The atmosphere in the elevator was extremely tense as Headmistress Quinlan awaited an answer. It seemed none of them knew what to say, especially not Shaggy, who felt like he had practically crawled out of his skin at the revelation that Headmistress Quinlan knew they'd been in her office last night. He was the one in her office, and therefore, he would likely be the one to get in the most trouble.
"It wasn't us!" Velma blurted.
"You expect me to believe our security cameras picked up Norville's identical twin?" Headmistress Quinlan said with a scoff.
Shaggy felt a pain in his stomach from the anxiety that the situation brought about. Velma seemed like she wanted to get out of the situation by lying to the Headmistress, but Shaggy didn't know if he could live with the guilt and fear that she'd find out. Maybe it was just his anxiety talking, but he didn't want to continue this cycle of digging himself deeper and deeper. He had to tell the truth.
"Like, alright, I admit it. I snuck into your office." Shaggy replied. "Like, when we were talking yesterday, I saw blood on your shoes. I thought…like…maybe I'd find a clue about the murderer in your office. But that was like, really dumb. Really, really dumb. I'm so sorry I did that. I'll never do that again!"
"I appreciate you confessing, Norville. But why did you think you'd find a clue in my office? Quinlan questioned.
"Like…I don't know how to say this, but I wondered if there was something you weren't telling us." Shaggy admitted. "Fred and Velma weren't involved at all, so if you're going to punish anybody, just punish me."
"It's sweet that you're sticking up for your friends, but the school has security cameras outside my office as well. I know Fred and Velma were involved, as well as Dusk and Thorn." Quinlan revealed.
"Like, zoinks! I'm so sorry I lied to you again! What is wrong with me?" Shaggy panicked. "I know I said I wouldn't lie again last time, but this time, I really, really mean it!"
"It's okay, Norville." Quinlan laughed. "Your observation skills are very keen, because you're right there is something I haven't been telling you."
Shaggy gasped. "Like, there is?!"
"Yes. This is my first full semester being the Headmistress of this school. The previous person in my position, Headmaster Jones, had an unfortunate health scare towards the end of last semester. This is my first semester actually being in charge here. As a result, I don't want to scare you kids, but I really don't know how to handle this murder business. I've kept quiet about it, but as the security cameras showed that you saw last night, I received a threatening note from someone on my first day here foretelling the killings." Headmistress Quinlan revealed. "I feel horrible about this now, but I didn't take the note seriously. I thought it was just someone playing a prank, and I never would have dreamed that they were serious about going through with murdering students. Since then, I've received one other note right before the second killing. I phoned the police immediately, but by the time I'd seen the note, it was too late. The murder had already happened. I know you kids think adults have it all figured out, but to be honest, I don't really know what to do about any of this. I didn't sign up for this on my first day here. And new students continue to come in, and I feel horrible about what I'm bringing them into."
"I'm really sorry you're going through that, ma'am." Fred sympathized. "That sounds like a horrible situation to be in."
"Thank you." Quinlan appreciated. "The police assure me that they're increasing enforcement around here and searching for clues, but they haven't caught whoever it is yet. They say I don't need to close the school yet, but it just seems like things are getting too dangerous. Maybe the solution is just to close the school for good."
"Like w-w-what did the second note say?" Shaggy asked out of morbid curiosity.
"There's no reason to worry you by reading that nonsense. It's just another riddle foretelling the next death, which already happened, so there's no use getting everybody all worked up by reading the killer's creepy drivel." Headmistress Quinlan justified.
"Wait, you mentioned new students earlier?" Velma asked.
"Yes, we have one today. Marcie Fleach is her name." Headmistress Quinlan shared. "She's in your first period class, ironically. We were able to find her an open dorm on the second floor, in room 209."
"I would be curious to know where that blood on your shoes came from." Velma went back to the previous subject. Shaggy was a bit surprised by Velma continuing to challenge the Headmistress like that. While the tone of voice she asked her questions with was one of curiosity and not an accusing one, Shaggy could tell she certainly was more of a sleuth and a questioner at heart than an empath.
