CHAPTER TWENTY ONE, the haunting of mission creek high

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───

Emilia was talking with the trio in the school hallway, when Leo popped his head around the door, making a 'pssttt' sound to get their attention. "Hey, guys, you ever have that nightmare where you're standing in the middle of the school in nothing but your birthday suit? Well, it's happening to me!"

He walked out, revealing himself in only a towel, making Emilia widen her eyes. "Someone stole my clothes while I was in the shower!" Leo informed them. "Well, you know when I lose something, I find it helps to ask yourself, where's the last place you saw it?" Adam suggested.

"On my body." Leo replied, looking at Adam with a look of disbelief. "And you definitely checked there?" Adam asked.

Bree looked at the Dooley boy. "That is so mean. Who would do that to you?" Bree asked, making Emilia sigh.

"I'll give you one guess." The girl muttered. And she was proven right when Trent came walking in wearing Leo's clothes over his own. "Trent? You took my clothes?" Leo asked in shock.

Scoffing, Trent then reminded. "Well, yeah. How else am I supposed to play 'Attack of the giant Trent'? Ooh! Tear in Aisle Two." He remarked, managing to rip Leo's clothes. "Looks like your mommy's gonna have to buy you clothes at the not big and the not tall store." He laughed, running to high-five a random student.

"Why does Trent always pick on me more than anyone else?" Leo questioned, in which Chase shrugged in reply. "Well, I outsmart him. I've studied his schedule and routine to ensure that we're never alone together. I even know when he's gonna take a-" Chase pointed to his watch as Trent called out. "Bathroom Break!"

"Right on time." Chase said, making Emilia send him a strange look.

Bree hummed. "Son, you need a hobby." She stepped away to go to her locker, as Leo turned to the others. "I'm sick of this. I'm gonna go offer Trent a choice: stop picking on me or suffer the consequences." He turned around to walk into the hall.

Emilia stepped towards Bree before she whipped her head around hearing Leo scream. Trent came running back in a second later, holding Leo's towel before he waved it around. "Camera phones on, people. We've got a runner!"

Emilia growled, dropping her bag onto the floor as she stopped at the door before anyone could run in and embarrass Leo. "Hang on, guys." She smirked. "Instead of seeing a kid get bullied, why don't you watch Trent get hurt by a girl?" She suggested, scoffing out a chuckle. She turned to glare at Trent who let out a scream.

She grabbed onto his ear, pulling him down before looking at the other students. "Camera phones on, people. We got a crier!" She mocked the boy, spinning him around before slamming him against the lockers, making everyone laugh at Trent.

Emilia smiled in satisfaction, lightly chuckling at him before reaching down to grab the towel that belonged to Leo. "I'll take that, thank you. And I'm sure a certain someone would want their clothes back." She reminded him. She gave him one last fake smile before walking into the hall, leaving the youngest bionic sibling shocked. Bree nudged him, snapping him out of his trance.

"We get it, your girlfriend's hot. Did you now just realise that?" Bree laughed. She wasn't surprised by Emilia's actions, as she left with a proud smile.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Since Leo's clothes were ripped, he had to borrow an emergency pantsuit from Perry, who stood in the centre of the hallway, preparing to make an announcement. "Attention, Dandruff Donkeys! Tomorrow is the Homecoming dance, and if you don't have a date now, keep asking. I love watching rejection!"

"How many dances have you been to?" Bree wondered, before Perry snapped. "We're not going there, Stick Pop."

"Tomorrow's also the one hundredth anniversary of the demise of Jasper the Janitor. Flo, Brandy, a little mood lighting." Perry continued, before one of the lunch ladies approached her. "It was a dark, gloomy night at Mission Creek High, when a group of kids decided to prank old Jasper."

"What were a bunch of kids doing in school at night?" Leo questioned, before Perry turned to yell at him. "Irrelevant!" She grabbed the flashlight. "They decided to scare him when he was cleaning the pencil sharpener. His beard got caught, and all they found were Jasper shavings, with no one to sweep them up."

"What about the janitor?" Adam asked, before gasping. "Oh. Never mind, guys, I got there."

Perry was left to continue the story. "Legend has it that every ten years, Jasper's ghost returns to seek revenge on the students!" Trent screamed, before correcting himself. "I mean, ah, good story!"

"Whenever he returns, there's always one kid who mysteriously moves away, never to be heard from again!" The lights turned back on again before Perry switched off topic. "Anywho, I'm going on a little vacay. Me and Mr Whiskers are gonna zip-line across the Grand Canyon. Until then, I leave you under the watchful eye of Mrs Thistle. Thistle!"

"Bingo!" Mrs Thistle called out. "See you in two weeks. Well, whoever's left." Perry said, cackling as she walked away.

"Are we really supposed to believe that the school is haunted?" Chase questioned before Adam chimed in. "Yeah, Jasper's probably just misunderstood. The ghost in my cartoons are very friendly."

Trent came walking by, talking to someone. "Do you think that ghost is real? And I'm not asking for me. It's for my friend... Brent." He said, making Leo widen his eyes. "I got it! Trent is afraid of ghosts! We can use your bionics to create one and scare him. Then he'll be humiliated and he won't do it to me anymore."

Chase looked at him. "Leo, do you actually believe anyone's gonna buy that the school is haunted just 'cause I do this?" He questioned before using his molecular kinesis to move the brush across the hall, making the students scream and run away. "All right! Let's make some ghosts!"

