A/N: Thanks to Supermikeyninjalady and Guest for telling me about the typo in the last chapter – sorry about that!
No more floods, so far so good!;)
Sorry about it being so late but had some exams to study for and I had family over for a couple of days so there was no way I could update. Also, it's really short because I had to write it while everyone was here, which was hard. hopefully I can make the next one longer :)
Leo pushed open the door of the library for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and looked around the dark room. The dull moonlight coming in through the windows created an eerie glow throughout the library, forming creepy shadows in the corners of the room.
He stepped aside to let the others in, before Casey closed it carefully behind them.
"Mikey, hit the lights," whispered April, feeling the need to be quiet to match the darkness of the night.
Mikey reached out a hand and fumbled along the wall clumsily until he reached the light switch and as soon as he flicked it, the lights flickered to life.
"Guys," said Casey, "check out the painting," he pointed up to the man in the portrait, who was, to their astonishment, facing the window.
"So it did move!" said April. "Or was I just imagining that?"
"It moved." clarified Leo. "And I think you're right Donnie, no matter how crazy this seems. The head master running the school now is the same man who killed the children and teachers all those years ago."
"So...is he a ghost?" asked Mikey.
"Yes." came a female voice, and the group spun around, instantly recognising it.
"Alyssa?" said Mikey in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Were you here the whole time?" asked Casey, clearly sceptical.
"I'm here to conclude the truth about the school," she said, walking closer. She dragged her fingertips across the top of a table, and Leo frowned.
"So go on then." He said. "Explain what's going on here and why we seem to be the only ones left in the school that actually seem to have an idea about what's happening."
"The reason I told you that that...incident happens every Thursday, was because it would happen on a Thursday...but only for you."
"You lost me." said Mikey. Alyssa stopped walking forward and wrapped her arms around herself, although she was trying to give herself some form of comfort.
"It happens to almost all the rooms in the school, but on different days. Any other room other than the one that's been chosen will not hear a thing."
"So that thing wanted Raph?" asked Mikey.
"It wanted Raph and you, although I'd warned you beforehand so you knew not to go out there, but your brother didn't and so was drawn out."
"Why would it want Mikey and Raph?" asked Leo, crossing his arms.
"Because it goes after anyone who is even remotely close to finding out the truth about the school. That's why so many students are going missing – they're taken because they're getting too suspicious." Alyssa curled one of her bunches around her finger.
"So how do we get Raph back?" asked Donnie.
"To get Raphael, you must first destroy the ghosts that guard him and the other students." explained Alyssa. "If you don't, they'll be trapped there and will eventually become spirits to add to those already haunting the school."
"Of course." muttered Donnie dryly.
"But why?" asked April. "Please at least tell us this."
Alyssa sighed. "The ghosts of the children who were killed in the fire are stuck here, and desperately want to leave so they can go and see their families on the other side, but they can't unless the head is destroyed, as he is the one who killed them."
"Wait," said Mikey. "Are you one of the children?" Alyssa nodded sadly. "Yes, I knew it!" Leo smacked him upside the head and Mikey yelped. "Right, uh...sorry about that." Alyssa blushed and Mikey grinned at her.
"Anyway, the head has managed over time to get the teachers who were killed onto his side, promising them eternal existence. They all need to be destroyed for us to be truly free, and only then will your brother and friends have their freedom."
"But how do you kill a ghost?" asked Casey. "They're already dead!"
"You must burn all connection they have to the mortal world." replied Alyssa.
"But they have none – they were burned, remember?" said Donnie.
"The pictures!" suddenly said April. "That's why they're all so familiar; the teachers are kept here by the pictures!"
"All the teachers are ghosts?!" gasped Mikey. "Is there anyone alive in this school?!"
"My friends have already rounded up the pictures, they're over there." Alyssa pointed to a table, and, sure enough, at least twenty rolled up paintings were sitting on the tabletop. "Burn them in the fire!" immediately, the fire ignited with a huge burst of flame, singeing the wallpaper above it.
"C'mon," said Leo, and began to run to the table, but before he made it a huge gust of cold air sent him flying back and into Casey.
"Oh no," whispered Alyssa, and disappeared from sight.
"Leo!" shouted Mikey, running over to his brother.
"I'm fine Mikey," said Leo as Mikey helped him up.
"I'm fine too, by the way!" called Casey from the floor.
"G-Guys?" stuttered Donnie. "I think we're in trouble!"
"Dude!" exclaimed Mikey. In front of them was a grey mist, in the middle of which were all of the teachers in the school, standing menacingly between the teenagers and the paintings. "Alyssa, what do we do?!" asked Mikey, but spun around to find that Alyssa was nowhere to be seen. "She ditched us! Not cool!"
"You five have been meddling in this for far too long. Time for you to join you little friend." The head, who was in the middle of the teachers, snarled and threw his arms forward, sending furniture flying towards the teenagers, although miraculously the fire didn't go out in the freezing gale.
"We need to get them away from those paintings!" shouted Leo above the noise of the wind. They had taken shelter behind an upturned table; although there was little comfort in knowing that the only thing between them and twenty terrifying ghosts was a few pieces of old wood.
"What we need is a distraction," said Donnie.
"What?" said Mikey, as everyone turned to face him. "Why is everyone looking at me?"
"I think we've found our volunteer," smiled Leo.