[grunts]
[man] What was that thing?
Wait. You can see her?
Her? No. That thing was not human.
[female monster grunting]
-He could see the new monster? -How is that possible?
So, now we're not just chasing invisible monsters?
Grandma, what have you gotten us into?
ghost writer
I don't understand why people can see her.
Maybe because we brought her to life using parts from our world.
So? She's still a character in the book.
No. In the book, he never finishes the second monster.
But that still doesn't explain it.
You know how Principal Fong couldn't see the Mad Hatter,
-but she could see the tea party? -Yeah?
It's like the new monster is the tea party.
It's probably my fault. I mean, I was doing most of the work.
Let's just face it. I mess everything up.
No way. We were working on it together.
I saw how you hooked up the machine. You're really smart.
There is one other logical explanation.
I was afraid of what would happen
if you actually finished building the new monster.
So I kinda took out the heart.
You did what?
I didn't think it would come alive without it.
So, now we're dealing with something that's literally heartless?
-I was just trying to help. -Do us a favor. Stop trying to help.
I think we have a bigger problem.
"Reports are coming in of vandalism in the area south of Castello del Sogno.
A grocery store on Cumberland Avenue was raided.
The owner reports seeing a wild figure rummaging through the shelves."
We should call Donna. We need all hands on deck.
No. Let her stay at the sleepover where she's safe.
I've searched the entire castle. The creature is nowhere to be found.
We know where she is. Come on.
-Let's start the movie. -I'll go get the popcorn.
Stop looking at your phone. You bored or something?
Sorry.
I've been thinking about this all day, and it doesn't add up.
-You're really just in a book club? -What doesn't add up?
Well, in your journal, there was all this stuff about Ruben's grandma.
She left us the booklist.
Please don't say anything to Katie.
You don't want me to mention you're in a book club?
Yeah?
If you say so.
-I hope you like kettle corn. -Oh, cool!
Okay. So there was a report on Plainview and another on Westerly.
So if we're tracking this correctly, she should be--
-There! -[grunting]
She doesn't look so bad.
Let me handle this. We need to be chill. And... I got chill.
Beware. She is without heart and feels nothing.
Great pep talk, Bob.
'Scuse me. Monster lady?
[grunts]
Hey, uh, I'm Curtis. You could say I'm your creator.
[growls]
We come in peace. We're your friends.
See? I got this.
I don't got this!
Bob!
Lock the door.
Okay. I'm legit scared.
[female monster grunting]
She is approaching.
[growling continues]
In the back room. Come on!
[growls]
No way you'll be able to explain this to your mom.
-That's optimistic. -What is?
Believing we're gonna get out of here to explain anything!
Shh!
[grunts]
I'll protect you. Leave. Leave. Go! Run!
[female monster growling]
[Monster grunts]
Please! [groans]
-[Monster] Calm down! -I'm too scared to look.
[clattering]
We don't know how to thank you.
It is the very least I can do. I will ensure she does not return.
[Chevon] This is bad.
-We have to clean this up. -Yeah. Good luck with that.
This place is destroyed.
Hey, check this out.
It's a painting contest. So?
Bring your favorite characters to life. Like Ghost Writer does.
I mean, it could be a coincidence.
Or it could be a clue.
-What in the world? -Are you okay? What happened?
I don't know. We just got here.
Oh! This place is a wreck.
Twice in one week. Don't tell me this is just neighborhood kids.
I thought you were getting an alarm system.
I have a security camera. Let's just stay calm.
Do you not remember what the woman at the diner said?
Um, what did she say exactly?
Some monster came into the restaurant and tore the place apart.
-Monster? -I'm gonna check the other doors.
Stay here.
You don't believe the woman at the diner, do you?
No. Obviously there's no monster.
But there's something going on in this town.
There's been reports all over the radio.
That sounds ridiculous.
Yeah, well, I don't know what's going on. But I don't wanna take any chances.
Yeah... Um, do you mind if we go up to my room?
Yeah, of course. Go ahead.
She has not returned as yet. But I fear she will.
We need a plan.
We need to get these characters back in the book.
You're right. It's gotten way out of hand.
I don't get it. Why would Grandma put her own grandson in danger?
Whoa.
"Responsibility"?
She wants us to take responsibility?
If anyone should take responsibility, it's you.
We wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't taken out the heart.
Really? We wouldn't be in this position if you'd listened to me
and not built the new monster in the first place.
