~Chapter 2~

"Hey, have you seen Sam lately?" Danny asked his friend, who was walking right beside him out of the school's kitchen area.

"No, I heard she got sick, but nothing's actually been proven yet," he answered nonchalantly.

"Something's wrong. Sam hasn't been to school in three weeks, a sickness can't last that long. Can it?" he said.

"Technically, it's possible," Tucker said. He grabbed his fork even before they chose a table and began to taste-test the piping-hot, just-came-out-of-the-stove cheeseburger.

Danny and Tucker sat down at their usual table and continued on the subject of their friend's absence, only breaking the conversation to take a bite of food or to drink.

The raven-haired teen swallowed and added, "Plus, she almost never gets sick."

"But everyone has to get sick sometime," Tucker combated. He popped his last apple slice into his mouth and noisily crunched on it.

"Yeah, but to last three weeks? That's a little fishy... You think it's something serious?" he worried.

"Probably not, but it's still a possibility," his friend answered. He then pointed at Danny's food, which had hardly been touched. "You gonna eat that?"

Danny pushed his plate over to the happy teen awaiting it. "I'm gonna go check on Sam real quick; cover for me while I'm gone." With these parting words, and leaving no time for a reply on Tucker's part, he ducked under the table, underwent the transformation that would allow him to become a seemingly full ghost, and turned invisible. All the while he was mindful of the metal bars supporting the chairs on which the students sat.

He glided right through any school walls obstructing his path, hoping dearly that Sam didn't have any serious illness. It didn't take him long to get to his destination thanks to his flying ability and his ability to go straight through objects in a ghastly manner.

He landed on his friend's front doorstep and resumed his human form. He tenaciously knocked on her door, knowing full well that Sam's father hated him. But, determined to know what was wrong with her, he didn't care at the moment.

Luckily, her father wasn't home and her mother answered the door instead. "Oh, hello there! I hope you aren't expecting to see Samantha..." the kind voice sang.

"Actually, I am. Why? Is she sick?" he asked.

Mrs. Manson put a hand up to her head and a baffled expression crossed her face. "I honestly just can't say. She refuses to see a doctor and spends all her time writing dark poetry. She won't go to school, and I'm not even going to try to make her anymore. Something's wrong, I know, but as a parent, she won't talk to me. If I could just ask a favor of you... Would you try to talk to Samantha for me? Find out what's on her mind. Please, I'm counting on you."

"Sure, Mrs. Manson. Thank you," he said as he walked upstairs to his friend's room.

"No, no! I should be thanking you!" the reply echoed through the halls.

The words were lost to the worried teenager; he'd just opened his friend's door to find a most unexpected scene. The curtains were closed tighter than ever, allowing not a single ray of light to come through. The only source of light, in fact, was a little lamp. It scarcely illuminated the area, but Sam didn't seem to notice. The temperature of the room was pretty cold, but Sam didn't seem to care. In fact, she just sat on her bed, with papers scattered all around her. A grunt and a mumble was heard every now and then as he watched her to see if she would acknowledge his presence. But after ten seconds passed, and with her not turning around to face him, it didn't look like she was aware he was standing in her house, let alone her room.

Eventually, the teen picked up a paper he'd found near him and began reading it aloud, so as to catch her attention. The paper was partially scribbles, and the words were hard to make out in the dim light, but he was able to read it successfully. As he read, he realized what her mother had been talking about when she said 'dark' poetry. The note seemed like something only Edgar Allen Poe would write. It said:

I am not the dove that sits upon your windowsill,
Beckoning the dawn,
I am the Raven that cries out in the night,
Awakening the evils.
I am not the robin that nests among the branches,
Singing with the sunshine,
I am the Raven who spreads her cloak of mystery,
While she basks in the glow of the moon.
I am not the sparrow that soars up in the sky,
Reaching for the clouds,
I am the Raven, forever concealed in the darkness,
Broken only by the brightness of the stars.
I am not the bluejay, flying gracefully,
With the late afternoon breeze,
I am the Raven, lurking in the dark graveyard,
And haunting your nightmares.
I am not the gull, gliding upon the wind,
And spray of the sea,
I am the Raven, uttering a shriek that chills the bones,
In the early hours of morning.
Oh yes, I am the creature that you associate with all evils.
I am the Raven.
And I am the bringer of death.

Sam turned her head just enough for her to see him out of the corner of her eyes as he read the poem out loud. Almost as soon as she recognized who it was, her eyes narrowed.

After he was done reading it, he could do nothing but say, "Wow. That's...crazy poetry."

Sam didn't reply, but turned her head back to her front. The only other noise was the pair's breath for what seemed like the longest time.

