Listen up yall, I adopted this story from ProneToInsanity so you need to give her credit for the first 3 chapters, and the idea. So yeah, there.
I don't own Danny Phantom, and probably never will.
Chapter One
The quality of the video was really bad, and the wind crackled in the speakers. There were onlookers in front and around the camera, and people were muttering and whispering.
From somewhere off the camera, there was a boom! and a large ghost zoomed into the shot, laughing. His hair was spiked upwards, like bull horns, and his skin was tinged an ugly green. He was wearing a light blue/grey catsuit, with a red cape.
He looked down at the camera. "My name is Plasmius, mortals; remember me!" Large red pieces of goo built up in one of his palms, before he shot it to the ground, creating a huge crater. People began to run and scream; the blast had obviously been too close for comfort.
And then, another ghost arrived. He seemed a lot smaller than this 'Plasmius', and had brilliant white hair. His eyes were a lime green, while his skin was pale, but not green. He was wearing what looked suspiciously like a HAZMAT suit with the letters 'DP' written on the front.
"My name is Danny Phantom," The white haired boy said fiercely. "And I'm not going to let it go!" There was a blast of what looked like green energy from the boy's hands, and Plasmius was knocked back off camera. The boy soon followed, and then the video went black.
Pressing a button on his remote to switch off the 60 inch TV, Joseph Wells, Head, Owner and Head Director of Tiger's Roar, one of the the leading film-making companies in the world, leant back in his large, plush office chair, placed his hands in an almost interlocking way and placed his elbows on his desk. "Well, Mr Collins, what do you think of this?" he asked the currently cowering man sat in front of him.
"Sir, I wanted to make a film about it, and I was wondering if... if you'd like to be the one to buy the rights..." Collins spoke in a shaky voice and his hands trembled slightly in his lap. He had been waiting for this meeting for weeks - years! And now it was here, he was shaking like a leaf blown in a storm.
Joseph studied Collins for a second or two. "How much were you wanting to sell them for? And who would be the director?"
"I'd be the director, sir," Collins said rather weakly. "And I'd sell the rights for 3.2million dollars, sir."
Joseph felt like glaring at Collins for a few more seconds, however he was pretty sure that the man's frazzled nerves wouldn't take it. Breaking out into a large grin, (which, if anything, made Collins look more afraid) he held out his hand for the other man to shake. "I am very, very interested in this film - in fact, I think I'll say yes right now!" he laughed slightly. "So, what will you be needing?"
Collins stared at Joseph. "You're joking, right?"
Wells shook his head. "Not at all."
Collins gaped, and then grinned widely. "W-well, we'd need to go to Amity Park, where there's th-the biggest ghost infection in the entire world! There, we can u-use real life footage and mix it with actors w-we get from the local schools, and we'll h-have a hit film!"
Joseph nodded eagerly. "I agree completely," he said, honesty in his tone. "Anyway, let us go speak to my office, and we'll sort out a business deal."
Collins was pretty sure it was the best day of his life.
Meanwhile, in the central US, Danny was not having a good Friday. Lancer had been trying to convince the young half-ghost for days to get his parents to have an assembly in school, talking about ghosts, however Danny was brushing off the teacher easily. He knew that if his insane, invention-orientated parents came in, he would never be able to even speak to anyone in school again. Ever.
"Mr. Fenton," Lancer pleaded. "Danny. We need this for the school, so badly! Aren't you worried about your peers going home one night and not being able to save themselves from a ghost attack?"
"We've got Phantom, haven't we?" Danny replied sarcastically, stuffing his pencil-case and English book into his bag before zipping it up and slinging it over his shoulder. "Anyway, I have to go now; bye!" Danny hurried out of the classroom, meeting up with his friends at the doors leading out of the school. The school day had ended, thankfully, and the three friends were determined to walk home and hopefully forget about school for the next two days.
"What was that about?" Sam asked curiously.
Danny sighed heavily. "He wanted my parents to come in and speak to the school about self-defence with ghosts." After an enquiring look from Tucker, Danny continued. "I'm not going to tell them about it. It'll be more embarrassing than.. well, I don't know what."
Sam glanced at her friends, then sighed herself. "It'll be good for the class," she started, but continued after a glare from Danny. "...Bu-ut you're not exactly popular at school, and it could get worse."
