Chapter One
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of the characters associated with Scooby-Doo.
2014
"Jeepers!" Daphne said, shocked. "Why do you want to interview the Warden of Coolsville Prison for our school paper?"
"I think it would be ground-breaking for our paper," Velma replied.
Daphne raised her right eyebrow in scepticism.
"We could play it safe and interview the woman who runs the local hardware store or the man who runs the local movie theater, but why not interview someone that keeps the community safe by ensuring that the inmates of Coolsville Prison stay behind bars until they've served their time," Velma explained.
Daphne and Velma were in their senior year of high school and were sitting in the office of their high school newspaper. Velma was sitting behind her desk with a laptop computer, while Daphne was sitting opposite and cleaning the lens of her camera. Both of them wanted to get the most out of their time on their high school newspaper, but Daphne wasn't comfortable with the idea of visiting the local prison to do it.
"How do you know we're going to be safe, and something goes wrong while we're there?" Daphne asked.
"Jinkies," Velma replied, a little annoyed. "I've already told you that our Principal knows the Warden, and he'll ensure we're safe. It'll look great on our college applications, don't you think?"
Daphne knew that Velma was more intelligent than she was and could always tell when something would be worth their while. But something about going to the prison made her feel on edge.
"I really don't know," Daphne said.
Velma loved that her best friend had an adventurous spirit, but sometimes, her sense of caution got in the way of that, and it was too crucial for Daphne's sense of caution to get in the way of that.
"Daphne, all you have to do is take pictures," Velma said. "I'll be the one asking the tough questions, and if the Warden doesn't like them, he'll be taking it out on me, not you and our Principal will be with us the whole time. What could be safer?"
It was more than evident that Velma wouldn't let this idea go.
"Okay, I'll come with you," Daphne said. "But just being there scares me,"
"I know, it scares me too, but playing it safe doesn't always bring you rewards," Velma replied.
Daphne had to agree with that, but that didn't stop her from being scared to go inside behind the walls of Coolsville Prison.
XXXXX
Daphne loved watching the school football team practice for two reasons. One, they were great players and knew how to play the game. They had won their victory for nearly twenty years in a row. The second reason was that her boyfriend, Fred Jones, was a quarterback on the team, and she was proud of how he played and how sexy he was out of uniform.
Daphne was amazed to be his girlfriend, and Fred could never understand her confusion. In Fred's eyes, she was bright, beautiful and incredibly sexy. They understood each other in ways no other couples could as far as he was concerned. Fred had seen her at the practice, but he knew she would only talk to him after he showered. Once he was outside the showers, Daphne ran up to Fred, hugged him and kissed him passionately. Fred returned the kiss, but then he broke it.
"So, can I count on you to be at the game on Friday night?" Fred asked.
"Of course, you can," Daphne said. "I'm one of the cheerleaders, remember?"
Fred smiled with affectionate sarcasm.
"Oh yeah," he said sarcastically. "How could I have forgotten that?"
Daphne slapped his chest lightly, and Fred laughed. Then he wrapped his right arm around Daphne's shoulders, and they began to walk to the Malt Shop. As far as they were both concerned, life was perfect, and nothing would ever get in the way of that.
XXXXX
Daphne and Velma were driving to Coolsville Women's Prison by their Principal. He was a man in his late thirties with brown hair and blue eyes. Daphne sat in the back seat while Velma sat next to their Principal in the front seat. Velma was excited about what they were doing, but Daphne was terrified. The idea of prison had always scared her, and she hoped Velma didn't notice how scared she was. As they cleared the front gate, Daphne wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. As they exited the car, Daphne looked around and saw the female prisoners looking at them curiously.
"Jeepers!" Daphne said to herself.
She hoped no one had heard her, but Velma looked at her, embarrassed.
"Relax, Daphne," Velma said. We'll be in and out within an hour,"
Daphne looked at Velma and forced a smile to her face.
"Sure," Daphne said, hoping she sounded confident.
Velma carried her digital recorder while Daphne took her camera case, and their Principal walked with them up the stairs to the Warden's office. The Receptionist was waiting for them.
"Just one moment," the Receptionist said.
She exited her chair, walked to the Warden's office door and knocked on it.
"Sir," the Receptionist said. "The high school students are here to interview you,"
"Send them in," the Warden said.
The Receptionist opened the door, and life changed for the Warden. The Warden was expecting to see a pair of high school girls; they would interview him, and that would be that. But the last person he expected to see was Daphne. The first thing that captivated him about Daphne was her hair. The way it was bright red and how beautiful she was. There was no doubt in the Warden's mind that she would be part of his life until the day he died.
"H-H-Hello," the Warden said, a little thrown. "How can I help you today?"
"Hello," Velma said. "I'm Velma Dinkley, the journalist from the Coolsville High Paper; you obviously know my Principal, and this is my photographer, Daphne Blake,"
The Warden barely looked at Velma as his primary focus was Daphne as she took out her camera from her case.
