The fire crackled slowly into nothingness as time went on. It illuminated the entire room, making everything look warm. Upon the walls of this room were various pictures, mostly painted, and a few hunting trophies. Above the mantle would be a glass case, holding various medals and other types of military honors. Sitting in a large, cozy looking chair opposite of the fireplace would be a middle aged man, staring intently into the fire, lost in his own thoughts. His fingers intertwined together and rested near his chin as he began to speculate. This man, while retired from the military, still went by the title of Colonel. This man, Colonel Calloway, was in charge of Calloway's Military School for Boys.
His school started out quite small, student wise. While he only had a total of five students, he made sure to work them quickly into perfect shape. He had recently retired from the Army when he opened the school, and unfortunately, despite his numerous honors, he was still quite short on funds to open the school. Reality isn't fun, it seems. Still, Colonel Calloway managed to find cheap estate out in the swamps of Louisiana. In all honesty, it wasn't at all the place he wanted to run his prestigious school, but it would have to do. Besides, his optimistic side told him that living out in a harsh environment would be good to help with survival instincts in his students.
Despite his best efforts, even he couldn't blame parents who didn't trust a school out in the middle of practically nowhere. It certainly didn't help that the building close by was considered haunted by many! He had a school to run, and nothing would stop him. Not even a strange, if charming, woman, who just so happened to live in that building. There was certainly something off putting about her, but Calloway could never figure out what it was. Not that he had time to explore for himself, for he had students to teach.
His five original students (which he now called the Five Stars of Calloway's), would consist of five boys named Tug, Grunt, Jamal, Miguel, and Baxter. He felt that they were a bit... scatterbrained at times, but were eager to please their Colonel, and they always managed to give 110 percent. He grew quite close to these boys, even if they tended to get into trouble... a lot. Even if they went against his orders more often than he cared for, they definitely had lots of potential, and no event showed this off more than the annual volleyball game with the competitors: Grimwood's.
Calloway was quite confident in their ability, as they won every game that they played. There were often rumors of cheating, but he never seemed to take enough care to notice, or do anything about it. After all, victory was victory, and his team showed the skills necessary to secure the win. There was only one year he could think of where his team actually lost, and it was after their competitors managed to get themselves an actual coach.
If it were up to him, that man would not have gotten the position. He felt too laid back for his taste. He barely even had the body shape of someone who looked like they worked out! There was no denying results, of course. He lead Grimwood's to victory, leading to Calloway's first actual loss. This was a bit hit on his ego, for sure. Despite this, however, he knew that it meant he would have to push his students harder and harder. Shaping diamonds from coal, and all that.
Strangely enough, he had not seen the weird man ever since that game. When he asked Grimwood why, she merely said that he had other business to attend to. Even stranger, though, was the fact that she gave him the offer to coach her students. Unlike his students, who seemed to be in denial over the girls, he knew for a fact that they were abnormal. Clearly, ghouls would be the perfect term for them, as they were, quite literally, monsters. They were quite nice, of course, as was Grimwood. He got along with her very well, despite how strange he found her. Upon given the opportunity to coach her students, he took it up. He did not mind having to teach two different kinds of students, after all. This would give the girls an opportunity to see what a real coach could do, and not some laid back hippie.
From that day forward, he went back and forth between the schools. During his own student's study period, he would go to Grimwood's and teach the needed physical education there. Even though he never got used to the odd ways in which they worked out, he didn't play favorites. He treated these girls as if they were his own boys. It was normal for them to complain, almost on a daily basis. The hairy one would often grumble something about the previous coach being vastly superior to his own teaching methods. Calloway never let it bother him, as he figured these girls had never been pushed further than what they were used to. As for future volleyball games, his team would continue to win, though they would always win by the skin of their teeth. No doubt that the girls were quickly catching up in physical skill to match his boys. He also made sure that no cheating would occur on either side, as per Miss Grimwood's request.
