Chapter Summary: Casper and Thatch get into the of so common fight, but during the fight Casper notices something is off about the vampire, sparking his interest.

"Thatch, give Casper your Damaric badge," Franken-gym-teacher ordered to the young vampire, who gave a look of disdain at the very thought of handing over his rightfully earned badge.

"Mine!?" He cried, his hands clutching the badge to himself. The vampire thought it was simply unfair his should be the one taken away.

"I forgot to order more." The lazy gym teacher shrugged, then leaned forward, towering over the small child as to reassure his authority over the students. Thatch felt a hiss leave him and he angrily marched over to the ghost boy, Casper- the bane is his existence at this rotten school. Casper didn't deserve this badge, he was no true monster. But Thatch handed his badge over to the ghost as ordered before he stomped away, his dark cloak billowing behind him as he disappeared into the shadows of the school- wishing to be nowhere near the other students, but with every step, he felt his anger grow- building inside of him.

Ra seemed rather happy with his friend's luck. "Congratulations Casper!" He said happily, patting Casper on the shoulder- or tried to as his hand went through the ghost boy at first. Casper corrected himself quickly- allowing Ra to rest a hand on his back as they both laughed.

"Looks like we're all going to the Jamboree after all," Mantha added joyfully. She didn't join in on all the touching- worried her hand would fall off again like it did that morning, such annoying zombie issues. Lately, it was just having such trouble staying on- maybe she should get it stitched on?

"Thanks, guys," Casper giggled softly, beaming with pride as he looked at his badge. What Casper didn't notice was the vampire had returned, fueled by anger and the need to not be beaten by the friendly ghost.

Thatch seemed to lunge out of the shadows themselves, giving a fright to Casper and his friends. "Give me back my badge Casper!" He yelled, trying to snatch it from the ghost's hands. The two fought, both believing they earned the badge fairly. As they wrestled it became clear that Thatch could not just pull the badge away, Casper had a firm stance on the ground, keeping him balanced, so to change that Thatch instead released the badge and tackled the ghost instead, knocking them both flat onto the dirt- knocking into Mantha.

The zombie stumbled back and fell, her head popping off and rolling across the ground as it often does. Ra, being the helpful friend he was quickly moved and picked up the zombie head, carrying it back to her body- which was currently reaching out, searching for the missing piece. As Ra helped the poor zombie girl Thatch and Casper wrestled on the ground- and soon the badge was forgotten and laid in the dirt as the boys fought.

The Gym Teacher turned a blind eye- he was lazy plus a little fight might toughen the friendly ghost up. Besides, sooner he got the students out of his hair the sooner he could see the teacher he had a crush on, Hedy Hopper. The gym teacher quickly leads the other students back inside so they could go to bed- leaving the 4 students outside to rough and tumble.

Before long Thatch had successfully pinned the ghost to the ground, his chest heaving with every breath- his black hair a mess from the fight, his cloak crooked, nearly falling off of his shoulders. Casper on the other hand- being a ghost he had no lungs, and therefore no way to suck in air, and generally no reason to breathe. He knew he could probably sink into the ground- but he truly hated it. Walls were fine- you get past thoughts quick, but in the ground, it was damp, cold and dark. A bit too claustrophobic.

Casper willingly laid on the ground, watching the panting vampire on top of him. Casper stopped struggling, laying back on the ground- no wishing to fight. If Thatch wanted the badge so badly, fine. He still was allowed to go to the Jamboree now- his name would be added to the list and it would all be fine. The badge was only a physical representation that he was allowed to go, besides the list. The badge was only there as a little 'Oh here you did it so here is a reward'- something Casper personally didn't need.

The friendly ghost boy would easily escape, just go through Thatch or the ground, but he allowed himself to be pinned, to let the big bully have his way and win once more. If it made Thatch feel better- so why not? It wasn't like the ghost was getting hurt. There was a stillness in the air as Ra and Mantha watched, unsure whether to step in to help their ghost friend or not.

"You always ruin things for me!" Thatch yelled.

"Sorry."

"Why are you such a pain?!"

"Sorry."

"You only get in the way!"

"Sorry."

"Stop saying sorry, you spineless ghost!" Thatch yelled in frustration, grabbing Casper by his shoulders and shaking him roughly. "You never do anything right, you always say sorry- can't you be just a normal ghost for once?"

