Hello everyone! Welcome back! I hope you like this 'episode' and if you do, please feel free to share it with others! There's an extended scene available at the Piper Cult Tumblr page, and don't forget to read Liz's diary entry (available at Liz's Tumblr page).
Love y'all!
What you want
Tucker shielded himself behind Danny as the swap-meet crowd screamed, running for shelter as cotton candy rained from the sky. Danny hiccuped, a blue vapor misting past his lips, indicating a ghost was nearby. The boy ducked under a table and with a flash of light, he transformed into a ghost.
"Who are you?" Danny demanded, floating up behind the ghost. She turned, a pleasant smile on her face.
"I am Desiree," She bowed slightly in Danny's direction. "What is your wish?" Danny blinked. "What? I don't have a wish."
Desiree narrowed her eyes suggestively. "Nothing your heart desires?" She reached out to stroke Danny's cheek. "No one?"
"Don't touch me!" He backed away, hands out to prevent the ghost from following him. Danny gasped as his hands began to glow green, an energy filling them. Desiree yelped as the energy launched from Danny's palms in a beam of light, sending her flying.
What the actual heck?
Tucker cheered for his friend below. "That was awesome, dude!" Danny landed in the now deserted field of cotton candy, staring down at his hands.
"I don't know what that was." He confessed.
"It's a new super power!" Tucker exclaimed.
"You think?"
"What else could it be?"
Danny shrugged, deciding not to voice his concerns that it was some sort of ghostly disease he had contracted.
Tucker grinned, ecstatic for his best friend."This is so cool!" He said as Danny returned to his human form. "I mean, what this is only the beginning? What if you keep unlocking new super powers! Quick; jump up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, then press B, A, and start!"
"Tucker, what-"
"It's a universal cheat code! It's appalling that you don't know that."
Danny just shook his head and laughed as the two headed towards school where they were meeting Sam to watch the football game.
Sam shivered next to Tucker, wrapping her blanket closer around her. "Why am I here?" She groaned bitterly, sneezing into her elbow.
"Because Danny's here." Tucker said pointedly. "And as his best friends we are obligated to show up to support him." The geek cheered over-enthusiastically as his friend appeared on the field, dressed in the Caspar High Raven mascot costume. He grinned, pulling his PDA out to take pictures, sending them to both Danny's parents and his sister.
Sam winced as the football team stampeded over Danny, the beak of the mascot falling off. The ghost boy dragged himself off field as the game started, watching as the Ravens, or more specifically Dash, took a beating from the other team.
"This is pathetic." Tucker commented as the opposing team scored yet again. "Our team is fading fast."
Sam coughed harshly to the side before standing. "So am I. I'm outta here- call me if anything interesting happens."
Tucker slumped down in his seat, pouting at having lost his companion. Who am I supposed to talk to now? He thought miserably. His eyes darted between the game and Danny and he shrugged.
"Tucker?" A sleepy voice answered his call.
"Do you know anything about football?" Tucker asked Star before even saying hello.
"Football? What-"
"Because I'd like to think I have a basic understanding of it, yet the team seems to have no clue what they're doing."
"I'm sorry- is something wrong?"
Tucker snorted. "Only if you call the massacre of the Caspar High Ravens 'wrong'."
Star sighed loudly. "What? Is Danny hurt? Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"This isn't code for being kidnapped or something?"
"No. I'm just bored and didn't have anyone else to talk to."
Star snickered sleepily. "Football, huh? Fill me in, Foley."
Danny yawned, shifting his position where he was sitting. The football players were huddled together, discussing their next play. If their previous performance was anything to go by, their efforts were futile. He was about to close his eyes and try to sneak in a quick nap when a familiar feeling welled in his chest, a blue mist appearing following a hiccup.
Immediately Danny snapped awake, eyes roaming the sky. The ghost from the swap meet was floating above the field, a green mist drifting down to the players below. Danny gasped as Dash changed, suddenly becoming the adolescent version of the Hulk.
Dash's height doubled, his muscles mass tripled, his skin turned green. His nails and teeth were long and sharp, his eyes red and beady.
"Looks like those high protein breakfasts are really paying off!" The announcer declared as Dash threw the ball down field, only to run and catch it again.
Danny cursed under his breath as he jogged over to were Tucker was sitting.
"I swear!" Tucker was saying. "Dash just passed the ball to himself!" He glanced up and covered the mouthpiece when he noticed Danny at his shoulder. "Dash is a beast!" He whispered to Danny before returning to his call with Star.
"You can't think that's natural!" Danny exclaimed, frowning as Tucker shushed him to pay attention to his phone call. "Who are you talking to?"
"Star." Tucker said simply. "She says that the green skin might be a sign that Dash-"
"Is a ghost?" Danny guessed. "Yeah, I kinda guessed that! Tucker, I need your help."
Tucker jumped to his feet, dropping his PDA in his excitement. "To kick some ghost ass?"
"In a sense..."
Tucker pumped a fist in the air. "I'm in!"
Danny phased out of the costume and shoved Tucker into it before grabbing the Fenton Thermos and securing it to his belt. Invisibly, Danny flew up to Dash; ghost energy was coming off the quarterback in waves. Hesitantly, Danny pushed his hand through Dash's helmet, praying that the pulsing mass he grabbed was the ghost energy, and not the blond's brain.
With a hiss, the ghost energy possessing Dash exited his body, dragging Danny as it darted away. Dash shrunk down to his original size, dazed and confused, just in time to get tackled by at least three players from the other team.
Danny yelped as the green spirit zipped around the football field, trailing Danny behind it. After a minute Danny was finally able to get a solid grip on the thing and tackled it to the ground behind the bleachers. He smirked as the spirit was sucked away by the thermos.
