31Umm... No killing me, please? *Ducks thrown rotten tomatoes* I"M SORRY! School... ate me. Just swallowed me whole and I couldn't get inspiration. But I'm making it up to you with a chapter, that I personally had a blast to write. Seriously, it made me smile in a kind of evil way when I wrote it.
Hey, I might even manage the next chapter before a month's passed! :D Haha, I hope so at least...
So, you can all thank klrob for this, cause she started yelling at me for not writing the chapter and guilt tripped me into actually finishing. So go thank her!
I got a random name for the demon guy, but thanks to all reviewers who gave me name suggestions! You guys rock the world!
Sunshine-Midnight123 : You get to see what happens to Sam in this. ;) Mwhahaa... I feel evil. :D
Jaded Jimmie: I will DEFIANTLY remember you. :) And fight the voices!
M00nlite Maiden: ...well this doesn't really count as updating 'soon', but I updated... does that count? :)
By the way, I just finished this, so if it sucks, I'm sorry. I just wanted to post something to repay you guys for not killing me for leaving it so long. :)
Danny landed in front of Tucker, feeling slightly ill from the sheer amount of stuff he had phased through as he had gone through almost every room in the castle. He had been flying erratically, trying to find Sam as fast as he could.
Tucker was looking at the blueprints of his castle, crossing off rooms that Danny , him, or Jazz had been through already and the ones that were too obvious for Sam to be in. Then suddenly he said, "I got it!"
"What?" Danny snapped, shifting from standing besides Jazz. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off irritably. He was too anxious to stand for her sisterly worry at the moment.
"A basement that we haven't used in ages, cause ghosts seemed to prefer it. They seemed to pop right out of it for some reason, and we thought that the walls between the Ghost Zone and our world must be thin there. We kept out of it, and now it's just used for storage. The perfect hiding spot!"
Tucker grinned at his discovery and Danny nodded, holding out his hands for Tucker and Jazz to grab on. Jazz smiled and murmured, "At least we don't have to walk down all those stairs…"
Danny couldn't help a snort, despite his worry for Sam. He turned both his friends intangible and invisible, and flew them down through the floors, following Tucker's tugs on his arm to go the right direction. Danny stopped and let both his friends land, flickering back to tangibility and visibility.
The sight that lay before them made them all stare, and Danny felt his stomach freeze. There was a lean thing that resembled a man, but black, pitiless eyes. One hand was curled around Sam's slim waist and the other had its claw like fingers against her throat. It was taller than them, but its breath left tiny, barely noticeable puffs of steam in the cold air. It was leaning over the girl, keeping her upright, but holding her captive, its narrowed eyes flickering with harsh amusement at them and a hostile anticipation.
Sam was looking like a rag doll, limp. It broke Danny's heart to see her like that, lifeless. Her eyes were shut, and she was barely breathing. Her short black hair seemed duller, and her skin seemed paler against the red of the scrapes on her hands, and the tiny nip on her neck.
Danny yelled, "Sam!" He started to move forward, when Tucker caught his arm. "What?" Danny glared at him, wanting to get that THING away from his Sammy as soon as he could.
Tucker mutely pointed, and Danny noticed the person he hadn't noticed at first. It was the one man he utterly hated, and the only other halfa that he knew of. Vlad Plasmius. "Plasmius." Danny growled, his glowing green eyes narrowing. "Let her go."
"Daniel, my boy, it IS good to see you." Vlad said, smirking. "But, son, I cannot do that. You see, dear Samantha has something that I want, and I desperately need." Vlad walked over to the thing and stroked Sam's short hair, shaking his head and making tuting noises. "Tut tut, Samantha. Running away from home? Cutting your glorious hair to such a short wreck? Dear, dear." He turned to the group with a mocking smile, enjoying his time of gloating that he had Sam and Danny couldn't move, or else the thing might hurt Sam. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? I don't believe I've introduced you to my newest slave."
"Another creation, I know." Danny growled, his eyes flickering angrily as his fists clenched and he shifted his weight, looking for a way to get to Sam.
"Oh no, Daniel, not a creation this time. It I summoned from a different realm, one full of fathomless possibilities." Vlad said, smirking his pair of fangs. "This is Zaranth. I summoned him to help me harness her powers."
Powers? What does he mean… Wait, the talents? I never asked what Sam's talent was… Danny thought rapidly.
