On the second day, Danny arrived early at school. He stood outside the school gates to make sure that he had prepared everything.
Teaching materials in the bag? Check.
Presentable clothes? Check.
Hair combed? Check.
Clean, shiny shoes? Check.
Almost forgot. Belt on? Check.
Fully assured that nothing missed out, he stepped through the gates. Some students greeted him as he walked past them, but some stared at him with varying looks of unease and whispered among themselves. Danny was confused at their odd reaction toward him. Did he miss something else?
Perhaps I'm the only teacher here who teaches supernatural stuff, he thought to himself.
As he walked up the stairs towards the school entrance, something unexpected dropped onto him.
SPLOOSHHHH!
A bucket of ice-cold water splashed onto him from the top of the building without warning. He was stunned on the spot. His clothes were entirely drenched from head to toes. He rubbed off the water droplets from his face and snapped up his head to scan where it came from. What he saw were two heads propped behind the window sill on the sixth floor, with their faces and bodies shielded from his view.
"Oh shit, did he spot us?" whispered Elmer, still crouching nervously below the window.
"I don't think so," answered Denver. He was eager to see the reaction on his teacher's face but was too scared to lift up his head to check. All they could hear was a crowd of students chattering and gasping outside. There was one kid guffawing like a hyena at their teacher's unfortunate expense.
"DAMMIT! Who did that?!" shouted Danny from below.
Well, that was enough clue for them. They had hit their target.
"Let's get outta here before somebody finds out!" said Elmer.
They grabbed the empty bucket, ran out of the room down the empty corridor, and chuckled at their "achievement".
Danny couldn't recognize who they were, but one of them was definitely a redhead. He knew there were only a few redheads in his classes.
If I ever catch you both, you're toast! Thought Danny as he peered at his still dripping pants and shirt.
He's more concerned about drying his clothes before starting the class, than figuring out who the rascals were. So, he squelched his way to the nearest washroom.
Ten minutes later, the school bell rang. Elmer and his friends were already in the classroom expecting their teacher to be arriving late and looking soaked.
"You did it?" whispered Jimmy excitedly.
"Yeah, we did," replied Elmer in a low voice, ensuring no other students in the class could overhear them. "I can't wait to see how he looks. He's gonna be a mess!"
Suddenly, the door swung open, and they saw Danny walking in, looking completely dry. There were no traces of a single water droplet on his hair or clothes.
Elmer and Denver couldn't believe their eyes. Had their plan actually failed? How was it possible? They swore they had heard the wild reactions of the students at the window 10 minutes ago. Or had they wrongly assumed that? All sorts of questions popped up in their heads.
Danny promptly placed his teaching materials on his desk, and his eyes narrowed as if he were gunning somebody in his class. There were a couple of redheads in this class. One of them was the chubby kid. Elmer felt anxious as he noticed his teacher staring at him after switching his glance at another kid.
"Morning class, sorry to be a bit late again. There was a slight inconvenience happening. Apparently, someone dumped a bucket of water out of the classroom window, and I hope no one here in this class did that," declared Danny. "If you're the ones who did it, or if you know of anyone who did it, please see me after class."
Elmer and Denver turned pale, but they stayed quiet in their seats.
There was an awkward pause of silence in class as the students looked at each other, wondering who did it.
Danny sighed in slight disappointment and picked up his teaching material. "Alright, let's continue our last lesson on ghost physiology."
Danny flipped to the page and asked, "Now, does anyone still recall what ghosts are?"
A few smart students lifted up their hands.
"Jimmy."
"Ghosts are apparitions of the dead manifested from ectoplasm."
"Very good."
Elmer raised an eyebrow at Jimmy, surprised by his friend's knowledgeable answer.
"Next question. Where do ghosts come from?"
More students raised their hands.
Another kid was picked and answered, "From the Ghost Zone."
"Good. And how are ghosts formed?"
Fewer students raised their hands. Danny picked another random kid.
