Chapter 10: A Surprise Visit

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

Lauren's eyes suddenly snapped open for no apparent reason and she quickly rolled over in bed so she was now on her back. Looking up, Lauren was shocked to see her father looking down on her. When he realized Lauren was awake, he cleared his throat, kneeled down so they were eye to eye, and said, "Hello, Lauren."

Lauren swallowed, choking back every curse word she had seen written on stall doors at her old school, and greeted him coldly. "Hello… father."

Pitch's eyes fell sadly and he said, "I came to apologize to you."

"Oh, really? You think an apology will make up for you nearly killing me? If Sibella hadn't stopped you, I would most likely be dead right now." At least Pitch had the decency to look ashamed of himself. That was good. "Or have you stopped by to simply finish the job?" Lauren asked him. "Because I assure you, it won't be clean. I will fight you until I die."

"I-"

"Don't interrupt me. Giving my friends nightmares, unspeakably cruel ones, just because I pissed you off is inexcusable! I had Tanis come to me almost every night these past few weeks crying because she was so terrified! Do you know how old Tanis is? She's hardly six years old!"

"I know and I'm sorry. It was wrong of me."

"Are you? Was it, really? Or are you just saying those things?" It wasn't going to be like last time when she forgave him because his voice cracked and he hugged her and it turned into a sob fest. This time, she was going to drag him over the coals. Lauren was going to make him mean it with every fiber of his very being that he was sorry. So sorry he almost lost his daughter along with his wife. Sorry that he had caused his daughter's ten closest friends to have the worst nightmares of their lives just because she had run her mouth a bit too much. It didn't matter what happened to her. She could take it. It was other people that concerned her because they were not as strong. "If you're sorry then you'll quit giving nightmares to Marcella, Tara, Jazz, Sibella, Tanis, Phantasma, Winnie, and Elsa."

"I am sincerely sorry and I promise never to forget the list again."

"I don't want nightmares, either. I'm wasting good makeup to cover the bags I have been having under my eyes lately."

"I swear to it. I should have never given you nightmares anyway if for no other reason than you're my daughter and the only person on the planet that I truly love."

Lauren decided it was worth milking and said "I don't want Tug to have nightmares, either. Not him."

Pitch's face froze. "T-Tug? The boy?"

"Yes, the boy. I love him, father, and we're still going out so I think it would be nice and proper if at the very least you stopped giving him nightmares as well."

Pitch hung his head out in defeat and said "Oh, very well, then. I promise to no longer give Tug Roper another nightmare as long as he shall live."

Lauren leaped up, then, and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, father. I forgive you."

Pitch hugged her back, glad he could do so again. "I love you so very much."

"I love you, too, father." And this time, she truly meant it.

In the morning, all the girls looked refreshed. Lauren smiled serenely and asked Tanis "So how'd you sleep last night, kid?"

"Soundly! I had the sweetest dreams about back home and the Pyramids! It's the first time in weeks I've gone without a nightmare!"

At that, Sibella glanced curiously at Lauren before saying "Me, too, Tanis."

Lauren ignored Sibella's curious look and said "Hey, that's great for both of you! Why not, to celebrate, we have another slumber party in my room this Friday night? We could order some pizza, do each other's makeup, oh, man, we could do blindfolded makeovers! And we have to play truth or dare and would you rather? because it would be an absolute crime not to!" And before Lauren could continue and all the girls had agreed to the plan, Miss Grimwood waltzed in and began the class, smiling pleasantly.

During lunch, Miss Grimwood walked over to Lauren's desk and asked her "May I have a word in the corridor with you, Lauren, dear?"

Lauren pushed away her bowl of spider soup and stood up. "Certainly, Miss Grimwood."

The two walked out into the corridor and Lauren leaned against the wall as Miss Grimwood shut the door behind them. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor." Miss Grimwood began, walking over to where Lauren was leaning.

"What is it you need me to do?" Lauren asked her.

"Well, I was just wondering that since you did such a good job coaching the girls and preparing them for the volleyball match, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind filling in the role of the P.E. teacher? It would be a big help since you're obviously more qualified than I am."

