AN: I can't say I'll all that thrilled with this chapter. It was a serious struggle to get through. However, it's been too long since the last update and the other chapter I'm working on (a Zanya chapter) I'm still trying to decide where to go with it. So I decided to roll with it and see where the dice land on this one. Hope you all enjoy it. Next chapter will hopefully be shorter, either going to Zanya's side of things or starring M-149 aka Milly.
And to answser your question, Ironchef, I haven't seen them yet. However, I did consider something similar earlier, with Lincoln and the Grimwood Students doing their own web show. Just haven't gotten it off the ground yet.
On a final, side note, I decided I'd be keeping the poll for Louds Adventures in Micha open until Friday, to give a few more days to get a few more votes and because it's a day off for me, giving me more time to work on that chapter. If anyone else would like to join in, the poll is in my profile, asking 'What Type of Pokemon Should Lincoln's Starter Be (excluding dragons)?'
Special thanks to alexpv22 for the inspiration for the primary plot of this chapter. I know it wasn't exactly what you had suggested, but here's hoping you like it. That's enough out of me for now. Thank you for your time and enjoy.
Truth is stranger
Down in the dimly lit science lab, the Loud Warlock, Elsa Frankenteen, Ignatius Morvis, and Tanis were huddled around the examination table, with Miss Grimwood standing in the back observing. If one were to take a look at them, you would think they were performing some kind of surgery. They all had face masks and gloves on (except the mystical headmistress), with Tanis wearing a little nurse's cap on her head. Elsa cut something with a pair of snips before fiddling around with something else, then nodding lightly. Lincoln started to sweat as he started to set some unseen things in place. The little mummy wiped his forehead before handing him a pair of pliers. "Thanks, Tanis."
"Welcome" she replied softly. The one son toys around with some unknown object before he set the pliers aside. Ignatius applied a hammer and chisel to something solid for a few seconds, looked it over with a critical eye, then chiseled it again. After one more once over, he seemed satisfied.
"I'm ready on this end." He informed them.
"Same here." Elsa told them, squinting a bit.
"I think I've done all I can." Lincoln said, stepping back to look at his own work.
"Then I suppose it's up to me." Abigail said as she stepped forward. She raised her hands, which started to glow with a magic aura. "Eccoru ectavar palamas!" She chanted, magical lightning shooting from her hands onto something on the table. The next few seconds were tense among the students as they watched. Suddenly, the sound of static was heard. The sound came from a hand chiseled crystal, shaped like a large, professionally cut diamond, and the size of Lincoln's laptop. The crystal had wires connected to the back. The four children leaned in closer as the visual snow clouded the surface of the crystal for a moment. Then, suddenly, a large stone idol's face appeared.
"Legends of the Hidden Temple!" The idol declared. Lincoln, Elsa and Tanis all cheered, while Ignatius and Miss Grimwood just smiled with satisfaction. After the one son and reanimated teen separated from their celebration hug, the white haired boy turned to the fourth wall with a big smile.
"I bet you're all wondering what this is all about." He said to the readers. "Well, as you guys and gals probably know, Grimwood's didn't have TV or internet for the longest time. We still don't have internet, but we managed to convince Miss Grimwood to allow us to have cable here…"
"Provided we follow a few rules." Tanis interjected, walking over to see who her honorary big brother was talking to.
"Right you are, Tanis." He replied, gently patting her head around her adorable little hat. "We're supposed to cover the payments ourselves, but most of us already agreed we'd chip in for the monthly payments. We can't watch it during class periods, nor after lights out."
"Can't have any of us up all night watching the crystal." The little mummy piped up.
"But otherwise, we're welcome to watch it as long as there aren't many fights. Fortunately, we got a pretty good deal." Lincoln explained. "We have the basic channels, so I can watch ARGGH, Dream Boat, and Legends of the Hidden Temple, Discovery for Elsa, a few sports channels for Winnie and Silas, a few Transylvanian channels for Ignatius, and a soap opera channel. Not sure who requested that; it was submitted anonymously, but if they chip in their share, it's fine by us."
"And just in time for the weekend." Elsa commented with a smile.
"Speaking of just in time." Ignatius cut in, looking at his pocket watch. "It's almost time for the evening news back home." Lincoln nodded and handed the remote to the vampire teen. Part of the agreement for his assistance was that he could watch the Transylvanian news every day. The one son would have liked to get a chance to see one of his favorite shows, but a deal was a deal.
"We should probably get some kind of plan together, so we can avoid scheduling conflicts." The reanimated young lady reasoned as Ignatius changed the station on the cable box.
"Good idea, Elsa." Miss Grimwood complimented her. "And a very fine job, children. A well executed fusion of magic and mortal technology."
"Thank you, Miss Grimwood, and thank you for your help." The white haired young man said with an appreciative smile.
"You're all quite welcome." She responded with a smile of her own. "If you'll excuse me, I shall take my leave. I have some calls to make." She added before she departed, with Lincoln, Tanis and Elsa discussing where they would put their new tv after Ignatius was finished watching the news.
As spring break came closer, most students were making plans for what they would do during break. Grimwood's wasn't one of them (they didn't really do spring break), but neither was New Calloway's. The Colonel rarely gave his students a break, with the exceptions of during the major holidays. Just part of being in military school. However, that didn't mean Colonel Calloway didn't do something special for his cadets during this time. It was traditional for him to invite the families of his cadets to the facility during the start of the Easter holiday. Naturally, most of the cadets were over the moon about it. While they have written to their families frequently, they hadn't seen their families in a good, long while. It was the talk of the mess hall that afternoon, two days before Easter Sunday. "It'll be great to see my mother again," Tug commented to his friends, a genuine smile on his face.
"I know what you mean," Tracey said, sitting down next to the blond haired squad leader of Old Calloway. "I haven't seen my Dad since last summer."
"My folks couldn't come," Grunt said, though he didn't look too upset. "They're both overseas. But my Grandma will be here. I think you guys would like her."
"I'm sure we will," Mel spoke up in a monotone. "We've yet to meet parents we haven't gotten on well with." Most of the rest of the group nodded as they continued to chat to one another about their parents. However, one young man was oddly quiet during the whole thing. In fact, he seemed downcast about the subject. Baxter sat with his head in his hands, hands over his eyes. He hadn't even touched his breakfast.
"Hey, Baxter...you alright, my friend?" Orville asked, his head tilted somewhat.
"No…" He replied sadly. Hearing this caused all conversation at the table to stop, all eyes looking to him.
"What's the matter, little buddy?" Fanny inquired. "Your parents aren't coming?"
"That would be great, actually…" The small child replied, shocking his friends. "Don't get me wrong...I love my parents...but my mother...she's just impossible," He groaned.
"Most parents can be," Tracey responded with a shrug. "I mean, my own mother tends to pry a lot. What's the-?"
"My mother believes everything is a lie…" He interrupted her, almost in a whining tone.
"...say what?"
"I'm not sure I follow," Miquel said, looking as confused as the other cadets. "Are you saying she thinks everything in the world is a lie?"
"...yes and no...She believes everything contrary to what she herself believes is a foul, contemptible lie, and everything she believes is absolute truth...no exceptions," Baxter explained quietly. "...it's part of the reason I was sent to Calloway's. My mother thought I was lying all the time. My shoes were scuffed, I must have gotten into a fight. If I said anything else, I was lying and punished. I got a C instead of an A, I was failing. If my teacher backed me up, she was lying too."
"Dude…" Was all Tug could say, his mouth hanging open slightly. "...what about your Dad?"
