Chapter Summary: After the attack on Casper none of the group feels safe. they need to know what Dummy girl plans to do, so the group gets the idea to plant a spy.

Thatch was careful as he, Mantha, and Casper entered the boy's dorm together, which was empty due to everyone still being in Dr. Burn's class probably. The violet-eyed vampire looked over to Casper's bed, but then changed his mind and carried the ghost over to his coffin. Mantha opened the lid for Thatch and the living vampire carefully placed Casper in, letting the ghost rest on the soft, silky padding. Thatch sat on the lip of the coffin then, close but not all up in Casper's space. A spot where he could guard the injured ghost, watch over him for any danger that might come their way. Casper wanted to protest, but Thatch's coffin was very comfortable and the cloak over him served as a nice blanket. It was warm and comforting, and Casper could tell it was THE cloak. Thatch's father's cloak. He had a piece of history over him, from Vincent to Thatch, and now Casper was allowed to use such a precious object to Thatch as a blanket? It was mind-boggling.

"Let me get you a pillow." Mantha hummed and went over to Casper's bed, grabbing the pillow off of it and carrying it over to Thatch and Casper. She was about to just hand it to Casper when Thatch took it. He looked it over carefully, then passed it to Casper once he approved of it. "Geez, paranoid much?" Mantha muttered as Casper set the pillow under his head.

"Better safe than sorry. We already messed up today." He sighed. Casper smiled, hearing Thatch say 'we' instead of blaming Mantha purely for this, which the old Thatch certainly would have. Casper didn't really want to lay down and rest, but he was feeling sore and knew he probably should. So the ghost didn't fuss as he nuzzled into the pillow, curling in on himself as he pulled the cloak close, faintly smiling.

That seemed to get to the vampire because his gray skin heated up and turned pink. Thatch actually had to stand up and started to pace around nervously, trying not to look at the ghost. Mantha just smiled and watched the vampire with some amusement in her eyes.

"Okay Thatch, we need a plan." Mantha decided easily. "If we're going to pin this on Dummy Girl we gotta be smart about it. How did she even get it?"

"Wouldn't be hard if you knew the right people. Those flowers like to grow in the forests and swamps of the Underworld. I bet if you go far enough into the school's forest you might find some. They're trying to eliminate them but those things grow like weeds. Hell, my dad used to grow them."

"Your dad grew them?"

"Very strong chemical reactions." Thatch explained quickly, his eyes darting back to his coffin. Casper was listening in silence, wondering about Thatch's life again. Thatch's dad grew such a dangerous plant? "My dad had a single flower pot in his lab and he just let it grow so much it took over an entire wall. Honestly, those things grow like crazy." Thatch waved the thought off. "My dad used them in some sort of test. My mom kept growing them after... Ya know," Thatch mumbled softly. His hands drifted back into his pockets, grabbing the bat clasp that he kept ever so safe and with him, always. "But were outlawed in the Underworld forever ago so mom disposed of it so even my family don't have access to them. Dummy Girl probably forced Mosshead to get it, or went into the Underworld market and paid some people off."

"But what for? Just to hurt Casper?" Mantha sighed softly, looking off as she fell into deep thought. "She has to have some sort of end goal for this, right?"

"Or she could be dumb and just trying to get revenge in childish... dangerous ways. I have no clue." Thatch countered. "I've lost all control over her."

"Let's use Slither!" Mantha said excitedly, an idea popping into her head just as the dorm door opened.

"Let's not..." Slither whispered as he stood behind Ra. Both of them were red mist free, a bit wet from cleaning up but at least they could do no harm to Casper. The ghost smiled and waved to them from Thatch's coffin. Ra gave a respectful nod, and much to Casper's disappointment he got no response from Slither.

Slither was watching Mantha distrustingly now, even leaving Ra's side as he went over to Thatch, actually hiding behind the vampire so he wasn't in the line of sight of Mantha. Thatch just weakly smiled and tried not to roll his eyes at the childish motion, but at the same time, he didn't move.