Lauren rubbed her arm up and down self consciously before saying "I don't know, Miss Grimwood. I'm just a student myself. Would it not be more beneficial to get a P.E. teacher who is better qualified, better trained, and has a degree?"

Miss Grimwood smiled and waved her hands in dismissal. "Nonsense! You'd be perfect! Besides, who else could we get to come out here, even if the school is perfect?"

Lauren held back a laugh, not because she didn't love the school, she cherished every second she was here, but that others, namely outsiders, wouldn't be as loving towards them. Sighing in defeat, Lauren said "I suppose it would be fun. Yeah, I'll do it, if you're sure you want me to."

"Marvelous!" Miss Grimwood said, clapping her hands together.

"I have a few questions, though." Lauren began.

"What are they?" Miss Grimwood asked her.

"Well, what's the curriculum for this school? Do I need to make tests or projects or anything like that?"

Miss Grimwood looked at her for a moment and said "Er... no. You mean your old P.E. coach had you taking tests and assigned projects? What does that have to do with physical education?"

Lauren smiled, then, not believing this. "Absolutely nothing. You're exactly right, I've no idea why I asked that in the first place. But is there any sort of activity curriculum?"

"No, just as long as you girls are having fun and playing a game you enjoy."

"You mean P.E. here is just whatever seems fun to you?" Lauren incredulously queried.

"Yes of course! The more enjoyment you feel for something, the better you will do." Miss Grimwood declared wisely.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Miss Grimwood. When do I start?"

"Oh, I was hoping after lunch, if that's all right."

After lunch? She would have maybe twenty minutes left to plan out something for however long they had. "Okay, how long do you normally give them for P.E.?"

"Oh, around an hour and a half. Give them a little extra time to stretch their legs and all."

So she had twenty minutes to plan for ninety minutes worth of exercise. "Do you care if I go and set up?"

"Sure. Go on ahead. Where should I tell the girls to meet you?"

Lauren thought before saying "The room where we practiced ballet in, but we're not doing ballet." and without further ado, she snatched her bag from the ground and dashed toward her room, immediately stripping off her clothes without even bothering to shut the door behind her exposed back. She pulled on a pair of coral running shorts, blue Nike sneakers, and a running tank that read 'I Run Because I Really Like Food' before grabbing her bag of sports equipment and sprinting up the stairs and into the ballet room, looking for extra equipment. Deeply disappointed by a lack thereof, Lauren typed herself a note on her phone to stop by her home and gather up any extra sporting goods she had there after school that day.

Checking the time, she had five minutes before the girls would show up. Pacing fiercely, Lauren knew she was limited when it came to their options. With only six people total, there weren't a lot of sports that could be played, and that was with the right equipment, another thing she was limited in. Looking around, Lauren spotted a small closet. Inside it was a dusty table, paint, small, broken pieces of wood, cloth swatches, and some random tools. There was also a couple of random balls in there, a volleyball, a soccer ball, and a basketball. Lauren took out the volleyball, soccer ball, and basketball before placing them inside her duffel bag. They weren't of use sitting in the closet, anyway, so she might as well hold on to them until they could be used. She would see about constructing some makeshift goals for soccer and finding something for a basketball goal. And, eyeing the table, Lauren began thinking about how she could convert that into a ping pong table. It was just about the right size, after all. And, conveniently enough, there were several cans of white paint along the bottom of it. That would work perfectly for painting on border lines.

Lauren was just imagining what she would use for the net and paddles when she heard voices from outside. Snatching up her duffel bag, Lauren walked out the door to greet them. "Hey, ghouls. Change of plans. Let's go down to the volleyball court. I would have a more fun option for us, but with such limited equipment..." Lauren trailed off with a shrug before looking up from the ball she was anxiously wringing in her hands. Without having to speak a word, the ghouls turned in the other direction and walked out the school, Lauren lingering behind them.

Sibella slowed her pace and fell back, finally side to side with Lauren. "Are you alright?" Sibella asked her, snapping her out of the trance she had been in.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I suppose. I just feel kinda lame, bringing you all out to play volleyball, which you're probably sick of by this point, but it's the only thing we can play at the moment unless you'd rather run laps all day."

