Monster Rescue: Go Get Lagoona! Read online

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  MONSTER HIGH and associated trademarks are owned by and used under license from Mattel. © 2017 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.

  Cover design by Véronique Lefèvre Sweet.

  Cover illustration by Yulia Rumyantseva.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Little, Brown and Company

  Hachette Book Group

  1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104

  Visit us at lb-kids.com

  Visit monsterhigh.com

  First Edition: April 2017

  Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Library of Congress Control Number 2016951196

  ISBNs: 978-0-316-31577-7 (hardcover), 978-0-316-31573-9 (ebook)

  E3-20170302-JV-PC

  CONTENTS

  COVER

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 1

  Stop!” Draculaura suddenly cried. She yanked her hands off the Skullette right as it began to glow with pink light. Luckily, Draculaura’s ghoulfriends—Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf, and Cleo de Nile—followed her lead and let go of the Skullette just in time.

  “Drac, what’s wrong?” Frankie asked. “I thought we were on our way to find Lagoona.”

  “Yeah… we were,” Draculaura said slowly.

  “So what’s the holdup?” asked Clawdeen, pushing her thick hair away from her face. “My curls are about to be as dried up as those old mummies. Time to go!” None of the ghouls were fans of the relentless desert heat, but it seemed to hit Clawdeen even harder than the others.

  “I think we need to go back to Monster High first,” Draculaura explained. “We should check in with my dad. You know how much he worries about us. He probably thinks we’re mummified by now!”

  “True.” Frankie laughed, nodding. Her dangling lightning-bolt earrings flashed in the sun.

  “And we should probably learn more about where Lagoona lives,” Draculaura continued. “We can’t just keep dashing off without doing our homework, if you know what I mean.”

  “I think we’ve all learned our lesson on that one,” Clawdeen said. “We definitely need to find out more about her location. What if we need special gear or stuff like that?”

  “If we learned anything from our trip to the desert, it’s that we’ve got to be prepared for just about anything,” added Frankie.

  “What do you think?” Draculaura said as she turned to Cleo. They’d all met Cleo for the first time just minutes before, and Draculaura didn’t want her newest ghoulfriend to feel left out. “Do you mind if we take a detour to Monster High before we start searching for Lagoona?”

  “Mind? Are you kidding?” Cleo replied. “That sounds golden. You know I’ve been positively dying to get to Monster High!”

  “Fangtastic!” Draculaura cheered. She leaned down to pick up the Skullette again. As all the ghouls rested their fingertips against the Skullette, Draculaura closed her eyes. “Monster High. Exsto monstrum.”

  Whoosh!

  A tremendous swirling wind swept around the ghouls; at first, Draculaura thought the sands circling them might be a tornado, but then she realized that it was just the Skullette’s enchantment at work. Then all of a sudden, the monsters found themselves on the front lawn of Monster High.

  Draculaura gazed up at the school in amazement. It was not so long ago that the enormous mansion wasn’t a school at all. It had started out as her home—or, more accurately, her hiding place. Ever since the great monster Fright Flight, Draculaura’s dad, Dracula, had insisted that they hide from humans, or Normies, for their own protection. All the other monsters had gone into hiding too. It wasn’t so bad for the first few centuries. But as the ages passed, Draculaura grew lonely for ghoulfriends of her very own.

  Then, on the night of Draculaura’s very first flying lesson, everything had changed. Another monster, Frankie, who was just as eager for ghoulfriends as Draculaura was, had spotted her. The two ghouls had hit it off instantly, which had inspired Draculaura’s most fangtastic idea ever: a school just for monsters, a place where they could finally come out of the shadows and make new friends. It wasn’t enough to renovate the big, old house, though. To truly be a monstrous success, Monster High would need students—and lots of them. That’s how Frankie and Draculaura found Clawdeen. With help from Frankie, Draculaura posted a message on the Monster Web. She hoped that at least one or two other monsters would respond.

  To Draculaura’s surprise, the response was overwhelming! Monsters all over the world were hoping to come out of hiding. And Monster High was where they wanted to do it. As their messages flooded Draculaura’s inbox, she vowed to rescue each and every one. With the powerful Monster Mapalogue and its enchanted Skullette, Draculaura and her ghoulfriends had the ability to go anywhere in the whole wide world to find the monsters who were so eager to attend Monster High. The Mapalogue wasn’t perfect, though. It transported the ghouls near where they needed to be—and the rest was up to them. A wild trip to the desert had led them to rescue Cleo de Nile, an Egyptian princess who’d been trapped in her tomb for a whole millennia. Next on the list was a monster named Lagoona Blue. But just before they used the Skullette to transport them to Lagoona’s homeland, Draculaura realized that they needed to stop by Monster High.

  Drac glanced anxiously at Cleo, wondering what she thought of her new school. She tried to see Monster High, from the towers and turrets to the sweeping staircases and arched doorways, through Cleo’s eyes. It’s big—but is it pyramid-big? Draculaura wondered. Cleo’s a royal ghoul who’s spent her entire life surrounded by the ultimate luxuries. What will we do if she thinks Monster High is a disappointment?

