Yep! Back to back this one! Let's just say I had something else planned for around Halloween.

New School, New Friends part II: New Friends

This will not end well.

A week ago, Reiko told Setsuna that she wanted to get to know Erma, then meet her dad and get him to sign her book. It was a solid plan, got her an autograph and a friend with similar interests.

Then she chickened out. Twice. Despite this, Reiko reassured Setsuna that she had the perfect back up plan.

Said back-up plan was apparently following Erma to her home like a serial killer.

Setsuna could have just gone up to the new girl and explained the whole thing, maybe even introduced Reiko, but Reiko had made her pinky swear not to, on the assumption that Setsuna would embarrass her (which to be fair wasn't exactly wrong but...)

With her hands tied by the power of the pinky swear, Setsuna could do nothing to stop this slow-motion train wreck from happening.

Well, nothing except use her quirk to spy on them, and enjoy the disaster with a front row seat that is!

Erma looked over her shoulder again. Something wasn't right…

"Are you alright Erma?"

Erma gave Izuku a thumb's up, not wanting to worry him until she had a clearer idea what was wrong. She wasn't sure, but lately it felt like they were being watched.

Or followed.

It wasn't Mitsu and Momo, they (thankfully) did not live close. Besides they would never wait this long to make their move. It couldn't be Terry, she'd left him back in Blairwood.

But then who was it?

She'd occasionally looked for the follower, but the only person she'd seen so far was that silver haired girl from their class. But why would she follow them? She wasn't a ghost (unfortunately, it'd be nice to have another not-quite-alive-girl in her class), so what reason could there be?

The feeling came again. Erma turned around and saw the silver haired girl standing in the center of the road, watching.

Erma watched back. Her hair starting to lift.

"Hey isn't that girl from our class?" Izuku said. "Maybe we should-" Erma nudged him onward with a small telekinetic push. Time to leave.

Drat thought Reiko. Her attempt to approach had failed again. She'd just have to keep following and hope she got a better opportunity to introduce herself.

Erma had seemed pretty nervous about that girl from their class. The one who's quirk, Poltergeist, allowed her to telekinetically lift objects within a certain limit (Izuku just wished he could remember her name).

Oddly, after seeing the Poltergeist girl, Erma began leading Izuku down several side streets and detours, seemingly taking the most convoluted and roundabout way to get to her house possible, growing more nervous with every turn.

Maybe he should ask what was wrong?

They rounded the corner and Erma practically leaped out of her skin.

Izuku looked, but all he could see was that Potergeist girl standing behind a tree. It took him a few moments to realize how weird that was.

Before he could consider it further, Erma grabbed Izuku's hand and lifted him into the air, flying several blocks toward her house. After landing, she dove into the ground in the form of a small shadow. She then bolted around the nearby streets in a wide circle.

She returned, popping out of the ground and wiping the sweat from her brow, with a relieved expression.

"E-Erma?" said Izuku as he walked. "Is everything ok? What's got you so jumpy?"

Erma waved him off with an "it's nothing" wave and walked toward the house. Izuku didn't quite believe her.

They were home, safe and sound. Still, maybe she should get her book on black magic and prepare a curse/exorcism just in case?

Dad walked out. "Hello sweetie, Izuku."

"Hello Mr. Williams!" said Izuku.

Erma waved to her dad. They stepped into her yard. Erma let out a sigh of relief. They were home fr-

"Mr. Williams?" said a voice behind her.

Erma jumped into the air with a screech before diving into Izuku's shadow. It was the same classmate who'd followed her home, the one with the telekinetic quirk! Erma poked back out to hiss at the interloper over Izuku's shoulder.

Izuku scratched his head. Why was Erma so freaked out by the Poltergeist girl?

After all, it wasn't like she'd done anything except follow them to Erma's home out of sight, even when they made an effort to lose her and-

Ohhhh, that was why.

Izuku should probably be freaking out too right now, but last time a girl with telekinesis followed him home in a creepy way he'd met Erma, so he was willing to give this a chance too.

The girl stared up at Mr. Williams with wide eyes, her mouth slightly agape.

Mr. Williams studied the Poltergeist girl, confused. "Yes?"

"Sam Williams." The strange girl reached into her pocket. "I have a question for you."

Erma inched forward, her hair starting to stand up, taking on a more spiky appearance.

"Yes?" said Mr. Williams.

The Poltergeist girl pulled out a book.

Erma readied her claws.

"Can I have your autograph?"

Wait, what? Izuku thought while Erma's arm flopped down, her face a mix of surprise and disappointment.

Mr. Williams didn't even blink. He took a look at the book and said "Oh, my new one. Did you like it?"

The girl grinned and furiously nodded. "It's so good! You did such a good job capturing the unknown and the monster was so well described! Especially that time when…" She fell into an excited monologue about Mr. Williams' books for several minutes.

Wow, she could talk a long time about her interests. (For no particular reason, at that very moment Izuku sneezed.)