Thanking the heavens that Sam hadn't decided to go with Lancer on this one, Danny nodded. A lot. "I mean, when I'm Phantom, I'm all Mister Popular. But when I'm Fenton..." he shrugged. "I mean, only about five people like me."
Tucker sighed slightly sympathetically. "Anyway, I have to go. There's a new technology fair at the super-mall in an hour; I fully intend to buy what I can! Bye guys!" he ran off down a side-street, which was a shortcut to his house.
Moving onto a different topic, they arrived at Danny's house quickly, where Sam said she was off to go and "water her plants... or something". They said quick goodbyes, then Sam left and Danny headed inside.
Jazz was sat at the kitchen table, reading a heavy tome about mental health in struggling households, or something equally as depressing. Danny gave her a quick 'hi' before hurrying through to the lounge, where he dumped his bag, fell onto the sofa and fully intended to watch TV for the next few hours. Hopefully, there would be no ghost attacks, as Danny had pretty much sent every ghost he knew back through the portal in the previous days of the week.
Switching on the television with the press of a button (rather literally), Danny flicked through channels until he found something he was vaguely interested in, and began to watch. The channel was currently on advertisements for the local area, and Danny sighed, but nonetheless stayed on the channel.
"Pete's Pizza Place!" a voice said far too enthusiastically. There was a lame sort of tune, and then the advert flickered, and changed to the next one.
There was a small and balding man stood on a stage, a microphone in his hand. "H-hello Amity Park," he said monotonously, as though he were reading from a cue card or autocue. "My name is Joshua Collins, and I have a proposal for you all. Starting from the day this advert is put on television, there will be a number of auditions for places in an upcoming film about the ghosts in this area. We will be holding auditions on these dates." Dates and times for the next weeks flashed onto the screen as the background faded to a mustard yellow colour.
Danny sighed, admittedly uninterested as he knew that someone like him would never be chosen to go in a film. It would be the jock or popular types; the ones that got sports awards or were as nasty about other people as they possibly could be. A small, somewhat nerdy teen like him would have no chance.
Thankful that his TV show was on, Danny settled down in the pillows, ready for a bit of peace and quiet.
Danny wasn't given peace and quiet the next morning.
After a raging Box Ghost had somehow managed to annoy, yet evade Danny last night, Danny had stayed up the entire night just to catch the little thing and chuck him through the portal and back into the ghost zone. He had switched it off, and then staggered upstairs to go to sleep.
And then his mobile phone had gone off.
Sticking his hand out in the general direction of where his phone was usually located, Danny managed to knock a record total of six things off his bedside table before finally managing to find the small phone, fumble for the 'answer' button and then speak into the phone.
"Yes?" Danny managed.
"Oh, hey Danny!" It was a far too happy Tucker. "How're you?"
"Tired," Danny muttered. "Anyway, Tuck, what did you call me for? Sleep's calling me."
"Sleep? Who's that?" Tucker had then replied, obviously confused.
Danny just shook his head wearily. "Forget it, Tuck. What did you want?"
There was obvious and over-enthusiastic glee in the tech-geek's voice as he spoke. "Well, you know last night I went to that tech fair? Yeah? You must do. Anyway, I got there and there were a bunch of these super awesome 3D TV's. So I'm sat there, with my 3D glasses on, watching this show, when this advert comes on about auditions happening for this new film - about ghosts! So I was there, and I was thinking: I should totally audition for this thing! With the combination of my good looks and amazing acting skills, they'll let me on straight away!"
"Get on with it, Tucker." Danny was amazed he could still talk, let alone think.
"Okay, okay, I get it. So I was looking at the dates, and I realised that there was one, at our school, first thing in the morning. If you have a slip, you'll be let out of class. But then I discovered that you need your parents permission, and that, you have to have two other people doing the audition with you! So I called yours and Sam's folks, and they said yes! So sweet. And I went to this like, stall at the tech-fair and, I know you'll be grateful for this, man, but I signed you, me and Sam up for the three parts!"
This was met with utter silence from Danny's end.
"Don't thank me, dude, or anything. I know, I know, you're shocked." Tucker sounded extremely pleased with himself. "Anyway, I have to go! I'll bring the scripts around to your house later, okay?"