No! If anyone should take responsibility, it's my grandma.
All we've been trying to do is solve her mystery.
Children, you must not quarrel amongst yourselves.
Danger lurks in our midst.
You must remain a united front.
He's right. Now what?
Check the news?
I left my phone downstairs. I'll be right back.
See? Aren't you glad you finally got a security system?
It didn't stop the place from getting wrecked.
[female monster grunting]
[Monster grunting]
[Ms. Reyna] Ruben was there.
[Grandpa] He was right in the path of whatever that thing is.
[Ms. Reyna] Oh, they look terrified.
You know, you are right. Maybe it's a sign.
Maybe it's time to sell the store.
If your mother were here, you know what she'd say.
She'd say, "Let's pack our bags and leave tonight."
I'll call Jim tomorrow.
Tell him I'll take his offer.
I'm gonna have to talk to Ruben. I can't believe he lied to us.
[Ms. Reyna sighs]
Come on, Bob.
Where are you going?
We're gonna go find Dr. Frankenstein.
We have to talk to him. I have an idea about the "responsibility" clue.
We must hasten.
Come on.
[thunderclap]
Where is he?
[hammering]
In the lab. Let's go.
Wait.
Let me talk to him first.
He trusts me.
We'll wait down here.
Chevon will be fine. She's a pain, but she can handle herself.
It's not that. It's just...
I overheard my mom and Grandpa talking.
-I think they're gonna sell the bookstore. -Wait. What?
They watched the surveillance footage.
They know we were there when the monster came in.
Now they think it's not safe. They wanna sell the store and move away.
You can't leave.
What about your grandma's mystery?
And all of us?
I don't know.
Your friendship moves me.
-Doctor. -Chevon.
We need to talk.
Curtis and Ruben built the new creature.
But you were right. Removing her heart was a terrible mistake.
Is everyone safe?
Yes. For now.
We thought the Monster needed a friend.
But the truth is, he needs the love of his creator.
It is impossible, Chevon.
I cannot bear to look upon his hideous countenance.
Doctor, you can't just abandon your work.
It's like if I start a project, I have to follow it through.
I can't just get a puppy and not feed it.
It's about taking responsibility for our actions.
Are you suggesting that the creature is as he is because I have abandoned him?
Yes.
We've already talked to him, and he's actually really nice.
He can't understand why you would bring him to life
and then just leave him like that.
Please.
What's taking so long?
Creator.
Are you ready to hear my story?
I cannot do this.
Take responsibility.
Don't be scared. Go ahead.
You got this.
My creature.
Creator.
Please... forgive me for abandoning you as I have.
Creator, I forgive you.
It worked.
-[sighs] We did it. -I am so glad this nightmare is over.
Hold on. What about the new monster? Do you think she's gone too?
The words are back in the book. So, yeah.
The only problem is, we'll never know why my grandma released these characters.
I'm fine with that.
I guess ghosts do work in mysterious ways.
[growling]
Run!
In here.
-It's out of order? -Thanks for the heads-up, Grandpa.
[grunts]
I feel like this is rule number one
of what you're not supposed to do in horror movies.
All right. It's okay. She can't get in here.
-What are you doing? -We need help.
[growling]
-[all scream] -[woman screaming on TV]
-[phone buzzing] -[all scream]
Uh, sorry. I have to take this.
-Hello? -Donna, we're at the bookstore.
-We need your help. -We built another monster,
but Chevon took out the heart.
We put the characters back in the book, but the new monster is still here.
Okay. That's a lot to digest. Slow down.
We can't. We're in big trouble.
[Ruben yelps]
I'm on my way. Just make sure you don't, like, barricade yourselves
inside an elevator or something.
That's rule number one in horror movies.
[female monster grunting]
I really have to go. It's an emergency.
I know. A creature was seen walking down Oak Avenue.
I know you're not in a book club, Donna.
-Don't be mad. -I'm not mad.
Hey, Katie. Any more of that kettle corn left?
-Coming right up. -Thank you.
There's a monster on the loose, tearing up the town,
and you're the only person who can stop it?
You have to go.
I'll tell my mom you went home.
They really need me.
Of course they do. You better hurry.
And, by the way, this would be an awesome idea for a book.
What? "Frankenstein: The Sequel"?
I'd read it.
Do you actually know how to fix this?
I do now. Thanks to you.
[grunts]
We kind of need a miracle right about now.
