Monster High - Electrified
Page 7
Moanica dabbed at her eyes with a piece of toilet paper hanging from a tree. She was filled with happiness. “So proud,” she whispered, watching her naughty Zomboyz run amok.
She grabbed a roll of toilet paper and threw it up over a lamppost. The lamp whirred. It flickered. It turned back on! How could that be? She had stolen all the electricity!
A Zomboy peering through binoculars started groaning. Warning! Warning!
Moanica looked down the street at an oncoming glow. Was it the sun rising? Was it some kind of strange rainbow? No, no, no! It couldn’t be.
Moanica gasped. A row of electrified ghouls was marching toward her. What was happening?
“Hey, ghouls,” she said. “Think you could turn the outfits down a bit? They’re kinda messing up the whole dark and scary mood we’ve got going here.”
Frankie stared at her defiantly. “Moanica, stop.”
“We’re not going to stand by and let you do this,” Lagoona added.
Moanica sneered. “And you think a few shining, fabulously designed outfits are going to stop me?”
“Thank you?” Clawdeen replied. After all, a compliment was a compliment, even if it was from Moanica.
But Moanica was not interested in Clawdeen’s gratitude. “Either grab a roll of toilet paper and help us decorate—or get out of the way. Because nothing is going to stop the Night of the Zomboyz.”
“Znap!”
“What is that?” Moanica whirled around toward the strange whirring noise. A Zomboy peered through two rolls of toilet paper like they were binoculars. He pointed at something small on the horizon.
Tiny Znap bobbed up the street. “Znap!”
This was it? This was all the ghouls had? Moanica burst out laughing. The Zomboyz chortled.
Znap barred his tiny teeth. “Grrrr! Znap!”
Frankie’s eyes met Twyla’s. They were waiting, listening. There it was! At first, they were just a distant hum. Then came a rising whir of sparks and zaps. Hundreds and hundreds of znaps were pouring into the neighborhood like a tidal wave!
Packs of znaps herded the Zomboyz out of town. They zapped their feet! They shocked their arms! They pushed them down the street!
A Zomboy swatted at a znap buzzing around his ears like a mosquito. Every time he tried to hit it, it zapped him. Zomboyz covered their ears; they couldn’t stand the high-pitched whirring noises that the znaps made.
Clawdeen turned into a wolf and howled with glee! “Aroooooo!”
Draculaura turned into a bat and started helping the znaps clean up the neighborhood.
Cleo began wrapping up Zomboyz with her bandages.
The znaps were buzzing along the electrical lines—and the lights were coming back on! Zomboyz were screeching and znaps were znapping. The Zomboyz waved their arms and jumped from leg to leg as if they were dancing. One Zomboy climbed a flagpole to get away from the buzzing orbs—and the znap sent a jolt of electricity up the pole. Shocked!
One Zomboy was trying to dig an escape tunnel. He dove in when it was deep enough…but a line of znaps followed him underground. One Zomboy hid behind a building, but Twyla emerged from the shadows and he ran away. Ari found another Zomboy hiding in a trash can and called over a couple of znaps. It was ghouls versus Zomboyz, and the ghouls were winning!
The Zomboyz were wrapped and frightened away.
Frankie had a little electricity left in her fingertips. She zapped one of the Zomboyz that had been left behind. “Thanks for making me part of your evil science project,” she said.
Moanica grabbed a Zomboy and held him in front of her like a shield.
The znaps were driving off most of the Zomboyz. They were little, but they were fierce.
“Znap! Znap! Znap!”
“Have fun running away,” Clawdeen called after them.
“See you at school on Monday,” said Lagoona.
Moanica stomped her foot, furious. “Oh, come on! Where do you think you’re going? What about the Night of the Zomboyz?”
Znap gave Moanica a little shock.
“Gah!” she screamed, overreacting.
A huge wave of znaps rolled toward Moanica and swept her off her feet. They dropped her right in front of the ghouls.
The znaps streamed up the telephone poles and zipped along the wires. The neighborhood began to hum and whir. Lights buzzed back on. Neighborhood by neighborhood, town by town, country by country—all the lights went back on.
“The znaps are lighting everything back up!” Draculaura clapped her hands.
“The power’s returning!” exclaimed Ari.
Moanica pouted. “Terrific.”
Znap gave Moanica one last zap.
“Hey! Stop that!” she told him. She looked to the ghouls for help, but they were just staring at her, their arms crossed. She slumped to the curb. She was defeated.
“You are in so much trouble,” Draculaura said at last.
And she was.
The Night of the Zomboyz was officially over.
Chapter 21
POWER SAVERS
Dracula knew exactly what Moanica and the Zomboyz needed to do. The next day he got them to the salon to start cleaning up the mess they’d made.
“Okay, here we go,” he said, handing Moanica a broom.
Dracula supervised as the Zomboyz squeegeed the mirrors and picked up debris with dustpans.
“Time for zom-beautification!” Dracula laughed at his pun. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Get it? Well, you know.”
Znap was hovering over the Zomboyz, and any time one of them stopped working, he’d give that one a little frizzle of a shock. “Znap!”
Dracula patted Znap on the head. “That’s a good little…” Znap! He got shocked too. Ouch!
The ghouls were watching the Zomboyz and Moanica hard at work. They’d changed out of their electrified fashions into everyday clothes.
“Does anyone know how to say That’s what you get in Zombie?” asked Lagoona.
All the ghouls giggled—except for Clawdeen. Lagoona realized she wasn’t laughing and quickly apologized.
Clawdeen sighed and shrugged. She didn’t feel like they’d won. “Nobody’s gonna come back after that disaster last night.”
“Maybe after the salon is fixed up, we could have another grand opening,” Cleo suggested optimistically.
“Right!” agreed Ari. She was trying to be positive too. “Even better than before.”
Clawdeen shook her head. “You ghouls are sweet, but let’s face it. When those Zomboyz popped out of the ground, my dream was as dead as they are.”
The ghouls hung their heads sadly. It was too true.
A few minutes later, the front door to the salon flew open. It was Twyla. “Ghouls! What are you doing just sitting around?”
“Trying to come up with a new dream for Clawdeen,” answered Cleo. “What about something with music? There’s a new band here at Monster High, and from what I understand, you do not have to be very good to get in.”
Twyla looked impatient. “No. I mean, why aren’t you getting ready?”
“Um, remember?” said Clawdeen. “Last night when the Zomboyz crashed the party?”
“I don’t think I heard a single one of them compliment our decorations,” added Draculaura.
A smile lit up Twyla’s face. They didn’t know! “Haven’t you looked outside?”
The ghouls glanced at one another. What was she talking about? They rushed over to the window to peek out—and couldn’t believe what they were seeing. There was a huge crowd of humans all waiting to get into the salon. More and more people were arriving every minute!
“Look at all the Normies!” exclaimed Lagoona.
Cleo couldn’t understand it. “But Moanica…the Zomboyz…”
Twyla held up her iCoffin and flashed a news report. “Everyone thought that was all part of the opening,” she explained. “They loved it! Your salon is trending all over the Internet. Monster style is officially the next big thing.”
Clawdeen al
most didn’t dare to breathe. Could it be true?
“Well, what are we waiting for?” gushed Draculaura. “Let’s get ready to meet the humans!”
“The dream is still alive!” Clawdeen had never been so happy.
“And it’s going to be FIERCE!” said Frankie as she high-fived her ghoulfriends.
“Whooo!”
“Yeah!”
“Hooray!”
Even the Zomboyz joined in the cheering. After all, even zombies need a makeover now and then.
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