The Witch's Ghost of Oakhaven: chapter 2

The next morning, they all got up as told, Cindy believed that last night's phone call was just a dream, so she woke up, not expecting anything exciting to happen to her. The little girl saw Mike, Jo, Justine, the Eds, Dee Dee, and June walking by and they could tell that she was happy.

"Hey Cindy, you seem to be in a good mood." Mike smiled to her.

Cindy rubbed her eyes as she got the morning paper for her parents, wearing her pajamas, bath robe and bunny slippers. "I had this most lovely dream... Velma called me and said that Ben Ravencroft was on the phone..."

"No way, Ben Ravencroft?" Double D sounded delighted. "I love his books and find them to be quite intriguing."

Jo couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Turbo nerd."

All of sudden, they were hit by water balloons from Kevin and the other cul-de-sac kids. Everybody laughed at them.

Mike glared at them, spitting out some of the water with her hair dripping. "Note to self: Find a way to get away with murder."

"I suppose that could've been worse..." Cindy sighed, at least Ben Ravencroft didn't see her in her pajamas.

Sarah saw a charm that Justine had, it was the friendship bracelet that was given to her by Lena. "Where the heck did you get this!?"

"Give it back, Sarah!" Justine tried to sound firm.

"It's mine now." Sarah decided to keep it since it was so special to Justine.

"Give it back to her, Sarah." Mike demanded firmly.

"Sarah, please give it back to Justine." Cindy added, having been Sarah's ex-friend.

"Why should I?" Sarah huffed, wearing the bracelet now.

The cloudsseemed to turn black and rumble over Ed's little sister now.

"What's going on?" Jimmy was a little startled.

Rolf saw Jo and Mike, then pointed over to them. "It is them!"

"S-Sarah...?" Jimmy whimpered.

"Not now, Jimmy, I'm admiring my new bracelet!" Sarah glanced at him as she looked to Lena's gift to Justine from when they actually became friends.

The black clouds rumbled and zapped Sarah.

"OW! HEY!" Sarah glared up at the storm clouds.

The lightning then zapped Sarah down through the ground and she weakly held up her hand and handed the bracelet back to Justine. "Here you go..."

Justine smiled as she took her bracelet back and Jo smiled back to her.

"Rolf knows these two are freaks," Rolf growled. "Let's destroy the freaks!" he then shoved Mike and Jo down.

Kendra walked down the street, wearing her uniform and had seen that. "Don't you kids have anything better to do?" she folded her arms.

Mike and Jo growled at the shoving and wanted to get back at Rolf, but, friends or not, Kendra would bust them.

The cul-de-sac kids tried to seem innocent as always, but Kendra knew better, unlike the other officers.

"You kids wanna get out of here before I take you downtown?" Kendra threatened.

"GUN IT!" Kevin called, getting away with his bike with the others.

Kendra sighed and shook her head. "Those kids made Duncan and Abby look like angels..." she then looked over to the group of kids she actually did like. "Everybody okay?"

"Thanks, Mrs. Nelson." Cindy smiled.

"Honey, I told you, call me Kendra when my husband isn't around." Kendra said to her with a smile.

Cindy sighed, but put up with it. "Thanks, Kendra..."

"Are you okay, Justine?" Jo asked her girlfriend in concern.

"I'll be okay..." Justine smiled in relief.

The Mystery Machine and a different car rode up.

"Ready to go?" Velma asked Cindy as she was in the other car.

"Sure, just let me grab my backpack and I'll be right back!" Cindy told her.

Ben looked out the driver's seat, looking up and down to Cindy. "Nice PJ's, little girl."

Cindy blinked at him, looked down and realized she was still in her pajamas, she let out a shriek and ran back inside to get dressed and grab her backpack. Abby laughed at that.

"I'm all ready to go, Fred." Dawn said to him after she mysteriously arrived as usual.

Fred blinked, but smiled to her. "Sure, come on."

"Plenty of room," Daphne said with a smile. "Good morning, Kendra!"

"Hello dear... I'm just here to say goodbye to Abby and Duncan and then I'll be on my way, Drew's already at the station with Morrison." Kendra said with a smile.

"Have a good day then." Fred gave a small salute to her.

Cindy grabbed her backpack after she got dressed in her everyday clothes and passed Sledgehammer. "Sure you don't wanna come?"

"Nah," Sledgehammer leaned back in the lounge chair in his cage with sunglasses, a magazine, and Albonquetine Punch. "Thanks anyway, but I'm fine here... I could use a little vacation. You go have fun though."

"Okay, be very good for Mom and Dad now..." Cindy gave him a small kiss on the cheek and went out the front door to meet with everyone so they could go to Oakhaven for the weekend.

"I want you to have a good time, sweetie, okay?" a retired Penelope Pitstop smiled to Ashlyn.

"Yes, Aunt Penelope..." Ashlyn told her aunt as she was leaving.

"Oh, just be ever-so careful..." Penelope sighed, a little shaky.

Ashlyn sighed.

"Penny, she'll be fine... Besides, her friends will be with her..." Austin tried to soothe his visiting sister.

