26Textbook Murder
Disclaimer: I do not own Scooby-Doo or any of the characters.
Summary: Four strangers and a dog come together when the murder of a college campus librarian leaves them as suspects.
Author's Note: Hello! This is the first Scooby-Doo fic I've written in a while and it's vastly different from my previous one. One thing to note before reading is that the Scooby gang don't know each other, they're all just strangers who attend the same college. There will also be hints of Shaphne in this fic because, well, that's just how I roll.
Daphne felt him look up as she walked into the large, elaborate library. She'd seen him in class before and she knew what he was thinking. He was probably marveling at the fact that she even knew where the library was, let alone how to read.
She was used to the stereotype, she'd lived with it all her life but, for some reason, she figured he'd be different. She never judged him on his shaggy appearance and slightly rumbled ensemble, nor did she whisper behind his back with the other girls in their journalism class.
Whether anyone believed it or not, she was there to learn. All she wanted was to finish her education and leave small-town Coolsville behind. She'd never be able to live out her life here; she'd never be able to outrun the Blake name or the old money that came attached to the name.
Ignoring the twinge in her gut at his shocked expression, she quickly made her way to the isle at his left, nodding courteously to Ms. Sikes, the librarian.
She was such a nice woman.
Shaggy was unsure what to think when the door to the library creaked open at seven thirty on a Friday night and in walked the prettiest girl he'd ever seen walking around campus.
Shouldn't she have a date or something?
He knew girls like her. He'd been picked on by girls like her before. All his life, in fact.
They shared a journalism class, though it was her major and simply his minor. (If creating amazing vegan meals for the world to enjoy didn't work out for him, he figured he could fall back on writing. Besides, it was much easier to hide behind a computer than go out into the world and socialize. The world was scary. The computer, not so much.)
There would be times in class when she would catch his eye and smile. She seemed different but, then again, he knew all about that as well.
In his experience, girls like her didn't know how to be different from their pack and they weren't overly intellectual. But, then again, he'd never seen her with a pack and, while she was rather quiet in class, when she did speak, it was always something worth hearing.
Maybe she truly was different, he wondered as his eyes followed her to an isle piled high with mystery novels.
He didn't miss the smile she sent Ms. Sikes, or the smile she received in return; Ms. Sikes was a tough nut to crack and didn't just take to anyone. It had taken him the first six months of his freshman year to get her to say more than when his books were due.
A loud thump followed by an: "Oops! I'm terribly sorry!" tore Daphne's attention from the row of books in front of her.
She stood on her tip-toes to see in between the books and saw a girl in orange speaking with a boy in blue. The girl was young and looked to be a freshman, more than likely in her first semester if her tousled appearance and the pencil behind her ear were anything to go by - the first year was always the hardest - and the boy she recognized from the wrestling team.
Jock, she mentally scoffed to herself in disdain. She usually didn't make snap judgments about people but she'd had bad experiences with guys of the athletic variety over the years.
Her attention lingered on the two long enough to see that they had accidentally collided but, when they began to sort through the pile of books on the floor, searching for their respective finds, she quickly lost interest and turned back to the James Patterson novels in front of her. Finding one she hadn't read would take time but she was sure that the man had written something she'd yet to get her freshly manicured paws on.
Blue eyes skimmed the row tirelessly for what seemed like hours before finally widening excitedly. Just as she began reaching for the book that had caught her attention, however, the power to the library cut, punctuated by a loud, sinister bark of thunder.
Seconds after another thump sounded through the spacious library and yet another frantic apology followed.
A low, faded beam of light flashed behind the young redhead and she turned just in time for the light to catch her in the face. Shielding her eyes against the unexpected assault and stepping forward, she stumbled into the table nearest her.
Something moved to her left and a hand reached out to steady her.
"Better be careful there; don't need you falling in the dark."
She'd heard that voice somewhere before... It sounded like the shaggy-haired guy who sat behind her in journalism. Seconds later her assumption was proven correct as the beam of light moved to illuminate both of them.
"Are you two alright?" Ms. Sikes asked as she pushed her chair back and stood.
Daphne nodded and felt the shaggy-haired guy release her arm. "We're fine, ma'am," she assured the older woman. "Not sure about the other two, though," she stated, suddenly remembering the ruckus that occurred just as the lights went out.
"Oh dear, I forgot all about them," Ms. Sikes began and the sparse light, from what was presumed to be a flashlight, quite suddenly left the two students.