"So... Whatcha been up to, Sam?" he asked, hoping to bring up a conversation. Unfortunately, this question didn't rake in a response. At a loss of words, he began walking towards her, thinking eye contact might help.

The boy didn't take five steps before Sam finally talked to him. "Don't...come any closer," she hissed. Every word dripped with acid, and Danny obeyed.

A few seconds later, the sound of scribbling could be heard as Sam's pencil glided over her paper. He wondered what she was writing about, and brought himself to ask her about it.

She didn't reply.

He started walking towards her again, but was abruptly stopped by her angry voice, "I said don't come near me!"

"Y-You sound mad. Was it something I did?" he questioned, becoming quite frustrated with her actions.

Her response wasn't oral, but he literally felt the fury and pain burning off her body, like a radiating heat of emotions. The paper she'd been writing on, she now crumbled up and threw at him.

He didn't see it coming and therefore failed to catch it. "Am I missing something here? I mean, at least I'm trying to talk to you!" he yelled, "You're just telling me to go away and now you throw this at me?" He picked up the paper wad and held it out for her to see.

Her figure slumped over a little bit, but her mouth didn't budge.

"Oh, here we go again! Do I have to walk to get you to speak? 'Cause I'll do it!" he said, putting one foot forward to show her he meant what he said.

Her breathing became more labored, as though she was breathing through clenched teeth.

"Alright, fine!" he said, throwing his arms up in the air. He began walking again, only to discover that she wasn't stopping him this time, or telling him to go away. Instead, it sounded like she was trying to speak, but was too choked up. Her mouth was definitely moving, but the words didn't seem to be coming out right.

"Sam?"

Only the strangled sounds answered him. Was she crying? Was Samantha Manson really crying?

"Sam, what's the matter?" he said, stopping inches from her bedside.

Her head was dropped. She wasn't permitting him to see her face for some reason. But tears were definitely falling. This wasn't like her at all. She was the type who wouldn't cry if her arm was being ripped off her body. Something terrible must've happened to cause this.

Everything else had struck him as wierd, but this struck him as illogical. Maybe he was dreaming, but even if he was, he wanted to help this dream-character. "What's wrong, Sam? You can tell me; I won't tell anyone."

She weakly shook her head. He didn't know if she did that from disappointment or some other emotion, or if she did it because she didn't want to tell him.

He reached out a hand to place it on her shoulder, but she only slapped it away. He could feel a glare aimed at him.

"What's upseting you so much?" he softly asked.

"Y-You weren't...there," she managed.

"I wasn't there...?" he repeated. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"You weren't there," she said, more clearly this time.

"What do you mean I wasn't there? Where was there?" he asked, confusion showing profusely.

Anger seemed to force her words now. "You weren't there for me!"

"Wha...? I-I wasn't there? For you? We go to school every day and we always hang out afterwards. How am I not there?" he stuttered.

Sam jumped off her bed and poked him in the chest. "You. Weren't. There. For. Me."

He sighed, figuring maybe she was tired and needed rest. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for y-"

"I...called out for you." she whispered.

"Huh?"

"I called out, and you wouldn't answer. You didn't come!" she repeatedly beat her tiny fists on Danny's chest as she continued, "You didn't care! I kept screaming for you! Over and over! And you still wouldn't come! I believed in you! I trusted you! I kept calling for you! Over and over and over! You never came! You wouldn't listen to me! So I kept calling and waiting! And you still didn't come for me!"

She dropped to the carpet and sobbed. Naturally, Danny knelt down to her level to console her, but she only tried to push him away, not wanting to accept the hug he offered. "You wouldn't... You wouldn't... Even though I called for you... Even though I needed you... You wouldn't come for me..."

She soon found herself leaning into his embrace. "I needed you..." she whispered, her voice becoming hoarse and rough from the earlier screaming.

Danny started rocking the upper portion of his body back and forth and released a string of hushes. He wasn't quite sure what his friend was so upset about, but he knew that he had something to do with it. He knew he had to make it right somehow, but for now all he could do was calm her down.

Soon all he heard was sniffling and a few whimpers. Now that she'd calmed down, hopefully enough to reason with, he asked her, "How was I not there for you?"

"I called. I needed you," she rasped, "You wouldn't come. Don't you care about me?"

"Of course I do, Sam. That's why I'm here," he said, "Now, I want you to tell me what happened, from beginning to end. Okay?"

She nodded, a bit fatigued from her outburst, and summarized the events, "I was walking down the sidewalk when I felt like I was being watched. I thought it might've been you or Tucker, but when I turned to look I didn't see anyone. I kept walking a little further, then I heard a twig snap. I turned to look again, but I still didn't see anyone. So I kept walking and then a big shadow blocked out the sun. I was about to turn around, but a large hand clamped itself over my mouth and an arm held my belly. I couldn't move."

