Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way is the third book in the Monster High book series by Lisi Harrison. It was released on September 20, 2011, but its thirteenth chapter was released earlier on April 13, 2012. Its focus-character is Clawdeen Wolf.
Plot
Always overshadowed by her six brothers and her fab friends, Clawdeen plans to finally strut her stuff in the spotlight at her upcoming Sassy Sixteen bash. But then the "Ghoul Next Door" video goes viral, and it's into the woods for the family Wolf. Clawdeen goes stir-crazy hiding out at her family's B&B with her annoying brothers until Lala shows up to keep her company. But is the vamp flirting with Claude?
Frankie can't believe that Brett betrayed her. Just when she thought she had sparked a new romance, it seems to have fizzled out. Still, Frankie is charged up and ready to fight for her rights. She refuses to run for the hills, and since her face isn't shown in the video, she can afford to stay in Salem. Who's with her? ...Hello? Anyone still here?
Melody wants to help put the smackdown on Bekka's Monster Home Tours, but she's kinda busy trying to get the truth out of her parents and keep Ms. J from sending Jackson into hiding. As she struggles to walk the line between normie and RAD, she starts to realize that people are actually listening to what she says - even Candace! Is Melody's newfound voice here to stay?
Summary
Chapter 1: On the L.A.M.B.
After the events of the previous book, The Ghoul Next Door, Clawdeen and her five brothers are running through the woods to their family's inn, where they are to hide until Salem becomes safe to live in again. Clawdeen's siblings are introduced: Clawd, Howldon (Don), Howie, Howleen (Leena), Howlmilton (Rocks), and Clawnor (Niño). Howldon, nicknamed Don, is the oldest triplet and an honor roll student. Howie is the middle triplet. Howleen, nicknamed Leena, is the youngest triplet and also considered the meanest, though she is also at a place called Arrowhead Bootcamp in order to deal with her anger management issues, a fact that makes Clawdeen happy. Howlmilton is the second youngest and also the fastest runner in the Wolf family, making him a star on the school track team. In order to maintain his status, however, he also has to make a D-average grade, hence his nickname, Rocks, because of his dumb-as-rocks comments. Clawnor, nicknamed Niño due to his "windy" attitude, is the youngest Wolf, having recently started growing his "big-boy fur," and thus refusing to use things like combs and styling products to tame it. The oldest Wolf is Clawd, a star on the football team who all the other siblings look up to, and who also starred in the Ghoul Next Door documentary along with Clawdeen in order to make sure the movie was not a trap. As the Wolf siblings run to the inn, Clawdeen flashes back to what had happened only a couple hours earlier, where she, Lala, and Blue had been in the limo on their way to the Teen Vogue photo shoot, when they stumbled upon the documentary while searching for TMZ. Fearing for their lives, they immediately turned the limo back toward Salem, and as soon as Clawdeen left the limo, she and her brothers began running to their family's inn, with no time to pack or give word to the other RADs on where they were going. As they near their family's inn, Clawdeen tries to bargain with her brothers to let her go back and fight, rather than go into hiding, but her offer is denied, with Clawd reminding her that "packs stay together." Clawdeen becomes silently frustrated from being babied by her family, wanting to fight back instead of hide and stray from the pack as she is about to turn sixteen.
Chapter 2: Fright or Flight
After spending hours hiding behind trees, cars, lampposts, and the like while hiding from the police, Frankie manages to make it to the RAD's underground lair, where she collapses on a bench, low on energy and unable to move her body or open her eyes. Other RADs begin to arrive, nervous, shaken and scared. Billy comes over to Frankie to check on her, reassuring her that the incident wasn't her fault, while also insulting Brett. Frankie doesn't respond, but is nonetheless heartbroken over the betrayal. Cleo comes into the lair soon after with an air of indifference to the incident, though she is not given a warm welcome by the other RADs, who remind her of her betrayal. Cleo tries to clear her name, revealing her plan to team up with Bekka to get the movie erased, then after hearing the movie would not air with the blurred interviews, leaving Bekka's team, thinking that she and her friends could model as she originally had planned. Cleo drives her point home that she would never purposely endanger the RAD's for any reason, even for a Teen Vogue shoot, and the other RADs forgive her. Frankie's parents, Viktor and Viveka, arrive to give Frankie a charge, presenting her with a bag modeled after a Chanel purse that also doubles as an amp machine so Frankie could never run out of charge. As the family embraces, a monitor lowers from the ceiling, revealing a man on a yacht, and Frankie soon learns from Blue that the man is Mr. D, Lala's father and the leader of the RADs. With the RADs and their identities now revealed, Mr. D announces that they will now be forced to leave Salem, having already provided new phone numbers, mobile phones, and new IDs, so they could not be traced, with a fleet of jets waiting to take them to their destination. Mr. D's brother, and Lala's uncle, Vlad, takes everyone's phones, wallets and IDs, except for Frankie's wallet and Cleo's bag, both of who refuse to hand over. Frankie approaches the screen, questioning Mr. D if running is the best choice, though Viktor is quick to apologize on Frankie's behalf for her bold accusations, while also revealing the Steins' plan to stay in Salem. Blue's aunt, Coral, accuses Frankie of knowing the movie would blow up in a bad way, since Frankie had not been in the movie, but had only conducted the interviews. This accusation is picked up by Cleo's father, Ramses de Nile, who also sticks up for Cleo when Coral accuses her of having ulterior motives for not being in the movie. Maddy Gorgon reveals that she and Deuce are going back to Greece, shocking Cleo, whose father reveals their intent to also stay in Salem. Blue is being sent back to her parents in Bells Beach, Australia, and Jackson also finds out from his mother that they are leaving, despite Jackson's protests to wanting to stay for Melody. Lala tries to talk her father into letting her stay with him on the yacht, though Mr. D denies the request, having arranged her to stay in Transylvania with her grandparents, whom Lala nicknames the grimparents for their old-fashioned way of living, including staying inside all day and drinking meat shakes. Mr. D ends the meeting soon after, amid a crowd of tearful RADs and their parents, and their wallets and old phones turned to stone by Maddy Gorgon. Frankie and her parents head out to leave and go back home, promising Frankie to do things "her way" in order to gain the RAD's freedom, but only after they assess the situation and the enemy they are facing. Frankie is overjoyed, but soon feels guilty for her happiness amid the unhappiness of her friends who now have to leave their old lives behind. As they leave the lair, Frankie becomes all the more determined to change things, quoting Martin Luther King Jr, to help create a future where the RADs would be judged by their character and not by the color of their skin.
