Chapter 4: Shedding Some Light

Danny was unable to stay asleep for too long, awoken by noises or imagined shadows flitting behind his eyelids, causing them to snap open. Four hours had passed since Danny's encounter with his attacker, Skulker, but the fourteen-year-old was still on high alert. He lay on his right side, back against the hard wood of a park bench, listening to the occasional person pass by, their shoes crunching on the concrete. He reached into his pocket and opened his cellphone, once again grateful that it and his backpack had been undamaged in the earlier encounter. Staring at the small screen, Danny sighed mentally; another text message, this one from Tucker.

His friends had been sending him texts from school all day long, but Danny just couldn't think of how to reply. Should he make an excuse, tell them he'd stayed home sick? Or should he stick to the truth; he never lied to Tucker and Sam. Never. They were the two people he was always completely truthful with, and lying to them was a strange and foreign concept. He'd barely been able to shrug their worry off yesterday, and he didn't know how he was going to be able to do it again, especially now that it was confirmed he was...well, not alive anymore.

It should've concerned Danny that the thought of his death came so easy to him now. Just yesterday he'd been petrified at the realisation. Now he simply felt nothing. He was neither panicked or sickened, only resigned.

'Boy, wouldn't Jazz just love to psychoanalyze me right now.'

A small smile grew over the teen's face at the thought, and Danny put his phone away for the tenth time that day, choosing once again to leave the text message unopened.


Danny let his shoulders drop in relief as he came upon his house's street; the ghost shield had been dropped. He'd decided to leave for home a little early, not wanting to risk running into Sam and Tucker on his way.

Now that he could actually enter his own home, Danny quickly ran up the front steps and latched onto the door handle, as though it were a trap and the shield would spring up any second to keep him out once more.

Jazz always stayed at school late, so Danny knew he'd be safe from questions as to why he was home early. All he had to do was sneak upstairs to his room and hop on the computer. His plan from that morning still sounded like a good one. He had a lot of questions, and research was the best solution. But first, Danny remembered, he had to get out of these jeans and then covertly stash them somewhere. The burnt shoes weren't too mangled, and Danny could make an excuse if his parents saw, though he doubted they'd ever notice. But the jeans, well, they were scorched and ripped to hell, hanging in denim tatters down his completely healed leg. At least that was one less thing he had to worry about.

Taking off his shoes, Danny quickly removed the ruined pants, before walking to his closet and opening the door. Without thinking, he did what most teenage slackers tend to do; he threw the jeans into the back of the closet. Freezing in the act of closing his closet door, Danny's eyes went side as he remembered the skeleton, so to speak, secreted away inside.

Smacking his forehead, Danny debated over whether it was worth it to exert the miniscule energy needed to dig around and retrieve the clothing item. In the end, he decided to just leave it be, for one because he was afraid of going into a two-hour-long trance like before, and second, he was just lazy like that.

Mentally shrugging to himself, Danny closed the closet door and walked over to sit before his computer, not caring to pull on a new pair of pants. It wasn't like anyone in that house hadn't seen him in boxers before.

Swiveling his mouse, the old computer hummed to life, and after a quick password Danny was off into the wide web, typing into search engines and pulling up links. Sadly, within the first twenty minutes he felt heavily discouraged. All he'd come across so far with all his questions were paranormal dramas, creepypastas and porn. Really weird porn.

A loud clang rang out from below, and Danny decided to put the internet search on hold for now and see if he could get a few answers from his mother. He just hoped she didn't go into a tangent that kept them both down there most of the night.

Upon entering the lab, Danny saw that both his parents sat on opposite ends, Jack bent over some metal contraption, while Maddie seemed to be looking over blueprints.

Two metal doors were closed over the Portal, but that didn't stop Danny from picking up the low hum it gave off, seeming to seek him out and pull him toward it. Danny turned away from the large device and walked determinedly toward his mother. He had a feeling that he really shouldn't go up to the Portal while his parents were around; something spooky and unexplainable was bound to happen if he did.

Danny cleared his throat lightly, as he stood beside his mother; his voice, though soft, echoed off the silent walls as he spoke. "Uh, so, what're you working on?"

"I am a ghost. Fear me."

Danny's head whipped toward the new voice in the room, but all he saw was his father, who leapt from his stool, hands raised as he shouted happily, "Hey it works! I think."

"What works, dear?" Maddie never took her eyes off her papers as she spoke across the room at her husband, who turned to her and Danny, holding aloft a metal square with a screen and two flashing lightbulbs.

"I call it the Ghost Gabber. It takes the strange noises ghosts make and translates them into words you and I use everyday. And it works! Yes!"

"How can it work if there's no ghost in here, Jack?"

This seemed to give the large man pause, and his grin lowered into a pondering frown as he looked down at his invention. With a few mutters to himself he turned and resumed his seat, picking up a screwdriver and fumbling with the machine.

