A/N.
Because it's almost Christmas I decide to upload a little earlier. Hope you don't mind.
As always, enjoy!
Chapter 3. The waitress.
Back at the cabin Danny and Tucker marveled over the sheer amount of books Sam had managed to pack. Books ranging from ghost lore and myths to everything supernatural and unexplained. They, well mostly Sam, had flipped through the pages until the sky outside turned a lighter shade of grey.
Danny startled awake when his Dad bumped into the room yelling: "Ghost!"
Jazz looked up from her spot on the couch. "Dad saw a ghost." She said flat.
Danny looked around him. He had fallen asleep at the table, surrounded by books. So had Tucker. Sam came into the room followed by Maddie.
"What is it Dad?" Danny asked annoyed.
"I saw a ghost." Jack repeated turning around to face his son. "About yea high." He indicated a high just above Jazz's head. "Clad in white."
Danny was fully awake and up in a second. "White dress, white hair?" His Dad nodded.
"Seems like you have a stalker, dude." Tucker grinned.
Jack put his fingers against his chin. "We should go after that ghost."
"NO!" Jazz interrupted his train of thought. "No. Ghost. Hunting!" She signed deep. "How many times do I need to tell you this?"
"Jazz, sweetie, calm down." Maddie placed a gentle hand on her daughters shoulder. "By the way children," Maddie turned to face the three teenagers. Her voice took on an I-am-mother-so-you-better-not-lie-to-me tone. "Where were you last night?"
"Eh, taking a hike." – "Fishing." – "Nothing involving ghosts." They all said in unison.
Maddie cocked an eyebrow. Jazz crossed her arms. Jack was still lost in thought.
"You were out ghost hunting, weren't you?" Jazz asked sharply, looking at Danny.
Danny rubbed the back of his neck; he was cornered. "Well…Yeah." He placed his hands before him in defense. "But, my ghost scene was going crazy. I just had to check it out."
"Did you find anything, honey?" Maddie had that glimmer in her eyes that always made Danny nervous. Danny ignored his sister's dead glares.
"Actually, yes." Then he remembered the ghost girl's face. Scared, like a cornered animal. "But it wasn't very interesting, just a…ahh…"
"Will 'o the Wisp." Sam added. "You know. One of those bright shining balls of living fire." She gave them a winning smile. Danny made a mental note to thank her later.
"OK…" Maddie drawled. "So, nothing dangerous?"
"Nope. Nothing dangerous at all." Danny smiled innocently. The Fenton bazooka his Dad was holding powered down with a disappointed whine. "Can I talk to you guys, privately?" Danny whispers to his friends and sister. They all nodded and followed Danny outside.
"So, what did you really encounter?" Jazz asked as soon as the door was closed behind them. Before Danny could answer his breath frosted in the early morning air. He heard Jazz gasp as he transformed and whirled around to face the ghost behind him. She was observing them from the shadows of a large oak. Jazz couldn't help by utter a small yelp. Sam and Tucker both glared at her. The ghost was hovering inches above the ground, hair and clothes billowing in the non-existing wind, mist swirling around her and her blue eyes and white aura the only light in the shadows of the trees. All with all, she made for an impressive, slightly terrifying sight.
"Jazz, it's alright. She won't hurt –"
The door behind him flew open, his parents storming out with ecto weapons blazing.
The ghost looked taken aback, but straightened her shoulders. Ignoring the elder Fentons. "Danny Phantom." She spoke in way of greeting, her voice drifting through is head like mist. Jazz and his parents small gasps told him they'd heard her as well.
"Spooky, silent, girl ghost in white." Danny replied. This earned him a smile from the ghost. She shook her head; hair waving around like she was floating underwater. She floated forwards.
"No. My name is –"
A green blast of ecto-energy shoot past Danny's head and hit the ghost square in the chest. It send her flying backwards where she crashed into a tree. Danny twisted around in shock.
"Mom, what did you do?"
"Making sure that putrid ball of self-aware ectoplasm wouldn't hurt you."
"She wasn't doing anything!"
Maddie looked astonished and lowered her gun. Jack came storming past her, his own gun powering up. Danny popped up before him, stopping him in his tracks.
