Long update. Sorry about that. But there is no need to hurt me, as my little sister has already covered that. I woke up with a bruised eye, so I'm pretty sure she punched me during the night.
Anyway, I've been writing a lot for this fic. I'm currently on chapter 9 (and I actually am loving the way these chapters are coming out. My writing style is a lot different now than AH and FR. It still might need work, but hey, I'm practicing) Please, be patient. Plenty of cliffhangers coming up. Ha Ha! I love writing them.
All right, there will be action in this chapter, as well as a glance at Sam's new life.
Thanks to my reviewers!
Elemental-Zer0, JK rulez, xheartkreuzx, katiesparks, v1rg1n1a, KILLERGRIM23, Poison's Ivy, Horselvr4evr123
Quick Note: Thanks to Cakreut12 for reviewing on deviantart-com. Pop-up blockers prevent submitting reviews on fanfiction-net, so I appreciate that you commented on DeviantArt.
Guys, I absolutely hate hate HATE making OC's that get close to the main characters, especially when they come off as Mary/Gary-Sues (and I hope mine hasn't), but Damien is necessary to the plot concerning Danny, so please bear with me
Alternative
Chapt 4- Guess Who
Sam dropped the brush on her dresser and examined herself in the mirror. She tied a portion of her jet black hair back while allowing the rest to flow loosely by her shoulders. Aside from personality, she had undergone several other changes — appearance being one of them.
She had grown taller, much taller. Boys that used to insult her now acknowledged her when she passed them in the hall. But of course, she threw them a glare and continued walking. She wasn't the boy crazy type, but they, however, were now starting to notice her more than she wanted.
Even Paulina seemed to be getting a little jealous. She was still the top beauty in Casper High, but she didn't like the fact that Sam was becoming even the faintest competition. That jealousy usually resulted in her commenting Sam as a "Goth Freak" whenever they met on the way to class.
And that was usually followed by an "accidental" hit from the Black Guard whenever she was on duty. The truth was that Sam didn't have many friends other than Tucker and Damien. It was either people were jerks, snobs, too competitive, or distanced.
Sam made a face in the mirror and smiled. She always did that to see if she was scary enough to go out in public. One thing hadn't changed over the years — her unique individuality.
She stood up, grabbed the purple spider bag, swung it over her shoulder, and headed out of the room. Tucker was waiting downstairs, examining and old antique grandfather clock that currently read 9:15. It was given to the Mansons by her great Granddad Izzy.
Sam rested her left hand on the polished guardrail while proceeding to the steps, the other clutched around her backpack strap. Her parents would be back from work in a couple of hours. She loved their new schedule. No more opening the curtains and blinding her with light to get her up.
"Come on," the boy urged as he spotted his female friend walking down the stairs. She was wearing an all gray and black attire. The complexity of her clothes was chosen to show her indifference to the rest of the girls at school. She was wearing two different layers of shirts — one black and one gray. The black one's sleeves were cut into two straps that hung off her shoulders to reveal the gray one beneath it. Her black jeans were covered with a type of slanted gray skirt that she attached to the belt straps of her pants. Her matching boots started a little below the knee and overlapped the jeans. And of course, she had her black gloves and two thick silver bangle-like clasps around her bangs. Both of those items were essential to her ghost fighting.
"Bye Grandma!" she called, despite the fact that her grandmother was probably still sleeping. Receiving no reply, the Goth grabbed her technology obsessed friend's wrist and pulled him to the door.
"Are we taking the long way or shortcut?" she asked him when they had stepped outside. Aside from the windy breeze, the weather seemed nice.
"I think it'd be safer to walk since we're meeting Damien today."
"Oh, right," Sam muttered in remembrance. As far as she and Tucker knew, Damien had no idea of her Black Guard status. He was pretty much oblivious to all of their secrets. But then again, he didn't talk much himself.
"Tucker, Sam!" a teenage boy called. The two turned their heads to see their friend shutting the door behind him. He jumped over the stairs and landed on his feet on the sidewalk. They didn't know why, but he never liked to go down the stairs one at a time.