"He's given up arguing with her by now...it's like trying to take down a brick wall with a feather...it's impossible…"
"We'll back you up, pal," Grunt said, patting the little guy on the back. "We'll tell your mother you're not-"
"No!" Baxter suddenly exclaimed, looking up in horror, startling his friends around him. "No...don't get involved...I don't want her to consider you all liars for backing me up. She might do something we'll all regret…" His eyes looked at them pleadingly.
"...alright, if you say so, Baxter…" Tug said with a sad sigh.
"Sorry guys...I just don't want you guys to get in big trouble just because you're trying to help me…" He explained, kind of slumping. "...she's really not a bad person, contrary to what I said...she's just…" He paused, unable to find a polite way to say what he was trying to say. His friends got it though and didn't push it. Meanwhile, across the mess hall, Brandon, his girlfriend and his clique were also talking about the upcoming parental meet up event.
"So, your parents aren't coming, Brandy?" Diane asked of her alpha male beau.
"Nah. I don't think they even got the notice about this," He responded with a carefree shrug and a grin.
"...weren't you helping Captain Mallory send out the notices?" Whatever inquired, looking tired as she sat down with them. Brandon glared at her in reply.
"Finished with KP, Whatever?" Elsworth asked her, to which she simply shrugged.
"That's a shame. I don't think I ever met your parents."
"Well, what can you do?" Brandon said, turning his attention to his food.
"It's not that big a deal," Trader interjected, just as Jamal walked past their table. Diane gave him a friendly wave, while Jamal gave a nod of acknowledgement to her with a smile. After he had helped her improve her grades, the red headed teen had become more friendly with the taller boy, as well as his friends. A fact that Brandon didn't like, but he didn't dare do anything about it for risk of upsetting his girlfriend. "I mean, my folks aren't coming either. Business."
"What about you, Whatever?" Levi asked, checking his reflection in the polished table to make sure his hair was still slick and perfect.
"If they are coming, I won't see them, because I'm not leaving the barracks that day," She replied flatly.
"That won't go well with the Colonel at all."
"Whatever."
A few days passed, and the big day had arrived. The grounds of the military academy were more crowded than ever with both students and parents, with Colonel Calloway and Captain Mallory supervising from the side. Jamal was giving a tour of the new facility to a few of the parents, including his own father (a big man built like a bodybuilder with a thin mustache and well kept short hair, dressed in business casual like most parents present), alongside Melinda. Diane was hugging both of her parents (both of which looked to be very wealthy, judging by the suits they were wearing). Mel had the slightest smile on his face as his mother (a small woman with her red hair done up in a bun, who seemed more connected with her emotions) hugged him, needing him to kneel so she could. Much like the commanding officers, Tug was kind of standing to the side, smiling a bit as he watched his classmates and friends reuniting with their families. So focused on this sight was he that he never saw the blonde haired woman walking right up behind him. "Guess who?" She said with a grin as she embraced him from behind.
"Hehehe. Hi, Mom," The old Calloway squad leader responded with a chuckle after she let him go. She was a woman of modest height, with short, somewhat curled yellow hair, wearing a maroon shirt with blue jeans, and a look of confidence about her.
"Hello, dear. Been keeping out of trouble?" She asked him, though she suspected she knew the answer.
"Don't I always?" The young man responded, which earned him an 'oh, really?' expression, paired with a slight smirk. "...well, maybe a little mischief…" He finally amended.
"Mmmhmmm…" she hummed, disbelief clear in her tone.
"...monkeyshines?" He asked, looking more sheepish. She still wasn't buying it. "Ok. It was chicanery…" He finally admitted, throwing his arms in the air.
"I thought as much," She replied, still smiling. "You always were up to something."
"Wonder where I got that from?" Tug replied in a snarky manner, the both of them laughing.
"Psst...hey." The mother and son turned their heads to see who was trying to whisper to them. Trader was standing there, holding an instant camera in his hands. "Commemorative photo of this touching reunion? Five bucks," He offered quietly.
"...seriously, Trader?" The exasperated Tug inquired, rolling his eyes.
"Guy's gotta make a living, blondie."
"Tell you what…" Tug's mother said, digging into her pants pocket for a moment. "...I'll give you two bits to leave us alone," She continued, flipping him a quarter.
"Deal. Pleasure doing business with you," He responded after catching the coin, hastily moving over to Fanny and her family.
"Was it really wise to encourage him, Mom?"
"It made him go away, didn't it?"
"...fair enough." About this time, a plump, silver haired old lady had strolled onto the grounds. She was somewhat short, wearing what looked like bifocals, a red and white blouse and a pink skirt that hung down to her ankles. She looked a little lost, so Captain Mallory decided to approach her.
"Good day, Ma'am."
"Oh, hello there, Miss...oh, excuse me," She started to say, but corrected herself upon seeing her rank on her arm. "...Captain. Have you seen my little Georgie?"
"Georgie?" She inquired, not having heard that name among her students. "I...don't think we have a student by that name here…"
"Blatherskite. He's been a cadet here for a few years now, since Old Calloway."
"Grandma!" Came the excited voice of Grunt as he ran over and threw his arms around his Granny.
"Oh, there's my Georgie!" The old lady said cheerfully, Not only did she hug Grunt back, but, much to second in command's shock, she lifted the boy right off the ground. She wasn't the only one to notice right. Brandon had considered going over to make fun of Grunt being called Georgie, but seeing this little old lady picking up a boy well over two hundred pounds made his survival instincts kick in and he decided to just keep his distance.
"Georgie?" Captain Mallory asked, a little lost herself now.
"You all didn't think Grunt was his real name, did you?" The elderly lady asked with a soft chuckle. "You silly folks," She then turned her attention back to her grandchild. "Still a healthy size, I see."
"All muscle, Grandma," The bulky, brawny boy said, patting his stomach proudly.
"Oh, I know, Georgie," She said, giggling a little. "Same here," Grunt's Granny added, patting her own midsection. "I may be up there in years, but I'm still solid as a brick wall." The captain was about to question that comment, but then she remembered what happened last time something like this happened, so she decided to keep it to herself.
While most of the rest of his classmates were meeting with their parents and the other folks as well, Baxter was kind of keeping his distance from the others as he kept an eye out for his parents. While he had gotten his friends to promise they wouldn't get involved when it came to his mother, but he thought it would be better to just keep her away from them, just to be safe. However, as more and more time passed from the time the last of the parents had arrived, he still hadn't seen hide nor hair of them. The young man wondered briefly if it was possible that she wasn't coming. Perhaps she couldn't make it. He was starting to relax when he heard the squeal of tires from outside the school yard. Poor Baxter tensed right back up; he recognized that hard braking. 'Oh no…' The young man thought. 'She's here…' Colonel Calloway flinched when he heard the screeching as well, looking toward the front gate. He also recognized that sound. He had only met Baxter's mother once, and found her to be quite overbearing. He hoped time had mellowed her a little as he moved to meet her. By the time he arrived, a somewhat thick woman with curly black hair had passed through the gate. She had small glasses with pointed rims on her face and wore a dark purple blouse and dress pants with black flats. She had silver bracelets on her wrists, a gold necklace around her neck, and a haughty smile on her face as she approached the Colonel.
"Ah. Mrs Pallas. A...pleasure to see you again," The Colonel said with a light bow of the head.
"Always a pleasure, Colonel," She replied in a voice just as haughty as her expression. She then turned her head toward her young son like a compass pointing to north. "And there's my little boy!" She added, a bit louder than necessary as she strolled toward him.
"H..hi Mom," Baxter said nervously with a pained smile on his face as the two hugged. Tug was watching from the corner of his eye as he spoke with his own mother. Given how they were acting right now, he wondered if maybe Baxter might have exaggerated a little.
"Has Baxter been behaving himself, Colonel?" She asked once she released her little son.