Chapter 3: Under the Influence
Candace and Melody are back at home, where Melody is desperately trying to call Jackson and Candace is eating pistachios, when their front door suddenly opens. The girls fear they will be taken into custody for associating with the RADs, though their fears are quickly soothed when their mom, Glory, comes in, eager to hear Melody, having rushed from a book club. Melody, however, is none too eager to share the terrible news about the RADs and the nightmare they are surely facing, and her growing doubt planted by Manu, Cleo's butler, that Glory was not her real mother. Glory picks up on Melody's mood, and becomes confused as to why she is not celebrating, but then reveals her excitement over Melody having gained her singing voice back, confusing Melody. Their father, Beau, comes back home, having come late from his office after fielding an enormous amount of phone calls from people asking him to give them things such as fangs, horns, and tails, wanting to look just like RADs. Candace is overjoyed at the news, believing that the NUDI message is finally getting out. Melody's phone starts to ring, and she finds Jackson's mother, Sydney Jekyll, on the other end, reassuring her that Jackson is fine, but did not want to leave without saying goodbye to her. Ms. J requests Melody to meet her and Jackson at a coffee shop across an airport, and Melody instantly agrees. Candace drives Melody to the coffee shop, playfully mocking her paranoia over being followed. When asked for advice on what to do if a boyfriend is about to leave, possibly for good, Candace tells Melody to find a way to make him stay. Melody goes into the diner, where only two people are sitting inside, neither of them looking like Jackson. Just as she is about to panic, thinking he and Ms. J had already left, Melody gets a text to sit with a black-haired man named Rick. The man reveals himself to be Jackson, under a new name, with dyed black hair, no glasses, and a scar. Melody is relieved, and talks to him about the things that had happened at the Teen Vogue shoot, including having gotten her singing voice back and having reason to believe that Glory is not her real mom. When asked why she had not confronted Glory about the news, however, Melody points out that she was too busy worrying over Jackson and whether he was safe. Jackson reveals his mom's plans to take him to London, despite his best efforts to convince her to stay in Salem. Melody convinces him to keep trying, but Jackson agrees only if Melody is there as well. Ms. J comes back from the bathroom and Melody begins trying to convince her to stay, reminding her that as a teacher and scientist, she was a role model for both humans and RADs, and that by staying, it gave the remaining RADs someone to look up to, and showed Jackson that his mother wasn't afraid to fight. Ms. J agrees, on the condition that no one can know they were still there, and that Jackson maintain his disguise and be sent to a different school. The two agree to the conditions, and Melody leaves the coffee shop after wishing the Jekyll's good luck, in a much more hopeful mood.
Chapter 4: Pack Men
The Wolf family have now stayed in the Hideout Inn - their family-owned restaurant/inn that encouraged guests to unplug with a strict no Internet or TV policy - for two days, making it a new record for them, since they only hide in the inn for a maximum of twenty-four hours while they go through their werewolf transition on the night of the full moon. Clawdeen is less than thrilled at staying at the inn for so long, since she is forced to share a bathroom with her brothers who are not considerate about leaving the area clean. While cleaning out the bathtub, Don pours a milk jug of ice water over her head, announcing dinner being ready, before laughing with Howie and leaving. Disgusted, Clawdeen leaves the bathroom, mourning the loss of her private, girly bathroom and cursing Cleo. Clawdeen heads to the dining room, where the Wolf family is heartily eating. Her father, Clawrk, greets her warmly, and also announces his departure for Beaverton for a construction job. Clawdeen eagerly asks her father if he will bring back any scraps from the job, which she uses to make DIY projects that she films for her blog: Where There's a Wolf, There's A Way. Clawdeen's dream, once her blog becomes more popular, is to own her on DIY network show, move into a massive New York-style loft, DIY it, then invite all her friends, and her waxer, Anya, to move in. Clawrk tells her brothers to protect Clawdeen and their mother, Harriet, while he is gone, though Clawdeen also interprets this to mean cleaning the bathroom, for fear of her own safety. Despite her pleas, Clawdeen is unable to gain permission to use a separate bathroom in the inn, since as soon as the incident from the movie blows over, the Wolf family is looking to reopen the inn and prepare for customers. While eating their dinner, Clawd reminds his father about the football scouts coming to Merston High and asks his father's permission to go, especially since his football Coach does not care that he is a RAD. Clawrk agrees on the condition that Clawd takes the earring out of his ear and blows away the scouts with his performance. Clawdeen casually suggests going with Clawd in order to check the RSVPs to her Sassy Sixteen party, check with her friends and get more clothes, but this suggestion is shot down by Clawrk, who orders her to stay at the inn where it is safe. Frustration and anger build in Clawdeen, but seeing her father's disheveled state at being unable to protect his family while he is at his job, she instead quietly sits, not wanting to stress her father even more. Later on that night, however, Clawdeen wakes up in the back of Clawd's car, having snuck in before Clawd left for Salem. Clawdeen had left knowing full well that their father would leave early for Beaverton, and their mother would be at the market all day stocking up on food, leaving her and Clawd plenty of time to head back to the inn once Clawd was done playing football. She also bribed her other brothers by promising them a Wii, on behalf of Clawd. Much to Clawdeen's surprise, Clawd is not opposed to Clawdeen having tagged along, knowing that their family does not treat her as fairly. Clawdeen hurries to get home using the streets to get to their house, ignoring Clawd's warnings to be careful and take the ravines. Clawd and Clawdeen walk in silence until they get closer to their house, with Clawd wondering why Clawdeen is always trying to be an alpha. Clawdeen argues that she already is an alpha, and when Clawd chuckles at her statement, she silently vows to find a way to prove it.