"How about we hear out her plan first, Slither. Got the flower?" He asked carefully. Slither nodded and opened his robes a bit, slipping out a glass jar with a lid sealed on tight. Even then Slither took it a step further and put the sealed jar in a plastic bag, which he then taped shut for extra protection. Seems Slither knew Thatch was going to be very cautious and adapted to the vampire's needs accordingly. Thatch took the jar, frowning as he looked at the dumb flower. There seemed to be a mix of emotions. Yes, this flower hurt Casper, but it reminded him of his father as well.

"Well, uh..." Mantha cleared her throat, getting the attention of the boys again. "We have Slither return back to Dummy Girl's side, pretend to be her friend again. Slither you just gotta act like you hate Thatch now." Mantha explained. Slither didn't seem to like the idea in the slightest. He moved closer to Thatch, peering over Thatch's shoulder as he childishly stayed behind the older monster for protection. Mantha decided to just continue explaining her plan anyway. "Claim we blamed you for not protecting Casper good enough or something. Go back to Dummy Girl, find out her plans and find a good way to pin this on her."

Slither shook his head and wrapped his arms around Thatch, pressing against his back. Thatch weakly smiled and sighed, holding the jar out to Ra, who begrudging took it. "Slither," Thatch started. "We need to get Dummy Girl for this. She already got me and Casper. Will she go for us again, or one of you next? We got to do something." He spoke smoothly.

"I'll have to be mean to you then," Slither muttered, glancing off. He fully understood the need to do this, but he simply didn't want to. He was also desperate to look anywhere but to Casper, feeling far too guilty for failing to protect the ghost.

"That'll be ok." Thatch hummed. "Pretend to be mean, I don't mind." He encouraged gently. "It'll be fine, I promise Slither."

"Slither," Casper carefully piped up from the coffin. The serpent refused to look over but that didn't deter the monster. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt. All we got to do is find proof on Dummy Girl. We don't have to frame her." He said firmly, looking at Thatch who scoffed, rolling his eyes. Thatch really wanted to mess Dummy Girl up, but Casper only wanted to do things the right way. "You'll be telling white lies is all, and acting like you hate us. We won't take anything personally, we'll all understand." Casper smiled kindly. Slither softly hissed, staying behind Thatch, but after a few moments, he slowly released the vampire.

"Promise not to hate me?" He asked Thatch carefully, peering up at him. Thatch chuckled and just nodded, and that seemed to be enough for Slither. The gray monster looked over to Mantha and sighed. "... Okay." He agreed gloomily.

"Okay good." Mantha nodded. "And since Casper doesn't want to plant the evidence, we need to hide that jar," she muttered, looking at Ra who held the evil Blood Blossom. "If we're not going to use it we should get rid of it."

"W-wait no." Thatch said quickly. "Let's not... I um... I'll hold onto it if we don't need it." He decided simply. He took the jar back from Ra quickly, heading over to the coffin. "Casper would you mind?" he asked gently. Casper scootched back and Thatch opened one of the many compartments under the padding and placed the ziplocked jar. "It'll be hidden and harmless there." He assured Casper, who smiled and hugged Thatch, his arms wrapped around the vampire's shoulders as he nuzzled close.

"Thank you," Casper softly whispered. Thatch smiled and held the ghost close to himself, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. It was still odd giving each other affection, and even weirder doing it in front of people but it all felt nice. They had each other and their friends accepted that.

"I'll go to Dummy Girl," Slither muttered softly, his eyes downcasted. "It's best we do this quickly so it can be over with faster-"

"That's a positive way to look at it-"

"Even if it'll suck and Dummy Girl might not believe me," Slither added on gloomily. Mantha deflated and just sighed. At least she tried. Slither gave a regretful look at Thatch, who could only offer a smile as he kept Casper wrapped up in his arms. Slither watched the couple closely, then left the dorm.

"Can't he ever be positive?" Ra grumbled softly.

"We just sent him on an undercover mission pretty much, lay off." Mantha defended. "Let's just hope this all works." Casper could tell Mantha was worried. He was too, but he trusted Slither to do this job well. But... He did want to see what was going on.

"T-Thatch? Can I take a nap?" He gently questioned. "I'm really tired..."

