"You so gotta be kidding us!" Kira exclaimed as she and her friends stared wide-eyed at the dorm's condition. Judging by how dilapidated it was, it might as well have been a barn. The building looked so old and decrepit, it was as if no one had lived there or maintained it for over a hundred years.

The dorm's courtyard wasn't so good-looking, either. It was surrounded by an old rusty iron fence that was covered in cobwebs, the grass was dead and prickly all around and covered with overgrown weeds, and the old mansion was so rickety and worn down, it looked like it was on the very verge of collapsing in on itself! 

The large, tall bare trees gathered outside the building and the darkness inside just made it all the eerier. As much as they wanted to try another dorm that's not so decrepit, the girls didn't have any other choice on the matter.

Once Crowley opened the gates of the old dorm, the girls reluctantly forced themselves to follow him towards the building. They all decided to call it the Ramshackle Dorm, a name that seems to fit perfectly like a glove. "It...It certainly has a lot of charm." Alice said, trying to be polite.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kira scoffed. "That's way too much charm." Aria lightly elbowed Kira, earning a glare from her. "Kira-chan, show some manners!" she scolded lightly. "He's at least offering us a place to stay for the night."

"Right, right? Please come inside." Crowley said with a smile as he opened the doors for them, allowing them to step inside. However, once the girls stepped inside the dorm, they all nearly gasped in horror. If they thought that the exterior was bad, then the interior looked even worse! 

The wooden floor was covered in a thick blanket of dust, some of it was actually floating around the entire lounge room. The furniture was broken, overturned and tossed around the room, not to mention heavily decorated with cobwebs.

The wallpaper was so old, some parts of it were peeling off and there were some ugly stains on the walls. Even the portraits hanging on the walls were crooked and the frames were falling apart. And what was worse was that there were some holes gaping through the roof!

How could this school ever leave this dorm in such disarray?! And besides the lounge, who knows how messy the other rooms are? "Um... Headmaster, how long has it been since anyone had used this dorm?" Alice asked, facing Crowley.

"Oh, about 50 years or so." he casually replied. "Oh, great..." Kira muttered with dread. "Staying here will at least keep you out of the rain. I'm going back to do more research. Make yourselves at home." Crowley said with a cheerful smile. "Yes... thank you." Alice said softly.

"Don't go wandering around the school!" Crowley firmly said before he gave the girls a smile. "Goodbye!" he chirped happily as he abruptly turned and left. "Hey! W-W-Wait a minute!" Kira started to protest, but Crowley had already slammed the door right in her face, sending dust flying everywhere and causing her to sneeze.

The four girls then all heaved heavy sighs before they looked around at the dusty lounge. There wasn't much they could do right at this moment. "The dust looks like snow." Alice remarked, looking at the dusty furniture. "Well, if we're all going to stay here for the night, we might as well start cleaning up." Jazmin said.

The other girls all looked at her, then at the room. "Hold on! You mean we have to clean up the entire lounge?!" Kira asked with her hands on her hips. "Yes, since this place is now our temporary home. Now let's all stop complaining and have this place spotless." Jazmin said firmly.

The girls all nodded. Jazmin was right. It definitely would be best to do some cleaning before they could all relax. The girls searched around the dorm until they found a closet filled with brooms, mops, rags and feather dusters. They took the items, went back to the lounge and started cleaning.

As the girls swept the floors and dusted the fireplace, the tables and the chairs, they could hardly believe the large amount of dust that coated them. They cleaned up the paintings a bit, settled each piece of furniture back into their rightful places and finally turned on the room's lights which, oddly enough, still worked.

Once the girls were done cleaning, the room looked much...slightly better now, to say the least. They couldn't do much for the wallpaper, but at least they've got most of the cleaning done. "Finally, everything's clean." Aria sighed as the four exhausted girls all leaned against the wall.

"Jeez, we have to clean this place just to sit down." Kira muttered as she went over to the sofa and wiped off as much dust as she could with her wet rag. Then again, this was just one room. Heaven knows what the other rooms must look like, but they'll worry about that later. For now, they needed to sit down and settle in.

The girls then sighed as they placed the brooms and dusters off to the side and sat down on the old sofa, which creaked under their weight. They all then yelped when a sudden flash of lightning and a bang of thunder rocked the whole dorm.

The four girls all looked out the windows and saw raindrops pattering against the glass. Sure enough, rain was pouring outside—becoming even louder—and in the distance, thunder rumbled like the purring of a content cat.

The air that drifted in through the windows was damp and cold from the rain. Not just that, but due to the holes in the roof, water began to leak through, soaking the walls and the floor. Strangely, none of the girls felt any chill. The long-sleeved black robes that they wore seemed to keep all of them warm.

