Trial by Campfire with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: While out at the store with his mother, one afternoon; Lincoln runs into a familiar face. Eager to reconnect with this friend; he invites her to join him on a camping trip he, his new school friends and the Gal Pals plan on having in the coming weekend. But there is more to this campout than just eating marshmallows, singing and having fun.

Upon learning that the five newbies wish to join their group, Carol and the others offer each of them a little test to see if they're worthy of becoming part of the pack; telling a scary story. If they are each able to tell one that will really leave the crew scared, they're in. But will Linc's old friend and his new friends be able to think of such any such stories?)

On a brisk yet sunny afternoon; Lincoln and his mother, Rita were driving Vanzilla down to the supermarket for some groceries. After the events of the trial and after the latter part of Lincoln's family paid their debt to society; the family was allowed to enter the store, once again. However, this came with two important yet still quite reasonable conditions.

Firstly, it was decreed by order of Mayor Davis and Judge Snapper that only a small number of the Loud Family would be allowed in. The second condition was that the parents would be required to accompany their to the store, whenever they chose to go there. No longer were Mr. and/or Mrs. Loud permitted to let those like Lincoln (who was classified as "too young") to do the shopping for them on their own.

That kind of responsibility, much like keeping the children in disciplinary order, wasn't meant to be handled by children; only the parents and those who showed decent levels of responsibility (like Leni or Luna.) The Loud Parents agreed to these terms without delay...but informed their children that because of them, grocery pick-up would only happen on their off days; which usually happened every other week. This would mean that the kids would have to be mindful of their food; no more playful food-fights, no unnecessary experiments on produce and no hoarding.

In terms of the one rule, Lisa felt particularly bothered; mostly because she claimed her food related experiments were for either more beneficial energy/fuel sources for their family or creating a means to "bring an end to world hunger." While both ideas were quite noble in their own, Mrs. Loud's ruling still remained and the children either willingly or begrudgingly submitted to it. With all that settled, the Louds were all welcomed back into the supermarket once again.

But then, Mrs. Loud added one final rule to her grocery policy; one that was directed to all her children. She consented to grant her children permission to buy something they had their eyes on (such as Lincoln's beloved Zombie Bran.) But they would only be given this opportunity if they behaved well enough, didn't go too overboard with their choices and if they agreed to offer up some of their money in paying for them.

After considering all of these conditions, the Loud Kids unanimously agreed they were rather fair; especially Lincoln. Thanks to the birthday money he'd been saving up along with the check he received at the Ace Savvy Convention for his Checkmate story; Lincoln had more than enough to spare. Of course, he had to keep it out of his sisters' collective reach at all costs (force of habit and all that.)

Thankfully, he had his trusty "Socket" (or "Sock Pocket" for short) to keep it all safe in. On this particular shopping trip, Lincoln had his own list of things to get; albeit a small one. As he walking through the aisles and looking over said list, he caught sight of the viewer and smiled.

"Hey there, guys! I'll bet you guys are wondering what all this is for, right" he asked in a wily tone of voice, "well...the Gal Pals and I have a big get-together planned for the upcoming weekend." After saying this, Lincoln explains that each member of the group was tasked with picking up certain items for their trip. On his list, for example; he was tasked with picking up a family-sized bag of marshmallows, some chocolate, graham crackers and of course, cans of bug spray.

"Now, this trip is a really important one" Lincoln stated, "see...after finding out about my new school friends, Carol wanted to meet them for herself and see if they're 'worthy' of being part of the crew." From here, he added that the "newbies" would be given full info on their "initiation;" when the big day arrived. "I think it's wonderful that your new friends want to be part of your group, sweetie" gushed Mrs. Loud, "just make sure you all stay safe...or their mothers will be on my case again."

Lincoln smiled up at his mother and assured her everything would be fine. "Carol and her posse will be looking after us" he stated, "plus; Omar, Tonya, Dolores and Ellie are tougher than you think." Though she still had a sliver of doubt lingering inside, Mrs. Loud knew her son spoke the truth and nodded in understanding.

"You're right, honey; you're all in good hands" she stated, "just make sure you all behave yourselves while having fun." After rolling his eyes slightly, Lincoln smiled and gave his mother a "Scout's Honor" salute. "One other thing" Rita said suddenly, "make sure whatever stories you all tell don't seem too frightful, I know how you get when it comes to scary things."

Lincoln's face suddenly shifted between several cartoonish expressions of shock, upon hearing this. "Hey, I'm not that bad...anymore" he murmured, "sure, there was that time with The Harvester and when the power went off that one time...but I've toughened up since then!" No sooner had he said this, Lincoln's cellphone went off; causing him to give out a soft yelp of surprise.

After Lincoln recovered from the mild scare, he turned to the side to see his mother giving him a sort of "you were saying" smile and arched eyebrow. "That doesn't count, Mom" he whined softly, "loads of people get spooked when their phones go off...even Lucy." After letting out a brief yet soft laugh, Mrs. Loud pressed her foot down on the accelerator and continued on towards the supermarket.

(Line Break)

Moments later, Lincoln could be seen wandering about the aisles; collecting each item he had on his list. On his arm; he held a basket that currently contained a can of bug spray for himself, ten full-sized chocolate bars, a family-sized bag of marshmallows and a large box of crackers. "I can't wait to start making some s'mores with everyone" he giggled with delight, "now...what's next on my list."

As he continued walking down the aisle, Lincoln reached into his pocket and unfolded his modest-sized list of groceries, He was moments away from reading it over; when suddenly, he accidentally crashed into another patron. Both individuals soon fell backward onto their rears, after the collision.

Thankfully, they and their groceries were all still in one piece. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry" Lincoln exclaimed with concern, "I really should've been watching where I was going." As the young Loud boy helped the other patron up off the floor, he/she were seconds away from making a similar apology.

But when both individuals got a good look at one another, they gasped. Standing before Lincoln was a young lady...and a rather familiar one at that. Her name was Beatrix Yates, eldest child of the Yates Family; whom many considered to be the friendliest bunch in all of Royal Woods.

The last time he saw the family, it was at Gus' Games n' Grub during Spring Break. Before that time, he and the and the rest of the Louds met the Yates' after they've moved into the neighborhood so long ago. Either way, she didn't seem to have changed that much (in terms of looks.) Beatrix still wore her sleeveless white shirt, her blue shorts with yellow buttons, her teal headband and matching teal sweater; which was neatly tied around her shoulders.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Beatrix's trademarked joyful grin slowly formed on her face. Then, before Lincoln had a chance to speak up; she let out a joyful squeal and snatched him up into a hug. Mind you, it wasn't quite as tight as any of Carol's or Dana's...but it still knocked some air out of his little lungs.

"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH" the eldest Yates child cried with delight, "Lincoln, it's so wonderful to see you again!" Using all the strength he could muster; he wriggled his arms out, awkwardly around the girl's neck and returned her embrace as best as he could. Upon doing so, he couldn't help but run his hands slightly through her long black locks; mentally admiring how soft it felt.

"Does she visit the same spa me and the Gals visit or does her hair truly this naturally soft" he thought to himself, "maybe her mom helps manage her hair a little...maybe she can give Whitney some tips." After a while, Beatrix finally released Lincoln from her embrace and giggled. "It's been too long, Lincoln" she stated, "how have you been, are things alright between you and the family again?"

Without missing a beat, the young Loud boy nodded "yes" to both inquiries; adding that things have also been improving with everyone as of late. "How about school" she asked, "are you adjusting to Junior High life well enough?" Lincoln giggled softly and assured her that aside from some "first day follies" (as he liked to call them,) Middle School was going rather well.

"That's wonderful to hear" she said while clapping her hands giddily, "so...what brings you to the market, restocking on supplies?" Lincoln nodded in reply while also giving her the "on the nose" gesture. It was then Beatrix noticed the things in his basket. When she asked if the treats were for himself or his sisters, Lincoln gave a "so-so" gesture.

"We may eat whatever I bring back home" he stated, "but the truth is, I'm collecting some personal supplies for a campout some friends and I are planning for this weekend." Upon hearing this, Beatrix gave out a defeated squeal; confessing how much she always wanted to try camping. "Why haven't you tried before...if you don't mind my asking" questioned Lincoln, "I'm sure your parents and siblings might like it."

Upon suggesting this, he suddenly saw Beatrix's smile flip over into a slight frown; which was something he didn't really expect. "Truth is...as much as we like the outdoors, none of us have ever camped before" she confessed, "sure; Mummy likes her garden and my youngest brother, Beau may enjoy making art...but we've never done such things beyond our own home." After this reveal was made; all was silent between them, for what felt like ages.

During this time, Lincoln found himself rubbing his chin in deep thought. Truth be told, something about B's story felt oddly familiar to him; in a way. He recalled a time where he wasn't familiar with camping much either.

But after some outdoor sleepovers with Clyde, studying the survival techniques of Rip Hardcore and learning a few tips from his sisters (specifically Lynn and Lana) over the years; Lincoln loved doing it now. Then, the moment this memory came into his mind; he was struck by inspiration. "HEY! Why don't you join me and my friends on our trip" he exclaimed, "it'll be a good way to see whether or not camping is your kind of thing."

More than anything, Beatrix wanted to bounce with joy and happily accept the offer. But then, she soon discovered another minor issue with the plan; aside from her lack of camping experience. "I would be honored to join you, truly" she said with a light frown, "but this outing is for you and your friends...I don't wish to intrude."