"Yes, Mrs Pallas. In fact, he's been one of the best behaved cadets I had in Old Calloway," The headmaster replied. The youngest of the crew cringed when he heard that, which surprised the Colonel.
"Now now. You don't need to cover for him, Colonel Calloway. You can be straight and upfront with me," She told him, gently shaking her finger at him. "I know full well how he can be."
"I beg your pardon?" The confused military school commanding officer inquired, kind of taken aback.
"Mom, how about I show you the new school?" Baxter offered hastily, taking her hand and trying to pull her away from the Colonel.
"Not now, Sweetie. Mommy's talking to the Colonel," She replied, gently pulling her hand from his grasp. "As I was saying, Colonel, I love the dear boy, but he's been a habitual liar ever since he could first talk. Wouldn't know the truth if it was waved in front of his face."
"Ah. Yes, I remember you telling me something to that extent when we first met," Colonel Calloway responded, a frown coming to his face. "However, I feel you may be mistaken-" Baxter gulped in fear and tried to signal to his headmaster to NOT engage in this conversation. It worked as well as one would expect. "-Baxter is a fine cadet. Certainly not what I'd call a liar."
"Colonel, I just told you, don't cover for him," She repeated, looking more upset and speaking louder, getting the attention of a few parents and cadets. "I know he's a liar, so don't try to deceive me."
"Madam, I am doing no such thing," The Colonel responded, his own anger building. Baxter groaned and face palmed, shaking his head. This was exactly what he feared would happen: the irresistible force meets the immovable object. "In my time teaching him, Baxter has given me no reason to doubt his words. I won't say he's the most honest cadet I've taught, but he's up there." Hearing this seemed to make Mrs Pallas absolutely furious as she leered right into the Colonel's burning gaze.
"Stop. Lying. To. Me," She ordered him, speaking loudly and slowly. The onlookers gasped in shock as the Colonel started to turn red.
"Did...she just call Colonel Calloway a liar right to his face…?" Fanny's father (a short, but very muscular man with a peach fuzz haircut) inquired, looking surprised.
"She did…" His tough daughter replied in awe. "Even I don't have the stones to do that…"
"We should take cover, shouldn't we?" Mrs Roper asked Tug, able to see where this was going as much as her son could.
"Yes. Yes we should," Her smart aleck son agreed, the two of them moving behind a stack of sandbags. He didn't think his headmaster would let things come to blows, but Baxter's mother...he wasn't sure. 'Looks like the little guy wasn't exaggerating…'
"Ma'am, if I may…" Captain Mallory interjected, striding over to support her lead officer with a stoic expression.
"Oh no...don't help…" Baxter moaned under his breath, covering his eyes to avoid seeing what he knew was going to happen.
"...who are you?" The mistrustful woman asked, glaring at the Captain.
"Captain Mallory, second in command here at New Calloway," The stern faced Captain responded. "Colonel Calloway is quite correct. Cadet Baxter is hardly one to lie habitually."
"Ugh! I don't believe this!" Baxter's mother said, throwing her arms up in disgust. "I sent my son here hoping he could have his habitual lying worked out of him...I had heard such good things about Calloway's...but the staff lies even more than Baxter!" Captain Mallory's face contoured into an expression of pure wrath when she heard that.
"Excuse me, ma'am," Jamal calmly said as he approached the heated situation. The red faced Mrs Pallans glared over to the tall young man, who didn't even flinch. He had seen the Colonel much angrier than that in the past, so this was nothing to him. "Pardon my interjection, but might I ask what makes you believe so intently that Baxter is a liar and, by extension, our superior officers are as well?" She took a few heaving breaths while still glaring at him, but his relaxed demeanor seemed to calm her down just a little bit.
"Well...for starters, had you seen the drivel he tried to tell us about in his first few letters back home!?" She asked, her focus on Jamal. "A school for monsters right next door!? I ask you…"
"But that's the truth, Ma'am. Grimwood's school-"
"Don't you start that rubbish with me, you little liar!" She snapped. Jamal's father stepped up beside his son, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. His presence was enough to make her back down a little, but worked her up even more.
"Well, to be fair-" Mrs Roper started as she stood up from behind the sandbags. "-the idea of a school of monsters is a little farfetched."
"Exactly!" Mrs Pallas agreed with a sharp nod. "At least someone here is speaking sense."
"Mom!" Tug objected loudly.
"Sorry, honey, but I've never actually seen the girls you mentioned when we visited before," She replied apologetically. This was quite true, as the Colonel made darn sure to keep the parents in the dark about Grimwood's and the students within. A move that was biting him in the keister now. Baxter's mother gave him a rather smug smile, as if she had won this battle. This really got the Colonel's blood boiling, his face turning red and steam billowing from his ears. He turned to his second in command, who flinched in discomfort.
"Apologies, Colonel...but I don't believe in monsters either," She told him, knowing he wouldn't like that, but unable to outright lie to him. A second or two later, his hat was blasted skyward through the sheer force of his rage.
"Whoa...the Colonel's literally blown his top," Mel commented in his usual monotone. Jamal pulled out a notebook as he watched the hair fly skyward.
"Hmmm. Twelve feet. A new record."
"Does that happen often?" His father asked as the hat started to descend back onto the headmaster's head, eyebrows raised.
"Thankfully, no."
"So...you all believe that my students and I were not being truthful about the Grimwood students?" The Colonel asked in a calm tone, but with a searing glare that made his cadets quake with fear.
"Now now, Colonel. We're not saying that," Grunt's Granny said in a soothing voice, trying to de-escalate the situation.
"I am," Mrs Pallas cut in sharply.
"You shut your gob. It's only causing more trouble," The old lady informed Baxter's mother, with absolutely zero cares given to the leer she was getting for it.
"...ATTENTION!" Colonel Calloway roared. Each and every student snapped into attention; even Whatever (sequestered in the barracks with her own folks) jumped to her feet, standing up straight and rigid. Most of the parents even reacted instinctively to his rage filled order, particularly Mrs Pallas (though they all relaxed when they remembered they weren't students there). "Cadets! Captain Mallory! We're going on a field trip!"
"What?" Tug inquired in shock.
"Is he saying…?" Miguel asked, daring to hope.
"What is he saying?" Orville asked, looking to the original six cadets for answers.
"We're going to Grimwood's!" The Colonel announced angrily. "Line up at the bus in ten minutes! Tracey, inform Cadet Elle!"
"Yes sir!" Tracey responded with a salute, running off to the barracks. Most of the parents looked very surprised by this, with Baxter's Mother rolling her eyes as the Colonel stormed off.
"When I came here to visit my daughter…" Diane's mother commented, completely clueless about what was occuring. "...I did not expect this to happen."
"I don't think anyone did," Mrs Roper agreed as Tug ran off to get ready to go. "This should be interesting."
"I can't believe we're going back to Grimwood's!" The young man with blonde hair said to his friends as soon as they caught up.
"What luck, eh?" Miguel asked with a grin.
'This is going to be an absolute disaster…' Baxter thought dismally as he followed his friends, hurrying since the Colonel had ordered it.
Back at Grimwood's school, Miss Grimwood was grading a few papers in her office before the next class in the schedule; literature. It wasn't going to be a hard class, as it was going to be a free reading class (something she did once a month, to encourage her students to start on new books). She probably could have graded the papers then, but she had a book of her own she wanted to start reading, so she wanted to make sure all responsibilities were taken care of before then. She had just finished grading the final assignment when her phone rang. "Grimwood's Finishing School, Miss Grimwood speaking." She said as she answered the phone.
"Miss Grimwood, it's Colonel Calloway."
"Oh, Colonel. How lovely it is to hear from you. How are things in New Calloway?" Abigail asked, a bright smile coming to her face.