Daphne heard a drawer open and there was a minute or so of shuffling before the light returned. A second flashlight was suddenly airborne and the boy beside her fumbled with it momentarily before finally securing it in his grasp.
"Would you two mind checking on them for me?" the elderly woman wondered aloud. "It's hard enough for me to get around as it is without having to try and find my way in the dark."
The shaggy-haired guy spoke up before Daphne could even fully register the question. Being in such a large, creepy building in the dark was so distracting.
"Sure thing, Ms. Sikes. Like you just sit tight here and we'll go see if we can find 'em."
"Thank you, Norville."
Norville shrugged beside her and she could see a smile overtake his face. In the two years they'd shared classes at Coolsville U, she didn't think she'd ever seen him smile. (She was also ashamed to admit she'd never learned his name in that time either but that was neither here nor there.)
Regaining herself, Daphne assured the librarian that it was no trouble before inquiring if there was anyone else for them to check for.
"Not tonight, Daphne," Ms. Sikes informed, reclaiming the seat behind her desk. "Just you four."
Apparently the accident-prone pair from earlier had been further away from the front of the library than expected as Shaggy and the redhead - Daphne, Ms. Sikes had called her - had already searched three rows back from where they'd started with no luck.
"So Norville, huh?" Daphne began, breaking the silence and prompting Shaggy to roll his eyes.
He couldn't stand his name.
If kids in school hadn't had enough reason to pick on him what with the occasional crack in his voice, beatnik-esque style and general quirkiness, his name gave them all the ammunition they needed.
The turn around had been when he'd started growing his hair out in middle school; a girl had called him shaggy as an insult and it had stuck. The moniker had followed him to high school and, by that time, even his teachers had grown accustomed to using the dig in place of his name. Now the only time he heard Norville was at home or at the library. Ms. Sikes refused to call him Shaggy, preferring to keep things as professional as possible with her students. He let her slide, though, as she was a nice old woman who, despite her initial iciness, treated him kindly.
He continued to search the library with the low-beamed flashlight before clearing his throat and answering her. "That's what it says on my birth certificate but most people call me Shaggy."
Daphne looked as though she wanted to say something and, somehow sensing her train of thought, he answered before she could speak. "I prefer Shaggy."
She didn't correct him, simply nodded in response, leading him to believe that he'd been right in his assumption.
"Shaggy it is, then." He could hear the smile in her voice but was surprised to find that it seemed genuine, not mocking.
No one ever cared to ask which he preferred, though Shaggy was infinitely better than Norville. He couldn't help the warm feeling that spread throughout him at the thought that someone wanted to know his opinion on the matter before deciding what to call him.
She turned and caught his surprised stare and he found that more than a second of eye contact with her was too much to handle. Her gaze was so honest and open, caring even. Real people weren't like that, it had to be an act.
Or she was an alien. Either or, really.
They both looked away at the same time and he refocused all of his attention on the beam of the flashlight, trying his hardest to ignore her.
"Hello!" Daphne called cautiously, voice shaking slightly.
She wasn't sure what made her more nervous: the thunder outside, the darkness inside or the guy walking next to her. He sure was an odd one but, at the same time, she couldn't deny that she wanted to know a bit more about him.
What made him tick?
Why did he seem so ill at ease all the time?
And why on earth had he looked so shocked when he had told her to call him Shaggy and she had done so without complaint?
For right now, though, she'd just stick with blaming her nervousness and the quiver in her voice on the situation and leave it at that.
A bang came from the back of the library and Daphne jumped, leaning into Shaggy a bit.
"What was that?" he asked, the beam of the flashlight beginning to waver a bit. His voice sounded as uneasy as she felt.
She shook her head, forgetting he couldn't see the action in the dim light, and said: "I dunno...Do you think it would be terrible if we turned back now? They'll be okay, right?"
Before he could answer, another noise sounded - a shuffle this time - and it was closer.
The arm against her side started to tremble and she could feel her companion begin to back away. She moved with him as though she were an extension of his body.
There was no way he was leaving her back here by herself. If he ran, she ran too, damn it.
"They should be fine," he began, voice cracking. "I mean it's just a library, right?" A nervous laugh escaped him and, fearing that he might bolt at any moment, she gripped his t-shirt tightly.
He had the flashlight after all. There was no way she'd make it back to the front of the library if she lost sight of him and the pitiful beam of light he carried.