Without a moment's pause, Lincoln gave Beatrix a faux shocked expression and shook his head in disagreement. "You wouldn't be intruding at all" he assured, "in fact, I'm sure Carol would welcome your company with open arms." Before either of them could speak up, Mrs. Loud suddenly arrived at the scene and was tapping at her wristwatch.

"No dawdling, honey" she said in a mildly firm tone, "I don't want you getting lost in this place...or worse." No sooner had she said this, Mrs. Loud caught sight of Beatrix and smiled slightly. "Oh...hello there, dear" she greeted warmly, "it's been so long, how are you and the family doing?" With her usual bright smile on her face, Beatrix returned Mrs. Loud's greeting and shook her hand.

"We're doing just fine, thank you for asking" she said politely, "Mummy and Daddy were both praying for your family's well-being for sometime." At first, Mrs. Loud was prepared to question why the Yates sought out to pray for them. But then, she quickly realized the comment was directed towards the public service she and the family had to perform over the summer.

With this in mind, Mrs. Loud thanked Beatrix for her kindness and asked her to extend the same thanks to her family. "Mom, while you're here; can I ask you something" Lincoln interjected, "would it be okay if she joins me and the gang on our campout?" Not long after this, Beatrix began to ask the same request; adding a small amount of the "puppy-dog eyes" for good measure.

"Well...this does seem a bit sudden" Mrs. Loud said matter-of-factly, "but I suppose it's okay, as long as Carol doesn't mind another camper joining in." Following up this statement, Mrs. Loud added that Beatrix should also see if her own parents would approve. "Why don't we ask them now" said the young lass in question, "they're right over by the produce aisle, just up ahead."

With confused/surprised looks upon their faces, both Louds looked behind them and immediately spotted Mr. and Mrs. Yates picking up some milk; just like Beatrix said. "Wow" murmured Lincoln while he scratched his head, "I can't believe we haven't spotted them until now."

(Line Break)

After a full week of school and/or housework, the weekend finally arrived and everyone was quite excited; especially our favorite friend group. Soon, a sleek minivan came rolling down the streets and if one would listen closely; they could hear the sounds of singing from the inside...and you'd be right. Within the van; every member of the Gal Pals (young and old, female and male) were happily singing along with the radio.

When everyone calmed down enough, they thanked Carol and her posse for putting this together this outing. "I still can't believe you were able to reserve the entire Bluebells Camp Grounds for us" Lincoln exclaimed with amazement, "for a minute, I was worried we'd be going down to Scratchy Bottom." The moment the name of the aforementioned camping grounds was spoken, everyone in the vehicle shivered in disgust.

"We've all had some terrifying experiences there, Lincoln" Haiku murmured, "especially me." As she closed her eyes, the wee Goth's mind was flooded with images of being chased by giant mosquitoes. "Normally, the idea of blood-sucking creatures fascinates me" she muttered, "but when it comes to bugs the size of weasels chasing me...I'll happily make an exception!"

Soon after that, the other Gals spoke of their own bad experiences at Scratchy Bottom. Dana spoke of all the times she and Chaz said forest animals stole their food away, only for their parents to not believe them. Becky groaned at all the times her folks slathered her and Paige with layers of bug repellent.

Even Whitney had issues with Scratchy Bottom, which seemed to mostly involve all the gunk that would find their way into her poofy hair (insects, cobwebs, leaves, twigs etc.) "I once used so much bug spray on my poof, I reeked of it for three weeks" she whined bitterly, "my folks had to wear clothespins, whenever I entered the room!" With this reveal, several Gal Pals crowded themselves slightly around Whitney; each showing her their sympathies.

"I feel your pain, Whit" Carol stated, "but as bad as smelling like bug spray seems, it's nothing compared to...uh, 'relieving yourself' in the woods." It didn't take long for everyone to realize what she meant and soon, each one of them shivered with displeasure. The moment they got the unpleasant image out of their heads; the group, once again, thanked/praised Carol for getting permission to use the Bluebell Campgrounds.

"You should thank my mother as well" she said with a proud grin, "as former Bluebell Scouts ourselves, we still had some connections with the group leaders." Lincoln eased himself back in his seat in utter amazement; understanding that it truly does pay to know the right people, if you need something. "One quick note, everyone" Carol announced suddenly, "our possible newest Gal Pals will be waiting for us at the entrance, when we arrive."

The group murmured loudly in understanding, some of whom (namely Carol's posse) were feeling eager to meet these newcomers. "Thanks for agreeing to let my new friends join us, Carol" Lincoln said appreciatively, "I know you're all going to like them too." Carol smiled at her friend/young ward and accepted his thank you with a kiss upon his forehead.

"Any friend of yours is our friend too, Linc" Becky proclaimed, "but if they really wanna be part of the crew...they'll have to pass our initiation." Upon hearing this, Lincoln suddenly felt a chill run through him; as if something sinister may be in the works. "You guys aren't going to make them do anything...questionable, are you" he murmured curiously, "because I don't think their folks would like it."

Just as Carol was prepared to tell Lincoln not to worry, she soon caught sight of their destination; Camp Bluebell. At the same time, she also noticed a trio of police cruisers parked along the grass. This sight caused the four teenagers up front to quiver with worry, wondering if something gruesome happened there.

"Guys, you're okay...everything's fine" Jordan assured, "just look who's standing by the cars." While still feeling a touch nervous, Carol nervously looked towards one of the vehicles parked out on the grass. It was then she caught sight of someone waving to her.

As the van eased closer, everyone could clearly see Officer Simmons standing beside one of the cruisers. "What's she doing here" questioned Dana, "I thought we were meeting Linky's new friends at the grounds." Upon hearing her say this, Lincoln suddenly popped up from behind her seat and pointed towards the officers.

It was then that the foursome caught sight of a group of preteens standing beside Ms. Higgins' car. "Well I'll be...looks like Linc and the girls weren't fooling us after all" Becky chuckled, "the newbies are related with our police pals." Almost immediately, Lincoln shook his head and gestured to another young lady among the group; who was being given her supplies by a...a rather peppy couple.

"She is the exception to that rule, everyone" he stated, "her name is Beatrix Yates and her family live right across the street from my house." Mildly intrigued by this, the ladies asked to learn a bit more about this young lady. "Well...she is extremely chipper; just like the rest of her family" he said while mimicking Beatrix's trademark smile, "she's also really into helping people, practices for a lot of things, enjoys soccer and she's very tech savvy."

To say the least, the Gals were quite impressed by the Yates girl's list of skills. But at the same time, they felt she seemed like a rather high class gal and wondered why she wished to hang out at a campsite. "It's true; like the rest of her family, B's schedule is pretty filled up" Lincoln stated, "but when we first met the Yates' way back; my dad helped B's parents understand that it's okay to have a little fun, sometimes."

After hearing this bit of information, the Gal Pals didn't know whether to pity Beatrix or feel defensive towards her; due to her credentials. "In any case, we're gonna make sure she has loads of fun with us" Carol proclaimed, "all those in favor, shout Gal Pals!" Without a second thought or a moment's pause, the other ladies proudly cried out "GAL PALS;" while Lincoln quickly added "and Guy Pals too!"

(Line Break)

Upon arriving at the campgrounds, Lincoln quickly introduced the Gals to his new friends; starting with those from his school. "We know some of you chicas from school already" Dolores stated, "but Lincoln...you never told us you were friends with college kids." This compliment sounded so flattering, it caused Carol and her posse to giggle softly with joy.

"We've only just graduated High School last June, silly" Dana said with a gentle laugh, "we're not college kids just yet yet." Beatrix let out a soft gasp at this reveal and playfully facepalmed herself in surprise. "To tell you the truth, ladies; I'm just as surprised as her" Omar stated, "I didn't know the lil' man liked to hang out with older women."

This comment caused not only Lincoln to blush but Carol and her crew as well. "Calm down, ladies" Tonya giggled, "my lil' bro is just messin' with y'all." To say that the eldest Gal Pals were shocked by her words would be a gross understatement.

"See...that look on your faces, that's how me and Clyde reacted when we were told this" Lincoln chuckled, "but it's true, Omar is the younger sibling and Tonya is the elder one." When the foursome asked how such circumstances were possible, Big O simply smiled and said "I had a growth spurt." This "explanation" seemed just enough to appease Carol's curiosity and before long, her posse began to shake hands with each of the newbies.

When the time came to greet Beatrix; she shook each of the Gals' hands so vigorously, it felt as though their arms might pop out of place. "I'm just so happy to meet you ladies" said the eldest Yates child with delight, "thank you so, so, sooo much for allowing me to join your outing." After they managed to recover from their collective dizzy spell, the Gal Pals turned towards Beatrix and smiled.

"Think nothing of it, girlfriend" Becky stated, "the more, the merrier; as they say." While the Gals took a moment to mingle with Beatrix, Lincoln approached the policewomen trio and waved at them casually. But as he drew closer, he caught sight of some new faces standing alongside them.

On Ms. Higgins' left was a young man dressed in what his sisters, Lori and Leni would call "hipster clothes." He wore a rather snazzy leather jacket, a pair of maroon jogger pants and dark blue all-weather boots. He had a thin-layered beard that stretched along his law-line, had two pairs of earrings on both ears, wore a pair thin-framed glasses and his black hair was done up into a sort of pompadour; which sort of reminded Lincoln of one he had after visiting Margarita's salon in Great Lakes City.

Beside Ms. Campos was a man dressed in a blue hooded flannel jacket, blue jeans and light red sneakers with a black lightning bolt stitched in their sides. Then, as Lincoln looked over in Officer Simmons' direction; he found a woman standing beside her and a rather lovely one at that. She was dressed in a red leather biker's jumpsuit, sported a pair of finger-less leather gloves, had a head short and smooth blonde hair and her eyes sparkled like shimmering green emeralds.