Danny felt a nervous tingle spread through his stomach. He had to mentally reassure himself that there was absolutely no way his parents could know he was a ghost. He looked the same as always; he walked, talked, ate and breathed.

'They aren't suspicious in the slightest, so will you stop looking so guilty and just start talking!'

"Hey, Mom...do you-"

"I am a ghost. Fear me."

"Hah! See, it works! Man I wish I could've had this finished when those two spooks came flyin' around earlier. We coulda used it to ask them questions, and then blasted at them while they were distracted!"

Maddie was either too absorbed in her work to respond, or simply didn't care enough to. But Danny definitely did, nerves spiking anew as he walked toward his father, attempting to keep his tone curious and not terrified.

"Ghosts? There were ghosts here?"

Jack, turning to grin at his son's question, was all too happy to answer, swiveling on his stool and forgetting his invention for the moment.

"You bet ya, Danny! Two of 'em! Can you believe it? We haven't seen an actual ghost in years, much less two. It's a shame we couldn't bag 'em; shot at the big one for a while, but they both ended up givin' us the slip. The slimey slippery spooks...Ah well, your mom's coming up with a new device that should really help us in keeping the city free of any ghosts."

Danny couldn't stop himself from asking the question that was crashing against the back of his teeth like a battering ram. "Did you, uh, get a good look at them? Y'know, so I can know what to look for when I'm out?"

"Good thinking, son. Well...actually, we hardly got a good look at them at all. It was still morning, you see, and the sun was rising up behind them. We couldn't really make out any details, other than the fact that the big one looked kinda green, and it was definitely firing at us. The second one was really small and far away, and it flew off pretty early in the fight, the coward. Huh, knew who it was messing with."

"Say you did manage to hit one of those ghosts with your ecto gun, would that ghost be able to heal itself if it got away?" Danny's plan to slowly work his questions into idle talk had vanished, and he wanted nothing more than to get some quick answers and then get the hell out of the lab, which was beginning to feel more and more intimidating as Danny took in the sight of the various anti-ghost weapons and plans laid out everywhere. It had just dawned on him for the first time since the accident; he was a ghost now. These weapons and machines could do things to him, painful things. He'd certainly be using a healthy dose of trepidation any time he ventured down there from that point on.

While these thoughts curled and circled in Danny's brain, his father appeared to be thinking to himself as he finished inspecting the wires in his machine, turning it on again as he spoke.

"Hmm, well, our research isn't concrete when it comes to things like that. Which is why I really wish we could've gotten at least one of those spooks. We could've tested your theory, son!" He gave Danny a pat over the shoulder with his large hand, "But from what we have gathered, it does seem likely that a ghost could regenerate itself, as long as it had the energy to. It's what makes them so darn hard to destroy; but don't you worry, once your mother's finished, any ghost who thinks it can skulk around here'll be chalk. There' won't be anything left to regenerate, hah!"

That definitely wasn't the answer he'd been hoping for, and he still had several questions left. But his mother seemed caught up in her own work for the time being, and a panic had settled somewhere deep in Danny, growing steadily. It felt as if he were a small animal, watching a trap close in around him. He felt caged, and his instincts were screaming for him to get out. Get out before it was too late!

'Too late for what? Nothing's going to happen! It's just my parents, calm down!'

Despite his rational side, a new part of Danny's mind simply refused to accept his logic, and repeatedly bid him to fly from that place, fast. He wasn't quite sure what to do about these new thoughts and urges, but was wholly unable to resist them for long, especially when even the rational part of his brain was growing afraid as well. He just wanted out of that death-trap of a lab; screw his questions.

Feeling defeated, Danny turned from his parents, heading toward the stairway as he called lowly over his shoulder. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Fear me."

"Darnit! What's wrong with this contraption!"


The light streaming in through his window stung at Danny's eyes as he cracked them open on a bright Saturday morning. This time he wasn't surprised to find himself floating; had been expecting it. To his awe, instead of plummeting, he slowly drifted like a leaf down to his bed, landing softly as he stretch out. He could definitely get used to waking up like that. It reminded him of the astronauts, and how they slept and woke up every day in space. It was like he had something in common with them now, which made him incredibly happy.

Turning his head to the right, his smile lowered a bit as he took in the sight of his still malfunctioning alarm clock. Yet another question that remained unanswered. He'd tried everything short of throwing it against the wall, but it was completely dead it seemed. Like him, heh.

Smile back in place at the bad joke, Danny sat up and moved toward his computer. It was by now an ingrained habit, and without even being fully awake, Danny was logged on and loading his latest save file for Doomed. Weekends had long since been dedicated to the playing of this addictive game, ever since its release five months ago. Rumors of a sequel were floating around on the internet, and Danny, Sam and Tucker planned on defeating every level and getting every achievement by the time it came along.

As expected, Sam was already online. Her parents woke her up early every morning, even on weekends. Danny was grateful Jazz wasn't that nuts.

