#fromholt

Being the new monster in town means I've got to figure out who all the players are so I don't get off on the wrong claw with any of the locals. So I've been taking walks at night with Crossfade just to check things out. This is what I've peeped so far.

Count Dracula: This ain't no mopey "Please give me a hug 'cause I'm a vampire" crybaby. This is the original, old school, dark as midnight, bad to the fang Nosferatu. There may be monsters that have been around longer, but none of them have Count Dracula's street cred. He and his daughter live on my street in what is either a gigantic mansion or a small castle. I guess you'd have to go with the mansion, but only because there isn't a moat and a drawbridge.

The Mummy: Got to say there's just something about old-school monster royalty. They're like rockstars or something. I'm not the kind of monster that gets starstruck, but I seriously wanted to ask for his autograph. I didn't, but I thought about it. He and his princess daughter Cleo de Nile live in this palace that looks like a movie set with servants and all. I don't know Cleo, but it seems like she's wound a little tight.

The Werewolf: There's one Alpha wolf in his pack, and he is it. I heard he could have gone pro in just about any sport he wanted, but he was so much stronger and faster than the other players they said it wouldn't be fair for him to play. He's got a big family in a not so big house, and it always seems like there is some kind of drama going on over there. The way they argue, you'd think they don't like each other, but you'd be wrong. They watch out for each other, and if you fight one of them, you better be ready to take them all. Clawd is the BMOC (Big Monster on Campus), and Clawdeen is going to have songs written about her one day.

Frankenstein and his bride: Mr. Stein is pretty chill for a dude who's eight feet tall and looks like he's strong enough to tie knots in oak trees. Mrs. Stein, on the other hand...well, let's just say Mr. Stein is a lucky monster. They live in a house that looks like a cross between a Swiss chalet and a research lab. I think they've got a new baby over there, but I haven't seen her yet.

The Sea Monster: He doesn't really live on land. At least, I don't think he does. For sure, he's got a little beach house where Lagoona Blue lives. It's got a killer dock that goes out over the water. I saw Lagoona sitting out there talking to him one night. He never got out of the water, though, so I couldn't tell exactly what he looked like, but he churned serious water when he left. I think he mostly just keeps to himself and doesn't spend a lot of time with surface monsters.

I started working on a song that I want to be kinda about my life. Maybe inspiration will hit me, and I'll finish it, or maybe I haven't lived long enough to write a song about my life.

Anyway, I got the first verse:

A twisted road plays out like a rhyme

Revealing itself a little at a time

Turn the corner, leave what's behind

Outta sight and outta mind

Outta sight and outta mind

So it turns out I'm a monster. Well, part-time monster, actually, which leaves me pretty much full-time confused. It's not like I didn't know that mom and dad were both monsters. The first time I saw mom's Hyde side come out was when I was 5, and we were visiting my dad's side of the family. Some of the little neighborhood monsters decided that they were going to play "kick the can," only they were going to use me as the can. Every time I tried to run home, they blocked my way and pushed me down. I started crying, and then they really started making fun of me. Then all of a sudden, I heard this roar, and there was my mom. Even though it didn't look like her, I knew it was, and honestly, all I could think was, "Why mother, what big muscles you have." Needless to say, I never had any problem with the local monsters again. Dad's a fire elemental, of course, and I grew up playing with Heath, so I was never afraid of monsters. I just didn't think any monster heritage had passed on to me. When I asked mom and dad if they knew me and Holt were the same person, they said, "Of course we knew you and Holt were the same person--we're your parents; now finish your breakfast, or you'll be late for school." Well, thanks for clearing that up for me, mom, and dad. Cause you know it's not like having that little bit of information would have been helpful at all. Good thing I'm past those awkward teenage years where news like this could really have a negative impact on my psyche.

I had to go to the mad scientist, I mean pediatrician, today. Mom says that until I'm an adult, I need to continue seeing him because he has the most experience dealing with growing monsters. I feel fine, but mom and dad are worried because what triggers my transformation to Holt has changed. It used to happen when the sun went down, but now it seems to be loud music, I think. The waiting room was almost empty except for a mother werewolf and two young cubs. While mom filled out paperwork, I sat down and tried to find something to read that wasn't chewed, gooed, or covered in monster germs. Then I heard one of the werewolf cubs say, "Mommy! Is that a normie?" "Yes, honey, don't stare." "Is he going to eat us?" I could tell that she was embarrassed, so I said, "No way--I'm totally allergic to werewolf, it makes me sneeze--ACHOO!" The cub's eyes got really wide, and then she started laughing, "Aw, that's not true." Then she held up her foot and said, "I can tie my shoe!" I said, "That's amazing. Can you show me how?" The werewolf mom relaxed too, and it turns out that she's related to Clawd's family. Pretty soon, a lab assistant appeared, "Jackson Jekyll?" She led us back to a room and said, "The doctor will be with you shortly." Then, "The wait." Which means sitting on the crinkly paper-covered exam table forever and wondering what would happen if I started playing with the instruments in the exam room and the doctor walked in. Anyway, just about the time I work up enough boredom and courage to start picking up some of the cooler-looking instruments laying on the counter, I hear the mad pediatrician pulling my chart, and the door opens. He's wearing a lab coat with purple vampire ducks, and his stethoscope cover is a fuzzy yellow dragon head. I'm sure it calms the younger monsters, but it scares the normie out of me. He gets right down to business, though, and tells me that the volatile nature of my elemental side + my Hyde heritage + being a teenager = constant change. He said that the trigger would probably change again before I reach adulthood. Then he gave me a lollipop, scheduled me for another test, and said he wanted to see me again in three months. Now I'm worried about what the trigger is going to change to next. What if it's showers? Would it be worth giving them up for the rest of high school just so I can have my own life?