Chapter 21: Three family secrets
That early-evening, Shaggy and Scooby arrived home, their minds still thinking about the close call at school.
As they entered their house, they were surprised to find no lights on.
"Mom? Dad? Maggie?" Shaggy asked as they closed the door and walked in.
The duo walked down the hallway and looked around, hoping to find their family.
As they walked towards the door leading to the stairs to the basement, they saw Sugie.
"Ah, Maggie!" Shaggy said as they spotted his sister. "Where's everybody?"
"In the basement, Norville." Sugie replied. "Come on down! Mom and Dad's got something important to tell us. Same for you, Scooby. Dad called your parents over when he finished work."
"Romsy? Rada?" Scooby exclaimed, surprised that his parents were called over.
"Like, what's the 'something' Mom and Dad's going to tell us, Mags?" Shaggy asked as they followed his sister down the stairs to the basement.
In the same time, Daphne arrived in her mansion and was surprised to find no lights on.
"Mom? Dad? Jenkins?" Daphne called out as she looked around in the main floor.
She walked around the main and second floors of the mansion, checking to see if her parents are there. However, she didn't find anybody.
"Perhaps they're out right now." She thought to herself. "Maybe I should go over to Shag and Scooby's place and wait until they return home."
Just as she walked by the door leading to the stairs to the basement, she saw her family butler Jenkins.
"Ah, Miss Blake." Jenkins called out as he spotted Daphne. "You're just in time!"
"What's going on, Jenkins?" Daphne asked as she walked over to her butler. "Where are Mom and Dad?"
"The two masters are in the basement, Miss Blake." Jenkins says. "We were actually waiting for you to come home. They've got something urgent to talk to you about."
"Why?" Daphne asked as she followed her butler down the stairs to the basement. "Is there something wrong?"
Back in the Rogers house, Shaggy, Scooby and Sugie arrived in the basement, where their parents, as well as Scooby's family, were waiting.
His father David "Dada" Doo is wearing a pair of glasses, a white collar and blue tie, which give him the appearance of a white-collar office worker.
His mother Morgan "Mumsy" Doo (Nee Di) is wearing a white pearl necklace and has short, chin-length blonde hair.
His oldest brother Skip "Skippy" Doo, like his father, wears a pair of glasses and is attending an engineering college for dogs in neighbouring Big City.
His second oldest brother Harold "Howdy" Doo, who has a rough patch of orange-brown hair, is currently studying at law school, also in neighbouring Big City.
His older sister Ruby Doo, who's the oldest of the Doo siblings, was recently married and is due to give birth to a pup.
Also there is his younger brother Yabba Doo, who aspires to become a police dog someday.
"Romsy?" Scooby asked as he saw his parents. "Dada?"
"Long time no seen, Scoobert." Dada greeted his son. "How are you doing?"
"Ri'm roaky." Scooby replied. "What's the occasion?"
"Like, what's the important stuff you and Mom are going to tell us about, Pops?" Shaggy asked his father as they grouped.
Sam turned to Dada, and the heads of the Rogers and Doo households nodded before raising an arm and pointed them to the basement windows.
To the surprise of the children, the curtains closed automatically.
The man and dog then did the same to the lights, which went off.
The darkness was short-lived when a candle was lightened, and in the light it provided, they saw two thick books on the nearby table.
The first book was titled "Rogers" while the second one was titled "Doo". Both titles were printed in a font style similar to the style commonly used in documents dated from the medieval-era.
"Like, how did you do it, Dad?" Shaggy asked after witnessing his father and Dada closing all of the curtains, doors and turned off the lights without even making contact with them.
"These two spell books will answer everything, Norville." Sam replied as he and Dada both flipped a page of their respective family spell books.
In the same time in the basement of the Blake mansion, Daphne was shocked when her father closed all the basement window curtains, doors and the light by the point of the finger.
When the lights returned, it was provided by a lit candle and a thick book can be seen on the nearby table.
The book was titled "Blake", and like the Rogers and Doo spell books mentioned, the font style of the title is printed in a style similar to the one commonly used in documents dated from the medieval era.
"Jeepers!" Daphne exclaimed as her father closed all the curtains, doors and turned off the light without making contact with them. "How did you do it, Dad?"
"This spell book will explain everything, Daphne." George replied as he flipped a page of the family spell book.
"What David and I are going to talk about is a family secret shared by the Rogers and Doo families." Sam begin.
"Yes." Dada nodded. "You see, our families have a long history associated with the supernatural and magic. The magical powers explains our capability of speech, Scoobert. In fact, the Doo family were the first breed of canines that got the capability of speech, thanks to the work of Sam's ancestor: The warlock Edward Colton Rodgers. Because of his research and invention of a new spell, which he tested on our ancestor Wellington Doo, the Doo family were blessed with the ability of speech."
"So the reason I can speak is because of magic, Dada?" Scooby asked his father. "Because we've got magical powers?"
"That is correct, Scoobert." Mumsy nodded. "My family were among the later breeds of Great Danes to receive the speech ability. However, the spell that activated our speech capability had a major flaw. A flaw that affects one in eight members of my family through the male bloodline. Dogs that are affected by this flaw has a speech impediment that results in him pronouncing every word with the letter 'R' for the most part when communicating with humans."
