Vlad Masters is a very irresistible man.
I mean, here I am, Maddie Fenton—Fenton—married and living a perfectly normal life. A lovely life. Well, aside from the constant threat of ghosts. But that's beside the point.
I should be happy. I'm doing what I love, I'm with the people I love, and I'm in a city that I love.
So, why don't I feel the love?
A part of me is in desperate need--desire even--to attain something so very unattainable. A man whom I could have had years ago if I had only given it time. If I had only waited a few more years before rushing into marriage. Jack Fenton is a good man; clumsy, but good. But I realize now, much too late, that I did not what my boyfriend…I wanted my best friend.
And I'm fairly certain he wants me, too.
Ever since our little "reunion" a couple of years ago, I've seen the way he looks at me. That lust in his eyes is unmistakable. Unmistakable to anyone whose name is not Jack Fenton, at least. The kids saw it, I'm sure, and I know I saw it. For the sake of the children, I feigned discomfort. I tried to make it look as though I did not want the man who was so desperately in love with me.
Oh, but I did.
And I do.
A letter came in the mail today…from the mayor. My eyes dart wildly around the room, making sure no one is around to see me open it. I skim across its lettering and my heart flutters irresponsibly. I know that I should be content with where I am. I made my decision years ago to marry Jack…and to have two wonderful children, Jazz and Danny. But I feel like I'm neglecting my deep, inner cravings. I must acquiesce this request.
Danny's at Tucker's and Jazz and Jack seem to be indulging in some father-daughter bonding time in front of the television. I casually slip on my boots and my raincoat, hoping to leave unnoticed. But Jack notices…for once in his life, he notices.
"Honey, where are you going in this terrible weather?" he asks me worriedly. His eyes hold a certain amount of concern, but a little bit of something else, as well…suspicion, perhaps?
"I'm just going out to grab a few groceries. I don't know how long I'll be…" I trail off ambiguously, hoping Jack's usual sense of obliviousness has not left him completely.
I sigh in relief as he shrugs, settling back down into the couch. "Alright," he agrees offhandedly.
I smile fleetingly, then scoot out the door.
Freedom.
DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP
Vlad has prepared some sort of elaborate dinner for me. At least, that is what his letter said.
I walk into his extensive home, drop off my coat and take off my shoes at the door. I look around hesitantly, wondering if perhaps I should have knocked before entering…
What? I'm a little anxious for this meeting. I can't be bothered with troublesome trivialities like knocking.
"Hello?" I call out gently, conscious of my voice echoing throughout the hallways.
I peer upward toward the top of the stairs as though trying to follow the path of my echo, but my eyes stop dead on a strong figure waiting at the top of the stairway. My heart leaps into my throat and then stops. It is him.
"My dear Maddie, so pleasant to see you again," his sultry voice carries down the banister and into my ears. It is all I can do not to swoon in his presence.
"I got your letter. You sounded urgent," I blurt out, trying not to seem too needy.
He is now at the base of the staircase and he is smiling broadly at me. "Not really. Just eager to see you."
I nod absently, hoping that my blush is not too visible and telling.
"Come, Maddie. I'll show you to the table," Vlad coaxes, gesturing for me to follow him to his large dining room.
I take a seat at one end of the table, expecting Vlad to take his at the other end, as I've seen done in the movies. He surprises me, though, and seats himself directly to my right. This is so that he can be near to me, I'm sure. And since the kids aren't here, I'm in no position to complain.
"We'll just wait in here for the food to be done. The cooks have instructed me that we have about five minutes before our meal is complete," he says so formally.
I nod and lean my elbows on the table, biting my lips in anticipation. "And until then?"
He smiles at me in a wickedly handsome way. "Whatever you want, my dear."
DPDPDPDPDP—Change to Jack Fenton's POV—DPDPDPDPDPDPDP
Vlad Masters is an irresistible man.
I realize that this may sound wrong coming from a position like mine: a father, husband of a beautiful woman, upstanding citizen of Amity Park.
But I, the completely capable and competent Jack Fenton, have fallen completely in love, rendered helpless to the charms of Vlad Masters.
He's changed so much since our college days. He used to be my best friend, always agreeing with me and arguing about scientific matters. But we were always friendly with each other.
Until recently. Lately, he's been so…unlike his old self. He's been harsh and commanding. He hasn't been kind to me in the least, though I pretend not to notice. But you know something?
I like him that way.
The way his muscles tense with every angry shout…it's just so enticing. Much as I try my hardest to resist this awful impulse, I can't help but fall for the man. I've hidden this ideology pretty well, I think, from my children and wife. None of them have shown any signs of knowing. And I'm content with my share for now.
Actually…no, I'm not.
