I own nothing, not the characters, the space where this story exists, or even the eyes that you are using to read it. This is for entertainment proposes only, no money involved.
"Jazz, I'm bored." Danny whined softly from the back of the auditorium were the Rowan Academy was giving its 'official' schedule for the parents that were being kept in the dark about the true nature of the academy.
"Please try to bear with it, Danny." Jazz said to the disinterested eight year old, but she had to admit that it wasn't much fun compare to hanging around the agents. Quiet and rude as they maybe, Danny and Jazz had more in common with them than with the kids that were sitting with their parents listening to the welcoming speech.
A woman named Miss Awolowo, which Danny thought was a mouth full to say, was explaining something about accessories that are allowed with the students uniforms, but Danny didn't really care. Jazz was the one that used the Fenton Wrist Lasers, and she didn't really need them here.
Miss Awolowo was a tall and proud looking African woman with a deep accent. Danny thought she said something about being from Nigeria and how the school gave her the opportunity to seek higher learning. Danny's head soon hit the table with a thud earning him reproachful looks from the surrounding parents that thought education should be serious and not fun. Danny was starting to miss Clockwork and the Ghost Writer's ways of just jumping in and explaining later.
The door at the top of the stares gave a loud creek and Danny and Jazz turned their heads to the mental stimulus. In the doorway was Nigel, he was leading a boy that was the same age as the rest of the class other than Danny. He was pretty tall but not the tallest in the new class, and he had dark brown messy hair and pretty high cheek bones. At the moment he looked a little mortified about all the eyes that were on him.
"Oh there you are. I was beginning to wonder." Miss Awolowo said smiling from the podium at the front of the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, please say hello to Max McDaniels, who joins us from the city of Chicago, right here in the United States."
Danny smiled and waved a hand. "Hi Max!" he shouted causing a few giggles. Nigel spotted Jazz and Danny and led Max over to the empty seat next to Jazz. Miss Awolowo continued to talk about the rules to the parents. "Hi Nigel, it's good to see you again." Danny smiled to the Recruiter.
"It is good to see you too, Danny." Nigel said with a grin. "Max this is Jazz Fenton and her younger brother Danny. They will both be in your class." Max's eyes looked questioningly at the eight year old boy but said nothing. "Now, I am going to clean up a bit and make some calls. See you later, before Configuration." He said and then walked away.
Max nodded but then turned asking. "Wait, what's Configuration?" But Nigel was already gone.
Jazz chuckled a little and he turned to them. "Don't worry." She whispered. "You haven't missed anything. They can't talk about mystics or old magic in front of the parents. So this is all the stuff that only the parents really care about; school holidays, rules, future opportunities and the like." Max nodded as if not sure what to do.
Danny grinned widely showing a few missing teeth were his adult teeth had yet to grow in. "But as soon as everyone's parents leave the fun can began." He said excitedly. "I want to learn how to make one of those bags, like the one Nigel had."
Max chuckled at the younger boy but then they were all shushed by a girl with braises in the row in front of them and her mother. Danny looked glum again and his head hit the table as the presentation continued. But soon the presentation was over and they filled outside were Danny and Jazz stood around awkwardly with Max as the other kids had teary goodbyes with their parents.
Once all the parents were gone, Miss Awolowo led them into the great entrance to the dorms. She climbed one of the staircases so that everyone could see her clearly. "Alright children, we now must get you situated in your rooms." She said in her deep honeyed voice. "Before room assignments however, I would like to make one thing clear about your new home. Until you are given a full tour of the grounds and premises, I would ask you to only visit those rooms and areas that I designate. As you will see, Rowan's campus is… strange and unpredictable. Even our most senor of staff does not completely understand it and its ways." Danny was grinning with excitement. He had always loved exploring the vastness of the Ghost Zone and was happy to hear that Rowan was, if not as big, at least made as little sense. "As it is only our first day, I have no desire to rescue or mourn any full hearty students."
The speech was enough for the rest of the class, but Danny and Jazz had been through the Ghost Zone, and even if they didn't go out of their way to explore on day one, nothing would stop them from exploring the grounds.
Nigel came out of another door and joined the group. "Wonderful." Miss Awolowo continued with a smile. "Now before the Configuration begins, let me say the following. If history has taught us anything, it is that some students are inevitable disappointed with their rooms or their roommates or both. If this is the case, I am sorry, but urge you to make the best of it. Room configurations and roommate assignments cannot be changed. So no crying, no whining, agreed?" It wasn't really a question but people nodded throwing around nervous looks at each other. "Excellent, this is Nigel Bristow, I believe some of you have already met him. He will be showing the boys their rooms, will I will be showing the girls."
