Losing Everything [COMPLETED]

Prologue

💋Draculaura💋

"Hey." My father's voice stopped me, my hand frozen just above the doorknob. "You be careful today, okay?" he asked.

I nodded and turned to face him. "Always am, Daddy." I smiled. "Besides, it's just school. There's no need for you to worry."

"I always worry for you, Princess," he said softly.

"I know."

"Is Clawd walking you to school?"

Again, I nodded. "Just like he has since middle school, Daddy."

"All right. Good luck on your test today," he said.

"And I'll be late coming home. There's a casketball game; I'm cheering," I said.

He nodded slowly. "Call me when you're on your way home?"

"Of course." I wrapped my arms around him. "Love you, Daddy."

I felt him smile just before he kissed the top of my head. "I love you more, Princess." The syllables rolled effortlessly off of his tongue, the words themselves sounded something like a purr when paired with his thick accent. The words were simple, yet they held so much emotion. He had said them a million times over the past thousand and some-odd years, but they had yet to get old.

I pulled away from him and lifted my backpack back onto my shoulder. "I'll call you after the game. Clawd'll bring me home." He nodded as I pulled open the door and stepped outside.

"Hey, Mr. D!" Clawd called from the sidewalk. My father smiled and waved at Clawd before shutting the front door. I ran down the sidewalk, throwing myself into Clawd's open arms as soon as I reached him. He chuckled. "Well, you're a little more excited to see me than usual."

"Dad was acting weird. You're the only normal thing I've seen all morning," I mumbled against his chest.

He laughed and pulled away from me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him. I quickened my pace until I fell into step with him. "Why was he acting weird?" Clawd asked.

"Cookie, if I knew, I'd tell you. The thing is? I haven't the slightest clue," I said.

"Mm. Well, don't let it bother you. Dad's are weird," he said.

I leaned into his side as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "Tell me about it."

***

"All right, you dorks, eat up. We've got a big game tonight. You need all the energy you can get," Cleo said as she sat down across from me.

"Right. Big game," Clawdeen said quietly.

I kicked her under the table. Her head shot up. "What's wrong with you today?" I asked.

"Can't you tell? Bad hair day," she said.

Cleo and I laughed. Clawd shook his head as he leaned his head against his hand. "You're such a freak, sis."

"Thanks, bro," she said loudly.

"You ready for the Clawculus test after this?" I asked.

Clawdeen and Cleo groaned. "I forgot all about it," they answered together. "Did we just-!"

"For the love of ghoul," Clawd muttered. I elbowed him in the side and laughed. "What?"

"Leave them alone. It's a big test."

"Pfft, whatever. I passed that test with flying colors last year," Clawd said.

"I'll pass it with flying colors today," Clawdeen said, ramming her finger into the top of the table to prove a point.

"Right. You'll owe me when you fail it," Clawd teased.

Clawdeen growled. "Let's make a bet," she said. Clawd nodded. "If I pass the test, you're doing all my chores for the next month."

Clawd crossed his arms over his chest. "And if you fail?"

She sighed. "I'll tell Mom that D's coming over for my slumber party... But, she's actually coming over for you," she said.

Clawd slapped the table. "Deal!" He cupped his hand over mine and smiled. "Look at that, sweetheart. You and I are about to spend the night together."

I smacked his arm. "She'll pass the test, you horrible, horrible monster. I promise," I said. Clawdeen laughed.

Deuce slid into the seat next to Cleo and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Sorry I'm late. Lou Zarr took my sunglasses."

"The man never learns, does he?" Clawd asked.

Deuce shook his head. "Poor dude. He'll be frozen in the middle of that classroom for the next hour." Clawd and Deuce laughed as I rolled my eyes. This was lunch for us. In a normie school, it'd be completely unusual. The laughter and the rowdiness in the cafeteria would probably get us kicked out. But this was Monster High, and this was us.

***

Cleo clapped her hands together. "All right, ghouls, stretch it out! I'd like to run our stunts through one more time before the game starts.

"Whose the flyer tonight?" I asked.

"You. You're still the smallest." She came up from a stretch to look at me. "You're still good with that, correct?" she asked.

"Yes. That's fine," I said. I had always been nervous to be on the top of the pyramid, to be thrown in the air before being caught. I was a vampire, but I was still scared of heights.

Weird, right?

Nonetheless, ten minutes later, I was standing on top of the pyramid. And another five minutes after that, I was being thrown in the air. And as I reached the peak of the throw, the lights went out.

Screams filled the air. I fell down hard and fast, screaming myself when my back hit the ground.

"Laura!" Clawd's voice boomed above the rest, loud and filled with panic.

"I'm okay! I'm good!" I shouted. I had landed on my ankle first before falling to my back. The pain shooting through my leg was greater than any pain I had felt in quite a long time. The last time that pain had been this great was back when I was human, just before my father turned me into a vampire, turned me immortal. I only felt pain like this because I was vegetarian. Blood kept us strong, but I just wasn't into that kind of thing. I was certainly paying for it now.

Several phone screens lit the still dark room. I could see Clawd by the bleachers, basketball still in hand. A growl rumbled in his throat as he dropped the ball and ran towards me. He dropped to his knees next to me and scooped me up in his arms. "Are you okay? Talk to me, sweetheart."

"I'm fine. I'm... I'm good." I groaned as I tried to flex my foot. "Really messed up my ankle though," I said quietly.

"We'll get you to the nurse as soon as someone gets these lights back on, okay?" he asked. I nodded as I wrapped one arm around his neck to keep myself up. The lights flickered for a few seconds before coming on as one solid strain of illumination.

Clawd picked me up, immediately surrounded by the rest of the fearleading team. "Guys, come on," Clawd whispered.

"Are you okay, D?" Clawdeen asked.

"Good, good. I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't..." Cleo shook her head.

"Hey," I whispered. I reached out and cupped her cheek. "Don't cry, Cleo. It's not your fault that some dimwit turned off the lights. I fell. I'll get over it," I said.  

"You fell from, like, ten feet!" Frankie shrieked.

"And I'm fine. Little headache. I'm good." Clawd pushed past the crowd gathering around us. We headed for the nurses office, knocked on her door, and waited. "Clawd?"

"The lights on. She's in there." He knocked again, harder this time. With a sigh, he pushed open the door. "Oh. My. Ghoul." His hand moved to cover my eyes, but he wasn't fast enough. I saw it. I saw her.

Our school nurse had been murdered.