I want to see him so badly. To go and tell Vladdy how I feel. I'm almost positive that, once he hears the truth from me, he'll acknowledge that he feels the same way. Why else would he keep pushing me away so often? He doesn't want to get in the way of my relationship with Maddie. But he doesn't have to. All he has to do is show me that the feeling is mutual and I will live with a clean slate of curiosity.
So, when Maddie went out earlier this evening, I devised a little plan. I never leave the house without the warning alarm of a ghostly presence going off, so if I ever decided to leave impromptu like that, Maddie would surely notice and become suspicious.
After all, it's not like a member of this family could ever just randomly leave unnoticed and be gone all day doing something the rest of the family has no clue about, right?
So, if I leave while Maddie is away, no one would suspect a thing.
"Jazmine, I'm going out," I slur nonchalantly, lifting my hefty form from the sofa.
Jazz actually seems somehow pleased by this notion. "Great, Dad, see ya later!"
I spare her one last, guilty glance before I step out of the door and into the downpour.
DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP
I decide not to knock and to just let myself in. After all, I don't want things to be awkward with me standing outside while Vladdy stares at me from the inside. Might as well be warm while I make my confession.
I tiptoe inside, but remain silent. No need to announce my presence. It would be better if I could just find Vlad and begin talking. I don't want to freak him out anymore than is necessary.
I hear a faint commotion coming from the dining room. When I peer inside, I notice to my utter dismay and jealousy that my beautiful Vlad is locking lips intensely with a red-head. I cannot see her face, as her back is facing toward me, but I can see Vlad smiling into his passionate kiss.
But this can't be a sincere kiss. I know he loves me. He must.
I feel my fists clench angrily. There is no way this could be a mutual feeling. I look back inside of the room and see that the woman has an eerie sort of otherworldly glow around her aura.
A ghost! That would explain it all! Vlad has clearly been hypnotized by this being…and it is my duty as his future lover to save him.
I grab the Fenton bazooka from my back pocket and hoist it out of its holster. I kick open the door of the dining room and the rest seems to happen in slow motion. Vlad's eyes grow wide in confusion and the woman he is with begins to turn, but I give her not chance to do so. Before she can hypnotize me with those ghostly eyes, I fire the weapon and watch as the blast hits her form, rendering her completely and utterly dead.
But she's a ghost so it's not like that hasn't happened before.
And then, several horrible realizations hit me all at the same time. A glance at the table tells me that the aura around the woman was caused merely by a candle casting a glow around her form. A glance into Vlad's eyes tells me that he is not in love with me, but rather furious beyond belief. And a look into the face of the woman I have just shot causes bile to rise into my throat at the most awful realization of them all.
I just killed my wife, Maddie Fenton.
In a force of irrational jealousy, I killed my love.
"You imbecile!" Vlad's voice roars throughout the mansion and echoes throughout the entire city, I'm sure. "What have you done?! WHY?!"
I blink absently, my tongue suddenly deadweight. "I-I thought I loved you. I thought you loved me," I manage to mutter.
"Me? Love YOU??" he rages. "Why, if the circumstances were any different, I would laugh harder at this bout of your idiocy than I have at any other. But now…oh, now, you've just ruined my life even further than you already had before."
My eyes are watering in terror now, but I ask anyway, "Before?"
Now, he does laugh. An insane laugh of a man who has lost more than can be replaced. "Why do you think I've been so hostile to you all these years, Jack? Or were you always just too thick to notice?"
"I thought…you loved me. I thought you were trying to hide that from Maddie and—"
"WHAT? That's your rationale for my supposed affection? Why, Jack, it's just the opposite. I wasn't hiding anything from Maddie. I was hiding my love for Maddie from you," Vlad clarifies, much too late for anyone. "I'll show you why I've been so angry all these years…"
And, with a sudden flash and a burst of wind, glass breaks and the table overturns and I am thrown back against a wall. I shield my eyes for a moment, but when I open them, a horror deeper than I have ever known encompasses me.
Vlad is the Wisconsin ghost!
"That's right, you oaf. I'm the infamous Plasmius, the most notorious ghost in the world. And now, I shall dispose of you as I've wanted to for all these years…"
DPDPDPDPDPDPDP—Change to Jazz's POV—DPDPDPDPDPDPDP
Vlad Masters must be a very irresistible man.
See, when I was sitting in front of the television, I began to feel uneasy about my parents' sudden absences.
And, boy, was I right to feel that way.
At least I was about Mom. I was walking around the house looking for something to eat when I found what I thought was Mom's forgotten grocery list on the floor. But reading it made me realize that something was wrong…very wrong.
