I couldn't help but allow the shock to spread over my face. My memories of them are fuzzy, at best. I had long forgotten their names, the two of them having vanished fourteen years ago, when I was only four. The only memory I have is that I used to follow Darryl around, worshipping the ground he walked on. Suddenly, more images come back to me, a celebration of some kind, and I'm the center of attention. Now I remember: it was my birthday.

Flashback

June 26. Dawn rose over the city. Some people were going home after a long night of celebrating the start of the weekend, others were sleeping in, thankful over not having to go to work on a Saturday, and every child was in the living room, watching characters throw pies at each other, or their favorite superhero or crime-fighting team saving the day, eating a second or third helping of some kind cereal that tasted like over-sugared baseball cards. One woman, however, was up with the sun.

Maddie smiled as she kneaded the dough for the cake. She couldn't believe her youngest son was turning four today. It seemed like only yesterday when she had been laying in that hospital bed, Danny tightly wrapped in a pale blue blanket as she held him close while he slept. Jack had been so proud, he told everyone about his new baby boy, even the orderly. She remembered when he'd been brought home a week later. She would never be able to forget how adorable Jasmine, Darryl, and Danielle looked as they peered into the cradle at their sleeping baby brother that night.

A yawn, a belch, and the sound of a shower activating told her Jack had just woken up. "Oh what a beautiful MOOOOOR-niiiiing." Jack loudly sang, "oh what a beautiful daaaaay!" Evidently, Jack must have woken the kids up, because a few minutes later, a long, slender redheaded 16 year old in a green baby tee and a pair of purple pajama bottoms descended the stairs, her dyed-white haired, green eyed, 12 year old sister took the banister express.

'Morning, mom. Any coffee?" The elder asked groggily, circles under her eyes, her sister heading immediately to the living room as she clicked on the TV, an environmentalist kid's show about a blue skinned, green haired superhero came on. 1

"No, Jazz. Sorry." Maddie replied as she poured the batter into a cake pan shaped like the Superman S and placed it in the oven.

"'S ok. Guess I'll just have to use the instant stuff." Jazz responded, filling a kettle.

"There we go." Maddie added as she closed the oven. "Danielle, would you go wake your brothers?" She called out.

"But mo-om!" Danni complained.

"No 'buts', young lady, now get."

"Alright, alright." Danni whined as she climbed the stairs. Reaching a door with a skull and crossbones and the words "Darryl's room: KEEP OUT!" taped to it, she announced, "Hey, bonehead, mom told me to wake you up!"

"Shuddit!" Came Darryl's muffled response. Opening the door, Danielle saw a room plastered with Dumpty Humpty posters covering most of the green walls, a massive pile of unfolded clothes in the corner. This is a boy's room, alright, and somewhere under that mass of blankets is my brother. Sure enough, dangling out from a giant mess of sheets and comforters was a bare arm.

"Alright, wake up." Danni repeated, flicking on a light. Feeling around the floor, the arm found the perfect projectile, a slipper, which the adolescent girl ducked. "MOOOOOM, DARRYL THREW A SLIPPER AT ME!"

"Darryl Michael Fenton, you wake up this instant!" Maddie said as she stormed up the stairs, into the room, and ripping the sheet off to reveal the person to whom the arm was attached, a boy with naturally white hair and piercing green eyes laying face down.

"Alright, I'm coming, now would you guys leave? I have to get dressed." He said, turning over, making sure that his "shame" was well covered.

"Alright, honey."

"You only sleep that way because of Jeeessicaaaaa!" Danni teased, making fake goo-goo eyes.

"Out, OUT, OUT!" Darryl shouted. It was true, though, his girlfriend had convinced him to sleep that way.

"C'mon, sweetie. Why don't you go wake Danny?" Maddie asked Danni as they closed the door.

"Nah, I'll wake the little dude." Darryl said. Screaming at a form near the wall, he asked himself "Who is that good looking guy in the mirror?" as he stopped to examine his form in a large mirror as he pulled on a pair of boxers, some pajama bottoms, and a tank top. "Oh, yeah." He said. "If there's one good thing about having ghost hunter parents, it's getting abs like these. I must have been a real good boy the year Santa gave me these."