"Well enough until today. We're going to be dropping by the school in roughly an hour…"
"Really? The girls and Lincoln would be positively thrilled. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"One of the the parents of the cadets is under the impression her son is a liar…"
"Which cadet would that be?"
"Baxter." The motherly witch couldn't help but laugh at that. "That was our opinion as well...but she seems dead set on the fact he lies about everything: particularly what he told her about your school and students."
"Hmmm. I suppose I could understand that, Colonel. Not everyone believes in monsters, witches, ghosts and whatnot."
"Granted...but when Captain Mallory and I stood up for Baxter, she had the nerve to call us liars too!" Abigail had to hold the phone away from her ear, as the volume of the Colonel's voice was hurting her ears. "...ahem, sorry, Miss Grimwood. The level of disrespect shown to the Captain and myself has me hot under the collar."
"No need for apologies. I wouldn't stand for that either."
"So, we'll be on our way shortly. Hopefully, she'll believe her eyes more than her ears."
"Well, it would still be delightful to see you all again, and to meet your new cadets, regardless of the circumstances. We'll be eagerly awaiting you all."
"Right. We'll see you then, Miss Grimwood. Good day." There was a firm click from the earpiece, indicating the headmaster had hung up. Miss Grimwood's smile remained as she hung up the phone and started to make herself a plan.
In less than ten minutes, the New Calloway Cadets lined themselves up at the motor depot, where the Colonel was doing a student/parent head count and Captain Mallory was preparing the bus for transport. There was enough room on the bus for all of them, though only barely. Someone would need to remain standing through the whole trip; a sacrifice the uptight head of the school was willing to make it make Mrs Pallas eat her words. Once everything was in order, they filed into the bus, with the students sitting toward the back and the parents mostly up front. Whatever, of course, sat in the very back, in the darkest corner to keep out of sight. Shortly after the vehicle off the facility and onto the road, the chatter started. "So, do you really think there is a school of monsters?" Jamal's father asked in a whisper to the other parents around him. Mrs Pallas was out of the loop, sitting toward the front looking like spoiled, sulking child, giving the Colonel the stink eye: a look he returned without hesitation.
"Well, Tug has said similar things in his letters…" Mrs Roper said, a thoughtful expression on her face. "But I always pegged it as an overactive imagination, since I never saw the girls he mentioned."
"Well, monsters or no, I do hope they're friendly." Mel's mother commented as she watched the scenery rush by outside the bus window.
"Oh, I'm sure they are," Miguel's father (a middle aged Hispanic man with brown hair split down the middle with a few hints of gray among them, who wore glasses, a beige bomber jacket, jeans and boots) interjected. "Apart from being weird, my son never had anything negative to say about them."
"The same goes for my little Georgie," The not so little old lady added.
"Well, if nothing else, that's promising," Diane's father said with a soft, confident smile. Despite he and his wife looking about as stereotypical as snobs could look, they were actually quite friendly and outgoing, chatting it up with the other parents as if they had been friends for years. Toward the back of the bus, Tug was quietly telling all of their new friends about the Grimwood Girls and Lincoln (he had told them some stories before, but some them beared repeating). The others were hanging on his every word; even some of Brandon's clique (the alpha male included) were listening in from their own position on the vehicle.
"So, it's all true?" Tracey asked, leaning over the back of Tug and Grunt's seat so she could join the conversation. "A school that includes a vampire, werewolf, ghost, an alien, etc?" Much like the parents, she had thought the Old Calloway Cadets were just telling stories. However, seeing how the Colonel was reacting right now gave her second thoughts.
"It sure is," Grunt confirmed."They're all cool...well, the little alien is kind of standoffish, but otherwise."
"And we haven't met the new students yet." Mel said in a monotone.
"So...the girls? Are...they cute?" Orville asked, his cheeks turning bright red, which got a giggle from Fanny.
"And that vampire girl...Sibella, was it? She as hot as you say she is?" Levi intervened with a smirk, leaning across the aisle to butt in. This brought a blush and a scowl to Tug's face as he glared over at the young man who put way too much attention into his hair.
"To answer your question, Orville...yeah, they are," Jamal answered calmly, with a hint of red to his cheeks. "I mean, even the ones who aren't human are rather cute."
"As for you, Levi, mind your own business," Tug nearly snapped at him.
"Hey, if we're going to be meeting these girls, I want to be ready, blondie. And if this Sibella is a hottie…"
"Save your ego, buster," The young squad leader from Old Calloway interrupted him. "Sibella is already dating Lincoln."
"Who says she won't trade up, eh?"
"Who says you won't end up a newt if you said that in front of them?" Grunt retorted, getting snickers from his own friends. Levi snorted at him in contempt before returning to his own seat.
"So, you think Sibella is hot, do you?" Tracey whispered into Tug's ear in a teasing tone. Tug's whole face turns bright red now as he rapidly turned to face her, nearly hitting her in the face with his own face in the process.
"...yeah...I kinda do, still…" He answered under his breath begrudgingly.
"Kinda? Your cheeks are as red as little tomatoes," She informed him quietly, which made him go even more red, both from embarrassment and a little bit of anger. She laughed softly for a moment before she added. "I'm just teasing you, Tug." The young man just kind of grunted and looked away from her for a moment, which made her smile fade.
"That's kind of a sensitive topic to him," Grunt explained in a whisper that only she could hear. "Tug had it bad for her for the longest time."
"Oh…" Tracey said as she started to put the pieces together; what Grunt just told her, and about what her friend had said about Sibella dating Lincoln. "...Sorry, Tug."
"...Sigh. Don't worry about it, Tracey," He responded after a couple seconds. "You didn't know. Anway, I've moved on, and we're all really good friends still." He glared to the side as Levi, who was speaking quietly to Brandon. "...but hearing jerks like him talk about her like that still gets me triggered…"
"Yeah. Don't blame you there." While this conversation was going on, Baxter was sitting slumped in his seat, looking like he was about to face the music. Fanny turned to look at him after she noticed he hadn't said a word the whole conversation. Granted Mort hadn't either, but he rarely spoke anyway.
"Hey, are you alright there, little buddy?"
"...this is a big mistake," He said quietly, looking down at the floor of the bus.
"Come again?"
"Throwing evidence at my mother won't make her back down. She'll just double down," Baxter informed her, covering his eyes with his hands. "And now our friends from Grimwood are going to suffer…"
"She can't be that stubborn, can she?"
"Would someone who wasn't that stubborn call both the Colonel and Captain a liar?"
"I'd say that's more lack of survival instincts, but I think I see your point," Fanny said quietly, stifling a chuckle. Baxter didn't seem to find the humor in it. "Sorry, Baxter...but hey, if it really is true, then maybe she'll really believe it." The smallest of the cadets slowly looked toward his sour faced mother, then back at the tough girl beside him, slowly shaking his head.
Ahead, at Grimwood's school, the mystical headmistress was ushering her students out onto the ground, each of them with books in their hands. She had the brilliant idea to have the free reading class outside that day: it was a nice day (by Grimwood standards) and it would be easy to surprise the students with the Calloway Cadets' arrival. She watched them from a rocking chair on the porch while the students spread out to find comfortable places to read. Lincoln, Sibella, Mark, Lucy, Tanis and Ignatius had claimed the space under the willow tree, with Wendalyn up in the tree. Ava was over by the moat, curled up on a large, flat rock, while Gila was leaning against the shoreline, half of her in the water. Phantasma was just floating in midair on her back, as if she were laying on an invisible hammock, Elsa and Milly weren't far from Miss Grimwood on the porch, and Winnie, Suki and Silas sitting against the wall around the grounds. Everyone was quietly reading the books they had selected, enjoying the overcast day and every so often chatting to their neighbor about what they were reading. About half way through the class, the sound of a vehicle engine and tires rolling along the highway caught their attention. It was very infrequently that a car of any description came down that road. Miss Grimwood smirked slightly as Wendalyn stood up as high as she could on the tree top for a look. "It's a bus," She announced to her curious classmates, squinting her eyes as she tried to get a better look at it. "...it says...New Calloway on the side."