Casper didn't know what to say to the enraged vampire. How was he to respond to such a thing? Be a normal ghost, well what was a normal ghost suppose to do?

All this over a badge? Even this seemed a bit much for Thatch. Casper uncomfortably shifted under the vampire, moving his gaze away. He spotted the badge a small bit away on the ground. "Take it, I don't want it." He finally said. The ghost boy was starting to get uncomfortable- being under Thatch was rather odd and he disliked being shaken around like a ragdoll.

The vampire moved his violet eyes away from the other student, staring at the discarded badge. He made a face, his enlarged fangs showing as he almost hissed. "You're such a coward. Doing anything you can to avoid any fight." He said coldly. But in truth, Thatch stopped caring for the badge as well. He was becoming more interested in Casper, the Cowardly Ghost.

The way Casper always accepted his bullying- yet somehow remained smiling always bugged him. Did Casper not know the horrors of the world? How could he remain to be so kind in such awful times? Thatch had spent almost every day trying to make Casper's life hell- trying his damnedest to scare him and make him hate humans as monsters should! It was utterly infuriating. Casper shouldn't care for humans, only other monsters. Monsters were the only things with real hearts- that could care and protect each other.

Thatch's anger was slowly depleting as he started to cool off and he was able to think clearly once more. He released his grip on Casper's shoulders- much to the ghost's relief.

"Come on Thatch, lay off!" Mantha finally piped up, her eyes darting between the two, her brows furrowed together in worry. "Casper didn't do anything wrong."

Thatch almost scoffed, looking at the zombie with disinterest. Casper used this chance to sit up partially, trying to wiggle his way out from under Thatch. The vampire didn't stop him, so Casper went ahead and stood up, moving back to his friends. Ra quickly pushed Casper behind himself, as if he could defend the ghost from the aggressive violet-eyed vampire.

"Whatever..." Thatch coldly said, walking away from the group and heading the way the rest of their classmates had went. He forgot about the badge- which remained laying on the ground until Casper picked it up. The ghost dusted the dirt off the object, a soft sigh escaping him despite his lack of lungs.

The friendly ghost looked back at his dear friends, his blue eyes filled with confusion. Normally he could understand Thatch's bullying and motives, but this time the motive really escaped him. He softly sighed and shrugged. "Let's head back to the school." Casper directed, and his friends obliged.

As they walked down the quiet stone hallways Casper kept looking the badge over, having mixed feelings about the whole situation. He really should return it to Thatch, he was a ghost and he didn't need physical items, but at the same time having something to call his own almost felt nice, but it wasn't his. Stealing wasn't something Casper would accept. Mantha parted ways to return back to her own dorm while Ra and Casper went into theirs. Thatch's coffin was closed- so Casper figured the vampire had gone to bed early.

Casper floated off the ground carefully- so his footsteps wouldn't make a sound. He went over to the coffin, carefully laying the badge on the lid before he went back to his own bed, climbing in and pulling the covers over him as Ra clambered into his bed, shutting the lid behind him. All the other students were already fast asleep.

It was always awkward sleeping in the same room as all the other boys. Casper missed his nice big home where his 3 family members awaited him. He missed his big private room and his comfy bed with the heavier comforters which had always added a certain presence of comfort.

But he was in some stone room where bunk beds were everywhere (except for Ra's sarcophagus and Thatch's coffin). The thin blankets given didn't provide much comfort and none of it was comfortable.

In a way, Casper was willing to admit he was a tad jealous of Ra and Thatch with their personalized beds- but he also reminded himself that's where their type sleeps- which was disturbing in its own weird sense. Both items were meant for the dead, not sleeping.

Probably what was getting Casper the most was- most monsters were human at one point or another. Except for the obvious ones: Dummy Girl, Slither and of course Alder and Dash just for starts.

The point was Casper was curious about all monsters that were once human like he was. Did they remember their human life unlike him? How do they go from being humans and surely knowing something about how humans work, to believe their professor's crazy theories such as 'Scare Juice'?

Casper just couldn't sleep in the dark, silent room. Everyone else had gone to bed as if it was the easier thing in the world. But the fight was still on his mind and his thoughts wandered everywhere, leaving the ghost unsatisfied and questioning anything that crossed his mind.