"They're formed after they died."
"Correct, but that's not the complete answer," Danny responded. "When a living being has died, a natural ghost portal will appear for the soul to connect to the ghost zone. The soul gets pulled to enter the ghost zone like a magnet. Once the soul is in, it will start to gather the ectoplasmic energy from the ghost zone to form a ghost body. Hence, this is the reason why ghosts have an ectoplasmic body."
Jimmy raised his hand.
"Yes, Jimmy?"
"What would happen if a living person enters a ghost portal?"
"Under normal circumstances, nothing will happen to their body. A living being's soul is still strongly attached to the human body. So, for a living person to enter the ghost zone is just like a regular walk in the park."
"Then, under what abnormal circumstances will their body be affected by the ghost zone?"
Danny almost pursed his lips and pondered awhile with knitted eyebrows.
"Well, that could only happen when that person entering the portal is on the verge of dying."
"So, what would happen to that person?"
"Ectoplasm would enter into their DNA. It's... not a pleasant experience to have ectoplasm entering your body."
Jimmy nodded but couldn't help to notice his teacher's unusual reaction.
"So, any more questions? If not, let's proceed to our next lesson."
The bell rang. The students all packed their things, ready to leave the class.
"Remember to hand in your homework tomorrow!" declared Danny.
Elmer, Denver, and Jimmy walked out of their classroom together and headed to their lockers.
"Hey, I thought you guys... like did it?" Jimmy gripped each of his friends' shoulders on his sides.
"I thought we did!... We... we must've missed him, " answered Denver with a disappointing look on his face.
"I don't know how, but I swear I heard someone shout something about Mr. Fenton getting splashed, " said Elmer feeling a bit bummed out too.
"Then, did you see it with your own eyes?" Jimmy asked the two boys, and they both shook their heads. "Obviously, you guys must've likely missed your target. Better luck next time."
"Yeah, better luck next time," said Elmer. "Hey, Jimmy, I never expected that you're so good at answering Mr. Fenton's questions. I mean, you're excellent at science subjects, but I'm surprised to see you paying attention to a pseudo-science subject?"
"I know. I just find it pretty interesting too, even if it's not real science," Jimmy grinned. "I suppose I just treat it as science fiction."
"Eh, good for you."
"Hey, Denver!" Shouted a tall kid who was walking down the corridor. "I know what you guys did!"
"Aw crap, not Scott again," grumbled Denver.
Denver and Scott were two of the most athletic kids in school, and they considered each other as rivalry to an unhealthy level. In every sports competition that they participated in, they would always be at odds with each other. His friends could see the jealousy brimming amongst the two when either one of them lost their game. And now they're facing each other, bracing for another fight.
"Yeah, you guys gonna be in deep shit," Scott stated with a pugnacious smile.
"Where's your proof, Scott?" Spat Denver.
"Oh, me and Fred saw it. We'll report it to Mr. Fenton. So, prepare for detention, dipstick. Hahahaha!"
Scott turned around, and when he was about to walk off, Denver seized him by the collar and bashed him against the wall.
"Ow! Let me go!" Scott landed multiple fists against Denver's face, but Denver wouldn't let go of his collar. Pulling all his strength with great force, he slammed Scott to the ground. Scott wailed and squirmed on the floor. As he was about to make a lunge on Scott, a leg thrust into his belly and knocked him backward, with his back crashed into the locker doors behind him.
"Stop it!" Elmer yelled at them, but they both got up and continued pounding angrily at each other with their fists.
All the kids scrambled over to watch the fight. Some shouted at the top of their lungs, and some cheered until Danny stepped in and pulled them apart. Danny's pull was so strong and cold that their wrists felt a sharp pain.
"Stop it, boys!" Danny shouted. "What's the matter with you?!"
"He started it!" Scott pointed at Denver.
"No, you liar!" snapped Denver.