As years went on, so did his teaching methods. However, he found it increasingly difficult to keep up with this type of teaching. Mostly because, even though Grimwood's stayed the same, more or less, his own building would become more and more popular. He began to bring in more students each year, all of whom were eager to get military training. His old fashioned methods seemed to work for him, in his situation. It was at this point that he got his Five Stars to consider helping him out in teaching these new students, which they quickly accepted. Never in all his years had pride for his students been so high.
Tug seemed to be a natural leader, even though he often got a bit too rough. He always pushed the others and never accepted quiters. Grunt, while large, was quite strong. It goes to show that being big doesn't mean one is lazy. His own teaching methods seemed to match Tug's somewhat. Jamal was slightly more understanding and patient, which made him a favorite among newcomers. He always expected the best out of others, and was willing to do whatever it took to let them show it. Miguel was quite smart, teaching the students about analyzing and more secretive work, rather than front line. As for Baxter, despite still being quite small, was always eager to please and do anything to make Calloway proud. Baxter always reminded the Colonel of himself when he was younger.
Tonight, though, he wasn't thinking about his students. He was thinking about Grimwood's, oddly enough. Before their year began, he had received a letter from Miss Grimwood, stating that his services were not needed this year, and he could remain at his own school so he could have more time to his duties. This was what was bothering him, mostly. Had she really found someone to replace his methods? If so, who was it? Surely not that same hippie from before? It should not have bothered him as much as it did, but he could not deny it. Hints of doubt filled his mind once more, his mind speaking to him about potential situations to arise later. Would this coach show him up? Would they make Calloway lose again? What if his students wanted to be taught by that coach instead of by him?
The Colonel rubbed his head and sighed, realizing how late he had stayed up. As the fire died down, he got up from his chair and headed to his bed. This would have to be something to discuss with Miss Grimwood later. For now, he would have to put these doubts and thoughts aside. A proper Colonel did not show weakness to his men, after all, and a lack of sleep certainly wouldn't help.
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Shaggy looked between his both groups of friends, smiling nervously. It was always awkward to introduce two groups of friends, especially when one was a group of monsters. Scooby seemed preoccupied, being pet by Tanis to seem to back him up. He looked to the rest of Mystery Inc. and cleared his throat a bit. "Well uh... guys, like, meet the girls of Grimwood!" He said, waving his hand out to them. Sibella and Elsa waved politely, Tanis still hiding behind Scooby, still waving at them shyly. Winnie was still close to the group, sniffing them out curiously. As for Phanty, well...
"Hello friends of Shaggy's! It's such a scream to meet all of you! I don't think he's ever talked about you all before to us. Oh well, that's okay! He was probably too busy making sure we were in proper shape!" Phanty rambled excitedly, floating between each member and making sure to shake their hands as vigorously as possible. This sent a chill down their arms, since she was a phantom. Fred and Googie seemed to shrink back at the odd ghost girl eagerly greeting them all, while Daphne and Velma were more perplexed by her behavior. She was loud, sure, but by no means malicious. While her large grin and wide eyes were odd looking, they looked a lot more friendly than the detective's.
"Uh... nice to meet you too," Daphne said, feeling unsure of herself. Velma's mind began to work into overdrive. Why did a ghost, of all beings, need physical education? Her thoughts were quickly disbanded when the loud, maniacal laughter of the phantom filled the air, very pleased to be meeting new friends.
"And like, girls, these are my friends. Aside from me and Scoob, like, Freddie, Daphne, and Velma all make up Mystery Incorporated, a sort of... freelance investigation agency. Like, over there is Googie, a friend of mine who I uh... used to date!" Shaggy explained, pointing everyone out. Freddie gave a small smile, waving back. He seemed to loosen up, even if the other blond, who stuck closely to the group, did not. Mainly due to the fact that Winnie was now inches from her face, sniffing at her intently.
"Hm... you do seem like the kinda person who'd date Coach..." Winnie mused aloud. "A little jumpy, like him." The blond had no idea of that was meant to be an insult or not.
