11Chapter 1 – Discovery
Started: August 2, 2012
Ended: September 16, 2012
The light streaming in through the window roused him from unconsciousness, and Danny cursed the fact that he had left them open, it was too early to be getting up. Curling up into a ball under the covers, he decided to ignore the coming day and sleep for as long as he possibly could. Unfortunately, the ringing of his alarm clock brought him forcefully into the land of the awake, and with barely controlled restraint he turned it off and sat up in bed, knowing Jazz wouldn't be far behind. Sometimes he swore she stood outside his door waiting for his alarm clock to go off so she had an excuse to drag him out of bed. The door swung open, admitting a chipper Jazz,
"Danny! Glad to see you're awake!" He groaned and fell back onto his bed, "Oh come on, the mornings aren't that bad, and if you started going to bed earlier you could enjoy it as much as I do! At least 8 hours of sleep are recommended for teenagers, and sometimes I think you're barely getting 4," Danny snorted, "Sleeping more could help you focus in school too, and it's not like your grades would suffer any more from it…" Tuning out the rest of her speech, he decided that getting up was his best option, since his parents would be coming up next, and who knew what crazy invention they'd try on him this time.
"Yeah, yeah, Jazz," He said, shoving her out of his room as gently as he could, "Sleeping is good. Now let me get dressed." Hearing Jazz's disgruntled 'hmph' from the hallway; he smiled and shook his head. He loved his sister and all, but sometimes she seemed as crazy as his parents.
Running down the stairs he grabbed a slice of toast off the table and gulped down a glass of milk before kissing his mom goodbye and leaving the house, ignoring his sister's calls about a fulfilling breakfast and its psychological benefits. Sometimes she acted more like a mom than their mom did…
Since Tucker was getting a ride to school with his cousin (who had just arrived in town and wanted to explore Amity Park), he and Sam would be alone on their walk to school. A small smile wormed its way onto his face as his phone buzzed, but after reading the message it vanished. Sam was walking with some Goth kid she met at the Skulk and Lurk, so he was heading to school alone. As he tried to squash the tendril of jealously within him he kicked a nearby pebble, and as it skittered across the pavement his breath fogged up and a shiver raced up his spine. A wry grin worked its way onto his face, 'Talk about good timing,' He thought, 'Misplaced aggression here I come.'
Ducking into an alley and transforming, he began looking around, but after five minutes of fruitless searching had passed and no screams were to be heard Danny was starting to believe his ghost sense was malfunctioning. At least until it went off again as he touched down in a different alley to transform back. Lighting up his hands with ectoblasts, Danny crept forward, not wanting surprise whatever ghost lay ahead. Of course, when he saw exactly which ghost is was he stood up and let the blasts fade, a confused look appearing on his face.
Sure, ectopi were common, but they liked to roam around and scare people, this one was circling an old soda can and…talking to it?
"Haauunnnnntttttttt…" Came the raspy whisper as it laid eyes on him, "Haauuunnnnnttttttt!..." Hazy green tentacles curled protectively around the can as the odd ectopus dropped down to try and hide its prize, red eyes narrowing in an attempt to look threatening.
Now Danny might not have been the most well-versed in ghost psychology, but even he knew that a haunt (A can? Really?) was extremely important to a ghost as well as being an anchor to the real world. Reaching into his backpack and wordlessly sucking in the angry ghost, he bent over and picked up the can, tossing it lightly in the air before catching it and scrutinizing it closely. What was so special about this can? After a few moments of searching Danny gave up. Oh well. It didn't really matter to him anyways. His house was only a few blocks away, so Danny decided that he might as well dump the ectopus and its haunted can back in the Zone right away, no use in giving separation anxiety or something.
Phasing into the lab was easy, since for some reason his parents hadn't ghost-proofed the walls, but after emptying the thermos and throwing the can into the ghost zone, he froze in his tracks. Lying on a pedestal on one of the stainless steel tables (which were obviously not very stainless when it came to ectoplasm, the numerous faded green splotches being proof) was what looked to be some sort of small silver…something. It looked rather like a flattened silver circle slightly larger than a quarter with intricate carvings on the top. And it looked old. Ghost Zone old. The faint glow and slight shiver he felt were testaments to its ghostliness, but what in the world it was supposed to do was beyond him. Taking a picture of it with his phone, he decided to show Frostbite later, since Clockwork would just give him some headache-inducing riddle.
That done, he grabbed his backpack, snuck back outside, and flew as fast as he could to school, hoping he wasn't late again. Transforming in the bathroom the minute he landed, he ran to Lancer's class, praying Dash wasn't around to slow him down and earn him another detention. Lancer raised his eyebrow and Danny's sudden entrance into his class but didn't say anything, secretly proud that the boy was on time for once.
As Lancer walked down the aisles collecting homework, Danny sat up proudly. Thanks to his increased fighting prowess, he had beaten Skulker and caught the Box Ghost before eleven, giving him at least two hours to do the assigned reading and write the chapter summaries that Lancer had wanted for Oedipus the King.
In the two years since Danny had gained his powers, his ability to send ghosts flying back into the Ghost Zone had grown. But his skills weren't the only things growing, as his power levels increased as well. His height and muscle development hadn't been hindered by the extra exercise either, and while he wasn't as tall or muscular as Dash, he was at least physically fit.
When Lancer reached his desk and saw the small stack of papers on Danny's desk, he smiled faintly,
"Well done Mr. Fenton." He said before moving on. Danny seemed slightly flustered by the compliment, and sent Sam and Tucker a grin.
When Lancer started up a lecture about the significance of Oedipus throughout history and literature, Danny felt a small paper note collide with the back of his head. Knowing who it was from, he reached back and grabbed it before opening it without looking to see the sender. Way to be on time! ~Sam. Grabbing a pencil from inside his backpack, he quickly wrote back, Only sensed this weird ectopus on the way to school, no biggie,then turned around and flicked it back to her.
Weird ectopus? She queried, her interest piqued. Smiling, Danny turned around.
"Yeah," He whispered, "It was circling this soda can and kept saying 'Hauuunnnntttt'," Doing his best to imitate the odd specter, he failed to notice that he had garnered the attention of Lancer, or that said teacher was currently stalking down the aisle with an annoyed expression on his face. "So I sucked it into the thermos and grabbed the can to toss them in the Zone. But the really weird thing was the amulet pendant thingy my parents had-"
"Mister Fenton!" Lancer barked, making Danny jump in the air before spinning around to face the older man, "Would you like to share something with the class? Or perhaps explain to me fate's role in Oedipus' life?" Blushing with embarrassment, Danny stuttered for a moment before realizing that since he had actually read the book he could indeed answer,
"Well, um," He began, wilting under the hard stare being directed at him, "There was this prophecy thing that said the king's son was gonna kill him, so he tried to kill Oedipus," Lancer sighed as Danny mispronounced the name, correcting him before motioning for him to continue, "But his mom sent him away so he was raised by farmers or something. And one day when he was walking to the city he passed this dude that harassed him and got into a fight and killed him because he didn't know it was his real dad. So he goes to the city he was actually born in and manages to become king and marry the queen, who he doesn't know is his mother," At this some of the people who had failed to do the assignment scrunched up their faces in disgust, "And has some kids," A small chorus of 'eww' spread through the classroom and quite a few people mimed gagging before Lancer got them to shut up. "But then-" Once again Lancer sighed, although this time a hint of a smile was tugging at his lips,
"I see you are acquainted with the story Mr. Fenton, but if you would kindly pay attention for the rest of the period I would be much obliged." Blushing again, Danny nodded his head and mumbled a 'Yes sir,' under his breath, sinking down into his seat and picking up his notebook.