"New Calloway!?" Most of the original Grimwood Girls and the middle son asked in surprise, rising to their feet, surprising most of the new students.
"Do you think they're coming for a visit?" Tanis asked, looking quite excited. It had been a long time since they had seen their friends in person. The new students looked all kinds of confused, looking to one another as Gila, Winnie, Suki, Elsa and Phanty ran over to where Lincoln, Tanis, and Sibella were. Milly stayed where she was, not caring much for the cadets, while Lucy also joined her brother and his friends.
"That would be nice...but they're probably just passing through." Lincoln said. Not long after he said that, the bus started to pull to a stop outside the gate. "...but I've been wrong before." The magical head of the school smiled as she rose from her chair and started to walk down the path to the gate.
"Cadets!" Colonel Calloway said sharply on the bus, most of the cadets sitting up straight in their seats. "While we may be paying Grimwood's a visit and we would all like it to be a pleasant visit, remember you are all still Calloway Cadets. Therefore, I expect you all to carry yourselves in kind."
"Yes sir!"
"Good. Just be on your best behavior and we won't have any problems," He told them, looking especially at Brandon and his crew, and then Mrs Pallas, who just huffed at him. With that understanding in place, he disembarked from the bus and approached the gate, where Miss Grimwood was waiting.
"Colonel Calloway. As ever, a pleasure to see you."
"Miss Grimwood. Nice to see you as well," He responded politely, with a light tip of his hat. "My apologies about the sudden visit."
"Oh, no need to apologize, Colonel. You and your students are always welcome at Grimwood's," The motherly witch said, waving his apology off. The Calloway headmaster motioned for the others to start getting off the bus, Captain Mallory making sure everything was in an orderly manner. Once all the students and parents emerged from the bus, another headcount took place, and Whatever was escorted off the bus (as she had tried to remain there hoping they wouldn't notice her), Abigail opened the gate onto the school grounds. The grownups present and Mallory's cadets were all hesitant to pass through the gate (especially after someone pointed out the gargoyles were literally watching them), but the Colonel and the original six cadets strolled right in without fear. The moment the boys from Old Calloway and the Grimwood Girls made eye contact, the two groups ran right to each other, exchanging hugs and handshakes with one another.
"...Are you all seeing what I'm seeing?" Tug's Mother asked as she leaned over for a look into the grounds.
"I'm seeing it...but I can scarcely believe it…" Captain Mallory commented, her mouth hanging open slightly.
"Well, there is one thing I can plainly see…" Tracey said, a smile coming to her face. "...they're friendly for certain. Come on, team." She motioned for Orville, Mort, Fanny and Melinda to follow her as she crossed over onto the Grimwood grounds.
"Little lady has the right idea," Grunt's Grandmother said with a grin. "Last one in's a scaredy cat!" She warned with a soft chortle as she slowly strode through.
'Hmph. Well, no one should say that those nerds and an old lady are braver than me…' Brandon thought sourly before he put on his best cocky face. "Come on, you guys. Even if they try anything, I'll protect you." He told his own circle of friends, putting an arm around Diane before leading them past the gate. Just as the last of the parents had worked up the nerve to follow their children, Vincent Van Ghoul had emerged from the old house.
"Was that the mail truck?" He inquired hopefully. He was expecting a delivery of new components for the alchemy and chemistry classes. What he saw instead was a crowd of people all standing in front of the gate. "Oh, I see we have company."
"Ah. Vincent. So good of you to join us," Miss Grimwood said with a smile, motioning him over. "Allow me to introduce you to Colonel Calloway. Colonel, Vincent Van Ghoul, a good friend of mine and fellow teacher here at Grimwood's."
"I have heard much about you, Colonel. It is a thrill to meet you in person." The seasoned warlock said, firmly shaking the middle aged Colonel's hand.
"Likewise, Mr Van Ghoul." Colonel Calloway responded rigidly, Captain Mallory stepping over beside him. "Allow me to introduce you both to my second in command, Captain Mallory."
"Delightful to make your aquaintance, Captain," Abigail responded warmly.
"Charmed," Vincent said, taking her hand gently and kissing the back of it like the gentleman he was. The usually stoic woman found herself somewhat flustered by this act, but managed to maintain her composure with only a soft blush on her cheeks.
"A pleasure to meet you both as well," She finally said after a few seconds.
"It's so good to see you boys again," Sibella said after she and Tug separated from their hug, giving Lincoln room to shake his hand.
"Yeah. I know it's only been a few months, but it feels like forever." Tanis commented as she was giving each of the Cadets hugs in turn.
"Yeah, I know how you feel," Miguel said with a smile.
"We've been wanting to come back for ages," Grunt agreed, fist bumping Winnie and high fiving Gosuki.
"I see you have some new friends here." Tug said, looking down at Lucy and Mark, then over at Ignatius, who was looking them over with slightly narrowed eyes. As no one was looking up, no one really saw the curious arachnotaur in the dead tree.
"Yeah. We've had a few new students enroll not long after the new year," The white haired boy said. "This is Mark," He started, nudging the shy skeleton a little closer. Mark simply waved to the Cadets, unable to bring himself to speak. "And here's my little sister, Lucy."
"A pleasure," The goth girl said in her usual monotone.
"The pleasure is ours," Mel responded with his own deadpan tone, shaking her hand.
"And over here is Ignatius," Sibella said, introducing the vampire teen standing by the tree. He just nodded to the boys in acknowledgement.
"Don't forget me," Wendalyn nearly exclaimed, making the boys all jump. The smiling spider girl jumped down from the tree, landing next to her friends before turning to face these newcomers. "I'm Wendalyn." The six young men kind of shrank back from her at first, but seeing her just standing there, smiling at them put them back at ease.
"And over there, we have Silas…" Elsa pointed out the minotaur teen standing by the wall, arms crossed, trying to look as unapproachable as possible. "And Avalina is over by the moat." The lamia girl in question was acting as if the cadets never arrived, burying her nose into her book while leering at them with disgust.
"Might want to give them some space." The Middle Loud whispered to the nearest Cadets. After all, he knew neither Silas nor Ava liked humans, and he had enough of a bone to pick with the lamia as it stood.
"Wow. Such a diverse group here." Tracey commented as she and the others stepped over to their friends and the students from Grimwood.
"Hmm? Who might this young lady be?" The pale blue skinned vampire inquired, taking a sort of interest in her. Tug took notice of this, making him feel uneasy...which is exactly what Ignatius wanted.
"I'm Tracey," The girl with the blonde ponytail responded in a friendly manner. She then proceeded to introduce her friends among the New Calloway cadets. Not far away, the 'cool' kids were mostly just standing there in awe, except for Whatever. None of them expected to really see real monster children there: Brandon especially thought Tug was just blowing smoke at them this whole time.
"Dude...I'm not sure whether this awesome, or terrifying…" Their toad like boy commented after several seconds of silence.
"...well, there are girls among them, and they are cuties." Levi said with a grin as he dusted off his uniform and straightened his hat. "I'm going in." He said with confidence, striding toward the group. No one else could even move, but some for different reasons: Whatever just didn't care to, Trader was deep in thought as he wondered how he could profit off of this, and Brandon because his eyes were locked on Sibella.
