Turn the Lights Off (under revisions)

Chapter 1

I rest my case and wait patently for a response. The strange clock on the wall with thirteen hours ticks quietly away. Finally, Headmistress Bloodgood sighs and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jekyll, but--"

"Master Jekyll, Headmistress," I correct her. "I am not eighteen yet, therefore my title is not Mister but Master."

"Right, of course," she says through her gritted teeth. "Master Jekyll, Monster High does not admit humans."

"Have you heard a word I just said?" I seethe. "I have read every rule ever written about student admissions at Monster High--or any other school for that matter--and there is no regulation against admitting humans to any educational institution."

Headmistress Bloodgood opens her mouth, then closes it.

"Headmistress, I have stated my case," I assert. "I don't belong in the human world anymore. This is my final chance. I know that you reserve the right to refuse to admit any students, but I am not going to give up this battle. Though I trust you already knew that given I've already found myself here, in your office, fighting this battle."

"I must ask you to reconsider," she advises. "Humans aren't welcome, even at Monster High. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the fight for equality among monster society, and I cannot in good conscious admit a student that would not be safe on school grounds. I could be held liable if they find me liable at all. Not to mention, human-monster relations are still a mess. Now simply isn't the right time."

I nod politely and my glasses slip down my nose. I adjust them back up and say, "Quite frankly, this isn't about the big picture."

"Oh?" she responds, raising an eyebrow.

"This is not about..." I gesture vaguely with my hands, "making friends. I don't care about that. I don't really care about whether or not humans and monsters one day integrate into a single society. If that ever happens, I guarantee that it won't be in my lifetime, therefore, it is of no consequence to me. I know that if I get injured on school grounds, that I will not be fairly compensated for putting myself in harm's way, and I am aware of the prejudice that I will undoubtedly face as a student here. I do not care."

"If you aren't here looking to mend monster-human relations, and you aren't looking for a community..." she starts hesitantly, "then why are you here?"

I adjust in my chair and smile for the first time in our little meeting. "I am going to be the mad scientist of my generation."

She smiles and lightly chuckles, "that's quite the declaration."

"I'm going to be known as the next Frankenstein," I tell her.

"What makes you think you have the stuff?" she asks skeptically. "Going to Monster High would provide you with a world-class education but starting as a junior puts you a little behind, and our goal as an institution is to create a community of monsters of all kinds living together harmoniously, not to turn ordinary students into world-renowned scientists."

I lean back in my chair. "You know, I have always wanted to be a monster," I start conversationally.

"Who wouldn't want to be?" she questions politely.

"Exactly!" I exclaim enthusiastically. "Who wouldn't want to be? But that was exactly part of the problem. I felt that... part of me so desperately wanted to become a monster." My tongue passes over my dry lips. "I wanted to become more than that. I wanted to be the embodiment of evil. But then I was torn, because I felt like every single day, I struggled to become something better. Something... good."

"I know the feeling," she agrees, nodding sympathetically.

"No, I don't think you do," I remark. "If you did, it would consume you completely. And you see, that's why I am here, not my parents or any other adult on behalf of me."