I don't own Casper's Scare School. Don't expect any more disclaimers, you already know what I do and don't own.
BTW, any references Katrina makes comes from a story I'M writing, so no more questions.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" the black cat asked from his perch. "Witches and monsters don't exactly get along any more. Ever since, well..."
She nodded."Yeah. Clanhead wants me to do this, so I'm doing it. I'm our only Dark Witch, so it's our only chance at reviving old relations."
"Still... not many people like you, anyways. What would your parents think?"
She looked away.
"Katrina?"
"We're about to land," she said, ignoring the cat as she angled down sharply. She smiled, loving the feel of the wind whipping through her hair. She came to a sudden stop two feet above the ground, inches from Alder and Dash.
"Are you the witch?" Dash asked.
She nodded, sliding off her broom as the cat jumped onto her shoulder. "I am Katrina Bloodcraven, and this is Edgar."
She could already see what Edgar meant earlier. She'd only just arrived, and the two were already eyeing her warily.
She sighed. She had her work cut out for her.
Two days later, everyone was coming back from summer vacation. And everyone wanted to know about the mysterious new teacher they'd heard about.
"What do you think she's like?" Ra asked.
"I don't know," Casper said. "But I hope she's nice."
"I heard she's a witch," Thatch said. Everyone gasped.
"What's wrong with witches?" Casper asked.
"Don't you know?" Martha asked. "Witches hunt us. They kill vampires and werewolves, destroy zombies, turn ghosts to dust."
"Aww come on, I'm sure that's not true."
"Oh, it's true all right," Thatch said.
Alder, Dash, and Kibosh were waiting for the students when they arrived.
"As I'm sure many of you know, this year we are getting a new teacher," Dash started.
"In an attempt to improve relations with other supernatural races, this scare school is taking on a witch as your Cryptobiology teacher," Kibosh announced. "I would like to introduce you to Miss Bloodcraven."
A young woman stepped onto the stage. Long, wavy hair flowed down her back reaching her knees. She was dressed in scarlet, jade green eyes regarding them with a mysterious air. She carried a broomstick, and a black cat rode on her shoulder.
The next day, everyone awaited Cryptobiology with a degree of nervous anticipation and excitement. Miss Bloodcraven was waiting for them, and had written "Cryptobiology" on the board.
"How many of you know what this class is about?" Miss Bloodcraven asked.
"Umm... Cryptobiology?" Ra asked. Everyone laughed.
The teacher gave an exasperated sigh, then started writing on the board. "Cryptobiology is the study of all living things that make some use of magic. The science is divided into four categories- monsters, faeries, sorcerers, and magical plants. Seeing as you know about the first branch, we will be focusing on the remaining three."
She pointed at the second branch- "Faerie." "Faeries are much more than the tiny, annoying, winged creatures everyone thinks of. Trolls, hobgoblins, mermaids, and many other creatures fall into this category."
She pointed to the third branch. "Sorcerers are magic-using humanoids. In other words, witches and magicians."
"What's the difference?" Thatch asked.
"Magicians are human. Witches are not." She pointed to the fourth branch. "Magical plants... well, that's a pretty self-explanatory name." She then turned to the class. "Now, you will have an assignment that is due at the end of the year. You are to work in groups to study a creature from one of the three branches I just named. To make sure you're actually working, parts of your research will be due periodically. The creature is your choice, as are your partners. I'm giving the rest of today to chose groups and figure out what you want to learn about." She gestured at the books on the shelf next to her. "I would suggest using the Encyclopedia Magica."