"Whatever, Tucker," Danny said quietly. "Bye." He hung up on his friend and curled up under his duvet, desperate for some sleep.
He got some, in the end. However he didn't realise how big the situation was until later that same day.
"So, what did you do to us this time, Tucker?" Sam asked her friend, her arms folded dangerously. "If I'm not pleased with what you've done, you'll never forget it."
Danny yawned. He had managed to get to sleep, yes, but he was still tired. "He sa-a-a-id that he enrolled us in some auditions for a new film that's coming about. About ghosts."
Sending Tucker a chilling glare, Sam looked like one dangerous woman. "Listen, Tucker, who did you choose us to be?"
"W-well, I mean, I put in just as general parts." Tucker's voice was stuttered. "You could get a big part, or you could get a really small one."
"I don't want one at all," Danny said between gritted teeth. "Between schoolwork, fighting ghosts and my parent's inventions, I will have no time for anything else."
Tucker shrugged. "You don't have to try very hard. You could let me get a part instead..."
Sam glared dangerously at him again. "Since you entered us, we'll try. Right, Danny?"
Danny shrugged. "Sure," he agreed. "I mean, I have nothing better to do."
"Excellent," Sam grinned. "Let's get practicing."
They decided to go to Sam's house, as they were less likely of being interrupted there. All three of them hefted along their short, but heavy, scripts into Sam's greenhouse, and then cleared enough room to replicate a stage.
Sam coughed. "Listen. Uh, I think that we should just like, try and use the lines we say best. Okay?"
Danny nodded along, and Tucker made an agreeing sort of noise. Sam nodded once, then flicked through the ten pages, quickly deciding who was who.
"Okay. Danny, you can be the hero dude. Tucker, you're the evil villain. It's on page one."
They both flicked to the pages, then began to follow the stage directions. Danny placed his hands behind his back while sitting in a chair, his ankles so close together it looked like they were actually tied by rope. Tucker was facing him, an amused look on his face.
Danny squirmed in his pretend bindings, looking an awful lot like he had been tied up before as he did so.
Tucker raised an eyebrow. "You must think an awful lot of yourself if you're doing that," he said in a tone that, strangely, reminded Danny of Vlad.
Danny laughed, a smirk playing on his lips. "So you think you've got me trapped... strange, because I think I've got you trapped."
Tucker blinked smugly. "You can't be sure."
"Nope," Danny agreed, instantly on the reply. "But that doesn't mean she can't be sure!"
Sam burst onto the scene, quickly pretending to knock Tucker out. Tucker fell to the ground, and moaned slightly.
"Welcome back," Danny laughed. "Untie me please?"
Sam nodded, smiled, and then headed over to Danny and began to untie his bindings. However, as soon as he was untied, Danny punched Sam. She fell to the ground, clutching her mouth as though it were bleeding.
"You think I didn't know?" Danny said coldly. "I knew you were working for him."
He left the room.
Ten minutes later with some drinks and food, Danny was yawning again and acting like nothing had happened. Sam was still slightly reeling from his acting, but Tucker... he was just eating whatever happened to be closest to him.
"Were you acting?" Sam asked Danny.
Danny shrugged. "I was being Phantom, and just saying the lines. It was pretty easy." He grimaced slightly. "Sorry for pretending to hit you guys. I didn't enjoy it."
Sam shook her head. "It's okay, Danny," she smiled slightly. "You didn't hit us for real, so it's fine."
"Don't stress, dude," Tucker said, glad that the attention had been taken away from his failure at choosing to enrol the three in a film about ghosts.
Danny nodded, then yawned for the third time in about ten minutes.
"Why're you so tired?" Sam asked, sipping her lemonade slightly.
"'I am the Box Ghost!'" Danny imitated the nasally voice of the annoying ghoul. "He's learned about the store-it-yourself warehouse and practically lives there, meaning that every time I turn my back, I have some random person's possessions thrown at me."
Tucker grinned. "Any techno stuff?" he asked, his eyes alight.
"Tucker!" Sam moaned. "Stop being so... selfish!"
"Jeez, sorry," he muttered. "I was just being curious."
"Can we get back to acting, now?" Danny asked. "I mean, I just want to get this over with."
"Sure," Sam agreed, shoving a piece of pizza onto Tucker's face as he attempted to roll it up and stuff it in his mouth. "Let's get going."