As Abby was getting ready, Jamie was watching her.

"Hey Abby." Jamie greeted.

"Jamie, hi..." Abby greeted him, trying to keep cool, she was fine around him before, but now everybody knew about her secret crush on him.

"Mike told me you guys were leaving today," Jamie smiled. "Hope you enjoy Oakhaven... Our father's from there."

"Really?" Abby didn't know that.

"Yeah, maybe you could look him up when you get there..." Jamie shrugged. "Hope you have a safe travel."

Abby smiled, turning red slightly, bashful this time.

"And try to be careful and I don't want you to scare people for using your animal abilities." Jamie then advised maturely.

Abby sighed a little. "Yes, Jamie..."

"I mean it, you don't wanna scare people..." Jamie advised.

"Uh... Okay..." Abby said. "See ya later, Jamie."

Jamie and Mike saw the others leave and they went to their own personal business as everyone left. Cindy had the choice of whether to ride in the Mystery Machine or not, but she chose Ben's car and sat in the back-seat. How could she pass up such an amazing and wonderful opportunity like this to ride in the car that belonged to Ben Ravencroft himself? Dawn got settled and decided to meditate in the van.

"Like, do you always meditate, Dawn?" Shaggy asked.

"It really keeps me calm..." Dawn explained once she got comfortable. "You should try it sometime... Maybe it won't make you so scared of everything..." she then advised.

Scooby hummed as he joined the moonchild. Trent allowed Brianna to lie her head down as she looked a little tired, long travel often made her tired. Cindy wanted to talk with Ben, but she pouted and folded her arms. Velma seemed to had been hogging him all the way over to Oakhaven. Daphne saw a lot of great sights and decided to take pictures.

"Wait..." Ashlyn looked out the window. "I know this place!"

"You do?" Duncan asked.

"Yeah, my friend Taylor Corey lives there." Ashlyn smiled once she finally knew and remembered.

"Ash, I didn't know you've been to Oakhaven before." Fred said as he continued to drive.

"We used to come here every Fall when I was little!" Ashlyn smiled once she realized, having a nostalgia fit. "My mom went to school with the mayor here, so we usually came to see him, but I usually wanted to play in the festival with Ashton, Ashley, and Taylor."

"Maybe you'll see Taylor again." Daphne shrugged with a smile, happy that Ashlyn was in a good mood for a change.

Velma was about to talk about another one of Ben's novels, but...

"Oh look, we're here." Ben called as he was about to stop driving.

"Already?" Velma asked, slightly disappointed.

Once the car stopped, Cindy leaned forward from the back-seat, smiling to the author. "Thank you, Mr. Ravencroft for giving me a ride in your car..." she remembered her manners.

"You're welcome, Cindy." Ben smiled to her.

Cindy giggled and gushed, nearly melting backward as Ben said her name.

"Welcome to Oakhaven..." Ben told Velma and Cindy, then looked a little alarmed as he saw a bunch of cars in front of them. "What...?"

"I thought you said this was a quiet little town..." Velma was surprised as well.

"It was..." Ben was shocked as he parked his car and the Mystery Machine behind them.

"Ben, is that you?" the mayor asked.

"Mayor!" Ben called, going to the portly man in charge of the town and hugged him instantly.

There was a young teenage girl with shoulder-length light brown hair, tied with a green headband, a black skull T-Shirt, a golden bracelet, brown Capri pants, and purple sandals, who was standing with the Mayor and looked a little bored, but she gave a friendly smile.

"No way..." Ashlyn recognized the girl and rushed to her. "It can't be!"

The girl looked around and noticed. "Ashlyn Pittman!"

"Taylor Corey!" Ashlyn called back and the two shared a hug.

"If you couldn't tell, this is my daughter." Mayor Corey chuckled once the two girls reunited and shared a friendly hug with each other.

"Oh, hello there..." Ben greeted the teenager. "I think I've seen you a couple of times with your mother when I come back here to visit once a year in time for the festival..."

"Oh, you're that horror writer," Taylor shook a chill down her spine. "That Dead Mall story gets me every time."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it," Ben smiled to her, then looked to one of his old friends. "Mayor, what's with all these people?"

"Well, we have a festival going on." Mayor Corey informed.

"Plus the Hex Girls will be playing here." Taylor added.

"Did you say the Hex Girls?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because our cousin is one of the members." Duncan informed.

"Which one?"

"Luna." Abby smiled.

"The Hex Girls." Fred smiled.

"You've heard of them, Freddy?" Daphne asked.

"Just now." Fred gave a shrug.

Taylor smiled to Abby and Duncan. "I think I'm gonna like you guys." she chuckled.

Dawn came behind Taylor. "Hello, deary."

Taylor let out a yell and couldn't help but kick Dawn slightly.

"Ow.." Dawn whined from the impact.

"Sorry... But you shouldn't sneak up on a yellow belt." Taylor advised, having known a little karate here and there, but wasn't a pro quite yet.

"It's okay," Dawn adjusted herself. "You must be Taylor Corey, the Mayor's daughter... You've also been best friends with Ashlyn since elementary school."