In a separate section of the chapter, told in Billy's perspective, Billy is at the Carver's house in Candace's room, halfheartedly listening to the story she is telling about the latest drama with her friends. Candace finishes her story and asks to hear Billy's, revealing that her own story was made up, and noting that Billy had not pulled a prank or done anything funny since he arrived at her house, which meant that he was feeling down. Candace correctly guesses that it has something to do with Frankie, and Billy confesses that he wants a chance with Frankie since Brett is out of the picture. Candace is excited at the prospect of fixing up Billy, but Billy is skeptical, believing that his invisibleness is the same reason why Candace did not want to go to their favorite coffee shop, because she would be talking to herself. Candace questions why Billy doesn't wear clothes, a question that startles him, as when he first started having parts of himself disappear, strategic placement of clothing items hid the invisible parts, until eventually he disappeared entirely and stopped wearing clothes. Candace suggests making him go visible again, using clothes, spray tan, hair dye, etc., and Billy goes along with the idea, mostly in order to distract himself, but also out of curiosity out of what he now looks like. Candace and Billy get ready to head out and shop for the items when Candace trips over her laces, tied together, a prank that Billy pulls for old time's sake.
Chapter 5: The Heart Space Wants What the Heart Space Wants
Frankie and Viveka drive to Bridgeport Village to the Apple Store in order to redeem the coupon given by Mr. D for new phones. Despite being out of Salem, Viveka is still on high alert, but allows Frankie to browse while she gets the new phones. While browsing, Frankie hears the unmistakable sound of Lady Gaga and her new music video coming from an iPad that three futuristic-styled girls are looking at. Frankie requests to join them and they make room, but by the time they do, the video ends. The three girls are overjoyed at the new video, but are even more excited for Lady Gaga's upcoming sold out concert. Frankie is impressed at the girls' dedication, as the three of them camped overnight in order to buy tickets, and feeling a sense of camaraderie through their shared love of Lady Gaga, Frankie confesses that she had been a 'little monster' since she was born. Before she can finish her story, Viveka yanks Frankie away, clearly angry, back to the car. Viveka expresses how angry she is at Frankie for revealing herself as a monster, believing the term to be derogatory, but Frankie responds with laughter, pointing out that her coming out as a RAD would start with her taking off her makeup and exposing her bolts and seams, and teaches her mother that Lady Gaga's fans are called 'little monsters,' thus she did not reveal herself at all. Viveka is relieved and presents the phones before driving back to Salem. Viveka notes how well Frankie is handling herself and taking the incident, though Frankie does not feel the same, revealing that anytime she tries to think of ways to unite the RADs and humans, her mind wanders back to Brett. Viveka believes the lesson to learn out of the incident is to stick to liking and dating other RADs, rather than humans, though Frankie is skeptical about the advice.
Chapter 6: Mama Trauma
With Jackson staying in Salem, Melody turns her focus on the next crisis: her birth mother. After replaying the conversation with Manu in her head about Marina, she spends most of Sunday foraging through her old scrapbooks and finding pictures of her with her old nose that resembled camel humps, trying to find support for Manu's claims, but also not finding any evidence to the contrary. Glory and Candace argue over a white tunic that Glory plans on packing along with a purse of essentials, despite Glory and Beau's anniversary tradition to pack each other's bags, when Beau comes back with news of the Hideout Inn being closed for a function, thus being unable to get food to pass off as Glory's own cooking for when the Kramer's, a family whose father works with Beau, come over. Beau suspects that many of the restaurants in town were also owned by RADs, thus why they are suddenly closed. Glory is indifferent to the situation, believing RADs to be harmless unless they do something to directly affect her life. Glory orders Candace to tell Melody to get ready for the Kramers. Melody decides to take the time to tell Candace why she asked her about Marina, revealing the conversation she had with Manu. Candace suggests asking Glory outright if she is her birth mother, though Melody is secretly afraid of the truth. Taking matters into her own hands, Candace calls their parents up to Melody's room, forcing her to ask them about Marina. Glory and Beau do not know who she is, much to Melody's relief, but with the biggest question yet to be asked, Melody quickly rushes to ask Glory if she is her birth mother. Glory and Beau react with shock, confirming Melody's fears, and after putting on a hoodie and flip flops, she rushes out of the house.
Chapter 7: Split, Shower, and Shave
Clawdeen and Clawd are back at their house, though in order to not alert others that they were back, Clawdeen is forced to stay hidden in her bedroom. Despite the confinement, Clawdeen takes full advantage of having her own bathroom and room again, taking a long shower, shaving, painting her nails, wearing her own clothes and packing a bag of essentials to take back to the inn. After hours of calling the other RADs, picking up on their voicemail each time, and waiting for the human photographers and gawkers to leave, night finally arrives, and after a quick shower, Clawd and Clawdeen are ready to leave. Once outside, however, they soon see how empty Radcliffe way is, realizing for the first time that all the other RADs have vanished. Clawd, hearing a girl running towards them, pushes Clawdeen to hide. The girl running past them is revealed to be Melody, crying, though Clawd prevents Clawdeen from calling out to her, despite Clawdeen's belief that Melody is on their side and that not every human was automatically an enemy. After checking Lala's house for signs of life, Clawdeen suggests going to the underground, which Clawd agrees on as they can no longer go home. Their questions about the other RADs vanishing are confirmed after seeing the stone pile of wallets and phones. Clawdeen mourns for her Sassy Sixteen, an event she had been looking forward to since she would be the focus, rather than her brothers, friends or the family business. Clawd decides to take Clawdeen back to the inn, fearing for her safety, while he stayed overnight at his coach's house, but Clawdeen refuses to go back, throwing the keys to the car in the ravine. Clawd becomes irked, while Clawdeen heads back home.
Chapter 8: Hooky Monster
At school on Monday, Frankie and Cleo, now forced to walk together to school since the other RADs are gone, become witness to a protest between the Candace-led organization of NUDI (Normies Uncool with Discriminating Idiots) and the Bekka-led organizaion of HUNT (Humans Unite! No Tolerance). Billy suddenly appears beside them, warning them about two students who had started conducting monster tests. Cleo becomes all the more grateful that she had not appeared in the film, which Billy also agrees with after pointing out that Brett had not come to school with Heath Burns as usual. Ignoring the jab at Brett, Frankie approaches Heath, who is eating Tums in order to keep his fire-fueled burps under control, about Brett's whereabouts, though Heath also has no idea. Heath gives Frankie Brett's contact info, hoping that he is safe; a thought that had not crossed Frankie's mind but fills with her with hope since it also means that Brett was not in cahoots with Bekka and her plans to take down the RADs. As the first bell for school rings, Frankie takes time to compose the perfect text to ask Brett for his side of the story. It isn't until the end of her third period class that Brett stoically responds to her to never contact him again, filling Frankie with disappointment.
