Chapter 30 : It's not your fault, Ra

Casper was the first to wake up when he heard all the alarms going off outside the coffin. The sound was muffled by the wood, but loud enough to hear anyways. The ghost stretched out, humming after his good night's sleep. He was feeling pretty good- he got the camera, they were safe, oh but there was the issue of Thatch. That could be fixed though. He'll just convince Thatch to eat this morning at breakfast. Casper sweetly smiled, kissing the vampire's forehead to gently wake him.

"Wake up, come on." He whispered pleasantly, brushing the vampire's multicolored hair away from his face. Thatch groaned softly, fussily turning away from Casper, but the ghost was just as stubborn. Casper sat up, pushing the lid up so light flooded in, making the vampire angrily hiss- not like Casper cared. He couldn't be bitten so Thatch's anger, especially right now did not scare him in the slightest. "Come on now, we need to go get breakfast." He stated firmly, giving Thatch one more kiss before he climbed out of the coffin, sighing happily as he stretched out. It felt nice, surely today would be perfect!

"Food later, sleep…" Thatch mumbled, pulling his cloak over his face.

"You're such a child." Casper huffed. "Come on you're like what, one-hundred years old?"

"One-hundred and seventy-fucking-one, thank you very much." He groaned, lifting his head up to look at the grinning ghost. "Ok fine, fine, I'm up, I'm up." He yawned and climbed out. The vampire sluggishly started to get some clean clothes for the day as Casper happily flew over to Ra's sarcophagus, poking his head in.

"You too Ra, time to get up." He encourages gently. The mummy was much more easy to handle today, and in fact, Ra woke up rather easily. The brown-eyed monster just stretched out, cracking his back before he sat up a bit. He started to retighten his bandages, still looking half asleep, but he was up.

"I don't think I'll ever stop unraveling," He muttered tiredly. Casper just smiled and went ahead and fazed through the stone, sitting in the sarcophagus with Ra as he watched the mummy fuss over his bandages.

"Maybe if you stopped unwrapping them to climb on them this won't happen," Casper easily offered. It made sense to Casper. Ra poutily shot him a disapproving look.

"I was unraveling before I started to use them as ropes, remember? It's why I was sent to Scare School… Along with being 'too nice'." He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Dad says I'll learn to stop this, and I hope so." He grumbled lightly, tying the bandages tight. "Where'd you go last night? You didn't go looking for your bag, did you?"

"No, I didn't… I can't wait to tell you guys." Casper perked up, grinning widely. "Now come on and get up. I need to tell everyone at breakfast." He decided happily and flew out, just jumping up through the lid. Thatch was just returning back to the dorm, having had gone to the bathroom to brush his fangs and change into his clean clothes. Slither was out of bed as well, just resting beside Thatch's coffin and fussily dusting it off a bit. What a perfect morning.

Casper went over to Thatch, briefly circling him as he hovered, earning such an odd look from the grumpy vampire. "The hell you doing Casper? Stop flying." He demanded lightly, taking the ghost's hand and pulling him down gently. Casper huffed but allowed his feet to touch the floor now. "What was that about? You're far to giddy this morning."

"Just making sure you're ok," Casper spoke softly, offering a kind smile. "Plus seeing if you did your hair right." He teased, making the vampire instinctually reach up to feel his hair. Casper softly laughed and hugged the vampire tightly. "Come on, let's go eat." He decided as Ra walked his dumb bandaged butt over.

Thatch made a motion and Slither slowly came over, as gloomy looking as always. Casper didn't let that even bug him for a moment. He opened the dorm doors and joyfully pulled the vampire along. Mantha was in the hall, waiting as she often did for her friends. She closed her book and looked up, kindly smiling. "There you are," she laughed softly when she saw Thatch's utterly annoyed look, but he was completely unable to protest against Casper. It was such a sight.

"Let's go eat," Ra muttered and started to head right to the cafeteria as he stretched. And so the small group followed the mummy, and as they got their trays Casper angrily watched as Thatch skipped out on his, so Casper got two. He would make the vampire eat today! They all sat at their now normal table with their newly normalized seating pattern. Casper placed his spare tray of food in front of the vampire, and just as Casper thought the vampire made a bit of a face, though he tried to hide it.

Casper started to eat his breakfast while watching Thatch. The vampire 'innocently' pushed the tray away from himself, and Casper reached over and pushed it right back. At this point, Thatch turned to look at Casper, and the ghost met his eyes evenly as he frowned. "You need to eat." He puffed out his chest, a little thing he had observed Thatch always do. The vampire huffed softly.

"Not hungry."

"You haven't eaten all week."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is," Slither pipped in.

"Slither don't get involved!"