"Yeah..." Taylor had a small sigh. "She moved away though."

"Oh by the way, I found out my real last name is Pitstop and that Penelope Pitstop is my aunt." Ashlyn told her childhood best friend.

"Really? That's so cool!" Taylor cheered for her, then slightly rolled her hazel eyes. "Seems better than being the daughter of a mayor."

"Don't worry, Taylor, you should be gratuful," Dawn soothed. "You have a very happy father that cares about you, it's all over his aura."

Taylor didn't recognize the term of auras. "Wait, what!?"

"Long story..." Abby, Duncan, and Ashlyn told Taylor.

Cindy hummed as she walked along, she looked up as Ben was talking with Mayor Corey. She then stuck her tongue out as she sneaked his hand open and slid her hand into his and giggled bashfully. Abby couldn't help but point and laugh at Cindy.

"I wouldn't be laughing, Abby, I remember when you 'accidentally' bumped into Jamie." Trent teased.

"Be quiet, Elvis," Abby snorted to him. "That wasn't my fault, it was that stupid jockhead, Lightning."

"Who are Jamie and Lightning?" Taylor wondered.

"Jamie is this guy that kinda reminds me of Ashton," Duncan explained for her. "He's a punk or a goth type guy and he's so mysterious."

"Umm... Not all the time." Abby seemed to be defensive.

"Oh, getting protective of your boyfriend?" Duncan joked.

Abby looked like she wanted to strangle Duncan now.

"Cindy... How would you like to see my old studio where I wrote my first books?" Ben invited.

Cindy blinked and squealed in delight, she was gasping and nearly hyperventilating, unable to properly respond to that.

Ashlyn looked around. "Has anyone seen Scooby and Shaggy?"

"Like, we're right here." Shaggy said as he was eager to explore with Scooby and they had cameras all around.

An older man walked by with a box filled with T-Shirts, he smiled to Ben once he saw him. "Ah, welcome home, Ben... Would you like a shirt?"

Ben picked a shirt up and read it aloud. "'I saw the Oakhaven Ghost and Lived'?"

"Ghost?" Cindy asked, a little nervous.

"Yes, the ghost of Ben's ancestor, Sarah Ravencroft." Mayor Corey explained.

"It's just an Urban Legend..." Taylor slightly scoffed.

"Did you say Sarah Ravencroft?" Dawn asked Mayor Corey.

Mayor Corey didn't seem that shocked from her walking around randomly. "Why yes..."

"My great-grandmother," Ben explained, unaware that Cindy was trying to get his attention. "I mostly came here to find her book... You see, she was a Wiccan healer, but everybody thinks she was a witch who used her powers for evil!"

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Ravencroft," Trent spoke up. "But... What's a Wiccan?"

"I'll tell you if you would like to come to my studio." Ben said to him.

"Mind if we explore your puritan village?" Daphne asked, making the Mayor smile.

"Who are you then?" Duncan asked about the man with a box of T-Shirts.

"I'm Mr. McKnight, the town pharmacist..." the man replied. "Would you like a shirt?"

"Is it free?" Abby asked.

"Of course." Mr. McKnight told them.

"That's our favorite price!" Duncan laughed as he took a shirt for himself and handed Abby one.

"Totally," Abby laughed, but then her stomach started to rumble. "Man, I'm hungry... Is there any good place to eat around here?"

"Now that you mention it, Abby, I'm hungry myself." Shaggy held his stomach.

"Reah, re roo." Scooby agreed with them.

"There's a restaurant just a few blocks down from here," Mayor Corey told them. "You're welcome to eat over there."

"Oh, one of the best diners in all of New England." Ben told them.

Shaggy and Scooby were excited.

"Here, we'll take you there." Taylor suggested, going with her father.

"Mind if I come along?" Ashlyn asked, looking forward to hanging out with Taylor again like they did when they were little.

Taylor smiled and allowed Ashlyn to go with them.

"Oh, Mayor, tell Jake anything they order is on me!" Ben called to them as he was going to walk everybody else to his old studio.

This made Shaggy even more excited. "Like, what a guy!"

"Totally, I bet I can eat more than you, Shaggy!" Abby challenged.

Duncan laughed as he went with them.

"You're gonna regret that offer, Ben." Velma teased Ben about offering to pay for their food after they would finish eating at the diner.

"Hey, wait for me!" Cindy rushed, a bit slower than the older ones going to Ben's studio. "Curse these short legs!"

Ashlyn, Mayor Corey, Taylor, Shaggy, Scooby, Duncan, and Abby then left to get to the diner and meet this man known as Jake.

"I wonder what Jake is like?" Ashlyn wondered out loud.

"He's a pretty cool guy," Taylor smiled. "He just loves people who love to eat."

"Like, you wanna have an eating contest, Abby?" Shaggy challenged.

"Yeah, prepare to get beaten, Norville!" Abby retorted with a chuckle.

"Are they always like this?" Taylor asked.

Ashyln gave a modest shrug as they walked the way to the diner.