Were the coffin and sarcophagus the same ones they were buried in? Or was Thatch ever really dead- didn't Vampires just turn when bitten? Who bit Thatch- who had the heart to change a child into a vampire and curse him into this monstrous life?

The blue-eyed ghost boy kept tossing and turning silently in his bed, having no real weight to his so-called body. Perhaps he could get some information if he was to just, look? He could look at Ra's sarcophagus any time- hell Ra would probably be able to answer any questions he had. But it was best to check out Thatch's coffin while the vampire was asleep- unaware.

So, the ghost child fazed through his mattress, letting the blanket lifelessly lay on the bed once more. Casper floated over to the coffin, his eyes darting around in the darkroom. Everyone was fast asleep so he wasn't overly worried at the moment. He just had to be super quiet- which ghosts were really good at.

As he floated by the coffin he could see the badge he placed there still there, untouched. He still had mixed feelings about the whole fight. Thatch seems to really, really hate him or something strange was going on. It was concerning really, and honestly, Casper wondered if Thatch would explode like that again anytime soon.

But he pushed it out of his mind and instead started to circle the coffin, squinting his eyes in the darkroom as he tried to look the dark object over. It was small, really meant for a child after all. The more he looked the more disturbing the whole thing got.

There were no markings on the outside, no name or date. The wood was a darker color and all the metal on the handles and hinges were black. Maybe this was just simply a bed, but why would Thatch want everything black? Didn't that vampire get sick of the color?!

A heavy sigh escaped the ghost and after a bit of talking himself into it, he carefully placed both hands on the side of the coffin, and with the utmost care, he let his head faze through the dark wood, just enough to look in.

Right away he saw the sleeping vampire- and he nearly jumped back even if he knew Thatch was in there. The frightened ghost carefully peered around inside the coffin, and much to his amusement the inside was not black like one would assume. It was instead lined with a dark velvety silk cushion all the way around. Guess if the coffin was to ever tumble Thatch wouldn't get too hurt. Another thing was Thatch didn't have a blanket like any of the other monsters, he was just laying as stiff as a dead body in the coffin- though that dark cloak he always wore was removed from its normal spot around his neck and instead placed over him as if to make a mock blanket.

If Thatch wanted a blanket, why didn't he ask? He knew the school surely had a spare blanket- hell he knew it. There were a few spare bunks in the room and they had blankets that were never used!

There wasn't too much else Casper could see; no personal pictures or anything. Thatch had a soft pillow cradling his head, and Casper swore he could see something under it. Dare he risk trying to take it? Should he though? It would be rude to look where he wasn't wanted.

He wasn't doing anything BAD per se, he just wanted to see Thatch's coffin while he could. He wasn't breaking any rules currently, but taking another person's property would be. He decided not to and studied the coffin further. The wood was smooth and well maintained so Thatch wouldn't get a splinter, and much to the ghost's amusement right above Thatch's head- on the lid of the coffin was a small dip where the cushion has been flattened- most likely from Thatch hitting his head on it from sitting up too fast. Thatch should get that restuffed before he hurts himself.

Nothing else could really be seen but before Casper decided to pull his head out of the coffin the vampire actually moved around in his death-like sleep. Casper tensed and went really still- afraid any movement would wake the other monster.

The vampire's expression changed from it's calm, peaceful look (which was ever so rare to see) to one of discomfort. It was at that moment Casper realized how dumb he was- he was a ghost! Why risk being seen when he could just be invisible? He resisted to groan at himself and just turned invisible, saving himself the trouble.

It was a good thing he did so as well because Thatch had suddenly tensed and tried to sit right up in his bed, his head hitting that exact spot Casper had noted on the coffin lid.

Thatch hissed like an angry cat and placed a hand on his hurting forehead, his eyes slowly opening as he blinked back the tears of pain. Casper said nothing and watched, his invisible and intangible body simply hovering- halfway in and out of the coffin.

It was interesting to watch the vampire. There was no anger or the normal arrogance surrounding the vampire like this. In a way Casper was content to do this- to learn more about Thatch.

