“Drac! Draculaura! What’s wrong?” Clawdeen called as the other ghouls chased after her.
“It’s lost!” Draculaura cried. “The Skullette! It’s gone!”
She fell to her knees and started digging in the dry red dirt. Dusty clouds rose around her, making Draculaura cough—but she just dug deeper.
Frankie, Clawdeen, and Cleo all exchanged a worried glance.
“It was in my hand—I was holding it so tight!” Draculaura continued in a panic. “It has to be here—help me look! It can’t be far!”
Frankie knelt down beside Draculaura and placed her hand on Drac’s shoulder. “Hey,” she said in a quiet voice. “Maybe we should—”
“I have to find it,” Draculaura interrupted her. “How else are we going to get home?”
Draculaura’s frantic question hung in the air—and made her start digging even harder.
“Listen, ghoul,” Clawdeen began. “This is not your fault, okay? Nobody could’ve held on to the Skullette during that storm.”
Draculaura shook her head. “It’s our only way home,” she said. “We have to find it!”
“Clawdeen is right,” Cleo said firmly. “The important thing is that we’re together. So what if the Skullette is missing? We’ll figure out something else! That’s what monsters do!”
Draculaura stopped digging. She covered her face with her dusty hands. “I’m so sorry, ghouls,” she groaned. “This is awful. And it’s all my fault!”
“No—it was the storm’s fault,” Frankie reminded her. “We don’t even know where we are. There’s no sign of the ocean. Obviously the storm was strong enough to blow us into—into—”
“The middle of nowhere?” Clawdeen said with a big sigh.
“Something like that,” Frankie said, nodding.
“This is the worst,” Draculaura said. “Now we’re even farther from Lagoona. And how are we going to get home again? Dad will be worried sick—”
“Your dad!” Cleo suggested suddenly. “Do you think he could fly to us?”
Draculaura blinked. “I don’t know,” she said. “That would be a really long trip. Plus, my dad thinks we’re in the middle of the ocean—not, um, wherever we are.”
“If we could find Lagoona,” Frankie said slowly, “we could use her Monster Web to send a message to Mr. D. I’m sure he’d be able to find a way to bring us back to Monster High.”
“That’s a clawesome idea!” cheered Clawdeen. “Don’t forget, Mr. D. is the one who gave us the Monster Mapalogue. He’ll definitely be able to think of something.”
Thinking of the Monster Mapalogue made Draculaura feel even worse. “Ugh,” she groaned. “The Monster Mapalogue has been a treasured monster heirloom for millennia—and now it’s ruined forever! You can’t use it without the Skullette!”
“Don’t talk like that,” Clawdeen replied. “We might still be able to find the Skullette. But I agree with Frankie and Cleo. We can’t spend too much time searching for it right now. We have bigger problems to figure out.”
“Like where, exactly, we are,” Frankie spoke up. She turned to Cleo. “You’ve spent your entire life in the desert—does any of this look familiar?”
Cleo shook her head. “Sorry, ghoul,” she replied. “My desert is basically golden sand and shadowy dunes. I don’t see even one tiny monument to my family out here. It’s like another world!”
“I suppose that would’ve been too much to hope for,” Frankie said.
Draculaura stared at the unusual landscape around her. The red dirt… the stunted, scrubby plants… the rocky mesas . . .
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “I know!” she exclaimed. “We must be in the Outback!”
“Out back of what?” Cleo asked in confusion.
“No, it’s called the Outback,” Draculaura explained. “It’s an area Down Unda, near the Great Barrier Reef. I read about it in my book. It can be extremely dangerous here—the heat is relentless! We really need to get back to the ocean and the Great Barrier Reef.”
“That’s not all we need,” Cleo said. “I learned a thing or two from a lifetime in the desert. And I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it to the Great Barrier Reef without finding an oasis—or at least some water and shade—on the way.”
“Look at these bushes, though,” Clawdeen pointed out. “They’re so short and stubby. They barely provide enough shade for my shoe, let alone all four of us.”
“Probably because there’s not enough water here for them to grow bigger,” Draculaura said.