"Morning, Damien," Sam greeted as he approached them. He had a wide smile on his face. His hair, like Danny's, was a little ruffled. It was originally brown when they first met him, but he had changed it to white in honor of Danny Phantom. Of course, he never actually saw the hero due to the fact that he arrived to the school after May 5th of 2006, but when he had transferred in, news about the ghost boy's disappearance was still going around. After finding out that Phantom had been one of most infamous ghosts in Amity Park, he quickly began to research facts (or what the government thought were facts judged on their opinions) and became a quick fan. And by fan, she preferred the term obsessed. Honestly, the guy had highlighted his hair for him.
His eyes, wide as usual with happiness, were a light green, though nowhere near as bright as Danny's had been. In overall appearance, Damien's features weren't as great as Danny's. But then again, this was coming from Sam's point of view, and everyone knew she looked at Danny a little differently than they did. In the Goth's opinion, whether she realized it or not, no one could compare to her long-gone friend.
Damien was wearing, to no surprise, his usual attire — baggy black pants and a light beige t-shirt with a zig-zagging line across the chest. It was simple to match his personality (which Sam sometimes found disappointing — simple was boring, and she did not take too fondly to boring).
"Did any one of you finish Lancer's book re—" he began (to no shock addressing the question to Sam), but the Goth cut him off.
"I'll give it to you in the library second period," she said. They had lunch second, but the trio never went to the cafeteria. It was where jocks were bound to be.
"Thanks."
"Don't you ever do your own homework?" Tucker asked, but Damien merely laughed.
"Do you?"
The dark-skinned boy grinned and turned to Sam. She rolled her eyes and said, "Fine."
"I haven't seen the Black Guard all weekend," Damien said suddenly, causing Sam to turn to him and accidentally walk into a tree. Both boys laughed, but she merely scowled and hit the closest one.
"Ow!" Tucker yelped, rubbing his left arm.
"It's a stupid name," she mumbled.
"What?" the albino boy asked, but she waved her hand in the air to change the topic.
"Dude, you're obsessed," Tucker stated, but Damien shook his head.
"I'm not the one who changed my entire wardrobe to resemble her," he said, gesturing toward Sam. She smiled and moved a little to the right to avoid the next tree.
"Besides, there's only room for one girl in my life," he added as a tease, earning another smirk from the Goth.
"Thanks," she said in the same sardonic tone. Damien always pretended to flirt with her. It was their idea of a joke ever since that excuse she had made in her sophomore year to get out of going to the end of the year dance with Mikey.
She was emptying out her locker when he asked and, fortunately, Damien, still confused about the social status and rules of the school, wandered by holding a piece of paper — no doubt his new schedule. He was looking around for something when she grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.
"I can't go with you because Damien already asked me. Sorry Mikey."
"I did?" Damien had asked, but she elbowed him in the ribs and he got the message. Ever since then, he always cracked a joke and made a teasing remark about how beautiful she was and how lucky he was to have asked her out. The teasing got worse as they got closer, but instead of ignoring him, she teased him back and the game continued.
The shrill ring of the school bell interrupted their conversation and the three stopped, all with the same frightened expression. Then, in unison, they all whispered, "Crud" and dashed forward. The worst thing about arriving after the first bell was the crowd. And sure enough, a swarm of students began entering the school, blocking them entrance.
"I'm taking the shortcut next time," she hissed to Tucker.
"Fine. And while you're at it you might as well tell Damien who you are."
"Damien's on the track team. He can run to school and meet us there," she snapped back. And sure enough, he was already at the entrance of the school waiting for them.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"How you have the patience to actually do this on your own, I will never know," the white-haired teenager said to Sam as he scribbled something onto a piece of paper. She looked at him with a brow raised, but he had his eyes glued to her book report. Tucker was doing the same.
"I do my own work. I don't follow anyone else," she said simply.
"Geez Sam, do you have to interpret your individualism through everything?" Damien asked, finally glancing up at her. She gave him a scowl.
The bell echoed through the nearly vacant library just before she had a chance to respond. The two boys' eyes widened and they looked at each other. English was next and, judging by the horror-struck looks, neither of them had finished their reports.
"Crud," they said in unison. Sam rolled her eyes. How many times did she have to hear that word in one day?