Vlad read his face easily and smirked. "Oh Daniel, she didn't even tell you. Became one of your best friends, and didn't even tell you what her power was. But the prince of this castle knows, doesn't he?"
Danny turned to stare at Tucker, who looked wide eyed. "I'm sorry, man. Sam didn't want anyone to know." He muttered, flushing red.
Vlad laughed cruelly. "My dear boy, you claim to be friends, but don't even know why she ran from her comfy life? Let me tell you." His red eyes glowed malevolently, "This, my boy, is a Seer."
Danny blinked. Sam? A Seer? But Vlad was still talking.
"Seers are very rare, and few families have them. They have the amazing ability to look into the future and pick out the most probable. Poor Samantha had a heavy burden in her life. She is one of the few, the precious, yet she didn't use her talent. Why, if she just TRIED, she could have turned the tide of any war, won any game of cards, out smarted anyone if she would just look forward to the future! She could have used her talent to further her kingdom, and to become the greatest royal ever to be known!"
Danny's eyes were fixed on Sam during this speech, and he saw her eyelids flutter open as she came to, and then she wriggled in the thing's grasp. Her beautiful amethyst eyes glinted in the medium lighting. Seers had weird eyes, he remembered that from a piece of history he had heard.
Vlad had finally stopped rambling and realized that his captive was awake. "Perfect. Princess Samantha, say goodbye to your friends. Do it." The last was addressed to Zaranth. The thing grinned and Vlad held out a clear crystal globe that he had pulled from a pocket in his cape. Zaranth raised the hand that had been around Sam's throat, and Danny's eyes locked onto Sam's. She mouthed something, and Danny couldn't move from the emotions he was feeling. He couldn't read her lips before his eyes were locked back onto Zaranth. He, Tucker, and Jazz seemed to be moving in slow motion. He reached forward, trying to reach the beautiful girl, but finding the distance too great.
Zaranth placed its palm against her dark haired head and murmured words. An eerie shimmering encased the thing, the girl and the globe in Vlad's grasp. Vlad flinched, and his hand jerked back. The globe, suspended by the magic, stayed in place. Zaranth slowly moved his hand away from Sam's head, and the girl swayed in his grip. A faint, rich amethyst mist rose from her head and some sneaked up from her heart. Sam's eyes were open, locked on Danny's. Danny felt his stomach roil as he literally watched the beautiful color fade from her soft amethyst eyes, leaving behind a pale, empty gray.
Zaranth twirled the amethyst mist into a spiral, and then pulled the globe, touching the mist and it faded into the globe, filling it with its soft light. The shimmering surrounding them faded as Zaranth let Sam drop, and the girl fell lifelessly. Zaranth was holding the globe in his hand and it was filled with a beautiful rich purple.
Sam's talent. Sam's essence.
Danny felt as if his heart had frozen over as he watched her fall, his eyes locked onto hers, despite the fact they had slid shut and she seemed barely breathing. He felt himself fill with rage, and he glared at Vlad.
Vlad took the globe from Zaranth and turned it in his hands, his scarlet eyes examining it with a horribly pleased expression. "Finally…" He murmured. "Show me the future."
The globe's amethyst depths swirled violently before the center cleared to show an image. It showed Danny running to Sam and being struck to the side by Zaranth. Vlad looked up to see Daniel racing towards the girl, only to be struck to the side by Zaranth. He smirked. Finally, the power was his. All his.
He laughed manically (*because who DOESN'T enjoy a good maniacal laugh? XD*) at his victory and smirked at the globe that would enable him to see the future.
Danny struck out at the thing that was still next to Sam, and it jumped back, fading into the background. It had not told its master about the nip it had taken of the girl's blood. It allowed him a little foresight, and one thing was for sure. He'd have more than a nip if he waited for a little longer. Just a little longer.
Danny was furious, no, he was BEYOND being furious. He knelt next to Sam, and Tucker raced to his side. He found her pulse and sighed in relief. Sam was alive….. in a way. Her essence and talent had been taken from her, so the once-lively girl had become an empty shell. Danny glared up at Vlad who was now floating, cradling the globe in his hands in fascination.
Danny left Sam in the care of Tucker and Jazz and rocketed up towards Vlad, his fists glowing with green ectoplasm as he engaged the older halfa in battle.