He quickly typed a message to her as his avatar ventured out into the wide, chaotic world of Doomed. Receiving a reply, answering his question as to where she was, he quickly directed his character toward the location. Thankfully it wasn't too far away. Sam always idled around on the game until Danny got on. Tucker wouldn't be on for at least an hour yet. He never could resist staying up late into the night on the internet, especially when there was no school the next day.

Shivering, Danny rose from his seat, eyes remaining locked on the computer screen, as he felt around on the floor for where he'd thrown his jacket before climbing into bed last night. Once he had it he hurriedly put it on and zipped it up, resuming his seat and continuing toward the Tessellated Tavern, one of the many locations that players went to when they just wanted to chat online with friends.


Sam sat at her desk, the only lights in the room coming from her computer screen and the little skull Christmas lights Tucker and Danny had gotten her last Christmas. They remained stapled to her walls year around.

Suddenly, a little green light next to a username appeared in one of her windows, and Sam felt relief and anxiety war inside her. It was Danny; he was online, the same time he usually was. The familiarity of routine comforted her, as did his immediate message to her, inquiring her location. She'd been hanging around one of the taverns found in the game. This one's black and white design tended to attract the darker members of the game, and Sam often enjoyed spending her time waiting for her friend amongst fellow goths, occasionally joining in on the conversation.

After typing out an answer, Sam sat her character down at one of the tables and waited, mind going over exactly what to say to Danny when he arrived. Thursday afternoon had been worrying, and it couldn't just be brushed aside. At her house she and Tucker had both agreed to talk with Danny that Friday. But then the teen hadn't shown up, and Sam and Tuckers' subtle texts during classes remained unanswered.

She wanted to confront him, to ask what could possibly be bothering him that he wouldn't tell his friends about, but she didn't want to come across as being dramatic. Part of her mind assured her again and again that she was concerned for nothing. That Danny was just having an off day. But if that were the case, why didn't he just say that? Why the paper-thin excuses and brush-offs? They'd all had bad days, plenty of them, so why did this one feel so different to her. It was the way he'd stared hard ahead of himself the entire day, as though he were concentrating on some fixed point. The way he drifted through the halls, class to class, barely saying a word to her or Tucker. And then the lunch line. He'd just grabbed a tray, walked down the line, and then went to their table, empty tray in hand. Worst was how he'd practically ran from them as soon as the final bell rang. It wasn't like him at all, and Sam racked her brain for a casual way to bring it up as Danny's familiar avatar entered through the doorway.

As he sat across from her, she settled on a simple question, one that could give her answers without seeming like she was prying. Her fingers typed quickly.

"You do know we have Biology homework, right? You went and forgot your textbook Thursday. What was your hurry, anyway; late for a dentist appointment?"

Thankfully his reply seemed equally casual, though evading. "Haha very funny. By the way, do you think I could come over and borrow your book to get it finished. I'd rather not have Mr. Falluca glare at me in that way he does on Monday. That's a crap way to start the week."

"Sure, why don't you come over now. Tuck won't be up for a while. When I talked to him last night he said something about a new PDA being announced. I'm sure he was up all night gushing about it with his online geek friends."

"A new one? Didn't they just release a new one two months ago?"

Ignoring her request, it seemed. Sam frowned to herself as she casually reiterated her wish for Danny to come over. If he were here in the flesh she could see for herself that he was alright. It would also make it much easier to question him in a setting where he couldn't simply log off.

"Why don't you come over and I'll hook up the big monitor. My parents got the frozen yogurt machine fixed so we can pig out."

"You guys get more fudge for the toppings?"

"Yyyep."

"Deal."

Sam smiled to herself. She knew the yogurt would get Danny over; he had a weakness for frozen yogurt, especially when he'd thoroughly drowned it in fudge. It was the reason the machine had broken in the first place.

The light beside Danny's username dimmed, and a moment later his avatar was no longer sitting across from hers. Sam didn't panic, though, knowing that this only meant Danny had signed off in order to come over to her house. She decided to do the same, exiting out of her game and moving over to the other side of her room.

A large tv screen took up nearly the entire wall, with two cushioned gaming chairs sitting before it. She busied herself with powering everything up and signing once more into Doomed, using one chair's built in controller. She appeared again at the small table, using game controls to turn her green light white, indicating to all other players that she was in standby mode.

Once that was finished the teen walked downstairs and into her family's large kitchen. There was just about every cooking device imaginable, what with her mother's obsession with baking shows. And literally every surface was decorated in some flowery or pastel pattern, causing Sam to yearn for the black walls of her bedroom every time she exited it.

Really, the girl often wondered what kind of horrible thing she could've done in a past life that got her saddled with people like these as parents. And she was certain her mother and father felt the same way. If Sam was being truthful, she would sometimes lay in bed at night and ponder if her parents regretted adopting her fourteen years ago, and if they ever wished they'd chosen another baby. Not like she'd ever come out and ask them; that was too scary to even think about. Oh well, they'd never attempted to 'give her back', so that had to count for something.