"Ugh, it got all over my shoes from when I was rushing to get you guys to safety. It was nearly impossible to get the darn stuff out last night." Quinlan lamented.
"We're really sorry for sneaking in your office, ma'am. We were just trying to help." Fred apologized.
"I know." Headmistress Quinlan smiled. "I will have to ask you to please stop that sort of investigation, though, and leave it to the professionals. I wouldn't dream of trying to take solving the crime into my own hands, so I unfortunately can't condone five kids meddling with their investigation."
"Completely understood. Like, we'll stop meddling immediately." Shaggy said abruptly, a bit of nervous energy returning as Quinlan told them to butt out. He knew she was saying it for their own safety, but he could be a bit sensitive with others telling him not to do things. He felt as if they were yelling at him or that he'd done something wrong.
"Thank you, kids." Headmistress Quinlan responded.
"Wait, though…if there are security cameras, isn't there a way to check them to see who the murderer is?" Velma asked inquisitively.
"In theory, yes. I have checked them, and unfortunately, the person appeared to have disguised their face. I can't make out who it is, nor can anyone else." Quinlan responded. "Thankfully, we have the police working hard on this case, and they should be able to figure it out soon. In the meantime, if there's anything I can do to help you or comfort you, please let me know."
"We will. Thanks, Headmistress Quinlan." Velma appreciated. "Have a good day."
"You too!" the Headmistress smiled, as she sat down at her desk and began writing again. Norville wondered if it was the police report he'd read part of last night.
Velma made it a decent way down the hall before she said anything.
"Well, did you guys buy her story?" Velma inquired.
"Of course! I feel bad for the lady. Clearly she's in way over her head in a new job." Fred replied.
"Yeah, like, I know I'd feel awful if I were in that position." Shaggy added.
"You know, I was really thinking she was going to be the killer for a moment there, but I think you guys are right. As terrifying as it is to think, she's just as scared as we are." Velma responded.
Daphne was worried about Fred, Velma and Shaggy. She knew from Dusk that they'd come back safely, but she, Dusk and Luna had been eating breakfast there for the past half-hour, and she didn't see them anywhere in the dining area.
"Any sign of them?" Luna raised her tone of voice a little so she could be heard over the loud chatter in the dining hall.
"Guys!" a voice shouted. Daphne knew that voice, but she couldn't quite place it to a face yet. She was quickly able to do so when the source of the voice came up to them. As soon as Daphne saw the red highlights in her hair, she recognized that the voice was coming from Thorn. "I saw Headmistress Quinlan take Shaggy, Fred and Velma to her office!"
"Willingly?" Daphne inquired.
"I don't know, but I can't imagine it would have been their idea to go there after Shaggy said he found something there last night." Thorn pointed out.
"Oh gosh, I hope they're okay!" Luna responded.
"There's not any use sticking around here to worry. The only way we're gonna know is if we go to class." Dusk replied.
"I guess you're right." Daphne answered. "Oh gosh, I don't even know what I'd do if they weren't there."
Thorn joined Daphne, Dusk and Luna fast-walking through the hall, hurrying to class in hopes of finding their friends safe and sound.
"Boy, I think this is the earliest I've ever been to class." Dusk laughed.
"I just hope they're okay." Luna worried.
Daphne, Dusk and Luna all wore expressions on their faces that were a mix of worried and hopeful as they entered the classroom. To their relief, Fred, Velma and Shaggy were all sitting in chairs towards the back of the room. In a burst of excitement, Daphne ran up to them.
"Oh my god, you guys are okay!" Daphne exclaimed.
"Thorn told us that Headmistress Quinlan confronted you guys and brought you to her office!" Luna revealed in a worried voice. "What happened?"
"Yeah, we're okay." Fred laughed. "She basically just told us we had to stop snooping around."
"That confirms she must be involved somehow!" Dusk deduced.
"Well, no, not exactly." Velma backtracked. "It's complicated. It actually sounds like she's just as scared as we are. It's her first year working here, so she's following law enforcement's orders and doesn't know what to do beyond that."