Before Googie could finish her mumbling about personal space, Miss Grimwood had clapped her hands a couple of times to get everyone's attention. After doing so, she'd speak again. "While I'm more than eager to let you all introduce yourselves more properly, I do believe that dinner is ready. Let's take these conversations to the dining room, shall we?" Upon the mention of food, it wasn't long before Shaggy and Scooby had a race into the dining area, the ghouls following after.
"Seems that Shaggy is still the big eater," Sibella joked, walking with the rest of the human group.
"You don't know the half of it," Velma replied, leading to a small laugh from the vampire. Googie was still on edge, due to the fact that Sibella was related to the boss of all vampires, Dracula. She wasn't sure if she was quite ready to trust her just yet, even if she was very polite and on good terms with Shaggy.
"So uh, Sibella, was it?" Googie began, somewhat nervously. The vampire turned her head, ready for whatever question the blond had to ask. "If I can ask, since you're a vampire and all, how do you... get your... sustenance?" She seemed to try and word her sentence very carefully, unsure if this was even the right time to ask such a question.
Thankfully, that didn't happen to be the case, as Sibella merely answered, "Don't worry, vampires don't drink that much blood, and when I need to, I only feed on any small animals if they're nearby."
For the most part, that answer seemed to satisfy Googie, although one thing did stick out to her. If they're nearby. "What do you do if there aren't any?" She continued on, raising an eyebrow. The answer, or lack thereof, is what freaked her out. Sibella merely flashed a mysterious smile, making sure to show off her fangs before heading off into the dining area.
"I'm pretty sure she was just riling you up," Daphne said, trying to comfort Googie. Regardless of the case, she was going to make sure to try and stick close to someone without fangs.
Before he stepped in, Fred put his hand on his chin, as if remembering something. "Um, Miss Grimwood? What about our bags? We left them out in the Mystery Machine."
Miss Grimwood nodded, not removing her gentle smile from her face. "Don't you worry about that, Freddie," She replied, clapping her hands once more. Soon, Freddie's eyes widened as he watched an... octopus with a tie walk (yes walk) over to the entrance. In a couple of quick minutes, he was returning, their bags being carried by his multiple tentacles as if it were nothing. "I assume you're staying the night, so he'll help show you where you'll be sleeping," The woman continued casually, leading Freddie into the next room.
'This place gets weirder and weirder...' He thought to himself.
The dining area was just as creepy looking as the rest of the place, although the lit fire from a nearby furnace made the whole area nice and warm. Of course, right next to the fire, was a large green reptile, resting by itself. Apparently, it wasn't too keen on all the loud noise it was hearing earlier, and was trying to keep to itself. Velma was the first to take notice of this, pointing to it. "Oh! Is that a... komodo dragon?" She asked, moving closer to get a better view of the sleepy, grumpy Matches.
Matches peeked it's head up, grumbling lowly. Who were these people? He didn't recognize any of them. Intruders! He would not stand for this! With a bit of a growl, his whole body seemed to change from green to a glowing red. Velma gulped and stepped back, hands up as she tried to talk him down. "Okay boy, easy..!"
As smoke flared from his nostrils, he started to ready a fireball until Miss Grimwood came in. "Matches! No setting the guests on fire!" The dragon immediately settled down, turning his head quickly to the woman before grumbling and curling back up.
"That's Matches, our pet dragon," Tanis explained, having already seated herself, along with a few others. "Sorry, he's usually quite nice..." Velma took notice that she was seating herself right next to Shaggy, with Scooby moving over to where Matches was, sitting right next to him. Surprisingly, the dragon didn't seem to care, giving a little grumble as a sort of greeting to the familiar dog. Scooby, in return, smiled in a friendly way before awaiting for food.
