A big thank you to everyone who reviewed and favourited my story. You guys are awesome!
This chapter is longer than I expected, but the next one's going to be kind of short, so I guess I'm making up for it in advance.
The Scrapbook
Although annoyance and fear about Jazz's idolism over the ghost boy continued to prickle at her, Maddie quickly forgot about the scrapbook. Or, at least, she tried to forget. She'd known for some time that Jazz believed the ghost-boy to be good. The scrapbook was creepy, and probably one of the biggest disagreements Jazz had with her parents, but it was just that- another disagreement. But while she knew that, Maddie couldn't help but feel that the scrapbook made it more permanent and real.
And the scrapbook scared her with its blind idolism. And it didn't help that every time she went into her room, Maddie felt it there. Guilt would surge through her. Most of her wanted to forget it existed, but part of her wouldn't.
Still, Maddie tried her best to push it to the back of her mind. But the world was obviously against her, since the scrapbook was flung right to the front again, little more than a week later.
It was a Friday evening, and everything was pretty quiet in the Fenton household. Jack was bent over the kitchen table, tinkering on one of his new inventions- one of the only times when he was near silent. Maddie had her hair tucked behind her ears, and was doing her best to make supper without creating a new form of life. The kitchen was filled with the smell of machine-oil, tomato sauce and ectoplasm.
These were the times Maddie treasured most; Just the family, doing what they loved. No ghosts to chase; a quiet evening at home. She wished the kids would come down and join her in the moment- that would be perfect.
As if they'd heard her thoughts, it was less than five seconds later when Maddie heard their voices drifting towards her from the hallway. But their tone was a little off, and a surreptitious quality of it made Maddie's hand tighten on the stirring spoon.
They were speaking in that tone of voice that wasn't a whisper, but not asking to be overheard, either. Maddie pricked her ears.
"...you know that scrapbook I was making?"
"Yeah- and I'm really sorry about the last one, Jazz," Danny said, sounding apologetic.
Maddie imagined the red-head shrugging. "No problem- I know it wasn't your fault. No, I was wondering if you'd seen it anywhere."
"I don't think so...why?"
"It's gone missing." She sighed, and Maddie heard her footsteps approaching. She hurriedly got back to supper. "I've been so busy lately that I can't keep track of where I'm putting things...it's driving me crazy! What's for supper?"
Her change in tone was quick, and took Maddie by surprise. Her eye's flickered towards her daughter, who had seated herself on a chair at the kitchen table.
"Spaghetti!" Jack said cheerfully, beaming up from his work. Danny slinked over to her, and peered hesitantly into the saucepan she was working on. After a moment, he nodded; satisfied that it was the normal reddish-brown of tomato sauce, and not glowing green.
"Smells great," he said.
Maddie was still thinking over the conversation she'd just over-heard. She had felt a pang of guilt when she'd heard that Jazz was looking for the scrapbook. She'd never deceived her children, and even though this wasn't a technically a lie, she still felt horrible for messing with Jazz's possessions.
Danny apparently knew about the scrapbook too, and judging by his tone, he wasn't creeped out by it in the least. That was the last thing she'd expected. She knew Danny wasn't a fan of the ghost boy, and became subdued and moody whenever they talked about him- but then, Phantom had stolen his face. He had a right to feel nervous about the subject. But he seemed to have no negative feelings about Jazz's scrapbook. Maddie would at least have expected some teasing about Jazz 'crushing' of Phantom- wasn't that what little brothers did?
Maybe he's just resigned to it, she thought. But Maddie wasn't- as a mother and a scientist it was her job to teach Jazz the truth.
"Well, it's almost done- mind setting the table?" she said, pulling herself back to reality. Supper first, ghosts later.
Dinner passed uneventfully. The children wolfed down their food quickly, in order to get to the piles of work they each had. She and Jack kept up the conversation, talking about the latest ghost-hunting protocol they'd been reading about. It was fascinating stuff, and once again Maddie wished her children showed more interest in the area.
They were still discussing it as they cleaned up after supper, although in between the voice of the news-anchor. It was a Fenton tradition to listen to the news after supper, because as Jack put it, "What you don't know can hurt you!"
Suddenly, through their conversation, broke in Amity Park's signature 'Ghost Watch' theme. The eyes of every single Fenton snapped up to the TV.
Over the last two years, ghost attacks had become a daily occurrence, almost to the point where the media hardly took any notice. The fact that it was getting a slot on the prime-time news told them that either it was a really slow news day, or this was a big one.
"Lance Thunder, here," said a handsome news anchor on the television. He was standing on a street in some part of downtown Amity Park, and kept looking nervously over his shoulder. In the background, you could hear a strange chattering. "Down-town seems to be experiencing some heavy traffic due to ecto-activity. It appears that a plague of ghostly rodents are storming the area and..."
Thunder jumped back with a squeak as a small, green creature whizzed by. Danny gave a sound like a snort. "Ferrets?"
