands remained on her temples in a vain attempt to rub away a fraction of today’s accumulated stress. It was always like this on the eve of a school howliday. Anticipation of an extra day off tended to make even the most well-behaved monster start vacation a few hours early. Today was no exception. She looked down at her list of “visitors:”

10 a.m. Heath Burns and Toralei Stripe – Class Disruption
Toralei bet Heath that he couldn’t stay on fire while spraying himself with an extinguisher. They both won a day in detention.

11 a.m. Abbey Bominable and Cleo de Nile– Fighting
Cleo demanded that Abbey step away from a sink in the bathroom because it was Cleo’s “personal sink” and not for use by commoners. Abbey refused to move and instead froze the sink solid. Words were exchanged at a volume sufficient to be heard in the catacombs.

12 Noon Clawd Wolf, Howleen Wolf and Draculaura – Creepateria Disruption
Howleen was challenged to a hot dog-eating contest by Clawd, with Draculaura as the judge. Clawd and Draculaura were both taken to the school nurse; Clawd due to an upset stomach, Draculaura due to having fainted in disgust at the spectacle of her boyfriend and his youngest sister consuming so many hot dogs. Howleen won 50-40. Clawd is now 0-4 against her.

It was the last entry on the list, however, that proved to be the real head-scratcher.

3 p.m. Ghoulia Yelps– Absent Without Excuse
Ghoulia failed to appear in any of her classes, despite being on campus. At various times, she was seen in the library, the catacombs and the creepateria talking to classmates but ignored every effort to contact her, including a direct call over the school’s intercom to appear in the headmistress’ office. Ghoulia didn’t even have a discipline folder in which to put a write-up, and as far as the headmistress knew, Ghoulia had never missed a class on accident, let alone on purpose. She allowed herself a sigh and thought about how much easier it was for her colleagues who oversaw schools where the student body consisted of just one monster type. In those schools one had just to be concerned about normal teenage issues without the added complication of those issues spread out over so many different kinds of monsters. She looked at her list again: fire-elemental, were-cat, Yeti, mummy, werewolf, vampire and zombie. It was just a sampling of a much longer list that had all come together under the same roof to learn and interact in ways that were thought impossible before the founding of Monster High.

She could still remember the grave-breaking ceremony for the school and the proclamation read before the first shovel struck earth:

Whereas, through the fickle claw of fate, many well-devoted monsters have been, and daily are moved, and stirred up, to give and bestow, sundry gifts, legacies, lands and revenues for the advancement of all macabre literature, arts and mad sciences in Monster High and to the maintenance of the Headmistress and Faculty, and for allaccommodations of buildings, and all other necessary provisions, that may conduce to the education of the Monstrous youth of this country, in knowledge and excellence:on this the thirteenth day of the thirteenth month, these thirteen families do so commit. It had all happened so long ago that she doubted any of the current students even realized the chance those 13 original families had taken in leaving their traditional monster schools; or how the decision to become headmistress caused her to be shunned by many former colleagues she considered friends. The kindest of them took her aside to explain how a school like Monster High would never work and how it would ruin her career. The unkind just never talked to her again. Those first years weren’t easy though, and each 13-13 anniversary brought a needed time of reflection and re-commitment to the ideals of Monster High. Perhaps it was due to the very success of these ideals that the howliday had turned from one of solemnity and remembrance to one of light-hearted celebration.

So tomorrow there would be the traditional 13-13 parties with catacombs cake, the exchanging of number 13-themed gifts and a 13 percent OFF EVERYTHING sale at the maul. No monster even questioned why there was no 13th month anymore or why 13 was considered such a lucky number at Monster High. It just was. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t even received a card or a simple “Happy Anniversary Headmistress!” today. She allowed herself to wallow in self-pity for a few more moments and then finally said out loud, “All right Bloodgood, head up. You didn’t take this job for the recognition, after all. She straightened her desk and called for Nightmare, but there was no response from her faithful companion. Usually she was at her side before the headmistress finished calling her name, but not today. She called again. Where was she? “I hope Nightmare hasn’t gotten into the creepateria produce cooler again,” she thought as she stepped from her office. Down the hall, she saw a familiar figure shuffling into the gym. Ghoulia?

Well at least she would figure out that mystery today. She walked briskly down the hall toward the gym doors. Ghoulia was exceptionally bright but not exactly quick on her feet, and the headmistress knew she could easily catch up to her. When she reached the gym doors and tried opening them, she found, to her dismay, they were locked. Now her irritation turned to anger. She pounded on the doors.

“Ghoulia, open these doors this instant!”

The headmistress heard the locks click on the doors and when she jerked them open with more force than she intended, she found herself facing a gymnasium filled with students, teachers and parents. A large banner printed with “13-13” and “Happy Anniversary!” stretched across the top of a stage set with 13 chairs each occupied by a student from one of the original families. With her appearance, the whole assembly stood and began chanting 

“Bloodgood, Bloodgood, Bloodgood!”

She quite literally almost lost her head and had to place a steadying hand on it to keep it in place. Ghoulia, Frankie, Lagoona and several more students helped escort her up onto the stage and to a podium set up with a microphone. A chant went up, “Speech-speech-speech!” For perhaps the first time in her unlife, she was completely at a loss for words. So many stories, so many memories–they all rushed forward so quickly that all she could manage was, “Thank you.” It was enough for another standing ovation from the crowd. The headmistress didn’t quite know what to do next, but Frankie came to the rescue by stepping up to the mic and quieting the crowd.

“We had a scary-hard time keeping you in your office today while we set this up, and we’re hoping that all of those who volunteered to provide the distractions to keep you there could maybe...get a pass on detention?” 

Headmistress Bloodgood did her best to look serious but couldn’t maintain the charade and pronounced all offenders pardoned. Then Ghoulia presented the headmistress with a dragon leather-bound scrapbook filled paintings, pictures and personal notes starting with the first class at Monster High and continuing through the present one–with plenty of room for additional with entries. Clawdeen and Cleo gave her a new pair of riding boots with the number 13 set in rubies; that the two of them had designed the boots together without a fight was a testament to their respect for the headmistress. The original 13 families also gave her a brand-new saddle for Nightmare, emblazoned with the Monster High crest. Then every monster headed to the creepateria to continue the celebration with catacombs cake and punch.

Later that night, as the headmistress fell asleep with the shadows of the day’s events creeping through her mind, she reflected on how lucky she was to be celebrating another 13-13 anniversary at Monster High.