"What about that blood we saw on her shoes last night?" Dusk asked suspiciously.
"Like, she said that she accidentally stepped in it." Shaggy clarified.
"Alright everyone, it's time to start class!" Mr. B informed. He was wearing a brown tweed coat again. Daphne believed he'd worn it every day of class thus far, so the redhead was starting to believe it was his trademark look.
Daphne, Luna and Dusk scrambled to get to their seats on the other side of the room.
"Before we begin, I'd like to introduce you to our new student. Marcie, we all shared a little bit about ourselves at the beginning of day 1. Could you introduce yourself to the rest of the class?" Mr. B invited.
"Sure." the girl said. She wore a yellow top combined with a red skirt. Her long, messy brown hair swooshed a bit when she stood up from her seat behind Fred towards the back. "My name is Marcie Fleach. I came from Gatorsburg, which is just outside of Crystal Cove. I love cats, and my favorite food is hot dogs."
"It's nice to meet you, Marcie. Thank you for introducing yourself!" Mr. B smiled.
Daphne quite frankly felt a bit bad for the girl. It sounded like Headmistress Quinlan had as little of a plan for what to do as they did, so poor Marcie had no idea about the school environment she'd just walked into.
Although she was still listening to everything that Mr. B had said, Velma pondered in her mind how they could still look around despite Headmistress Quinlan's warning not to. She wasn't able to come up with a plan in her mind, so she decided to catch the rest of the group on their way out of class.
"Alright, that concludes our class for today! If you have any questions about the homework, please feel free let me know!" Mr. B announced.
"Hey, guys." Velma said to Shaggy and Fred. "We should talk out in the hall before we go to second period."
"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Fred asked.
"About how to continue to investigate this mystery." Velma stated, wondering after the fact if she'd accidentally said it loud enough for Mr. B to hear.
"But like, Headmistress Quinlan said we can't meddle anymore!" Shaggy whispered in a panic.
"I know what she said. She doesn't know what to do either, though, so the only way kids are going to stop dying is if somebody does something." Velma replied.
Now she was positive she was talking loud enough for Mr. B to overheard, because he was walking right over in their direction.
"Hey, Fred, Velma, Shaggy. How are you folks doing?" Mr. B inquired.
"Pretty well." Fred nodded.
"Like, yeah, we're good." Shaggy said, sounding extremely nervous. He wasn't going to divulge the whole complicated situation to Mr. B, so he hoped that Mr. B would just drop it and move on.
"Good to hear!" Mr. B exclaimed. "I've been worried about you kids, especially Shaggy. No kid should have to see one of their own peers drop dead like that. I hope you guys know that anytime you need to talk about anything, I'm here for you."
Velma found Mr. B's reassurance to be quite sweet, and she was really happy to know that he was here to provide a listening ear should they need one. However, the sleuth in Velma realized this also provided an opportunity to see if he knew anything further that Headmistress Quinlan might not have shared with them.
"Actually, there is something I want to talk about." Velma brought up. "We saw there was another kid who died last night."
"Oh…so you know about that, huh?" Mr. B seemed a bit worried. "I'm so sorry you guys had to see something like that again."
"Do you think someone's killing them? It seems a bit odd for two kids to drop dead in one week." Velma pointed out, just to see what he'd say.
"Well…I don't know. It's possible, unfortunately. I know Headmistress Quinlan has been in contact with the police, so no matter what, they're going to figure it out soon. I don't think you kids need to worry about your safety too much." Mr. B assured.
"We've been talking with Headmistress Quinlan, and she mentioned that she's a bit worried. I guess she's brand new here." Fred informed.
"You're right that she's new here, and I can see why that'd worry you. However, I want to assure you guys that she's not alone in this. All of us teachers are here to support her and keep everybody safe, so it's not like this thing is totally in her hands. Yes, she's our boss, but what I like most about her is that she always tries to empower us to contribute to the school, and treats us as colleagues rather than low-level workers. So trust me, kids, we've got this. However, I do want to say that I'm so sorry you've had to see those two incidents, and I imagine it must have been traumatic for you." Mr. B said.