Since the ceremony had been for the beginning of a new school year, the four girls had initially assumed that it must be spring, but they were told that there were four seasons here—just like in their own world—and that it was currently autumn.

They had known that there were schools in foreign countries that began in autumn. This school's system seemed to be closer to those of Western countries than to those of Japan; though, they had already assumed as much, based on the shapes of the buildings.

Alice knelt in front of the large fireplace, but she couldn't find anything that might aid her in lighting a fire within it. A few charred and blackened scraps, but nothing that might catch and hold a flame. Not that they have any matches or a lighter, anyway.

Left alone for the first time since waking up in a coffin, the four girls were finally confronted with the reality of their situation. They had been too busy dealing with one bizarre event after another to truly realize what was going on.

That was, perhaps, better than this. It had felt vaguely like being within a dream; like this strange world and its dangerous magics were all someone else's concerns. But now that they were alone, and after everything that had just happened, the reality of their current situation has hit them all at once.

Will they never see their families again? Are they going to be forced to live in this world of magic in this creepy, old, dilapidated mansion all by themselves? Possibly...forever? The very thought of it filled their hearts with dismay.

Alice felt her eyes starting to burn with tears. She tried her best to fight them back, but she soon let out a heartbreaking sob as they rolled down her cheeks and buried her face into her hands. Kira rubbed her back supportively, trying to console her while Aria and Jazmin glanced at her sadly, all of them feeling the same thing.

"I-I-I want to go back h-home!" Madison sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Anna bit her lip as she fought back tears. "Don't worry, Madison. We'll find a way outta here." she said soothingly as she turned her gaze towards the raindrops on the window. "Hopefully, we will. We have to."

"B-Bu-But when? W-When can we?" Madison asked between gasps. The girls all glanced at each other uncertainly. That was a very good question. When will they be able to go back home? How will they be able to get back home?

"Well, for now, let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope that Crowley finds us a way outta here." Anna said. "The sooner he finds us a way to go back home, the better." The girls all nodded. If possible, if there's any hope of finding a way back home at all, then they shall have to hold on to it. It was better than nothing, anyway.

"Let's just hope that it's possible." Talia said. All of a sudden, the girls heard a soft, wet sound hitting the wooden floor. They looked towards the closest window, which had mysteriously opened, and noticed a dark, wet cloth on the floor.

It seemed that one of the curtains, heavy with water from the rain, had begun to disintegrate. This really was an old building. Alice carefully approached the open window and suddenly, without warning, something wet and furry struck against her chest. "Aaaahhh!!!" Alice shrieked as she fell down hard against the floor.

The other girls also screamed in fright when the furry creature suddenly ran past their legs. "Hyii! It's really coming down!" a voice suddenly said. The girls all paused. As they all looked, they all blinked in surprise when they saw Grim suddenly emerging from the shadows, laughing his head off hysterically.

"Gyahaha! You've got those stupid looks on your faces like bats being attacked by a water gun! Gyahahaha!" he laughed. "You!" Kira snarled as she glared at Grim. "How did you get in here?! Didn't Headmaster Crowley just kick you out?!"

Grim just huffed and smirked at her arrogantly. "Sneaking back into the school again is easy-peasy for me. No sweat." he said proudly. "Bu-But...don't you think that's a bad idea?" Aria asked. "I mean, yes, they did kick you out, but if they found out that you snuck back in, they're not going to be happy about this."

"Also, that boy named...R-Riddle? I believe he said that cats aren't allowed here." Alice added. Grim sneered at the girls. "If you think getting thrown out is gonna make me give up on getting in, you've got another thing coming!" he shouted.

Kira glared at him indignantly. "That's it! I'm calling security!" she snarled as she turned on her heel and stormed towards the door. "Wait a minute, Kira-chan!" Aria said, grabbing Kira's wrist, stopping her. "What?" she huffed. "Let's not act too hasty." Jazmin said. "We need to find out why he's here first."

Kira rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother. Seriously?" she said, holding her hand to her head. The other girls turned to face Grim. "Why do you want to get into this school so badly?" Aria asked curiously. Grim stared at her in surprise.

Was that girl dumb or something? Hadn't all of them seen his power? He made quite a wonderful spectacle during the entrance ceremony. "That's simple! I'm a genius who is destined to be a great mage!" Grim explained. "I've been waiting for the Ebony Carriage to come pick me up." 

But then, tears began to form in his blue eyes. "But...But..." The three girls, except Kira, felt a twinge of pain and sympathy in their hearts as they stared at the cat creature. Alice, being a lover of small animals, just felt her heart ache watching him being so miserable.