"Daphne," the Warden said. "How did you become interested in photography?"
Daphne was a little confused as she wasn't expecting him to say anything to her at all.
"I love reading fashion magazines and how amazing the models look in the photographs," Daphne said. "I want to be a fashion photographer, and I'm going to college to study photography,"
"A beautiful young woman shouldn't be taking photographs," the Warden said without thinking. "You should be in front of the camera, not behind it. Do you do anything else for your school?"
"I'm also a cheerleader for our team," she said, growing to love the attention by the Warden. "I cheer every Friday night for our school,"
Daphne was starting to feel confident, and she loved how that felt. Velma, on the other hand, was getting impatient.
"Daphne, we here to interview the Warden, remember?" Velma said as patiently as she could.
Daphne had heard that tone in Velma's voice before and knew she meant business.
"Sure," Daphne said.
Velma looked at the Warden and hoped the interview wouldn't last long because he found it impossible not to look at Daphne.
"Warden, what's your main focus in your position here at the prison?" Velma asked.
"To ensure that each prisoner gets the rehabilitation they need so they can re-enter society when their sentence has been concluded," the Warden said. "We have excellent parole boards here,"
Daphne took a quick photo of the Warden, and he looked at her. He loved the sound of her camera clicking.
"I hope you got my good side," the Warden said, flirtatiously.
"Don't worry, Warden," Daphne said. "I'm sure I did,"
Velma hated the interruption, and she looked at her Principal.
"Sir," Velma said. "I'm here to do an interview,"
"Okay," the Principal said to Velma quickly, as he knew how impatient she could get. He looked at Daphne. "Maybe you should hold off taking photos until after the interview is finished,"
"Okay," Daphne replied.
The Warden was disappointed because he loved talking to Daphne and was sure they connected. Daphne just wanted to take photos.
XXXXX
It was another half an hour until Velma finished her interview, and the Warden thought her questions were idiotically tedious. Still, he felt it was worth it with every glance he could give in Daphne's direction. Velma had noticed this, but the Warden didn't care. As far as he was concerned, Daphne was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
"Thank you for your time," Velma said.
"You're welcome," the Warden said quickly, as he couldn't wait to talk to Daphne. "Daphne, would you like to take any pictures of my office or me?"
Daphne couldn't believe how much attention the Warden was taking on her. Velma thought it was creepy, but as the Principal was there, she knew better than to say anything.
"I'd like to take some more pictures of your office," Daphne said.
The Warden was disappointed that she didn't want to take more pictures of him, but he decided to hide his disappointment.
"Certainly," the Warden said.
"Thank you," Daphne said quickly.
"But don't take too long," Velma said. "We have to get back to school,"
"Okay," Daphne said, a little annoyed.
Daphne wanted something unique for the paper, so she began taking photos of the view from the Warden's office. Then something dawned on her, and she looked at the Warden's desk.
"Excuse me, Warden," Daphne said. "Would you mind if I took a photo of your desk?"
"By all means," the Warden replied. "Would you like me to stay seated behind it?"
"Sure," Daphne said.
Daphne walked to the left side of it and leaned over to take a photo. As she did this, the Warden noticed the way her buttocks were sticking out, and he couldn't help but smile. Velma saw the smile on the Warden's face and became disgusted.
"Jinkies!" Velma said very quietly.
Once the photo was taken, Daphne stood up.
"Done," Daphne said.
"Will I be seen in the photo?" the Warden asked hopefully.
"No, but I can take another photo of you behind your desk if you'd like?" Daphne suggested.
The Warden smiled and stared at Daphne. Daphne didn't like the stare, but she thought he was just being polite.
"Sure," Daphne said.
Daphne took the photo very quickly.
"Done," Daphne said.
"And we're done, as we seriously need to get back to school," Velma said, hoping the Warden would take the hint.
The Warden hated Velma and knew no way to keep Daphne there longer.
"No problem," the Warden said to Velma before he looked at the Principal. "Make sure you send me a copy of the edition with my interview in it, and it was great to meet you, Daphne,"
"Thank you," Daphne said politely.
"You're welcome," the Warden said.
"Now, let's go!" Velma said, not attempting to hide her impatience.
The three of them walked out. As the Warden watched Daphne leave his office, a sick plan began to be formulated to get Daphne to return to him permanently.
XXXXX
As far as Daphne was concerned, it was another Friday night on the football field at Coolsville High. She wore her cheerleading uniform and danced the routine to cheer on the school team before the team ran out onto the field. But for one person, it wasn't a usual Friday night. Despite living in the area, the Warden had never bothered to go to the school football games. To the Warden's satisfaction, there were bright lights, perfect for taking photos of Daphne as she performed. In his mind, her cheerleading uniform made her look incredibly sexy. After she finished her routine, the Warden took more pictures of Daphne as she sat with the other cheerleaders while they waited for halftime. Daphne's hair was lovely that night as far as the Warden was concerned.