After the pain faded Thatch simply sighed heavily and laid back, keeping a hand on his forehead as if he was rubbing away the pain still. His violet eyes were on the lid of his coffin- and to Casper, it looked like the vampire was in deep thought. It wasn't more than a minute before Thatch moved again, pushing the lid up just barely and peering out. At this point, Casper moved out of the coffin and carefully circled around it- watching Thatch push the lid more and climb out, then shut it ever so silently behind him. He took about two steps before he stopped and hurried back to the coffin, reopening it and pulling his cape, or cloak out. Casper had no clue what to call it honestly.

As Thatch shut the coffin his eyes were darting around the room- and landed upon Casper's empty bed. The friendly ghost felt a pang of fear- but Thatch turned away, and instead noted the badge that had fallen off the lid when it had opened. He reached down and carefully picked it up, his brows furrowed in confusion as he turned it over then back. He then went over to Casper's bed, glancing around wearily before he placed it on the empty bed- then hurriedly left the room, trying not to make a sound.

Knowing he should go to bed Casper felt the pull to do the right thing. Obey the school rules, go to bed and ignore Thatch. He was already being bad- but where was the vampire going? It was curious, Casper never noticed Thatch snuck out at night. So, the ghost ignored his inner voice and instead followed the purpled eyed vampire. He wasn't hard to follow. Thatch was moving slow- peeking around corners to make sure the gargoyles that guarded the school wouldn't see him.

Before too long Thatch had made his way outside, simply walking along one of the many dirt paths the school had. He finally put the cloak on, carefully adjusting the oversized cowl so he could still see ahead of himself. The vampire seemed content with his nightly stroll, kicking a pebble along in front of him, his eyes downcast to the ground.

The air had a slight chill that was brought in with the breeze, but it never really bothered Casper. Yeah, he could get cold or hot- but it wasn't like he could sweat or freeze to death, so he ignored it easily. If anything he was more worried about Thatch- who actually had a body he needed to take care of. At night the Scare School was oddly peaceful. The large moon was overhead, partly covered by a few dark clouds. Looked like it might rain tomorrow.

The ghost kept looking back towards the school, wondering if he should turn back and just go to bed, but then he would hear Thatch's footsteps on the dirt and felt the need to follow even more; and so he did.

Thatch was just walking, not really paying mind to where he was going. Every once in a while he would stop and look around to see if he was being followed. Every time, Casper felt his heart jump as Thatch's eyes passed over him- then Thatch would simply continue to walk until soon they were out in the forest that bordered the school. This seemed to be where Thatch wanted to end up because he stopped and sat under a tree, his back pressed against the cool bark.

He sighed softly and let his head rest back, his eyes closing as he relaxed in the open air. He looked peaceful once more like he could simply fall asleep out here.

Casper floated in front of Thatch, keeping invisible for the time being. He silently watched, leaning close and actually studying the vampire bully closely. His large fangs were pointed out of his mouth as always- and Casper figured one day Thatch would grow into them. He always thought vampire fangs never grew and they merely had to grow into those things- but for now, Thatch was stuck with a rather silly, yet scary look. Those sharp teeth weren't something anyone wanted to mess with- seeing as the vampire once bit the corner off of a bench just to scare the other students.

Thatch's pale skin seemed even more so in the moonlight- and the dark clothes he wore gave a stark contrast. His black hair was slightly messed up from his short-lived sleep that night. Casper watched as Thatch brought his hand up from his side, fiddling with the bat clasp on his cloak, but not taking it off. He was just running his thumb over the smooth metal- almost like he was soothing himself by doing so.

It reminded him of those smooth stones Jimmy told him about once. It was just a nice smooth stone people ran their thumb over when they got nervous or upset- Jimmy even showed him one his mom had gotten. Casper didn't quite understand it, but if it worked then that's what mattered.

With the night oddly peaceful Casper was starting to feel more relaxed- almost at peace with the vampire. Course, none of this mattered. This peace meant nothing because Thatch thought he was alone. But even then Casper didn't mind. Thatch clearly wasn't a scary and heartless monster. No, even the big bully Thatch couldn't sleep sometimes and had to go on walks. Even the vampire could look peaceful, tired and unprofessional with his hair all ruffled up. It made him seem more... human.