"Wow...who are these guys" Lincoln whispered to himself, "I don't quite remember meeting them before." At that moment, is train of thought came to a sudden halt; when he heard Officer Campos whistling for him. "Hey, chamaco; you just going to stand there all day" she said with a giggle, "come over and say hello."

Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln let out a joyful laugh and happily raced into the officer's arms for a bearhug. Not long after that, Higgins and Simmons joined in on the love-fest; which didn't go unnoticed by the people who were with them. "Oye! Gabriella, I'm standing right here" said the man in the flannel jacket, "you're lucky I'm not the jealous type."

As if sensing the teasing tone in the man's voice, Officer Campos rolled her eyes and smiled at him; playfully telling the man there was "room in her heart for both him and Lincoln." "Um...Officer, sorry to interrupt" Carol interjected shyly, "but aren't you going to introduce us to your...friend here?" Upon realizing the situation, the police trio collected themselves and introduced their associates to everyone.

"Of course, some of y'all may already know the youngins" Officer Higgins stated, "but we've yet to introduce you to our...other partners." The moment she ended off her sentence with a sly wink, both Lincoln and the Gals came to the same conclusion; the new faces among them were the officers' spouses. The first to be introduced was Higgins' husband, Randolph (or Randy to his friends.)

"So, you're the infamous Lincoln Loud my Jenny keeps talkin' about" he said with an inquisitive tone, "now that you're here, I've been meaning to ask ya something." While this question wasn't spoken out of contempt, anger or bitterness; Lincoln still felt quite nervous. Still, he kept himself together and asked Mr. Higgins what he wished to know.

"What...is the deal with your hair" the man asked, "I mean, when my wife showed me a picture of you; I honestly thought she was showing me one of an old man from the Sunset Canyon Retirement Home." After taking a moment to make sure he heard the man correctly, Lincoln's body quickly relaxed itself; as Mr. Higgins began to shake his hand.

"You'd be surprised by how many people think that; when they see me, Sir" he chuckled sheepishly, "but to answer your question...I honestly think I get it from my grandfather, Albert." Mr. Higgins chuckled softly at his statement and greeted Lincoln with a hearty handshake. This sight caused Ellie to let out a heaving sigh of relief.

The next to greet Lincoln was Dolores' father and Officer Campos' husband, Esteban; who seemed quite eager to speak with him. "Heard from my wife and daughter that you're a die-hard Ace Savvy, chico" he said suddenly, "so am I." No sooner had he said this, Esteban unzipped his jacket and revealed his t-shirt. On the front was an image of what looked like the cover of the first Golden Age Ace Savvy comic.

Lincoln was honestly rather surprised, to say the least. The only other adult he knew in life that loved Ace as much as him was his former principal, Wilbur Huggins. "Papá is an old-school Ace fan, amigo" Dolores chuckled, "meaning that he's more of a fan of the classical era of Ace's adventures."

Upon hearing this news, Lincoln asked Esteban what he felt about the "newest additions" to the series; namely characters like the Full House Gang or the Chess Court. "When I first read about them, I thought that the identities of the Gang seemed...how you say, 'a little on the nose;' considering who they were based on" he replied, "but after seeing them in action, I LOVE those girls; particularly the Queen of Diamonds." Feeling curious, Lincoln asked what he found appealing about Lola's character.

"Though she's just a child; in her own way, she is strong and sassy" Esteban chuckled, "just like mi amore, Gabriella." No sooner had he said this; Officer Campos hugged her husband from behind and kissed his cheek while proclaiming "and don't you forget it, chulo." When asked about the Chess Court, Esteban said it was a rather clever idea.

"When I was your age, I always thought the game was boring" he confessed, "but your story actually made it all interesting!" After having a good laugh at the comment, Lincoln and the Gals approached Officer Simmons' "partner;" who seemed to be eyeing Lincoln intently. "Y'all, I'd like you to meet my girl; Donna Ramon" Simmons gushed adorably, "she runs the bike and auto repair shop downtown and is a bit of a wildcard."

After this introduction, there was a small period of silence between both groups. This was due to the fact that Lincoln could feel a burning aura of intimidation radiating off of Donna; something he only felt whenever he was around his sister, Lynn. Finally, Donna approached Lincoln and bent down onto one knee; so that the two would be at equal eye level.

Then, after what felt like ages of intense staring; the young biker smiled brightly and shook Lincoln's hand. "Pleasure to finally meet ya, kid" Donna greeted, "Gail told me all sorts of things about you and your family...but I didn't quite believe most of it." While still feeling slightly nervous, Lincoln smiled slightly and responded with the simple phrase "I hope it was all good...or passable."

This sight of this friendly exchange caused the Gal Pals to all heave out a collective sigh of relief. Then, after Lincoln finished becoming acquainted; he called them over to meet everyone. "It's so nice to meet you ladies" Mr. Higgins said with a broad grin, "we thought it was great that Mr. Loud had some people looking out for him, back when all that...unpleasantness was going on."

Feeling flattered by the man's words, Carol confessed that she was happy to help. "Truth is, we've all been looking out for one another" she stated, "especially over Summer Break." Once everyone had introduced themselves proper, Officer Simmons began to do a quick check on the kids' supplies; just to make sure they were well-prepared.

"Mama...you double, triple even quadruple checked over our supply stocks before we even left the house" Tonya said with a light giggle, "same with your partners!" Officer Campos puffed out her cheeks in a goofy pout and proclaimed that one "couldn't be too careful" when camping out. "I think everything's a-okay here, Ma'am" Whitney assured, "which is good...because after seeing your cars, I thought something bad happened here."

Upon hearing this, the three officers' faces lit up in an embarrassed blush and they shyly expressed their apologies. "I knew we should've taken our regular cars" Campos grumbled, "but just as we were about to drive over here, we got a call from the station." As expected, this bit of a bombshell shocked the group and Carol asked if anyone was hurt.

"Naw, sug; it ain't nothin' like that" Higgins quickly assured, "just been called up to do tonight's town patrol." Despite the overall positive nature of this news, everyone still urged the Babes in Blue to be careful. "Don't you worry, ladies" Omar assured, "if anybody gives them trouble, they'll have the crooks on their rears quicker than y'all can say 'uncle.'"

The Gals and Lincoln chuckled softly, while also mentally pitying any crook who may be fool enough to cross the trio.

(Line Break)

After everyone said their goodbyes and the adults had departed, everyone made their way to the camping area to set up the tents. But because some of them being relatively new with camping, the process took a little while to properly grasp; particularly for Beatrix. "I don't know if I can do this, everybody" she murmured with uncertainty, "what if...what if I hit my fingers by accident while trying to drive in the spike?"

The moment she said this, Beatrix mentally berated herself; believing that making such an excuse would cause everyone to laugh at her. But instead, she heard several of the Gal Pals profess the same fears. "I once hit my thumb while trying to drive in a tent spike, back when me and my sister camped in our backyard" Paige murmured, "thankfully, nothing was broken."

Upon hearing this, Dana mentioned a time where Chaz had to set up a camping tent. But the support strings were straining so tightly that while they slept, the whole thing fell apart on them. "So, you see; we were all new to camping at one time" Carol stated, "but we grew to love it, the more we tried."

After hearing these stories and these words of encouragement, Beatrix's confidence came back to her and she was ready to help out. With a little teamwork and a lot of focus, the campsite was all set and ready for use. Unfortunately, they've spent so much time setting up that it was already almost five in the afternoon.

"I knew we should've left home earlier" Phoebe murmured, "if we did, we wouldn't have been caught up in that traffic jam back on the highway." Some of the other Gals couldn't help but agree...save for their eldest members. "Don't worry, everybody" Becky assured, "this may have been a bit time-consuming but the timing couldn't be better."

Before anyone had a chance to speak up, Haiku smiled and pointed towards the horizon. "The sun is about to set" she murmured, "which means it's just about time to begin...the initiation." With this reveal, the Gals began to giggle loudly with anticipation. However, Lincoln felt that they might be getting too far ahead of themselves.

"I mean, we don't have the...other stuff ready yet" he stated, "how are we supposed to set everything up without rousing suspicion?" The moment he said this, several of the Gals placed their hands around Lincoln's mouth; which almost caused Beatrix and the others to become suspicious. "Keep your voice down, Linc" Jordan said in a hushed tone, "and don't worry...we've already got a plan."

Immediately after that, Carol gave a whistle towards their new arrivals and called them over. "Could you guys do us a small favor" she asked, "there's some stuff in my van we'll need for the campout, could you help Lincoln bring it over?" Without hesitation, they happily agreed to the task and followed Lincoln back to the parking lot.

When they left; everyone was carrying some snack bags, their sleeping bags, the bug spray bottles and of course, the picnic blanket. "I think that's everything, y'all" Omar surmised, "but I bet the Gals already have the rest of the stuff with 'em already." With that affirmation, everyone collected the supplies and headed back towards the campsite.

Upon their return, the group was met with a rather eerie surprise. Seated around the campfire were all of the Gal Pals, who appeared to have their faces covered under the hoods of their coats/sweatshirts. This gave them a sort Illuminati-like secret society look.

Lincoln was the only one not dressed in this manner, choosing only to be a sort of "mediator" for the group. "The newcomers have returned" Haiku murmured in a cryptic voice, "come forward." Nervous yet somewhat confused, the girls and Omar cautiously approached the circle and took their seats.

