The band was finally onstage! At last, they were ready to perform their first concert on the front steps of the school. Bright lights shone in their eyes.
Rayth stepped forward and grabbed the microphone. “Hello, Monster High! We are…Howling Thunder and Frightening Featuring Rayth and Deuce and the Rolling Bones and Woolee!”
Someone in the audience clapped and cheered. It was Gob. He was the only person in the audience. Everyone else was at the opening.
Deuce strummed his bass. “Who wants to hear some heavy-ish metal monster alternative goth rock with subtle undertones of smooth jazz?”
Woolee cleared her throat.
“And there’s, uh, some polka in there too.” Deuce sighed.
Woolee grinned and pinged her tiny triangle.
Rayth turned toward the band. “I said, a-one, a-two, a-one-two-three!” But no one moved. Rayth realized something terrible. “Hey, we never practiced any songs!”
“Yeah,” said Silvi thoughtfully. “I was meaning to bring that up.”
Out in the audience, Gob was eagerly waiting for the concert to begin.
“Uh—um—uh,” stuttered Rayth. He thrummed a chord on his guitar. It wasn’t tuned. It screeched with feedback.
Nobody else knew what to do. Woolee pinged her triangle.
Gob was starting to grumble when the lights suddenly flickered. For a moment, there was darkness, and then they came on again. Everyone was relieved. Zap! Electricity blasted through the instruments…and disappeared. Electricity flickered through the room…and disappeared. It lit up Silvi’s and Venus’s dresses…and disappeared. What was going on? Was this part of the show?
“That’s kind of cool!” exclaimed Silvi. Her guitar was glowing!
“Nice!” Deuce nodded, pleased.
Even Woolee liked the effects. But Rayth felt left out. “Where are my electric special effects?” he grumbled.
A moment later, the lights went out for good. Rayth tried to strum his guitar but there was no noise. There were no lights. There was no electricity.
It was all gone!
The lights were flickering in the salon. Lagoona touched her turntable and was shocked. The electric hair clippers stopped working. The spotlights were on the fritz, sending mini–lightning bolts across the room.
“What’s going on?” people wondered.
In the Normie town, the same thing was happening. First, the lights began to flicker, and then they went off for good. There were no lights on in the houses. There were no streetlights. It was a total blackout!
Frankie was filling up with more and more electricity. Her hair was standing on end. Sparks were flying out of her fingers. Her skin glowed. Her body was rigid. Her eyes were wide and glittering.
In the Fierce Salon, the lights went out. Worried voices wondered when they were going to turn back on.
“What’s happening?”
“Looks like a power surge,” someone said authoritatively.
“I can’t see anything!” a Normie yelled, setting off the panic.
Cleo tried to get everyone to calm down. “Um. Nothing to worry about, people! Just a little technical difficulty on our first night. If I could direct your attention to the table in the corner: Please help yourself to some refreshments.”
Just at that moment, a power surge burst through the floor like a broken hydrant and blasted the table toward the ceiling.
“Okay, maybe hold off on the refreshments for the time being,” said Cleo.
The Normies were freaking out.
“Should we leave?”
“It’s getting kind of dangerous!”
“Yikes!”
Strange electrical noises—thrums and zaps and whirs—filled the room. Sparks landed on Cleo and she went electric. Sparks landed on Lagoona and she glowed.
In the secret underground chamber, Moanica was triumphant. She laughed gleefully as more and more electricity poured into Frankie. Frankie wafted back and forth like seaweed caught in a tidal current of pure electrical power.
The Zomboyz were holding on tight to Twyla. “Frankie!” called Twyla, trying to break free.
“She can’t hear you!” Moanica cackled.
The glow coming from Frankie was blinding. How much more could she take? Slowly, Frankie lifted into the air, filled with power.
Twyla broke free from the Zomboyz, but she couldn’t get to her friend. The electricity was like a shield blasting her backward.
The dial registering the amount of electricity in the room was climbing higher and higher. How much more could Frankie take?
House by house, street by street, town by town, country by country—all the lights were disappearing. All the electricity was disappearing…right into Frankie! The grid was down!
Bolts were busting loose. The dial on the register spun round and round. Frankie had broken it. She drifted toward the ground and dropped to her knees. Again, Twyla raced to her friend, but she could not touch her.
Moanica was victorious; she had done it. She had brought darkness to the world! Now it was time to release the Zomboyz!