"Mom, Dad. Stop it!"
Sam was the first to caught on. "Stop. She is messing with you."
Just then the ghost got up, fangs bared in a feral snarl.
"I read about this, she's a-"
Sam's voice got cut off by a loud, ear shattering scream. Instinctual they covered their ears. Danny was forced to the ground, no longer able to continue hovering. Suddenly the scream stopped. Danny looked up to see that the ghost girl was floating before them; her aura burning. Her hair and clothes waved madly in the wind that suddenly pulled up. Her eyes had turned a bright blazing red. She bared her teeth, firing off another wave of sound that hit them like a freight train. His Dad lost his footing and was thrown into a tree. His Mother was blown backwards, but was able to grab onto a branch for support. Sam, Tucker and Jazz crouched low. Danny buried his feet in the dirt.
"Cover your ears!" He took a deep breath and released his own Ghostly Wail.
The waves of sonic energy met in the middle with a loud explosion of sound. Trees snapped like twigs when the two wails collided, sending both ghost flying. Danny hit the dirt hard; turning back human. The girl ghost narrowly avoided a tree and disappeared into the woods.
"Danny? Danny?" Sam's face swam in and out of his vision as he tried to open his eyes.
"What happened?" It felt like he'd hugged an oncoming train.
"Oh, thank heavens, you're awake." His mother said dabbing his forehead with a hot towel. "What an awful ghost that was."
"Yes, but you scared her off son." Jack stated proudly.
Finally his eyes opened completely and he was able to look around. He was in his bed. No, not his own bed. But the one back in the cabin. His family and friends hovering around him. They were alright. A little scratched and bruised, but alright. Suddenly remembering Danny bolted upright; something in his body didn't agree with the movement and a stabbing pain attacked him. He fell back on his bed.
"No, you're wrong." He muttered through clenched teeth. "Both of you." He sat up again, slower this time. His head throbbed and his vision blurred, but he couldn't detect any serious injuries. "She wasn't doing anything." He face his mother. "Not until you attacked her."
His mother seemed confused. "I really didn't know why I fired that gun. I just suddenly felt so threatened."
"Me too." His Dad admitted. "Like she was about to rip you apart."
"I don't think it's her fault." Sam said. "Or rather, she has that effect on people."
Danny tried to puzzle it together, but failed. "What do you mean, Sam?"
"I was trying to tell you this earlier. She's not just a ghost. I think she's a Banshee."
"Ban-what-now?" Tucker asked.
"A Banshee. Or White Woman." Sam repeated a little annoyed. "A ghost native to Ireland and Scotland."
"Least Haunted place, he?" Danny muttered under his breath.
"I admit, I was wrong." Jazz admitted. "But the brochure said nothing about a Banshee."
"What else do you know about this ghost, Sam?" Maddie, ever the scientist, asked.
Sam's eyes lit up. "I've got a whole book on them."
Sam placed a leather bound book on the table and flipped it open. The title was nothing sort of comforting. The Banshee. How to avoid contact at all times.
"That reassuring." Danny commented dryly.
"Shut it." Sam hissed. "Here it is. I studied all the possible ghosts we could come across with in Scotland." The boys gave her a look. "What?" Sam asked indignantly. "I wanted to be prepared."
"You sound just like Jazz." Danny remarked smirking. Jazz threw him an annoyed glare.
"Will you just listen? Look," Sam turned the book so they could see the page. "It says here that Banshees have the tendency to make humans do reckless things. Things that could get them killed."
She turned the book around so she could read the page. "Banshees are ghost rarely seen by men. They are native to Ireland and Scotland and can only be described as glowing creatures that light up the night. They are spirits that foretell the dead of people and sing at their funerals-"
"Sounds like fun." Danny interrupted sarcastically. Sam punched him.
"Anyway," She glared at him. "They often reside near water and are said to protect the forests, swamps and woodlands. They are also know to lure travelers to their destiny or their doom." Sam conclude.
"So everything here wants to kill us. Great." Tucker slumped in his seat.
"She does look like the picture." Jazz said, putting her fingers against her chin. "Do you think she is dangerous?"