Afterwards, Carol approached them and removed her hood; revealing a rather stoic expression upon her face. "Gang...you're all probably wondering why we've invited you to join us" she inquired, earning a few nods from the teens; "well, this outing is about more than just roasting marshmallows and having fun." After this, the Gals gave Lincoln the floor; who did his best to appear "professional;" despite his body quivering with excitement.

"Guys, I know we've only hung out together for almost a month now" he stated, "but after getting to know you for some time, I thought that...maybe Carol would think you're 'cool enough' to join our friend group." Feeling curious, Tonya questioned the Gal in question why the choice fell upon her shoulders specifically. "To make a long story short, I was appointed as Lincoln's head legal guardian" Carol replied, "plus...it also helps that I've got seniority here."

This statement caused Becky, Whitney and Dana to cross their arms in annoyance; all while proclaiming "we're his guardians too, girl!" "Anyway...if you all want to join, you're going to have to pass a little test" Carol stated, "sort of like a club initiation." This bit of news caused everyone to sweat a little, wondering what everyone had in mind for their "initiation."

"Don't worry, folks" Cici assured, "we're not about to make you all do anything...unsavory or questionable." Having heard this reveal, the five potential new crewmates heaved out a collective sigh of relief. "What we have in mind is something relatively simple" Becky stated, "to hang with us; you've gotta be reliable, loyal, strong (in terms of spirit) and above all, fun!"

After that, the Gals presented their challenge to the newcomers; telling a spooky campfire story. "If your stories are scary or entertaining enough to hold our interests, we will let you in" Carol informed, "but if they seem even the slightest bit boring, no dice." With all that said, it was now time to decide who would tell the first story.

Straightaway, Ellie was the first to step up; promising that she had "a real humdinger of a story to tell." This signaled for everyone else to sit back, get comfy...and to prep their marshmallows for either roasting or s'mores. "This is a lil' story my Pappy once told me" Ellie began, "it's about a man...known simply as Booker the Butcher."

The moment everyone heard the title, they also felt a slight chill run through their bodies; which meant that the story might be a good one. Then, Ellie took out her cellphone and brought up an image on a web search. It was one of an old log cabin, one that appeared to have been built during the time of the Old West.

"I think I heard of that place" Haiku interjected, "it is said that the cabin's basement was once filled with all sorts of dead bodies." From this brief synopsis alone, Beatrix suddenly began to outwardly shiver with fright. Meanwhile, inside her mind; she also started to wonder if she may have been in over her head by agreeing to the story test.

"Keep it together, Beatrix" she told herself mentally, "after meeting the Louds, you promised to try and step out of your comfort zone from time to time...this is one of those times!" After taking a moment to gather her courage, Beatrix was now ready to begin. Meanwhile, Whitney handed a flashlight over towards Ellie; so that she could shine the light upon herself for dramatic affect.

"Get ready, y'all" she said with a cautionary tone, "this story is so scary, you'll jump outta your britches." With that said, she threw another stick onto the fire and began her tale.

(The Tale of Booker the Butcher)

In the time of the Old West, in the farthest part of the New Mexico territories, nestled in the region known as Mercado Pass; there stands an old cabin. What is so special about this cabin, you may be wondering? Well...many years ago, a man named Booker lived there with his Indian (or Native American) wife and "halfwit" son.

For many years, they had seemed to keep to themselves; hardly ever leaving home or speaking with anyone. But one day, at the town saloon; the wife suddenly burst through the doors panting wildly. From the look of her, everyone saw that she was all bloody and crazed with fear.

When the patrons asked what happened to her, she said that her husband had killed their son and tried to do away with her as well and this is why...

See, whenever folks were traveling by there; Booker would invite them in for supper. Then, as soon as they were seated at the table...HE'D MURDER THEM, with an ax and then throw their bodies in the cellar. This went on for some time; then one day, a Ute Indian came by with his spouse and...well, you may already know what happens next by now.

When the next intended victim happened to ask "hey, you ever get any Indians around here lately?" Well, Booker's half-wit of a son then replied, "can't ya smell the one Papa just put in the cellar?" Well...after that; Booker went berserk and in a fit of rage, killed the boy and the visitor before his wife made her escape.

(Back to Reality)

As the story neared its end, the ladies appeared to be shivering slightly; perhaps either with fear or due to the chill of the Autumn air. Omar meanwhile, did his best to put on a brave face despite his own fears swirling about in his mind. Finally, Lincoln appeared to be gripping at the grass so hard that his fingernails were getting coated in dirt.

As if sensing everyone's collective anxiety, Ellie smiled slightly and decided to bring in the "clincher." "After the people in the saloon heard her story, a posse rode up to the cabin right quick" she stated, "but when they arrived, Booker seemed to have vanished without a trace." At this point, everyone felt unsure if they should feel happy or scared by this development.

"When they opened the doors of that cellar, the posse found more bones than you'd ever find in Boot Hill" Ellie whispered dramatically, "to all you city folk, that's another term for a cemetery or a bone yard." The younger members of the Gal Pals all nodded frantically in understanding and pleaded for Ellie to get to the end of her story. The teen smiled for a brief moment, feeling proud that her story was getting others so highly invested.

Then, she brought her phone back out and showed everyone the image of the cabin (or a similar looking one) naughtily to the crowd. "So, friends...if'n you ever find yourself travelin' down that pass; best stay clear of that old cabin" she urged warily, "Booker the Butcher may be laying for ya...along with all of the ghosts of all the poor souls he murdered there." With her campfire tale at an end, Ellie turned off the flashlight and reclined herself back; waiting to hear everyone's feedback.

"Oh...wow" murmured Haiku breathlessly, "I've read and heard many horror stories, since turning Goth...but that, that one truly gave me chills!" There was a light murmur of agreement from the other Gals, all of whom showing varied expressions from the story's effect. "That was really good, missy" Whitney stated, "seems like we're off to a good start here."

Carol nodded in agreement while also noting that there were four other initiates left to test. "Next, let's give Tonya the floor...so to speak" she stated, "what sort of campfire tale do you have for us?" After giving a gracious bow to the teen and the other Gal Pals, Tonya stood up and began to lightly clear her throat.

"Actually, Carol...if I may call ya that" she said politely, "considering the occasion, I plan on telling my story more in the form of a song." Intrigued by this, the eldest Gals asked what sort of song she had in mind. "It's one of the songs from that radio play that premiered last October" Omar interjected, "remember 'The Ballad of Sara Berry?'"

There was a light murmur of mild understanding but it was apparent that only a select few of them have heard of the aforementioned "musical." "Regardless, I may need some help with the music and singin'" Tonya stated, "how many of y'all can sing...and do you guys know how to play an instrument?" As if on cue, Lincoln took out his phone and tapped his finger on the screen.

No sooner had he done this, what looked like a set of guitar strings appeared. After a few seconds, everyone immediately recognized this app. But at the same time, they wondered why Lincoln had it on his phone.

"Heh-heh...every once in a while, Luna would let me jam out with her" the young Loud boy admitted, "but she encouraged me to use something like this, instead of one of her own guitars." When asked why make such a choice, Lincoln confessed that it was for his own safety. "My sister highly values her instruments" he stated, "if I wrecked any of them, even accidentally...she'd blast my ears out with speaker feedback."

After pushing that aside, Lincoln explained that the app was a good way for Luna to teach him how to play. "I'll try my hand at a real guitar, someday" he said hopefully, "but for now...this is a good substitute." Satisfied with this explanation, Tonya turned towards any singers that were present.

Almost immediately, Dana, Dolores, Stella, Cristina, Jordan and even Haiku volunteered to lend a hand. Lastly, Omar offered up his own vocal skills for the story; proclaiming he could help provide some baritone for the backup vocals. To demonstrate, he bellowed out a series of soulful notes; which gave him the sound of a young Blues singer.

"Mmm-mm-mmm! Sing it loud and proud, Baby Bro" Tonya chuckled, "let's do this thang!" With that said, she signaled Lincoln to begin playing; which also signaled the group to begin their half of the performance.

(All)

Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!
Down on your knees before the Queen.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!
Down on your knees before the Queen.

(Lincoln plays the musical accompaniment, which causes everyone to rock in their "seats")

(Tonya)

Now, Sara Berry was a popular bitch.

(The Gals)

(Mm-hmm.)

(Tonya)

Hot bod, hot boy, cheer captain, plus she was rich.

(Omar)

(Oh, yeah.)

(Tonya)

That girl had everything till hiccup and hitch:
Julie Jenkins lost a leg in a wreck.

(All)

(Am-pu-ta-ted)

(Tonya)

The nominations for Prom Royalty came

(Haiku and Cici)

(Uh-huh.)

(Tonya)

Our Sara's Senior Year, and Queen was her claim

(Phoebe)

(Uh, duh.)

(Tonya)

Till gossip stirred the student body would name
Julie Jenkins, Queen of the Prom.

(Jordan and Paige)

(Pi-ty vote)

(Tonya)

"Sara," her father said, "Life is a Prom.
I know you won't disappoint me and Mom..."

(Tonya + Omar)

You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown.
You thirst for blood from the roses in hand.
You spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance,
As they crown you Queen of High School Land.

(Dolores)

Check Sara,

Choose Sara

Vote for Sara Berry

(Kat + Cici + Stella)

Check Sara

Choose Sara

Vote for Sara Berry

(Tonya)

So obsessed, our Sara near lost her mind.
To life un-Prom-related, Sara was blind;
She shoved her squad, her clique and boyfriend behind—
Still Julie had a hold on the lead.

