Scooby-Doo!: Runaway Mystery

Chapter 1: Lost in Thought

            It's funny where life will take you, especially when you're young. Some go to college, the military, learn a trade... and some of us end up hunting ghosts, which end up just being corrupt businessmen, who are somehow using a disguise to bring in more business or sabotage their competitor. Crystal Cove had been known as the most haunted place on earth, but after a while, it seemed that we would have no luck in encountering a real ghost or monster.

"Hey, Fred," a slightly rough voice calls to me from across the lunch table. My friend Shaggy asks, "Are you good, man?" Caught off guard, I nod in return before I stutter out, "O-oh, yeah, I'm alright." I started to eat again. Daphne, on my right side, gives me an odd look before commenting, "If you still aren't feeling well, you can take the van home, and pick all of us up later after school. Don't worry about us!" Velma meets my gaze with a sympathetic, worried look, and agrees with Daphne.

Sighing, I respond, "No, really, I'm alright, gang. I'm just lost in thought." I run a hand through my hair, taking a deep breath. I had been acting oddly all day, and my friends were getting worried. In reality, I was stressing about the war overseas... it looked pretty bad. The four of us had heard on the news, the night before, that the military might enact a draft. Shaggy wasn't worried, but I sure was. It would be just my luck to get drafted. I gave them each a smile, trying to convince them I really was alright. We carry on eating and chatting until the bell rings, and we go to our next classes.

The four of us, the Mystery Gang, met over the course of a few years while attending Crystal Cove High School. I met Shaggy first, when we were both in our freshman year of high school. Shaggy and I didn't have a lot in common, but he found ways to make conversation in class, and at lunchtime. We didn't really become friends until later in the school year, during a football game. The Urchins, our school's team, was losing badly, and I was benched for the entire game. Seeing my team have fun without me, I grew more and more agitated. I'd been looking forward to that game for weeks! Frustrated, I threw my helmet down, and instead of sitting down to watch, I gathered my things and left.

On the way out, there was Shaggy and... a Great Dane? Shaggy spotted me and suddenly shouted, "Hey! Fred, my man!" As he jogged up to me, the dog followed. He introduced me to Scooby-Doo, who promptly trotted up to me and licked my hand. As I pet Scooby, I felt better. Shaggy noticed my upset expression, and quickly started to comfort me. From there, he successfully distracted me from what happened during the game, and he walked me home.

From that day on, Shaggy and I became best friends. Over time, I started to share my ideas for traps with him, although we never knew what we would possibly trap in the first place. What made Shaggy so attractive- I mean, important to me, was the way he never once questioned or shamed my trap-building hobby. He helped when I needed an extra set of hands, and I obviously made sure to repay the favor by treating him to whatever restaurant he wanted in the moment. About six months after that football game, Shaggy starts to spend a lot of time at my house. So much time, that Scooby has a bed under my desk, and Shaggy himself brought his favorite beanbag chair to sit in and watch while I build my traps. Other people might have complained about something like that, but I actually really liked his and Scooby's company.

Now, the four of us are driving back to my house after school. Velma and Shaggy are in the backseat, facing away from but leaned back against each other, as Velma does her homework and Shaggy eats an afterschool snack. Daphne is next to me, my passenger princess. I suddenly get the urge to ask, "Gang, what if me or Shaggy gets drafted..." and the air in the car becomes heavy. I look in the rearview mirror at Velma and Shaggy, who look a little surprised at my question. When my eyes shift to Daphne, she is looking out the window to avoid my gaze. Velma speaks up and says, "Well, it's not likely, right?" Shaggy clears his throat and lightheartedly says, "Yeah, like, it's about as likely as me not finishing this bag of chips." Daphne chuckles at Shaggy's response, and the air in the car seems to clear up again. "Yeah, so don't worry Fred. Worst case scenario, we end up running away to Canada," Velma says. Little did we know...