'Blondie was right...she's an absolute knockout…'
"Brandy…?" Diane asked, gently nudging him, a fearful quaver in her voice. When he didn't respond, she looked to him, noticing him staring, and frowned at him. "Brandon!"
"Huh!?" He snapped out of his staring, turning to his girlfriend. "What is it, babe?" She leered at him and pointed something out to him; the spider girl standing right in front of them. The jock teen quickly jumped in front of her, looking ready for a fight. Wendalyn was a little taken aback at this, but she had somewhat expected this. She just smiled and held a hand out to them.
"Hello. I'm Wendalyn," She introduced herself politely. The group of human children just stared at her, no one speaking and barely moving (though Brandon dropped his defensive stance slowly). There was a moment of awkward silence before she slowly lowered her hand. "It's...uh...nice to meet you," She said, her smile fading. More silence followed. Seeing this was going nowhere, the poor arachnotaur just awkwardly skittered away from them, returning to her friends. Just then, Levi came back to his own friends, looking like his pride had been badly wounded.
"What happened to you?" Trader asked.
"...you see that kid there?" The boy with well maintained hair asked, pointing back to Lincoln, who was trying to console the saddened spider/girl hybrid. "Not only did the vampire hottie turn me down for...that little nerd...but he has TWO other girlfriends too!"
"WHAT!?" Brandon, DIane, Trader and Elsworth all exclaimed. Even Whatever looked surprised.
"And, apparently...they're cool with that…"
"Ridiculous...what does mini grandpa have that you don't?" Brandon asked indignantly. Levi winced and used his hat to cover his face.
"Don't. Ask." He growled.
Silas continued to quietly watch everything occur from afar, still looking as unapproachable as possible. His focus on his friends was so much that he never noticed the not so little old lady slowly moved her way over to the minotaur. "Goodness...you're a big one, aren't you?" He blinked, then looked down at Grunt's Grandmother. He scowled at her, but didn't say anything. He didn't like humans, sure, but he was taught to respect his elders as well, so he wasn't about to force her away. Figuring she would leave if he just responded, he gave her a curt nod. "What's your name, young man?"
"Silas McRowds…"
"Oh. From Scotland, are you? I have some friends from there. From up in the Highlands, not far from Wick. Lovely country from what I've heard."
"...aye. The Highlands can be especially lovely over the summer," The minotaur lad commented, his scowl fading a bit as he reminisced about his home.
"So, what are you doing over here, Silas? Why aren't you with your friends?"
"I'm fine over here, Ma'am…"
"Oh, come on. Don't be a spoil sport." The silver haired old woman gently took hold of his arm with one hand. He just rolled his eyes, thinking there was no way an elderly human of her size could move one such as himself. Was he ever surprised when one firm tug from her sent him stumbling after her. Once he recovered and took a few steps after her, he planted his hooves into the ground, which was just enough to stop her.
"By the many heads of Typhon...how can one of your age have such strength?...er, no disrespect intended."
"Hmm?" The old lady turned to look up at him. "Oh, none taken, dearie. As for your question, I take good care of myself. Exercise every morning and evening, the right food, the works. On a good day, I could move a small car if the emergency brake isn't set."
"That is mighty impressive, fer a human," he told her with a nod of his head.
"Thank you, though I suppose for a muscle bound young man like you, that's just a warm up." Silas chuckled a bit, as that was true enough: if he really wanted to, he could move a small car as a warm up. Perhaps he should try it sometime soon. "My grandson, Georgie, is a mighty tough customer himself."
"That a fact? Which one is he?" She pointed out Grunt among the Cadets, who were laughing about Levi's rejection. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the overweight boy, ready to doubt her word. However, he remembered that this elderly woman had enough strength to get him to move (though he wasn't really trying to resist at the time). If that was the case, just how strong could HE be? Silas couldn't deny he was curious now.
Meanwhile, over by the teachers and headmasters of Grimwood's and Calloway's, the parents of the cadets were all congregated, watching their children as they interacted with these most unusual children. They were nervous at first, of course, but seeing how well most of them seemed to be getting on and talking it over with Miss Grimwood and Mr Van Ghoul put them more at ease. Even the Colonel was calming down some, almost forgetting about the very reason they had come there. He turned his attention to Mrs Pallas with a bit of a smirk, expecting to see a look of stunned disbelief. Baxter was also looking at his mother, but with an expression of fear. Sadly, his concerns were justified, as the difficult woman simply looked indignant and offended. "This is a load of horsefeathers!" She suddenly snapped, loud enough to get everyone's attention. Tanis and Mark both looked skyward, thinking she meant that literally, and a pegasus was flying overhead or something.
"What's with you?" Mrs Roper asked in exasperation.
"Don't you all see this isn't real? It's all a set up. An act," Baxter's mother said, spreading her arms to indicate everything she thought was fake. "The Colonel no doubt called the school ahead to set all this up."
"I won't deny Colonel Calloway did call me ahead of time," Miss Grimwood confessed, which made the wide hipped woman grin in smug satisfaction. "As a gentleman should before arriving at someone else's home."
"I dunno, ma'am " Fanny's father commented, stroking his powerful chin. "Looks mighty real to me."
"Don't be a fool!" She told him sharply (earning his anger in the process) before she stormed over to the Grimwood student. Seeing this as a hostile action, Lincoln moved in front of Tanis and Mark, ready to protect them. "I mean look at them! These are the worst costumes I've ever seen!"
"Costumes?" Elsa looked at her friends in surprise.
"Like you," she pointed a finger right at the reanimated teen. "That's grease paint if ever I saw it, and those bolts were glued on so poorly." The young Frankenteen just stared at her as if she had three heads as the woman turned to Sibella next. "And that hair...clearly a wig!" She continued, making a grab for her hair. Sibella sprang back away from her, Ignatius rushing over beside her and the both of them baring their fangs at her.
"Now see here-" Abigail started to say warningly.
"-and those fangs...I've seen better false teeth in a joke shop!" Her scornful gaze then turned to the youngest of the girls, making the one son tense up. She paused for a moment before speaking again "...ok, it's not convincing, but that is an adorable costume," she admitted before moving on, leaving the little mummy and Baxter to breathe sighs of relief. Her honorary big brother, however, wasn't ready to relax yet.
"Hey, Lady! What's your-" Winnie started to ask in outrage, stomping over to Mrs Pallas. Unfortunately, this only made the young lycan a target. The woman grabbed her by the sides of her face and pulled hard on her fur.
"This is just a mask, and a very poor one at that!" She yelled as she tried to yank the 'mask' off.
"Ow! Hey, let go! Ouch!" The werewolf girl whined and wailed in pain as she tried to get away from Baxter's mother.
"Mom, stop!" The little boy cried out, but it was too late. Almost everyone acted at once; Lincoln was forming spheres of wind in his hands, while Sibella conjured a pair of magic missiles. Silas immediately saw red and charged at her, with Grunt's Grandmother right behind him. Colonel Calloway and his cadets all made moves to remove her from Winnie, while Milly was drawing her ray gun from her suit while still on the porch. However, Miss Grimwood beat them all to her, teleporting right between the two and forced her back with a wave of magic, sending Mrs Pallas flying right into the Colonel's and Captain's arms. Her hair and shawl was flowing from the pure magical energy emitting from her, and she had a look of absolute fury on her face; a look that scared almost everyone present, Lucy included.
"Don't. Ever. Touch. One of my students. EVER AGAIN," She warned her in a calm, but angry voice. Once the shock wore off, Winnie's friends ran to her side to check on her.
"Ye alright, lass?" The minotaur asked, still fuming.
"Yeah...just kind of sore," Winnie responded, rubbing her face.