Realising she's been stewing in her own bleak thoughts in the middle of the kitchen, Sam pushed such wonderings from her mind and turned on the frozen yogurt machine, knowing by heart exactly what flavor and toppings Danny preferred. She'd have the snacks ready by the time he arrived.


Danny approached the Manson family manor, located in a ritsy part of town, where the well-off lived. Strangely enough the street over was filled with small apartments and houses for the not-so-well-off. Whoever made that decision was either cruel or loved irony a bit too much.

Danny's mind, however, was occupied with worrying over whether it had been a good decision to go to Sam's house. He knew that she would most certainly pounce at the first opportunity to rail him about the past two days, and so he'd been going over the pros and cons of being honest ever since he pulled on a pair of black jeans and left the house.

On one hand, he could just spill the truth out and hope she didn't throw him out of the house. She had been his and Tuckers' friend since fifth grade, and he knew she had his back no matter what.

But that was exactly what made him so uncertain. 'No matter what' was a phrase that didn't include things like being a walking talking dead person, and Danny wouldn't blame Sam if she ran screaming from him.

And yet he knew he could never keep up this charade of being fine; not without hurting his friendships in the process. They could see through him too well. They would know he was lying to them and it would hurt them, and they were the last people he ever wanted to hurt.

He also just really wanted to tell someone about what had happened, and he couldn't go to Jazz or his parents. There was no one else to confide in, and this was all a little too much for him to handle alone.

Playing his options back and forth in his head, Danny absently rang the doorbell, knowing the Manson parents really didn't like him barging into their home. Hell, if they had their own way he and Tucker wouldn't be allowed inside at all, but since when did Sam ever listen to her parents.

Speaking of, the door was opened by a woman in a yellow dress, wearing an equally bright smile. As her eyes landed on Danny, the smile dimmed swiftly into a frown.

"Danny. Are you here to see Samantha?"

"Hi Mrs Manson, and yeah."

The woman regarded him for a moment, eyes sweeping over his dark, rumpled attire and unkempt hair. Danny tried not to show how uncomfortable it made him every time Mr or Mrs Manson inspected him as though he were an insect. It was like they were adding to a mental list of things to hold against him; or looking for an excuse to refuse him entry.

Finally she mutely stepped aside, opening the door a tad wider. He stepped through, giving a quick thanks over his shoulder at the woman as he headed straight for the stairs. Mrs Manson followed behind at a distance, as she always did when either of the boys came over. Once outside Sam's bedroom Danny once again knocked at the purple door. He and Tucker had been given quite a thorough list of do's and don'ts three years ago by the Manson parents. It was essentially a list of things they deemed inappropriate conduct in their household, and entering their daughter's room without knocking was one of those things.

"Yeah." Came the muffled reply, and Danny quickly opened the door and closed it behind him as though he were keeping out water. He breathed out in relief, the needle prick sensation of Mrs Manson staring at him got nerve-wracking quick. He turned to see Sam on the other end of the black room, giving him a knowing smile over her shoulder as she set down a liter of soda on the low table which lay at the foot of her bed. Also resting there was two cups with ice and bowls of frozen yogurt. One thing Sam did inherit from her parents was her habit of preparing food and drink for any guests she had. No matter what she always at least offered to get something for Danny and Tucker every time they came over.

"Once again you survived the shark pool; you deserve a reward for that, oh brave one."

Danny grinned back as he walked into the room, coming to stand beside Sam. He felt all the stress and indecision flee from his mind as he spoke, "If that reward comes in the form of hot fudge and vanilla yogurt, then I shall graciously accept."

"Here you go then, soldier." The teenage girl handed him his bowl before taking hers. They sat down simultaneously in the gaming chairs, Danny logging onto his Doomed profile. The screen split in two, and Danny's avatar appeared opposite Sam's at the table. He too put his character in standby before digging into his food with vigor. The frozen yogurt machine had been broken for a few weeks, Sam's parents reticent to get it fixed, and Danny swore he was going through withdrawals.

Halfway through his snack, Danny noticed that Sam seemed to be eating slower than normal, glancing at him occasionally. Not knowing what to say, Danny pretended not to notice and hoped she wasn't about to start asking questions so soon. He had hoped to at least enjoy some Doomed on the big screen before he was put on the spot.

No such luck for Danny Fenton today, it seemed. The gothic girl set her bowl down on the floor beside her as Danny finished off his own, doing the same. He avoided her gaze under the ruse of wiping bits of stray yogurt from his mouth. He heard her sigh heavily beside him, and finally forced himself to look over at her. She was watching him with concern in her gaze, all jokes and smiles lost, and Danny couldn't help but feel guilty for causing her and Tucker to worry this much. Another part of him rebelled, claiming they were being overly-theatrical about it all. So he'd acted a little funny, and missed school. That didn't give her the right to try and poke and prod at him. He didn't owe her answers. But no, he did; she was his best friend. He'd never lied to her before. Well, except for when they'd first met, and he told her he was on the basketball team. Yeah, that farce had lasted all of one day.