-Grandma? -Nothing against your grandma,
but we need way more than a clue written on a chalkboard.
Come on, Donna. Hurry up.
[grunting continues]
Whoa!
Was not expecting... that.
Donna, be careful!
Too late for that now.
"It wasn't her fault that she was cruel."
[low growl]
"The people who made her were careless.
If only they'd given her a heart. But it wasn't too late."
-What are you doing? -I'm writing a story.
A sequel. Part two.
"She just wanted to be with people like her."
"To be in a place where they understood her language.
So she closed her eyes...
and pictured home.
She pictured the white cliffs...
and the black skies
and other monsters running around."
"She knew she could find her heart there...
where she belonged."
Okay, I'm seriously lost.
[Curtis gasps]
-You did it. -[Ruben] You saved us.
How did you know what to do?
Actually, Ellie gave me the idea.
She thought our story was more fun than the original book.
-It got me thinking. -Makes sense.
The old monster and Dr. Frankenstein are from an existing book.
Exactly.
And, in the book, Dr. Frankenstein never built the second monster.
So, technically, she didn't come from any book.
So you had to write a new story. That's brilliant.
Awesome job, Donna.
[Ruben] All the infections that the sun sucks up.
From bogs, fens, flats,
on Prosper fall and make him by inch-meal a disease.
[applause]
Bravo! You were amazing.
You liked it?
You know, for such a sweet kid, you make a very believable monster.
Yeah. I really got into character.
-I'm proud of you. -Thanks.
[chuckles]
[sighs]
I heard you and Grandpa talking last night about selling the bookstore.
Please don't. I wanna stay.
Grandpa and I discussed it. And we agreed that it's the right decision.
I thought moving here and starting a new school would be hard. And it was.
But I found friends I never imagined I'd find. This feels like home.
I'm so sorry, honey. Grandpa just accepted Mr. Sullivan's offer.
[sniffs]
[sobs]
Why, Grandma?
Why would you do this to me?
I mean, you helped me make friends, and then you just ruin my life.
You can still help me.
Please help me.
Hmm.
"It takes a village.
This is only the beginning."
You okay, Dad?
You know that expression, "It takes a village to raise a child"?
Mm-hmm.
We believed our bookstore was the village.
So, Village Books?
You got it.
You know, when you and Ruben moved back here,
I thought we could, uh, continue the legacy.
You know, even though your mother is gone...
I can still feel her presence here.
Yeah. I can too.
It's almost as if leaving would be like leaving Mom.
But we have to do the right thing.
But...
what if what's right is staying here?
We can't sell the store, Dad. It's our entire history.
It's me, it's you, it's Mom, and now it's Ruben.
Yeah. I think we should give it another shot. Huh?
Me too.
Oh, it's gonna cost a fortune, though. This place is a wreck.
-Well, maybe it's another sign. -What do you mean?
Well...
since the back room is now in need of a, shall we say, face-lift,
maybe it's time I took your advice and finally updated the place.
-Really? -[chuckles] Really.
[Ms. Reyna exclaims]
-[Chevon] So, you don't have to move? -Nope.
I guess my mom and Grandpa came to their senses.
Good. Because the mystery is nowhere close to being solved.
Mystery or not, I'm really glad my grandma brought us all together.
Yeah. And maybe we could all, I don't know, go to a movie or something.
That is, if your grandma can finally give us the night off this mystery.
-[door opens] -[bell jingles]
-The psychic lady from Wheels of Fortune. -What's she doing here?
Hi, um, can I help you?
Wait a minute. I recognize you.
You're the kids who wanted the bloodstone crystal.
-Um, yeah. -Strange.
I woke up this morning with the strongest intuition that I should come here.
-Intuition? -Yeah. A feeling.
I've been here before. Something led me back.
That lady that used to work here. Teressa, I think.
Yeah. My grandma. She passed away recently.
Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.
Wait. You knew Ruben's grandma?
Well, I only met her the one time. She seemed terribly distressed.
You see, she was sure that this bookstore was haunted.
-Did you say "haunted"? -Oh, does that frighten you?
That's all right. Spirits are among us.
Not frightened. Maybe more, like, confused.
Hang on. So, Grandma thought the bookstore was haunted?
And... was it?
Oh, yes. Definitely.
And it still is.
So, if your grandma knew there was a ghost in the bookstore--
Then maybe she's not the ghost.
Wait. If my grandma's not Ghost Writer, then...
who have we been talking to all this time?