Jazz stared up as her little brother launched his attack on Plasmius. But something was wrong. Every time Danny started to attack, Vlad counterattacked before it was even done. It was like he knew what Danny was going to do before Danny did….
Her eyes caught on a glint of something in Vlad's hand. It was the crystal globe that contained Sam's essence. Jazz scowled. How could Danny beat Vlad when Vlad knew what he was going to do before he did it?
"Jazz," Tucker's voice spoke. She looked at him, and saw him checking Sam's vitals. "Jazz, she's getting weaker."
Tucker's words echoed in her head as she felt sick. The girl's body had no essence in it anymore. How long could she survive in this condition? Concentrate, there's gotta be something… Jazz held her hands to her head and replayed the scene in her head. Sometimes talents did come in useful.
"Tut tut Samantha. Running away from home?..."
"This is Zaranth…"
"Became one of your best friends, and didn't even tell you what her power was…."
"This, my boy, is a Seer….."
"They have the amazing ability to look into the future and pick out the most probable…"
"Do it…."
Wait a second. Backtrack one…. Jazz focused on that one line in her memory. "They have the amazing ability to look into the future and pick out the most probable…"
Her eyes snapped open and she said, "I got it!"
Tucker blinked and said, "Got what?"
Jazz ignored him and turned towards Danny before yelling to him, "Danny! It only sees the most PROBABLE future! BE UNPREDICTABLE!"
Danny blinked. What? Be unpredictable? How was THAT supposed to help?
Wait, hadn't Vlad said…? Her gift usually showed the most likely to happen future, right? Wasn't that the whole point Seers were usually held responsible if their futures didn't happen?
Now Jazz's advice was starting to make a whole lot more sense.
Danny smirked and dove, but Vlad was already moving to block him. Danny, without thinking went right through Vlad intangibly, and blasted him with ectoplasm from the opposite side.
Vlad snarled, dodging the blast. He wasn't fast enough at reading the damned globe to read the future when Danny wasn't planning his moves.
Danny was fighting on pure instinct, diving and shooting upwards again, moving like some sort of demented bug. He wasn't doing anything that would make sense. When he saw an opening in Vlad's defenses, he kept flying instead of attacking, and would attack randomly.
Vlad thought too much of the stupid globe that Danny hated. The amethyst smoke in it seemed to swirl without stopping from what Danny could see, but he wasn't exactly trying to get a good look.
Then it happened.
Danny shot off random blasts of ectoplasm, and Vlad created a shield a moment too late. Most of the shots were blocked by the already glowing shield, but one snuck through. The green ectoplasm hit Vlad in the arm, making it jerk and the globe, the sleek, perfectly smooth and round globe, slipped out of the gloves.
It fell, glowing amethyst as the smokey substance in it swirled into just a blob, no future reading in it. Danny dove, and all he knew that if that globe hit the ground, it would break. If it broke, then Sam's essence would scatter.
He'd never get her back. Never be able to apologize for bringing Vlad into her life.
He pushed himself faster, desperate to get there before the globe landed, barely registering that Vlad was diving too.
He was a foot away, he could almost reach it. He could do it, he could save her, he could revive her.
The globe landed.
And shattered.
Danny managed to turn intangible before he slammed into the floor and he dashed up, unable to believe it. He stared at the shattered globe, the amethyst smokey substance glowing brilliantly, rising. It was beautiful, and he could almost see Sam's features as it rose. He could see tiny things, the shape of her face, the whisk of hair, just little impressions from that odd smoke.
It was beautiful and mysterious, just like her.
Then the substance diffused into the air, leaving nothing behind but a slight shimmer in the air.
Danny stared blankly at the clear pieces of glass on the ground, and the amethyst smoke-less air.
Danny glared at Vlad and roared, his Ghostly Wail blasting the older halfa up and away. Vlad slammed into a wall, getting knocked out. He had been stunned by the loss of the globe, and Danny had gotten the lucky shot.
Danny forced himself to stay ghost and he, after staring at the clear glass in disbelief again, looked over at his friends and saw Tucker grip Sam's shoulders, trying to rouse her.
He had failed.
Sam wasn't going to be able to come back.
Danny collapsed to his knees, unable to breath in the pain.
Haha, evil cliffie, me thinks. :D
Whoever can correctly guess Jazz's talent gets a cookie! *Waves bag of cookies*
Reviewing makes the writing process move faster... :) But no pressure.