Chapter 9: Looty Call
Melody wakes up in the afternoon on Monday from a call from Candace, who had been unable to get a response via several texts requesting her for NUDI duty. The events from the previous night come back to Melody: her running from the house and past Clawdeen and Clawd, hiding while the siblings drove away in their car, embarrassed to call out to them since she had been crying, hiding near her house until the Kramers left, refusing to talk to her parents and heading straight for her bed, insisting they still leave for their trip, and ignoring Candace when she tried to wake her up for school. Candace ends the call as the bell for her next class rings, and after taking a shower, Melody contemplates her next move, and, deciding to channel the 'seek, accept, adapt' method that Jackson used when finding out about being a RAD, dresses and heads out to Cleo's house to seek more information from Manu. Manu answers the door and is about to answer Melody's questions concerning Marina when Cleo comes back from school, shocked at seeing Melody. Manu answers Melody's question by telling her that a person does not have to be biologically linked to a child to be a parent, and to find the courage to seek answers about her biological parents from her adoptive parents. Cleo mistakes this hidden conversation between the two to be about her and dispels any worries about being raised mostly by Manu. Manu leaves while Cleo and Melody are left to converse when the girls suddenly hear Bekka's voice. Rushing outside, they see Bekka conducting tours of the RADs houses, encouraging the people who paid for the tour to take items from Lala's house, the place they are currently visiting. Cleo confronts Bekka, threatening to call the police, though Bekka reveals having gotten a permit to conduct such a tour. Melody also tries to speak up to make Bekka and the other people leave, though Bekka quickly deduces that because Melody and Cleo also live on the same street as the other RADs, they too are monsters. Cleo becomes shocked at the accusation, unable to retort, but Melody becomes angry, reminding Haylee and the group how the RADs had tried to show they are harmless with the movie, but instead of accepting them they responded with anger and now vandalism. Melody orders the group to leave, and much to everyone's shock, they do as she says. Two green, blue, and gold feathers drift onto Melody's shoulders, which Cleo immediately picks up, intending to turn it into jewelry, while also expressing her shock at Melody's newfound voice. Cleo heads back home while Bekka threatens to prove the two girls are monsters and expose them.
Chapter 10: Lord of the Fleas
After spending five hours in a dirty gully since Clawd had gone to his football practice to perform for the scouts, Clawdeen is searching for the keys to their car that she threw in the ravine the night before. In the distance, she picks up on the sound of a group and quickly hides. After promising to go swimming at Blue's house, Bekka and Haylee leave the group and make their way down the street, closer to where Clawdeen is. Bekka is seething after being chased away by Melody, and vows to expose her and Cleo. Clawdeen becomes angry at hearing Bekka threaten Melody and Cleo, when Haylee points something out in the tree that Clawdeen is hiding near. Clawdeen becomes terrified at being caught and tries her hardest to stay still, while Bekka shakes a branch and coos to something in the tree. The item she's cooing at is revealed to be the keys to the car, which Bekka tosses back into the ravine knowing the keys belong to the car that belongs to the Wolfs, coincidentally right on Clawdeen's toes. Clawdeen grabs the keys then heads to Cleo's house and uses their secret wolf-calling-a-cat call, assuming Cleo no longer has her phone. Cleo appears wondering if she had been hiding out at the inn, but before she can speak further, Clawdeen launches into her accusations about Cleo working with Bekka. Cleo gives her the thirty-second wrap up and clears her name, waving away the incident and hugging Clawdeen. Clawdeen decides to let it go and the two talk about their respective problems: Cleo's worries over Deuce having not contacted her since he went back to Greece, and Clawdeen's concern over her Sassy Sixteen party that she fears no one will come to after all the RADs have left. Suddenly, Clawd appears, urging Clawdeen to hurry back to their car so they can go back to the inn. Clawd reveals that his coach had tried to trap him, but some of his teammates had warned him before the game, allowing him to escape. Clawd picks up Clawdeen and takes her to the car and away from a stunned Cleo, but Clawdeen is less than cooperative, wanting to stay behind and defend their house. Despite this, Clawd manages to get her in the car and the two drive away.
In a separate section of the chapter, on Tuesday after school, Billy is at Candace's house standing in her bathtub wearing her boy shorts. Candace begins Billy's makeover by first putting a spray tan on him, then dying his hair, putting in his contacts, then getting him dressed. After an hour, Candace completes the makeover and leads Billy to her full-length mirror. Billy becomes nervous at seeing his reflection, knowing full well that he would no longer be able to blame his loneliness on being invisible. For the first time in years, Billy sees his reflection.
Chapter 11: Going Gaga
Frankie is in her room, trying to keep busy by doing her homework, cleaning her room, selecting her outfit for tomorrow and redecorating the Glitterati's cage, in order to keep herself from thinking about Brett. She suddenly hears a tapping at her window, and hoping it might be Brett, she opens it. Instead, she finds a ticket to the sold out Lady Gaga concert, but when she tries to reach for it, it moves out of her grasp. Hearing about Clawd's football coach trying to trick him from Cleo, Frankie turns away from the tickets, believing it to be the same trap. A voice calls out, however, and the voice is revealed to be from Billy, holding the ticket from a piece of fishing wire. Frankie is stunned that Billy is now visible and very good looking, and Billy explains how Candace had helped him with his makeover. Frankie approves of the transformation, asking if he will register for school, to which Billy responds that he had never thought to do so. Billy offers the concert ticket to Frankie, pulling out a second ticket for himself and asking her on a date to the concert. Frankie accepts and hugs him, expressing her happiness that he is no longer invisible.
