When Ghouls Grow Up
Chapter 12: Goodbye, Alister?
As Shaggy's eyes opened, his vision became horribly bleared. He shook his head to clear the fog, and he realized that he was sitting at a table. He looked around to see that everyone else was also sitting at the table, including a very thrashed-looking Mr. Cogsworth and a rather humbled Miss Gretel.
"Thank heavens. It most certainly appears that noone has been taken from us." Miss Grimwood sat at the head of the table. "Well, all except Mr. Squirm, that is."
"A most unfortunate event indeed, Miss Grimwood." Alister took hold of the back of the headmistress's chair. "However, these things do happen." He clapped his hands together. "So how is everyone feeling?"
There were several groans as some students and teachers held their heads or some other aching part of their body.
"Oh, quit being such a bunch of softies!" Mrs. Elmroot walked out of the kitchen, carrying several platters of lunch items. "I was out cold, but I'm well enough to still cook."
"Indeed you are, Palmyra." Alister glided over the floor. "But let's be honest. Trolls don't take too long to heal." He tapped his chin. "Though I suppose some do." He snapped his wrist, and what looked like a check appeared between his fore and middle fingers. "I hope this will cover whatever difficulties my stay here has caused." His smile glittered. "If not, my father has several mines he doesn't do much with anymore. Money isn't really much of an object."
Platters practically flew from the troll's hands to the table as she snatched the check. "What the heck is thi-"
"For begin a good, little troll and not causing problems for the school." Alister smiled and patted Mrs. Elmroot on the head like a small child. "But there are also some real rewards to be given." He swept over to Miss Gretel's side and took hold of her shoulders. "For example, in honor of your service for the Committee of Ten, I will do this." He swiped his hand through her neck.
Miss Gretel should have screamed. Her very countenance was the essence of shock and horror. Not a single shriek was so much as heard, though.
Alister held up a silver, wispy bead. "You will be allowed to select a new voice, of your choosing, when you arrive at administration. We're closed Sundays, though, so I hope you can stand a week without talking."
Miss Gretel's eyes glistened as she looked at the alleged 'voice'. She shouted, or should have, but she uttered not so much as a sound. Her face turned purple with as much effort as she put into vocalization, but there was no noise to be heard. Nevertheless, the young witch was smiling.
Turning away from his conversation partner, Alister froze. "Oh, and we'll see about getting that sister of yours a Las Vegas show or something. We can't really have her wandering the streets.
Noise was finally heard coming from the witch, but not from her mouth. She was clapping like a girl Tanis's age would.
"Yes, I understand that that makes you very happy." Alister knocked Mr. Cogsworth on the head. "So, how's our patient doing?"
The metallic jaw hung limply on the robot's face, but he cleared his throat. "Mr. Crossedwires was surprisingly easy to salvage." He lifted his jaw with his hand. "After making a few more necessary repairs to myself, he should make a wonderful desktop."
"Good, good." Alister nodded seriously. "He's too dangerous mobile, but he should still make for a good mathematics teacher."
"Quite right." Miss Grimwood took a slow sip of her tea. "Taking away his arms and legs should be discipline enough for his unruly behavior."
"That's good to hear." Tanis was the only obviously conscious, as she and Phanty were the only ones at the table, and the ghost was asleep. "It was really scary, when Mr. Squirm was attacking up."
Shaggy's brain caught up with his ears. "Like, wait! What?" He pointed at Miss Gretel and Mr. Cogsworth. "But didn't these two, like, attack us."
"Secret agents, Mister Rogers." Alister smiled as he placed his hands on the witch and the robot's shoulders. "Or rather, double agents. They were school staff here, which is what made them ideal for the job. I knew that our resident bookworm would try to convince as many teachers to join him as he could. You disappeared. I was locked in my room. Mrs. Elmroot was too loyal to the school, even if she doesn't care for Miss Grimwood. Thus, Miss Gretel made the perfect agent." He walked over and patted Tanis on the head. "Didn't it seem strange that a full grown witch didn't use any magic? Or that she didn't use her voice any sooner? Or that she was taken down but this cute, adorable ragamuffin of a mummy?"
"Hey!" Phanty immediately jumped from her seat, surprising most of the crowd around the table, and flew up to Alister. "What about me, Alister, Sugar? I did pretty darn well, too, right?"
"Of course, my young, protoplasmic darling." Alister took hold of Phanty's chin and kissed her on the cheek. "Nothing could have been done, if you hadn't given my message to Shaggy." He chuckled lowly.
"Rah? (Yeah)?" Scooby leaned over the table, pulling a massive turkey leg off of the table. "Rut ressrage ruz rat (What message was that)?"
"Why, one of great importance." Alister spread his wings very wide. "Despite all of my power, I could do nothing of assistance without a human breaking the chains on my door." He scratched his cheek. "Of course, my assistance will no longer be needed here. Not much of a use for a scare tactics teacher in an establishment like this."
"What are you, like, talking about, man?" Shaggy stood up from his chair. "Like, speaking of teachers, where are the rest of the girls at?"