The rest of the period passed quietly, with the trio passing notes and occasionally writing down what Mr. Lancer was speaking about, trying to stay under the radar of the teacher to avoid any possible detentions. After explaining what he had discovered and his planned trip to the realm of the Far Frozen, the three degenerated into everyday chatter about the newest update for Doom, plans for a movie night the next weekend, and ideas for things to do the next summer.
When the bell rang, they packed up their belongings and said farewell, English being the only class the three shared that day. And as Sam headed off to History, Tucker pulled Danny aside,
"Dude, did you hear what Tetslaff has planned for today? Dodge ball," Danny groaned, slumping against a nearby locker,
"We're gonna get our butts kicked! Besides Mikey and Nathan, we're the weakest targets in the gym!" Tucker patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"Don't worry, with all of that ghost hunting we do we should at least be able to decently dodge a red rubber ball. And your aim has improved, sort of."
At the last comment, Danny stuck out his tongue and muttered, "My aim has totally improved."
Tucker smirked, "With ectoblasts. When was the last time you threw a ball and actually managed to hit something?"
Looking slightly defeated, Danny spoke up again, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on, if we're late we'll have it even worse." As the duo jogged off towards their imminent demise, they failed to notice the confused eyes following them from inside the locker they had been leaning against.
Glad that being stuffed in a locker had at least saved him from being pummeled in gym, Mikey stared through the slits in the door at the retreating backs of Danny and Tucker, wondering what in the world the two had been talking about. Since when did they hunt ghosts?
BAM! As yet another nerd was bowled over by a well-aimed shot from Dash and a few of his teammates, Danny and Tucker shared a worried glance.
"It's a war zone!" Tucker yelled, pretending to have a heart attack and swaying on his feet, "We're all gonna die!"
Danny reached over and smacked him, laughing all the while, "Whatever dude, we can totally make it through this with minimal bruising."
"Yeah," Tucker agreed, "At least we'll be better off than Nathan." At this, both boys spared a glance for the cubby nerd at the back of the court trying to avoid everything and everyone as best he could, a large red spot on his forehead from one of Dash's throws.
"Speaking of Nathan," Danny started, "He's had it unusually rough today. With our incredible skills – duck!" He paused to yell, shoving Tucker out of the way as a ball whistled past their heads and nicked Nathan in the shoulder, forcing him to run another lap, "And with Mikey's absence, he's the new main target."
Tucker nodded sagely, nodding his head slightly, "Sucks to be him right now,"
Rolling his eyes, Danny snorted, "No duh Captain Obvious." Seeing a relatively slow ball sailing in their direction, Danny moved to catch it, succeeding for once although he ended up tripping as soon as he grabbed it. Ignoring Tucker's laughs, he looked around for someone to hand it to, knowing that if he threw it, it would most likely land nowhere near his target and be moving way to fast to avoid suspicion. Ever since his powers had slowly begun leaking into his human form he'd had some trouble controlling things like his strength. As he spotted someone he was on friendly terms with, he called out their name and lightly tossed them the ball, wincing as they had to take a step back when it hit them.
"Sorry!" He yelled before turning back to Tucker, "So what were you-" A large red ball smacking into the side of his face interrupted his question and as he fell over he heard Dash's obnoxious laugh ringing in his ears from across the gym.
"Hey, Fentonio!" He taunted, waving another ball around as Danny ran his lap, "This one's for your geek friend!"
Now Danny was a very protective person, which was one of the factors that led to him becoming a hero in the first place, and while he was fine with being taunted and ridiculed himself, no onetouched his friends or family if he could help it. Dealing with Dash was hard enough, but when he blatantly threatened Tucker…influenced by his anger and seeming inability to do anything, Danny's powers flared up. One of the balls by Dash's feet faintly glowed green for a moment before flying upwards and smacking Dash under his chin, knocking him over and making him bite his tongue hard enough to draw a bit of blood.
Surprised by this show of his developing telekinesis, Danny stopped running and made eye contact with an incredulous Tucker. As Dash yelled something about possessed balls, which earned him a few snickers from various people, Danny walked over to check if he was okay, guilt eating away at him. Dash may have deserved something for being an all-around jerk, but Danny was stronger than him in more ways than one and hurting him was only stooping to his level. The fact that it was unintentional was of little consequence in Danny's mind, and he frowned, deciding to focus on this power as much as he could since at the moment it was uncontrolled and rather dangerous.
"You okay Dash?" He asked, holding out his hand to help the bigger boy up only to be shoved out of the way as Dash glared at him.
"Like I need help from you Fenturd," He snarled, stalking off in another direction. Danny's irritation at being so rudely rejected manifested as Dash himself glowed and then stumbled forward as if something had violently tried to push him over. Danny took a step back as Dash looked around murderously, searching for whoever had done it.
This was too much. While he was glad this power was relatively weak, it was still too dangerous at the moment, so he turned to Tetslaff as she made her way across the court to see what the disturbance was,
"Um, Ms. Tetslaff? I feel sick; can I go to the nurse's office?" Grunting a yes, the teacher walked over to the ring of people surrounding Dash and started demanding to know why they had decided to take a vacation in the middle of her class.
Walking out of the gym, Danny didn't hear their frightened responses or see Tucker's confused face watching him leave.
After leaving Mrs. Norris's office with a few half-baked explanations about his stomach feeling better, Danny walked off towards the lunch room, his brow furrowed. He needed to find out how to control his powers, get a better grasp on them. Dash might not have been badly hurt today, but what about in the future? What if it was someone he cared about? His powers were only growing as the time passed, and while his control was improving as well, the power vastly outweighed it.
The other day he had accidentally frozen one of his sister's books solid when she had annoyed him with questions about his day, his friends, and his future. She had begun lecturing him on the importance of choosing a good college and good friends, but five minutes in Danny had snapped and slapped away the book she was trying to show him before stalking upstairs. Following after him, Jazz showed him the solidified mass of paper and asked him what had happened.
And two weeks ago when he had pulled Tucker out of the way of a locker door he had almost broken his arm.
It was getting to be too much, his friends and family were suffering and he had no idea of how to stop it. Asking Vlad for help was out of the question, the fruitloop would probably try to brainwash him or something, and with his parents trying to disintegrate his other half he couldn't exactly go to them for help. He felt like he had this huge burden placed on his shoulders, he felt like… Superman. He couldn't hug people, shake their hands, or even open doors without being careful how he did it so as not to hurt anyone or destroy any property. And while there were upsides, it was still hard on him.
Having his face suddenly collide with the wall made him lose this train of thought though, and Dash's voice in his ear only proved to aggravate his already riled up emotions.