Chapter 12: J Walking
On Wednesday during last period, Melody arrives at school, wanting to soothe her fears about Jackson being gone by seeing Ms. J in her biology class. Cleo approaches Melody, having heard the full story about searching for her birth mom from Manu, and sent on his behalf to make sure she is okay. Melody is filled with nausea at knowing the queen of gossip knows about her secret, but Cleo promises to not tell. Frankie suddenly appears, asking to trade gossip with the two of them, though Cleo holds true to her word and does not tell about Melody's secret. But after Frankie begs, Melody acquiesces and fills them in on the story. Melody feels creeped out that her parents kept such a big secret from her, though Cleo and Frankie point out that their own existence is more creepy. Cleo talks about the anti-RAD rallies that happen every morning and afternoon, and the monster jokes written in the bathroom stalls, and Frankie talks about the music playlist at lunch filled with peace songs. Melody is surprised at some of the support for RADs, though Cleo responds that it isn't nearly as enough, pointing out two buff senior guys wearing anti-RAD T-shirts. Candace and her NUDI supporters try to stop the guys, but Melody, with one command, stops them in their tracks, allowing NUDI to tear apart their shirts. Cleo asks how Melody is able to command people with her voice, though Melody is unable to answer. Later on, Ms. J is late in getting to class. Frankie exchanges her own gossip and reveals that Billy is now visible and taking her to the Lady Gaga concert, and feigns ignorance when asked if she is over Brett. Frankie is suddenly hit by a squirt of water from a water gun from Bekka, conducting a monster test on her. She then throws a clove of garlic at Melody, and a dog biscuit at Cleo, who throws the biscuit back and retorts that Bekka is the dog. Bekka wonders why Cleo is suddenly taking the RADs side, and Cleo accidentally lets slip that she had always been on this side. Following this lead, Bekka then wonders why Cleo had tried so hard to get the movie erased. Cleo is unable to retort, and Melody steps in, telling Bekka to admit that the reason she started the monster hunt was because of her bruised ego from being dumped by Brett and jealousy over Frankie for dating him. Much to everyone's surprise, Bekka admits to it. Continuing the questioning, she asks if the RADs have ever hurt Bekka physically, to which Bekka also replies that they hadn't. She asks the final question if Brett was still in contact with her and if she knows where he is, to which she also admits she doesn't know. Bekka is dismissed and hurries back to her friends amid skeptical murmurs from the rest of the class. Next, Melody directs her questions to Haylee, asking why she does everything Bekka says and lets her boss her around. Haylee reveals that Bekka had made her sign an indentured servitude contract in eighth grade, which didn't expire until sophomore year of college, and that she had been unsuccessful in breaking it in the past. Melody orders Haylee to destroy her contract, as well as Bekka's other 'friends,' freeing them. Bekka, becoming angry, blames her ex-friends for her breakup with Brett, then stalks out of the classroom at the same time that another woman comes in. Astounded by her power of persuasion, Melody tests her newfound power on Cleo, telling her to kiss the feather earrings she had made out of the feathers that fell on Melody the other day and give them to her, which Cleo does. The woman who came in the classroom introduces herself as the substitute teacher, but refuses to answer questions about what had happened to Ms. J. Using her powers once more, Melody asks the woman, who reveals that Ms. J was forced to resign by order of the school board for harboring a RAD. Melody leaves the classroom, using her power to tell the woman to mark her as present, and heads out, ready to find answers and listen to the truth, and to find Jackson.
In a series of texts between Frankie and Brett, Brett once again requests Frankie to stop texting him, not recognizing her new number. After finding out who she is, Brett reveals having to hide at his cousin's house in Portland since the press had been hounding him at his house, and offers to meet Frankie in Oregon City. Frankie agrees though on the condition that no one else can know about it.
Lost Chapter (Whose Unlucky Number Shall Go Unmentioned)
Chapter 14: Meat, Pray, Love
Refusing to skulk around the inn for any longer, Clawdeen secretly DIY's one of the rooms in the inn, then enlists the help of Niño to film another episode for her blog. While filming, a car with thumping music comes closer to the inn, and believing it to be humans who did not know the inn was closed, the two wait for the interruption to pass. As the car parks at the inn, Clawdeen recognizes the Ke$ha song "We R Who We R," a song that Lala plays in her car while driving her to school every morning, then realizes that it is Lala in the car and rushes down to greet her. The two head inside where Lala explains having been forced to stay with her grandparents, but had almost starved as they refused to serve her vegetarian meals. She had first called her Uncle Vlad, begging him to let her stay with him, though he could not house her since he had taken a decorating job for a five star restaurant. Lala then called the inn where Harriet helped arrange for Lala to stay there while waiting for Vlad to come back from his job. Clawdeen is excited at the prospect of a girlfriend to gossip with and a driving instructor. While they are eating dinner, Clawd comes to the table, having obviously freshened up. He is teased mercilessly by his siblings about it, though he claims having had to change after falling in the tub while fixing the clogging. Lala and Clawd casually smile at each other over dinner, with Lala offering to give him a mohawk, a popular style that many boys had in Romania. Clawdeen mentions that Cleo had texted her with news of people talking about her Sassy Sixteen. Lala, like Howie, expresses surprise that the party is still on, but Clawdeen continues to cling to hope that the uproar over the documentary could be over soon.
Chapter 15: RAD to the Bone
While waiting for their parents to return from their trip, Candace and Melody are playing truth or dare, but Melody uses her newfound voice to force Candace to tell the truth. One of Candace's biggest confessions was wishing on a penny tossed into the fountain for Melody's singing voice to disappear after she is forced to go to one of her recitals, missing out on her friend's party. Candace became guilt-ridden after Melody lost her singing voice to asthma, and was immediately relieved when she gained it back at the Teen Vogue photo shoot. Beau and Glory come back from their trip and wind down in the living room, where Melody finally asks her mother if she is her birth mother, using her new voice. Glory confesses that she is not, shocking Candace, who is reassured that Glory was indeed Candace's birth mother. After ordering Candace out of the room, Melody asks for the story. Her parents reveal that after Candace, the perfect-looking baby, was born, they were afraid they would not be able to create perfection like her again. Fearing this, Beau got a vasectomy, but later the two came to regret it. They worked with an adoption agency to find another child, and after getting a referral from a different agency, they took Melody home. They knew nothing about her birth parents, other than that they had already named her Melody, and the agency they got her from shut down a week after her adoption, so they would be unable to help her track her birth parents. Melody decides to leave and get some air, feeling empty rather than relieved, but accepting Beau and Glory's hugs. While outside, Melody sees a woman leaving Ms. J's house, and calls out to her, assuming it to be Ms. J. However, the woman walks away faster, and doesn't stop when Melody commands her, unlike everyone else, and Melody is unable to catch up to her.