"Danny?" The boy in question was pulled out of that particular memory and placed back in the present by said best friend's voice. Once she saw that she had his full attention, she closed her eyes and sighed once more, and when she spoke again her words were slow, as though she were trying to think of how to best word them.

"Alright, I know you knew this was coming, and I know you just think I'm being dramatic by asking, but you really spooked me and Tucker Thursday. I mean, we've all seen each other in not-so-pleasant moods, but...Is something wrong, Danny? Because what with Thursday and then Friday, you just seem off all of a sudden. Had something happened at home? Are your parents and Jazz okay? You know you can tell me anything."

Danny cut off anything she might have said further, unable to keep his tone from sounding tense and annoyed, "No Sam, nothing's happened. My family's the same as ever, no one's died or anything." He mentally congratulated himself at how steadily that came out. He even schooled his expression to come across as a bit bored, hoping to throw Sam off. She was having none of it.

"Well then will you explain to me why you walked through school the day before like you were petrified. Seriously, Danny, I know how you look when you're sick or exhausted, and that wasn't it at all. You looked, well, scared. Like you'd seen a ghost or something."

As the age-old phrase slipped of her tongue, Danny couldn't help but stiffen a bit. The other teen picked up on it, her eyes widening and eyebrows raising.

"Is that it? You saw a ghost? What, were your parents out hunting again?"

"W-well, sorta."

"Ugh, Danny, why won't you just be straightforward with me? You always are, no matter what. That's what has me so worried. I mean, what could be so earth-shattering that you'd keep it from your friends?"

It was then that Danny realised he really couldn't pull off lying to his friends; not if he wanted to keep the trust they all held. Looking again over at Sam, he saw nothing but genuine concern in her eyes. Guilt bubbling up in his stomach, as well as anxiety, Danny grabbed his bowl and stood up.

"Alright, I'll...I'll tell you what's been going on. But it's going to be hard to, uh, to believe. And could you call Tuck? I'd really like to tell you both at the same time."

Sam just nodded silently, face solemn and nervous at the same time. Danny wondered what it was she was expecting him to say. One thing for sure, it definitely wouldn't be what he was about to confide. He felt his breath quickening in anticipation as he set his bowl on the table, pouring a cup of soda to give himself something to do while Sam held her cellphone to her ear.

It took nearly a minute, but finally Danny heard the faint sound of Tucker's voice, heavy with sleep, on the other end of the phone. He couldn't hear what the other boy said, but was able to guess by Sam's response.

"Yes I do know what time it is, do you? Geeze, Tucker, it's almost noon. Get off your lazy ass and come over to my place. Danny's here an- Yeah he's here. He's got some stuff to tell us. Alright."

She slid the small black phone shut and threw it onto her bed, which she sat down upon, yogurt bowl in her lap. She stared down at the carpeting as she idly pulled little gummy bats out of her bowl and ate them. Danny was also at a loss of something to say while they waited, so the two friends pondered their own thoughts in silence.

Thankfully Tucker lived two blocks down, and apparently he had also ran, judging by his state of breathlessness as he entered Sam's room after knocking.

'Geeze, have I really been acting that weird?'

Upon the third friend's arrival, Sam set down her bowl, telling Tucker she'd get him a cup and ice before leaving the room. Tucker stood beside Danny, giving him the same look Sam had.

"Dude, you okay? Sam said you had something to talk about?"

"Yeah, and it's kinda...hard to explain."

Sam returned, cup in hand, and set about pouring herself and Tucker drinks, refilling Danny's as well before they all sat down upon the floor. Danny crossed his legs in front of him, feeling two pairs of eyes on him, waiting patiently for him to begin this big talk he apparently had in store. He just wished he knew where to start. He supposed the beginning would be the best place.

"So, uh...you guys remember Wednesday? When that old lady ghost attacked us?"

"I do." Sam replied flatly, shuddering a bit. Tucker just nodded, face serious. Both males had been terrified of losing Sam that day, and it was still very much fresh in their minds. Danny cleared his throat a bit before continuing.

"Well, that afternoon when I got home, my parents were ready to try out that Ghost Portal again."

"The one they've been working on since forever?" Came Tucker's voice. Danny didn't look up as he replied, eyes fixed on his own legs.

"Yeah. They were convinced it was gonna work this time, like always. And, like always, it didn't. They were pretty bummed by that, so I suggested they go out and have a nice time. Anyway, after they left I went back downstairs to turn off all those lights down there. Which, now that I think about it, I never found." Danny shook his head; he was getting off topic, subconsciously stalling. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Anyway, I ended up going into the Portal and accidentally pressed a button and a weird light appeared and then all I remember is waking up and feeling funny, and all the lights were off so I thought I'd broken something so I ran to the door to try and book it out of there only my hand went through the door and it really freaked me out but after a minute it finally worked and I calmed down, then I realised I'd left my clothes in the lab so I went back and that's when I saw myself in the Portal only it wasn't me, well it was but it wasn't, it was like a dead me but I think it used to be me you know, anyway I totally freaked and ended up taking it to my room but then I realised how stupid that was so I hid it in my closet and it's in there right now."

