The New Adventures of Danny Phantom
A Danny Phantom Fanfic by Quill N. Inque
I do not own Danny Phantom
Chapter 1: Mondays…
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." -Joseph Campbell
Like every other teenager in America, Danny Fenton hated Mondays. To him, Monday always heralded the demise of the weekend, and the beginning of yet another mind-numbing, soul-searing school week. This particular Monday, however, was by far the worst. Today, Danny had to face a world where everyone knew his secret, where every man, woman, and child on the planet knew that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were one and the same. After he'd stopped the "Disasteroid" from destroying the Earth(with the help of Skulker and a few thousand other ghosts), Danny had outed himself in front of everyone on international television. Though it had seemed like a good idea at the time, Danny now found himself questioning his judgment.
The alarm beside his bed went off with a shrill beep, and he had to restrain himself from blasting the damn thing. Grumbling to himself, Danny forced his groggy body out of bed and into the shower.
As the hot water pounded his back, Danny's thoughts turned, once again, to the school day ahead, which he'd been dreading for days. The young Halfling lathered shampoo into his raven hair as his mind wandered.
I don't think I'll have to worry about Lancer, Danny thought. He seemed understanding enough. Dash, however, could be a problem. And then there's… He shuddered visibly. Paulina.
The Fenton boy shook his head. God, what did I ever see in her? Not to mention that Paulina's obsession with my ghostly alter-ego is downright disturbing…
Danny switched the water off and reached for a towel. Why am I so nervous? I've faced Skulker, Ember, Plasmius, even Pariah Dark. Compared to that, this is nothing! It'll all die down soon.
The ghost boy grinned sardonically. Aw, who am I kidding? I'll never hear the end of this…
Drying off what was left of the water, Danny threw on his trademark white T-shirt and blue pants before heading downstairs, where a hot breakfast awaited him. The youngest Fenton child could already smell the intoxicating aroma of Maddie Fenton's signature pecan pancakes.
Mrs. Fenton turned around as she heard her son thump down the stairs. "Good morning, sweetie! Sleep well?"
Danny snorted, a wry smile on his face. "Are you kidding? I've got to go to school when everyone knows my secret. I'll be under siege by reporters and fans! I'll be lucky to even make it past our street!"
Maddie put a comforting hand on her son's shoulder. "Don't worry, Danny. You can always disappear if things get too uncomfortable. Your friends and Jazz will be there to support you, as will your father and I."
The ghost boy grinned as his mom put a plate of pancakes in front of him. "Have you ever thought about selling the recipe for this? You're sitting on a gold mine."
Mrs. Fenton smiled back as she imitated a mobster's voice. "'I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.'"
Danny choked on his breakfast as he fought to keep from laughing.
A few minutes later, with food in his belly and a backpack in his hand, Danny Fenton cautiously opened the front door to his house. He surreptitiously checked for any hidden reporters before stepping outside.
Danny's foot had barely even touched the pavement when he heard a shrill cry.
"Look, it's the ghost boy!"
He whirled around, and the color drained from his face. A mob of fangirls, with Paulina in the lead, were thundering down the sidewalk like a charging army.
Danny didn't waste any time. Two rings of white light intersected his body, his black hair became bleached, his blue eyes glowed green, and his casual clothing was replaced with the familiar black jumpsuit.
Danny Phantom abruptly phased out of sight as he turned invisible, flying full speed in the other direction.
Still invisible, Danny hovered in the atmosphere over Casper High, using his ghost form's enhanced vision to pinpoint his friends.
Below, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, his erstwhile companions, gazed around in disappointment at Danny's conspicuous absence. Sam started suddenly as a non-existent finger tapped her on the shoulder.
"Danny? You there?"
"Yeah," her boyfriend's disembodied voice replied. "I had a little trouble on the way here, and had to take a detour."
"Was it a ghost?"
"No, it was-"
Tucker cut him off. "Fangirls?"
The shudder was evident in Danny's tone. "You have no idea."
Sam took a quick look around. "Well, the bell's ringing, so it's probably safe now."
Danny phased back into the visible spectrum, and Sam felt her stomach quiver in delight.
Her friend grinned roguishly. "Happy to see me?"
Sam closed the distance in a single stride, wrapping her arms around him as Tucker snickered. "Yes, " she said as she kissed him tenderly.
Danny felt the kiss all the way down to his knees. His hands unconsciously wrapped themselves around her waist as he gently pulled away, nuzzling her cheek affectionately as he whispered in her ear.
"What did I ever do to deserve a girl like you?"
Sam smiled as they walked hand-in-hand through front entrance. "Your guess is as good as mine."
The super-cooled air of Casper High felt refreshing as Danny rummaged in his locker, his mind still somewhat disoriented after his affectionate moment with Sam.
"Hi, Danny," a seductive voice said in his ears.
He turned around slowly, trying to keep the chagrin from his face as he saw Paulina standing next to him.
Please, God…No.
Danny's former crush smiled, showing off her flawless white teeth. "Why'd you run away? Do I frighten you?" she asked as her hand caressed his shoulder.
Danny felt like he was going to vomit. "Look, I, uh, gotta get to class," he said, desperate to be away from his obsessive fan.
As he moved away, the Fenton boy found himself surrounded by his peers, many of them still incredulous that wimpy Danny Fenton was the now-famous hero.
His voice rose slightly as he began to feel irritated. "Can you please move?" Danny said to the crowd. "I'm gonna be late!"
One of the crowd, a tall guy in a jersey, spoke up. "Then why don't you turn intangible and run through us?"
"You could fly over us, too," added another.
Danny frowned. I don't have time for this…
"Pride and Prejudice! Why aren't you all in class?"
The halfling's head snapped up as Mr. Edward Lancer, teacher extraordinaire, pushed his way to the center of the mob. Lancer frowned as he noticed Daniel at the center of the mess, which was nothing unusual in his experience.
Danny opened his mouth to speak, but his teacher beat him to it.
"I don't care if it's Mr. Fenton, Elvis Presley, or a little green man from Planet X! Students are not allowed to loiter in the halls! Anyone still around in five seconds will be joining me for a Saturday detention!"
The hallway cleared with surprising speed as Lancer turned back to his pupil.
"Now then, Mr. Fenton, I believe we should adjourn to my classroom. Walk with me, please."
Danny fell in step beside him as Lancer continued.
"In light of…recent events, the school board has decided to give you some 'special privileges."
"What?"
His teacher gave him a rare smile. "Obviously, your extracurricular activities tend to hinder your academic performance. So I presented your case to the administration, and they agreed that some accommodations needed to be made."
Danny's eyes widened. Lancer had done all this for him?
"First off, if you are indeed needed to fight off a ghost, you need only to say so, and you'll be excused from class. If ghosts interfere with your homework or any other projects outside of school, you may ask for a one-week extension. Finally, if any of the other students start pestering you, you need only to come to me, and I will handle it personally. Whether your peers realize it or not, Mr. Fenton, you are not a zoo exhibit. I would have given you a call over the weekend to discuss this, but I figured you needed some time to yourself after all that's happened."
Lancer's student was stunned. "Thank you."
"It was my pleasure, Mr. Fenton," he replied as he opened the classroom door. "Did you manage to complete your report on A Midsummer Night's Dream?"
Danny grinned. "As a matter of fact, I did."
A/N: So, here's Chapter One! We hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and if you have some comments, questions, or constructive criticism, LET ME KNOW! I would love to hear your ideas on how to improve this story!
Humbly yours,
-Quill N. Inque