She walked towards Grim to wrap him in a hug when the cat gremlin got his arrogance back again and his tears suddenly vanished. "Hmph! The Dark Mirror just doesn't have an eye for this. So that's why I came here on my own." he huffed. "Not letting me in would be a loss for the world. Humans just don't get it."

The four girls all gawked at him in slight confusion. They had just met Grim, and they already saw how insufferable and overconfident he was in his abilities. "Genius, my foot! You call yourself a genius, yet you act like a total dunce!" Kira then snapped. "I bet you're not even fit to wear those ornate ro—!"

She was cut off when a cold drop of water suddenly fell from the ceiling and landed right on top of Grim's head. "Fgyaa! So cold! The roof is leaking!" he exclaimed. "Then why don't you move somewhere else?" Kira asked. "Obviously, the "Great Grim" can move on his own." The other girls couldn't help but snicker at that.

Grim's tail went stiff as his eyes widened. Hisego had been bruised...again. "Hey! The Great Grim can do many things!" he shouted. "Like moving away from dripping water?" Kira asked tauntingly. "Or perhaps, lighting up that fireplace?" Alice quipped as she placed logs into the fireplace.

"Grr..." Grim growled. "Just you watch! I'll show you!" Heaving in a breath, he started a small plume of blue fire and aimed it at the fireplace. With one huge breath, Grim released a puff of his blue fire.

Fwoom!

The fireplace was now lit. A lovely blue fire was greedily eating the logs within. "Heha! How 'bout that?!" Grim asked, proud of his handiwork. Aria placed the guard around the fireplace's front. Now the girls have a nice fire for light and warmth. "Thank you very much, Grim." Alice said, patting the cat monster's head.

"He actually does look adorable." she thought. Grim smiled and purred with content...until he stopped. The realization then dawned on him. "Oh, I see what you did..." he grumbled. Another drop then fell onto Grim's head, and he started to panic.

"Fgyaa! It keeps coming! My adorable ear fire is gonna go out at this rate!" Grim whined. The four girls looked up at the ceiling and spotted the location of where the leak was coming from. They all let out a sigh, obviously not pleased with the idea of having to fix a leaky roof on a rainy night.

"Looks like we're gonna have to find ourselves a bucket." Aria said as she and the other girls began to walk away. "Magic should fix this leak up real quick." Grim then said. "Well, unfortunately, neither of us can use any magic. We don't have any magic powers." Jazmin said.

"...Oh right, you can't use magic?" Grim asked as a smug grin appeared on his face. "Pfft! You're all useless!" That insult made Kira stop in her tracks. Useless...?! She clenched her fists tightly as she turned and scowled at Grim indignantly.

"For your info, pussycat, it's not our fault we don't have any magic! If you've got magic like you say you do, then help us out!" she angrily said. "Huh? Help you? No waaay! I'm just a regular monster staying in a rainy place." Grim replied with an infuriating egotistical smirk on his face.

"You better get a can of tuna ready before I do any work." Kira was just ready to grab that annoying cat monster by the neck and kick his rump right out the door when she noticed that the leaks were getting worse. "Oh my, there's a bunch of leaks...!" Alice murmured worriedly.

Kira groaned in annoyance. She can't deal with this right now. "Gotta find that bucket then." she said as the girls walked out of the room. The four girls walked into the darkened hallway, trying to find some buckets, bowls or any other container that might be useful for catching the leaking raindrops.

As they walked deeper into the hallway, something started to feel a bit off. "Say, is it just me or does it feel a little... colder than usual?" Aria asked. Kira hummed. "It does feel a little chilly, now that you mention it." she said.

Considering that there was a rainstorm outside, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Grim's blue fire in the fireplace was warming up the lounge quite well. They reminded themselves to ask Crowley about fixing the furnace. Lighting matches shouldn't be a problem, considering the obvious.

In the hallway, it was dead silent. The only sound they could hear was the pitter-patter of the pouring rain outside. Suddenly a loud noise made them all stop in their tracks. The four girls froze in fear.

"Did... Did you girls hear that?!" Alice whispered a little fearfully. "I heard it." Kira whispered back. "Me too." Aria added. Their eyes scanned the dark hallways for the source of the noise. So far, they saw nothing. However, as the girls turned to take a step, they suddenly froze when they heard the sound of ominous laughter.

"Hehehehe..." a sinister chuckle suddenly echoed throughout the hall. "Ah!" Alice exclaimed as she jumped. "Uuoohh, I don't like this feeling...!" Aria cried as she clung on to Jazmin's arm like a koala.