Casper sat in front of Thatch, finally touching the ground once more. He watched the vampire sigh, his eyes slowly opening as he looked up towards the sky. It was then Casper felt a change. Thatch's eyes were so calm and full of peace, the violet color a great contrast to the rest of the vampire. Thatch looked so different- and perhaps a bit attractive- no surely that wasn't the correct thing to say.

Thatch just looked... Casper couldn't think of the word. But he couldn't bring himself to fear the vampire like this. It was peaceful and Thatch seemed far too normal to ever be scary.

It was hard to tell exactly how much time passed with no clock, but when the sky started to become lighter Thatch rose from his spot and dusted himself off, a heavy sigh escaping his pale lips. He then moved his hands up, running them through his hair and brushing it back into its classical style. Then, rather suddenly he turned into a bat and quickly flew towards the school, entering through one of the windows and simply disappearing from sight- though through the entire flight Thatch had kept close to the ground. Casper knew Thatch was probably just heading back to the dorm so no one knew he was out, but it felt empty now.

The peaceful night was over, and so was the calmed Thatch. Casper almost had hoped the night wouldn't have ended- but that was impossible. So, the invisible ghost boy went back to the dorm as well, but instead of going to his bed he instead went into Ra's sarcophagus. He didn't even bother to look, any questions about the object had been pushed out of his mind. He hovered just above Ra, looking at the sleeping mummy before he decided he needed questions answered.

He became tangible and visible, placing his hand over Ra's mouth which woke his mummy friend up rather quickly. It was a bit cramped in the child-sized sarcophagus, but Casper ignored it.

"Shhh!" He said quickly to Ra. Ra's muffled words stopped and he silently looked up with a confused look in his eyes, willing to just listen. "Thatch snuck out and I followed." Casper gingerly explained as he removed his hand. Ra shifted, pushing himself further back to make some room in the dark space.

"Casper you can't scare me like that," Ra scolded at first, but then grinned and looked excited. "So Thatch snuck out? Tell me what happened. Did he break the rules? Maybe we can get some revenge on him." The mummy explained happily. Casper just shook his head.

"Nothing like that, he did nothing. But Ra... I have a question- and you got to be completely truthful."

"Yeah sure, what is it?"

"Is it possible for a boy to like another boy? Is that normal?" He gingerly asked, recoiling away as if he was expecting something bad to happen. Ra didn't yell but instead looked really thoughtful, thinking hard over the question.

"Well, I don't know. I suppose Mantha will though, she's really smart. Let's sneak in and ask her."

"I can do it, I won't get caught." Casper nodded, grinning widely. Oh, course Ra was right, Mantha was amazingly smart! So with a small wave goodbye, Casper floated out of the sarcophagus and out of the room. As he entered the girl's dorm he turned invisible- seems he was doing that a lot that night.

The girl's dorm was nearly identical, nothing much to look at. He went over to Mantha's bed and tugged off her blanket, giving the zombie a big start. She sat up, eyes wide and not landing on anything. But Casper silently took her hand and gently pulled. Being the only ghost in the school was nice because she seemed to know right away it was him- as it was the only logical answer. Mantha followed Casper's tugging and entered the hallway, shutting the dorm room behind herself.

"Casper, you'll get us in trouble. We're not supposed to be up for what, another hour?" She whispered.

"I'm sorry but Ra and I need an answer. Is it normal or possible for two guys to like or become attracted to each other?" He repeated as he becomes visible for her sake. Mantha for some reason seemed excited.

"Well, course it's possible Casper. Oh, I'm so glad you and Ra are that close-"

"Wait wait no, it's not between me and Ra." Casper quickly shushed her, his face becoming a deeper red shade- which was so painfully obvious to see due to his snow-white exterior. Mantha seemed a bit taken back, but then nodded.

"Well yeah Casper, it's possible. It's... A bit unusual perhaps but nothing's wrong with that... And who are you talking about?" She wouldn't deny she was curious. Who wouldn't be?

Casper couldn't ignore his friend so he sighed and looked down. "I... Thatch?" He said it as if he was almost questioning himself on the whole topic. He wasn't saying he was in love or anything, but last night he simply had to admit Thatch was looking rather attractive in the moonlight. No one could deny that, right?

"... We WILL talk in the morning. Go to bed before we get in trouble." Was all Mantha said before she turned away. Casper felt conflicted, but did as told and returned to his own room. Maybe things would make more sense tomorrow.