As the Poltergeist girl finally began to wind down, Mr. Williams took the book and pulled out a pen. "Thank you! Always nice for a writer to hear that." He signed it. "How'd you find me out here?"

"I'm in your daughter's class."

"Oh, are you friends?"

The girl glanced nervously Erma. Erma shrugged.

"That's nice. Anyway, I'm going to go for a run, you kids enjoy yourselves." He jogged down the street, leaving Izuku and Erma with their classmate.

She stared at them.

They stared back.

"Um…hi?" she said.

Erma pointed back toward school, traced her finger down the street to where they were currently standing, then pointed at the book.

The Poltergeist girl looked confused so Izuku translated. "She's wondering if you followed us just to get her dad's autograph."

"Yes?"

Erma stared incredulously. She turned to Izuku as if to ask a question, then looked away.

Hey!

Was she implying he'd stalk a Hero just to get their autograph?! (Well ok if it was All Might…but still!)

"Hahahaha! Nice one Reiko! Better than I expected! Hahahaha!"

Izuku looked up.

Apparently, the disembodied head of a girl their age was floating above them, cackling. Izuku wondered for a second if it was a quirk or just another of the weird stuff that surrounds Erma. He also wondered if he should be more freaked out than he was.

The head floated down to their level. "Hi," she said with a grin, brushing some of her curly green hair out of her face.

"Hi," said Izuku, staring.

He noticed her teeth were sharpened, quirk related or a vestigial mutation? He leaned over to check her neck. A clean red break, no blood or innards visible. Interesting. It probably meant she wasn't a ghost, which meant she was using her quirk. Wait he'd seen this quirk before. Wasn't it-

"Oh come on!" said the head glaring. "Most people have a bit of a stronger reaction when a disembodied head floats up to them!"

"Oh," said Izuku. "Sorry." Was spending time with Erma making him react less to this sort of thing? "If you want we can try again?"

She sighed. "No, the moment's gone. I'm Setsuna Tokage by the way!" Oh right, she's the girl with the Lizard Tail Splitter quirk! I knew it looked familiar!

Izuku pointed to himself. "Izuku Midoriya," he pointed to Erma, "Erma Willaims." Erma waved.

The girl with the Poltergeist quirk said, "I am Reiko Yanagi, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Nice to meet you too," said Izuku.

"Let me call my body over," said Tokage. A disembodied hand floated to her. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. "Hey! Get over here!"

A headless body came running around the corner. "Good job!" said Tokage, "Now come here and- wait not that way!"

The body hit a street sign.

"Ow," said Tokage.

The body got back up, ran over, grabbed Tokage's head and put it back on her shoulders. "There we go! Pretty cool right?" she said, putting a hand on her hip.

Erma put a finger to her chin, then took off her own head and juggled it around several times before placing it back on her shoulders. Erma held up her arms in a "Tada!" gesture.

""You can do that too?"" said Tokage "Cool! What else can you do?"

Erma turned around then had her head turn 180 degrees with a proud smile and a sickening crack.

The other two girls winced while Izuku slightly flinched.

"Oookaay," said Tokage. "What now?"

Erma jerked her thumb toward her house.

"That's a great idea!" said Izuku.

As they walked inside, Yanagi said, "What shall we do?"

"Watch Hero news?" said Izuku, earning him a deadpan look from Erma. "What?"

Tokage tapped her chin. "Maybe we could-"

"You have it!"

Yanagi was holding one of Erma's Blu-Rays. "Long have I desired to see this spooky film, but never have I found it! May we watch it now?"

Erma checked what movie it was, then grinned and furiously nodded. As Erma put disc inside the player, Izuku went to check what film it was. He paled.

Uh oh.

Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything since Erma already had the movie set up and was readying the TV. Izuku stiffly walked to the couch and took his spot next to Erma.

He decided to scoot a little closer.

Setsuna wondered if something was wrong with Midoriya? He looked…stiff.

Eh, it was probably nothing.

She wondered what kind of movie it'd be? It was titled The Thing but that didn't give away much.

Oddly, the way the title appeared onscreen made it look like a horror movie, but that couldn't be. After all, weren't they a bit young for that sort of thing?

Besides, while she'd expect that sort of movie from Reiko, Erma and Midoriya were another matter.

Erma was a regular kid who happened to look a ghost girl, had a horror author for a father, and had a creepy vibe while living in a house full of horror paraphernalia.

Wait.

Setsuna shook her head, no that couldn't be it. After all, Midoriya seemed normal and he looked just fine clinging to Erma in terror-

Setsuna rapidly blinked. Oh no.

Two hours later, Reiko was delighted, Erma laughing, Midoriya scared, and Setsuna traumatized.

This was going to be her new normal, wasn't it?

Thanks to AngelicWisdom for the initial idea of Reiko creeping up on Erma and scaring her! It was a blast to write.

Hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos bring me joy, much like gruesome horror does with Erma!