The boys walked away, leaving Bree to furrow her brows at the look on Emilia's face. "Chase hasn't asked you to the dance, has he?" She questioned, getting a shake of the head in reply. "I'm not really bothered since it's still early days for us, but he's probably gonna be all caught up in the ghost thing now." Emilia explained.

"You know... if I wasn't with Owen, I would totally ask you to be my date." Bree told the girl, who chuckled, sending her a smile. Emilia shook her head, wrapping her arm around Bree's shoulder as they walked away.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Since Chase was too busy with Adam and Leo, Emilia was stuck with watching Bree and Owen argue about decorating for the dance. Owen went with the solar system when Bree wanted Wild West.

Including watching the couple spread red paint on each other, Emilia was stuck watching them while the boys were still working on the ghost hunt. Before the dance started, Emilia went home to get changed into a red and white floaty dress to match Bree's shirt, a blue jacket, brown cowgirl boots and a matching hat.

The girl was standing with Bree and Owen when the boys came rushing in wearing matching ghost hunter outfits and holding weapons.

"Bree! Emilia...." Chase trailed off, seeing his girlfriend looking, in his opinion, beautiful, but seeing the angered look on her face was what made him even more nervous. Emilia stepped forward when Bree grabbed onto the back of her jacket, pulling her back. "Have you seen any Apparitions, Ethereal beings, Phantasms?" He asked the two girls. "Ghosts! Have you seen any ghosts?"

Furrowing her brows, Bree then asked. "What are you talking about? There's no such thing as ghosts."

However, Adam disagreed. "Yes, there is, and I hope Jasper gets here soon. The men's room's out of toilet paper."

"Hey, let's go check the hallway." Chase said in suggestion before the three boys started to walk out.

"Bye, Chase." Emilia sarcastically called out after the boy who came running back at that before kissing her on the cheek. "I'm sorry but I'll make it up to you later, I promise. You look beautiful by the way." He complimented, before catching back up with Adam and Leo.

Trent then came running in. "Help! You guys gotta hide me from the ghost!" He begged.

In attempt to reassure him, Leo then said. "Don't worry, Trent. We'll protect you."

"Thanks." Trent replied, a small smile appearing on his face. "Only if you promise never to mess with me again." Leo added on, in which Trent tried to compromise. "I can give you every other Tuesday off."

Leo shook his hand. "Pleasure doing business. Let's go, guys."

It wasn't long before the boys came running back in, when a ghostly green figure appeared beside Emilia and Bree, yelling at the three boys. "Run for your lives!" Leo screamed, making all the students in the room run away, watching as the boys shot at the ghost.

"Brothers ruin everything." Bree groaned before Owen shrugged at her. "At least we have these barrels to hide behind. You are welcome."

"Yo, Jasper!" Chase called out, as him and the other two surrounded the ghostly green figure before he called out. "Get out your mop..."

"Cause it's about to get messy!" Leo finished for him before him and Chase accidentally shot each other, making them fall to the ground as the ghost laughed. "What? Never seen a kid in a ghost busting outfit twitching on the floor before?" Leo questioned, looking up at four girls.

"Adam, suck it up!" Chase yelled to his older brother. "Chase, I'm being as brave as I can!" He replied, making Chase groan before clarifying for him. "The ghost! Suck up the ghost!" Adam went to suck up the ghost only for the curtain behind it to fall as his vacuum hit it, and to everyone's shock, Perry was stood behind it wearing an innocent smile.

"Hello. Everyone having a nice homecoming?"

"Principal Perry? You're the ghost?" Leo asked, before Chase chimed in. "I thought you were on vacation." Perry smiled, shrugging her shoulders as she answered. "I am. Truth be told, I can't think of a more enjoyable way to relax than scaring kids."

"How are you still employed?" Bree questioned, standing beside Emilia as they received a shrug from Perry. "I don't know."

"So, who's that guy?" Leo asked, pointing to the one standing near the doors. "Tom Baumgarten. He owns a special effects house. We met when I had a small role in Space Wars!" Perry explained, making Leo widen her eyes. "I thought I recognised you! You were the one of the fuzzy forest creatures!" He gasped.

"Yeah. I'd do the Harvest dance for you, but I save that for fan conventions." Perry informed him. "Anywho, Tom's the real genius behind this. I just push the buttons and laugh." She cackled, nudging Emilia who looked at her with an unfazed expression. "So, wait. If you just wanted to mess with everyone, then why'd you come after the three of us?" Chase questioned.

"Scaring kids is my thing! You're stepping on my turf! Although that lockers thing with Trent is genius. I still haven't figured out how you did it."

"A true magician never reveals his tricks." Chase lied, not wanting to blow the bionic secret. "I pushed it!" Adam raised his hand with a smile, before Trent came out from his hiding spot.

"Wait a minute. I am so confused. Ghosts are real: yes or no?" Trent questioned, in which the boys told him. "No!"

The boy pointed his finger at the three boys. "So, you guys were messing with me?" He asked, getting a 'yes' in reply. He walked over to Perry before asking. "And you were messing with me?"

"Eh, walk it off, Mitzi." Perry said walking away, along with Emilia and Bree.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

MEGAN SPEAKS !

hope you enjoyed reading this
chapter! some emilia and bree
moments for you all, and don't worry,
chase did make it up to emilia!
thanks for reading, i love you all!! <33