Danny became very concerned as the story continued. It couldn't have been a kidnapping, could it? What happened to her? Who was this person she was talking about? Why did they go after her? And why did they try to restrict her movements?

Sam continued, oblivious to her friend's inner alarms going off. "The person was a man with a deep voice. He said to stop squirming, but I didn't. I licked his palm and jerked my head to the side. Then I called for you. He tried to put his hand on my mouth again, but I bit his fingers before he could do that. He let go of me and I tried to run from him. But he knocked me over and grabbed my shoulders. I kept calling for you. I was praying you'd come for me. But you still didn't. He shoved me against the wall and the bricks started scraping my back. I wouldn't stop screaming your name, and he got annoyed. Then he pinned me down on the ground and I couldn't get him off. And then..."

The black-haired teen grew increasingly worried. Her tears started wetting his shirt again as she prepared to go on.

"There wasn't anyone around to hear me, so no one came. But I called out your name a few more times and asked you to help. He only got angry and...soon I could feel him inside me. It hurt so bad I couldn't keep calling for you. All I could do was scream. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get away. The pain just kept coming and coming... It was unbearable, but there was nothing I could do to stop him. It went on like that for a long time, and with every passing second I thought I was going to break or split in two. Then I saw a way out. I bit his neck as hard as I could and slipped out from under him. Then I ran the rest of the way home. When I got inside I made sure I locked the door back. I've been in my room ever since."

The images the explanation brought to his mind were beyond horrific. They were torturous and twisted. Mixed feelings came over him as the realization of what happened to her hit him. And the fact that she'd called out for him who-knows-how-many times made him feel guilty for not coming to aid her. But what happened would explain the poetry, why she wouldn't show up at school, probably why she refused to go to the doctor's office, why she'd been sealed in her room, and why she was so angry at him. He couldn't blame her; he was angry at himself for not hearing her cries for help. Who knows? She probably cried out for mercy as well. And he wasn't there! Here he was supposed to be this hero, with all these ghost powers, and he didn't even rescue his best friend.

Upon not hearing or seeing any response from Danny, the goth assumed he was disappointed in her. "You're disgusted with me, aren't you?"

Immediately, the teen snapped out of his thoughts and answered, "Not with you, but with the guy who did this to you. Why did you think I'd be disgusted with you?"

"You don't think of me as a slut?" she asked.

"Of course not, Sam! What happened to you... Well, you couldn't control it. It wasn't your fault."

"Then why do I feel like it was?" she wondered.

"You're blaming yourself for something you didn't do," he pointed out.

She sighed, pondering whether or not he was right. After all, wasn't it her who had chosen to take that route home? If only she'd gone a different way, maybe this incident could've been avoided. Then she could have returned to life as normal. "Don't tell anyone else. Not even my parents."

"Why?"

"I just... I don't want this thing to blow up into a huge deal."

"But, Sam, it is a huge deal. You were-" he paused when he saw her grimace from what he was about to say. Instantly, he corrected himself, "You were hurt."

"Yeah, but it's not anyone else's problem. I wanna handle this on my own."

"It's good you want to be independent, but there are times when you need other people."

"Now isn't one of them. When I get into a real life-or-death situation, then I'll call 911," she retorted.

"And what if you hadn't gotten away, Sam? What might have happened if you hadn't come home? If you hadn't bitten his neck?" Danny asked.

She stalled, not knowing how to answer such a truthful question. "I...don't know. But it's not necessary to get my parents involved."

"Fine, I won't tell anyone," he gave, "But there is something else I want to talk to you about."

"What?" she questioned.

"I know this...may be an uncomfortable subject for any girl to talk about, but I want you to be honest with me. Were you...on your period?" he asked awkwardly.

"No, why?"

"Because, if you were, then it would've acted as a shield against..." his voice trailed off, wondering whether or not to continue.

"Against what?"

"Um, have you felt sick lately?"

"A little, but I think it was just some bad food. Where are you going with this anyway?"

"And have you gotten angry and then happy all of a sudden?"

"I dunno. Again, where are you going with all this?" she repeated, her confusion evident in her tone.

"I think you should go to the doctor's."

"No, I don't want some doctor to find out about this; and I definitely don't want my parents knowing."

He sighed, wondering when she was going to piece two and two together. "No, Sam, that's not- I mean, it's a very real possibility that you could be..." he trailed off again, hoping she'd finish for him. No one wanted to be the bearer of bad news, after all.