She had been invited to Vlad's home for dinner! And she didn't tell any of us? That was very unlike her…not to mention the man was evil and part ghost. So, I decided to take my leave from the house as well, leaving a note for Danny to find whenever he returned from Tucker's.
So, here I am, Jazz Fenton, standing on Vlad Masters' front porch. I've knocked about twenty times now and I've still received no greeting. I've heard random clanking from out here, but nothing too much to worry about. I'm just preparing my speech for Mom about how irresponsible it is for her to be going to the mayor's house for dinner without notice…and possibly, my speech to reveal Vlad Masters as an ugly, demented ghost.
Suddenly, I become agitated when I hear what sounds like a weapon go off and I hear Vlad' voice carry throughout the house in a fit of rage.
Oh my God. Something is VERY wrong here.
I forget my manners and thrust open the door, catapulting myself toward the sounds that I'm hearing. I hear a whoosh that sounds like a gust of wind and I rush to the entrance of what appears to be the dining room.
I see Vlad hovering over the table in the form of his ghostly alter-ego, Plasmius. Mom is laying on the floor in a rather precarious position which makes my head buzz in fear, and when I look over to where Vlad's hateful stare is directed, I'm flabbergasted to see my father, hunched over in terror.
I must make my move.
"PLASMIUS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" I yell, pushing open the doors to the dining room and entering. I'm so angry that I feel no fright.
Until Plasmius' dangerously red eyes lock with mine and my heart stops.
Literally.
DPDPDPDPDP—Change to Vlad's POV—DPDPDPDPDPDPDP
I like to think of myself as an irresistible man.
For Madeline to think so, it is perfectly welcome. For Jack Fenton to think so is completely, repulsively, sickeningly WRONG. And for their daughter to waltz into the room at such an inopportune moment makes me think that even SHE must find me irresistible.
But this is all the attention I can take, and I'm ready to explode in anger.
When Jazmine walks in, heroic stance and all, I am in such a fit of rage that I cannot help but want to kill whatever I see if it has any relation to Jack Fenton whatsoever.
And I do just that.
I glace between her and her father and the corners of my mouth lift into a triumphant smile as my sickening plot unfolds in my mind.
"Since you've ruined my life to the point of no return, Jack, I think it's only fair I repay the favor. Say goodbye to your daughter," I spit at him, intent on making him suffer.
I lock my eyes with Jazz's fear-filled ones and I use a ghostly power that only emerges when I'm at my most evil and dangerous stage. I transfix her gaze and she is forced to stare straight back at me. With nothing but my willpower, I can feel her heart slow and stop beating; I can feel her trying pitifully to suck air into her lungs and I can feel her bodily functions shut down one by one.
She slumps to the floor and I know that I have succeeded, so I return my stare to the object of my hatred. The man who has ruined everything for both me and himself.
Jack Fenton.
The fool still holds that blasted bazooka in his hands, but he's too dense to use it. Too shocked and appalled and frightened by what he's seeing. I've got him, now. There's no stopping me in my quest to kill him.
Though a part of me wants to make him suffer, a grander part of me is saying that that's what I've been doing for the past few minutes by making his world a living hell and showing him his deadly mistake and killing his only daughter.
Now, I must finish the task before my fit of rage ends and I find myself thinking rationally again and regretting every move I've made tonight.
It must be now or never.
Now.
"Goodbye, Jack," I sneer, tears in my eyes out of fury and sorrow of the loss of my love.
I shoot him with the largest blow I have ever dealt and there are not even enough remains left to fall to the floor. I have killed him. My deed is done.
And now, I must escape. Perhaps into the ghost zone, perhaps into hiding in this human world.
But wherever I hide, those eyes will forever haunt me. All three pairs.
DPDPDPDPDPDPDP—Change to Danny's POV—DPDPDPDPDPDPDP
I've never thought of Vlad as an irresistible man in any sense of the word.
So to come home late at night only to find that both my mother and my sister have gone off to his house is more than shocking to me.
The moment I walked into my home, I felt a strong sense of unease. Someone was always home. When I read the note, it explained my anxiety.
Nothing that involved Vlad could be good in any way.
I immediately went ghost without a second thought and I flew over Amity Park until I reached the mayor's mansion.
I knock on the door three times, becoming more and more worried by the second. Finally, I blast open the door, not even checking to see if it is unlocked and I fly, intangible, through the house at light speed. I nearly fly right past it, but when realization of what I had just seen dawns on me, I lose the will to remain in ghost form and fall flat on the floor.
I survey the scene with growing horror. Dead. All of them; my entire family. Gone. No doubt this is Vlad's doing.
A fire rages inside of me as I wonder how anyone could ever find such a slug so irresistible.
And I cry.