"I might not have been able to nail Foley, Fentina," He whispered, venom coating his voice, "But no one's around, so your whiney hide is just ready for a beating." A few other members of the football team leaned against the surrounding lockers to act as lookouts and shields, but almost as soon as they did so the hallway lit up green and ghostly electricity arched through them. Surprised, Dash let Danny drop to the ground, and after deciding that the yells his teammates had let out would most likely attract an adult who would question their reason for being there, he sent a suspicious glance Danny's way and ran off with his buddies.
Rubbing his face sorely, Danny mulled over what had just happened. He didn't even know he had a ghost stinger, let alone that it could do that. He wasn't really worried about Dash and his friends since it had seemed more like a powerful static shock than actual electrocution, and the fact that he had been ganged up upon kind of overpowered his guilt. Without a second thought he continued on his way to the cafeteria, confident in the fact that Dash, or anyone on the football team for that matter, would be unable to link the odd occurrences to him.
As he pushed through one of the large doors to the lunch room, he joined the lunch line and absently looked around for his friends. Being on one of the lowest rungs of the social ladder, their lunch spot tended to move around a lot, people taking their seats and all. Sending a weak smile to the grumpy lunch lady, he grimaced a bit at the aged peas and slightly gray mashed potatoes she heaped onto his tray, avoiding the questionable meat altogether.
Having spotted Sam and Tucker standing near the doors that lead to the lawn, he hurried over to them.
"Hey guys," He smiled, "We sitting outside?" Sam gave him a look, rolling her eyes as she opened the doors and stepped outside,
"No, Danny, we're standing her because our feet were glued to the ground." Danny chucked as he followed her.
"Are you mocking my perfectly reasonable question?" He asked, only for her to turn around with a comically stricken face and reply,
"Who? Me? Why would I mock such a perfectly retarded question from my perfectly retarded friend?" Ignoring Tucker's fake gags and coughed 'Lovebirds!' The trio walked over to one of the large trees around the school and proceeded to stare at their food. Watching as Danny poked his peas with his fork, Tucker's face screwed up in disgust.
"Eww," He muttered, poking it himself and watching as it seemed to jiggle a bit, "That's so gross. How can you eat this junk Sam?" Narrowing her eyes, Sam looked up at him.
"Eat what Tucker?"
Not noticing the deadly tone of her voice, Tucker continued, "This green…stuff." He finally said after inspecting Danny's tray, "I think it's alive."
"It's less alive than that gray sludge on your own tray Tucker, and no doubt healthier. It might be old, but at least it wasn't a living, breathing, thinking animal!"
Looking up, Tucker quickly retorted, "And what's wrong with eating animals, huh? They do it all the time." Seeing that both his friends were now riled up, Danny sighed. So much for a quiet lunch period.
"It's inhumane! Raising the poor creatures in cramped spaces with mush for food then slaughtering them in a mass exodus before they've had a chance to live their lives just so that pigs like you can gorge yourselves on their flesh is unacceptable!"
Tucker snorted, "That salad you're eating was once a living, breathing head of lettuce that was killed in a mass exodus just so you could avoid eating a cow that was killed in a mass exodus. By avoiding eating the cow you support the killing of billions of other living things!"
"Yes," Sam ground out, "But the lettuce wasn't sentient!"
"How do you know?" Tucker taunted, "When Undergrowth came and you were all zombie-fied you sure were convinced they were sentient, you said that they were familyon top of that, which means you're a cannibal and a murderer!"
"Yeah but those were ghost plants Tucker! They had teeth! I bet if they tried to eat you you'd feel less inclined to eat the poor animals your sludge is made out of since you were almost in the same position!"
"They did try to eat me!" Tucker retorted hotly, "So technically I was in the same position! And you know what?" He took a forkful of sludge and shoved it into his mouth, pulling a face as he swallowed it, "I feel fine about eating this!" After coughing a bit he added, "Sort of."
"Glutton!"
"Hypocrite!"
"Murderer!"
"Cannibal!"
Fed up with the repetitive argument, Danny finally yelled out, "Guys!"
Getting the attention of the arguing friends, Danny continued as an exasperated sigh slipped through his throat, "As much as I'd love to hear you guys call each other names, I'd like to pretend to eat my garbage in peace."
Still shooting each other looks, Sam and Tucker backed down, grumbling protests all the way.
Then, without warning, Danny tensed and shivered, looking around as his breath became visible. 'Really?' He thought crossly, 'Just when I'm about to eat… this garbage? Eh, never mind, maybe I should be thankful...'
Giving up on eating, he ran to the nearest trash can and dumped the questionable contents of his tray in it before leaving his tray on the pile of other trays that had built up by the trash receptacle. As he ran to the boy's bathroom, he saw Dash and Co. stand up and move to follow him. 'Typical,' He thought, 'They just don't know when to give up.'
The minute he got into the bathroom, he locked himself in one of the stalls and whispered a quick, "I'm going ghost!"
Going ghost was like nothing a normal person ever had, or ever would, experience. It was dying and feeling so alive you wanted to burst at the same time, it was letting yourself go, letting yourself turn into this fantastic thing that felt so incredibly amazing you almost couldn't handle it. Rules didn't apply to you; gravity couldn't touch you, nothing in the world mattered but that one breathtaking moment when in a flash of light, you changed. You weren't a normal, geeky kid anymore, you were something special. Something important. And he felt it all every time he breathed those three words.
Invisibly phasing through the ceiling, Danny caught a glimpse of the football players bursting into the bathroom to look for him and smiled quietly to himself. 'Have fun finding me boys.' He thought as he sped through the sky looking for whatever had set off his ghost sense.
After searching for a good fifteen minutes Danny was getting irritated and feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. About to give up on the search (again), he shivered and then heard the tell-tale thrum of a motorcycle… getting louder by the second?
Without another thought Danny released his ability to fly and freefell a good thirty feet before catching himself and looking up fast enough to see Johnny's cackling form zoom through the air where he had been seconds before. Frowning in annoyance, Danny immediately began searching the town for Johnny's Shadow. While Johnny was an irritating jerk, Shadow was malicious and destructive, putting people at risk as its bad luck destroyed everything it touched.
Spotting the dark specter by the theater, Danny dove straight for it and released an ectoblast that exploded on contact and sent the creature into the street screeching in pain. Gathering itself it glared at him, red eyes glowing angrily, before sinking through the street and causing it to cave in. Danny facepalmed, knowing that he would be blamed for the destruction later on; and seeing as how this was a fairly busy street the city council wouldn't be the only one pissed off at him.
Phasing through the street himself, Danny tried to use his ghost sense to locate Shadow but only ended up leaving himself open for an attack as it flew through a now crumbling sewer wall and tackled him, trying to claw at his face.
Being covered in raw sewage wasn't exactly on Danny's To Do List, and it only served to make him angrier, so when Shadow failed to claw his eyes out and changed tactics, trying to bite a chunk out of his face instead, he released a weak Ghostly Wail right in its face. Smacking into a wall, Shadow slumped to the ground, too dazed by the sonic attack to do more than hiss and try to steady itself.