Forgetting about Tucker, Danny flew home, sneaking into the lab invisibly to send the spirit back to the ghost world. He smiled as the portal closed, sealing the ghost inside. He'd have to tell Star how he took down the team quarterback.
Satisfied with his work, Danny turned to fly away. As he floated backwards to watch the portal close, Danny drifted through an experiment he hadn't noticed. He felt a strange pulling sensation before finding himself face down on the floor.
"What just-" Danny gasped in surprise as he looked up to see himself floating above him. His ghost self, that is. The two stared at each other in shock for a moment before Danny's ghost form turned intangible, reentering human Danny.
"Who's there!" Jack called weakly, sneezing. "Somebody out there?" Danny's parents pulled back the makeshift door on their tent made of stitched together towels and sheets.
Danny hopped to his feet, mind still reeling from what just happened. "Am I interrupting something? That I hope I'm not?"
His mom sniffed, rubbing at her nose. "Your father and I are purifying ourselves of negative ghost energy."
Jack sneezed again, groaning miserably. "We've been trying to ritually expel any viral ghosts in our systems with the Fenton Ghost Catcher."
"That thing?" Danny pointed to the contraption he'd just fallen through. Giving it a closer look, it did look like a dream catcher.
Maddie nodded. "It's like an Indian dream catcher, except it expunges bad ghosts instead of bad dreams."
"All ghosts are bad ghosts." Jack mumbled.
Ignoring his father's comment, Danny suppressed the urge to laugh at his parents. "You could just have a regular cold." He pointed out. "It doesn't have to be a ghost cold."
His parents looked at him as if he had brought dishonor on him, his family, and his cow. "I remember when I was that naive." Jack said, returning to the tent with his wife.
Danny turned back to the Fenton Ghost Catcher once his parents had disappeared. He approached it tentatively, as if it were a wild animal that would attack him. He stuck his arm through, stifling a yelp when he saw the ghost of his arm leave his body. He yanked his arm back, cradling it to his chest, thankful that going back through had reversed the ghost catching process.
This one actually works. Danny thought, torn between pride for his parents and fear for what this could mean for him. I'm filing this one under; must avoid.
(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
"I feel like I'm gonna die," Sam groaned. "I hate being sick!"
"Hang in there," Danny encouraged as he held the movie theater door open for Tucker. "Want us to drop by and bring you anything?"
"No, no. I don't want to get you guys sick. Besides," Sam sneezed. "My parents are taking pretty good care of me. Enjoy the movie."
"She's really sick, huh?" Tucker asked as Danny hung up the phone.
"She must be if she's missing 'Dead teacher 4'."
"This time it's personal!"
As the two made their way to the ticket counter they passed a moving display for 'Sayonara Pussycat', the movie franchise that stole the hearts of teenage girls everywhere.
"I can't wait to see the new Sayonara Pussycat movie!" Bridget gushed to her friend.
"Omigod, I know! I can hardly stand it!"
Paulina sauntered up to the display, taking a selfie with the animatronic cat. "Sayonara Pussycat is so cute!" She sighed dramatically. "I wish I was that adorable and popular." Above Paulina, Desiree poked her head through the wall. "So you have wished it," Her green magic dissolved into sparkles as it descended on the teenager. "So shall it be."
The crowd waiting in line turned and gasped as pops of glitter appeared in the air.
"Everybody!" Paulina squealed in glee. "What do you think of me?" Pauling no longer looked like a normal teenager girl; she looked like a chibi anime version of herself. The eyes of everyone in the theater lit up in delight as they looked at Paulina.
"We love you!" The crowds declared adoringly.
"Look at me!" Pauling began to prance around. "I'm so cute, and cuddly, and ever so wonderful!"
"We agree!" The following raved, catching the attention of Danny and Tucker, who had been exploring a new game in the arcade. "We love you Paulina!"
Danny and Tucker shared a look. "Paulina?"
The overhead intercom system screeched to life, silencing the people. "Attention movie-goers!" An overly cheerful voice announced. "Amity Park cinema has officially declared today 'Happy Fabulous Paulina Day'!" Cheers broke out.
"I don't know what to say!" Paulina turned to her following, batting her over sized eyelashes. Suddenly she gasped, eyeing the Sayonara Pussycat display. "What squander my popularity here? I'm so adorable, I bet I could become Super Fairy Queen of all teenagerdom!" As her fans cheered, Paulina began to grow until she towered over the crowd below her.
"Tucker..." Danny turned to his best friend.
"Movie theater," Tucker was saying into his PDA. "You ever seen Sayonara Pussycat? No? Well come prepared- this character has brainwashed millions. Uh-huh. Nope. Ok, cool." Tucker hung up the phone, pulling the Fenton Thermos from his backpack. "Do what you gotta do man, Star's on her way. I'll get seats."
Danny grinned, grabbing the thermos and stepping behind the arcade game to go ghost. The crowd of movie-goers was too hypnotized by Paulina's cuteness to notice Danny swoop in and phase them both to the ally behind the theater.
"Hi!" Paulina beamed at Danny, not at all concerned that he had basically just kidnapped her. "I'm Paulina! I'm adorable, and swell, and full of big headed anime goodness!"
"Let's not forget humble," Danny muttered under his breath. He reached out to fish the ghost energy out of her head as he had with Dash, but before his hand could reach her, a beam of glowing green energy shot from his hand. Danny yelped in surprise, drawing his hand to his chest, eyes flying to anime Paulina in fear that he'd hurt her.
Danny sighed in relief when he saw that his crush wasn't hurt- the beam had actually knocked the ghostly energy out of her. It had taken the shape of Sayonara Pussycat and was twirling in the corner. "Isn't everything in the world sweet, and wonderful, and luscious, and fluffy, and-"
"And that's enough of that." Danny sucked the energy down the Fenton Thermos, floating to the floor to ensure that Paulina was okay. She was dazed, babbling about things being wonderful and fabulous, but she was fine.
