Casper High
At 3:30pm the bell rang out to announce the end of classes. Students streamed the hallways, ether heading to their lockers or leaving the building. A small group of three 14 year olds walked out onto the main school yard, chatting among themselves.
Well, at least two of the three were.
One had her hands shoved in her pockets, quietly listening to her best friends chat. She blew a black strand of hair out of her face and looked up lazily at the sky with her luminescent blue eyes. She breathed a sigh of dismay. Her friends took notice of this.
"Something wrong, Dally?" asked Nicole Baxter. She faced her friend with a discouraged look.
"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine" Dallas Carter replied.
"Are ya sure? You've been acting downed for the last few days. Something's clearly bugging you" said Mathew Foley. He glanced at Dallas before checking the time on his PDA.
"I'm fine, really. You guys worry too much. Besides, it's not like everyone's forgotten of a certain hero who saved the world . . . . or anything like that" Dallas turned away, annoyed at herself for the change of tone.
"Still worried about him, huh?" Nicole asked.
"Yes," Dallas sighed, "How could Danny just disappear without a trace? He's been around for so long and then poof! he's gone."
"Don't worry, Dally. Danny Phantom can take care of himself. He probably got tied up in something huge. He'll come around, just give it time" Mathew reassured his friend.
"I guess you're right."
"Good! Now that that's settled, what do you say we all go down to the Nasty Burger? I'm buyin'."
"I'm in. How bout you Dally?" Nicole asked.
"Uh, you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up later" said Dallas.
"You sure?" asked Mathew.
"Yeah, go on. I won't be long. Save me some fries?"
"Well, ok. We'll save ya some. See ya later."
"See ya."
Mathew and Nicole departed down the path to the Nasty Burger. Dallas turned in the opposite direction, heading down to a well-known location.
Fenton Works
Dallas stood just outside the home of the Fenton family, glancing about to make sure no one noticed her before heading inside. The building had been abandoned for about three years ever since the Fentons moved out. Loose paper and small bits of plaster littered the carpet-stripped floor. Dallas jumped a bit as a mouse scurried across the room. She glanced around. Curtains were torn, windows were cracked, and little pieces of furniture that were left behind were ether lying on their sides or upside-down.
"This place has seen better days" Dallas said to herself.
She walked through the kitchen, which had been stripped of its appliances, and turned the corner leading down to the basement. She carefully made her way down, ducking as she passed under a cobweb.
Surprisingly, as she came off the steps, all of the lab's equipment was still there. Even the Fenton's ghost portal was still there. Dallas picked up an old book and sneezed as she blew dust off it. As she flipped through its pages, she found a folded piece of paper with some markings on it. Dallas unfolded it to reveal a hand drawn map of the Ghost Zone.
As she studied the map, a shadowy figure wisped behind her, causing a cold, pale blue mist to escape her mouth. She jumped and turned around, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Dallas frowned. She cleared her throat and gasped, attempting to recreate what had happened to her breath. However nothing of the sort occurred.
"Strange" she said.
She briefly dismissed the thought and turned her attention back to the Fenton Portal. She fiddled with the control panel until one button caused the floor to open. Rising from the platform below was the Spector Speeder. Dallas beamed with wide eyes. She wandered around it about three times before deciding it was still in shape to be used. She opened the driver's side and planted herself firmly in the seat. She noticed the key was still in the ignition.
Dallas turned the key and held her breath.
The engine exploded with life.
Both excited and astonished, Dallas squealed with enjoyment. She pressed a button labeled "Portal", and remotely activated the Ghost Portal. The safety doors opened to reveal a swirling green vortex. Dallas reached out to shut the door. Sighing deeply, she firmly gripped the wheel and pushed the drive leaver forward.
The speeder propelled forward, launching Dallas into the ghostly abyss.
The Nasty Burger
"Dally's been gone for quite a while now. Do you think she's ok?" Nicole asked.
She and Mathew were sitting at a booth, patiently waiting for their friend to arrive. It had been well over an hour since the three of them departed from school, but after three orders of fries there was still no sign of her.
"Don't worry, she's fine. She's probably just running late" Mathew replied with a goofy smile, although there was a hint of concern in his voice.
The Ghost Zone
Despite not entirely knowing if she should be doing this, Dallas was highly fascinated and in awe at the scene before her. A random array of doors hung in every which way. She wondered where they all led. She pulled the break to stop briefly as she took the hand drawn map out of her pocket. She scanned each location, to figure out where to go first.
"Ok. So here's the Fenton portal and that must be Skulker's Island over here"
Dallas released the break and decided to head in that direction.
Skulker's Island hadn't changed very much. A floating jungle-filled island with the small trademark mountain which was shaped like a huge skull. Dallas dove downward for a closer view.
That was her first mistake.
Almost instantly upon entry, something from behind shot the engine. An alarm buzzed a warning, signaling to land immediately.
"Whoa! What's going on?!" she yelled. Dallas franticly searched for an open area to safely land as the speeder continued downward. She quickly found a wide open area surrounded by trees. She pulled the wheel back as hard as she could and braced for impact.
Crash!
"Uhhh. . .my head" Dallas's vision fogged once she found the strength to open her eyes. Overall, the Spector Speeder didn't suffer too great of damage. Unfortunately, most of the controls were completely fried. The strange blue mist escaped her throat again.
"Well, well. It seems the ghost boy has returned" a voice said.
Dallas slowly peeked over the dashboard. Standing a few feet in front of the dinged speeder was what appeared to be a high-tech hunting robot. She couldn't tell if he knew she was there or not. She soon got her answer.
"There's no point in hiding. Come out where I can see you, you cowardly whelp!" the hunter demanded. Dallas squeaked when he fired a single energy beam to prove he meant business.