In spite of outside appearances, he and Danielle were quite close in reality, thanks to their age. They were both good kids, yet where they both went, mischief often followed. Thick as thieves the two of them were. Danni could usually take on one or two bullies by herself, for example, but when they ganged up on her, Darryl was usually right there, ready to defend her as soon as possible.

Coming to a blue door, Darryl pushed it open. He smiled as he looked around the room, his eyes fell on a bed covered in a bedspread featuring four six foot tall crime fighting turtles and their rodent dojo, in the center of which lay his kid brother, fast asleep. If there was any family member he loved more than Danni, it was his little bro, and his young boy returned the love. No matter what, Darryl would always be there for the kid. After pulling open the room's curtains, Darryl sat on the bed next to him and rubbed his brother's head, lovingly gazing at him. Grabbing the kid's shoulder and gently shaking him. "C'mon, kiddo, time to wake up." He whispered. "Wake up, Danny." Slowly, the kid's eyes fluttered open, smiling as he saw his favorite sibling. "Good morning, little bro."

"Darryl," Maddie shouted from downstairs, "Sam and Tucker should be here any minute! Help your brother get dressed and bring him down here!"

"Ok, mom!" Rummaging through the kid's dresser, he pulled out some socks and Batman underwear. "Alright, kiddo, strip and put these on." Darryl said, turning around. When the kid was done, Darryl helped the boy into a pair of jeans and a "Jurassic Park" t-shirt before escorting the boy downstairs, setting him in front of the tube on the carpet next to Danni, pouring him and Danny each a bowl of Froot Loops, and plunking himself down on the couch, prepared to watch the same mind-melting drivel. Some Bugs Bunny cartoon was coming on when the doorbell rang.

"Jazz, honey, could you get that?" Maddie asked as she mixed the icing for the cake.

"Dad, could you get that?" Jazz asked from the bathroom.

"Darryl, would you mind getting it?" Jack queried over his newspaper

"Danni, get the door." Darryl mumbled through a mouthful of cereal.

"Me? You get it! I'm watching TV."

"I'm sorry, what's that? I couldn't hear you." Darryl stated as he cranked up the volume as high as it would go.

"Danny, get the door."

"He's the birthday boy, don't make him get it."

"Fine, I'll get it."

"Thank you."

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Foley. Hi Tucker." Danni politely said as she opened the door to reveal an African-American couple carrying a rather large package and their son, Tucker, who was in the middle of some gameboy game.

"Good morning, Danni. Is Danny home?" The boy asked, looking up from his game, which featured a chubby little mustachioed man jumping on some sort of walking mushroom.

"Sure, Tuck. He's right over there."

"Yo, Tuck, my main man, what's up?" Darryl asked as Tucker approached the kid laying on the rug.

"Nothin'. Hey, Danny, check out the new Mario game I got!"

"Sweet." Danny and Darryl said in unison.

As soon as everyone was ready, all four Fentons and Tucker were crammed into the back of the Fenton Family Assault vehicle, on the way to the local zoo. By 8:00, they'd visited Gorilla Gulch, Rhino Roundup, Parrot Perch, Monkey Mountain, and were visiting Lion's Lair when Danny decided he wanted to see the monkeys again so, as soon as both of Jack's hands were on the railing and everyone's attentions were on the lions, Danny slipped away towards Monkey Mountain. He was about to ask Maddie for money to buy an ice cream when he noticed his family wasn't anywhere in sight. "Mama?" He asked. No reply. "Dad?" Again, no response. Lost and alone, the errant child broke down and cried.

It was one or two minutes before he heard a voice calling out "Danny? Danny-boy, where are you?" It was Darryl.

"Darryl?" Danny cried back.

"Danny, just stay right where you are, ok?"

"Ok!"

"Danny, where are you?"

"I'm by an ice cream man!"

"Does he have a pink and blue umbrella on his cart?"

"Yes!"

"Ok, I see him! I'll be there in a few seconds. Just stay right where you are!" Daniel's face lit up as he saw his brother coming through the crowd.

"Darryl!" He said, running toward his older brother.