"Oh, of course." He smiled kindly and laid Casper back down in the coffin, pulling the cloak to cover Casper. "I'll shut the lid now, ok?" He asked kindly. Casper nodded and smiled, pulling the cloak up, playfully covering his mouth and nose so just his eyes were out. Thatch softly laughed. "So cute," he whispered and shut the coffin. Casper weakly smiled, waiting a few moments before he fazed out the back of the coffin, leaving the cloak and all his clothes behind. He made sure he was invisible, carefully floating above the floor as he went over to the door. He briefly glanced back, seeing Thatch sitting beside the coffin and talking to Mantha and Ra. Things seemed so peaceful, perfect. Casper smiled gently. This is the life he wanted for them. Together and happy.

Casper watched for a few more moments before he fazed through the door. He had to go find Slither now, just to make sure everything was ok. He was still worried, Mantha said Slither had hit his head but Slither wasn't acting hurt. Maybe Slither really was stronger than he looked.

The hallways were filled with life once more. All the innocent students were released from all classes today. Now they had a whole free day to study or goof off. Of course, everyone was going to goof off, no one wanted to study after all. Casper hurriedly flew, fazing through walls and doors in his search. He even checked the cellar, where Mosshead was being forced to clean, observed by FrankenGymTeacher.

It took some time, but Casper ended up finding Dummy Girl and Slither in the library of all places, hidden in the dark corner where they could be left alone. Okay, maybe Dummy Girl did want to study in their free time. He would have never guessed. Casper was nervous to get close, even if he knew it was perfectly safe. So, he hovered around, close enough to hear but a comfortable distance away. He calmly observed the two, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Dummy Girl. He was mad to see her in perfect health, despite the fight she and Mantha had gotten into.

"D-Dummy Girl I'm sorry," Slither whispered, his arms outreached in a helpless manner. "I made a mistake, a big one." He tried to explain, and in return the puppet just huffed and turned her back to him, her nose upturned. Slither hung his head submissively, his arms falling lifelessly to his side. "Please, I have no one else. Thatch hates me, the others hate me, no one will talk to me."

"How is that my issue?" She scoffed, simply trying to wave Slither off like he was some annoying pest. "Maybe you should have came with me when I told you too!"

"I wish I did. I thought Thatch cared for me, but he used me; I can see that now. He said I wasn't good enough to be around him anymore. I was a fool. Dummy Girl we've always helped each other, right?" His voice trembled, his chest heaving with emotion. The monster would be crying if his kind had tear glands. Being reptile-like really sucked sometimes. Honestly not having the ability to cry made Casper pity Slither even more. Slither moved, resting one of his striped hands-on Dummy Girl's shoulder in a comforting, yet begging manner. Casper had to admit Slither was really good at acting pitiful, even he was feeling bad. "You're all I have left. Please, don't cast me aside. I don't want to be alone."

Dummy Girl sighed, glancing back at Slither, then quickly away. Casper could see Dummy Girl was slowly starting to cave. Slither was desperate to convince her. "I can't be alone Dummy Girl, not again, please... Let me help you. Let us get revenge on Thatch for abandoning us." He moved forward, wrapping his arms around the puppet, pulling her closer to himself in a desperate hug. "It'll be you and me from now on. We'll make Thatch pay."

"You mean that...? You'll help me?"

"Anything. We'll make them suffer, it'll be anything you want." Slither said firmly, releasing the smaller monster. "Use me if you need to, just don't leave me alone."

"... Fine. I'll accept you back. I knew you would always return to me." She said confidently. "I'll be a better leader than Thatch ever was! You'll never want to leave my side."

Slither forced a smile and nodded to her words. "Let's do this." He hissed. Casper couldn't help but flinch. Slither was a really good actor and honestly, for a moment, he felt fear. He didn't want to admit it, but he still had some... doubts about Slither. Yes he trusted him, he saw the good in Slither, but at the same time, the gloomy monster could be unpredictable. Casper just really didn't know much about the monster. He just had to put his trust in Thatch, and his trust in Slither. That's all he could do.

Casper watched for a few more moments before he floated out of the library, slowly making his way back to the boy's dorm where he slipped right back inside the coffin, got redressed and laid down like he was supposed to be doing. He snuggled right back into the soft silk, pulling Thatch's cloak, the cloak over him. He wanted to trust Thatch fully. He wanted them all to be safe and happy. The ghost yawned and stretched out before he curled up, clutching the cloak tightly as he allowed himself to sleep, the exhaustion of the day catching up to the ghostly child.