The smell of something cooking was in the air, although none of the humans could really guess what it was. As everybody took a seat, it was pretty predictable how it went. Freddie, Googie, Velma, and Daphne were seated to the left, in a sort of square, the ghouls on the right. Shaggy seemed to be the intermediary, sitting between the two groups. That didn't seem to stop Winnie from sitting across Shaggy, in between Sibella and Googie, who was eyeing her carefully. The werewolf didn't seem to notice. Once it looked like everyone was ready, Miss Grimwood began to serve dinner.
Along with Miss Grimwood, a single, floating white hand would help serve bowls of some sort of stew to everyone. Naturally, the hand put off the humans a tad, although once they were served, they began to examine the food served. Inside, the stew seemed normal. Brown broth, various items swimming in it. So far, the large bone floating inside would be a red flag, though it was known for some people to throw bones in soups and stews for flavor. Naturally, it didn't take long before Winnie was stirring the stew with it, gnawing on one end of the bone. All of the other ghouls had began eating the stew regularly, Shaggy not hesitating to join in as well. Scooby was also heartily slurping from his own portion.
Freddie, seeing his friend start to eat it, shrugged and took a spoon, helping himself to his serving. Googie and Daphne cautiously joined in, Velma starting to examine the stew for herself. With an eyebrow raised, she began to wonder if the vegetables in it looked... dead. Or at the very least rotten. While it certainly didn't smell awful, it was still best to be wary. Before Velma could ask the question in her mind, Shaggy seemed to do it for her, having already finished off half of his own bowl.
"Like, Miss Grimwood, this stuff is amazing! What's in it?" He asked before continuing to eat.
With a small smile, she took another bit of her own stew before answering. "It's a recipe I always serve on the first night back. 'Spider Leech Stew', with vegetables from our garden." She answered simply.
While the ghouls (and Scooby) kept eating the meal, the others seemed to slow down or stop. Shaggy was taken by surprise, staring into his bowl, eyes wide at the realization at what he was eating. Unable to help himself, however, he took another bite. He did say it was good, after all. Freddie slowed down as well, finding himself agreeing with Shaggy. It did taste good, that's for sure. For the rest of his meal, however, he seemed to be fishing out vegetables that looked the least rotten, avoiding the chunks of 'meat'. Daphne's eyes widened as she finished up her bite and gently pushed her bowl away.
"Erm, very lovely, but I ate before I got here..." Daphne said, quickly moving her bowl over to Scooby, who eagerly began seconds. To him, it was just more food. Odd food, but good food. Googie, predictably, looked like she was about to vomit, her spoon clattering as it hit against the bowl.
"Hey are you okay?" Winnie asked in between gnaws of her bone.
"Yeah, I just remembered I'm on a diet..." Googie gagged, quickly pushing her portion away as well.
As for Velma, she began to analyze the stew a bit more, curious about the cuisine. She eyed a brown piece of carrot, holding it up some. "I think you may have picked a few veggies past their prime."
At this point, Elsa turned, leaning forward to better talk to her. "She always makes sure to pick those ones. After all, they provide a better flavor for the spider meat, in my opinion," She replied, taking another bite from her bowl. With a nod and a small grimace, Velma slowly lowered her spoon back into the bowl.
"I see..." Velma decided to get her mind off of her strange meal by finding a topic of conversation. A couple of thoughts were prevalent in her mind, one of which wondering why and how a ghost was eating. She chose to skip that question until another time, instead asking a different question, directed towards the headmistress. "So, Miss Grimwood, you said something about a witch earlier?"
Any loose conversations that were going on quieted up a little as Velma asked her query. While it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, it was enough to make the girl wonder if she shouldn't have asked that. However, Miss Grimwood didn't seem to really care, taking time to answer her. "Oh yes. The year Shaggy taught us last, a mean witch took all of my ghouls under her control. Shaggy and Scooby were brave enough to venture into her castle and retrieve them, with the help of the Cadets."
Velma certainly would've liked a little more information than that, but instead, she seemed to ponder a little. "Jinkies... our Shaggy braving a place like that?" She said aloud. This time, Sibella replied to her.