"Why did you push me!?" The impossible woman yelled, wrenching her arms free from the Calloway teachers. "I was just trying to remove her mask!"
"Listen, ma'am…" The magical headmistress took a few steps forward, grass getting ripped from the ground as she walked. "...Winnie isn't wearing a mask. None of my students are, nor are they in costumes."
"Don't you lie to me!" She screamed right into Abigail's face, who didn't even flinch. "They have to be! There's no such thing as monsters!" She continued to rage, waving her fists in the air before pushing past Miss Grimwood. Despite her stubbornness, she wasn't fool enough to make the same mistake twice, so she kept a safe distance from the students, pointing furiously at Mark. "HE is wearing a mask!"
"...I'm wearing a wig, but not a mask," The skeletal boy informed her meekly, not that she was listening.
"...and I can see the wires holding her up!" Mrs Pallas continued to yell, indicating Phantasma. The ghostly girl just frowned, waving her arm above her to prove there were no strings, but the disbelieving woman simply moved on. "And him-" She reached Silas, who was glaring daggers at her, snorting when she stopped in front of him. She paused for half a second before turning very quickly to Wendy. "And I don't know how she's managing THIS...it's a good trick, I'll admit...but it's still not real!"
"Madam, I assure you there are no tricks involved here." Abigail tried to tell her.
"Nonsense! It's all special effects and costumes, and (for the most part) very poor costumes at that! Especially yours!" She pointed directly at the angered head mistress. "Yours is easily the worst witch outfit I ever saw! The goth girl is a more convincing witch, and she isn't even trying!" While she was displeased to hear this woman bashing on Miss Grimwood like that, Lucy couldn't help but feel a certain amount of pride hearing her say she looked like a witch without trying.
"Madam! If you would simply shut your mouth, or at very least, cease yelling long enough to listen!" The mystical head of Grimwood's snapped, her own voice raising. It was very rare she raised her voice, so it made all of her students rather afraid of what was going to happen. Even Colonel Calloway looked quite pale. However, it seemed to have no effect on Baxter's mother, who neither shut her mouth nor stopped shouting.
"Oh, this is bad...really bad…" Baxter groaned, shaking his head. "Now that she's built up a head of steam, it's going to be impossible to stop her…"
"Why is she going on like this, Baxter?" Lincoln asked, turning to the little boy.
"My mother is under the belief that everything she doesn't personally believe is true is a lie. It doesn't matter what it is or who says it, except herself. It doesn't matter how much evidence you throw at her. It doesn't matter how good your logic is. Unless she believes it, it's not true."
"Truly an interesting woman…" Mr Van Ghoul commented flatly as he watched the shouting match between Miss Grimwood and Mrs Pallas (something he never thought he would witness in his extended life).
"...Wait," Lucy said quietly, her head facing the argument, but her eyes darting toward Baxter. "What was that you said? About how it didn't matter who said it apart from her?"
"Well, yeah...like I said, she won't believe anything contrary to what she thinks is true."
"So if we can get her to say it's true, she'll believe it?"
"It's never happened...but I suppose." Lucy smirked lightly.
"Lincoln, Professor Van Ghoul...if you're willing to help, I have an idea." She told them, motioning them over to quickly whisper her plan to him. By the end of it, Lincoln was grinning and Vincent gave Lucy an approving nod. Meanwhile, the high volumed debate between the head mistress and the stubborn woman was showing no sign of slowing down. Miss Grimwood had since given up trying to reason with her, but she was too upset to back down. She was one step away from just banishing Baxter's mother from the grounds when Lucy stepped up beside Mrs Pallas.
"Excuse me," The goth girl said, at a much higher voice than she usually would, getting the attention of the two older women.
"Just a moment, Lucy," Miss Grimwood said, not wishing to get her involved in this.
"What do you want!?" The woman with curly black hair snapped as she turned her gaze onto the little girl, still in very foul temper.
"Ma'am, please stop screaming. It's entirely unnecessary," The eight year old Loud requested in her monotone. "Also, I find it incredible that, with real monsters and magic right in front of your face, that you actively choose to ignore them."
"Young lady...there is NO such thing as monsters or magic! It is a LIE!" Baxter's mother yelled, leaning over to look Lucy in where she believed her eyes were.
"You're wrong." Mrs Pallas was utterly stunned at the boldness of this little girl, as her son gasped in horror (not having heard Lucy's plan).
"You little brat!" She screamed, raising a hand to smack the little goth. The nearby Grimwood students all look ready to intervene, as did Miss Grimwood. However, Lucy raised her hand to stop them, not a trace of fear in her face. Not only that, but Lincoln seemed unconcerned too. The stubborn woman swung her open palm at her...and her hand passed right through her face. Baxter blinked, as did his mother. Her friends also seemed a little confused for a moment, but they pretty quickly caught on when the thick hipped woman tried to smack her again, once more hitting air. After the third time, it started to become comical as she kept on trying again and again and again. The students from both schools were starting to snicker and giggle, with even Baxter having a hard time holding back his mirth.
"I wonder how long she plans to keep that up," Tug's mother wondered aloud, quite amused by this.
"Probably until she can't lift her arm anymore," Jamal answered, as the bewildered woman started wildly flailing her arm as if she were trying to swat a fly. It was at this time a second Lucy had appeared, stepping over beside the first one. Mrs Pallas doesn't notice at first, but after a few seconds, she spotted the second little goth standing beside the illusion in front of her. She screamed and backed away, looking at the two of them.
"W...what!? What is this?!" She asked, pointing at both of them.
"What is what?" Both Lucy's inquired innocently.
"I'm...I'm seeing two of you."
"Gee, ma'am...is there something wrong with your eyes?" Her brother asked with a faux look of concern.
"What? Nonsense. I have perfect eyesight with my glasses." Baxter's mother objected with a frown.
"Really? Perhaps it's in your head then. Is there any history of hallucinations in your family?" The witch in training asked.
"Certainly not!" She seemed more offended now. "I have a clean bill of health, physically and mentally!"
"Not your eyes, not your mind...perhaps you had a little something to drink before-" Mr Van Ghoul started to suggest with a smirk.
"How dare you!?" She cut him off, about to fly into a rage once more. "I do not drink, outside of a little port or champagne over special occasions!"
"So, you're saying there's nothing wrong with your eyes, your mental health is fine and you aren't impaired in any way, shape or form, yes?" Lucy asked.
"That's what I just said!" She confirmed angrily, glaring at her.
"Well, in that case, the only, unassailable conclusion to this is…?" With a wave of her hand, her illusory double vanished from sight. Mrs Pallas did a double take after she witnessed this, then just kind of stood there, a slack jawed expression on her face.
"M...Mom?" The youngest of the Calloway Cadets slowly approached his mother. She didn't respond to him, nor him waving his hand in front of her face.
"Is...she going to be alright?" Tanis asked, starting to become concerned.
"I suspect she is in shock." Jamal commented, moving over for a closer look. While they were trying to figure this out, her mind was racing.
'I...I saw two of her. One of her disappeared…' She thought to herself as she tried to process what she just witnessed with her own eyes. 'I wasn't hallucinating...I said so myself, and if I said it...but, how can it be? Magic isn't real...but what was that then? A hologram? No, that's stupid...that kind of technology only exists in movies. But...if that was magic and magic was real, then...that means I was...wrong?' Her legs started to shake to the point she nearly fell to the ground. However, a quick snap of the fingers from Vincent conjured a large cushion for her to sit on. "...but I'm never wrong," She finally said softly, starting to verbalize her thoughts now. "Everyone has always told me so...my parents, my friends, my teachers, my family...but, if magic is real, then I was wrong. If I was wrong about that, was I wrong about monsters not being real?" She glanced toward the Grimwood students, most of whom were starting to get worried, while about half were on guard.