"Like, so the reason why Scoob speaks the way he does is due to this flaw, Mrs. Doo?" Shaggy asked.
"That is correct, Norville." Mumsy nodded.
"So our ancestor Edward was responsible for the spell that gave Scooby's family, as well as other animals, powers of speech?" Sugie asked her parents.
"That is correct, Maggie." Wendy nodded.
"Now, if you flip over to the family tree in the spell book, you'll find out that most of our extended families have magical powers and are witches or wizards." Sam said as he and Dada flipped the pages.
Everyone leaned in to look at the family trees. Both were rather large and filled with other relatives, family members and other ancestors, and there are blank spaces below the names of the current generation, to be filled out when a member of that generation gets married and starts a family.
"When you have a name in red ink, it means you're a witch or wizard." Wendy continued. "Names in black ink mean that you've got no magical powers, much like the vast majority of the world's population."
The kids leaned in to look at the family tree.
Shaggy spotted his name near the bottom of the tree. His eyes widened when he saw that it is printed in red ink.
In the same time at the Blakes, George and Elizabeth had finished explaining the situation, which begin with George receiving the phone call from Sam after the latter was informed of the brief hostage situation involving the gang, to their only daughter before flipping over to the family tree in the spell book.
Leaning in to look at the family tree, Daphne looked around until she found her name.
Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that it is printed in red ink.
"Like, I'm a wizard?" Shaggy asked as his sister also saw her name in red ink.
Similarly, Scooby found his name also printed in red ink.
Sam and Wendy nodded.
"You are, Norville." Wendy said to her son. "One hundred percent, from both your father's side and my side."
"Zoinks!" Shaggy said as Scooby looked on in shock to his parents.
"You've got to remember one thing, Scoobert." Dada said to Scooby. "You must keep this a secret from others, whether be your friends or peers, because if this secret were to leak out and end up in the wrong ears, the consequences could be disastrous."
"You don't need us to tell you the fact that a number of our ancestors were executed in the 17th century for witchcraft." Sam added. "Other people can get jealous. Other people get be afraid of you. You must not let the secret be known. The only people that can be told of are the people you sure you can fully trust."
"There's a reason why we all hide this secret and live normal lives as if we're a normal household." Dada said. "You must not let word get out that we have magical powers, because if that happens, you'll risk putting others in danger."
"I-I-I'm a witch?" Daphne asked her parents.
"I'm afraid that's the case, Daphne." George nodded. "One hundred percent from both your mother's side and my side."
"Jeepers!" Daphne said as she covered her mouth in shock.
Her parents then went on to explain the necessary need for her to keep the secret hidden from others, including the possible consequences if that secret end up in the wrong ears.
Back in the Rogers household, the adults made the kids promise to keep their newly-learned family secrets.
"Norville, Maggie and Scoobert." Dada said to the kids. "Do you all promise to keep this family secret to yourselves and only reveal it to people you know you can fully trust?"
"Like, I definitely do." Shaggy nodded. "I'll never let this secret end up in wrong ears."
"Same here." Sugie agreed. "I'll keep it all to myself and only let people I know I can trust know about the secret."
"Ri do." Scooby added. "That's a promise I'll never break, respecially if my family is involved."
"That's my boy." Dada nodded in approval.
"So does my magical powers explained my ability to catch those bullets with my bare hands, Pops?" Shaggy asked his father.
"I believe so, Norville." Sam nodded. "It's fortunate that it happens that you read a lot of those action comics and watch a lot of the Green Hornet. They provide good covers for your special ability to do that dangerous stunt."
Wendy nodded with her husband before adding, "But regardless, you've got to be careful with your actions, dear, because some of them may expose the fact that you've got magical powers."
"Like, I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mom." Shaggy said.
"Daphne." Elizabeth said to her daughter. "Do you promise to keep this family secret to yourself and only reveal it to people you know you can fully trust?"
"I definitely do, Mom." Daphne replied urgently. "I'll never let this secret end up in the wrong ears, especially if it involves my family."
"Excellant." George nodded in approval.
That night in his bedroom, Shaggy couldn't sleep much as his mind processes what his and Scooby's parents told them.
He couldn't believe that he and Scooby are wizards, nor could he believe that he came from a long line of wizards and witches.
However, the thing that puzzled him was the moment he subconsciously caught the first bullet fired by Gosnell with his bare hand.
How did Daphne managed to do that in the same time as him? Could she be thinking about the same thing?
Maybe Sugie was right about her observation of her, about her feeling that there's something special about the redhead.
Those thoughts continued to linger in his mind as he dozed off to sleep.
At the same time in her bedroom, Daphne's mind was processing what her parents had told her as she lies on her bed.
She couldn't believe that she is a witch, nor could she believe that she came from a long line of wizards and witches.
However, the thing that puzzled her was the moment she subconsciously caught the first bullet fired by Gosnell with her bare hand.
How did Shaggy managed to do that in the same time as her? Could he be thinking about the same thing?
Maybe his sister Sugie was right about her observation of her, about her feeling that she's more than just a friend to her brother.
Those thoughts continued to linger in her mind as she dozed off to sleep.
Wow. That sure is one major family secret! What will these secrets mean for Mystery Inc.?
One more chapter to go, so stay tuned and please read and review!