"Don't yell at him, Thatch. You need to eat." Casper scolded. "You're getting skinnier, you're so unhealthy right now. Thatch if you don't eat I'll…"

"You'll what?" The vampire cockily remarked.

"I'll call your mother, simple." Casper sat up a bit straighter. "I'll call her and tell her you're refusing to eat and that you've clearly fallen ill. Look at you!"

"Casper, I'm fine." The vampire defended, and in the oh so empty cafeteria they heard Thatch's stomach let out a loud groan of hunger. The vampire flushed deeply, wrapping his arms around his stomach and looking quite embarrassed.

"Okay look, I dunno what's going on," Ra slowly started. "But you're gonna eat, even if we gotta hold you down and feed you ourselves." He decided purely because Casper wanted the vampire to eat. Anything Casper wanted Ra wanted to help with.

"I'll hold him." Slither offered, already making to stand when Ra quickly grabbed the serpent.

"Whoa uh, not too eager there Slither. Let's give him a chance to actually eat on his own." Ra said simply, getting Slither to sit back down. Slither looked mildly annoyed and intensely watched the living vampire, who wasn't looking all that happy with the current situation.

"Come on Thatch, you need to eat," Casper spoke in a softer tone. "Listen… Slither told me why you're like this, and I understand. But you need to eat, please."

"... For you." The vampire finally submitted. Casper smiled happily and leaned against Thatch's side, rather pleased with himself as the vampire finally picked up a fork and started to eat for the first time that whole week. Slither visibly relaxed and started to eat his own food, seeming content now that Casper was controlling Thatch.

Casper was just pleased to see the vampire eat. Casper slowly sat up and started to eat his own breakfast, barely noticing as the other students started to come in for breakfast. A lot of them liked to be a bit slower on the weekends, which was understandable.

Casper didn't see Dummy Girl enter, but why should he care? The camera was hidden in a spot where it'll never be found. Casper could tell by Mantha's side eye she was wondering why Slither was back and sitting with the group. Ah, he better tell them now.

"So, I lied last night." Casper started off softly, poking at his breakfast with his fork. "I'm sorry I lied Thatch, but I actually left to go find Slither. I wanted to see what he had found out while undercover. He did a lot of good work." Casper said happily, looking over at the snake-monster. "Honestly Slither you're a lifesaver. And like I told you before, you're very brave."

Slither looked like a deer in headlights and started to sink down in his seat out of embarrassment, as per usual. "Don't," was the only thing he whispered as he used his striped arms to cover his face in a childish manner. It was crazy how such a terrifying monster could also be so… mellow and introverted. It made him wonder what Slither would be like if he broke out of his shell and became a monster like he was meant to be.

But as much as Casper wanted to praise Slither, he had to tell them what happened. "Dummy Girl had evidence of me and Thatch being together, and planned to put pictures all over the school so the teachers and Kibosh could see." Casper's gaze dropped down. Of course, he didn't mind their relationship being public, but the adults would never understand. They had to keep it all a secret. "So last night I stole her camera-"

"How'd she get pictures anyways?" Mantha frowned deeply, leaning forward. "And what were the pictures of?"

"I... Please hold onto that thought Mantha," the ghost directed gently. "I'll explain that afterward. So uh, I stole Dummy Girl's camera last night, but she caught me in the act. In our struggle, Slither spotted us and came over to help. He got Dummy Girl to let go of the camera, then he lifted her in the air above his head and just tossed her down the hall!" Casper excitedly explained. "It was terrifying but so amazing." Casper smiled and looked at Slither, who had sunken down more. "The camera is currently hidden in Thatch's coffin, in that... Spot, Thatch." Casper looked at the vampire, who frowned deeply but gave an understanding nod.

"It's safe then." He said confidently. He was halfway done with his breakfast as well, which pleased the blue-eyed ghost. "She'll never find it. We're safe… We don't have to worry about her again, right?" He chuckled, his eyes narrowing as his gaze went back to his old table, which was utterly empty. No Mosshead. No Dummy Girl, not even Harpy. And of course, Slither was with them. "She has no friends, no backups. She's alone, helpless-"

"She's not." Casper whimpered softly, grabbing the vampire's sleeve to get his attention. "She… She is such a danger, to all of you still. Ra discovered his powers, right?"

"Well, yeah." Ra grinned proudly from his seat, his chest puffed out. "And I must say I'm damn good at it too-"

"You passed out Ra and was down for the whole day. Shush." Mantha countered ever so swiftly. "Let Casper talk." Ra frowned, puffing his cheeks out before he continued to eat, turning his nose up and ignoring Mantha.