"Sibella is resting for now, Mister Rogers." Miss Grimwood nodded. "Alister has assured me that she'd be all right. Mister Chains is taking care of her now. Alister told him something about an appropriate feeding of blood." Miss Grimwood tilted her head in confusion.
"And I'm doing all right." Elsa walked into the dining room, clutching her head and turning it side to side. "In serious need of a chiropractor, yes, but I'm still alright." She sat down in her usual seat. "I'm kind of concerned for Winnie, though."
"Indeed. She took an awful lot of silver." Alister bowed his head. "It seemed precociously overboard compared to what everyone else had to put up with."
"What about me, Sugar?" Phanty plucked a small glob of green out of her hair and flicked it towards the window. "Ya'll think I had myself a good time in that jam?"
"Well, there's a slight difference between your situation and Winnie's." Alister chuckled. "You couldn't move, but it's not like slime is ever going to hurt you."
"And roses only have a paralytic effect on vampires, so Sibella should be fine." Elsa knit her fingers together. "Silver is poison to a werewolf. I'm glad she didn't ingest any, but," she slammed her fists on the table, taking two incredible chunks of wood out of the structure, "I should have taken that chain for her! She was trying to help Sibella, and I could have tried magnetizing it!"
"Silver isn't a magnetic metal, however." Mr. Cogsworth sighed. "There also was nowhere enough time. All we can do is wait-"
"And hope she doesn't die." Alister clapped his hands together. His smile became tight. "These things happen when a bad teacher comes onto the grounds of any school, but it shouldn't have happened here. In a school where monsters get to have occasional relations with humans, that may help to create peace between humans and monsters, a good head of office is needed."
"This is something Alister and I have been discussing." Miss Grimwood put down her cup and looked directly at Shaggy and Scooby. "Which is why, Mister Rogers, I would like to take you under my wing and apprentice you to be the next headmaster."
"What? Me? Like, headmaster?" Shaggy chuckled nervously as he pointed to himself. "But, like, what about Scoob?"
"What about Scoob?" Winnie had appeared by Shaggy's side, embracing his arm firmly. "Sounds like you won't be leaving here for a long time, so don't expect me to go anytime soon."
"Hey!" Elsa ran over and grabbed Shaggy's other arm. "You're supposed to be sick in bed! And this certainly isn't my last year at this school, either."
"Ladies, ladies, calm down." Alister held his hands up to soothe the two students. "Shaggy is most definitely going to be here for a good, long time. Scooby Doo as well. It would probably do the school some good to keep an assistant headmaster. Mr. Jackie-in-Chains will also be joining the staff as an art teacher. You should really see what he can do with metalwork."
"But wait." Winnie's brow furrowed. "What about a Phys Ed teacher?" Her eyes widened. "Wait! You're not getting rid of that program, are you?"
"Of course not, Miss Winnie." Miss Grimwood smiled. "It's simply come to my attention that maybe a female teacher would be best for physical education. She should know more about female health, after all." She picked up a sheet of paper and looked it over. "Speaking of which, I've already chosen one. A Miss-"
An explosion of purple smoke cast itself across the table, drawing everyone's attention. As the smoke cleared, a young woman with brown hair drawn back in pigtails and a magician's cape cast across her shoulders appeared, bowing gracefully. "Ta-da!"
"Madelyn!" Shaggy nearly jumped out of his seat, had he not had two girls clamped onto his arms.
The younger of the Dinkley sisters looked up and blinked. She smiled and blushed lightly, when she recognized the lanky young man. "Hey, Shaggy! I didn't know you'd be here!" She waved a friendly little hello.
Elsa and Winnie glared between the newcomer and the man in their arms and back again. "You two know each other."
Madelyn blushed a little harder, laughing, but Shaggy tensed a smile, swallowing lightly.
"Well, before the soap opera starts, I better get going." Alister conjured a bowler out of thin air and placed it neatly on his head. "Not much use in the proper upbringing of young ladies now, am I?" He strolled towards the door.
Shaggy turned around in his chair. Just before Madelyn was able to cast her arms around his neck, he was able to sputter. "But, like, what if another bad monster comes?"
"Rah! Rad ronster! (Yeah! Bad monster!)" Scooby whimpered.
"As much as I hate to say it, I have to agree with Mister Rogers and Mister Doo." Miss Grimwood pointed at the heir to the Bogeyman throne. "We are short one teacher, still, and I can't guarantee I can make fair judgement in the short amount of time I have until classes start again."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure the right monster will come." As soon as Alister was out of sight, a black plume exploded into existence beside the headmistress. A familiar figure in a bowler stepped out and held out a business card. "Hi. I'm hare to apply for the position of literature teacher."
…
Oh, why do I always end things like this? No finalized pairing for Shaggy, I'm afraid.
I might actually continue this story one day, but not now. For now, I have other projects to work on.
I do have to admit that I'm pleased with all of the references to various Scooby-Doo movies I was able to make.
For now, I bid you all farewell.
Please, enjoy and review.