(Omar)

(Poor, poor Julie)

(Tonya)

Oh, Sara's sanity was hung by a thread,
Her B.F.F.'s proclaimed her socially dead,
Till then, at last, her boyfriend texted and said:
"I'm taking Julie to the senior Prom."

(Dolores, Jordan and Cristina)

(Love, love Julie)

(Tonya)

"Sara," her father said, "Why be so calm?
There's just no future for a Princess at Prom..."

(Tonya + Omar + Carol's crew)

You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown.
You thirst for blood from the roses in hand.
You spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance,
As they crown you Queen of High School Land.

(All)

Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!
Down on your knees before the Queen.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!
Down on your knees before the Queen.

(Tonya)

Some girls are rational but Sara was not
She stared in mirrors thinking one single thought:
There's seven reasons this crown's not good as got—
And so the night of Prom, mercy! Thus went her plot:

Phoebe: "P" is for Patricia, drinking poisoned punch.
Dolores: "R" is for Raquel, dashed on a rock (crunch)
Whitney: "O" is what Anne said when Sara bludgeoned her brains
Omar: And "M" is Marianna's marinated remains.

All: But! But!

Dana: "Q" is for Quiara, quiet, drowned in the pool.
Haiku: and "U" is for Eunice's pieces spread 'round the school
Lincoln: But "E's" are for the easy way in five minutes tops
Kat: A one-legg'd girl can bring an "N" for end by calling the cops.

Carol's crew: What a jerk

(Tonya)

You've got your silver Sara, you got your crown
You got their blood on your roses in hand
You donned the sash and scepter, doing a dance,
As you crowned you Queen of High School Land!

Omar: Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!

Tonya: God save the Queen...

Omar: Down on your knees before the Queen.

Tonya: God save the Queen.

Omar: Woah-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!

Tonya: The Queen of High School Land.

Omar: Down on your knees before the Queen.

Tonya: HAIL the Queen of High School Land!

(At this point of the song, everyone suddenly decides to join in)

They wrapped your wrists in silver, they took your crown
They washed the blood from your fingers and hands.
Into a tight straitjacket, small padded cell,
Screaming, "I'm Queen of High School Land!"

(Tonya)

At least in your head, you're Queen of High School Land
Oh, Pity the dead! You're Queen of High School Land.

(Tonya + Omar)

(Check Sara, Choose Sara, Vote for Sara Berry.)
(Check Sara, Choose Sara, Vote for Sara Berry.)

After the end of the final verse, everyone suddenly burst out into a loud series of applause. "Holy Cannoli, that was awesome" Carol cried breathlessly, "not only was it a great story but I loved that it was a cool song we could all join in on!" There was a loud cacophony of agreement from the rest of the group, which made Tonya and Omar feel quite proud.

The next to tell a story was Dolores, who decided to tell everyone about a creature she called the Cucuy, which she explained was a sort of Spanish version of the Boogeyman. While most of the group had long gotten over their fear of such a being, something about Dolores' story still shook them a little. "Another great story, newbies" Becky complimented, "now...only one remains."

Soon, all eyes fell onto Beatrix; who appeared to be shivering in her seat slightly. Some speculated that she still had the jitters from the earlier stories. But Lincoln, on the other hand, presumed that she might actually have been nervous about doing her part for the stoy test.

After giving Beatrix a soft whistle, she watched as Lincoln started performing a series of silent breathing gestures. This led her to believe that he wanted her to try some calming breaths. For about a minute or two, Beatrix did just that and she could feel the tension within her slowly giving way with every exhale.

When she stopped, she faced the group and asked for someone to hand her the flashlight. "I have a scary tale of my own" she stated, "one that I believe may hit close to home for some of you." This suggestion appeared to please the Gal Pals, who soon started to inch themselves closer to her.

"Alright, then...here it goes" Beatrix sighed, "one night, Lil' Jimmy Simpkins logged onto his computer; only to find a discontinued server icon." Admittedly, this part of the "story" did create some reactions from everyone...just not one involving looks of terror or frightful murmuring. In truth, the Gals and Lincoln appeared utterly confused more than anything.

In spite of all this, however; Beatrix still kept telling her story with great fervor. "And after working tirelessly upon it for hours, what he saw next filled him with shock and pure terror" she said dramatically, "for his hard drive had been...completely erased." After finishing, all appeared silent; save for the crickets that were chirruping in the grass (no joke.)

Upon seeing the unimpressed looks on everyone's faces, afterwards; Lincoln grew worried. "This is no good" Lincoln murmured to the viewer in a panicked tone, "the only people I know who'd be scared of that story are Zach and my sister, Lisa." As the young Loud boy looked over in his friends' direction, he saw Carol approach Beatrix and tell her that the story was an official dud.

"That being said...I'm a fair person" she said reassuringly, "I'll give you another chance to tell us a really horrifying tale." No sooner had she said this, the other Gals interjected and proclaimed it had to be the kind of story that would make your blood run cold. "If that's what you want, everybody; I suppose I have...something of that variety in mind" Beatrix murmured in an uncertain tone, "it's a story that my grandmother once told my family after taking a trip up to Liverpool years ago."

After saying this, she took a seat on a log and turned on the flashlight; giving her face a haunting look. "Steel your nerves, everyone" she stated, "as I tell you the tale of...The Headless Coachman!" Intrigued by the title, everyone gathered around closely; not wishing to miss a single word.

"Once upon the time in London Town during the reign of Queen Victoria, there was a coach driver" Beatrix began, "he was a dutiful fellow who would happily offer up his services to anyone in need of a lift." She soon spoke of how this fellow rode townsfolk of all kinds hither and yon about town, which seemed to please everyone. "Then, on a misty autumn night, a voice called out to him" Beatrix said suddenly, "it said 'please, driver; won't you help me?'"

(the story world)

As the coachman prepares to end another day's work, he suddenly hears a voice call out to him. "Please, driver; hold there for a moment" it cried, "I need your help." The coachman turns around to find a young woman approaching, who had a look of dread about her.

Ever the dutiful fellow, the coachman tipped his hat respectably to the woman and asked how he could help her. "I would like to...to take just a little ride about town, if you please" the woman murmured sadly, "I've lost my pet cocker spaniel somewhere sometime ago and...I've yet to find her." The coachman frowned slightly with despair, when he saw tears trickling down the woman's cheeks.

Without pause, he reached into his coat pocket and offered her a handkerchief to help dry her eyes. "Thank you ever so much, Sir" sniffled the woman, "I...I so desperately need to clear my head, would you be kind enough to grant me a ride?" Once more, the coachman happily offered her his service without a single moment's pause.

Once the woman was aboard his carriage, the coachman cracked the reins slightly and the horse went off on his way. However, within moments; the fog slowly became a little thicker than before and the air grew rather cold; which caused the coachman to shiver slightly. "Take this, Sir" the woman insisted softly, offering up her scarf to him; "I do not want you catching cold on my account."

Touched by this gesture, the coachman accepted the woman's gift and wrapped the scarf neatly around his neck. Overtime, they had ridden through much of the town and the coachman was moments away from ending the ride. But the woman asked if they could keep going for just a little longer.

"Before meeting you, I've asked others if they've seen my precious doggie wandering about" she stated, "that was when a paperboy said he spotted one somewhere near the woods...might we go see?" The coachman hesitated a little at this request; under normal circumstances, he'd only ridden his carriage around the streets. No one ever asked him to go near or even through the woods, before tonight.

But then, as he looked back at the woman; he couldn't help but empathize with her. In his heart, the driver felt that no one should ever be separated from their precious pet. Thus, in the end; he agreed to the woman's wishes and drove his carriage into the woods.

But as they rode down the path, the coachman noticed how much darker everything looked in the woods than it did in town. "My apologies, Mum" he murmured uneasily, "but...I fear it is getting far too dark and foggy to find anything; perhaps, we should..." Before he could finish his sentence, both the coachman and the woman suddenly heard the echoes of a dog barking somewhere close by.

"That's her" she cried, "that's my precious doggie, I can hear her in the woods!" Before the coachman could speak up, the woman urged him to ride down a dirt path that went through the forest. "Please, we must move quickly" she begged, "my precious could be in danger."

Once more, the coachman wished to object to her request...but soon hesitated when he heard the desperation in her voice. Against every logical instinct he had, the coachman relented and urged his horse to move on down the forest path. But as they rode, he did his best not to move too quickly; for it was getting darker and foggier the deeper they went into the woods.

But the sound of the dog's barking grew louder and louder by the minute, which caused the woman to become quite frantic. Soon, she stood up slightly from her seat and shouted out to him "faster, do you hear; faster!" The coachman did as he was told and rode his carriage faster down the path.

"We're coming, sweetie" the woman called out hopefully to her dog, "just hold on for a little longer!" As they rode further down the path; soon, the branches of trees beside the carriage started to block out the moonlight above them. This coupled with the thick fog and the bitter cold made things even more difficult for the coachman.

But regardless, he still kept riding harder down the way; the sounds of the carriage wheels striking the stones beneath them echoed loudly in the night. The whole time they rode on; the dog kept barking and the woman kept shouting "faster, do you hear; ride faster!" Finally, though the fog; woman saw something running on the grass.

It was a small cocker spaniel and it appeared to have a red bandana wrapped around its neck, which seemed to match the color of the coachman's scarf. "There she is; follow her, please" the woman cried, "we're coming, sweetie!" Despite his horse's refusal, the coachman tugged hard at the reins; causing the whole carriage to veer out onto the grass.