Jazmin was also clinging onto her as though her life depended on it. The girls all shivered. Their eyes were as wide as saucers as they looked around the corridor, searching for the source of the sound. Suddenly, the girls saw three pale white figures with tails materialize before them: one skinny, one short, and one fat.

The four girls felt their throats shrink to the size of pinholes as their knees started to quake. "Ah... ah...!" Kira croaked. Their mouths had suddenly gone dry. They had broken into a cold sweat. They were too paralyzed with fear to do anything. Right in front of them was a trio of ghosts wearing cloaks and top hats.

The ghosts grinned mischievously as they looked down at the four young girls, feeling joyful that they were being fearful of them. "Hihihihi....Ihihihihi... We haven't had a guest in such a long time...let alone four..." the tall, thin ghost cackled.

"I'm itching for some action. Ihihihihi!" another ghost, a fat one added as the three of them all began to laugh. "GYAAAAAAAAAAA!!" the four girls all screamed in terror in time with the clap of thunder. Ghosts?! Nobody told them the Ramshackle Dorm was haunted by spooky ghosts!

Their terrified screams have now gotten Grim's attention as he walked into the hallway, wondering what the fuss was all about. "Hey, what are you all freaking out...?" Grim started to ask when he suddenly caught sight of the spirits in front of him. "Gyaaaaaaaa!!!! G-G-G-G-Ghoooooooooossstts!!!" he shrieked with wide eyes.

"The people living here got scared of us and left." one ghost who was shorter than the other two said. "We've been looking for more ghost pals. How about you guys?" the fat ghost asked. The girls all shrank away as they turned to Grim. "A-A-Are they going to kill us...?!" Alice fearfully asked.

"Ah! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna be a ghost! Help us! Help!" Aria cried hysterically. "Uuu, uuuuh——! Grim, the Great Magician, isn't scared of some ghosts!!!" Grim exclaimed as he started to fire up his magic.

"Funaaaaah!!" Grim cried as he shot a jet of blue flames at the three ghosts. But it completely missed its mark as the ghosts flew out of its range. Grim's aim was terrible. The tall, skinny ghost noticed this and teased Grim. "Hihihihi!! Where are you aiming?" he cackled.

"Over here, over here! Heeheehee!" the fat ghost laughed as he and his friends started to swirl above them, taunting Grim for his poor aim. Grim growled at them. "Shoot! Stop disappearing!" he shouted as he started to fire off his flames again. But once again, he missed them entirely.

At that time, the four girls noticed that something was a little off. Every time Grim breathed his flames, they saw that he had his eyes closed. Could that be the reason? Had Grim just been firing his flames with his eyes closed this whole time?

"Jeez, Grim, you'll burn down the whole place if you keep that up!" Kira yelled. "Do you have your eyes closed when you breathe fire?" Alice asked. Grim whirled around and glared at her. "Shut up! Don't try to give me orders!" he yelled. "Please, Grim, just listen to us." Jazmin said as calmly as she could.

"We're not trying to give you orders, we're trying to help you." Aria added. "If you can please help us out, we'll give you a can of tuna if you win." Of course, since Aria thought of Grim as a cat, she thought that offering some tuna to him would convince him to help her and her friends.

What she didn't expect was that the enticing offer certainly got Grim's attention. "Wah...?! Mmmgmm, I-I'm a genius. I won't let one..." Grim mused when the three ghosts suddenly appeared behind him and started cackling again.

"Ihihihihihihihi!" They began to swirl around the four girls and Grim, shoving them and yanking on their hair and Grim's tail, making them all yelp in pain. "Bunch of cowards ganging up on us!" Grim growled. "Hey, we'll add on two more cans! It's now or never!" Kira said.

Grim paused as he began weighing his options. Beat those nasty ghosts alone and potentially set this whole building on fire... or work together with those little humans and not only get rid of the ghosts, but also get three tuna cans all for himself?!

There was no way he should pass up a sweet opportunity like that! Grim shut his eyes and gripped his head in frustration. He then shook his head and turned to face the young girls. "Okay! Hey, you! Tell me where the ghosts are!" he demanded.

Alice glanced over and saw one of the ghosts sneaking towards Grim with a wide grin on his pale face. Her eyes widened as she pointed at the ghost. "Over there! On your left!" she shouted. Grim acted quickly and breathed out his fire. This time, he hit his mark! The short ghost shrieked in pain as he felt fire on his butt.

"Hottttt!!" he cried out as he quickly patted his burning butt. Grim was surprised that he had managed to hit one of them. "I hit it!" Grim gasped. Then a smirk appeared on his face. "Alright, let's chase them all outta here!" he exclaimed.