Chapter 16: The O.C.
On Saturday, Frankie rides the train out to Oregon City to meet with Brett. Along the way, she tries to convince herself that Billy is the better choice, especially because he is a RAD. After arriving in Oregon City, she joins Brett at a bench, silently noting his disheveled appearance. Brett explains having had to leave town immediately to stay with his cousin in order to avoid the news vans, and also convinces Frankie that he had no involvement with Channel Two News and the new version of the documentary. He confesses that he missed her, leaning in to kiss Frankie, but she manages to avoid it by telling him how Bekka was outed. Hearing that Frankie was trying to move on, Brett tries to get her back using Lady Gaga tickets, given to him by Ross Healy from Channel Two News before the documentary aired. Frankie is torn but rejects the tickets and suggests doing separate things. Brett tells her to take the tickets anyway, but Frankie rejects them again, and gets up to leave as the train pulls into the station. Before she can leave, Brett kisses her and Frankie returns the gesture, believing it to be for the last time.
Chapter 17: Power Failure
On Saturday night, Candace is getting ready for a date with a guy named Shane, a literature major attending Willamette University, who believes that Candace lives alone in her house and that she is a senior at the same university. In order to trick her into leaving, Candace pretends that she sees the same woman Melody saw the other night leaving her house again. Melody hurries out, but when she does not see the woman, she rings the doorbell, thinking she had gone back inside. Melody, realizing that Candace had tricked her and locked her out of the house, stands fuming in front of Ms. J's door when the woman from the previous night answers the doorbell. Melody introduces herself, then questions where Jackson or Ms. J had gone. The woman answers that she has no idea, as she is renting the house month to month. Melody uses her powers to try and get answers from the woman, but unlike the others, the woman is unfazed by her quickly asked questions and is seemingly unwavered by her voice. After answering one of Melody's questions about why the house is dark, she answers that she is green, and Melody mistakes the answer to mean she was a RAD like Frankie and tries to offer her help. Melody confesses to the stranger about her power, but much to her surprise, the woman responds that Melody's power sounds dangerous, believing that people should be free to make their own decisions. Melody becomes frustrated over the woman's displeasure over her power and her rejection of Melody's idea to use her voice to convince Principal Weeks to get Ms. J her job back. The woman urges Melody to try convincing the principal using a different method, and Melody reluctantly promises.
Chapter 18: A Whirlwind Bromance
With the full moon coming closer, Clawdeen becomes more irritable than usual, especially at Lala who is instructing her in driving in the inn's empty parking lot. With a pout, Clawdeen announces she will never get her license, though Lala tries to give hope to her friend by putting on lipstick. Since Lala cannot see her reflection in the mirror, she oftentimes has smudged eyeliner or lipstick on her teeth or cheek, but Lala masterfully applies lipstick, impressing Clawdeen. Lala reveals that Clawd had helped her learn how to color inside the lines by having her practice on a papier-mâché head of herself. Clawdeen is shocked that her brother would take an interest in Lala, flashing back to previous moments where Lala is convinced by Clawd to try steak, which she gets closer to than ever by fang-spearing a piece, and taking her on parasol-free morning hikes. Lala also reveals her intention to give Clawd a mohawk, after making a deal with him to master applying makeup, after their driving lesson is done. In her shock, Clawdeen accidentally presses on the gas pedal, not able to brake in time to avoid crashing into a dumpster, inflating the airbags. Lala puts an end to the lesson, while Clawdeen answers a text from Cleo that says the golden tent in her front yard looked amazing. Clawdeen realizes with excitement that her parents had forgotten to cancel everything for her party, meaning it was still on. She hatches a plan to sneak out of the inn to go to her party, with Lala driving her there, and Cleo's servants Beb and Hasina working on decorations. She then texts Melody, on Cleo's suggestion, asking her to spread the word about her party, which Melody accepts.
Chapter 19: Joe Ksonyou
On Friday afternoon, Candace and Melody are in the cafeteria, trying to collect signatures from students. Deciding to stick to her promise to the woman, Melody enlisted Candace's own power of persuasion to ask Principal Weeks for Ms. J's job back. However, much to the girl's surprise, Principal Weeks does not cave to Candace's demand, and points out the decision to have Ms. J resign was a decision from the school board, and if 100 student signatures were collected before his afternoon Friday meeting with the board, they would reconsider. Despite this, Melody and Candace are still short six signatures, with the lunch period ending soon. They approach a group of freshmen girls but before they can get their blurb about signing the paper to get Ms. J her job back, the girls become enamored with the feathers surrounding Melody. Candace creates a story about the feathers coming from a rare bird that only Melody knows the existence of, and whose feathers are also sought after by famous designers and celebrities. Candace exchanges a deal with the girls, giving them a feather each if they sign the petition, which the girls eagerly accept. They race to Principal Week's office and hand over the signatures, but he hands the paper back, pointing out the names, most of which were fake and likely taken from a joke book. Angry, Melody tries to use her voice, feeling no guilt since she had tried technically fulfilled her promise to the stranger, but she is interrupted by a phone call he has to take. The girls leave the office and Candace ditches school for the day. Melody decides to tell every person, including every RAD hater, to go to Clawdeen's party, hoping that having all the students together would allow her to make a speech telling them to embrace every RAD and bring Ms. J and Jackson, as well as the rest of the RADs, back. In a series of texts, Cleo updates Clawdeen on the decorations almost being done. Clawdeen panics after realizing that there is no caterer because her mother was going to cook, though Cleo assures her that she would tell her servants to take care of it too. Melody texts Clawdeen with everyone's plan to come to the party, with some arriving late because of the Lady Gaga concert, and Clawdeen texts back her gratefulness.