  Draculaura didn’t have to wonder for very long. Cleo beamed as she stared up at the huge mansion. “It’s so cute!” she exclaimed. Her gold bangles clinked as she clapped her hands with excitement. “Which floor is mine?”

  “Floor?” Draculaura echoed. “Um… nobody has her own floor. But the dorm rooms are pretty fangtastic!”

  “Oh. Dorm rooms. Of course,” Cleo said, trying to laugh off her mistake. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “Come on,” Draculaura said, linking arms with her newest ghoulfriend. “Let’s go inside. I can’t wait to show you everything!”

  “And I absolutely can’t wait for a Mummy Mocha,” Clawdeen added as she and Frankie fell into step beside them.

  As the ghouls approached the front door, it swung open with an earsplitting cre-e-e-e-ak. Dracula stood in the doorway. “You�
�re back!” he exclaimed, barely able to conceal his relief. “Come in, come in—and welcome!”

  “Dad, please meet our newest student, Cleo de Nile,” Draculaura said. Then she turned to Cleo. “This is my dad. Also known as the headmaster of Monster High.”

  “Well, now, I never expected that we’d be hosting royalty. It’s an honor, your highness!” Dracula said as he bowed jokingly. However, it seemed to Cleo that there was nothing joking about it.

  Cleo nodded regally to acknowledge Dracula. “You are very welcome,” she replied. “I know you haven’t had much time to prepare for my arrival, so I’d be happy to discuss my requirements with the head servant after he or she has unpacked my suitcase.”

  Uh-oh, Draculaura thought. Is she for real?

  From the look on Frankie’s face, Draculaura knew she wasn’t the only one concerned.

  “Uh—” Dracula began, momentarily speechless. “We don’t have any servants here.”

  “But your ghoulfriends will be happy to help you unpack!” Frankie said brightly.

  “Oops,” Cleo said with a nervous laugh. “Thanks, ghouls. That’s even better!”

  “Mr. D.!” Clawdeen exclaimed. “You will not believe what happened when we went back to the desert!”

  “I want to hear everything,” he replied. “Let’s fire up the Mummy Mocha machine.”

  “Mmm, that sounds ugh-mazing! I’ll take mine with an extra drizzle of chocolate syrup. And not too much ice—that’s very important,” Cleo announced.

  Everyone turned to look at her.

  “Well, we actually make our own Mummy Mochas here,” Draculaura explained.

  Cleo blinked in surprise. “You do?” she asked in astonishment. “You make them yourself? But how?”

  “It’s easy!” Frankie assured her. “I’ll teach you.”

  Dracula led them to the Creepeteria, where the Mummy Mocha machine was set up in the corner.

  “These are the controls,” Frankie explained as Cleo looked on gamely. “It’s all very self-explanatory. Just program in whatever you’d like to drink and—”

  “I got this!” Cleo interrupted as she squinted her kohl-rimmed eyes to read the options. “I cannot wait to practice all these, what do you call them? ‘Do-It-Yourself’ projects.” Then she confidently punched a few of the buttons on the control panel. The Mummy Mocha machine rumbled to life, clanking and hissing as it prepared her drink.

  “Oh! I almost forgot!” Cleo cried suddenly. “I like my Mummy Mochas made with extra-hot chocolate syrup poured over four and a half ice cubes!”

  “I wouldn’t—” Frankie began.

  But it was too late; Cleo was already jabbing the buttons, trying to reprogram her order. The machine started to shake. A terrible groaning noise filled the Creepeteria.

  “Take cover!” Frankie yelled.

  Draculaura and the ghouls dove under a table and covered their heads.

  Boom!

  The doors on the Mummy Mocha machine burst open as a fountain of chocolate goop exploded out of the machine! Drops of chocolate rained over the Creepeteria while the ghouls shrieked in alarm!

  Then silence filled the room.

  Slowly, cautiously, the ghouls peeked out from under the table. A plume of smoke unfurled from the Mummy Mocha machine as a gooey river of chocolate syrup spread across the tiled floor.

  “Uh-oh,” Clawdeen finally said.

  Cleo swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, ghouls. I, uh, guess I still have a lot to learn,” she said.

  Draculaura wrapped her arm around Cleo’s shoulders. “We all do,” she said. “That’s why we’re here!”

  “And now seems like a good time to get started,” Dracula announced. He crossed the room, carefully dodging the puddles of chocolate syrup, and reached into the broom closet. From the twinkle in his eye, Draculaura could tell that her dad wasn’t really upset, even though the ghouls had managed to mess up the brand-new Creepeteria right after they’d returned.

  “Frankie, would you take a look at the machine?” Dracula continued. “I hope it won’t be too hard to repair.”

  “On it!” Frankie replied.

  Then Dracula handed out the mops. There was one for Draculaura, one for Clawdeen, and even one for Cleo. Cleo hesitated before she took it. “So you just… push it around the floor?” she asked doubtfully.

  “A little soap helps too,” Draculaura said cheerfully. But instead of a little soap, she squirted a bit too much on the floor. Soon the Creepeteria was filled with floating bubbles, which made the ghouls laugh as they mopped up the mess.