"Danny!" Darryl announced as he dropped to his knees and held out his arms, wrapping them around his brother.

"Big brother!"

"Danny-boy!"

"There you are!" Maddie announced as the family regrouped. "Young man, I have half a mind to ground you for the rest of the day." She added, kneeling as she chastised the young boy. "As it is, I've worked too hard on this party to call it off on such shirt notice. Still some form of punishment is in order." She said, pulling him over her knee and firmly applying her hand to his rear. "Be thankful that a spanking's all your getting as a punishment. Now what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry." The lad replied as he gazed at the ground penitently.

A few minutes after everyone was home, the doorbell rang. "I can't get it, I'm applying the icing!" shouted Maddie from the kitchen.

"I'm combing my hair!" Came Jazz's voice from the bathroom.

"I can't get it because this article's too interesting." Jack responded from behind the paper.

"Watching TV!" Danni and Darryl replied in unison.

"Jinx!" Yelled Darryl.

"Ooh, let me get it!" Danni responded in a voice with dripping with sarcasm. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Manson. Good morning, Sam." Danielle said, greeting a pair of valley folks and their daughter, who'd obviously been forced to wear the sugary pink birthday cake generously called a party dress embroidered with pink cloth roses and puffy sleeves. Under the dress the girl could be seen wearing white stockings and a pair of black buckle shoes.

Danny had quite a birthday party. It was in the backyard, and there was a clown, a bounce house, Jack was barbecuing burgers and hot dogs while Sam helped herself to fruits, veggies, and cheeses; Danny got a whole slew of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" action figures, some new clothes from Grandma Fenton, a Nintendo 64 from Tucker (as well as a whole bunch of games), and two huge helpings of cake, as well as a whole bunch of other presents. It wasn't a big party, though, since most of Danny's classmates were on vacation.

"Darryl," Maddie asked once most of the ice in the coolers had melted, "Would you mind going down to the store and getting a couple bags of ice?"

"Sure." The teen replied.

"I'll go with." Added Danni.

All the guests had gone home long ago. The party had been over since 2:00 and 4:00 was fast approaching, and Darryl and Danni still hadn't returned. Maddie and Jack were getting restless. 4:00 turned into 5:00, and 5:00 into 6:00. Jazz had searched the city twice, but to no avail. Hour by slowly passing hour, the family grew more and more anxious. Finally the phone rang. "H-hello?" Maddie asked, her voice shaky as she tentatively picked up the phone. "Yes, this is Madeline Fenton." Jack looked on from the living room as Maddie, leaning against the open doorway to the kitchen, held a hand to her mouth, eyes widening as she listened. "Oh, no. My husband and I will be right there. Thank you. Bye." Maddie finished as she started to sob. "Jack, Jazz," She started her voice cracking, "could I talk to you guys for a moment in private?"

Before long, the family was on the way to the city morgue. "Jazz," Maddie said as her and Jack left the car, "your dad and I will be right back. In the meantime, why don't you tell Danny about… you-know-what?"

"Sure. Wake up, little brother." She said, nudging her dinosaur pajama-clad brother awake.

"Jazz, why were mom and dad crying?" He asked groggily.

"That's what I want to talk to you about. This is never easy to say, but no one lives forever. At some point, everyone goes away forever, even Danni and Darryl. Some day, mom, dad, me, and even you have to die."

"Die?"

"To go away for a long, long time. You know those ghosts that mom and dad track down?"

"Yes."

"Exactly like that."

"Did Darryl and Danni go away?"

"Yes."

"Will I ever see them again?"

"Probably not."

"I don't want them to go away forever." He said as tears started to trickle down his cheeks.

"I know, Danny," Jazz replied, putting her arm around his shoulder, pulling him close as they mourned, "I know. I don't want them to go away either."

Apparently, the bodies had been found in an alley next to a local Fast-Mart, undamaged except for five mysterious bruises around the victims' hearts, almost like a hand had grabbed them and physically stopped the hearts from beating. Three days later, and Danny, sharp in his black tux and red cummerbund, marched up to the caskets, and bid final his farewells to his beloved siblings.

End flashback

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1. If anyone can guess the show Danni's watching, they get a cookie.