It rode faster and faster through the wood, the coachman doing his absolute best to keep the spaniel in his sights. As he followed her, he looked ahead and could see a light glowing faintly in the distance. It was a gaslight, which meant that they were getting close to the town again.

But then, the woman suddenly looked on in horror and cried "LOOK OUT!" With a frightful yelp, the coachman looked ahead and saw a highwayman waving his shiv madly in the air. "Get off the carriage and give me your money, you blighter" the man shouted, "do it now or I'll bleed you like a stuck pig!"

Startled by this ambush, the horse bellowed out a terrified whinny and darted away from the man as fast as it could back into the forest; just barely missing the blade. However, in its haste; the horse suddenly pulled everyone down a steep hill. The coachman, growing evermore terrified by the minute, desperately tried his best to slow down the carriage.

But the horse was moving so fast; if he pulled the reins any harder, they might snap in two. At the same time, the coachman looked behind him and could see the woman slowly becoming viciously hysterical. "Follow the barking...now" the woman demanded with a crazed look in her eyes, "she's just down the hill, go down there; HURRY!"

Each time the coachman tried to object, the woman violently slammed her fists against his back in defiance. Faster and faster the carriage went down the hill, the dog's barking now sounding louder and closer than before. "WE'RE ALMOST THERE" shrieked the woman, "MOVE FASTER, DO YOU HEAR...FASTER!"

As the carriage rode on, the scarf around the coachman's neck started blowing on the wind. During the pursuit, no one saw one of the trees' long branches hanging overhead; until the coachman's scarf suddenly caught onto it. Within seconds, the opposite end of the scarf wound itself tightly around the branch.

This led to the base end of the scarf coiling itself tightly around the coachman's neck until...SNAP! Once free, the horse continued to rush madly down the forest path. But as it took a glance behind him, the horse's eyes widened in horror.

Just behind the carriage, lying on the dirt path were three items; a hat, the red scarf...and a human head. Now, the horse's reins were no longer held by the driver he knew. Instead, the carriage was being driven by...the Headless Coachman.

With a terrified whinny, the horse hurried off deep back into the woods. As the carriage disappeared into the foggy mist and darkness, the woman's mad cackling could be heard echoing loudly through the air.

(Back to Reality)

As Beatrix neared the end of her story; everyone around her appeared on the edge of their seats, quivering with fear. "Now, hundreds of years after that dreadful night; this tale has been passed down from generation to generation" the eldest Yates girl stated, "some believe that the spirit of the coachman still wanders the world of the living, to this very day; desperately searching for her dog...or her next victim." After taking in a nervous gulp...as well as dabbing away some of his underarm sweat, Lincoln timidly asked to learn more.

"There are several signs that signal the approach of the Coachman" Beatrix informed, "first, a thick fog will suddenly roll over the land." Upon hearing this example, everyone heaved a collective sigh; thankful that the skies were clear...for the moment. Then, as she listed the second example; Beatrix mentioned the sounds of a "demon cocker spaniel" barking in the night.

"Next, you might hear the sounds of the carriage wheels running along the road" she informed, "then...it won't be long until you'll hear the fiendish cackling of the mad woman." Upon hearing this example, Carol and her crew suddenly huddled together for safety; all while whimpering fearfully under their breath. This was the signal Beatrix needed to deliver the final lines of her tale.

"Should any of these circumstances arise; the next thing you'll see, riding out of the foggy mist will be the haunted carriage" she whispered creepily, "being driven by...THE HEADLESS COACHMAN!" To really close things off, Beatrix ducked her head into her coat; making herself appear headless. While this wasn't all that frightening in itself, the shadow she created in the fire's glow caused everyone to cry out in alarm.

Once the story was finished, everything felt as still and as quiet as the grave; which made Beatrix feel rather...self-conscious. "Oops...I'm sorry, everyone" she murmured with a light blush, "did my story really scare you that much?" After a few more seconds of silence, the group suddenly burst into a wild applause.

"Wow, just...wow" Dana gasped, "I haven't felt that scared since the time I lost my phone in the gym locker room." Taking this as a compliment, Beatrix bowed her head slightly and expressed her thanks. Not long after that, everyone else expressed their own feelings on the story.

"That has to be...one of the most frightful tales I've ever heard" Haiku murmured with a smile, "and coming from someone like me, that's saying a lot." This comment, though slightly morbid, caused Beatrix to blush slightly with humbleness; which led to her curtsying to the Gal Pals in gratitude. "Looks like we could expect some new members into our circle, everyone" Carol announced, "but we'll worry about technical matters later; now, it's time for some food!"

Not needing to be told twice, everyone hurried over to the coolers and brought out as much of the food they brought that they felt hungry for. Of course; the first things to be opened were the crackers, marshmallows and chocolate. "Who's up for some s'mores" Lincoln announced, "all in favor, say aye!"

Mere seconds after he said this, everyone happily sounded off in agreement with an enthusiastic "AYE!" Surprisingly, even Beatrix felt eager to have a s'more; even though her father often prohibited her from having sugary foods. "Don't worry; I've got ya covered on that, Bea" Lincoln assured, "I've got regular and sugar free chocolate bars here."

This bit of news caused Beatrix to squeal with delight, before she glomped Lincoln in a near bone-crushing embrace. "You are just the best, Lincoln" she gushed adorably, "I'm so lucky to have you as a friend." Meanwhile, the eldest Gal Pals found themselves pouting like a group of angry toddlers; as they watched Beatrix embrace their friend.

"That's not fair" Dana grumbled while puffing out her cheeks irritably, "I thought only we could hug Linky like that." Carol rolled her eyes at her friend and said that there was no such rule made. "Don't get me wrong...I'm a little jealous too" she murmured, "but Lincoln was her friend before us and thus, she's entitled to that kind of PDA."

While the girls all agreed that Carol spoke the truth, it still didn't make them feel any less jealous.

(Line Break)

As time passed; some games were played, some treats were shared/eaten and there was much laughter heard on the grounds. But alas, it was getting rather late; which meant it was about time to get ready for bed. Thus, everyone began their outdoor bedtime preparations; starting with getting into their pajamas.

"Follow me to the main square, everyone" Carol ordered, "that's where the restrooms are." Beatrix suddenly let out a soft shiver but made sure no one else noticed it. While she was thankful that there was a one within range of them, she heard quite a few "stories" about campground restrooms; most of which were not pleasant.

"It'll be okay, Beatrix" Lincoln assured, "just...make sure to have a few wet wipes or hand sanitizer on hand." The eldest Yates child nodded in understanding, thanked Lincoln for his suggestion and followed the other girls to the Ladies Room; while Lincoln went in the Men's Room with Omar. While inside, everyone began to change into their evening clothes.

As Cristina began combing her hair in the mirror; from the reflection, she saw the night sky be slightly overwhelmed by a sudden fog. "Um...girls" she murmured uneasily, "did the weather channel say anything about cloudy or foggy skies tonight?" Confused, Stella turned towards the window and could definitely see some misty fog clouds rolling in.

"It's probably nothing" she stated, "it'll blow over, before we know it and the skies will be clear again." After that, Stella finished changing and walked back out to the campground. Meanwhile, Stella appeared frozen in place; her knees quaking slightly with anxiety.

"This fog is just like the kind from my story" she thought to herself worriedly, "either that...or it's just purely a coincidence." After taking in a few calming breaths, Beatrix brushed her teeth and was ready to curl up into her sleeping bag for a long rest. But as she climbed into her tent, the fog was beginning to look slightly thicker than before.

"It's just a coincidence, Beatrix" she whispered, "pure and simple." With that thought in mind, she zipped herself into her bag and was moments away from wishing everyone pleasant dreams. But when she got a look at everyone, she raised an eyebrow.

Phoebe had her phone light on in the tent, Paige's eyes darted around like she was being watched and Haiku (ironically) clutched at her pillow like an emotional support animal. At the same time, the eldest members appeared just as skittish. As for the boys, Lincoln curled himself up tightly beneath his sleeping bag, while Omar could be heard muttering "there ain't nothin' to fear but fear itself" repeatedly under his breath.

"Gee whiz...I didn't realize my story would have this kind of affect on everyone" she murmured, "then again, we've been telling spooky stories most of the night." With that in mind, Beatrix eased herself into her bag and began to slowly drift off to sleep. For sometime, all appeared quiet and peaceful; save for the sounds of everyone snoring softly.

(Line Break)

Hours passed since everyone went off to sleep and still, the fog lingered slightly around the campgrounds. Then; Kat suddenly sensed that "nature was calling," carefully got out of her tent and made her way towards the bathrooms. But due to the combination of the fog and the darkness, walking there proved a little difficult.

Thankfully, she had her cellphone on hand and was able to use its light to help see ahead of her. In time, Kat reached the Ladies Room door and immediately rushed inside; desperate to...relieve herself. When she was finished, a few moments later; Kat appeared quite relaxed.

"That takes care of that" she sighed while drying off her hands, "now, to head back to camp for some shut..." At that moment, her train of thought was suddenly halted by a strange sound from somewhere close by. It was faint, at the moment but it almost sounded like...a dog barking.

At first, Kat started to feel incredibly nervous; fearing that Beatrix's story may be coming true. "I mean...first the fog and now, I'm hearing a dog barking" she murmured uneasily, "either this is all purely coincidental or somebody's pulling a prank on us." The moment the latter thought came into her head, Kat's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Maybe somebody talked Carol into setting up these happenings to test the newcomers' nerves" she stated firmly, "if that's the case...she's got some nerve doing this and not informing the rest of us about it." With this in mind, Kat made her way back to camp; eager to get some answers from Carol. But when she arrived, she was met with a rather startling surprise.