I can't believe that worked! Danny thought excitedly as he flew off to find his friend. I can't wait to tell Tucker!
Danny entered the theater for 'Dead Teacher 4' only to find every seat taken, and Tucker nowhere in sight. Danny shoulder dropped a bit; had Tucker ditched him because of the ghosts? Dejected, Danny left the theater, pulling his phone out to call Tucker and find out what happened. The call went to voicemail.
Danny was starting to panic- what if something had happened to Tucker? Was he in trouble?
A chill crawled up Danny's spin and he hiccuped, blue mist wafting past his lips. Immediately on alert, Danny jumped to his feet, eyes scanning his surroundings for the ghost. A shadow in front of him moved from above- something was flying towards the roof.
Hiding himself behind a fake plant, Danny went ghost, flying invisibly to the roof.
"Ghost boy!" Danny relaxed as Star greeted him with a sarcastic salute.
"Danny," He corrected, coming to a rest in front of her.
"Where's this mind controlling cat I've been warned about."
Guilt nipped at the edge of Danny's mind- he hadn't thought to call Star and tell her he didn't need help.
"I… kinda already took care of it..."
"Good- I can't imagine how embarrassing it would have been for you to have to be rescued from a cat."
Danny couldn't help the smile that spread across his features.
"So if Hello Kitty's gone bye-bye," Star stretched her arms above her head. "Then why are you still here?"
"Tucker was here with me and-" He was cut off by loud screaming. He and Star looked towards the street, disbelief on both their faces.
"Is..." Star turned to Danny. "Was that a flying car?"
Danny groaned, taking off after the car and it's terrified driver, Star hot on his heels.
"Hey!" Danny yelled at the driver. "Slow down! You're going over the speed limit!" He glanced down. "And the height limit!"
The driver screamed louder and the car swerved.
"Don't scare him!" Star cried as the car pulled ahead of both her and Danny.
"Don't sweat this one, guys!" Tucker appeared out of nowhere, a look of determination on his face. "I got this one covered."
Danny almost relaxed until he realized who he'd just spoken with.
"What the hell!" Star exclaimed. "Is everyone in this town a ghost?"
Danny shook his head, speeding up to catch up with the car and his flying friend.
Tucker phased through the roof of the car, sitting himself in the passenger seat. "Chill dude," He gave the freaked out driver a cocky smile. "Tucker Phantom's on the case!"
"Tucker Phantom?" Danny poked his head through the back seat of the car. "What- how did you get ghost powers?"
Tucker shrugged. "Does it matter? Who cares?"
Star rapped her knuckles on his window, glaring dagger at the new ghost. "I do." She growled. "Get this car on the ground now."
"Killjoy..." Tucker muttered before reaching across the car and turning the wheel.
"Tucker!" Danny gasped in horror, lunging forward to grab the wheel. "We're too young to drive!"
The two wrestled for the wheel while the driver screamed, looking desperately out the window at Star, who gave him comforting and apologetic looks between shouting threats to the boys.
"Let go of the wheel!" Danny demanded as the car lurched to the right. "This is serious!"
"You let go!" Tucker argued, the car drifting to the left.
"Both of you let go!" Star shouted through the window. The car swayed and Danny was thrown roughly into the back seat.
"See!" Tucker said in triumph. "I got this!" His gaze returned to the view in front of him and his heart stopped. They were about 5 seconds away from crashing into one of the business buildings in Downtown Amity Park.
Star grabbed the window and turned intangible; she closed her eyes in concentration and the car turned intangible as well, just in time to avoid smashing into the building. Once they were out the other side, the intangibility wore off and Danny grabbed the wheel again.
Tucker glared at the ghosts. "You just had to save the day!" He huffed.
Danny stared at him is disbelief. "Um, yeah? Last I checked a car smashing into the 28th floor or anything is bad!"
"You're just jealous!" Tucker snapped, trying to yank the steering wheel from Danny's grip.
"Guys!" Star tried to get their attention.
"Jealous of what?"
"There's someone else to grab the spotlight now!"
"Hallucinations!" The driver pleaded, pointing wildly out the windshield. "FOCUS!"
"When have I ever 'grabbed the spotlight'?" Danny asked, ignoring Star and the driver.
"Guys!" Star shouted more urgently.
"How about right now!" Tucker yelled in Danny's face.
The driver shrieked; Star looked back and forth frantically between the boys arguing at the wheel and the farmland that was before them. If the boys hadn't been arguing and just turned the damn wheel then they could have avoided the silo towering in front of them. They had no chance of avoiding it now.
"Dammit," Star cursed, flying in front of the car. The front bumper rammed into her chest, knocking the breath from her lungs.
The car crashed through the open window of the silo. Star caught her breath as the car sunk into the grain, turning it intangible; the car descended to the bottom of the silo, the door breaking open as the intangibility wore off. Grain spilled out around the vehicle; loose chicken sang praise to the heavens as they rushed over and began peaking at the seed. "Brah! There's a chicken on my head!" The driver said in a shaking voice before passing out face first into the seed.
"Tucker, this is stupid." Said Danny, digging himself out of the grain. "You're my best friend- I'm not jealous of you! I'm concerned!"
Tucker glared at Danny as he too popped up from the grain. "Don't be." Tucker growled. "This town's big enough for more than one ghost boy."
"Tuck, wait!" Danny called as Tucker turned to fly away. Tucker just glared at him before turning his back and zooming away. Danny's jaw dropped. "I can't go that fast… Is he getting more powerful?"
"Ghost boy," Star groaned, dragging herself out from underneath the car.