Sibella laughed and said "Sick of volleyball? That'll never happen. It's tradition, practically. And besides, we're not going to blame you, no matter how lame it is."

Lauren smirked and replied "Thanks, I think. Anyway, tomorrow, I'll have something else, something better."

Sibella rolled her eyes and replied "You're trying too hard. It doesn't matter that you're supposed to be our teacher, you're still our best friend, and you don't need to go out of your way to make P.E. any more fun than it needs to be."

Lauren let the words go in one ear and out the other. Once this class was over, she was going home to gather materials before fixing up a ping pong table, two soccer goals, and a basketball goal. Arriving at the court caught Lauren by surprise, she had been so deep in thought. Setting her duffle bag on the ground, Lauren unzipped it and pulled out a volleyball. "You girls know how to play this, pretty darn well, too, if I may add, so let's get lined up. Organize yourselves into teams, feel free to argue about who gets me on their team, and we'll play. Okay? Okay." And Lauren tossed them the ball before bending down to zip up her bag. Once zipped up, she rose, stretched a bit, before heading over to the court and joining the team that had just two members.

The teams were Lauren, Sibella, and Winnie vs Elsa, Tanis, and Phantasma. Lauren tossed the ball to Winnie who served and the game began. They would play a game, take a five-minute break to talk, and play another game. Before they knew it, they'd been at it for eighty minutes and Lauren caught the volleyball in the air before saying "Alright, girls, you played a mean game today. Nice work! But we should probably start heading back up to the school for the last bit of class or Miss Grimwood will fire me." They sniggered as they all marched back up to the school. Lauren didn't have time to change so she just put on some deodorant, sprayed a bit of perfume on her front, brushed her hair out, and walked inside.

On the way to class, Miss Grimwood pulled her aside and asked, "So how did it go?"

"Swell. Really swell. But maybe P.E. can become the last class of the day?" Lauren suggested, her current, disgruntled look coming to mind.

"I think that would work. Just remind me I said that tomorrow in case I forget." Lauren nodded, promised she would remind her, and sat down as Miss Grimwood began to talk. "Ok ghouls, that will be all today. See you tomorrow morning." And with that, they were dismissed.

Lauren ran into her room, threw her bag on the floor by her bed, shook the contents of her duffle bag out on her bed and teleported home to gather up any athletic wear and equipment she could scrounge up. She went into her room and rifled through her old shelves and drawers. She found four ping pong paddles, a dozen ping pong balls, five unopened canisters of tennis balls, a sack of used tennis balls, three extra rackets (she'd already brought one with her to Miss Grimwood's, as well as a canister of balls to practice with), a spare volleyball, two spare soccer balls, a blue and red basketball, two jump ropes, a brown and black basketball, four badminton rackets, two shuttlecocks, some extra running gear she could give to the girls, and a couple extra pairs of tennis shoes. It wouldn't all fit in her duffel bag, so it took three trips to transport it all back to school. Then she started looking around for stuff she could use to make a ping pong table, two soccer goals, and a basketball goal. She found a sewing kit with some extra thread and shoved that in the bag. She also found a large net and that went into the bag as well. She found rubber bands, paper clips, glue, string, and some ribbons, and shoved them all in the bag as well.

Feeling around for anything she could have possibly missed, Lauren stumbled across a framed photo of her and her old friends. Smiling, she took a jacket down from her closet, wrapped it around the photo, gingerly placed it in her bag, and teleported back to school to start working on the equipment.

Once back in her room at Miss Grimwood's, Lauren emptied the last few contents out of her bag out on her bad and began organizing the stuff. She lined up all the balls against the wall and the rackets and paddles she leaned against her dresser. The extra athletic clothing and tennis shoes she evenly distributed between five bags for the five ghouls. She hung the jump ropes on the headboard of her bed. Unwrapping the framed picture of her and her friends, Lauren tossed the jacket in a drawer and gently placed the photograph on her bedside lampstand. Looking over the last bit of content that was strewed across the surface of her bed, Lauren picked up the rubber bands, paper clips, glue, string, and ribbons and put them in a small drawer under her lamp.

