Carol Holiday

Crispy autumn leaves crunched beneath Alex's feet as they walked along the pavement of Hometown's small streets toward the Holiday household. In stark contrast to the meagre houses of lower-class monsters, the Holiday family home enjoyed the privilege of seclusion and isolation in the dense woodlands surrounding the town. However, "family" was quite the overstatement now. Ever since the disappearance of the mayor's eldest daughter and the hospitalisation of her husband, the state of the family remained sequestered from the public eye. The mayor's youngest, Noelle, continued to attend school and timidly step her foot out into the world, but was nevertheless always dragged back into her place by her mother. Without Rudy to warm things up, the house became a stagnant reminder of the past, frozen in time, which the mayor held onto possessively, forbidding even mailmen from stepping an inch onto her front garden. Despite the isolation of the Holiday family, Alex was lucky to have made friends with Noelle. Whether pressed into desperation by lacklustre performance on mock exams or simply wanting to spend time with her, Alex had offered to help Noelle on their group project today—although they certainly needed the help more than her. She was smart, maybe smarter than Berdly, and proved to be an invaluable asset in Alex's academic survival. Though she was typically timid about the idea and reluctant to interrupt her mother, who was undoubtedly busy, Noelle agreed to let Alex spend what little time she could provide at their household—if her mother allowed it. Alex reached the cold metal gate of the household driveway rather early by probably half an hour. Unexpectedly, it appeared that Noelle had expected them much earlier than anticipated, given the fact that the gate was left slightly ajar and could be pushed further with enough force. The air brimmed with a cold, misty temperature that froze their breath, and so, without wanting to walk the way back home for nothing and without wanting to freeze themselves to death, Alex walked past the gate and up the driveway. It led toward a small footpath adorned with a cobblestone pavement, with ornate street lamps on either side decorated with wreathes, leading Alex in front of the enormously large, white-painted household. Owing to the family's name, it was dressed top-to-bottom in tinsel, fairy-lights, red present bows and a sled sat atop the roof—all entirely out of season. If the house were to ever belong to another family of monsters, they wouldn't even have enough space in the attic to put all of it away. Without delaying themselves any further, Alex approached the front door and delivered a few gentle knocks—only to find that it was unlocked, just like the gate.

The moment Alex stepped into the interior, they were chilled to the bone by the exceedingly low temperature that contrasted the brisk, outside autumn air. Curiously, it appeared that the house had been vacant the entire day, as Noelle evidently wasn't anywhere to be immediately found, and all Alex had to keep them company was an assortment of battery-powered Santa dolls that danced from a button-press. Patiently, Alex sat down onto the sofa, boredly glancing around the room, lounging over heart-shaped pillows and admiring the commitment the Holiday family had to festive decorations, in spite of how fractured they had become. Suddenly, Alex felt a painfully icy touch, as a furry but freezing-cold palm sternly tightened around their shoulder, the blue-manicured fingernails practically stabbing into their skin. They were frozen in intimidation, too scared stiff to even try moving away from the mature woman who loomed overhead. Her voice came out with an authoritative tone, straightforward and sharp, each monosyllabic word and prosodic pause demanding absolute attention.

CAROL: "What—are you—doing—in here?"

The mayor, Carol, appeared to have came home from work early—an exceedingly rare occassion, given her hard-working renown. Despite it, she remained sharply on edge, looming over Alex with the same predatory stillness she used in city council meetings before dismantling an opponent’s argument point by point. Perhaps Carol had returned home without giving Noelle the chance to inform her about their group project—unless she simply didn't approve of it in the first place. even when obese she's slow shown by her thigh size

CAROL: "When I left for work this morning, I made absolutely sure that the front gate was locked—tight. I'm not sure if Noelle must've given you the keys or forgotten to lock it after she left for class, but I'm afraid you are trespassing on my property."

When Alex worked up the courage to turn toward her, they were met by her conservative attire and the harsh, hostile glare of her cold eyes, which were punctuated by arched eyebrows that left a permanently stern expression on her resting bitch face. Her pale-beige fur seemed to radiate a shivering aura, dropping the room temperature down by several degrees from her presence alone.

CAROL: "I don't know how disciplined you were growing up, and I frankly don't care if Noelle gave you permission to be here—but I will not let anyone inside of this house without my express, explicit permission. Am—I—understood?"

She was very clearly frustrated, her frown curving further down. After several moments of silence, she walked in front of the couch, adjacent to the table in front. She waited, impatiently, looming overhead as her eyes stared daggers. She folded her arms over her chest, scoffing with unflinching disgust and lacing her words with passive-aggressive sarcasm.

CAROL: "I'll go ahead and assume that Noelle must've invited you over as her study-buddy. Please, make yourself at home if you haven't already."

Then, abruptly, she turned on her heel and strode toward the liquor cabinet, her fat ass wobbling as it swayed like water with a 'slosh' as it it hits open the cabinet, pulling out a bottle of expensive bourbon with practiced ease. She carelessly poured it into a clear glass, standing tall as she absentmindedly swirled the liquid contents.

CAROL: "Noelle won't make the same mistake of inviting you without my approval next time. I might officially work at the Town Hall, but my home and what happens inside of it is still none of your business. In the midwhile—tell me—how exactly are you two getting on? Your friendship, I mean. She's no longer as vocal as she used to be, but she still talks sparingly of you."

She smirked, thinking adoringly of her daughter.

CAROL: "At least she still does choir."