"Oh, God!" Danny raced over and helped pull her the rest of the way out. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry I didn't even think-"
Star held up a hand as she got to her feet, leaning heavily against the hood of the car. Danny's hands hovered near her shoulders, ready to catch her if she fell. After a few minutes of heavy breathing, she glared at the ghost boy.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She hissed.
Danny flinched at her harsh tone. "I-"
"Your little pissing contest almost got us killed!" Star snapped.
A million thoughts ran through Danny's mind, the prime one being, "I'm sorry."
Star's gazed softened and she sighed, wincing as she wrapped an arm around her abdomen.
Danny cursed. "Are you hurt?" He gently reached a hand towards the ghost girl. "Here, let me-" they both yelped as a green energy blast sprang from his palm, missing Star by and inch, charring the red paint on the car behind her.
Panicked, Danny drew his hands to his chest, staring at Star with wide, apologetic eyes. Cautiously, Star rested a hand on his arm. "You okay?"
"I didn't mean to do that!" said Danny. "I don't even know what that is!"
Star looked shocked. "Really?"
"No!" Danny gave Star a pleading look. "Do you know? It's some kind of ghost disease isn't it? Am I gonna die?"
Star gently took Danny's wrist, pulling until the were both seated on the ground. "It's not a disease." She said, faint amusement in her voice. "You won't die."
"What is it then?" Danny asked, his panic slowly ebbing away.
Star held her hand out between them, palm up. As Danny watched, a ball of purple energy collected in her palm, glowing for a minute before disappearing. "It's a ghost power."
Danny let out a shaky breath of relief before locking his gaze with the ghost girl. "How come I've never seen you use it before?"
"It… can be hard to control." Star said carefully, lowering her hand to rest on her crossed legs.
Danny nodded seriously. "So far, I've had no control of it."
"You'll get the hang of it. You just need practice."
Danny nodded. Star shifted position, breath hitching in her throat as her ribs throbbed. Danny leaned forward on her knees, green eyes glowing with concern. "What's wrong? Are you alright? Oh my God, did you break something?"
Star regarded the ghost boy in front of her, all wide eyes and innocent questions; she hadn't had anyone care so genuinely about her well being in longer than she could remember. Her instinct was to tell him to get off, leave her alone because of course she was alright, but instead she found herself admitting, "I think my ribs are bruised."
Danny's panicked stare told her that he had no idea if that was a serious injury or not. "Nothing broken." She clarified, letting him help her to her feet.
"You're sure?"
"Positive." She sighed and took in the mess around them; grain everywhere, chickens scattered, car on it's side and it's driver still passed out face down in the grain. They were lucky the farm owner hadn't come chasing after them with a shotgun.
"This is my fault," Danny said quietly.
"Don't beat yourself up about it." Star said. "It's done, right? What's the use in feeling bad about it now? Let's just clean it up as much as we can."
Danny nodded in agreement. There wasn't much they could do about the spilled grain- not without further disrupting some innocent farmers tools. It took their combined efforts to get the car back on four wheels. The keys were still in the ignition so Liz, much to Danny's displeasure, slowly drove the car down to the street, facing it back towards Amity Park. Danny slide the unconscious driver back into the driver's seat, buckling the seat belt with care.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Danny asked as he and Star took to the sky, squinting against the setting sun.
"With any luck he'll chalk it up as an acid trip." Star said with a puff of laughter. "He did think you and Tucker were hallucinations after all."
Danny snickered before growing quiet, thinking of his best friend.
"How do you think he got ghost powers?" Star asked, breaking the silence.
Danny dragged a tired hand over his face. "I've got no clue. My best guess is that he wished for it and-"
"Wished for it?"
Danny explained the appearance of Desiree to Star as they flew back to Amity park. By the time he was done, they were back at the movie theater, street lights illuminating the sidewalk.
"What should I do?" Danny asked helplessly, leaning back against a lamp post.
Star shrugged uselessly. "Talk to him? Maybe? He seems to have some repressed issues about you being a ghost. Were things different between you two before you..." She trailed off awkwardly, but Danny understood where she'd been heading.
"No… maybe. I don't know!" He groaned in frustration.
"Talk to him." Star repeated. "And if he's still being a pain in the ass after that, call me and I'll help." With that they went their separate ways, Danny heading home (way before curfew, to his parents surprise) to sleep, Star heading back to the city park she'd been calling home for over a week now.
(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
Mr. Lancer gasped in surprise as his belt unbuckled itself, freeing itself from his belt loops and falling to the floor. As he reached down to get it, the water fountain turned on full blast, splashing him in the face. "Gulliver's travels!" He cursed as his tie became untied. "I'm losing my mind!" Without his belt to keep them in place, his pants fell to the floor. "And my pants!
Tucker came back into view around the corner, covering his mouth with his hand so his laughter wasn't heard.
"Nice trick," Danny sniffed, walking up behind him. "Do you do kids parties?"
Tucker rolled his eyes. "Will you relax? I'm just having fun!" Tucker paused as he took sight of his best friend; pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, a slight flush to his skin that wasn't normally there. "Bro, you okay?"
Danny sniffed again and rubbed at his eyes. "I may be catching that cold that's going around." He confessed. "But that's not important right now! Tucker, we need to talk-"
"No need." Tucker interrupted. "You can keep that superhero junk to yourself. I'm in this for the kicks." He pretended to shoot Danny with finger guns.
Danny's shoulders drooped in disappointment. "Hate to do this to you," Danny said, gripping Tucker's shoulder.
Tucker cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "Do what? Hey!" Tucker cringed as Danny overshadowed him, phasing into his body. Tucker's eyes glowed red and with a roar he expelled Danny, sending the ghost boy flying into the janitors closet.
"Don't ever do that again." Tucker snarled, opening the door to see his friend scrambling to get out from under fallen cleaning equipment. "Get it?"
"Got it," Danny practically whimpered, shying away from the boy who most definitely was not acting like Tucker.