She then crept upstairs to where the ballet room was and threw open the closet door inside. She pulled out the table and set it in the middle of the room. Then she pulled out the pails of paint and pried them open experimentally to see what was inside them. One contained white paint which would be good for painting on boundary lines and another contained dark blue paint. Lauren found a paintbrush in the recesses of the closet and dusted it off before dipping it inside the blue paint. Wiping the edge off on the bucket, Lauren began to paint the surface of the table with even strokes. Once the surface was entirely blue, Lauren put on a second coat just for good measure. Once that was successfully done, she magicked away the blue paint on the brush, leaving it clean, before dipping it in the white pain. After the brush was satisfactorily covered in white paint, Lauren began to paint on boundary lines, checking an image of a correct ping pong table on her phone just to make sure she had painted them on all right. Once happy with what she had done, Lauren pulled out the fishing net she had found earlier and cut it into the shape of a ping-pong table's net. Once satisfied, she found two sticks and placed them along the middle width of the table and tied the net to each stick. Then she hoisted the makeshift ping pong net and nailed each stick to the table. Pushing it, to test its sturdiness, Lauren was satisfied by its structural integrity and pushed the table to the far side of the room, setting to work on making two soccer goals. Nailing together some piping for the frame, she had made two semicircle goals that just needed netting.

Since the piping looked a little rusty she used some of the leftover white paint and painted the frames before working on the netting. Using most of the leftover netting, Lauren draped it over each goal before nail it down as well. Setting those by the ping pong table, she started working on the basketball goal. Finding a piece of wood that was roughly three by three, she painted it white before using the remainder of the blue paint to draw the traditional lines commonly found on a basketball goal, including the little bullseye shape in the corner. Once that was successfully achieved, she took some metal, bent into a rough circle shape, painted it red, and nailed it onto the goal. Then she took the rest of the net, wrapped it around the bottom of the circle, and trimmed away excessive pieces. She then leaned it against the wall to look at it, the two makeshift soccer goals, and her crafty creation of a ping pong table. Tomorrow she would hang it up in some tree somewhere when there was better lighting. Smiling at a job well done, Lauren threw the excess wood, paint, netting, piping, and brush back into the closet before walking out of the room, dashing down the steps, and heading into her room. She walked through the door to her room, shut it as gently as possible, and began stripping. She had gotten flecks of paint on her running tank and shorts would have to wash them soon before it dried. Once in her night clothes, Lauren stretched out the fabric of her paint stained clothes, said a few words, and magicked them away.

She was folding them up and walking back over to the dresser when the silence was ripped apart by a slow clapping sound. Lauren whipped around and found the source of the clapping. It was her father. "How long have you been in here?"

"I sensed your magic when you cast your spell to remove all that paint from your clothes and it reminded me of something," Pitch explained.

"Reminded you of what?" Lauren asked, leaning against the dresser.

"How big you've gotten. And... I wanted you to have this." Pitch held up a small book in his hand before tossing it to Lauren who deftly caught it in her hands.

She flipped through it, then shut it, and asked, "What is it?"

"My spellbook."

"Y-your spellbook?" Lauren stuttered in surprise before asking a follow-up question. "But why are you giving it to me?"

"I have it memorized by heart and you can already do magic so well I thought I'd give it to you. Let you test your powers out a bit and see what you can do with it." Pitch elucidated with a soft smile.

"Wow. Just wow. Thanks, father." Lauren said genuinely, walking towards him and giving him a hug.

Pitch hugged her back and said, "You're welcome, darling." After a moment, Pitch broke the embrace and said "I really must be getting back to work now, but I shall see you soon. Goodbye, Lauren."

"Goodbye, father," Lauren said as he disappeared into the shadows. Lauren turned her lamp back on, crawled into bed, and began looking through the spells. There were love spells, anti-love spells, a spell to revive a dying person, a spell that knocked a person out, one that froze time, one that unfroze time, one that lifted a person in the air, one that froze your opponent in their tracks, and even one that changed a person's hair. It was several hours later when Lauren finally turned the lamp off and fell asleep.