Danny shook his head. "She didn't attack until Mom attacked her."
"And the book said they protect the forests." Sam added. "Maybe she is like a sort of guardian."
"So Banshees live near lakes, right?" Danny asked, raising from his chair. "Well then I know where to find her."
"Not before we've had a decent meal!" His Dad boomed from the other side of the room.
They hiked all the way to a small local pub, since the driver that had dropped them off at the cabin refused to drive them. Yelling something through the phone about it being too dangerous.
The pub was packed with local town's folk. Upon entering the whole content of the pub turned around to look at the newcomers. Danny groaned. His parents in their brightly coloured jumpsuits were about as inconspicuous as an elephant surrounded by mice. The patrons regarded them like any native Scot would do with tourists and then turned back around to mind their own businesses.
A tall pot-bellied man approached them and guided them to a round worn wooden table in the corner. "Would the family like anything to drink?" He asked, flipping open his notebook. They ordered their drinks and the man wrote it down. "All right. Ms. White will be with you shorty." And the man was gone. A moment later a pretty red-haired waitress appeared with their drinks.
"A'rite. I've got a Fanta orange?" She said in a thick Scottish accent and held up a glass. Jazz waved her hand.
"That's me. Thank you."
"Ye're welcome. Then I've got a cola light?"
Danny's hand shot up. "That's me."
The waitress turned to look at him and gasped. The glass in her hand trembled. Dark brown liquid sloshing around inside. She managed to pull her features together in a polite smile, but as she started to hand Danny his drink, the glass slipped from her grip and the contents spilled over Danny's shirt.
"I'm so sorry." The waitress apologized nervously. "I'll fetch ye a cloth." Faster than light she disappeared into the sea of patrons.
"That was…interesting." Tucker said, staring after the waitress.
Danny only shrugged. "It was an accident."
"Didn't that waitress look familiar to you?" Sam asked, also looking after the waitress. "I have the feeling that I've seen her before."
Danny gave it a thought. She did look somewhat familiar, but they'd never been in Scotland before. "I don't think that we could know her."
"I would've remembered a pretty face like that." Tucker grinned. "But now that you mention it. She did look familiar."
The waitress appeared beside their table with a clean cloth and handed it to Danny. Their eyes crossed. Blue meeting bright blue. He blinked and the waitress had walked off again. He stared after her, not really knowing what to do.
"Is something wrong, sweetie?" His mother asked, concerned by her son's reaction.
Danny shook his head. "No, no. I'm fine. I–" Suddenly it felt like his insides where frozen and a blue mist escaped his mouth. He looked at it almost in disbelieve. "You got to be kidding me."
"But, I don't see any ghost around." Tucker scanned the pub.
Maddie pulled a ghost tracking device from some hidden pocket in her jumpsuit and ignored her daughters annoyed groan. She turned it on and immediately a shrill alarm rang through the pub.
"Ghost detected. Ghost detected. Ghost detected."
As one the patrons turned around at the commotion and the waitress stopped in her tracks. Maddie smiled sheepishly, trying to shut the device down. It stubbornly continued bleeping. The waitress hadn't turned around, Danny noted. She tried to make her way through the full pub, tripped and fell. The tray she was carrying crashed down. The glasses splintered into a million pieces when they hit the wooden floor. Tucker wanted to jump up to help her, but she waved him away, scrambled to her feet and made a run for it, slamming the kitchen door close behind her. Finally, the device stopped screaming and the noise died down. As if nothing had happened, the patrons returned to their drinks.
"There is something strange about that waitress." Danny muttered.
"Really, Captain Obvious?" Sam arched her eyebrow.
The pot-bellied man from earlier came back to take their orders. The red-haired waitress didn't return.
They returned to their cabin after dinner, only to set out again. At least Team Phantom set out. Danny thought it unwise to bring his parents along. In fear of spooking the Banshee, or blasting her to pieces.
A few minutes later Danny, Jazz, Sam and Tucker were making their way through the dark woods. Danny, in ghost form, lit the way with a glowing ball of ecto-energy serving as their flashlight.