Danny decided to not give it any time to recuperate and reached into the little pocked of space by his hip for the thermos he kept and sucked the now weakened ghost in, screwing the cap shut tightly and shaking it a bit in retribution for the attempted face mauling. Smelling himself and grimacing, Danny went intangible and watched as the sewer contents fell through him and back into the sluggish stream where it had come from. As he decided to go check out whatever visible damage Shadow had made before being caught, Danny remembered Johnny's attempt to flatten him and decided to go for a bit of revenge and get back at the biker.
It was then that Danny encountered yet another odd event. Floating in the street with a ghost scanner was what seemed to be one of Walker's goons, albeit a weirdly dressed one. Instead of a shield and faceplate, it had a small glowing box and the aforementioned ghost scanner, and was turning in circles shaking its head and grumbling to itself.
"Darn scanner, of all the days to malfunction…"
When Danny cleared his throat the ghost looked up and smiled, relieved for some reason, "Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen a teen with a motorcycle fly by would you?"
Crossing his arms Danny looked the ghost up and down, "Maybe I have, maybe I haven't, who wants to know?"
Sighing, the ghost crossed its own arms and frowned. "His truancy officer. Now have you or haven't you seen him?"
Shocked showing plainly across his face, Danny nodded, "Uh, yeah." He finally said, "Guy tried to flatten me with his bike and sicced his Shadow on the town."
Nodding, the ghost spoke up, "Yeah, sounds like him alright. Speaking of his Shadow, have you seen it? It disappeared off my scanner and I have to find it too before I leave." Danny held out his thermos,
"It's in here."
The ghost smiled, "Well that's convenient. Mind releasing it?" Danny's eyebrows raised and he drew the thermos closer to himself,
"And why would I do that? I just caught the thing."
Giving Danny a patronizing look, the ghost shook the glowing box it held in front of Danny's face, "You didn't think you were the only one with a GCD did you?"
"A what?" Danny asked, confused at the unfamiliar term.
"A GCD," The ghost restated, "You know, a Ghost Containment Device?"
"Ohh," Danny said, "Um, okay. Here, hold on a minute." Shaking the device for a few seconds, he opened the lid and pressed the release button, letting the device spew a dizzy Shadow onto the pavement. Without wasting another moment, the unfamiliar ghost tossed the box at it and Danny watched in fascination as Shadow seemed to dissolve the moment the GCD touched it.
As the ghost held out its hand, Danny stared at it surprised, "You want to shake my hand?" His peculiar statement earned him an odd look, and blushing he reached out his own hand and shook the one offered. "Er, sorry, stupid question." Rubbing the back of his neck Danny smiled, "But I know where you might be able to find Johnny, follow me." As he took off into the sky, Danny turned to look at the ghost following him, "Hey, what's your name anyways?"
"Omar." The ghost yelled over the wind and Danny nodded,
"Well it was nice to meet you Omar." Turning invisible Danny touched down at the Elmerton High School and pointed at Johnny's flirting form. "He usually ends up over here since he knows I go to Casper and it's the nearest school with girls his age." Shaking his hand once more, Omar thanked him for his help and floated off towards Johnny, leaving Danny to take off towards his own school.
And speaking of his own school, Danny was positive he had just missed his entire lunch period and would be late if he didn't hurry up, so he sped up and changed back the moment he touched down in the bathroom, running towards his math class as fast as he could.
Sending him a small smile, Sam pointed to the seat she had saved for him and discreetly handed him a few things she had gotten for him from the vending machine, knowing he would probably be hungry.
With a grateful look he sat down and phased a pair of Poptarts out of her bag, trying to avoid making any noise. He had seen what Mr. Spalding did to the last kid to eat in his Algebra II class.
As he munched on the snacks, he thought about what he had seen that day. A truancy officer? For Johnny? And a ghost truancy officer nonetheless? It was ridiculous; Johnny was dead, therefore he didn't go to school, it was logic plain and simple.
His confusion must have showed, because the Sam reached over and poked him with her pencil, bringing him back to reality. Pulling out a piece of paper as he stuffed the last of the Poptart into his mouth he stole her pencil and wrote her a quick note explaining what had happened. She stared at it contemplatively for a moment, her lips pursed, before replying that there was probably more to the story and that they should investigate more. Having started on a candy bar, he nodded back.
The rest of the class passed quietly, Danny only needing to leave once to catch the Box Ghost. After a few passed notes, he and Sam seemed content to just take notes and doodle in their notebooks until Sam frowned. Writing a quick note to herself, she leaned back on her desk and stared at it pensively, biting her lip and staying like that for the last ten minutes or so of the period.
With the loud clanging of the bell in their ears, Danny and Sam entered the chaotic mess of the hallways. Deciding she had waited enough, she reached over and pulled him over to the lockers and out of the way of most of the students rushing by.
"Hey," She began, a determined look on her face, "When was the last time you saw Vlad?" Danny looked into the mass of students and grabbed her wrist, dragging her through them in order to reach his locker,
"Hmm? Oh I don't know… a week or two ago. Why?" He answered absentmindedly, opening his locker and getting what he needed for chemistry as he did so.
Sam let out a huff before continuing, "Doesn't that seem, I don't know, suspicious to you?" Having gathered what he needed Danny looked at her,
"Not really. I mean, I have more time to sleep and do homework without worrying about some evil plan he might have thought up. Kind of nice actually." He smiled, "Hey, maybe he finally got a cat!" Dodging the punch Sam aimed for his arm he barked out a laugh, "Got to head over to chemistry before Mr. Sanders gives me another detention, see you after school!" He shouted as he ran off, barely keeping hold of his books in the crowded halls.
Watching him disappear, Sam narrowed her eyes. He was so dumb sometimes, if it wasn't for her suspicious musings he would have had a lot more problems than usual. Deciding to do a little more research before she made any hasty decisions, Sam left for her psychology class and staying only long enough to get her flustered teacher to sign her a note excusing her to the nurse's office. As she set off down the hall, she grinned wickedly, fake cramps were always fun to pull on male teachers.
Making a quick call to her grandma when the nurse left for a moment, Sam was soon excused from school and picked up by their butler, who promptly dropped her off at the library. Entering it, she cracked her knuckles loudly, time to do a little research on dear old Vlad's latest activities.
Sitting in Mr. Sanders' class, Danny was off in his own world thinking when Sam's comment about Vlad worked its way into his head. Looking decidedly like Sam, he frowned a bit and leaned forward, staring past the teacher's head as he thought more about what she had said. 'When was the last time you saw Vlad?' When was the last time he had seen the old fruitloop? Things had been oddly quiet as of late and in his relief at the decrease in attacks, he had overlooked what that might have meant. Was he planning an invasion or something? Maybe another overly complicated plot to kill his father? Knowing Vlad, any assumptions they made would probably way off until they did some formal research.
Paying attention only long enough to jot down a few notes about electron configuration and orbitals, he unceremoniously dumped most of the small lab planned for the day on his unlucky partner and sat back, ignoring his irate classmate's angry looks as he began writing down any ideas he had about Vlad. After handing his partner what little work he had managed, he ran from the class, dodging students coming at him with practiced ease.
As he approached his locker, he noticed Tucker leaning on it and staring intently at it, typing furiously on the tiny keypad of his blackberry. Shoving his friend over playfully, he opened his locker and began shoving books into his backpack.