"Yes, uh… Well, Ra found his powers, what makes him a terrifying monster, and Dummy Girl found hers."

"Hers?" Thatch raised a brow. "Didn't she say her power was making people laugh? I doubt we got to worry about it then."

"But… That's not it," Slither whispered softly, only his eyes above the table now. Thatch rolled his eyes at the monster and made a motion for him to come back up. Slither didn't move, just peering up at all of them. He was still embarrassed by Casper's ever so kind words. He wasn't use to being praised.

"Well, what is it?" Mantha crossed her arms over her chest. "What can a puppet do?"

"Control people," Casper sighed heavily. "Ra, I'm so sorry." Casper tried to speak comfortingly as he looked at the mummy, his gaze sad but he was trying to be calm. Ra had no power over what happened, he didn't know.

"...Sorry? Casper, why are you looking at me like that?" Ra shifted uncomfortably on the bench.

"She controlled you, Ra- Ra!" Casper reached out for the mummy as his dear friend stood straight up from the table.

"That's impossible! She can't. This isn't my fault-"

"Oh, it isn't Ra we get it isn't." Casper got up from his seat and floated over the table, tucking his legs under himself as he took Ra's hands, trying to keep the mummy calm and soothe his friend. "We all get it. It was all Dummy Girl-"

"No! She couldn't have done that!" Ra said stubbornly, yanking his hands back. He moved back, his stance defensive, fight or flight. One hand tightly grasp his necklace as he watched his friends. "She couldn't have! It's not my fault, it's not… my…"

"Ra," Mantha carefully spoke, standing up and offering her hand to the mummy. "Let's talk this over, it's ok. We got the camera, it's safe."

"No, it's not. Not if she can control us, I don't... I don't remember it, Casper." The mummy whimpered helplessly. "This… I could have gotten you two in trouble?" Ra looked between Casper and Thatch. Yeah, he wasn't a fan of Thatch, but he wouldn't do anything to endanger their relationship.

Casper could just see Ra was utterly riddled with doubt and guilt, but who wouldn't be? To be told he was being controlled to get his friends in trouble, who would believe such a thing? The mummy turned to storm out of the room, but he stopped at the commanding tone...

"Ra." Thatch finally said. "Sit down," He ordered, his eyes narrowing at the mummy, who took a careful step back. "Wrong." He hissed. "You'll sit down, and we'll talk. Casper's not done talking. We all get this isn't your fault." Thatch repeated Casper's kinder words. "You're… You are Casper's and Mantha's friend, and now," He paused for a moment, taking a soothing breath. "You're mine too. So, calm down and sit. We'll talk this over. She has no camera, and it's a pain to get ahold of one. We'll be safe for today, so let's talk and plan out something to assure we'll be safe from her." The words seemed to calm the mummy, easing his nerves and erasing his guilt, at least for now. Casper gently took Ra's hand again, guiding the mummy to sit beside Mantha.

Mantha offered a kind smile, resting a hand on the mummy's shoulder to try to bring him some comfort as Casper took his seat once more. None of them noticed Slither was under the table again, hiding from them all.

"Better," Thatch sighed softly. He was feeling much more like himself. He felt awake like he could actually think without the constant stomach pains he had been ignoring for days on end. "So, Casper, as you were saying." Thatch gently encourage his ghost boyfriend.

"Oh uh, right, um… We got the camera, but I don't know what's on it. I thought we could look at it together?" He weakly offered. "I also haven't seen Dummy Girl since last night. But if she can control people there's no way she can be safe. The only choice we have is to…"

"Is to expose her as a complete danger and get her expelled," Ra said firmly. Casper tensed up, quickly shaking his head as the mummy continued. "Even Kibosh has a thing against monsters hurting monsters, no way he would allow this."

"Exactly!" Mantha smiled. "Oh wait, don't we still have the… um… flower?" She leaned forward as she whispered, her eyes darting around. "We plant that on her and Kibosh will lose his mind. Bye, bye Dummy Girl." She grinned widely.

Casper really wanted to avoid this. He wanted to see the best in everyone, but she was out of control. She hurt Thatch, himself, she controlled Ra and was pushing everyone around. But to plant evidence, it felt wrong. He only wanted true fact, he wasn't like Thatch who could tell a white lie without batting an eye. If Dummy Girl was to be expelled, Casper wanted it to be the truth and only the truth. She was such a danger though... Casper closed his eyes, covering them with his hands as he sunk back in his seat. It was just all too much. How could they do all of this? Could he really go through with expelling a fellow student with a lie?