Shaggy had never been good at dealing with things that went bump in the night, so he could understand Daphne's anxiousness and, as such, decided not to mention that her grip, which had moved from his shirt to his arm, would more than likely bruise. Right now, all he wanted to do was turn them around and make their way back to Ms. Sikes but a part of him couldn't. They had promised to check on the other two students in the library and they were going to do as promised.
"Come on," he whispered, the sudden sound of his voice prompting Daphne's nails to find his flesh. "The sooner we find the others, the sooner we can head back."
Daphne shifted beside him and, after a second, her nails let up but her hand didn't leave his arm. Unsure of how to comfort her, he moved to take her hand and squeezed. She squeezed back gently in acknowledgement as he tugged her forward so they could continue their search.
As they crept forward, Shaggy heard whispering from a few feet ahead of them but shining the flashlight in the direction of the whispers was fruitless. All he saw were books, books and more books.
"Maybe they're lost on one of the isles," Daphne proposed quietly.
At least he wasn't crazy and she had heard it too.
Shaggy swept the light down each isle they passed, trying to cover each area carefully, but he still couldn't seem to find the missing pair.
Where were they? And, more importantly, couldn't they see the light from wherever they were and move toward it?
"I'm beginning to think we just imagined them being here," he squeaked as they closed in on the very back of the library.
It was like they had just disappeared.
"Let's head back," he suggested, once again tugging on Daphne to get her moving. He wanted to get out of here and he was sure she wanted to as well.
Just as they turned to head back, though, the flashlight flickered and went out.
Daphne groaned and her nails found the back of his hand. "Oh great, now how do we find our way back?"
Shaking a bit, Shaggy hit the flashlight against the side of his leg in hopes of jostling the batteries, praying they had enough juice left to get them back to the front of the library. After a few tries, the light flickered back on, dimmer than before but at least now they could see.
Bringing the light back up in front of him, the beam illuminated a face right in front of his and he and Daphne jumped back with shocked cries as a thunderclap shook the library.
Once his heartbeat had slowed back to its normal speed, Shaggy recognized the face as belonging to Fred Jones, star wrestler and all-around popular kid. They had went to high school together.
"Boy am I glad to see you with that light!" Fred exclaimed, relief clearly written on his boyishly handsome face. "I thought we were going to be lost back here forever," he went on, gesturing to the worn out looking girl behind him.
Shaggy nodded and moved closer to Daphne in hopes that she would finally release the grip her nails had on his hand. His fingers were starting to go numb. "Ms. Sikes asked us to come look for you but we better hurry if we want to get back. This light has almost had it." His voice was still shaky but if the jock in front of him noticed, he didn't comment, just nodded and stepped aside for Shaggy and Daphne to lead the way back to the front desk.
Daphne was still shaking as they made their way through the darkened library. She stayed as close to Shaggy as she could without hindering his movement and tried to focus on the path lit by the flashlight. If she started looking off into the dark as she had on their way to the back, she'd psych herself out.
The little scare she'd had when they'd run up on the jock and the freshman instantaneously took at least ten years off her life, she was sure of it. She couldn't afford anymore frights like that one. Not tonight at least. Hell, she was almost positive that she'd never even be able to go into a haunted house again after this.
The only good thing was that the trip to the front of the library seemed much quicker than the one to the back had been and they were in sight of the door in no time.
"Everyone is alright, Ms. Sikes," she began, easing up on Shaggy's hand a bit but not letting him go completely.
Shaggy turned the steadily waning beam toward the front desk only to find Ms. Sikes hunched over the book she had been reading before the lights went out. Her flashlight was nowhere in sight and Daphne's stomach dropped a bit.
She had a bad feeling about this.
"Ms. Sikes," Shaggy called gently, tugging them forward.
Still nothing.
Yes, Daphne had a very bad feeling about this.
"What a fine time for a nap," the jock scoffed from behind her but Daphne just shook her head and gripped Shaggy tighter.
The young freshman scooted around them and made her way to the librarian.
"I...I don't think that's such a g-good idea," Shaggy stuttered from beside her and Daphne silently agreed with him.
Something was not right about this.
The flashlight beam wavered as the freshman reached out and gently shook the older woman. After a moment or so with no movement from the elderly woman at the desk, the freshman reached for her wrist.
Daphne could see the already haggard looking girl lose a bit of color and her weary eyes widened a bit.
"She's dead."
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