"Thanks, Mr. B." Shaggy appreciated. "Like, that helps me feel a little better."
"Yes, thank you." Velma was feeling quite a bit better herself. She was worried that the school was completely in the hands of somebody who had no idea what to do with it, but she was very happy to know that the entire teaching staff was working together to make sure everybody was safe.
"Of course. You kids have a good day!" Mr. B well-wished.
"Like, you too!" Shaggy replied.
Velma waited until she got outside of the classroom to say anything to her comrades, although she was aching to do so. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Dusk, Thorn, Luna and Daphne appeared to be joining her as well.
"That was really sweet of Mr. B to assure us like that." Daphne stated.
"Yeah, like I feel a lot better knowing that the teachers are all working together to make sure we're safe." Shaggy added.
"Still, I think it might be a good idea to keep looking around. Not ostentatiously, but maybe just asking folks around the school if they've seen anything noteworthy if we have the chance." Velma suggested.
"But you said Headmistress Quinlan told you to stop snooping around! What if she catches you?" Daphne gasped.
"She won't. We just have to ask the right people that wouldn't report us snooping around back to her." Velma deduced, as she caught sight of a janitor wearing a tie-dye sweater and jeans out of the corner of her eye. He had long, shaggy hair. "Like this guy for example. Hey, sir?"
The tie-dye wearing janitor looked up. "Huh? You talkin' to me, man?"
"Yes." Velma responded. "What's your name?"
"I'm Janitor Chillman, but you can call me Del." the guy replied in a "surfer dude" like voice.
"Nice to meet you, Del. We're one of the kids that saw Elliott pass away outside of the classroom. We were wondering if you knew anything about that." Velma asked.
"Like, sorry, dudes." Del shook his head. "If I would have seen anything, I would've reported it to Headmistress Quinlan right away, but I didn't. Tragic what happened to that kid, though."
"Okay, thanks anyway." Velma responded. She briefly glanced at her friends, and noticed that Shaggy and Daphne wore concerned looks on their faces. She presumed they didn't approve of her sneaking around behind Quinlan's back.
"That was lucky." Daphne replied.
"What was lucky?" Velma asked, unsure what the redhead meant.
"That you didn't ask the wrong person. That guy seemed laid back enough to not report us to Headmistress Quinlan, but I don't think we should take any more chances. Mr. B made it sound like the teachers have everything under control, so I don't think there's any reason for us to keep looking around." Daphne reasoned.
Even though Velma kind of expected that sort of response from Daphne, it still hurt for her to hear it. She wanted to investigate the mystery, and while Mr. B's response was comforting, she was enjoying the thrill of looking for clues. And besides, this mystery was what was bringing her, Fred and Shaggy together. Without the mystery as a reason to hang out, would they just move on and forget about her?
Velma realized she'd gone a long time without responding due to being lost in her head, so she mustered up the courage to ask the question that could lead to emotional pain and frustration. "Do you guys all feel this way?"
"Like, yeah." Shaggy nodded. He still had a bit of an anxious look on his face, but the way he answered seemed firm and certain. "Mr. B was pretty convincing to me, so like, there's no reason to put our necks on the line when the teachers are willing to do it."
"You too, Fred?" Velma said, trying to push back the frustration and sadness that was increasingly pervading her emotions. Nobody around her had any idea that this went a lot deeper for her than just a silly mystery. To her, it felt like the glue that was holding their friendship together.
"I'm sorry, Velma, but I agree with both of them. Headmistress Quinlan directly told us to butt out, so we could get in trouble if we keep trying to investigate." Fred answered.
"Yeah, I agree too." Thorn said. "There's really no reason to keep investigating when they've got it under control."
"Besides, this mystery is way too big for us to figure out. Leave it to the professionals." Dusk interjected.
"Okay. If that's how you all feel." Velma felt embarrassed about being so emotional, but she realized she was fighting a losing battle. Nobody except her was interested in investigating this mystery anymore, and there was no way that she could make them. She would just have to accept the fact that she'd investigated all she could, and it was time to move on.