"A very heroic deed, for sure," The vampire answered politely, taking another sip of her stew before turning to the bookworm. "A real shame he didn't stay longer, but I guess the new students did terrify him a little too badly." She ended her sentence with a small giggle, flashing a grin the hungry coward before returning to her meal.
"There are more students here?" Daphne cut in, curious as to if they'd be meeting any more students. At this point, everyone stiffened a little, feeling a bit awkward. Miss Grimwood answered again.
"We used to. As Shaggy and Scooby left, we did take in three new students. However, the aliens couldn't adapt too well with Earth's atmosphere and had to return to where they came. Godzina turned out to hit her growth spurts quite rapidly. And as for Goonie, well... her and her father had to quickly move away after she attacked someone. I don't believe it was fatal, but still left an impact on the poor victim, from what I heard."
At this point, the members of Mystery Inc. shared a surprised, yet knowing, glance between each other. They had a general idea as to who the victim was. Before anyone could say anything else, Elsa decided to speak up again. "It's not too surprising. They weren't too big a fan of... the new coach." She ended simply, moving her gaze over to Winnie, who looked noticeably agitated upon the mention of whoever this coach was.
"Yeah... workin' us until we could barely move, strict as anything, and annoyin'! I'd rather shave myself bald than have to work out with Colonel Cun-"
Sibella cleared her throat loudly, quickly cutting off whatever curse she was about to swear, Miss Grimwood giving a warning glare at the werewolf. She grumbled and quickly began to stuff her face with stew once again. At that moment, Phantasma began to laugh a little, perking up some. "But hey, we don't have to worry about that anymore! After all, Coach Shaggy's back!"
The lanky man froze a bit, eyes widened as the other humans looked between each other. From the way the other ghouls looked appreciative of the phantom's comment, it was quite obvious they expected him to resume his old, if short lived, position. After a few second of Shaggy saying nothing, Tanis spoke up, looking up at him expectantly. "...you are going to teach us again, right..?"
Shaggy lowered his spoon, looking between the two groups. To his right, five monster girls looked at him, smiling gently and awaiting his answer. To his left, his friends were also watching him, a bit curious, also wondering what he would say. Scooby lowered himself, trying to hide himself from view, not knowing what he was going to say either. After a bit, he cleared his throat and looked to Tanis, giving a nervous smile. "Uh... like, we'll see. I'm definitely going to consider it, but like, I may need a bit of time to mull it over," He replied.
He had no idea if that was the right answer or not, but he knew that he wouldn't mind teaching the girls again. They were nice and quite fun to teach. On the other hand, he knew that he couldn't abandon his friends for a year again. Besides, he knew that they were there for a reason. A terrifying reason, but one that he knew his friends needed help with. He figured he could consult with them to see what they would say about it. Currently, the girls had taken to whispering among themselves, somewhat excited about the idea of having their favorite coach return. The others looked unsure, not knowing what to really do either.
After some time, Miss Grimwood took notice that everyone was done with dinner. She stood up and got everyone's attention with a clap of her hands. "Well, I'll discuss this manner with Shaggy in private. For now, all of you girls go ahead and get some rest. Classes begin tomorrow, after all." The ghouls began to stand and move in various directions. Sibella and Winnie went upstairs, Tanis moving downstairs. Elsa appeared to go into a different room entirely, and Phanty simply phased through the ceiling, up to the next floor without using stairs. This left only Miss Grimwood, the rest of the humans, Scooby, and a sleeping Matches.
After a bit of silence, Fred spoke to Shaggy. "So, Shags, what's it gonna be?" He didn't seem to ask this in any sort of accusatory tone, merely a curious one.
Shaggy rubbed the back of his head, feeling somewhat guilty. "Like, I dunno, man. On one hand, I don't want to let down your students. But like, on the other... we are here to investigate, right?" He said, directing his last question towards his cohorts.
Before anyone could answer, Miss Grimwood spoke up again. "Investigating? May I ask what?"
Velma decided to answer this time. "Well, there was a recent attack on someone from the nearby town. We were going to look into what caused it."
