Chapter Text
Jackson Jekyll was a freak.
Or at least, that's what he thought.
Why else would everyone have left him?
He wasn't sure whether it was his constant blackouts and memory lapses, the fact that he was half monster, his anxiety, or perhaps just his general nerdiness, but people seemed driven away by him.
He was like a magnet for stereotypical highschool bullies.
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Jackson found himself sat, facing his mother - Sydney - on the crimson couch of their living room. Anxiously, he fiddled with his thumbs. That was another school crossed off the list, and this time he wasn't even sure why.
He remembered it being loud.
He remembered the feeling of the significantly bulkier boy shoving him against the wall, the feeling of the fist hitting his face again and again.
He was so scared, the chaos was too much.
And then his vision had started to blur.
Everything was too much.
A scream of "KILL THE MONSTER!"
And he had blacked out.
His mum sat opposite, hanging her head in disappointment, a look which was soon clouded by sympathy for her son.She clearly knew what had happened. Sydney brushed her inky black hair from her face, breathing in and grabbing the first aid kit from the coffee table.
"Jackson, what happened at school?" Sydney was the first to speak, asking the looming question
Small, salty tears leaked from the corner of Jackson's eyes just from thinking about the events.
With a shaky voice, he spoke, "I-I'm not sure.. A kid was beating me up and then I blacked out and now I'm expelled for fighting??"
He looked so confused.
Sydney looked at him with those sympathetic eyes, attempting to treat his still-bleeding nose.
His face was covered in bruises, and she knew his arms still held yellowing marks from particularly bad injuries of the past beneath those bright yellow sleeves. Jackson knew there were other marks there too, from times he felt he wasn't enough, and times he let rage consume him. She pulled him into a tight hug.
"Well, Jaxy, at least that schools over with, right? The thing is, where next?"
Jackson shuddered slightly at the nickname, and groaned.
Right.
A new school.
What was the point?
It would just be this same cycle again.
"I dunno. There's no other schools in the area, that I know of"
After thinking for a second, Sydney smirked.
Annoyed, Jackson snorted.
"This is a serious conversation, the hell you smirking for?" Jackson snapped, before adding "Sorry, I got upset for a minute"
Sydney smiled "You gonna let me continue?"
"Yeah"
"Good. So, there is one school that we haven't tried yet"
"And what would that be?" Jackson pushed his (now wonky from all the blows to his face) glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Monster High." Sydney Jekyll couldn't help but grin.
"What? You want me to go to a monster school? I don't even look like one.." Jackson began to panic, but quickly calmed himself as he realised the symptoms of a blackout were creeping up on him.
"Don't worry, the headmistress will be aware of your situation!" Sydney replied, too cheerfully.
"B-but what if the students don't like me?? Everyone knows monsters and 'normies' don't have the best relationship at the moment"
"We'll figure that out eventually! Trust me, you'll be fine Jaxy"
Sydney ruffled his hair, before opening her computer.
Jackson couldn't help but feel like his mum was getting too caught up in this, he didn't even really want to go to that school! But everyone knows how determined the Jekylls are. Once they have an idea, you can't stop them.
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In his room, Jackson opened the draw on his mahogany desk, pulling out his journal. It was bright yellow - his favourite colour - on the base, but was decorated with messily scrawled felt-tip flames which he was sure he hadn't drawn. His mum had bought it for him after he told her about his memory issues, and it had proved very useful. Jackson skimmed through the pages, watching the writing fluctuate between his own neat cursive, and a slightly more messy hand, trying to find any entries from last night - after what had happened.
Images flashed through his head.
Jackson covered his ears, although he knew it wouldn't help.
As soon as he opened to the page, Jackson blacked out.
Hollis - Holt - opened her - his? - eyes to a bedroom. Her bedroom? Yes, she'd slept there once or twice.
The analogue clock ticked loudly on the wall, and the bed was neatly made.
In fact, everything in that room was so perfect and neat - bookshelves arranged in alphabetical order, dark wooden desk entirely clean asides from her journal, which lay open on a page recounting the events from yesterday.
Oh gods, not that.
Images flashed through her mind.
She remembered appearing there, like she had just now.
Slammed against a wall, but strong enough to break free from his clasp and punch his face.
Maybe stronger than she wanted to.
Maybe more violent.
Maybe he staggered backwards, clutching his bleeding nose.
But she hadn't stopped.
The pain on her face made it evident that he had done worse to her.
So she wanted revenge.
So that pale blue fist hit that normies face so many times.
Until he was keeling over in pain.
Until he retched and gagged and spluttered as if choked.
Until bruises blossomed from his face like some kind of magic.
Until a twisted smile appeared on her face.
Until people chanted "MONSTER" from all around.
Until the people closed in on her.
She shook at the thought, before grabbing her headphones and heading downstairs.
A woman was sat there. She'd seen her once or twice before. The woman smiled deliriously, "It's you!! Do you...have a name?"
Hollis grinned at the woman, glad she was interested, although hunched over a computer, "Yeah! It's Hollis..." she tried to think of a last name, and then she remembered it, "Hollis Hyde! or Holt as a nickname! Super awesome to meet you!" He laughed. "I submitted your application form!!"
"For what?"
"Monster high!! You're starting next term!!"
"Why did you enroll me in this school though? I'm not your child!"
Thinking about it, did Hollis even have family? Not that she remembered. This woman has always been kind to her, and this boy named Heath, apparently her cousin.
"Don't worry about it" Sydney knew her better than she thought.
Bonus:
The Application and acceptance letter:
Dear Headmistress Bloodgood,
My name is Sydney Jekyll, I am writing to enquire about whether I'd be able to enroll my children Jackson and Hollis in your school for the next term. I'd much appreciate if you can get back to me, as they have a unique situation. You see, the name isn't just a coincidence, my two children are part of the same person, through a gene inherited from my father, Dr Henry Jekyll. While they are human on my side of the family, their father is a monster, and therefore Hollis holds the half monster side of the family, and has somehow managed to get themself expelled from every human school in the state.
From,
Sydney Jekyll
Acceptance letter:
Dear Sydney Jekyll,
I completely understand your situation, and I will do my best to welcome your children with open arms into our school. We have had half human students before, and you'd be happy to hear they have faced minimal discrimination during their time with us. Please attend a meeting the day before term starts to discuss how the timetable will be split between Jackson and Hollis.
Kind Regards,
Headmistress Bloodgood
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