"So where's Sam? She usually gets here before you."
Tucker finally looked up, a large smile plastered on his face, "Hey, you know that Andy girl? She didn't say no to the dance!"
Danny turned and rolled his eyes, "Well what did she say?"
Lightly blushing, Tucker grinned sheepishly, "Er, she didn't say anything, she had to go. But," He said, interrupting his friend before anything could be said, "She didn't say no!" Danny laughed and slammed his locker shut with a bang,
"Way to go Tuck, you got a girl to delay saying no to you!"
This time Tucker was the one doing the shoving, "Hey! She could say yes!"
Danny snorted, "Yeah, as if. The day a girl agrees to go to a dance with you is the day I confess my undying love for socks. To Dash."
Tucker grinned, "You're on bro!" Fist-bumping, Danny looked around again, avoiding the aforementioned bully as he pushed some unlucky freshman into his locker.
"Anyways, where's Sam?" He said,
"Oh, she gave some bogus excuse to Ferguson about cramps and had her butler pick her up from the nurse's office. Went to the library to check out something about Vlad."
There's Sam for you, Danny thought, Always on top of any problem.
"Yeah, she talked about it to me after math. Come on, the library's like six blocks from here, we better get walking."
"Man!" Tucker whined, "Why can't we tell her to send her butler over?" Danny sent him a knowing look,
"Yeah, like Sam would waste gas on that."
"Oh alright," Tucker muttered dejectedly, trudging alone behind his friend, "Why doesn't she have a phone anyways? We have to e-mail her everything."
Pulling Tucker along as they jay-walked across the road, Danny replied, "Something about them being wasteful and bad for the environment. It's not like they're going stop making them just cause she doesn't buy one, I don't get what she thinks she can achieve with this. Oh well," He shrugged, "Her decision. Although it does make communicating a pain."
Spending the rest of the walk talking about everyday things, the boys soon arrived at the library, where a determined Sam waited for them with a notebook full of information.
"Guys!" She said, her voice laced with exasperation, "What took you so long? I swear you two are some of the slowest people I know!"
"Yeah, yeah," Tucker griped as the trio made their way to the back of the library to put their things down, "Little Miss Fitness doesn't like all the lazy people." He looked up, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes, "Lazy people with cell phones!" Whipping out his small phone, he waved it in her face tauntingly, "Ooh, look! It's a direct affront to the environment! Look out Mother Nature, the tech's taking ove- ow!" Having tired of his small rant, Sam had taken the initiative and lightly kicked the boy on his shin.
"Shut up techno-geek. Us intelligent people have to talk."
Tucker fell onto a nearby swivel chair and spun around, a pout on his face, "I'm intelligent too!"
Sam reached over and patted his head condescendingly, "Sure you are." She said mockingly before turning to Danny, "Okay, back to business." Logging back into one of the public computers she pulled up several sites.
Danny groaned, "You mean we have to read online? I barely stand reading normally!"
Sam snorted, "Well printing wastes paper and kills trees, so I guess it's your lucky day. Okay," Turning to the screen which showed an article from a prominent news source she began reading a section out loud, "'As Mr. Masters misses yet another annual fundraising event, people have started to wonder where the reclusive billionaire has disappeared to. Having made several large donations in years passed and being a regular attendee, his continued absences have begun to raise questions.' This is what I mean!" She exclaimed, "Vlad neverdoes stuff like this! He dots all his i's and crosses all his t's, and missing something he's attended for almost two decades is definitely not in character!"
Danny leaned forward in the seat he had decided to sit in, resting his elbows on his knees, "Yeah," He agreed, "At first I didn't notice him missing since I was too busy catching up with schoolwork and sleep, but three weeks without any sort of contact? That's bizarre even for him." Spinning around in his chair, Tucker sounded his opinion,
"I don't mean to be a spoilsport or anything, but isn't this looking a gift-horse in the mouth?"
Sam and Danny rounded on him, "Of course not!" They said in unison before blushing lightly and looking away from each other.
Tucker rolled his eyes, "Oh come on guys, when was the last time Vlad disappeared like this?" The blush on Danny's face quickly disappeared and his eyes clouded with an emotion Sam couldn't place.
"When he made Danielle," He said, the light atmosphere around him disappearing, "And I don't want to give him a chance to do something like that again. He almost killed her and I won't let something like that happen to anyone else." A moment of thick silence passed before Tucker cleared his throat awkwardly,
"Er, then I guess we should keep checking him out…" Sam let out a small smile of relief before turning back to the computer.
"Yeah, and here," She changed screens, showing yet another creditable news website, "It says he hasn't attended any recent board meetings either, the other board members have begun to get restless and if he doesn't get a hold of the situation he might be having some serious issues within the company. Not that I think he deserves to stay in charge or anything, I mean, a new head might take the initiative and introduce more energy efficient and environmentally friendly ways to run the place. Have you seen the amount of paper wasted by big offices every day? It's unbelievable, a simple switch to electronic and-"
Cutting her off before she went full-on rant mode, Danny pointed to the screen, "Mhm, I totally agree. Now what's this?" Turning to look at what he had gestured to, Sam lost her train of thought,
"Oh, let me check." Giving Tucker a discreet high five behind her back Danny grinned for a moment before returning his attention to his other friend. "Hmm." She finally said, "Looks like it's just some random info about technology and the ghost zone that Vlad had published."
Tucker's interest seemed to have been piqued and he sat up a bit, "Well say more than 'some random info about technology and the ghost zone' Sam," He teased, "Some people here are interested in tech developments."
Sam rolled her eyes but obliged, clicking on the link, "Umm… just strengthening ghost shields by changing their frequency to a higher level. Something about it affecting ectoplasm more efficiently and how ambient Ghost Zone ectoplasm affects man-made technology."
A slight frown flitted across Tucker's face before he smiled widely, "Well, if you're done with your Google search some of us have real investigating to do."
Laughing, Sam backed away from the computer console with her hands up in the air, "Whatever you say Tuck, you're better with this stuff anyways." Tucker chuckled as he scooted closer to the computer,
"Well duh, it is my thing after all."
Sam smiled and moved Tucker's old seat closer to Danny's, "To see what he's doing better," She quickly explained when Danny raised a questioning eyebrow.
After fifteen minutes or so of what seemed like magic to Sam and Danny, Tucker made a small sound of triumph, "Got it!"
Danny, who had been poking Sam, looked up startled, "Got what?"
Peering over Tucker's shoulder he checked out what his friend had pulled up, "Private electric bills from Vlad's mansions?" He asked, confusion lacing his tone,
"Well," Tucker began explaining, "Everyone says Vlad's been missing from all of these social and business events, so logically he'd be home. But finding which one is the problem, thus the records. But," He raised a finger, "After checking them all out, they're all under the normal electricity use Vlad usually has when he visits. One has a bit more, but it indicates he's almost never home." Tucker turned to face Sam and Danny who scooted a bit farther apart, "So if dear old Vladdie's not home and not out on the town then… where is he?"
The group's brainstorming was interrupted by the loud ringing of Danny's phone, which made the group jump as well as getting the librarian to send them an angry look even though they were almost the only ones at the library.