"Hey, who wants to set off the fire alarm?" Tucker suggested in hopes of buying them some more time. Damien smirked and looked at Sam, who immediately narrowed her eyes and said "No."
She let out a gasp as a green blur sped past her. The two boys apparently hadn't noticed, each hastily trying to wrap their scattered belongings into their arms.
"Are you oka—?" Damien began, but she cut him off.
"Bathroom. Back in a sec."
She raised her eyebrows at Tucker while dashing off and he got the message. The dark-skinned boy dragged Damien to class while Sam ran the other way.
Once out of public view, she held out her hands, closed her eyes, and concentrated. The black fingerless gloves emitted a strange light as two silver metal batons appeared by her fingers. Green blades expanded from each end (each curved in opposite directions) and she closed her fingers around the weapons.
The silver bangle-like clasps around her bangs created a mask over her eyes that connected around her head. Two belts now hung loosely at her waist, crossing over each other and the skirt-like cloth merged with her shirt, changing her attire enough to avoid suspicion.
It was true that it did little to change the appearance, but she had learned over the years that, when it came to secret identities, the people of Amity Park were oblivious — too wrapped up in denial and personal opinions to put two and two together. After all, who would suspect Sam Manson of being a town heroine?
She opened her eyes and looked around for any sign of the green ectoplasmic malefactor that had flown by a minute ago. However, it was nowhere to be seen. Getting aggravated at the needless delay, she turned around to head back to class when a green light shone brightly in her eyes.
The Goth gasped and, thinking swiftly, bent back. It flew over her and headed for the bathroom window. She clenched her teeth (wincing at the discomfort in her back) and stood up straight. It resembled a type of mutated beast. Kind of like a striped snake with legs, wings, and a beast's head. In other words, it simply looked like a baby dragon.
The ghost locked eyes with her and hissed. She noticed rows of sharp fangs and kept her blades beside her, slowly approaching it. With one last snarl, it flew through the glass and out into the sky of Amity Park. She sighed and ran over to the window. There was only one way to catch it now.
She jumped up, bending her legs up to her chest, and released her weapons. They grew larger and connected, creating a jet sled that she landed on smoothly before taking off into the hall. The students passing by gasped and jumped out of the way as she sped past them, calling out "Sorry!"
They were so used to it by now that after she disappeared into the stairway, they shrugged it off and continued walking. One of the girls she flew by, however, narrowed her eyes and clutched a strap on her backpack.
Once outside, the Black Guard enabled ease to her speeding flyer and looked around. Her opponent had disappeared from view once again. She searched for any signs and waited, but it did not come out.
"Come on," she whispered, unaware that someone had appeared behind her. "You can't hide forever."
Suddenly, her surroundings darkened. A shadow was forming, growing longer and moving in all different directions as it rose vertically up the walls of the buildings. Her eyes widened in alert and she looked over her shoulder.
There, just behind her was what seemed like the same creature she had seen before. Although this time, it seemed to have grown several feet.
Without warning, it opened its mouth and let out a violent roar. She held her hands up defensively and shut her eyes as the force blew her back. She let out a shocked gasp as the gust of wind thrust her off the flyer.
Tilting backwards, Sam managed to do a backward summersault and grabbed the edge of it just in time to pull herself up before it dived. She bent down, grasped the side of her jet sled with one shaky hand, and flew out of the way. It focused its gaze on her and swung its tail around. She gasped and jumped over it, landing back on the jet sled right after.
"You seem a little off today," Valerie's voice remarked. The Black Guard looked up and noticed the red and black suited ghost hunter floating several feet above her.
"Out in broad daylight?" she asked, knowing all too well that Valerie preferred to hunt at night to avoid attracting people's attention — especially her father's. He was still against the idea of ghost hunting. The Fatality did little to ease his tension. Instead of replying, the girl merely frowned.
"Behind you," she said carelessly. Sam's eyes widened and she looked back just in time to feel something hard slam into her. She screamed and fell again, this time unable to regain balance. Rolling her eyes at the fact that her competition was losing her touch, the red clad ghost hunter leaned forward into a dive.