"...although they appear to be mostly harmless, we urge the public to stay calm and avoid the area. ACCCK!"
The family had one last vision of the anchorman, with a glowing ferret perched on his head, before they cut back to the studio. "Let's get 'em!" shouted Jack, already brandishing a gun. "Those ecto-rats are about to be exterminated! Come on, Mads!"
Maddie pulled on her goggles, a look of grim determination on her face. "Already on it, Jack."
"You guys need any help?" asked Jazz.
Both her parents shook their heads. "Don't you worry about us," Jack boasted. "We'll clean those ghosts up in a jiffy!"
Neither of them noticed how Jazz was actually looking at Danny, or how she smiled when he gave a small shake of his head. "Okay...you be careful, then."
"We will, sweetie!" Maddie pecked both children on the cheek, and rushed out of the door. It was time to go hunting.
oOoOoOoOo
The hunt. As a ghost researcher, Maddie loved all the parts of the job- the thrill of discovery, the satisfaction of a job well done, the joy of helping others...but there was nothing quite like the hunt. The adrenaline pumping through your veins, the weight of a gun on your shoulder, feeling your muscles moving- it was an experience unlike any other.
She paused in an alleyway, ecto-rifle in hand. She took a deep breath. She'd been at it for over two hours, and although she wasn't tired yet, she was getting a little bit frustrated. There were tonnes of ghost rodents, and for every one she captured, another three popped up in its place. And they were fast as hell.
Thankfully, they weren't vicious- most of the time. They just ran around squeaking, making a nuisance. Except when you scared them- then they would grow twice their normal size, and growl darkly at you, before lunging in for an attack.
A bite on one arm had taught her this. She'd shot at the creature from afar, wounding it to a stop. When she'd approached, ready to finish the ghost off, it had gone wild. The creature had jumped at her, attacking her savagely. She'd gotten it eventually, though, and learnt a valuable lesson- Do not scare the ferrets.
She heard something moving down at the other end of the alley. Her eyes narrowed, and she tried to see into the blackness. A pair of red eyes met hers.
She approached slowly, cautiously, making as little noise as possible. She saw something shuffling in the distance. She wished the creature was glowing more brightly, to give her light- but the ferret was too weak, and she was left blundering in the dark.
Finally, Maddie began to corner in on the creature. She raised the gun, ready to stun it. The ghost was chewing on a piece of old garbage, and didn't even notice her.
Her finger was on the trigger, and she was just about to shoot, when a voice rang out from above.
"I've caught- I don't know...about thirty, so far."
She paused. The rodent looked up, and its red eyes narrowed on her. It took in her stance, and some primal instinct told the ghost that it was being hunted. Maddie knew immediately that it was scared, and angry- and angry rodents were dangerous, especially if they were undead ones. But despite the threat facing her, her mind was locked on the voice above her.
She recognised it immediately- it was Phantom's.
She cast a quick look above her, keeping one eye on the rodent, which was approaching slowly (and was growing in size, too). The ghost boy floated above her, hanging in the air, apparently unaware that she was below.
"We've caught most of them; I just want to call it a night..." He paused, and then gave something resembling a growl. "I'm not being a wuss! I just don't like chasing down mice on a Friday evening….. And no, I don't care that they're not actually related to mice."
Who is he talking to? Maddie asked herself. But her interest in Phantom was battling with the need for self preservation, as the ghost-ferret was slowly advancing. The hair on its back was standing up, making it appear larger- not that it was needed. It was now dog-seized, and Maddie couldn't help noticing how large its teeth were.
Maddie knew she should shoot, and get the ghost-ferret now. But if she did, Phantom would surely hear the gun, and vanish. For now, she was in the perfect position to spy on, and perhaps even catch, the ghost boy.
"Yeah-let's head home. Want me to pick you guys...up...?"
His voice trailed off as the rodent gave a menacing growl. Now it looked more like a monster than a ferret, with bulging red eyes, and saliva dripping from its mouth. Maddie's eyes were locked on the creature. Above her, she could sense the ghost moving around in confusion, looking for the source of the noise.
"M- Maddie!" Phantom yelled.
Fire! She screamed at herself, and pulled the trigger. A green blast shot from the gun, hitting the ferret dead on, throwing it backwards. It got up and shook itself off, and gave a low snarl. It was preparing to attack again- and so was Maddie.
More green blasts rained from above. "Not so fast, Mickey," Phantom taunted from the sky. The beast squealed, and leapt into the air. The creature was quick and fast, even faster than Phantom, and he only got a few hits in on it.
Maddie added her own shots into the fray- although, she didn't particularly care which ghost she hit.
"Ow!" Phantom complained, as she hit him on the leg. "I'm trying to help, here."
"I don't need your help, ghost!"
He ignored her, and kept shooting. She did, too, but took a moment to look at the ghost boy. Where was the person he'd been speaking too?