Answering hurriedly, Danny put the phone to his ear, "Where are you?" A voice instantly said, not even bothering to greet him.
Danny rolled his eyes, relaxing as he did so, "Hey Jazz, nice to hear from you too." He drawled, "And I'm at the library." Almost hearing the joyful smile spreading across his sister's face, he got ready for another lecture.
"Oh Danny, that's so great! I'm glad you're finally using the resources available to you to help further your education. I was talking with mom and dad and they said your grades have been improving and I noticed you seem more awake during the day. I'm guessing that your, um, special thing has gotten better. Well, not that it's getting better, that you're dealing with it better. Speaking of which, as you get older and do it more does it get stronger or spread or both? I had a theory about that after hearing mom and dad talking about ectoplasmic energy stabilization and how-"
"Yeah Jazz, I get it. Any reason you called?" He said, interrupting her to save himself from dying of boredom.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, "Mom and dad want you home. Well, mom does, dad is still in the lab."
"Okay thanks Jazz," He said, packing whatever he'd taken out into his backpack, "I'll be home soon, bye. Love you." Hanging up, he turned to his friends, "Sorry guys, duty calls. I'll head home then check out that pendant thing my parents found then head to Frostbite's to…" Trailing off, he noticed their confused looks. "What?"
"Pendant thing?" Tucker asked, blinking in confusion.
"Yeah," Sam added, "What are you talking about?"
Danny smacked himself in the forehead, "Oh yeah!" He said, "Lancer interrupted me before I could tell you guys! My parents found this weird ghost amulet or something and it looks kinda suspicious so I took a picture and was gonna give it to Frostbite to find out what it was exactly."
A twin chorus of 'Ohhh' echoed from his friends and he smiled, "See you guys tomorrow then? I'm probably not going to get home until, like, nine." Sending them a mock salute he turned on his heel and left, questions about Vlad still running through his head.
LINE BREAK
Dinner was a quiet affair, with everyone in their own world. Jazz was reading some psychology book whose title he could barely even pronounce, his dad was tinkering with some sort of gadget, and his mom was writing something (no doubt about ghosts) into her notebook. As soon as everyone had finished eating and the kitchen had been cleaned, he told Jazz to cover for him and then left for his room and locked the door, transforming and dropping invisibly into the lab, knowing that his dad would be preoccupied with dessert for at least another half an hour. After grabbing a spare thermos and making sure he had the photo of the pendant, he shot into the Ghost Zone as fast as he could, headed straight for the Far Frozen.
Dodging a few ghosts that looked ready for a fight, the fifteen minute flight went by without a hitch and when he touched down on the windswept frozen ground he let out a sigh of contentment. Opening his core, he let the cryogenic ectoplasm of the landscape flow through and interact with his own energy, giving him a small energy boost as well as making him feel refreshed. Deciding to alert the inhabitants of his presence to avoid any attacks, he sent out a burst of frozen energy into the ground, feeling as it spread throughout the area until it faded from his senses, knowing the particular energy signature of it would tell them it was him.
A few moments later, a small group of yetis could be seen approaching on their hover vehicles in the distance. A smile splitting his face, Danny jogged towards them.
Jumping down from his technological chariot, Frostbite hurried towards him, wrapping him in a giant yeti hug that left him breathless.
"Great One!" He boomed, looking overjoyed, "I rode over as soon as I felt your signature! Your arrival is a joyous occasion for us all, as we speak a feast is being prepared!" Finally letting Danny fall, Frostbite stepped back and appraised him. "You have grown since we last saw each other, Great One."
"Yeah I guess," Danny said, ducking his head bashfully, "But, um, I came here to have something checked out and might not be able to stay for the, er, feast."
Frostbite's grin never wavered, his voice just as buoyant as before, "All is well Great One, for your very visit warrants a celebration! Even if you leave for your home world we will be overjoyed!"
Glad his leaving wouldn't cause any hard feelings, Danny pulled out the picture, "Oh, hey, this is why I came." Handing it over, he continued, "I found it in my parent's lab this morning and was wondering if you knew what it was.
Frostbite stilled and looked at the picture intently, "Forgive me Great One, but I am unfamiliar with this relic. Perhaps we should visit the library archives, it is very possible that they may contain information on what it is." Handing it over to a nodding Danny who pocketed it quickly, he then grabbed him and lightly tossed him into one of the hover vehicles, "Come, we may search now!"
As the vehicles shot off, Danny quickly grabbed a railing to keep from falling and laughed, "Whatever you say Frostbite!" He yelled over the wind, this was going to be fun.
LINE BREAK
Now it must be understood that while Danny adored the yetis of the Far Frozen and they adored him back, he had had little time to visit. Whether he was catching rogue ghosts or catching up with homework, he had little time to socialize with the denizens of the Zone that he was on friendly terms with, so overall he had only been able to come to this icy land a handful of times before. Therefore, when he arrived in the vast archive of the yetis, he was astounded. This was another part of their city he had not been able to explore, and even though he wasn't much of a reader he still wished he'd been able to see it on his other visits.
Vast shelves of books easily fifty feet tall seemed to stretch on forever, their blue glasslike surfaces shining in the light of the glowing blue crystals embedded in the ceiling. The walls were a dark gray stone with elegant carvings, with columns of the same material interspersed throughout the area, giving the area a cool and composed atmosphere.
Noticing Danny's awestruck face, Frostbite chucked, "Yes, this library is the result of many centuries of research, collecting, and discoveries. It is one of the most extensive in the Ghost Zone and only grows with each decade. In fact, the Ghost Writer is a frequent visitor although he detests the climate." At the mention of the Ghost Writer Danny paused, was the Ghost Writer an adversary or an ally? After that whole Christmas fiasco he wasn't quite sure. He'd have to check that out sometime in the future.
"So how exactly to we find out anything about the pendant thingy in this," He gestured to vast array of books before them, " It goes on forever!"
Frostbite clapped Danny on the back, making him stumble slightly, "Why, we ask the Keeper of course! He and his apprentices know the place of every book in our care."
Danny gaped, "Every book? How is that even possible?"
A raspy voice answered from behind him and he spun around, seeing a thin yeti with milky yellow eyes standing hear the entrance they had just passed through, "When one has an affinity for knowledge and spends much time here, the Library has a tendency to share parts of itself with them."
"Ah, yes, this is Irfan. Irfan, this-" The wizened yeti cut off his leader gently,
"The Great One, I know." He stretched out a hand, "It is a pleasure to finally meet the one who saved our homes."
A bit embarrassed, Danny shook the other ghost's hand, "It's nice to meet you too, Irfan, this place is, it's…" He trailed off, searching for a word to properly describe the warehouse of knowledge in front of them.
"A wonderful place welcome to any ghost who wishes to enter and learn." Irfan supplied, a small smile on his furry face, "Feel free to visit whenever you please." With that, the elderly ghost turned and walked silently away, seemingly swallowed by the shelves.