Sam, however, did not need rescuing. She flipped over so that she was now standing (or falling) upright and held out her hands. Her black gloves emitted a silver light and her green and silver blades appeared at her sides.
She held them vertically and lifted her legs up to her chest again. The tips of the blades dug into the ground and broke her fall. Once sure that she had landed, the Goth allowed her feet back down onto the earth and lifted the blades out of the dirt.
Growing angry, she clenched her teeth and ran forward, dragging them behind her. Valerie pulled out of the dive and followed the girl. She jumped high up into the air and threw each blade. Like spears, they connected hard with the dragon's shoulders. It let out a cry of pain and then turned its burning red eyes to her as she landed in a slight slouch, shoulders tensed.
She raised one arm before her and the other behind and summoned the blades back in her grasp. The ghost growled menacingly, but she merely smiled. It raised a clawed foot and brought it down, but she ran to the side and evaded the attack.
"Much better," Valerie commented, appearing beside the running Goth on her flyer. "You're actually worth the challenge now."
"Bring it," Sam replied, jumping back into the air and releasing her weapons. They morphed into her jet sled and she landed on it. Valerie ascended and decided it was time she joined the fight. She raised a sleek and thin weapon containing traces of pink ectoplasm and, without hesitation, fired.
The missile connected with its target and the ghost stumbled to the side. It quickly regained balance and let out a cry of rage. She aimed again, but it spread out its folded wings and threw her off balance. She yelled in surprise and reached out. Signaling that the pilot was absent, her flyer dived down after her. She grasped onto it several feet above the ground and climbed on, pulling out of the dive just in time and returning to the air.
The ghost looked at her and then back at the Black Guard. Both girls were approaching. It lowered its head and the two gasped. They bent down on one knee, grabbed the edge of their flyers, and pulled to tilt over to the opposing side. Fortunately, they just managed to avoid crashing into each other, but their distraction had given the beast a chance to attack.
It spun around, hitting them both with its tail and sending them right into each other. The girls collided into the other's side and fell simultaneously.
Valerie's flyer targeted her and flew down. Once again, she landed on it and returned to the battle, unwillingly pulling her 'ally' up with her as well.
"You are seriously losing your touch," she commented.
"Watch and learn, egotistic one," the Black Guard replied. Before Val could make a remark, she jumped off the flyer and landed on her own as it flew under them.
Once above the creature, she summoned her blades back into her hands and allowed herself to fall. Keeping her body straight, she headed right into the ghost, getting ready to aim.
By the time it took its attention off of Valerie and faced her, she had already swung her hand forward, piercing the sharp green ectoplasm into the beast's chest where the heart would've been (assuming it had one). It cried out and stepped back, but she wrapped her fingers around the jutting end of her weapon and prepared to stab it with the second one.
However, a sudden force collided with her shoulder and sent her falling headfirst through the air. She screamed in panic and summoned the first blade back. It appeared in her hand and she changed them back into a jet sled. It materialized above her, though, and she ended up wrapping her legs around the sides. When it turned upright, she was sitting on it.
"Who did that?" she snarled.
"Me," someone replied. Just as she turned her head to see who had responded, a glowing green fist made contact with her face and sent her falling again, this time too pained to focus on summoning her ride. She opened her eyes just barely and gasped. She was about ten feet away from landing headfirst into the cemented sidewalk. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her arm and she shivered. It was freezing. When she looked up, she saw the same green glow — and a glimpse of a pale white haired boy.
Ah, the cliffhangers reign again. Trust me, they get worse. Now, there is a significance to Damien's obsession with Danny Phantom, so please don't think I'm trying to make him Amity Park's new 'Inviso-Bill'. There's only one Danny, and he's currently trapped, well, residing in Clockwork's lair . . . heh, I'm evil.
For those of you who are interested, I drew a pic of Alternative — future Sam, Tucker, 14-year old Danny as a full ghost, Clockwork, two flashbacks, and quote you won't understand unless you either A) Read it in the right order or B) Wait until I update the chapter.
LINK: ( - stands for . ) Viara-Deviantart-com
Chapter 5: Another side, same story. Sam's memories come flooding back.
Reviews would be greatly appreciated. I love the motivation. And thank you!
-XxMW