“It’s not nothing,” Gabbie retorted. “Wait, are those wipes? They are! Grawl, how funny.”
“What’s funny about a troll wanting to smell properly?”
“You smell fine, Grawl.”
“I smell like a troll, Gabbie. Everybody says so and I get it. So there.”
“All right then,” Gabbie said, her voice light. She knew when to choose her battles with Grawl, who was still not fully comfortable with his troll status here at the school.
Ghoul School
Now done with their chores and with Grawl smelling like a proper gentleman, the two made their way toward Ghoul School. On their way into the library annex where they stowed their gear, they passed a corridor with purple tape crossed over its entrance. "Closed Until Further Notice" it said in dark black type. A new picture of the ghoul and former janitor, Mason Mims, hung at the entrance.
“What happened in Memory Corridor?”
“I don’t know,” Gabbie said. “Word is that they found Mister Mims frightened out of his life, lying at the entrance. Poor Mister Mims, it’s going to be strange going through the year without seeing him.”
“You mean hearing him,” Grawl said, proceeding to adopt a high-pitched, scratched voice. “You dadblamed warlocks and witches need to mind your steps and manner. These floors and walls don’t just clean themselves, after all! And as for you, troll boy, I remember a day when the likes of you wouldn’t have even been let into these halls!”
Gabbie giggled. “He was pretty rancid. Come on, Grawl! Goodbye, Mister Mims,” she said, touching his photo.
Situated on top of one of the hills that nestled the canyon in which the House of Ghouls stood, Ghoul School was comprised of five tall towers atop which were stone facsimiles of the founders of Ghoul School. Some said there was a reason the eyes of those stony statues looked so real, especially at night, when they seemed to glow an eerie green. The towers each had their own dedicated theme. One housed the administrative offices where Lady Grimm—the acting principal since Principal Croft’s death—worked with her staff. Each of the other four towers were dedicated to a particular grade, sixth through ninth. The Founders Fountain sat centrally in the courtyard, emitting fabulous purple and orange water. The two lunch pavilions lined the right and left sides of the courtyard. The towers were all interconnected with raised walkways.
You got your basic studies at Ghoul School, math and English and reading and Mortal History (as many students would foray to the Other Side), but because Ghoul School trained future generations of witches, warlocks, goblins, trolls and faeries, you got the magical curriculum as well. The school wasn't as big or as well-known as other magical schools out there, but they weren’t slouches, either. Zeldabub, the Queen of Ghoulsville, saw to that. (Though they were no longer Ghoul Kingdom, they kept all of the old titles). She hired only the best for the teaching and administrative staff at Ghoul School. Gabbie’s dad had been one of Zeldabub’s favorites too. There of course were some murmurings of favoritism, as he was her brother-in-law, but there was no denying his teaching chops. Which is why Gabbie believed in the back of her mind that everything would have to turn out all right for her dad, if Zeldabub had anything to say about it. She was the queen, after all, right? And maybe even more importantly, she was family.
Beyond the towers were athletic fields, the swimming pool, the garden and the library, which comprised a sixth and separate tower all to itself. To the west was the Old Halloween Village, an untouched tribute to Halloweens of the past that was always a favorite during the season. To the east was the Serpentine Fire Rail station, another favorite of the season, where the dragons would convene at the foot of Mount Serpentine to form a wonderful golden fire that warmed the whole mountain. Families loved to book camp-outs there during the Dragons’ Roost.
On the furthest end of the grounds stood the Halloween Door, which marked the farthest boundary of the school grounds. Students were not allowed past its gates. A terrible forest existed there that housed the Well of Lost Souls and the Boonies, where the various criminals who often emerged were detained. Gabbie shuddered at some of the stories of horrid criminals whose exploits had landed them a berth in the Well of Lost Souls or the Boonies. The thought that her father might soon be among them did not sit well with her. She fought to keep those thoughts out of her mind.
New Faces and Old Enemies
As Gabbie and Grawl entered the school grounds that were still awash in early morning fog, Gabbie toppled headfirst onto the stony ground, falling over a wagon that had been parked directly in the path.
“Have a nice trip there, Gabbie?” Grawl joked as he reached down to help her to her feet.
“My sincerest apologies, Miss Del Toro,” a voice called as a tall figure emerged from the fog. “We were trying to get all of the older books transferred to the historical tower before classes started.”
“It’s okay, Professor Menzies, I should have been paying attention.”
Professor Menzies was the school’s librarian and former science teacher. He was incredibly tall, well over seven feet, and had a thick crown of silver hair that he kept twisted in dual braids circling each side of his head before running down his back as one.
“Well, given what your family has been through of late, it is indeed understandable for your mind to be otherwise occupied.”
“I’m sorry for leaving the wagon there, sir,” another voice joined them. Its owner was shorter than Professor Menzies but wider, with long, brawny arms. His olive skin was in stark contrast to the mass of bright red hair that sat on his head like a mop.
“No harm done, Silas,” Menzies said his tone tightening. “Let’s be on our way.”
“Hi, I’m Gabbie,” she said, introducing herself to the one Menzies called Silas.
“I’m Silas Wedmore,” he said hesitantly, almost looking to Menzies for permission to speak.
“Silas will be helping up out in the library this year.”
“Welcome,” Gabby said.
“Thank you, I’m sure,” he said. Gabbie wasn’t sure, but it looked as if Silas's face suddenly transformed in front of her very eyes—his nose and chin lengthened, his eyes turned colors and his brows darkened—but only for an instant. Gabbie had never seen such a thing.
“Well, the day will be starting soon,” Menzies said, “best we all get about our business.”
Professor Menzies had a point. Gabbie wanted to avoid the arrival of the other students, especially Florinda Evers, her former second-best friend (behind Pinkie) who loved to tease Gabbie about her change in station and fortune. Florinda was not only mean, she was way talented. She was on her way to becoming the most powerful witch since…well, since Zeldabub herself, really. She was not someone many people stood up against.
Gabbie hadn’t been afraid to face her down, though.