Frostbite smiled, "Irfan has lived within this library since I was created and has rarely been known to leave its confines. Come, his apprentice, Talib, will help us with our search." Turning to his left, the large yeti motioned to an elaborate desk made of the same smooth ice as the shelves, "That is the post of the Keeper and their apprentices, Talib will be near." Walking up to the beautiful desk, Frostbite drew a rune or some sorts onto its surface with ice, a few moments later a yeti in with yellow garments could be seen drifting towards them from another section in the library.
"Yes Frostbite? What is it you wish to know?"
Frostbite asked Danny for the picture, which he quickly handed over, "This," Said Frostbite, giving the picture to the other ghost, "Was found by the creators of the Great One, we wish to know its purpose."
Observing it casually, the other yeti went to sit at the desk, "Mmm…I shall see what I can do." Placing it face down on the surface of the desk and wiping away Frostbite's rune, the Talib closed his eyes. A few moments later when he opened then, they were glowing a bright yellow, the irises having disappeared, his body soon followed. "It is mentioned in several tomes in the Ancient Artifacts section, but the most comprehensive work on it can be found in the Mystic Arts and Biology area. I shall retrieve it." As the glow faded and he stood up and began to leave, he stopped and turned to Frostbite once more, "Oh, and Xue said she needed to speak to you about Isolde. It seemed urgent." Continuing on his way, he soon disappeared just as Irfan had.
Turning to Frostbite to ask about the desk, Danny noticed the frown creasing the ghost's usually happy face.
"What's wrong?" He asked, "Talib said he found the books."
Breaking his train of thought, Frostbite shook his head a bit and smiled, "Nothing Great One, I am very pleased we were successful. I simply need to speak with my daughter."
Danny's jaw dropped, "You have a daughter?" He choked out, surprise overtaking him.
Frostbite looked at him, surprise on his own face, "Why of course. Have you never been informed?"
Dumbly, Danny shook his head, "But, but how? You're, uh, a ghost."
A look of understanding crossed Frostbite's face, "Great One, ghosts are energy beings. When two ghosts merge pieces of their cores together they have the ability to create a new ghost, a child. Given your origins, I should not have expected you to know this." Finally closing his jaws, Danny pulled himself together.
"Uh, do you have a son too?"
"No, another daughter. Adaeze." A loving smile appeared on his face, "She, Isolde, and my wife Eira are the loves of my afterlife." Still wrapping his mind around the idea that ghosts could have kids and family, Danny only let out a weak smile.
"That's great Frostbite, I'm glad you have someone to love." At that moment, Talib returned holding a thick volume that looked like it was made of some sort of leather whose faint yellow glow gave away its ghostly origin. Along its spine it read The Effect of Mystical Artifacts on the Core in elegant golden letters.
"Here is the book you requested." Handing it over, he sat back down at his desk, "Is that all?" Nodding and thanking him, Frostbite led Danny from the library and into a large dining hall with sounds of laughter and talking seeping through the doors.
"Is here where we will part? Must you leave for your home world now?" Frostbite asked.
Danny bit his lip and hugged the large book a bit tighter, "Well…I guess I could stay for a little bit…" He finally said, being swept up and pushed into the hall with a loud 'Wonderful!' from Frostbite as soon as the words left his mouth.
Everything got quiet for a moment while Frostbite announced Danny's arrival to the crowd of yetis and Danny waved awkwardly, an embarrassed blush creeping up his neck onto his face, but as soon as the introductions were over and he was led to Frostbite's table conversation resumed. As he neared the gilded stone table, Danny got his first look at Frostbite's family.
Unlike their male counterparts female yeti's tended to be just as large as male ones but much slimmer, with smaller horns and slightly more delicate features. However, their claws were just as sharp and their powers just as versatile, making them equally dangerous when situations occurred, having traded strength for speed.
Of the three ghosts in front of him, only one seemed to fit into that category. Even sitting, she was taller, and unlike the two sitting by her she has that thin, lithe look of an athlete, and the glint in her eyes suggested she would gladly partake in a fight if she so pleased. All in all, she looked nothing like Frostbite. The other two looked softer, sweeter, and altogether more pleasant to be around. He sat by them before Frostbite could put him next to the Xena the Warrior Princess. As they settled in and Danny was served a dish of glowing food, one of the softer looking females cleared her throat.
"Frostbite, who is our guest?" Judging by her more elaborate gold crown, Danny guessed she was Frostbite's mate.
"Forgive me Eira," He said, putting down a goblet he had been about to drink from, "For I forget not all have met Daniel," At the name, Danny cringed, although it did sound better coming from Frostbite's mouth than Vlad's. "The Great One."
Hearing the title, Eira turned and gave Danny a warm smile, "Welcome to the Far Frozen Great One, our home is always open to you and your kin."
"Thank you Eira," Danny said, "Your offer is appreciated." Turning to the other soft looking one, Frostbite spoke again.
"This is Adaeze, my youngest. She takes after her mother in almost every aspect."
A polite nod and small smile were directed to him from Adaeze before Frostbite let go and clapped his hand on the taller yeti's shoulder, "And this is Isolde, our first daughter, the heir to our throne should anything happen to us. A warrior in spirit and body, she is a worthy opponent."
Turning a critical eye to him, she spoke up, "You do not seem very great to me. Have you any skills with a blade?" A short gasp came from his right and a sharp 'Isolde!' from Eira sounded out. Frostbite's smile grew a bit weary,
"Isolde, mind your manners. I taught him myself when he first came."
She sniffed, "Very well. Mother, Father, I told Pyry and Gwyneira I would visit them. May I leave?"
Sighing Frostbite waved her away with a 'Very well, enjoy yourself.' After she had gone, Adaeze leaned over to her mother and whispered something quietly before receiving a nod and turning to Danny.
"Is it true you live in the human world Great One?" She asked timidly. Hearing the title from the adults was almost bearable, but when someone who looked his age said it, Danny just felt plain embarrassed.
"Please, call me Danny." He said with a smile, "And yeah, I do. I'm half human after all, I can't be in the Ghost Zone 24/7. I have school to go to and friends to be with." A curious glint entered Adaeze's eyes and she leaned forward a bit, losing some of her shyness.
"Half human? Such things are rare since humans have no core energy to share and ghosts share no other means of reproduction."
Finally having something to talk about, Danny answered quickly, "Oh, I wasn't born like this. I was killed, er, half killed, in an accident in my parents' lab. I turned the ghost portal on when I was inside and…" Making a face, he laughed a bit, "Well, it wasn't the most pleasant of things to go through."
"Human electricity mixing with the ambient ectoplasmic energy of the Ghost Zone and perhaps a nearby coagulation of inactive ectoplasm to bond with might have caused your molecular change. You were extremely lucky to have survived." She said, pausing before she continued, "And if you go to school, why had Isolde never spoken to me of you? Surely knowing of your power she would have at least shared something."
Danny looked at her oddly, "Uh, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if Isolde was going to my school. She's kinda hard to miss. My parents would have had a blast chasing her around and trying to catch her."
This time Adaeze was confused, and she leaned back a bit. "Your parents? Why would your human parents be attacking a student at Anima Vesna?"
"Anima what now?" Danny said, "I go to Casper High."
Frowning, Adaeze turned to Frostbite, "Father, is there another school I was not informed of?"