“Just because we can’t see water doesn’t mean we can’t find it,” Cleo told the ghouls. She knelt down and studied the dirt carefully for a few minutes.
What is she looking for? Draculaura wondered. But Cleo was studying the ground with such intense concentration that Drac didn’t want to disturb her.
“Ah, here we go,” Cleo said suddenly as her fingers traced one of the cracks in the red dirt. “Follow me!”
Cleo charged off, with the other ghouls right behind her. Draculaura couldn’t tell if Cleo was following a faint trail in the dirt or the network of cracks that spread across the barren landscape. Either way, though, Cleo seemed completely confident.
As they moved through the sunny Outback, Draculaura couldn’t help noticing that it was strangely beautiful. The sun was beating down hard, though, and Drac was starting to feel a little light-headed. One look at Clawdeen told Drac that her friend felt the same way. I hope we find water soon, Draculaura worried. I’m not sure how long Clawdeen can last without it.
Cleo stopped abruptly; Draculaura had to move to the side to avoid running into her.
“See that ridge ahead?” asked Cleo. “There should be a freshwater lake on the other side of it.”
“How do you know?” asked Clawdeen as she pushed her thick hair back from her face.
“Those cracks in the dirt aren’t just cracks,” Cleo explained. “They’re tributaries—like itty-bitty streams. They dried up because of how small they were, which made it easy for the water in them to evaporate. But following the cracks should lead us to the source, which will have plenty of fresh water for us to drink.”
“Ghoul, you’re a genius!” Frankie said approvingly.
“Anything to help my best ghoulfriends! Even getting a little too up close and personal with dirt,” answered Cleo cheerfully.
Then Frankie turned to Clawdeen. “You can make it—we’re almost there.”
Clawdeen flashed a smile. “Can’t wait,” she replied. “Because this ghoul is parched.”
“Not for long!” Cleo sang out as the ghouls hiked up the ridge. But when they reached the top, her grin faded. “I—I—” she stammered. She didn’t need to say anything, though. The ghouls could see for themselves that there wasn’t a single drop of water for them to drink.
“It’s a dry lake bed,” Draculaura said. “An empty crater now that all the water has dried up.”
“I’m so sorry, ghouls,” Cleo said. “I expected there to be a lake here. I let you down.”
Draculaura wrapped her arm around Cleo’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “No you didn’t,” Draculaura reassured her. “How could you know?”
“Actually . . .” Frankie began.
When the ghouls turned to look at her, they saw sparks twinkling near the bolts in her neck.
“We might be in the perfect spot to find fresh water!” Frankie announced. She dropped her backpack on the ground and started rummaging in it.
Draculaura couldn’t help smiling. Those sparks flying from Frankie’s bolts were a good sign. No—they were a great sign!
“I present to you my custom-built, supercharged water-finding invention!” Frankie said excitedly as she pulled a thin silver rod out of her backpack.
Clawdeen and Draculaura recognized it right away. They started to cheer, but Cleo just looked confused. “What is that, some sort of scepter?” she asked.
“It’s just a little something Frankie invented while we were
trying to rescue you,” Draculaura replied.
“But what does it do?” said Cleo.
Draculaura smiled mysteriously. “Prepare to be ugh-mazed!”
“Hold this, please,” Frankie said as she passed the stick to Draculaura. Then she rubbed her hands together until shimmery sparks jumped from her fingertips. As soon as Draculaura gave the stick back to Frankie, it started to quiver and jerk her forward.
“Voltageous!” Frankie cheered. “Ghouls, we are definitely in the right place!”
“But—” Cleo began.
Before she could utter another word, Frankie plunged the stick into the ground.
Whooosh!
An enormous fountain of clean, clear water sprang up from the dry dirt!
CHAPTER 11
Ahhhhhh!” the ghouls screamed as they jumped out of the way. The cool mist felt refreshing on their faces.
“How did you do that?” Cleo asked in amazement.
“This isn’t an ordinary silver stick,” Frankie explained. “It has a copper core that conducts electricity and helps it find water. And with a little extra power, it can dig straight down until it reaches a water source underground.”