"...and if I was wrong about that, what else was I wrong about?" Her tone started to get more frantic the further she travelled down this path of logic. "Was I wrong about the Colonel and Captain? Could I have been mistaken about Baxter? Was he telling the truth the whole time?" At this point, she was raving, breaking out in a cold sweat. "Was I wrong to send him to Calloway's!? IS MY SON EVEN A BOY!?" Smack! All went silent for a moment as Mrs Pallas just sat there stunned, touching her face where Grunt's Granny had just slapped her. "Thanks...I think. I needed that."
'So did I,' She thought, before she said in her sweetest voice, "Think nothing of it, dear."
"Are you alright, Mom?" The young man asked, taking hold of his mother's hand.
"I...I think so, Baxter…" She answered, though she still looked kind of fidgety. "I just...I don't know what to think…I've always been told I was right before. Always; but I just proved myself wrong."
"No doubt it hit you quite hard." Vincent commented in a neutral tone, but a small smile.
"Yes...Not just that I was wrong, but the thought of what else I could have been incorrect about. How many times have I thought I was right when I wasn't? Have I always been wrong about everything!?"
"Oh no," Milly said as she strode over to her, a look of annoyance on her face as she snapped her fingers in front of Baxter's mother's face. She snapped out of her ranting before she could get started. "We are not going down that worm hole again. Now, look at me, Earthling." She pointed at her eyestalks to emphasize what she wanted her to do. "Listen to me. Of course you are wrong. You are an Earthling; human to be specific," She started to say, getting angry looks from the human cadets. The parents were a little too stunned to see a real alien to be offended. "As a result, you are prone to human error. It's only natural. Even non-humans are subject to such error, including the earth monsters...and myself," She cringed a little to admit that, but carried on. "Have you been mistaken from the beginning, I cannot say. I've only been on this planet for a round an Earth year. However, the point is, all beings make mistakes. How does the quaint Earth saying go? To err is human?"
"Milly's right, if a tad blunt," Lincoln interjected, stepping forward. "We all goof up every once in a while."
"Though most goof ups don't involve trying to tear my face off…" Winnie growled under her breath. "My face is still sore…"
"And no, Mom. You weren't wrong about everything," Her son informed her, sitting on his knees beside her. "I admit I wasn't perfectly honest every moment before I got sent to Calloway's…"
"Maybe not...but it was all the important things I was wrong about, wasn't I?" She asked, looking sadly at him. "Believing you were a liar all the time...and sending you to military school as a result…"
"Well, yes," The half pint cadet confessed. "But it turned out alright. I like it at Calloway's. Yes, it was kind of rough at first, but I made a lot of great friends: from our old school, from Grimwood's and from the new school as well."
"But you didn't deserve it…" She said in a morose voice before she rose to her feet, then slowly turned to Miss Grimwood. "...Miss Grimwood, Colonel, Captain, I am so sorry about everything that transpired…"
"I accept your apology, ma'am," Abigail said curtly, her arms crossed, while Colonel Calloway just grunted angrily. Captain Mallory, however, did not respond at all.
"...and children...I deeply apologize for my actions...especially to you, Miss Werewolf…" Baxter's mother continued, turning to the students.
"Ask me when my face isn't hurting and maybe I'll accept that apology…" The lycan girl grumbled, and a few of her friends and some of the Calloway Cadets seemed to share her sentiment of being less forgiving. With that, the curly raven haired woman started to walk toward the front gate.
"Mom? Where are you going?"
"Back to the bus, dear…" She replied in a flat tone that was difficult to decipher.
"What? But-"
"I just need some time to sit down, sweetie...besides, I have some thinking to do…" She cut him off, making it clear she wasn't going to be dissuaded of this. So off she went toward the Calloway bus, with Baxter watching her leave the grounds with a sad expression.
"...do you think they'll be alright?" Lincoln whispered to Sibella, feeling great sympathy for both Baxter and his mother.
"Perhaps in time," His vampiric girlfriend answered under her breath. "She does seem regretful of her actions. What she does next is up to her. As for Baxter, I think he'll be just fine," She informed him, watching as Tug, Mel and Orville went over to comfort their friend.
"I hope so." The one son said, before he turned to his little sister. "Well played, Lucy."
"Thanks, Lincoln. I have to admit, I was a little worried that she would have had another excuse toward the end of it." The gothic girl admitted quietly. "But thankfully, it worked."
"It was a brilliant bit of strategy." Elsa told her with a smile, patting the young girl on the shoulder. "Where'd you get the inspiration for that?"
"I've had to use a similar tactic on Lynn a few times." The raven haired witch to be explained, looking up at the reanimated teen. "She is the most stubborn of all of us, albeit not as stubborn as she was. Regardless, sometimes, to get her to realize she was wrong, we just need to get her to admit it herself."
"The illusion/invisibility combo was a nice touch to the plan." The daughter of Dracula interjected, smiling to her.
"Heh. Well, I could only hand the illusion part myself, so I needed Professor Van Ghoul's help with the invisibility. We hadn't covered that in class yet."
"Doesn't make it any less clever," The vampiress said to her.
"Hey...you going to be alright, buddy?" Tug asked quietly, kneeling down beside his little friend.
"...I guess so," Baxter responded, though he didn't sound it. "But I'm not sure about my mother. I've never seen her like this…"
"She'll be fine, Baxter," Mel told him in his monotone. "She just needs a little time to herself, to think this all over."
"I suppose…" The young man said, his eyes directed to where the bus was parked. Mrs Pallas had already boarded the vehicle, returning to the seat where she had arrived in. The moment she sat down, she started to mull everything over in her mind. To say she felt awful was an understatement; not only had she made a fool of herself and embarrassed her son as well, but she treated practically everyone, her own child included, very poorly. All because she was under the mistaken impression everything they said were lies.
'I need to make it up to them...my son especially...but how?' She wondered, looking at her reflection in the window. 'Taking him out of Calloway's? No, he said he liked it there, despite not deserving to be put there...I can't just get him toys or games...he couldn't use them until he got home, and who knows when that will happen...what to do, what to do?' She pondered, silently sitting by her lonesome as she tried to brainstorm how she could make everything right.
The rest of the visit went fairly smoothly, save for Brandon and most of his crew being hesitant to approach the Grimwood students and Trader trying to sell some useless stuff to Wendy (only to find she had no money). It lasted a bit longer than any of the teachers had planned, causing the class to miss Monster History. However, Miss Grimwood felt it was well worth it. However, the Cadets couldn't stay all day, as the Colonel had things planned back at New Calloway, so the children eventually all needed to say goodbye. And as one would expect, once their guests had left, it was business as usual at Grimwood's; that is, until after lights out. After the students had all gone to bed, a dark shape could be found slinking through the darkened halls. Their destination: the common room. Naturally, the room was devoid of students, though Matches was curled up on one of the easy chairs. The one right in front of the tv crystal.
The night wanderer gently nudged the little dragon, waking him up and (of course) making him cranky. He turned red as he glared at the one who dared annoy him, only to blink in surprise. In the red glow from his own body, he saw his owner looking back at him. She simply put a finger to her lips and gave the little dragon a soft wink before she picked him up in one hand and took his seat, but let him lay on her lap instead. Matches seemed fine with this as he simply closed his eyes and went back to sleep. She summoned the remote right to her hand and turned the cable box on, which turned on the crystal. After a moment's search, she seemed to find what she was looking for; a show called 'Maldavia's Coven' on the soaps channel. "Wonderful. It just started." She said softly as she stroked her scaly pet, getting her comfortable as she prepared to enjoy the show.
