Chapter 1
"This is the life," Tucker sighed.
It was a warm and muggy Friday night in Amity Park, and the public pool had closed hours ago. Yet there Danny, Sam, and Tucker were, behind the gates that were locked at sundown, dipping their feet into the pool's lukewarm waters. The three teens wore their swimsuits. The jackets they'd brought along had been tossed aside almost immediately.
"What if there are security cameras around here? We'll be caught for sure," Sam said, the Goth anxiously scanning the area.
"Already taken care of," Tucker said, holding up his PDA. "I hacked into them and shut them down before we came. Just relax, Sam!"
Sam sighed, still worried. She absentmindedly dragged her toe through the pool waters.
"I'm kind of with Sam here," Danny said, his feet fully in the water. "What if our parents notice we're missing? A night trip to the pool hardly seems worth all the trouble we'd be in."
"Chill, Danny. It's, like, 11:00. Our parents are asleep," Tucker said. "Besides, it's about time you did something fun with your ghost powers."
Danny had flown his two friends here, fazing them through the locked gates. It had seemed like a cool idea at the time, but now Danny was feeling unsure. Amity Park at night always gave him the creeps. It seemed like the only reason he was ever out this late was when he was fighting ghosts.
Sam was thinking similarly. Even though she was a self-proclaimed "creature of the night," she knew what her parents would think if they found her gone this late. They'd freak out, make her go to therapy, and find some reason to boycott something. They might even reinstate the restraining order they had on Danny a while ago.
Danny and Sam were both so consumed in their thoughts that they barely noticed Tucker get up beside them.
"Geronimo!" Tucker cried, cannonballing into the pool, getting his friends soaking wet.
"Tucker!" The two cried in unison as the wave of water hit them.
"Oh, you are going to pay for that!" Danny teased, jumping in after his friend. Sam eventually slipped in after the two, and after ten minutes the three were in a full out water war, Danny and Sam ganging up on Tucker.
"No fair! It's two against one!" Tucker cried, fleeing to the opposite site of the pool. "And Danny has ghost powers!"
They laughed as they battled, but eventually the three teens started to tire. They slipped out of the pool, smiling, their stomachs aching from laughing so hard.
"I told you this would be fun," Tucker said, grinning broadly. He dried his hands off on the jacket he brought and promptly picked up his PDA.
It was all downhill from there.
Danny's ghost sense went off, and almost simultaneously a blast of red light knocked Tucker's PDA from his hands.
"Hey!" Tucker cried, but then the red light shot him. Tucker was rocketed back a few feet before he fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Tucker!" Danny cried, and turned towards his enemy.
The ghost that had attacked his friend hovered high above them, smiling menacingly down at Danny.
"Danny Phantom," he said. "I've heard so much about you."
"I'm going ghost!" Danny cried, changing into his ghost form. Danny went intangible for a second, letting the water that still hung on him fall to the ground, before flying upwards to meet his new opponent.
The first thing Danny noticed about the ghost was his attire. The ghost wore a fancy-looking jacket and tie, but both items of clothing had burn marks and holes in them. The parts of the ghost's skin that showed through his holey clothing were scratched up and bruised. Overall, the effect was frightening.
"What happened to you?" Danny asked, eying the ghost's injuries.
"Never mind that," the ghost said, scowling. The ghost scrutinized Danny. "Danny Phantom. Somehow I was imagining something… more. Ah, well. At least this will make it easier for me to kill you."
"Wait, wait. Who are you? Why haven't I met you before? And what do you have against me and my friends?" Danny said.
"Are you always so nosy, Phantom?" the ghost scowled. "Very well."
"If you must know, the name's Cyrus. You don't know me since I'm fairly new to the Ghost Zone. This is why I must kill you. The other ghosts underestimate me; they treat me like scum. They won't anymore, though, after I tell them I've found and slaughtered none other than Danny Phantom!" The ghost let out a horrible, screechy laugh.
"New to the Ghost Zone, eh? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," Danny said, firing a ghost ray at Cyrus. The ghost quickly dodged the ray, chuckling.
"Don't bother," Cyrus said. "I've been training for this day ever since I first heard your name." The ghost held out his hand, firing his own ectoplasm ray back at Danny, who took the hit in the chest, flying backwards and crashing to the ground.
"Looks like I needn't have worked so hard, though," Cyrus continued, chuckling, as he came to the ground to join Danny. He held his glowing red hand over Danny's chest, ready to finish the ghost-boy off. "You're nothing but an amateur!"
Sam watched from the sidelines, standing next to Tucker, who still lay unconscious. She hated this. Hated this! She hated having to watch Danny fight. It was so nerve-racking, so frustrating that she couldn't do anything!
And now it looked as though Danny was almost finished. His eyes were closed, and his jumpsuit was now as burnt and ripped as his enemy's attire. Was he dead? No, she could see his eyes fluttering open now.
He just needs some time, she thought, panicked.
"Stop!" She cried, running in between Cyrus and Danny. She tried to shove Cyrus, but of course she couldn't touch him.
Cyrus snorted, moving his hand, glowing red with ectoplasm, to face her.
"Silly girl," he said. "I don't want to kill you, but if you refuse to let me kill your boyfriend…"
"He's not my boyfriend," she hissed. "But I'll never let you kill him."
"Very well," the ghost said, preparing to fire his ray.
I'm going to die, Sam thought, panicked. I'm dead.
But I'd rather it's me and not Danny.
"No!" she heard Danny cry from behind her. She saw a small green ray shoot past her left side, but it flew harmlessly past Cyrus, who chuckled.
"You're too weak, Phantom. You can't help her anymore…"
Do something, Manson! Sam thought fearfully. This can't be it!
Suddenly, Sam felt something cold seeping through her veins. She could feel it slowly oozing from her head to her toes.
She felt powerful, possessed by something bigger and more meaningful than her own existence.
Sam eyed the swimming pool behind Cyrus. She concentrated on moving the water in it. Waves rippled in the pool, and suddenly, the water was moving up and out of the pool, forming into a sphere. Sam's eyes widened. Had she done that?
"What are you looking at, girl?" Cyrus said, turning around to face the sphere of water behind him.
"Arghh!" He cried, leaping backwards and up into the air in shock.
I have to finish this, Sam thought.
She concentrated on the ball of water, willing it to fly towards the evil ghost…
And it did. The ball of water hit Cyrus like a bowling ball hit pins, and the ghost flew backwards, far, far away.
Strike.
Meanwhile, the ball of water still floated above them. Sam tried to focus on getting it back to the pool, but she was so tired… she could barely keep it hovering there…
Suddenly, Sam's power gave out, and the ball of water trembled before falling and soaking the premises.
Sam's legs shook. She felt dizzy.
"Sam!" Danny said. He examined Sam, whose back was facing him. She was trembling.
Her legs were going to give out any second now.
Danny stood up, feeling reenergized, and his arms were out just in time to catch Sam when she fainted.