Shaggy felt bad that he hadn't been receptive to Velma's desire to keep solving the mystery. As far as he was concerned, Headmistress Quinlan saying she didn't want them snooping around shut down any potential for continuing to solve the mystery. Trying to figure out who was committing a series of murders was already dangerous enough on its own, but sneaking around behind the school Headmistress's back to do it was where Shaggy drew the line. He loved bonding with Fred and Velma over it, but all good things had to come to an end, he supposed. He tried to convince himself it was a positive that he didn't have to search for clues in creepy places at night, like he had in Quinlan's office the previous evening.
He'd finished up a long day of classes, and now, it was time for his reward: dinner! Shaggy and Fred were just getting ready to head down to the dining hall, as Fred quickly tied his shoes and opened the dorm room door.
"Boy, I'm famished." Fred informed, as he shut the door to their room.
"Like, you can say that again. So, like, any plans for tonight?" Shaggy was unsure whether Fred planned to relax and watch sports again like he had during their first night at the school, or if he'd want to do something together now that they were friends. He hoped it was the latter.
"Not really." Fred shrugged. "There's a game on TV tonight, so maybe I'll watch that."
Shaggy internally sighed. "Yeah, like, maybe I'll just finish that book I started." He didn't really want to do this, but he felt like he should say it out of social courtesy.
Shaggy headed into the food line, as a man wearing a hairnet slopped a scoop of spaghetti onto his plate. He picked up a slice of garlic bread from a tray full of bread slices, and headed to their normal table. He hoped Velma would be sitting there, as a confirmation that their friendship was not going to dissipate just because they couldn't investigate anymore.
Alas, his hopes were dashed when he saw an empty table in front of him. Sighing out loud this time, he set his tray on the table, and sat down so that he could chow down. He looked around the cafeteria for a moment whilst Fred was still getting his food, and he felt a lump in his throat as he saw Velma sitting a couple of tables down, chatting with Thorn. This confirmed his worst fears: she'd already moved on from their friendship. Now that the investigation was over, so was their friendship.
While he was glancing over at Velma, he heard the sound of a tray being set down on the table. He assumed it was Fred, but he was surprised to look up and see Daphne next to him.
"Hey. Is it okay if we sit here?" Daphne inquired, with Dusk and Luna standing behind her each with their trays full of food.
"Like, of course!" Shaggy exclaimed, sounding equal parts surprised and excited. He heard the sound of another tray setting down, which he quickly realized was Fred when he looked to his left.
"Hey, girls!" Fred greeted.
"Hi!" Daphne responded. "I hope it's alright that we're sitting at your table."
"Of course! The more the merrier!" Fred jovially said.
Shaggy wondered whether he should ask this question, as he didn't want to sound like he was asking them on a date given his interest in them was purely platonic. After a few seconds of pondering, he decided there would be no harm in asking. "Like, what are you girls planning to do tonight?"
"Well, we've been taking a walk around campus every night." Dusk responded.
"We usually have all our homework finished before dinner, so it's good to stretch our legs a bit." Luna added.
"If you guys want to come along tonight, you'd be welcome to!" Daphne replied.
Shaggy perked up at this invitation. It sounded far better than sitting around reading all night while Fred watched the game on TV. Besides, he'd always dreamed at his old school about hanging out with friends at night rather than watching yet another movie with his parents, so how could he say no?
"Like yeah, that'd be great! I need some exercise after all this food!" Shaggy replied. Typically, he didn't actually think about exercising after a big meal; he just ate what he wanted and his stomach seemed to handle it well. His doctor said he had a quick metabolism, so he thankfully never seemed to gain weight regardless of what he ate. He thought it would be a good excuse to come along though, so that it didn't seem like he was desperate for any shred of friendship that he could possibly get, even though he admittedly was.
"Sure, I'll join you guys!" Fred responded. "My team's playing the Vikings anyway, so I know we'll win."