Finally Danny had to pause to take a breath. He'd said everything so quickly that he feared neither Tucker or Sam understood him. He really didn't want to have to repeat all of that. Risking a glance up, Danny saw Sam and Tuckers' faces relatively blank. The concerned, curious expressions having fled. Danny felt like he should continue but was at a complete loss for words. Finally Sam spoke up after several moments.

"Wait, so you went into your parents' Ghost Portal? And, what, you pressed some kind of button on accident?"

"Basically."

"And this light you saw...do you know what it was?"

"I think it was the Portal charging up. It's working perfectly now; my parents can't seem to figure out how, but they sure are happy about it."

Sam opened her mouth, but was cut off by Tucker waving his hands frantically, eyebrows knitting together.

"Woah woah whoah wait now. Let's fast-forward in your little story. You said you saw yourself in the Portal, but it was a dead version of you?"

"No, yes-er, I mean...It was me, but I'm me, too. I don't know how else to explain it."

Sam spoke up once more, "But Danny, how can there be two of you at once, let alone a dead one? Maybe you were seeing your reflection in the light from the Portal or something."

"The Portal wasn't on when I woke up, Sam. I know what my reflection looks like, and it's never been lying on the ground with no heartbeat."

Danny felt anger well up inside him. He knew he shouldn't have expected them to believe him right off the bat, but somehow their skepticism irritated him. His friends' faces were a mix of several emotions, mainly disbelief. They glanced each others' way before Sam spoke up again, taking on a placating tone, which told Danny plainly that they thought he was mistaken.

"Danny, I'm sure what happened scared you a lot, and maybe you saw some things. Your mind was probably just playing tricks on you, I mean, it's easy to spook yourself when standing in the dark. You-"

"I know what I saw. And right now there's another me lying in my closet at home, and I'm...I'm..." Danny felt so frustrated, he just wanted them to understand, and believe him. He wanted someone who he could share this terrible secret with.

"You're what?"

"I'm...I think I'm dead, you guys..."

The two looked at Danny as though he had just grown an extra leg. Silence rang out sharply for all of one second before Tucker and Sam were speaking at the same time.

"Danny that isn't funny."

"Oh come on, you expect us to believe that?"

"Guys I'm being serious! I-I've woken up twice floating above my bed, and I can apparently fly, and yesterday that Skulker guy called me a ghost and my leg healed, not to mention my alarm clock-"

"Ghost? Who called you a ghost?"

"This...this other ghost. At least I think he was a ghost."

Sam scoffed, "Danny if you really did meet a ghost, you shouldn't just believe what it said. It was probably just trying to scare you."

"No it wasn't, Sam! I mean, well, it was trying to scare me, but it's true, I think I'm a ghost! I even flew yesterday! It was really weird but coo-"

"Danny come on, you really can't just sit there and expect me and Tucker to believe you without some kind of proof. I mean, you have to admit this is all a little sketchy."

Danny's eyebrows lowered. Why were they acting like he was lying to them? He was being completely honest; why couldn't they see that! He sat forward on his knees, coming closer to the girl.

"Fine, you want proof? Here, feel for my pulse."

Sam frowned up at the boy, but did as he told and placed her fingers over his wrist. Tucker watched silently, looking as if he expected Danny to reveal some sort of punchline to a joke any second.

The seconds ticked by and Sam's face grew worried, then afraid. Eventually she released his wist, only to grab up the other one. This one she held a few moments before letting it go and looking up at Danny, expression one of utter confusion.

"You can check the one on my neck too if you want. I know I have like fifty times since Wednesday."

Sam's voice was light and shaky as she spoke, eyes wide. "No, but...you can't have no pulse. You...you're right here! You're right here, you're talking and...oh my god Danny you don't have a pulse, at all!"

"There's no way!" Tucker intervened, "You just did it wrong. Here." He placed a palm flat over the left side of Danny's chest, Danny just sitting back and resigning himself to the situation. They were both doing exactly what he had done many times over the last four days, and he empathized greatly with their panic and denial.

Tucker's face now matched Sam's and they both seemed to curl in over themselves in disbelief as they looked at Danny. He lowered his eyes once more to his lap, unable to face them, afraid any second they'd run screaming from the room.

The opposite happened, really. Danny found his arm seized tightly again by Sam, and looked up in surprise to see her kneeling over him with a determined look.

"Show us."

"W-what?"

"Show us the body. The dead body you say is in your closet." Her tone and expression were hard, and left no room for argument.

"B-but-"

Tucker cut him off, voice harsh and shaky, "Danny I swear if this is some sort of elaborate joke I'll punch you in the face."