Chapter 20: Mother Trucker
Later that night, Clawdeen and Lala make their way to the inn's dining room. With the full moon in two days, Clawdeen has spent much of her time waxing, clipping her nails, and using the bathroom after having drunk two pots of herbal tea to calm her severe mood swings. Clawdeen, so far, had resisted telling Lala about her plan to go to her real Sassy Sixteen back in Salem, thinking that Lala might accidentally tell Clawd. Lala leads Clawdeen to the dining room, and upon opening the doors, reveals the surprise party her family had planned for her. She is delighted with her present, a Singer XL-150 sewing machine, suggested by Niño, that everyone had pitched in to buy. Clawdeen becomes terrified that her mother would ground her for redecorating an inn in the room without her permission, though to Clawdeen's surprise, her mother compliments her work and suggests letting her move in the room, also having her own bathroom, which cheers Clawdeen up. After the party, Clawdeen leads Lala to the ladies' room, making idle chatter with her in order to deter her mother's better hearing, and after blasting water in the sink, procures a bag full of clothes and makeup and starts preparing for her Sassy Sixteen while filling in Lala on the plan. Lala, however, is less than excited after finding out that she had not known about it before anyone else due to Clawdeen's fear of her telling Clawd. After she finishes getting ready, Clawdeen gets ready to leave, but Lala stays behind, deeming the trip unsafe. Now irked, Clawdeen points out how Lala was eager to go only when Clawd was going, to which Lala retorts that she thought Clawd could protect them if something were to happen. Clawdeen, now angry, leaves Lala behind, intending to use her limited driving experience to drive herself there. When she opens the door to the car, however, Harriet is already there. Harriet orders her to tell her the truth in the car, and Clawdeen reveals having wanted her Sassy Sixteen so bad so she could have a night focused on her, and no one else, and also so she could be treated more like an adult and not be bossed around by her brothers. Harriet sympathizes with Clawdeen's plight, explaining how she too was bossed around by her mother and older sister, and had saved up money from a job to backpack across Europe. Her decision to come back was made final after she met and fell in love with Clawrk, who urged her to come back to America with him, which she initially refused, but four days later, agreed to do so. Harriet then decides to drive Clawdeen to the party, promising to protect her if it was a trap. As they are backing out of the lot, Lala arrives trying to stop Clawdeen from driving herself, but becomes mortified when she realizes it is Harriet in the driver's seat. Harriet invites Lala along, and she agrees, and they make their way to the party.
Chapter 21: Phaedin, Fade Out
Frankie and Billy are on their way to the Lady Gaga concert, though Frankie is not as excited, since Oregon City still holds the memory she had with Brett. Frankie secretly wishes Billy would kiss her so she can start moving on, but she also notes that the new visible Billy had gone out of his way to be a gentleman, turning their friendship into a courtship, and thus would not make the first move. As the train makes another stop, a group of girls comes into the train, singing "Alejandro." Frankie and Billy sing along, and as more concertgoers get onto the train, they continue singing all the songs on Gaga's album, The Fame Monster, and some of the songs on The Fame before eventually arriving at their stop. With the concert in full swing, Frankie and Billy energetically sing along with Lady Gaga, then Billy finally makes the first move and kisses Frankie. A hot blast of air suddenly comes over them, and Billy pulls away, his bronzer now melting. A second blast comes over them, liquefying Frankie's makeup as well, and the two quickly make their exit, fearing for their safety if people knew what they really were. While making their escape, they run directly into Brett and Heath, the latter of whose burps was the source of the unexpected heat. Brett is surprised at seeing visible Billy, though quickly gets over it, noting the importance of getting the two of them out of the concert venue via Heath's older sister picking them up in her car. Billy refuses to leave, instead, making his way to the bathroom and shedding his clothing and contacts, intending to wash off the bronzer and hair dye and sneak into Lady Gaga's dressing room. Frankie realizes that despite all that had happened between them, she still could not make herself like Billy, and Billy also agrees, citing that there were simply no sparks and that he wouldn't hold it against her. Brett, Heath and Frankie leave together, leaving Billy behind.
Chapter 22: Hair Apparent
Clawdeen, Lala and Harriet finally arrive at the party, though due to the Wolf's driveway being so full, they have to park in the Steins' cul-de-sac. Clawdeen is impressed with the turnout Melody managed to get, and is even more impressed with the lights, done by Cleo's servants, that lead to the tent. While Harriet is admiring the lights, Clawdeen feels another growth spurt happening to her hair, which grows another inch. Thankful that Harriet had not witnessed the growth, which would remind her of the risk they were taking and land Clawdeen and Lala back in the car headed to the inn, the three round the house and to the tent.
Chapter 23: Pain in the Sass
Melody sits alone in a chair, away from the dancing and feeling nervous. Despite most of the RADs being a no-show, many of the humans and leftover RADs were having a great time. Melody plans to deliver her speech of acceptance during a toast to Clawdeen, then have everyone storm the airport to keep Ms. J and Jackson from leaving, though the plan could not go off without Clawdeen herself arriving. In order to have his private planes fly under the radar, Mr. D is required to wait until the airport is closed, leaving Melody three hours. Melody asks Cleo if she heard anything from Clawdeen, though like Melody, she still hasn't received any text. As the DJ switches to the next song, a chant of "Wolf!" sounds near the entrance, and, relieved that she has finally arrived, Melody signals to Cleo, who is happily on the phone with Deuce, then makes her way to the entrance. However, when she arrives, Melody is horrified to discover the multiple pictures of Clawdeen through the ages defiled by a group of boys with a pen; drawing things such as big teeth, a full moon, fur and a dead squirrel hanging from her mouth. Cleo finally arrives, though is just as horrified at the pictures. Melody orders the boys to stop, but they do not hear her over the sound of the DJ. The only people who do stop are Clawdeen, Lala and Harriet, having just arrived.