"I could be wha-" Her eyes widened as she finally guessed it. "Me? No, no, that's...impossible!"

"Maybe you should get a test," Danny suggested, hoping they were talking about the same thing.

"I don't need a test; there's no way I could be pregnant!" she denied. However, in her mind a totally different answer was tormenting her. What if it wasn't bad food that made her sick? What if she really had conceived?

His eyes dropped, knowing this was hard for her. "You won't know for sure until you take one."

"Y-You're dead serious," she gasped. She scrambled to her feet and pulled Danny up with her. She took one of his hands and placed it across her stomach. "See? You'd feel something down there! That is, if something was there. Right?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Actually, I don't think you feel anything until a few months," he stated.

"But that happened three weeks ago..." she breathed.

"I'm not saying you are, I'm just saying you might be," he clarified.

She sat down on her bed. "Danny, could you run by the store and get some after school? If my parents ever found me in a place like that...even I can't say what would happen to you."

"To me?"

"Yeah, my dad really hates you. He's going to assume we're...you know." A bright red color appeared on her face.

"Good point. I'll get some, but I'm gonna have to ditch Tucker first. Might take some time."

"I can wait."

Danny put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't be nervous, Sam. No matter what happens, everyone's still going to be there for you."

"Easy for you to say..." she mumbled.

A/N

And, as you can see, that was the second chapter of the story. Again, don't be shy with the reviews, people! Maybe this time we could bump it up to thirteen reviews? I dunno, but you all understand the situation. And for the record, I'm not used to pushing you guys for reviews. Normally, I like to let everyone review when they want to. But some of my stories get thousands of hits and only about ten reviews per every three chapters. Not good, not good at all. Then someone gave me the advice to start asking for reviews or cancel the story and move on to a different idea. Well, now I'm taking that advice. Either review, or the story is lost forever.

Also, a little heads-up on this chapter. First of all, I just want to say that this chapter is over THREE THOUSAND words long! Hooray! And secondly, I'm not sure where to go with this. I don't know whether or not Sam will be pregnant. I'm leaning towards not pregnant, because it'll be easier to write the story that way. But if you guys want her to be pregnant, I can make that happen. Again, I haven't exactly decided yet. So tell me what you think I should do, because I'm writing this thing for you guys, not for myself. I'd hoped to create a story that captured you guys' interest.

Also, I've noticed that some of you have read my last authors' note and have taken my warning into account. Well, guess what? All of you who've done that, I thank you! I'm glad you guys actually listened to me and didn't brush me off like a piece of dog hair on your shoulder! Again, thanks! And here's your replies:

To Codiak, my first reviewer-As I've said, I will continue the story so long as people are reviewing. I'm simply not inspired to write if I think everyone hates what I'm writing.

To KpFan72491, my second reviewer-Thank you. Though your review was short, it helped me to write out some of these conversations in this chapter.

To Rachpop15, my third reviewer-A very special thanks to you. When I read the part about 'pure poetry', it inspired me to put a poetic passage into this story. I think that poem actually made the chapter better overall.

To VampireGurlxox, my fourth reviewer-I'm happy you liked my story. And yes, the reviews are quite difficult to obtain. But work hard and you'll get them.

To my anonymous reviewer Galacta, my fifth reviewer-First, I just want to say congrats on completing the number of reviews I asked to get. Second, since my quota has been filled, I will continue the story. But only if the new quota is filled. Once my number of reviews reaches ten instead of five, I'll post the third chapter. But until then, keep reviewing!

To Sunshine-Midnight123, my sixth reviewer-Yes, my prologue was longer than most, wasn't it? But compared to the rest of the story, it's fairly short. I'm also glad you think the plot is strong. Not many people talk about that stuff. And yes, it was terrible what happened to Sam, but it had to be there because if it wasn't, then the entire storyline would be ruined.

To xsugarxblossomx, my seventh reviewer-No, I didn't write the rape scene in the last chapter, because I didn't want it to turn into an M-rated story. But I was mindful of that flaw, and made up for it in this chapter, as you can clearly see as Sam explains to Danny what happened. And, yeah, I suppose it was still pretty powerful. Even while I was writing it, I had this feeling deep in my gut, like a knot was being tied using my stomach. So, even I was emotional. :P

To DanielleAlwaysandForever, my eighth reviewer-You really think it'll pass as a story? Wow. I'm glad you liked my writing concept. Oh, and, uh...technically, last chapter was the first one. Even though it was a prologue, it still counted as an actual chapter of the story. Think of it as a two-in-one deal.

These are the ones who took the time out of their day to tell me their thoughts on my story. And to all of them, I thank dearly. So, without further ado, THANK YOU REVIEWERS!