  Frankie finished fixing the Mummy Mocha machine before the other ghouls finished cleaning up the mess—which meant the minute they put away the mops, she was ready for them. “Who’s thirsty?” she asked as she held out a tray with four perfect Mummy Mochas topped with whipped scream.

  “Worth the wait,” Clawdeen said, sighing after her first sip.

  Cleo reached up to pop one last bubble that was floating overhead. “I honestly can’t believe it,” she said. “Frankie fixed the Mummy Mocha machine all by herself—and the rest of us cleaned the floor! I feel like we can do anything!”

  “Speaking of anything . . .” Draculaura began.

  The other ghouls turned to look at her.

  “What should we do to get ready for Lagoona’s rescue?” Drac continued.

  “The possibilities are endless,” Clawdeen said.

  “And so are the risks,” added Frankie. “We know practically nothing about Lagoona—or her location.”

  “That just means we’ve got a lot to learn,” Draculaura said.

  “Lucky for us, we’re in the right place,” joked Frankie.

  Draculaura grinned at her friends. Thanks to Monster High, the ghouls had the chance to learn everything they needed to know—and school hadn’t even started yet!

  CHAPTER 2

  Far, far away, the sun had just begun to rise, casting a faint pink light over the deserted beach. It was Lagoona Blue’s favorite time of day, the only time when she could leave the ocean and explore the sandy shore as much as she wanted. But as soon as the sun was up, Lagoona had no choice but to dive deep, deep, deep into the water. That’s when the tourists with their big cameras and the locals with their surfboards would flood the beach. Lagoona had heard enough stories about the great monster Fright Flight to understand why she had to stay far away from Normies.

  But that didn’t mean she had to like it.

  Lagoona worked quickly, moving from dune to dune as she posted her signs: WARNING. TROPICAL CYCLONE APPROACHING. AVOID THE OCEAN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

  Lagoona didn’t sign her name, of course, but she always left her mark. At the very bottom of the sign, she had added her favorite doodle: a curlicue wave that was about to crest. Lagoona added the symbol everywhere she could. It was even in her e-mail signature.

  Lagoona had no idea if the Normies would pay attention to her warnings, but she certainly hoped so. The tropical cyclone that was brewing far out to sea was big—and that meant it was bad. If it veered off its current course, things would be fine. Sea creatures, after all, knew how to handle tropical cyclones—even the worst ones. But if it continued toward land? Lagoona knew in her heart that there wasn’t a single Normie in the world who could handle the ferocious winds and monstrously big waves a tropical cyclone could cause.

  Lagoona glanced warily at the sky. The pink color had deepened; it wouldn’t be long until the golden sun popped up, sending her back to the deepest depths until tomorrow. She started to move even faster, racing against the inevitable sunrise.

  “One… more… sign . . .” Lagoona muttered under her breath. If she listened closely, she could hear a car engine approaching. She shoved the signpost into the sand and ran as fast as she could back to the ocean, just as the first beachgoers appeared at the edge of the dunes. Had they seen her? Lagoona wasn’t sure, and she wasn’t about to wait around to find out. In truth, though, Lagoona wasn’t too worried about it. With
her light-blue skin and voluminous blond curls, it was easy for Lagoona to blend in to the sand and the sea when she needed to. Besides, the Normies were almost certainly too interested in checking out the waves to notice the sea ghoul slip into the ocean.

  As the daughter of a sea monster, Lagoona knew how lucky she was; she could breathe just as easily underwater as she could on land. That meant that she could enjoy the best of both worlds whenever she wanted—as long as she stayed out of sight of the Normies. She smiled to herself as she glided through the water. If Normies ever caught sight of her iridescent scales, they wouldn’t believe their eyes!

  Lagoona didn’t surface again until she’d reached the underwater grotto where she lived with her family, the only other sea monsters in the Great Barrier Reef. It wasn’t quite as lonely as it sounded. Lagoona was friends with the other sea creatures in the Great Barrier Reef, even a giant squid who was just as misunderstood by the Normies as Lagoona and her family were. There were sea horses and starfish, schools of fish that numbered in the thousands, and even sharks and whales. And it wasn’t like Lagoona was by herself. In addition to her mom and dad, she had two little sisters and a school of brothers. But there were no other monsters in the Great Barrier Reef who were her age—and that was what really made her feel all alone, even when surrounded by thousands of other sea creatures.

  For the first time in her life, though, Lagoona had an unshakable feeling that all that was about to change. She would never forget the thrill of hope that had unfurled in her heart when she first read Draculaura’s message about the new monsters-only school she was starting. In fact, Lagoona had shrieked so loudly that both her parents had come swimming, terrified that an adventurous Normie had scu-boo-dived right into their secret undersea home. At first, her parents hadn’t understood why she was so excited to live and study at Monster High. They didn’t understand why she wasn’t every bit as happy as they were in their spacious sea home. Somehow, though, Lagoona had managed to convince them that she needed to go to Monster High. Now all she had to do was wait for a response from Draculaura.