Every member of the Gal Pals was wide awake, curled up slightly into fetal positions and shivering with fear. "I'm guessing you guys heard the noises too, huh" Kat asked as she approached everyone, "I mean...this has all got to be some sort of prank someone's pulling to spook the newbies." No sooner had she said this, several eyes fell upon Carol; whose face looked as white as a ghost.

"What...you think I'm responsible for this" she inquired indignantly, "certainly not and I can tell you no one else here is doing so either!" As if on cue, the other Gals quickly sounded off their denial in what's been going on. Even Lincoln openly protested his innocence; proclaiming that if this was all a prank, it would be Luan's doing and not his.

"Now...calm down, gang" Jordan urged kindly, "this is all just an odd series of coincidences, no one here is in any danger." For a moment, everyone felt inclined to agree with her; despite the fear swirling around inside of each of them. But then; just when things couldn't get any freakier, everyone suddenly heard two sounds echoing from somewhere close by.

The first was the sounds of the dog barking that Kat heard earlier. This time, however; it all sounded much clearer and closer than when she last heard it near the restroom. The next was the soft clopping of horse hooves and the rattle of carriage wheels knocking against pavement.

"It's all just a coincidence...just like everyone said" Lincoln whispered to himself fearfully, "I mean, we haven't heard any kind of weird cackling yet...that's a plus!" For what felt like ages, he continued to mentally rouse himself into being brave. But the fog and the odd noises were quickly wearing on his nerves.

At the same time, the others felt just as on edge as Lincoln was. Then, as if by some cruel joke from Fate; the night skies suddenly echoed with the sounds of mad laughter. With that, the Gals and Lincoln suddenly burst into a cacophony of panicked screams.

Meanwhile, the girls and Omar were doing their darndest to get everyone to calm down. Ever the helpful one, Beatrix was especially eager to get everyone to calm down...but to no avail. "Please, everyone; if you will just listen to me" she urged softly, "I know things seem dire now...but if we stick together, we will be okay."

Again and again, the eldest of the Yates children tried to get everyone to hear her. But everyone was screaming so loudly, her voice sounded like a whisper among that of the others. "Hold back for a minute, girl" Tonya said while gently pushing Beatrix back, "let me try somethin' here."

After stepping forward, she watched on as everyone continued running like frightened chickens. Then, she stuck two fingers into her mouth; which gave Omar the signal to immediately plug up his ears. "Y'all better brace yourselves" he said warily, "things are gonna get loud up in here."

Not needing to be told twice, the remaining three girls covered their hands over ears and waited for what's to come. Then, at that moment; Tonya unleashed a whistle that was so loud and shrill that it caused the entire Gal Pals crew to stop dead in their tracks. "Huh...how about that" she chuckled, "Mama was right, that works on police dogs and people."

After everyone's ears finally stopped ringing, the Gals and Lincoln glared bitterly in Tonya's direction. "Sorry she had to do that to you, everybody" Omar said apologetically, "but now is not the time to be goin' crazy with fear!" After being given the floor, Beatrix proclaimed that they all needed to be strong.

"How are we supposed to do that" questioned Lincoln, "how are we supposed to hold our own against a ghost?!" Some of the Gals felt just as doubtful as he did, believing that going up against such a foe was crazy. Utterly dumbfounded by these words; Beatrix, once more tried to rouse everyone into standing with her.

"Before tonight, Lincoln has told me a few of the things you've accomplished together" she said firmly, "you've bested a criminal at a Ren Faire, Lincoln rescued Cristina from drowning...a few of you even fought against two of Lincoln's toughest sisters and survived!" As they listened to each example, Lincoln and the Gals couldn't help but smile softly with a smidgen of pride.

"Bea's right, y'all" Ellie interjected with gusto, "if you can do all that, would battling against a supposed ghost be so hard?" While still feeling a touch afraid, something about their friends' words of encouragement helped spark a strong fire in their collective bellies. "I don't know about the rest of you" Dolores stated, "but I'm not letting this bruto fantasmal take us to...who knows where without a fight, are you all with me?!"

Without a moment's hesitation; the Gals, Lincoln and Omar sounded off in proud agreement while pumping their fists into the air. At that moment; the skies once again, suddenly echoed with the sounds of mad laughter and horse whinnies. However, they seemed much louder and closer than the last time.

Thinking quickly, Jordan reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of binoculars. She then started scanning the area ahead for any sign of what was causing the noises. Despite the ever present fog; she was, eventually able to spot the silhouette of a carriage near the Camp Bluebell entrance.

She could also see the shadowy form of the driver, who appeared to be dressed in a heavy coat...but couldn't find any sign of their face/head. "I think I see him up ahead" Jordan whispered, "so...anybody got a plan on what to do, if/when we take him down?" For a moment or two, everyone scratched their chins in thought until Omar was suddenly struck by inspiration.

"I've got my mama on speed dial in my emergency contacts" he stated, "after we rush him and get him off that carriage, I'll ring her up." Everyone applauded Omar on his idea but hoped they would be able to hold their own long enough until the officers get there.

Just then, the carriage driver turned in their direction and due to the fog; everyone only saw a glimpse of his wide-rimmed collar. This led the Guys and Gals to believe that this truly was the Headless Coachman. But in spite of this, they still held their ground and glared at him with an intense fire in their eyes.

"Okay, gang...let's end this" Carol said firmly, "SURROUND HIM AND TAKE NO PRISONERS!" With this signal, everyone rushed towards the coach while letting out a series of fierce battle cries. This caused the horse to let out a startled whinny, which led to it trying desperately to run away from the approaching attackers.

But the coachman managed to hold his grip firmly on the reins, no matter how many times the nag bounced and jerked around. In time, the Gals surrounded the carriage; making certain not to leave any openings for the coachman to run away. "You don't scare us, you stupid ghost" Phoebe shouted, "if you want us, come try and take us...if you can!"

After that, everyone locked hands with one another, forming a chain circle around the carriage. Then, slowly but surely; they started moving towards their captive, causing their circle to become smaller and smaller with every step. Startled by all this, the horse suddenly reared back; which caused its reins to snap.

This sudden movement caused the coachman to fly off his seat and fall hard onto the ground. "Now's our chance" Dana exclaimed, "someone, grab hold of this creep and make sure he doesn't get away!" As Ellie, Tonya and Dolores rushed the coachman; Omar immediately brought up his phone's contact list and rung up his mother.

As he waited for an answer, the girls were already making short work of their opponent. Meanwhile, the Gal Pals and Lincoln did their best to keep the carriage still. "Did...Did we win" Lincoln murmured with an uncertain tone, "I think we actually beat the Headless Coachman."

After taking note on what had just happened, everyone suddenly started giggling softly. Within seconds, this giggle fit slowly built itself up to a few chuckles. Then, in the end; everyone started cheering and laughing madly with victory.

"WE DID IT! WE DID IT, EVERYBODY" Beatrix said with glee, "we've defeated the ghost and no one got hurt or taken away!" Just as everyone was starting to become proud of themselves, a gruff voice sounded off bitterly with a few simple words; "I AIN'T NO GHOST, YA CRAZY BRATS!" The moment this statement was made, everyone's cheering immediately ceased and all eyes fell down upon their captive.

At the same time, the fog was starting to slowly fade away; which allowed the moonlight to finally shine over the camp. When it did, everyone got a good look at the alleged "Headless Coachman." Much to everyone's surprise, they no longer saw a headless carriage driver.

Instead, they were met with the face of Flip; owner and proprietor of Flip's Food n' Fuel. "What the...Flip, what the heck are you doing here" Lincoln asked in an outraged tone, "where did you get this carriage and...why are you wearing a cloak?" After finally being brought back on his feet, Flip told everyone that he bought the cloak from a costume shop back in town.

"I saw it an thought 'that looks pretty snazzy, bet I can get a lotta attention from the ladies wearin' it'" he said smugly, "plus, it was cheap; only five bucks!" After taking a moment to mentally shame Flip on his cheapskate nature, everyone noticed that the collar of his cloak appeared to be taller than Flip's head. While standing in the moonlight, this made his shadow look as though he was headless.

With this mystery solved, everybody soon started to crowd around Flip; all of whom seemed to have quite a few questions for him. To start with, when did he start riding a horse-drawn carriage and where did he get it? But before Flip had the chance to speak up, the sounds of police sirens approaching suddenly rang out loudly.

That was when everyone spotted a trio of police cruisers easing towards them, which meant only one thing; the Babes in Blue have arrived. "Hold it right there, Flip" shouted Officer Simmons as she exited her vehicle, "you're under arrest for stealin' public property!" Upon hearing the word "stealing," all eyes turned towards Flip; who appeared to be sweating like a pig in a butcher shop.

"I...I-I wasn't really stealin', Officer" he mumbled, "see...my car broke down on my way home from work and I needed to find transportation right quick and..." After taking a moment to make sure she heard him correctly, Haiku asked Flip why he didn't choose to take the bus instead. "Listen, creepy girl; do ya know how much it costs to travel to and from my store by bus" he inquired, "TWENTY-FIVE BIG ONES...that there is too rich for my blood!"

Once again, everyone felt baffled by how cheaply Flip was behaving while also wondering how he could car repairs. But they were even more ashamed by the fact that he had "supposedly" stolen a carriage. "I didn't steal nothin', ladies" the man grumbled stubbornly, "while I was walkin' home, I saw it standin' out in the middle of the park and thought it could help get me back home."