"Are you sure this is the way?" Jazz asked tensed, looking around as if a ghost could jump her any minute.
"Positive." Danny answered, pushing away some bushes. Before them lay the loch, shimmering in the silvery white light of the full moon.
"It's beautiful." Jazz sighed before something caught her eye. "What's that?" She pointed at the large rock at the shore.
"According to the folder," Sam answered. "It's Bruce's Stone. Apparently he was some sort of lord around here and fought a battle at loch Trool."
"Did he win?" Tucker asked. All of them sighed. "What, I'm just interested."
"There!" Sam whispered pointing to the right side of the loch. A faint white light emitted through the trees. Mist appeared between the trees and rolled over the water. They all watched in amazement as the Banshee made her way out of the forest and towards the lake. She didn't stop at the shore stop and glided over the water. Her glowing aura lighting up the night sky and simmering off the waves. Her long white hair trailed behind her like a sail. She closed her eyes and started to sing. High, rolling notes that made Danny blink away the tears that started to well up in his eyes. The Banshee walked over the smooth lake surface. Her voice piercing their minds until nothing but the song remained. And in that moment it seemed like the whole world held its breath.
"It's beautiful in a strange way." Sam muttered absently.
"I love it so much." Tucker's eyes were hazy.
"It's so peaceful." Jazz sighed.
"Yeah…I almost hate to break it up." Danny formed an ecto-ball in his hand. Suddenly everyone blinked. It seemed to Danny as if they all awoke from a deep sleep. The Banshee was still singing, but somehow Danny had broken the spell by simply talking to them. It was strange that he hadn't fallen under the Banshees influents. He figured his ghost-powers must've protected him.
Sam was the first to come to her senses. "I don't think that's a good idea. This is her home after all."
"Besides she might attack again and dude," Tucker levelled a look at his friend. "You got your ass kicked last time."
"Did not." Danny objected. Sam coughed and Jazz looked everywhere but at him. "Okay fine." He extinguished the ball of energy. "Plan B."
On the lake the Banshee hadn't stopped singing. The fog rolled of her in waves, almost obscuring her. The group reached the lakeshore. The ghost hadn't noticed them yet. Tucker shoved Danny forwards. It earned him an exasperated glare from his friend. Tucker only shrugged as if to say: You're the one with the ghost powers.
Danny squared his shoulders. "Alright then." He muttered, debating the best way to approach the Banshee. Suddenly the world became deadly quite; the Banshee was facing them with burning blue eyes.
He put up his hands in a defence. "We are not here to hurt you."
As calm as the ghost had looked before, that image had completely changed. Her hair and clothing danced madly around her as she glowered at them. Apparently she didn't like being disturbed. Danny pushed away the threated feeling and turned to his friends to see if they were alright. They nodded. Jazz was a little pale around the nose, but she nodded too.
"What do ye want? Why are ye here?" Her voice echoed over the lake, even though she didn't say anything out loud.
"We just want to talk, that's all." Danny put up his hands to calm her. The Banshee came a little closer, but stayed wary. Eyeing everyone with great caution. "What is your name?" Danny asked, trying to put the Banshee at ease.
The Banshee tilted her head a little to the side. She had reached the shore, but stayed above the water. "My name 's Willow." She replied, inching closer to face Danny. "Willow White." Danny took an involuntary step back as she alighted before him. "You are trespassing in my forest." She smiled when she saw their alarmed faces. "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you either."
"You're a Banshee, aren't you?" Sam asked, now that the ghost seemed at ease. Willow nodded.
"Why did you attack us?" Jazz asked. The blue eyes of the Banshee flared up.
"I did not attack ye. Ye attacked me!"
"She has a point." Danny said, slightly amused. "We just wanted to know, why you are here. My ghost scene went off and…you know," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "We just had to check it out." The Banshee appeared to think about this then smiled and nodded.
"Ah yes, the ghost scene." She said as if she knew everything about it. "It seems I didn't cloak myself as well as I thought I did."
"Cloak?" Danny asked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I can't tell ye. It's almost morning." She started to head back to the forest. But before she disappeared between the trees, she turned around. "Oh an' Danny, I'm sorry about yer spilled drink."