text: [Themes: Crocodracula, teenagers, female protagonist, swamp, ghost]
  
  You glance around to make sure you're alone.
  
  "Zoe," you say quietly, "Can I talk to you about something?"
  
  But Zoe doesn't seem to notice how serious you're being. "Sure!" she chirps. "What's up?"
  
  You look back and forth again across the schoolyard before you roll up your sleeve. "See this?" you say, showing Zoe your shoulder.
  
  She leans in to inspect, then leaps backward. "Yikes! You've got scales!"
  
  You yank your sleeve down and shush your friend. "I know I've got scales," you hiss.
  
  "Do you know how you got them?"
  
  "No. What should I do?"
  
  Zoe shrugs, grimacing. "I'm no dermatologist," she says, "but I think you'd better ask Miss Muriel."
  
  You take a deep breath; you heave a deep sigh. "I was afraid you'd say that."
  
  Crocodracula: The Beginning
  a Taleframe game
  
  School is out for the day, but the doors remain open for various after-school activities. On the other end of the yard is a sign that says "BUCHANAN HIGH - CHESS CLUB CANCELED" in big black letters.
  
  Your house is just a short walk to the east.
  
  EXITS: NORTH EAST WEST INSIDE
  
  Your trusty bicycle is chained to a nearby bike rack.
  
  Zoe is sitting on a bench near the door.
  
  [Author's Note: The first Taleframe game based on the 90s children's horror soap opera.]
  
  > examine Zoe
  Zoe is your best friend. You tell each other everything. There's no
  one else you'd trust with the secret of your bizarre skin condition.
  
  > About yourself
  You are Rebecca Drapkin, a sophomore at Buchanan High School in Opasassa, Florida. You've led a perfectly ordinary life and grown up into a perfectly ordinary teenager.
  
  But now there are patches of scales growing on your shoulder and your shins. And they're getting bigger.
  
  > examine the bike
  Your bicycle is awkwardly attached to the bike rack with a chain and padlock.
  
  > look at the scales
  It's not your everyday acne: The hard, green scales of a reptile are spreading across your skin. Will they grow over your entire body? What are you turning into?
  
  > Enter
  Between classes, this intersection is the busiest place in the school. Right now the only people here are you and Jocelyn.
  
  You notice that the way downstairs has been left open by a careless custodian.
  
  EXITS: EAST WEST DOWN OUTSIDE
  
  Jocelyn is hanging over the school's trophy case, oblivious to the outside world.
  
  > examine Jocelyn
  Jocelyn is not one of your favorite classmates. Actually, you detest her. But she detests you, too, so at least it doesn't have to be awkward. Normally the two of you would be sniping or at least glaring at each other, but she's preoccupied with the contents of the trophy case.
  
  A large black sphere is cradled under her arm.
  
  > examine the sphere
  "What's that ball thing?" you ask, trying not to sound too interested.
  
  Jocelyn looks up from the trophy case and smirks: You've fallen into her trap.
  
  "It's my science project. A star ball for a home planetarium." She turns a switch, and hundreds of tiny white lights appear across the surface of the sphere. An entire night sky is projected over the walls and ceiling. The effect is gorgeous, and infuriating: You are speechless.
  
  "I got an A on it, so now I'm taking it home to show off to my parents." But she isn't heading home: After she deactivates the star ball, she turns back to the trophy case.
  
  > look at the case
  A glass case commemorating Buchanan High School's greatest achievements: There are trophies and plaques recognizing a mediocre football team, a mediocre chess club, and a better-than-average marching band.
  
  Jocelyn is staring at a photo of the marching band, and you know why: It's because Kyle is standing in the back row, with his sousaphone wrapped around his broad shoulders.
  
  > ask Jocelyn about Kyle
  (Use TALK TO to interact with characters.)
  
  > look at Kyle
  Buchanan High's marching band sat for this photo after they took sixth place in the regional marching band competition. They look mostly pleased with themselves���but it's hard to analyze any of their expressions when you keep looking back at Kyle and his gigantic smile.
  
  > Go east
  Miss Lipton is sitting at her desk, wearing headphones attached to a small tape player. Her brow is furrowed. Behind her, the homework for the weekend is written on the blackboard.
  
  Calvin, the class guinea pig, lives in a cage near the window.
  
  EXITS: WEST
  
  A large brass key looks out of place on Miss Lipton's desk.
  
  > examine the Miss
  Which do you mean, Miss Lipton or Miss Lipton's desk?
  
  > Lipton
  When she sees you looking at her, Miss Lipton smiles and waves, just
  so you know it's not you she's frowning about. But she goes right back to frowning.
  
  > examine tape player
  An inexpensive pocket-sized cassette player.
  
  > look at the key
  It's not your bike key. It must unlock something else. It's a heavy key, for locking up something serious.
  
  > take it
  As you reach for the key, Miss Lipton removes her headphones: "Please leave that alone, Becca. It belongs to the janitor. I'm just holding
  on to it until he gets back."
  
  You'd like to know why Miss Lipton has the janitor's key in the first place, but she puts her headphones back on before you can ask.
  
  > examine the window
  Through the window you can see the schoolyard and the edge of the Opasassa Swamp.
  
  > examine Calvin
  Calvin is having a little nap at the moment.
  
  > talk to the miss lipton
  Miss Lipton removes her headphones and presses the pause button on her cassette player. "Hi, Becca. Is there something I can help you with?"
  
  "No, no," you say. You don't want Miss Lipton to get involved with the stuff going on in your life. "I was just wondering what you were listening to."
  
  She puckers her lips. "Relaxation tape," she says. "But it's not working. Ocean waves, rainforests, nothing I listen to works. I just end up thinking about how stressed I am."
  
  "Sorry about that."
  
  "Thanks, Becca. Well, I'll keep trying, anyway." She puts her headphones back on.
  
  > look at the blackboard
  Your assignment for Monday is to read pages 103 through 136, then answer questions 14, 15, and 17. This is all circled under a "DO NOT ERASE" note to the janitor.
  
  > Go west
  Between classes, this intersection is the busiest place in the school. Right now the only people here are you and Jocelyn.
  
  You notice that the way downstairs has been left open by a careless custodian.
  
  EXITS: EAST WEST DOWN OUTSIDE
  
  Jocelyn is hanging over the school's trophy case, oblivious to the outside world.
  
  > Go west
  The chemistry room contains two long rows of lab tables, wiped clean after each experiment under Mister Sarducci's unsparing supervision.
  
  EXITS: EAST
  
  Mister Sarducci leans over his desk, drumming his fingers impatiently on the formica countertop.
  
  > examine mister
  Mister Sarducci always wears a white shirt and a black necktie. He always wears a creepy mustache, too.
  
  > look at the desk
  of black formica.
  
  > talk to the mister
  "Mister Sarducci," you say in your cheeriest, most winsome voice you can muster, "Do you think I could get my bike key back?"
  
  "Do I think? Let's see." He pulls out his gradebook and makes a show
  of inspecting its contents. "Ah, yes. Rebecca Drapkin. It says here that you have yet to turn in your group project."
  
  "But I don't have it! Zoe has to finish her part before we can turn it in!"
  
  "Well, then. If I were you, I would enjoin Zoe to finish her part, so that you can turn it in. Until I have your assignment, I will take excellent care of your bicycle key."
  
  students like this, but he's gotten away with it before.