He stood up then, followed by Sam, who hauled Danny up with her. Of all the things Danny had expected them to say, somehow them asking to see his old body wasn't one of them. For some reason he felt reluctant to lead them to his other self, almost as though he wished to guard it, keep it hidden away and safe. At the mere thought of someone discovering its location Danny wanted nothing more than to run home and make sure the body was still there.

Unnerved by these urges, and not wanting to outright refuse his friends, which would make him look like a liar, Danny mutely started walking toward the door. The others followed behind him, game and drinks all forgotten.

None of them spoke the entire trip to Danny's house. When they reached it Danny led the way through the front door, past his sister watching television and upstairs. Danny felt a sort of dread building in him as he closed and locked his bedroom door once they were all inside. Sam and Tucker were standing near his bed, eyes shifting repeatedly from him to his closet. Tucker had a scowl on his face, but it was mostly overtaken by the uncertainty in his eyes. Sam simply wore an expression of apprehension.

Danny's instincts were berating him, yelling loudly that these two shouldn't be there; shouldn't see what lay beyond the old white door. Danny determinedly ignored these thoughts, and shot out a hand to grasp the closet handle, giving it a slow turn. He heard the sound of one of his friends taking a step back, but didn't look behind as he opened the door. Light streamed into the dark space, revealing clothes hung up and boxes.

"Wait, I don't see a body." Tucker stepped forward, looking indignant. Sam was incredibly pale, and Danny hoped she wouldn't faint. He settled a frown at Tucker and lifting the first box off the pile, lowering it to the floor. As soon he had the third box in his arms, he heard both teens gasp. Tucker went rigid where he stood beside Danny, and Sam sat down heavily upon his bed. The top of a head of black hair was now visible for all in the room to see.

Danny wore a grim expression as he moved onto the fourth box, and soon the fifth and final one was lying on his floor, and Danny was caught up in the sight of his own corpse once more. A feeling of peace came over him, but it was shattered quickly by Sam crying out softly. Danny turned to look at her. She held her face in her hands, eyes wide between her fingers as she stared down at the floor.

"No, no this isn't right. This isn't happening." Her voice was barely above a squeaky whisper. Danny thought about sitting beside her to offer some comfort. Movement from the corner of his eye aborted that plan, and he was quickly whipping around to see Tucker moving toward the body.

An urge to throw Tucker away from the corpse had Danny stepping toward the other boy, but he stopped himself, arms held tensely at his sides, eyes fixed on Tucker's every move.

Tucker's mouth hung open, his face having gone blank except for his wide eyes. He crouched down in the closet doorway, inches from the body. Its head still lay slumped against a deflated chest. Arms dangling down to curled fingers which rested upon the floor beside two legs that stretched out, a pair of torn jeans resting in a heap across them.

Tucker tentatively reached out a hand, as though he expected the Danny before him to vanish into smoke. "There's no way this is real..." He muttered lowly to himself, hand drawing closer toward the body. It was mere centimeters from making contact when Danny could contain himself no longer.

"DON'T!" He shouted sharply, causing Tucker to jump sky high and fall back to land on his butt, looking up at Danny in shock and confusion. Danny stared down at the other teen, and felt a humming start up from within, bringing him great comfort through his anger. There was no way he was going to let anyone touch what was his, not even his best friend. His hands clenched into fists, and Danny raised himself to his full height, looking down threateningly at Tucker, who's face flickered with fear. He quickly scrambled to his feet and backed up to stand beside Sam, who was also beholding Danny as though he were an unknown creature.

Tucker raised his hands, speaking calmly to the tense teenager in front of him. "Danny, it's okay. I won't touch it if you don't want me to. It's just me, Tucker. Danny?"

At those words Danny managed to regain himself, rational thought taking over once more, and the hum left him. He immediately felt a sense of loss at its absence, but Danny focused his mind on his two friends, who were practically leaning away from him with odd looks on their faces. What had happened? He'd just been so...mad. He hadn't wanted Tucker to touch his-no, the body. But why? It was just a dead body. He trusted Tucker, and now he'd gone and scared the hell out of him and Sam.

Guilt lowered Danny back into his normal slouch, and his hands relaxed. His friends thankfully relaxed as well, though they still looked at him with caution plainly written in their eyes.

'No, this is the last thing I wanted to happen. At this rate they really will run screaming. Oh what is up with me!?'

"Guys, I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me just now. I promise, I'm not mad at you." He took a step forward, grateful when they didn't shrink back. Tucker seemed entirely amazed now that Danny had gone back to normal, and it showed in his voice as he spoke up.

"Dude, how did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That glowy thingy with your eyes, man that was incredible!"

"My eyes?"

"Yeah! Your eyes just now, they went green, and your pupils turned all glowy like a friggen' cat's or something! Can you do it again?"

"I uh, I don't know. I didn't even know my eyes could change color..."

'Well there's another weird ghost thing to tack onto my growing list.'