"Great! We're going to go back upstairs to get our coats after dinner, but we'll meet you down by the front entrance!" Daphne informed.
Shaggy was relieved that the investigation being over didn't mean that he was going to become friendless again, and he was especially happy that Daphne, Luna and Dusk had gone out of their way to sit by him. He was now more hopeful than before that coming to Crystal Cove High would be the start of something new for him, just like his parents had optimistically promised prior to him coming here.
Fred was admittedly a little bummed out to be missing out on the game, but as far as he was concerned, making friends was far more important. Although his friendship with Shaggy and the girls was brand new, it honestly seemed deeper and more meaningful than any of the previous friendships he'd had with the guys on the team at his old school. How he'd interact with the team at this school remained to be seen, as the first practice of the season wasn't until the end of this week, but he was already incredibly satisfied with the new friendships he was forming here. For the first time, he felt like he could truly be himself and didn't have to constantly posture or talk about sports. Thus far, he had always enjoyed himself whenever he hung out with Shaggy and the girls, so he was happy that Daphne had invited him and Shaggy on their nightly walk.
They'd been waiting a good five minutes. Fred figured the girls were busy doing their makeup or whatever things teenage girls needed to do before daring to be seen out in public. At long last, Daphne, Luna and Dusk came out of the stairwell and walked to the front entrance.
"All set?" Daphne asked.
"Like, yep!" Shaggy replied, as he headed out the front door into the chilly night air. The others were quick to follow. Fred sort of wished he had brought a coat for himself, as there was a bit of a breeze tonight, but it wasn't bad enough to need to go back inside and hold everyone up.
"So…" Daphne awkwardly said. "What do you guys think of this school so far?"
"Like, it's pretty cool…well, like, except for the murders." Shaggy blushed sheepishly.
"Yeah, no biggie. Just some murders." Dusk laughed.
"I overheard what Mr. B told you guys, and I thought it was nice he comforted you like that. It's good to know the teachers are here to protect us." Luna commented.
"Yeah, Mr. B is awesome." Fred responded. "He's easily the best teacher here."
"All of the teachers here have seemed pretty nice." Luna remarked. Fred was a bit surprised to hear her talk twice in a row. Fred gathered that she seemed to be the shy type, so she rarely said more than a sentence at a time.
"Like, yeah, the teachers are great! But man, my favorite thing about this place is, like, the food!" Shaggy said with a laugh.
"The food is pretty amazing." Daphne chuckled.
"Yeah, I can't believe the variety they have here! I swear my old school served the same five crummy things over and over." Dusk responded.
"Same with my old school." Fred added. "It's nice to have cafeteria food that's actually good for once!"
All of a sudden, Fred heard a loud rustling in the bushes. His heart raced a little as he heard the unexpected noise. Clearly, he was not the only frightened one.
"What was that?" Luna gasped.
"Oh no, don't tell me it's that creep again." Dusk snarled.
"C-c-creep?" Shaggy gulped. "What do you mean?"
"There was some prankster who tried to scare us in the bushes the other night." Daphne responded.
"Who was the prankster?" Fred inquired.
"We don't know." Daphne answered, seeming a bit spooked.
Fred's heart began racing even more when he caught a glimpse of what was rustling in the pushes: he was completely certain now that it was a person. The blonde could see the shadow of the figure swaying creepily side to side.
"Hey you, get out of there and show your face like a man!" Dusk snapped. Clearly she was the only brave one here, as everybody else looked absolutely terrified.
Little did they know, the terror they were experiencing now was about to be the least of their worries, as a creepy voice began speaking from in the bushes. The voice was raspy and dry, and sounded almost otherworldly.
"Stop your meddling, my young ones, for I shall have a third victim before the next week has begun!" the shadow groaned.
Author's note:
Hope you're enjoying the story thus far. I just wanted to point out the little reference in this chapter in case you missed it. Headmaster Jones being Headmistress Quinlan's predecessor is a reference to Mayor Jones from Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, similarly to how Quinlan assumed the position of mayor after him in season 2.