"Enough! To the principal's office now!" Danny dragged them along with him toward the principal's office.
"Shit, shit, shit! We'll be exposed!" Whispered Elmer.
"Calm down, let's follow them, " said Jimmy. "Don't worry. I will take care of this."
Elmer and Jimmy followed their teacher quietly until they reached the door to the principal's office that closed behind them.
Danny entered the room and pushed Denver and Scott forward to meet their principal. "Mr. Myers, I caught these boys fighting in school. Now, explain to us why you're fighting?"
Jimmy and Elmer placed their ears closely at the door to listen to the conversation.
"Sir, Denver started it. I saw him dumping water on Mr. Fenton this morning. and I told him I would report him, but he beat me up!"
"Denver, is this true?" Asked Danny.
"I did not dump water on Mr. Fenton! Stop accusing me of something I never did!"
"Then who started the fight?" The principal asked.
"He did!" Scott hissed at Denver.
"I DID NOT!"
"That's enough! Mr. Fenton, send these kids to detention. I will call their parents over."
A knock was heard from the door.
Danny opened the door and saw Jimmy and Elmer standing outside. "Mr. Fenton, can we have a talk with you about Denver? We don't feel comfortable talking about this in front of the principal and them. We wish to talk to you privately."
Danny looked at Jimmy and recognized him as the smart kid in class. "Alright, let me send them to detention first."
Both Denver and Scott were locked in separate rooms. Danny then brought Jimmy and Elmer to a private meeting room. "Please be seated. What do you guys want to tell me?"
"Well, we saw what happened during the fight, and Denver started the fight."
Elmer's eyes widened at Jimmy's response. He never expected his friend would call Denver out.
"So, he really started the fight?"
Elmer wanted to defend Denver, but before he would open his mouth, Jimmy butted in, "Yes, but Scott taunted him first. He's falsely accused Denver of dumping the water out the window."
"Really?" Danny raised one of his brows. "Now, why would he do that?"
"They have been sports rivals since they attended this school. You can go ask any students here. Everybody knows they're never on good terms when it comes to competition."
"So, you're telling me that Scott made a false accusation, and Denver responded with punches? Well, he has no right to act so rash just because Scott said mean words against him. And how did you know that Denver wasn't the one who dumped the water out the window?"
"Yes, we know because Denver has been with us at the study corner. There's no way he would do such a thing."
Danny was unconvinced, but he felt that Jimmy seemed genuine since he had been a really bright student in his class. There was no way a smart kid like him would spout any lies.
"You see, Denver hasn't been feeling well after his beloved dog passed away recently. So, we can't really blame him for getting upset easily, especially when you have someone trying to make your days worse. Right, Elmer?" Jimmy continued as he elbowed his friend, who was sitting next to him.
Elmer looked at Jimmy dumbfounded and soon realized that he needed to respond to Jimmy's question. " Y-Yeah! That's right! Umm... Denver's pet did pass away recently."
Danny looked into Jimmy's sad eyes, and the recollection of his pet dog Cujo tugged his heartstrings. It's been over six months, and he missed his little Cujo very much.
"Alright, I'll explain this to the principal," sighed Danny. "Thanks for clearing up the situation."
"No biggie."
"So, is there anything else you want to talk about?"
"Nothing, Mr. Fenton."
"Okay, you may go back to your class."
"Thank you, Mr. Fenton," replied both kids as they left the room.
After seeing their teacher go back to the principal's office, Elmer heaved, "Jimmy, you-are-GENIUS!"
"Well, at least he won't face any harsh punishment like getting expelled from school," said Jimmy while he adjusted his glasses.
"The way you talked about his pet dog, I mean... yeah, that was a year ago, and he had already gotten over his grief, but that was such a convincing story, even Mr. Fenton buys it!"
"When you know the right words to put it, yes."
"I'm so going to tell that to Lisa!"
"Come on, we'll be late for the next class. Let's hurry."
They both scampered off to their class.