"Good!" Tucker slammed the door to the closet shut as he stalked away.
Danny pulled his phone from his pocket. "Star? I think I'm gonna need help."
The rest of the day was filled with reports of strange things happening; tubas filling with soda, lunch trays floating around the cafeteria. By the time Danny had his off-period, half the school had been terrorized in one way or another by the Casper High Poltergeist.
Danny was sitting under the shade of a tree when a familiar blue mist appeared. Danny turned to see Tucker sneak up behind Paulina and overshadow her.
Really? Have some class, Tuck.
"Danny!" Paulina's face smiled at him, but it was Tucker's voice coming from her mouth. "I was just gonna come find you!"
Danny stared back, unamused.
"I wanted to let you know I'm gonna start dating Tucker Foley! He's much cooler than you are, so, stop chasing me."
"Get out of there."
Paulina's eyes narrowed. "Why don't you make me?"
Danny rolled his eyes as he went ghost, joining Tucker in overshadowing Paulina.
"Tucker, you're scaring everyone at school," Paulina said, eyes glowing green as her body pitched to the right. "How about giving it a rest?"
"How 'bout getting off my back!" Tucker argued, turning Paulina's eyes teal and turning her body to the left. "What's wrong with letting me have a little bit of fun?"
Green eyes. "Your 'fun' is mean! Now get out of Paulina!"
Teal eyes. "I was here first! You go!"
"No, you!"
"You!" Paulina's eyes glowed brighter the angrier Tucker became. "Baba Zitta's genie gave me these powers- I'll use them how I want!"
Danny huffed, exiting Paulina. "Then I guess I need to have a talk with Baba Zitta!"
Luckily for Danny, the swap-meet had been extended for a week after the cotton candy incident. He found Baba Zitta's booth in the same back corner he remembered it being in. The old woman seemed over-enthusiastic to tell Danny the story of the gene Desiree.
Desiree had been a harem girl who fell in love with the sultan, and he with her. He promised her the one thing her heart desired most- a kingdom for the two of them to rule together. When the sultan's wife found out, she had Desiree captured and banished. The sultan was heartbroken and promised to find Desiree and marry her. The wife heard of her husband's plan to leave her for Desiree and had her brought back from banishment, only to have her put to death. After death, her spirit wandered, forced to grant everyone's deepest desires, at a great personal cost- she could never find love again.
Danny pulled his phone out as he walked away from Baba Zitta, calling Star. "I have an idea."
(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
Danny looked down at his watery reflection. "If you're trying to catch a wishing ghost," he repeated what he'd said to Star earlier. "What better place than a wishing well." Danny flipped a dime into the well (Stars idea- if pennies were good for one wish, then a dime would surely be worth more, thus catching the ghosts attention). He held his breath and waited. Nothing changed.
"Dammit." Danny sneezed and walked away from the well, pulling his phone out to tell Star that his plan had failed.
A man in a suit replaced Danny in front of the fountain, looking at the penny in his hand with disinterest. "I wish I had a million bucks." He said as he carelessly tossed the coin in the water.
Green smoke rose from the well, Desiree's sweet voice whispering, "So it is desired, so shall it be."
Danny spun around, snapping his phone shut mid-ring as his signature blue mist escaped his mouth. Going ghost, Danny yanked the man out of the cloud of smoke. "Not this time!" he snapped.
"You again?" The smoke collected together to form Desiree- a rather enraged Desiree at that. "You dare to interfere with my spell binding?"
"MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING!" The business man wailed, running away from the two ghosts as fast as he could.
"Listen, Desiree," Danny said, hoping he mimicked his dad's I-mean-business tone of voice. "I want you to take back Tucker's ghost powers now."
Desiree smirked. "I cannot- your desire cannot cancel out others. At noon tomorrow your friend's fate will be sealed!" She cackled, bringing her face closer to Danny's, red eyes narrowed. "His jealousy will have forever transformed him into a monster!"
"He's not that jealous!" Danny protested weakly. "Is he?"
"More than you know. Tomorrow all that jealousy and frustration will cement into rage and rebellion. He will be the embodiment of what jealousy does to a person!" Desiree squealed in excitement, flipping around to disappear.
Danny snatched her ghostly tail from the air, pulling back so she couldn't escape. "Change him back!"
Desiree looked at Danny's hand in disgust. "You dare lay a hand on me? No man may lay a hand on me unless I wish it!"
"Man?" Came a voice from behind. Desiree looked behind Danny to see Star hovering there. "Kid's barely hit puberty!"
"Hey!"
Star ignored Danny's protest, rushing forward and punching Desiree straight in the nose. Her head snapped back with enough force for Danny to let his grip in her tail go, scared her neck might break otherwise.
"You!" Desiree snarled, eyes blazing with rage as the landed on Star. Star took a step back, intimidated by the fury the single word held.
"Do you know her?" Danny whispered, backing up as well.
Star didn't get a chance to answer. Desiree's arm transformed into a lasso and with a cry she threw the rope. It caught Star around the waist; she gasped as the rope aggravating the bruises there. With a roar Desiree flicked her wrist, sending her pray crashing into a wooden park bench, snapping the wood to pieces.
"Star!" She didn't respond to Danny's call.
Desiree whipped around to face Danny, eyes flashing dangerously. "Stay back!" Danny demanded, extending his arms in front of him. Desiree yelped as the biggest blast of energy Danny had created sent her sprawling in the grass.
Danny flew towards her cautiously, trying to judge whether or not she was truly down. Desiree's head snapped up when Danny was close enough, a deranged smile on her lips. With a laugh her hand began to enlarge, her nails elongating into talons. When her hand was bigger than Danny she gripped him tight, slamming him to the ground with a thud.