Chapter 24: Big Pack Attack
Harriet goes to try and pull the pictures off of their cavases, clearly angry and needing something to claw at, while Clawdeen recognizes the group of boys from the track team being responsible for defiling her pictures. The boys had been torturing and pranking her ever since she had joined their track team, due to her being able to run faster than all of them. Cleo tries to comfort Clawdeen, though turns the subject back to herself, comparing her big moment to Clawdeen's, which was ruined from seeing the pictures, causing her to hang up on Deuce, who had finally called. Clawdeen becomes irked at Cleo's comparison, and Cleo offers her Aunt Nefertiti's pear-shaped emerald earrings as a peace offering. Clawdeen does not take the offer, merely standing and not saying anything as her friends came up to give her hugs and birthday wishes. Melody takes the blame for the incident, apologizing profusely to Clawdeen and tries to explain her plan. Cleo pushes her to make the boys apologize to Clawdeen, which she goes to do, despite Clawdeen's skepticism. Much to her shock, the boys come back to apologize for the ruined pictures, and even for their previous bad behavior. The boys notice Clawdeen's hair growth, and despite their apologies, proceed to make fun of and record her transition. Lala and Harriet quickly grab Clawdeen, wanting to leave before they are exposed, but Clawdeen, tired of hiding, wriggles free. Clawdeen calmly announces wanting to stay, pointing out that everyone already knew what they were. At that moment, Brett, Heath, and Frankie arrive, and after Frankie clears Brett's name, Clawdeen accepts the emerald earrings Cleo holds out to her. Suddenly, "We R Who We R" starts playing, and the girls rush back to the tent together. The RADs dance to song after song, revealing who they really are, now no longer afraid to come out, and with the humans no longer as afraid of them.
In a separate section of the chapter, Billy flashes back to the moment Frankie, Brett and Heath had left him back at the concert. After washing out the hair dye and bronzer, Billy rushed to catch a ride with the others, slipping unnoticed into the backseat as they made their way to Clawdeen's party. Billy watched from the sidelines as RADs came out of hiding, unable to hate Frankie or Brett. The song "Invisible" by Ashlee Simpson plays and he laughs; a song that Candace teased him with from the day she first met him. The laughter is picked up by an invisible girl, who briefly reveals herself with a scented spray and introduces herself to Billy as Spectra. Spectra reveals that she thought about him a lot, having had a crush on him since the eighth grade when he tied their teacher's shoelaces together. Billy asks Spectra to dance, which she happily accepts.
Chapter 25: The Shock Exchange
With the party over and the RADs now free, Frankie, now makeup-free, and Brett head back toward Frankie's house. Despite the RADs new freedom, Frankie feels restless and unsatisfied. Frankie first wonders if Billy is okay, worrying that despite his reassurances, she had still broken his heart. She then wonders if she is a failure, flashing back to her parents' conversation when she was first built about a person being able to change the way the RADs were living, believing that she hadn't been that person. Brett reminds her that she had been the spark that started the change, and that her happiness at finally being free was exactly what her mother had wanted. Frankie kisses Brett in the middle of Radcliffe Way as cars drive by, uninhibited and with no one interested.
Chapter 26: Jacks-On!
After being taken away by her mother, Melody heard a haunting voice, prompting her to investigate. Drawn by the sound, she follows the song down Radcliffe Way, but it soon stops, and Melody realizes the voice led her to Ms. J's house. Melody becomes confused, but also turns away to leave, not wanting a lecture from the woman, when the door suddenly opens and Ms. J appears. Melody hugs her out of relief and Ms. J explains how she and Jackson were getting ready to take off when they received a text from Mr. D with the RADs now ready to stand in solidarity. Ms. J also explains how she blasted Jackson with heat for two weeks, turning him into DJ, because she didn't want Melody to know where they were, as it was crucial they stay hidden, and she knew Jackson would find a way to contact her, thus he was upstairs taking a shower after being constantly sweaty for two weeks. Melody asks about the woman that was renting the house, to which Ms. J replies that she does not know, but hands her a letter the woman left behind. The letter explains how a great mother does what's best for her child, even when it isn't good for her, and that was the reason why she had given Melody up for adoption. Melody discovers she is a siren, a bird-woman with a powerful voice that can get people to do anything, and that her mother's voice was more powerful, but that destiny was not there's to control; she wanted Melody to be able to make her own decisions without her influence. The letter is signed by Melody's birth mother, Marina, and ends with an explanation on how after breaking her nose while playing football, Beau fixed her up, and, after hearing that the Carvers were looking to adopt she gave Melody to them. Melody laughs, a reaction she is surprised at, but is also relieved that all her questions are answered. Melody finally realizes that her place truly was with the RADs, as she was one of them, and that her new life would soon truly start.
Characters
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Notes
Errors
- In Monster High, there are said to be "no fewer than ten boys" playing outside the Wolf residence, all heavily implied to be siblings. In chapter 1, it is shown that the Wolf family only has five sons.
- In chapter 2, when the RAD meeting concludes and Frankie and her parents are leaving, Frankie looks back at the RADs to survey the scene, and the text reads: "Lala and Blue giggle-sobbed as they recorded video messages on each other's phones." This, however, is impossible, as all of the RADs phones were turned to stone earlier by Maddy Gorgon.
- In The Ghoul Next Door, Melody, inspired by Jackson's "full disclosure" policy with his mom, decides to adopt the same policy with Beau and Glory, and tells them everything about her involvement with the RADs. In chapter 3, Beau and Glory do not know about the RADs, and are also unaware that some of them live on their street.
- In The Ghoul Next Door, in Billy's first chapter, he explains how, despite what the other RAD boys seem to think, he does not want to be the "invisible horndog who follows hot girls and eavesdrops on their conversation." In chapter 21, after deciding to be invisible again, Billy is all too eager to sneak into Lady Gaga's dressing room.
- However, in the previous book, he explains that he does not chase after other girls because Frankie is the only girl he likes. After the concert, when Billy and Frankie run into Brett again, Billy realizes that there is no sparks between him and Frankie, and goes invisible again. It is likely that after realizing Frankie will not feel the same way about him like she does with Brett, he abandoned his previous credo.
- In chapter 18, Cleo texts Clawdeen her compliments on the tent set up for her Sassy Sixteen in the front yard of her house. In chapter 22, Clawdeen, Lala and Harriet are walking around the house to the tent that is now in the backyard.
- It is possible that the tent was merely delivered to the front yard and spotted by Cleo, thus why she texted Clawdeen the news, though in her text, it is not made clear if the tent had already been set up in the front yard.
Other
- In chapter 24, it is mentioned that Heath has an older sister named Harmony. Considering Heath is a RAD and can also breathe fire, it is likely that Harmony has the same trait. However, she is only mentioned in this chapter and she only exists in this book series.
- Considering that she is older and assuming she also has the same trait as Heath, it means she has known about her own, and his, RAD status longer than he has, but for some reason, neglected to tell him.