As Officer Campos shook her head in annoyance at Flip's words, she brought out a notebook and began to read what was written on it. "According to the carriage's actual owner, it suddenly went missing while she went off to pick up a hotdog from a nearby cart" she stated, "that, in layman's terms...counts as stealing!" No sooner had this been revealed, the gang brought up how much they were being terrorized during their campout.

Unfortunately, due to them speaking all at once; none of the officers could understand them. "Just calm down a little, youngins" Higgins urged kindly, "speak more clearly, this time." As if on cue, Beatrix stepped forward and told the officers everything.

She told them about the campfire stories they were telling each other (including hers,) about the sudden fog, the eerie laughter and the strange dog barking from out of nowhere. "Oh, yeah...about that" Flip interjected, "I, uh...I was watchin' puppy videos while I was ridin' along on the carriage." To prove he was telling the truth, he took out his phone and brought up one of the videos in question; which happened to feature a cocker spaniel puppy.

"Okay, that takes care of that mystery" Becky murmured, "but then, we started hearing some kind of mad cackling in the air right when we thought the Headless Coachman was coming!" Upon taking note of this bit of evidence, the officers became quite concerned. Meanwhile, Flip found himself becoming "bored" of everything and decided to go back to watching the videos he mentioned earlier.

As he stood there, watching the cocker spaniel pup roll about playfully; he suddenly burst out into a mad fit of laughter. Upon hearing this, realization struck the friend group like a ton of bricks falling on top of them. "It wasn't any ghost that was causing the laughter" Lincoln murmured shamefully, "it was just Flip."

With all of this in mind, everyone came to the same conclusion; that everything they were worried about was all just in their heads. "Well, Sir; looks like everything's a-okay here" Flip said with a smug tone, "so, I'll just take my ticket and head off on my way home." With that said, he held out his palm towards the officers; expecting one of them to place a citation ticket into his hand.

But much to his surprise; he felt the sudden snap of a handcuff wrap around his wrist, instead. "For what you did, Flip; you're lookin' at a month's worth of Community Service...or even a stay in a holding cell" Higgins said firmly, "not just for stealin' this here carriage...but for also disturbin' these kids and for all those health code violations from last weekend!" Upon hearing mention of the third possible offense, Flip defended himself by claiming that "the donuts I had out were only two weeks past their expiration date!"

Unfortunately for him, this did little to stop the officers from bringing him into one of their cruisers. Once Flip was in custody, Simmons approached her children and happily embraced them; appearing thankful that they were safe. "I'm happy you're all safe, everybody" she said with a relieved tone, "the girls and I were in the midst of looking for the missing carriage when I suddenly got your call."

Campos nodded in agreement with her partner and proclaimed the kids were lucky they arrived when they did. "Thanks for responding, ladies" Carol said gratefully, "without your children's clever thinking and assistance, I don't know what might've happened to us." This comment caused the girls and Omar to blush a deep shade of red.

"Y'all want us to bring you back home" Officer Higgins offered, "I reckon that after all that's happened, this campin' trip of yours must be a total bust." Without a moment's pause, the Gal Pals shook their heads in unison and proclaimed everything was perfectly fine now. "I mean, sure...we did have a few scares here and there" Whitney admitted, "but we stuck together and held our own...even when things started to get really creepy!"

The others all sounded off in agreement, while also extending praises towards the newcomers. "I say everything went almost exactly as planned" Carol stated, "which means there's only one more thing left to do."

(Line Break)

The following morning, after everyone had a proper good night's rest; they gathered together at Lynn's Table for a post-initiation "meeting." There, Lincoln watched as Carol and her crew approached the five newcomers. To help provide "proper ambience;" Lincoln asked his sister, Luna to beat on a large drum.

At first; the beats came rather slow, even and gave a rather ominous feeling in the room. Then, Luna smiled playfully while beating more rapidly on the drum; creating a rather lively musical beat in the process. The beats were so strong, everyone started quivering from the vibrations.

After a while, Luna decided to stop and all became serious again. But then, she decided to give one more playful slam upon the drum first; just for funsies. It was only when she saw everyone's annoyed expressions that Luna finally stopped messing around

"On behalf of our group; I happily extend the hand of friendship to Eloise Higgins, Tonya and Omar Simmons, Dolores Campos and Beatrix Yates" Becky decreed while shaking each of their hands, "we, the Gal Pals humbly welcome you all as our newest friends, confidants, chums...besties...uh, compadres..." As they listened to her continue on with her list, many of the Gals slowly grew quite impatient with Becky. "Hey, don't blame me here" she cried out defensively, "Haiku was the one who wrote this speech."

Upon being reminded of this; the Goth in question suddenly blushed with embarrassment and made a note to revise the welcoming speech, one day. "Look, the point is...you guys really helped us out of a really bad situation yesterday" Carol stated, "you showed true loyalty, bravery, cleverness and an overall fun side that we can't help but love!" By this point, Beatrix was so overwhelmed with joy; her whole body appeared close to bursting with it.

"Now, everybody...bow your heads" Carol instructed, "this is where you'll be officially inducted into the Gal Pals crew." After taking a moment to calm down their overall excitement, the girls and Omar did as instructed and bowed their heads slightly. Then, Carol reached into her purse and pulled out her hairbrush; one she considered to be "the fanciest-looking one."

With this item in hand, she tapped each of their shoulders lightly; as if she were a queen granting knighthood unto young heroes. "By my authority, as Lincoln's eldest guardian and the eldest member of our group; I hereby name you five as the newest additions to the Gal Pals friend group" Carol decreed, "welcome aboard, new BFF's!" With that said; everyone cheered loudly and proceeded to greet their new members with friendly hugs, high-fives or fist bumps.

But then, much to everyone's surprise; they suddenly noticed Beatrix sniffling softly while tears trickled down her cheeks. "What's wrong, Bea" Lincoln asked with concern, "you're part of the group...isn't that what you wanted?" After taking a moment to calm down, Beatrix dried her tears and smiled her usual grin towards Lincoln.

"I'm fine, Lincoln; really" she assured, "I just...I never thought I would find this many new friends in my life." Lincoln returned Beatrix's smile with one of his own and proclaimed he felt the same way, when he first met the Gals. "Okay, you guys; enough cryin'" Phoebe said suddenly, "now's the time to celebrate!"

With that said, Lincoln asked his dad to whip up everything on the Party Menu; which he happily agreed. Afterwards, the Gal Pals immediately went into a conversation with their newest members; half of which revolved around what to do on their next group hangout. While this went on, Lincoln turned towards the "screen;" eager to give his final thoughts to the "viewer."

"Well...aside from a few scares and metaphorical bumps on the road, everything turned out great with our camping venture" he stated, "my newest school friends and one of my neighborhood friends are now part of the group, which means we'll get to have all sorts of fun together!" As if on cue; the moment he said this, Beatrix began to propose the idea of another camping trip one day.

"I suppose we could do that" murmured Dana, "but if and when that time comes...I say we camp out in one of our yards; all in favor, shout Gal Pals!" No sooner had she said this, everyone sounded out the aforementioned words; this time with a few new voices added to the mix. "Yup, it's official" Lincoln said confidently to the "viewer, "I think our newest members will fit in pretty well with us."

(First AN: While we've all met the officers many times before, I wanted to do my best in creating unique spouses for each of them. On that note, I wanted to make Officer Simmons an LGBTQ+ character because I wanted to give each of the three officers a unique relationship type. Mind you, her spouse's presence isn't a big one but I still wanted to give her a good character.

Speaking of which; I loosely based Simmons' wife/partner on the Totally Spies character, Donna Ramon from the episode Spy Gladiators. Her personality just resonated with me, even after all these years. Meanwhile, I wanted Randolph/Mr. Higgins to be like a sort of "hipster..." but I had to take several shots in the dark, while I was creating his look and persona.

As for Mr. Campos, I wanted him to be as much of a nerd as Lincoln often is; at least, in terms of his personality)

(Second AN: Due to Lincoln's bad memories at Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds, I felt it better for the gang to have their campout/initiation down at the Bluebells Campgrounds instead; where the Loud Sisters all did their scouting routines in. I may not be much of a camper myself but still, I imagine professional camping areas would allow these sort of events to happen)

(Third AN: While Dolores' story about the Cucuy is an actual part of Hispanic culture, the other stories featured here come from a variety of different sources. Firstly, Ellie's Booker the Butcher story comes from the Playstation 2 game entitled "Gun." It's told by a group of enemy NPCs while you move your character through camp at night. The Ballad of Sara Berry comes from 35MM: A Musical Expedition, which is a sort of collection of various musical performances. I'm sorry for sounding vague, I just can't find much info on it.

Lastly, we come to the Headless Coachman; which is a story loosely inspired by the Hey Arnold episode entitled The Headless Cabbie. I claim no ownership of any of these stories, each of them belongs to their respective owners. So...please, don't sue me)

(Fourth AN: Before telling the tale of the Headless Coachman, Beatrix's first story attempt about "Lil' Jimmy Simpkins" is originally from the Johnny Bravo episode entitled "Johnny Goes to Camp." Due to her computer coding skills, I figured that would've been something only someone like her would find terrifying)

(Final AN: In the future, you may be seeing the newest members of the Gal Pals group make appearances in other installments of this anthology. But I can't spoil on when or which ones they might appear in, you will all just have to wait and see for yourselves. Regardless, I hope my adding the likes of Beatrix appeals to some of you.

Having her be included was requested to me by one of my followers/reviewers and fellow Loud House fan, crafordbrian17)