Danny struggled to breathe as the wind was knocked out of him, Desiree's grip too tight to allow his lungs to properly expand and regain his breath.
"Can't… breathe!" He choked out, desperately pushing at Desiree's fingers in the hope that their grip would loosen. He realized with horror that he couldn't turn intangible to escape.
Desiree sneered down at the boy, tightening her hold on him. "You can't do anything unless I wish it!"
"Or I do!"
Black spots danced across Danny's vision as he turned his head to see Star glaring at the ghost, blood trickling down her face. "I wish you would let him go!"
Desiree's eyes widened in dismay as she realized what was happening. "No! I must obey!" She screeched as she released Danny. Danny took a deep breath, coughing as air rushed into his lungs.
Desiree turned, scowling at Star. "You cannot do this!"
Star smirked, keeping the ghosts attention on her. "I think we can."
Danny grabbed the Fenton Thermos from where it lay a few feet away, uncapping it and pointing it at Desiree. "I wish you would disappear inside this thermos!" he panted, still catching his breath.
Desiree screamed bloody murder as she was sucked away, promising to make both ghost children pay dearly for wronging her. Danny snapped the cap back on, collapsing on his back in the grass. Star sat down heavily next to him, grunting in pain.
"You okay?" Danny asked as his breathing began to normalize. Star hummed and gave him a thumbs up. "You're bleeding." Danny pointed out, turning on his side.
Absently, Star raised a hand to her face, feeling around until she found the source. "Splinter," she said and she pulled it from her cheek, flicking it aside. "How 'bout you? Everything good?"
"My chest hurts." Danny laid back down, letting his heavy eyes fall shut. "It hurts to breath."
Star exhaled heavily. "Me too. Try putting your arms above your head."
Danny cracked an eye to look at her questioningly.
"It'll open your lungs- help you breathe better." She explained.
Danny raised his arms above his head, lacing his fingers behind his head. Star was right, it did help him breath.
"What am I gonna do about Tuck?" He thought out loud. "If I don't figure out a plan by noon-"
"You'll figure out a plan." Star assured him.
"I'm out of ideas! I can't get close enough to him to pull his ghost out, I can't control these energy whatevers enough to be able to blast the ghost out of him, and he won't listen to me long enough to snap out of it!"
"Too bad that thermos can't suck the ghost out of him." Star mused.
Danny shot up, startling the girl next to him. "Star, you're a genius!"
She blinked. "The thermos can suck the ghost out of him?"
"What? No, no."
"Then why am I genius?"
Danny grabbed her arm, gently pulling her to her feet. "I'll show you!"
(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
"Are we breaking into someone's house?" Star asked as she hovered next to Danny outside an unknown building.
"No." Danny phased through his window, disengaging the ghost detection alarm. "Yes?" He opened the window for Star and she floated in uncertainty. "Maybe?"
Star crossed her arms once her feet touched the floor. "You just gave me every possible answer to that question." She looked around the room as Danny switched the light on. Clothes were strewn about the floor and sticking haphazardly out of dresser drawers. A basketball sat alone in the corner, surrounded by discarded homework.
"Whose room is this?" Star questioned, studying the NASA posters on the wall. She pointed to a model rocket hanging from the ceiling. "Who still builds those things?"
"I do." Danny said flatly. "This is my room."
A blush crept up Star's face as she scrambled to apologize. "It's nice! I like the, uh, wallpaper!"
"It's paint."
"Oh." She brushed her hair behind her ear awkwardly.
Danny looked around his room- it was pretty messy, so he couldn't blame her reaction. He just didn't have time to clean his room between high school and ghost fighting. His gaze fell longingly on his bed for a moment; all he wanted to do was take a hot shower and sleep for the next week and a half. His back ached from being slammed into the ground, his chest and lungs felt heavy, and it was becoming increasingly convinced that he was catching his parents cold.
For a moment, Danny felt the urge to revert back to his human form- it took energy to stay a ghost and his was in short supply. But then he thought of Star- she didn't know his secret. How would she react? She already treated him like he needed training wheels, if she found out he was half human she would probably try to stop him from fighting at all. Or hate him. She seemed fine with humans like Sam and Tucker, but that was because they were Danny's friends- would she want anything to do with him if she found out what a freak she was?
He needed to stay ghost anyways, if he was going to show her the ghost lab. The only way for him to get in now was to sneak in intangibly, lest the ghost alarms go off.
Danny wondered briefly if it was a good idea to bring Star- a ghost- into a ghost lab.
"So is your plan to lure Tucker here and win him over with the power of music?" Star asked, gesturing to Danny's impressive, if outdated, CD collection.
He smiled to himself. It was Star- he could trust her.
Danny opened his bedroom door quietly, peeking out and listening for his family. It wasn't late, only 6:30, but when his parents were sick they tended to turn in early. He and Jazz had finally convinced them that sleeping in a tent in the lab all day wouldn't make them any better, and was actually probably making them worse, so they had agreed to sleep in their room. They still insisted on 'purifying themselves' in the lab during the day, but Jacks snores told Danny that his parents wouldn't be a problem.
Danny pressed his ear against Jazz's door and heard her humming softly to herself, probably doing homework. Even if Danny did make noise, the most she would do was yell at him.
Even still, Danny avoided the stairs- his dad had been tinkering with the floorboards before he got sick, bragging about new ghost sensitive traps. Danny hadn't used the stairs since.
Instead he instructed Star to go intangible, guiding her to the lab as they sunk through the floors.
Star's jaw dropped when they entered the lab. "This… is this even legal?"
Danny snickered, waltzing over to the ghost portal to empty the thermos. "I'm pretty sure it is, yeah."
Star walked around, inspecting the technology and experiments around her. She scrunched up her nose at anything mentioning 'dissection'.