With hands in the air, she rose from her hiding place, her eyes tightly shut.
"What in the name of-? You're nothing but a mere human child!"
Dallas lifted an eyelid. The hunter had lowered his aim and was now staring at her with a baffled expression. She lowered her arms and he suddenly reset his aim.
"Who are you? What purpose do you have to invade my land?"
Dallas just stood there, quivering with fear.
"SPEAK!" he ordered.
With a small squeak, she mustered a reply.
"Ar-are you the ghost named Skulker?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"Uh, forgive me. I didn't mean to intrude. I-I was just looking for . . . for. ." Dallas didn't know if telling who she was looking for was a good idea.
"For what?!" Skulker demanded. This blubbering fool is driving my patience.
Frustrated, he fired another blast from his ray gun. Dallas ducked, and took off running into the dense jungle.
"You can run, but a mere human like you will never make it off here alive!" he yelled at her. He activated his built-in jet pack to fly high above the trees.
Down below, Dallas desperately pushed her way through the thicket, the cool air caused her eyes to water.
"I have to get back to the speeder" she told herself. She turned around and started making her way back to the clearing. As she parted the tangled vines, she gasped. Although Skulker was no longer there, he had left behind a pack of ghost wolves to guard the Spector Speeder. Dallas counted a total of nine. They sniffed the air and ground, trying to pick up her scent.
To her horror, her cellphone rang. The loud ringing caught the wolves' attention, their eyes narrowed as they barked and growled.
"Aw man. Why now?"
Dallas took her phone out of her pocket and threw it about ten yards into the thicket. The wolves gave chase, deserting their post, giving Dallas a clear shot to the speeder. She dove into the driver's seat, and locked herself in. She turned the key in the ignition, the engine sputtered before giving out. She turned the key again.
"C'mon, c'mon" She said, frustrated. She turned it again.
On the fifth try, the engine roared to life. She hit the gas and the speeder lifted well off the ground. She pushed the wheel forward, flying away from the island.
However she didn't get very far.
Skulker had spotted Dallas once she had lifted off the ground, and had fired two of his missiles as she started to fly away. Both missiles hit, nearly destroying the speeder completely, knocking Dallas out the windshield. She hung in the air, unable to move.
"If you're not going to tell me what you want here, I'll just have to make you!" Skulker declared, setting his aim on Dallas.
A mechanical arm shot out and clamped around her ankle. A charge of electricity surged through her entire body, she cried out in pain. She felt faint, helpless to do anything about it.
Suddenly, something inside snapped.
She stopped her painful cries. Her eyes flashed green and were brimmed with rage. A bright, blue loop appeared around her waist and halved across her body. She broke free of Skulker's grasp, her fists coated with green colored energy. She set her aim and fired. Skulker reeled back a few feet, his mouth agate with shock. He recovered and glared at her.
"Toy with me, will you?! I'll show you!" he said. He propelled forward, closing in for another attack. He hit hard with a fierce uppercut, meeting her lower jaw. Dallas reeled back. She touched the corner of her mouth, studying her fingers to find a thick green substance on them.
She gritted her teeth, boiling with anger.
She inhaled deeply and an extremely powerful wail erupted from her throat. The force of the attack sent Skulker hurtling back towards his island. Upon impact, his suit broke in several places, rendering him unable to move. Dallas took this time to escape and find the portal back to the lab.
After flying quite a distance away from Skulker's Island, she began to feel weak again. She found a small rock isle to land on in order to catch her breath. But instead of sitting up on it, she collapsed on it in a small heap. As her vision darkened, the cold, blue mist escaped her throat again.
The last thing she saw was a large shadow tower over her.
Amity Central Park
"Why isn't she answering her cell? It's been over an hour now" Nicole complained.
Nicole and Mathew walked along a path in the city park after leaving the Nasty Burger. With Dallas failing to show up, her friends had become even more worried about her wellbeing.
"Maybe she went home" Mathew suggested.
"Without telling us?"
"Maybe she wasn't feeling well. If it makes you feel any better, why don't we stop by her house?"
"Okay."
The two of them started off in that direction.
Fenton Works Laboratory
What seemed to be like hours rather than minutes, Dallas finally opened her blurry eyes. The lab floor felt cool against her hot cheek. Her limbs felt numb as she slowly stood up. She wobbled a bit before finding her balance. As she rubbed her eyes, a few strands of white hair fell in her face.
White? Wasn't her hair black? Dallas collected a few strands between her fingers and closely studied them.
White. Her hair had turned a snowy white. She frowned as she brushed the hair aside. She glanced behind her to find the portal still open. Slowly she walked over to the control panel and pressed a button. With a gentle hum, the portal shut down and the safety doors closed. Dallas looked up at the blackened monitor above the controls.
And nearly fell backward with a gasp.
Staring back at her was a green eyed ghost.
Dallas blinked. So did the ghost. She cocked her head. So did the ghost. She reached out and touched the screen. The ghost did too. She gasped again.
The ghost in the reflection was Dallas.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Carter Residents
"I'm sorry you two, but Dallas's not here yet. She called saying she'd be home late" Susan Carter informed Mathew and Nicole.
"Did she say why?" Mathew asked.
"No, but I wouldn't worry. She's a good girl."
"Could you have her call us whenever she gets home?" asked Nicole.
"Sure thing. Now you two should run on home, it's getting late."
"Ok. Good-night, Mrs. Carter."
They soon left Dallas's house, told each other "bye", and departed towards their own houses.
Fenton Works Laboratory
Dallas had backed away from the monitor into a far corner of the room. She sank low till her rear hit the floor, staring off in the distance.
Her body felt heavy as her heart pounded. She had pinched herself several times, thinking none of this was actually happening.
However, it was all too real.
She shut her eyes, buried her face in her arms, and quietly cried.