“We would’ve built statues to you back in ancient Egypt!” Cleo marveled.
“Grab your canteens, ghouls!” Clawdeen said. “Let’s fill ’em up!”
The ghouls drank their fill of the water Cleo and Frankie had found. Despite the heat of the day, the water was surprisingly cold and refreshing.
“It must’ve been really far underground,” Cleo said as she paused to refill her canteen.
“That’s such a crazy thought,” Draculaura said. “It’s so dry and dusty up here—but all this fresh water was flowing just beneath the surface.”
“Let’s climb back up to the ridge. Then we can figure out what to do next,” Clawdeen suggested as she splashed some water on her face.
Back on the ridge, the girls watched as the fountain slowed.
“I wish this ridge were high enough that we could see the ocean from here,” Draculaura said. “At least then we’d know if we’re heading in the right direction.”
“But we shouldn’t just charge off,” Clawdeen spoke up. “What if we go the wrong way and end up deeper into the Outback? We could get even more lost!”
“And our full canteens will last us only so long,” Frankie reminded them.
Draculaura turned to her. “Frankie,” she began. “What about your invention? Do you think it could lead us to the ocean?”
“Well—sure. I guess,” Frankie replied, deep in thought. “The only problem is that we wouldn’t really know if it was leading us to the ocean until we got there. It could lead us to a totally different water source.”
“Is that the worst thing that could happen?” Clawdeen asked. “At least we could fill our canteens again! I wonder if . . .”
“What?” Draculaura asked. There was a look of deep curiosity on Clawdeen’s face, like she was trying to figure something out, and Draculaura couldn’t wait to hear what her ghoulfriend had to say.
“Do you think it’s possible the cyclone left a trail when it crossed over land?” Clawdeen asked. “If we could find any sign of it, we could follow the trail. It would lead us right back to the ocean.”
“That’s possible,” Frankie said. “Most of the time, tropical cyclones will fizzle out when they reach land—but sometimes the clouds and high winds can travel over land for hundreds of miles.”
“I know!” Draculaura exclaimed. “If we find a trail to follow—even a couple signs or clues—we can use Frankie’s invention to confirm that we’re heading in the direction of the water!”
“Voltageous!” Frankie cheered as she gave Draculaura a high five.
“Let’s split up,” Clawdeen suggested. “I mean, we should always stay in eyesight, but we can cover more ground if we move in different directions. And every few minutes, we can yell our names so we know we’re all nearby.”
“I have a question,” Cleo spoke up. “What kind of clues, exactly, are you talking about?”
“Well, clumps of seaweed, for starters,” Frankie replied. “Broken branches or uprooted plants might be a sign that the tropical cyclone passed over them. Sometimes a cyclone can even make it rain fish over land.”
“What?” Cleo burst out loudly. The other ghouls looked at her, and she grinned. “Sorry, ghouls… it didn’t rain fish where I grew up. It was the desert… it didn’t rain, period!”
The four ghouls all burst out laughing and then sighed, enjoying the relief. “Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a fish rainstorm if it could show us how to get back to the Great Barrier Reef,” Clawdeen replied. “Good luck, ghouls. Remember, there’s no clue too small!”
The ghouls split up, each exploring a different side of the basin that was still filling with water. At first, Draculaura saw nothing but dust, dirt, and scrubby little plants. The earth was so dry that she and her ghoulfriends didn’t even leave footprints. Apart from the sound of water flowing through the fountain, the Outback was eerily quiet. Every few minutes, the ghouls would call to one another, their voices echoing off the dusty landscape.
Suddenly, a shriek of excitement pierced the silence.
“Ghouls! I found something!” Cleo cried.
Draculaura ran to the other side of the basin, where she found Cleo holding up several long strands of delicate sea grass. And they were still damp!
“These must be from the Great Barrier Reef!” Draculaura exclaimed. “And the only possible explanation—”
“Is that the cyclone carried them here!” Frankie finished for her. Frankie grabbed her invention and said, “Come on—let’s go!”