"What do you think?" Danny asked, realizing that while his parents work wasn't all that scary to him, it could be terrifying to the ghost girl.
"I think this is insane." She said, eyes still roaming. "This is where your handy dandy thermos came from, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Star's gaze turned serious. "Is this where… where it happened?"
Danny's gaze dropped.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that I just-"
"It's okay." Danny said, rolling his shoulders. "It happened here, yeah."
Before she could ask more questions Danny guided her to the Fenton Ghost Catcher. "It expunges bad ghosts." Danny said, quoting his father. Star took a few steps back. "If we can get Tucker here, then we can use this and separate his ghost half and his human half."
It may have been a trick of the light, but Danny could have sworn Star shivered.
"I'm guessing you have a plan to make that happen?"
Danny nodded. "We have to play with his ego- get him to chase us here."
Star clapped her hands together, still eyeing the Ghost Catcher uneasily. "Alright Ghost Boy, what do you need me to do?"
(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
Danny felt like crap the next day. He was still sore from his fight with Desiree, but he was also completely certain he was sick. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, his sinuses throbbed, and his throat felt like sandpaper. He dragged himself to the bathroom, swallowing as many anti-cold drugs as he could find before hoping a ride to school with Jazz.
The ten minute ride felt like an eternity as Jazz kept badgering Danny on how he felt, telling him that he looked terrible and should really be at home in bed. Nothing sounded better, but Danny was on the clock- he needed to lure Tuck to the ghost lab before noon.
Tucker wasn't in their 8:00 AM English class.
He wasn't in his 9:30 gym class.
Danny still couldn't find him at the start of his 11:00 science class. He started panicking when he hadn't found Tucker at 11:30.
Star was constantly texting Danny as he roamed the halls, searching for his best friend. At 11:35, she prepared to comfort the Ghost Boy on his loss.
Danny's pace was desperate as he jogged through the halls. He had 10 minutes to find Tucker and get him to the lab.
As he passed the room containing school records, he slowed. A pressure was building in his chest, but he wasn't sure if it was his body's ghost alarm, or a cough. A step closer to the room revealed it to be the former.
"Should've guessed." Danny muttered, going ghost and phasing through the locked door.
Tucker was sat in front of the computer, his school record pulled up on the screen. As he typed, his grades changed from D's and C's to A's.
"You're changing your grades?" Danny glared at Tucker. "That's cheating!"
With an exaggerated groan, Tucker spun his chair to face Danny. "For your information, Captain Buzzkill, I'm not cheating. I like to think of it as 'academic enrichment'." He spun back to face the computer. "Want me to change yours?"
The offer sparked hope in Danny. If Tucker was willing to cheat for him, then maybe he wasn't as far gone as Danny had thought.
"No, thanks." Danny softened his tone. "Tucker, you're in real danger," Tucker jumped from his seat as Danny reached for his shoulder, growling as his teeth turned to fangs. Danny froze as Tucker's skin turned green and blotchy, ears coming to sharp points, eyes glowing red.
"Take it easy," Danny said as calmly as he could, heart beating out of his chest. As slowly as he could he retracted his arm, holding his hands up in surrender. "We're friends, remember?"
Tucker scoffed, ghost energy igniting around him. "We were only friends on your terms! But now I make the rules around here!" His eyes narrowed. "And my first rule is: no more Danny Fenton!"
Tucker took a deep breath before blowing hard, the wind sending Danny flying across the hall to the opposite classroom. Danny cursed as he hit the chalk board with enough force to crack it.
"He's getting angrier!" Danny yelled into his phone as Star answered his call. "But I have his attention!"
"We have 8 minutes." Star warned.
Danny dropped his phone as Tucker entered the room, growling like a feral animal. "Tucker, listen to me!" Danny begged, once again holding his hands in surrender, trying to show Tucker he wasn't a threat. "There isn't much time!"
"You got that right." Tucker barked, an energy ball forming in his hands. "Your time is up!" Tucker launched his attack at Danny; the ghost boy darted around the room, narrowly avoided the blasts. A hanging light took a hit, it's wires frying and bulbs beginning to flicker.
Danny paused behind Tucker long enough to flip his hat off his head before running behind a lab bench for cover. Tucker stuffed his hat back on his head indignantly. Danny took the opportunity to launch a plastic skeleton at the geek. It passed through an intangible Tucker, shattering on impact with the wall.
"Ha!" Tucker stalked towards the bench Danny was hiding behind. "Is that the best you can do?"
Danny ducked down, pressing his back to the bench. He had 7 minutes.
Tucker had tried to kill him.
He needed to move- get Tucker to follow him.
Tucker had tried to kill him.
6 minutes left.
Tucker tried to kill me.
The thought raced through Danny's mind, repeating itself louder and louder. It's not Tucker. That's not Tucker. He reminded himself. His heart didn't slow down.
It's not Tucker. Danny thought again. At least, not completely. He might not have been the geek Danny called a best friend, but he was a teenager- and Danny knew all the best ways to get under this teenagers skin.
"Catch me if you can, Sucker Phantom!" Danny waved to Tucker as he phased through the floor.
"Tucker Phantom!" Tucker yelled, diving after Danny.
Danny paused as he entered the new room. "The girls locker room." He instantly recognized Sam's gym locker by the bat sticker on the door. He phased inside just as Tucker appeared.
"The girls locker room." Tucker glanced around. "It smells so nice in here!"
Danny pounded on the distracted ghost, pulling a bra over his eyes to blind him. He might have felt bad about it, but the bra was Sam's, which made it less awkward. Or did that make it more awkward?
Danny dragged the confused ghost to the gym next door, dunking him through the basket ball hoop. Tucker landed on the floor with a thunk, Sam's bra drifting down and landing on his head.
Danny glanced at the clock. "Ha! You got no game!" 5 minutes left.