Miss Grimwood raised her eyebrows, an unreadable look on her face. "So you decided to come here?"
"Well, we got some advice from someone working on the case. He said to come check this place out," Freddie answered.
"Him and the locals are claiming that whatever attacked the victim wasn't human... or animal for that matter." Daphne finished, rubbing her arm a bit. She didn't want to act like she was blaming Miss Grimwood or her students. They all acted and felt too nice to do something like that.
"Hm," Miss Grimwood replied simply, her own thoughts moving around in her brain. "I guess I don't blame you for coming here." She sat up a bit straighter, her voice having a bit of a thoughtful tone. "However, I don't think it's fair to let down my students, so if I may propose a compromise?"
The others looked to each other, giving silent confirmation before turning back to the older woman. Googie rubbed her arm, feeling... awkward. She wasn't really a part of the team, and she wasn't even saying anything on the matter. She wanted to say more, but didn't really know if she had the obligation to.
Once everyone was prepared for her explanation, Miss Grimwood grinned and continued. "I propose that in return for another year of tenure, I'll allow you to stay as long as you need to. You'll be free to investigate as long as you need. I have spare rooms, so you don't have to worry about sleeping in your van, or some motel." She began to reach into her pocket, pulling out a scroll and moving her free hand to the side, leaving it open. Soon, the floating hand dropped off a plain feather, already having been dipped in ink. "My only conditions are that you don't harm my students, and that Coach Shaggy stays on campus. What do you all say?"
Another round of looking between other occurred. As Miss Grimwood waited patiently for Shaggy's answer, Velma spoke up first. "Well, in my opinion, that's a really good compromise."
"What if we don't find the answers we're looking for?" Freddie asked, not sure if he was willing to sleep in a creepy place.
"It'll be a learning experience, either way. Imagine, getting to know actual monsters and how they live and act firsthand!" She continued, a little excited at the prospect.
"Besides, it's not like they're mean. I think it could be kinda fun," Daphne said, smiling gently.
"Well... that makes sense, I guess." Freddie grinned at Shaggy, as if giving him permission.
Everyone took a glance at Googie, who had a stumped look on her face. Why were they expecting her to answer? It took her off guard, but after a little, she got the courage to speak. "...I mean, if he wants to, I can't stop him," She replied, feeling dumb. "Wouldn't hurt to explore a bit more too, I suppose," She trailed off, not knowing if she meant what she said.
In that moment, Scooby propped himself up, smiling and giving an 'okay' sign with his paw. With a smile that grew wider, he gently accepted the quill and nodded. "Like, you got yourself a deal, Miss G," He replied, signing his name on the scroll.
Miss Grimwood beamed as he finished up, quickly rolling the scroll and tucking it away. "Excellent! Now, all of you should get some sleep to. Gym is the first class of the day, and they'll be expecting you outside near the graveyards," She said, directing the last point to Shaggy. He gave a nod and began to stand up.
"Like, sounds good with me. C'mon guys, let's hit they hay," He stated simply. Soon, everyone else got up, the octopus butler from before standing at the doorway.
"Take them to their rooms, please," The woman requested gently, waving a hand. With a slight bow, the octo-butler did just that, leading them upstairs.
A quick flash of blue quickly swooped back up into the ceiling, an excited face on the specter who was watching the entire exchange. She was laughing, although trying to be a bit quieter than usual as to not give away that she was eavesdropping. Phanty was, however, pumping her fist up and down repeatedly and vigorously, as if in victory. "Yessss!" She squealed as quietly as possible (which was more like a loud whisper).
In a room close by, a certain werewolf was doing the exact same thing, fist pumping in the air as her tail went nuts behind her. Winnie had cracked her door open a little, moving her ear towards it to listen in. Her superior hearing managed to take in most of the conversation, letting her know that Shaggy would indeed return to be their coach, and not that stuck up, anal, slave-driving Colonel.
It was already turning out to be an interesting year, that's for sure.