“But which direction?” asked Clawdeen.
“I’m not exactly sure,” Frankie admitted. “We might have some false starts. But at least we know that the cyclone passed over this side of the basin. If my invention starts giving us a strong signal of water, we’ll know we’re going the right way.”
“And if it doesn’t?” asked Cleo.
“Then I guess we’ll have to backtrack and try a different direction,” Frankie replied. She started rubbing her hands together again so that she could give the silver stick an even more powerful charge.
A small, worried frown crossed Draculaura’s face. It wasn’t the worst plan—but there was still a lot that could go wrong.
But what other option did they have?
Judging from the uneasy silence, the other ghouls seemed to share her concerns. They walked on for several feet before Draculaura finally spoke. “Any signs from your invention, Frankie?”
Frankie nodded. “It’s definitely picking up on underground water,” she replied. “I really think we’re on the right track.”
“That’s fangtastic!” Draculaura said. “I’m kind of worried about how far we are from the ocean. It could take us days to walk that far.”
“Days?” Clawdeen repeated. “I didn’t think of that.”
“What are we going to eat?” Cleo wondered.
Draculaura stared at the barren landscape all around them and shook her head. “I honestly don’t know,” she replied. “We’ll have to—Hey, what’s that?”
The ghouls followed Draculaura’s gaze to the other side of the basin, where a dusty cloud had appeared. As they watched, the cloud grew larger—and closer.
“That looks like a sandstorm!” Cleo said. “We have them all the time in the desert. Strong winds pick up the sand and blow it so hard that you can’t see anything at all. Really makes a mess of your eyeliner when you get all that sand in your eyes . . .”
“Maybe it’s a dust storm,” Frankie suggested.
“Oh no—not another storm!” Clawdeen groaned. “My hair may never recover!”
“I’m not sure it’s a storm,” Draculaura said. “I don’t feel any wind. Not even a little breeze.”
“Neither do I,” Frankie said.
“Then what could it be?” asked Cleo.
Dracul
aura squinted, trying to get a better look. Suddenly, she became aware of something else: The ground—it was trembling. Ripples formed in the little lake, shimmering with every pulsing motion that shook the ground. If she didn’t know better, she’d think a herd of—
“Brumbies!” Draculaura yelled.
The other ghouls turned to her. “Brum-what?” asked Clawdeen, looking puzzled.
Draculaura was beaming. “Brumbies are wild horses that graze in the Outback!” she explained. “They must’ve seen the fountain spring up.”
“So you think they came to drink the water?” Cleo said.
“Yes,” Draculaura replied. “And hopefully they’ll be our rides!”
The ghouls watched in silence, hardly daring to move, as dozens of beautiful horses approached the pool. As the dust settled, the majestic creatures bent their long necks and drank deeply from the cool, clear water. There were black brumbies and brown brumbies, brumbies the color of honey, and dappled brumbies with mottled spots.
“Some brumbies are tamer than others,” Drac whispered to the other ghouls. “Over the years, domesticated horses would sometimes escape from ranches or farms. They formed wild herds in the Outback and have lived freely ever since. But according to The Wundas of Down Unda, some of them still remember their training.”
“So now we knew what we have to do,” Frankie whispered back. “Figure out which brumbies are still tame—and hitch a ride back to the Great Barrier Reef.”
“Without spooking the wild ones and making the whole herd gallop away like a bunch of werepups,” added Clawdeen.
“They seem pretty calm right now,” said Draculaura. “Let’s try to approach them. Remember, slow and steady. No sudden movements.”
“Lesson number one of Monster Rescue: no sudden movements, ever,” joked Clawdeen.
The ghouls tried to stifle their laughter for a moment before Cleo interrupted. “Okay, ghouls! Focus!”
Staying low to the ground, the ghouls crept toward the brumbies. Draculaura couldn’t take her eyes off the herd. If there weren’t so much at stake, she would’ve been perfectly happy just to watch them. But the ghouls had to get back to the ocean—the sooner, the better.
Monster Rescue: Go Get Lagoona! Page 6