He couldn't answer his questions, and before he could collect his thoughts he felt a tug on his ankle. He uncovered his eyes and looked down under the table, seeing Slither contently sitting there in the shadows, beckoning him under. Casper frowned, feeling a bit unsure but he fazed through his seat and went under the table willingly, floating just off the ground beside Slither. It was oddly peaceful down here. The table above kept the lights off, and no one could really see them at this angle.

"Casper? Slither get back up here," the zombie encouraged gently. As she leaned over to peer under the table.

"In a minute," Casper responded simply, then looked at Slither. Mantha rolled her eyes and sat back up, returning to her half eaten meal. "What is it?"

"You're distressed, riddled with guilt." Slither cautiously said, nervously wringing his stripped 'hands' together as he avoided eye contact. "I… you… You are... brave." He slowly spoke. "You are s-strong, and you are so brave for doing this." His voice was getting weaker as he spoke. But Casper knew what Slither was doing. Just as Casper reached out, Slither was returning the favor in a time of need.

"Slither…"

"I trust you, Casper. You protect Thatch, you protect your friends." He looked away quickly. "You are brave and strong. Whatever you choose, I will follow you. Whether we plant the flower or not, it's up to you. You saved Thatch from the garlic, and now from the camera. You've made him smile so much… Thank you, for helping my brother."

The ghost smiled and moved forward, wrapping his arms around the cold monster, hugging him tightly. Slither naturally flinched at the touch, but after a few moments, he shakily hugged the ghost back.

"Ok enough," Thatch fussed softly, looking under the table. "Get up here Casper, you too hatchling." He teased lightly. Slither stuck out his forked tongue before he released the small ghost. Casper giggled softly and fazed through the table, and right through Mantha's tray, making the zombie drop her fork into her lap in surprise.

"Casper!" She scolded, quickly trying to get the food off before it stained her. Casper couldn't help but laugh and smile as he took his seat.

"Sorry Mantha." He apologized of course. He was feeling better, especially after Slither's encouragement. "Guys, I don't want to expel Dummy Girl."

"But she's trying to expose you." Mantha frowned, looking at Casper like he was crazy. She leaned forward, giving the ghost a good, firm look like an upset mother would. "She needs to be stopped."

"And we'll stop her, hell if Casper doesn't want to plant the evidence we'll just beat her up until she swears to back off!" Ra slammed his hands on the table, making Casper flinched back. Ra didn't seem to notice.

"Wait, that's not what I want either-" Casper weakly started.

"But that's what I want! I'm not a puppet, I'm a mummy." He stood up, his hands tight in fists. "Thatch is right, I'm your guys' friend and this is all her fault. I won't let her get away with it."

"Wait, that's not what I meant," Thatch quickly tried to control the mummy, and surprisingly Ra listened. Perhaps Ra was still calmed by Thatch's previous words. The dynamic between the two was changing at a rapid pace, casper hardly knew what was going on between them. "Yes we'll make Dummy Girl pay, but Ra you must control yourself… Your eyes are starting to glow." Thatch gingerly spoke, reaching across the table and placed his hands on top of Ra's.

Casper shifted and looked at Ra slowly, noticing the faint green glow. Wow, had did Thatch notice that? Casper completely overlooked it. "Ra…" Casper softly whispered. Between Thatch's kind words and Casper's familiar caring voice they seemed to ease the mummy. They got Ra to sit back down and Mantha gently patted his back. "We'll handle this, but we got to think things over." Casper watched his upset friend. "I know you're torn, I know you're hurting inside but… It'll be okay."

"Casper's right," Thatch mumbled, removing his hands and sitting back down so Mantha took over comforting the brown eyed monster. "We need to calm down and think things over. If we rush we'll just mess up, and fighting is a dumb decision. You could get caught and expelled." Thatch explained easily. Casper took this chance to lean against the vampire again, slowly relaxing and letting a smile come to his face. Thatch was eating and being kind, so maybe there was some true changes throughout the week. It was nice.

"I'm just so mad," Ra admitted with defeat, resting his hands on the table as his gaze dropped low. Casper could just see Ra was so upset, the way he was curling in on himself, that lost look in his eyes. But the anger seemed gone, Thatch had put out that fire.

"You have every right to be mad, Ra." Thatch continued. "We'll fix this all. We still got the camera, remember? There is no reason to be freaking out or going after her right now. We stick together and think of a solid, clear plan. We won't plant evidence," as the vampire spoke he looked down at the cuddling ghost, gently smiling. "We won't use violence. We're better than that."

"Thatch, man, you've changed." Ra lightly chuckled, offering a smile. "You use to be a big headed jerk."

"Use to be?" Thatch raised a brow. "Don't expect me to change-" Thatch paused as Casper hugged him tighter, and after a moment he groaned softly. "Just don't expect much…"