Tucker seemed to have forgotten the earlier episode, and was sporting a grin as he moved away from Sam, who still sat silently watching the two boys.

"Man, that was so cool. Hey, do you know if you can do any other tricks?"

Taken aback, but relieved, Danny let himself relax as he answered. "Well, I know I can fly."

"Really? Can you do it now?"

The request gave Danny pause, and he looked down uncertainly. He'd only done it the once (he wasn't going to count the times above his bed) and he wasn't sure if he could do it again. Deciding that he should at least try, Danny closed his eyes and tried to focus on the memory of what flying felt like; the harsh scrape of wind in his face the higher he got, the dizziness of ascending too quickly, how to stay balanced. Minutes passed in silence, and Danny became lost in his thoughts.

"Woah, dude!"

Opening his eyes, Danny felt the floor come up to meet his feet with a dull thud. Tucker's grin dropped as well.

"Aww, you were doing it, why'd you stop?"

"It's not like I meant to. I think I just need to practice at it. Who knows, maybe I can get good at it one day." Danny smiled, liking the mental image of himself one day mastering flight.

"Could you imagine, being able to fly all over the place like Superman. Damn, Danny this is awesome! Do you think if you got good enough you could take me flying with you?"

"I don't know, maybe-"

"Hold it."

Both teens turned to the lone female in the room, still in her spot on Danny's bed. She seemed to have completely collected herself. Standing up, Sam gave a glance toward the closet before quickly looking away toward Danny. Her voice was low but steady as she spoke.

"Danny, that's your dead body, right?"

Taken off guard, Danny's mood abruptly crashed. He'd honestly forgotten that the corpse was still on display for all to see. His will to hide it away returned, but he quelled it, focusing on Sam as she continued.

"So if that's your body, then what's standing in front of me?"

She seemed afraid of what the answer might be, and Danny was too. He could only shrug helplessly. "I don't know. There's still a lot I haven't been able to figure out."

"Well then that's the first thing we should do, try to find some answers. Between the three of us I'm sure we can manage. Tucker, I want you to handle searching the internet. I'll swing by my favorite bookstore; it's got all sorts of dark and occult books that can help us. Do you think you could get anything out of your parents, Danny?"

Danny smiled on the inside at Sam's plan. Her determination to help Danny relieved him greatly. It meant that she accepted him. There had been no screaming or running of any kind. Danny was glad he'd chosen to entrust his friends with this. He knew that they would never betray his secret, and more, they'd do what they could to help him. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad; not so long as he wasn't in it alone.

Coming back to her question, Danny nodded his head. "Yeah, already thought of that actually. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get much in the way of concrete answers, but it's definitely worth a shot."

"Got it. So, what say we all go back to my house for the day? The research can wait until tomorrow, right?"

"You got that right. Doomed here I come!" Tucker was immediately heading for the door, only to freeze when he realised that the door was still locked and the closet was still open. The air tensed once more, ease evaporating as quickly as it had arrived.

Not wanting to spoil the good mood, Danny kept his tone light as he waved off Tucker. "Go ahead, Tuck, no one's gonna see. I'll be down in a sec."

The other boy smiled and unlocked the door, opening just a crack and squeezing himself through it, as though that would magically block any outsider's view. Jazz was still downstairs, and Maddie and Jack were down in the lab, so Tucker made it through without causing suspicion, and closed the door behind him.

Danny busied himself with quickly putting the boxes back in their place, looking upon his slowly disappearing body and feeling something akin to wistfulness as he did so. When he closed his closet door he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. He hadn't noticed that Sam remained behind. She looked at Danny with an unreadable expression for a few seconds, long enough for Danny to begin to shift awkwardly, before she moved forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. She squeezed tightly and rested her head against his shoulder. She then went very still, and Danny guessed she was listening in vain for a heartbeat.

When time ticked by and she didn't find one, Sam only squeezed harder before releasing Danny, looking up at her friend with sadness.

"It's going to be alright, Danny. Me and Tucker are here for you in this, I promise."

Danny was embarrassed and surprised and touched all at once, and could only find it in himself to smile awkwardly at his gothic friend before heading toward the door, leaving it open for Sam to follow.

'She's right, though.' Danny thought to himself as he reached the bottom of the stairs, finding Tucker engrossed in the television along with Jazz. It would be alright. He would be alright. He may be dead, a ghost. But as long as he had the two greatest friends in the world, Danny felt alive.

(I was originally planning on Sam and Tucker finding out Danny's secret later on, but the plot can't really start up without them in the know, so I decided to just get it out of the way. And boy was that a sweet, cheesy ending. I normally don't end my chapters on such a high note, but I couldn't think of any other way; and besides, it's alright to end chapters happily every once in a while. And don't worry, if Tucker and Sams' reactions felt a little uncompleted, that's because they are. There's definitely more about their thoughts in the next chapter, which I'm working on now. Please review with any opinions, I'm always interested to know what my readers think!)