She saw it. On his head- was that a headphone? Yes, it was! And it looked like a Fenton-Phone!
Anger surged through her. The ghost boy was stealing their equipment? Angrily, she shot with extra force.
"Woah!" the ghost boy swerved to avoid her shot, then dodged the rabid flying ferret. His hands glowed blue, and he froze the ghost solid. It plummeted to the ground. Maddie shot once, twice, as Phantom tried to duck. He began to fly away.
"Glad I could help," he said sarcastically, and disappeared into the night.
She and Jack got back home half-an-hour later, pulling along a thermos full of ghosts, and one frozen ghost ferret, which they'd stored in the GAV's on-board freezer. Maddie sighed in exhaustion, and rubbed the bite on her arm absently.
Jazz greeted them from the top of the stairs. "You're home sooner than I thought."
"Yeah, well, it was easy!" Jack boasted, hefting in the ferret-popsicle. "The TV made it look as though there were more than there actually was. But we caught them all! Yep!"
Maddie paused, Phantom's voice drifting back from her memory. "I don't know...I've caught about thirty, so far."
Had Phantom been out hunting the ghost ferrets, too? Why on earth would he be doing that? To protect his perceived territory? And who had he been talking to? Had they been catching the creatures as well?
Anger at the fact that the ghost boy was using their equipment pounded at her. It was obvious that they needed to update their security. They'd always assumed that ghosts would be too scared to go into a den of ghost hunters, but that was obviously false. Maybe they needed to put a permanent ghost shield on the artillery closet.
And she was still angry for letting the ghost-boy get away.
Maddie started up the stairs, feeling drained. She often felt that way after an encounter with Phantom. It was something about that ghost, and how strange he was. She wondered vaguely if he had confusion powers.
"You coming down to the lab, Maddie?" Jack boomed from the kitchen. Maddie heard him rummaging through a bag of chips. "I want to do some experiments on these babies!"
"Maybe later," she said wearily. "I've got to clean up a bit. You start without me."
Jazz tagged along behind her, looking slightly worried. Her hair was messy, and the distant look in her eyes told Maddie she'd been doing more studying. "You okay, mom? You seem a bit off."
She smiled wearily. "No- just a bit tired."
Jazz pursed her lips, looking sympathetic. "Okay, mom. Maybe you should have shower, or something. That always calms me down."
Maybe she would do that. Jazz usually had good ideas about dealing with stress, despite how ramped out the girl could become sometimes. A nice, hot shower would be wonderful, and maybe it would help her sort out her thoughts. She headed over to the bedroom, making sure to pop in on Danny and his friends first.
She had a long shower, allowing the warm water to roll over her body. It soaked into her, refreshing both her head and muscles, washing away the exhaustion. Feeling better, Maddie got out of the shower, and dried herself off, then went to look at her arm. Yes, it was definitely damaged from the fight. She cleaned it off with disinfectant, wincing slightly as the alcohol stung. It wasn't a bad wound- just a small puncture, but Maddie knew she should keep an eye on it. Ghost wounds could act very strangely.
Ghosts could act very strangely, too.
Okay, she though, sitting on her bed, robe wrapped around her. That wasn't true. Most ghosts acted exactly as she expected them: Violent, unsympathetic, un-subtle, and often based around a single obsession. Almost every single ghost acted that way- with the exception of the Ghost Boy.
In the beginning, he had acted just the way he should. He attacked people, damaged property, stole, and made himself an all-around menace. And then, after months of acting this way, he changed, suddenly putting on the 'I'm good' facade. At certain points, he was an amazing actor, and played the role with ease- but then he would slip up, and badly. Maddie had no idea how the rest of the town could not notice them. He claimed every single one of his bad deeds was accident or framing- and Maddie just couldn't believe that was true. Not when every scrap of evidence she had said otherwise. And she feared the day he gave up on the act and showed the town who he really was.
But incidents like tonight still confused her.
When the ghost had seen that she was in trouble, why had he appeared to help her? Was it another fruitless attempt to gain her trust? Maybe Phantom was bored, and felt like using his aggression by pounding ghost ferrets to a pulp.
She sighed. Phantom was an enigma. If only she had a detailed record of his actions. Maybe then she could find some pattern in his behaviour, and start working things out…
Her eyes flickered to the bottom drawer.
It does have a record of his battles, part of her mind whispered.
"No." She spoke aloud to herself.
She may have taken her daughter's scrapbook, but she would not look through it. That was an invasion of privacy she would not do. Besides, if she wanted information on the ghost boy, the scrapbook would hardly be the place to look. It was too biased, for one; it would just be filled with how amazing Phantom was.
She was a scientist. She dealt with facts.
She did not go through her children's private possessions.
Once again, her eyes were pulled to the drawer. "No," she said again.
Her curiosity about Phantom flickered. Her fear for Jazz whispered in her head. Surely one look wouldn't hurt?
Maddie got onto her knees and opened the drawer.