Frostbite put a large hand on her shoulder, "Dear, the Great One does not attend school in the Zone, his place is in the human world."
Adaeze looked shocked, "But father!" She exclaimed, "How will he learn the full extent of his abilities or his physiology? How will he learn about the Ghost Zone or its leadership?" She turned to Danny, an appalled look on her face, "Do you know anything important?"
"Wait, what?" Danny almost yelled, "What are you talking about? There's a school for ghosts? Is that why a truancy officer was after Johnny this morning?"
Adaeze looked at him disapprovingly, "Do you mean Johnny 13? My sister speaks lowly of him. He seems to think education and knowledge are worthless. All he does is sleep and spend time with his girlfriend Kitty. When I attend this year I will see for myself the level of his incompetence."
"Uh, yeah," Danny managed, "He's always trying to wreck Amity Park or hook up with human girls. Kitty gets pretty mad when he does that. But back to the ghost school," He looked at Frostbite, "What are you guys talking about?"
Eira interrupted him softly, "The Anima Vesna School for Ghosts has been around for millennia, teaching young and newly formed ghosts about themselves, their abilities, and their surroundings. In fact, we have two teachers present now." Calling out to a nearby yeti, she whispered something to them and they scurried off. "Do not worry, they will arrive shortly." A few seconds later, two yetis approached. "Xue, Yukiko." She greeted sweetly, gesturing to Danny, "This is Daniel, the Great One. He wishes to know more about Anima Vesna."
The male and female yetis looked at him before the female spoke up, "Great One, I am Xue and this is Yukiko. You wish to learn more?" When Danny nodded she motioned for him to stand up, "Come with us, we will be able to explain better in a quieter environment."
The following hour was filled with explanations of classes, descriptions of the school, and anything Danny thought to ask. In the end, his head was spinning.
"Do you wish to attend? Your position as well as your status as a newly formed ghost grants you access to the school." Yukiko said, his low voice seeming to stabilize Danny.
"Wait, it hasn't started?" The male ghost shook his head,
"Yes, but it has only been in session for a week or so, you would not have missed anything that could not be quickly retaught."
Danny scratched the back of his neck, "Uh, do you think I could see it? You know, to know what I might be getting into?" Xue and Yukiko shared a look before Xue said something,
"I do not see why not. There are students still there doing classwork or using the power training room." She stood up, "Do you wish to ask Frostbite to accompany us to the school?"
Nodding quietly Danny stood as well, "Would now be okay?" He checked his watch and paled a bit, "I'm kind of past curfew right now." Agreeing, the three left for the dining hall.
Frostbite readily agreed and sent for three yeti's to prepare the hover vehicles. After reaching the end of the snowy terrain, Frostbite, Xue, Yukiko, and Danny dismounted, motioning for the three drivers to leave.
"Come, the vehicles will not work outside of our realm. The rest of the trip will be on our shoulders. You will have to excuse our slowness," He apologized in advance, "We are creatures of the cold, not spirits of the air."
"It's fine," Danny said, a small smile on his face, "Let's go." The flight, which only would have taken Danny around ten minutes, ended up being around forty-five, but when they arrived Danny decided it was worth it. Unlike Casper, which looked old and worn after the years, Anima Vesna seemed…fresh, futuristic almost. Made of shining glass and white stone interspersed with a rainbow of glowing veins, it was beautiful. The two huge glass doors swung open in front of him and Danny drifted into the building, awe clearly evident on his face.
Behind him, the three adult Yeti's grinned, "Come," Xue said, "We will give you a tour." With glass desks, locker-like cubbies built into the walls of the halls, and a dining area, it wasn't that different from Casper. Until Danny saw the training room. Taking up most of the space in the school, it was a large white room with obstacles around the edges, padded floors, and a high, smooth ceiling. Several odd metal and glass chambers were placed in a circle in the center and Danny floated over to them unconsciously.
"Woah…" He breathed, "This is so amazing…"
Yukiko chuckled, "Yes, it is the only school in the Zone and therefore must be as advanced as possible. It is getting late in the human world, is it not? Surely you must leave."
Danny smacked himself in the forehead, "Oh yeah! I'm so dead!" Seeing the odd looks from the ghosts he quickly corrected himself, "Er, in trouble. I'm in a lot of trouble."
Frostbite nodded his head, "Then it is time for you to leave Great One, let us escort you." As they passed through the school Danny looked in as many classrooms as he could, but upon reaching the Ghostly Physiology room, he almost wished he hadn't. Sitting at a desk reading through what looked like a textbook intently was Dani. Pressing his hands up against the glass window in the door, Danny watched her for a moment,
"Dani…" He whispered under his breath, an unidentifiable emotion passing across his face. Turning invisible when she looked up sharply and looked around, he backed up and flew after Frostbite, Xue, and Yukiko, spending the rest of the short trip in pensive silence.
Thanking them again, he flew home as fast as he could and shot up to his room as soon as he got home, wincing when the clock read 3:18 a.m. Tomorrow would not be fun.
LINE BREAK
At lunch, Danny ambushed Sam and Tucker.
"Guys," He whispered, an almost frantic tone in his voice, "Outside now." Sharing a worried look but complying, the two followed him out.
When he was sure they were alone, Danny raised his voice a bit, "Guys, there's a school for ghosts! And Frostbite has kids! And Dani is going to the ghost school!" Shocked silence met his outburst.
Sam blinked her eyes owlishly, "Want to run that by us again?"
Danny let out a frustrated sound, "When I went to Frostbite's, I found out he has kids, and that there's this school for ghosts, and when I was leaving I saw Dani! Oh," He added, "And they want me to attend."
"Okay," Tucker finally said, "Processing the first part, but what? How are you going to attend ghost school and normal school at the same time?"
Danny bit his lip, "I don't know, but the offer seems almost too good to be true. A school where I can learn to control my powers? No more outbursts, no more dangerous accidents…" He shot a look at Tucker, not having shared the dodgeball incident with Sam.
Sam put a hand on his knee, "This sounds great and all, I mean, we'd help you with your normal homework and stuff for normal school, but how are you going to manage to get to both classes? And what are you going to tell your parents?"
Danny looked nervous, "Well, it starts at like 1:45 our time and ends at like 5:00, so I wouldn't be missing much of either if I skipped out a bit from both…and if I say I'm with you guys I don't have to tell anything to my parents." Sam still looked apprehensive but slowly nodded,
"I guess if you think you can manage…" Tucker clapped his hand on Danny's back.
"Go for it if you want to man, we got your back." Danny brightened up for a minute,
"Oh! And me and Frostbite managed to find something out about that thing my parents had!" Sam and Tucker perked up a bit at that.
"What did you find out?" Sam, asked.
Danny smiled sheepishly, "Uh, I don't know." He pulled the book out of his backpack, "It's in a book and I don't really want to read it all so…"
Sam rolled her eyes and grabbed it, "I'm on it."
Okay guys, this was all written in like 6 or so days, it's rough, it's tough, it hasn't been edited yet,
but I really hope you all like it enough to review since reviews keep me going, haha. :)
Beta: The Rose Blue Prince. (Note from Blue to you: This was fun to do, I can't wait for the next chapter! XD)