Tucker stood with a roar. His skin deepened in shade as he became larger, his form resembling Beast Dash. Danny gulped as turned, speeding out of the building; Tucker rocketed after him, growling animalistically.
Tucker was gaining on Danny, mere inches away from being able to grab the punk and throttle him, when he was body tackled from the side.
"Who did that?" Tucker howled. Star hummed, waving to gain his attention. Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Where's Danny?" He demanded.
"Doing more important things." Star said passively. "He finally figured out that you really aren't worth his time. You aren't worth mine, either, but someone had to take care of you." She checked the time on her phone- 3 and half minutes. "What can I say? I drew the short straw."
Tucker lunged at her, enraged. She dodged him easily. "See? Like I said, not worth my time." She turned and took off, looking over her shoulder to make sure Tucker was following her. He was.
Danny paced the roof of Fenton works anxiously. They had a little less than 3 minutes left.
"Ghost boy!" Star landed next to him, short of breath.
"Where is he?" Danny asked, eyes scanning the sky. "He followed you, right?"
Before Star could answer, Tucker popped up behind them, his face inches away. "What the dizzle fizzle?"
Danny yelped as Tucker grabbed him, turning the both of them intangible, plunging them both into Fenton works.
Danny's mind reeled as the rooms of his house flashed past- Tucker was taking him to the ghost lab. Perfect.
"Oh, no!" He exclaimed with fake fear. "Don't throw me into the Ghost Zone! Please!"
Tucker's eyebrows drew together in confusion until he realized Danny was talking about the ghost portal. "I wasn't going to," Tucker grinned wickedly. "But that is a great idea!" They landed in the lab and Tucker grabbed Danny's arm with enough force to leave a mark, hauling the ghost boy to the fingerprint release lock for the portal.
Danny glanced at the clock- 90 seconds left. He had one shot. Energy was building in his palms as Tucker dragged him closer to the portal, the energy in Danny's hands felt ready to explode. As Tucker moved to rip Danny's glove off, a different energy built up. Unable to cover his nose, Danny sneezed violently in Tucker's face.
"GROSS!" Tucker cried, releasing Danny in favor of dragging his ruined T-shirt over his face. "Cover your mouth! God, Danny, that is so disgust-" Danny blasted the ghost with his energy beams, sending him flying across the lab.
Star shoved the Ghost Catcher to the side, Tucker sailing though easily. "Goal!" She proclaimed with a smile.
Tucker opened his eyes blearily from the floor, screaming at the sight of the beast ghost hovering over him. "Is that me?" He squeaked.
"No," Danny said, sucking the ghost into the thermos. "It's not you Tuck. Not anymore."
Star helped Tucker sit up and Danny joined them on the floor, wiping sweat off his forehead.
"Are you okay?" He asked his best friend.
Tucker nodded mutely. Star shared a concerned look with Danny before inching away, sensing that the two needed privacy.
"You sure?" Danny asked in a softer tone.
"I'm sorry." Tucker said quietly. "This is all my fault."
"It's not your fault, Tuck."
Tucker shook his head. "If I hadn't been so jealous, none of this would have happened."
"Well, if I hadn't been such a show off around you then you wouldn't have been jealous."
"You weren't showing off!" Tucker hugged his knees to his chest. "You were doing the right thing! You were saving people. I almost killed us and that stranger in the car!"
Danny looked over his shoulder, hoping Star would cut in and tell him he was being ridiculous. He found the lab empty besides him and his friend. With a long exhale, Danny reverted back to human form. Tucker's breath hitched when he saw the hand print on Danny's wrist.
"Did I do that?"
"Tuck, that thing wasn't-"
"Did I do that?"
Danny's shoulders slumped. Tucker all but jumped away from Danny, pacing the floor, muttering 'oh God' over and over under his breath.
"Tuck, it doesn't even hurt." Danny insisted, rising to his feet to stand in front of Tucker. "See?" The ghost boy poked at the mark. "You didn't hurt me."
"But what if I had? Danny, I tried to kill you! What if-"
"Tuck, don't." Danny said, turning his head to cough into his fist. "I don't want to think about 'what if's', okay? We stopped the ghost, we got you back. That's all I care about, okay?"
Tucker slowly nodded. "Yeah… okay." Suddenly he brought the back on his hand up to rest on Danny's forehead. "I think you've got a fever."
Danny hummed in response, closing his tired eyes.
"Feel like ditching the rest of school to play video games with your friend?" Tucker offered with a small smile.
"No." Tucker's smile faded. "I feel like ditching the rest of school to play video games with my best friend."
(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
The night was silent save for the slow creaking of a swingset. An owl hooted and crickets chirped as the nightlife of the park began to roam. Liz stared at the stars above her as she gently swayed back and forth, a cool breeze playing with her hair.
She was way out of her league. 12 years of training could make her a great fighter, but nothing could prepare her for Amity Park. Jocks and geeks turned into the Hulk; people had ghost examination labs in their basements.
I was supposed to get away from this.
She jumped as her phone rang. "You've been gone for days." A gruff voice huffed as she answered. "You didn't call, you didn't text- I only knew you were alive because of the news!"
Liz paled. "I'm on the news?"
"No, but I've read all about the 'Casper High Poltergeist'. I assumed it was why you were still there."
"Yeah, it was."
"Have you learned anything useful?" The voice asked, anger slipping into curiosity.
" I found where the ghosts are coming from." Liz said heavily. "There's a portal in some guys basement."
The other end was silent for a minute. "A ghost portal you say?"
"Yes." Liz" fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.
"My dear," the man said. "You've no idea how phenomenal this is."
The end! Please comment, favorite, and feel free to share!
Check out an extended scene at blog/yousoldyoursoulforcookies
Read Liz's diary entry at settings/blog/elizabethfreakingmasters