Jazz ruffled Danny's hair and said that they would meet up later before following the rest of the girls. Danny walked over to Nigel and was feeling a bit nervous. Danny hadn't had to interact with normal humans without Jazz since they had started being home schooled.
But Nigel seemed perfectly cheerful. "Alright boys, follow me." Danny followed the other boys up the stairs to the third floor. He was getting glances by the other boys who had long since noticed that he was younger than the rest of them. "Come on boys keep up." Nigel said happily. "North wing's for the gents, the ladies stay in the south wing. So if you find yourself without a urinal in sight… then you know you're in the wrong place." Nigel joked and the boys giggled. They came on dozens of rows of gleaming green doors, and Nigel led them to the far end of the hallway. Danny noticed that where the first two dozen doors had had names on the plaques next to them these doors plaques were empty. Danny felt something coming from behind each of the doors. A powerful presents, like the ones he felt from the flouting doors that lead to the lairs of older and stronger ghosts.
Reaching the end of the hall Nigel turned to them and smiled. "Let's see 40… 60… 70… 72… looks like we didn't lose anyone, hurray for me." He said before clapping his hands. "Now when I say go, I want you to search for your names and stand by the door that has your name on it. And do nothing else!"
A stocky boy with brown hair and blue eyes raised his hand. He had an extremely thick Irish accent, but Danny had heard thicker in the Ghost Zone. "Our names are already on them?" The boy asked.
"What is your name oh curious creature." Nigel said happily.
"Connor Lynch." The boy said with a bit of pride.
"No." said Nigel rubbing his hands together. "But they will be, that's part of the fun. You see, you don't pick your roommates, and neither do we. That is the Manse's job. Everyone ready? Go find your room."
Danny was pushed around in the immediate bustling through the hall as the boys tried to find their rooms. Danny waited for the chaos to start to form a rhythm as people decide on search methods before he started to glide among them throwing light glances at the plaques. There were a few shouts of excitement from people who had managed to find their names but Danny didn't pay attention to them.
Once he had gotten a little more than half way through the group of doors he felt a familiar presents. It was the same energy that radiated from the land of the Far Frozen and Danny felt gravitated towards it. It was a feeling that reminded him of home.
Danny found himself standing alone in front of one of the doors and stared as his name suddenly appeared on the plaque, 'Daniel Fenton'. "My name's there to, isn't it?" Danny turned around but the question wasn't being asked to him. On the opposite side of the hall was Max and a pale boy with blond hair and purplish rings underneath his eyes. Danny thought he didn't look very healthy.
Max blinked at the boy and then looked at the plaque next to his door and said. "Are you David Menlo?" The sickly boy nodded. "I'm Max."
Nigel had been scolding an Asian boy named Jesse for trying to open his door when he spotted Danny, Max and David. He walked over to them. "Who are your groups missing?" He asked.
Max looked at his plaque. "It's just us."
"I'm the only one here." Danny said with a shrug.
"Really?" Nigel said and looked at the doors. "Will you look at that?" He said thoughtfully. Danny noticed that most of the other rooms and four or five people. They were all looking curiously at Danny. But Nigel started everyone up again. "Alright now, when I tell you to, I want you to open your doors and enter your rooms. Once inside you will lock the door behind you and shut your eyes. You will soon feel dizzy, it's to be expected. Keep your eyes closed until the feeling disappears entirely. To be safe, I recommend you count to three once the dizziness stops before you open your eyes. Everyone clear?" The children all nodded their understanding. "Alright gents, please enter your rooms and let the configurations began."
Danny reached out and opened his door. Stepping inside he closed it behind him and closed his eyes before turning the lock. After a moment's pause Danny's body felt like it was accelerating at tremendous speeds will spinning like a top, as if he was using the infinity map. The sensation grew and intensified for about twenty seconds, though it felt longer to the dizzy eight year old boy. But Danny had gained a certain level of resistance to such things through various experiences he had had in the Ghost Zone, so he was barely starting to feel queasy when the feeling began to subside.
Danny felt a familiar chill in the air and his heart began to race. He slowly counted to three and then opened his eyes. A grin broke across Danny's face as he looked around himself in amazement. When he had started he had been in a small room with no furniture and no windows. But now he was standing in the entry way of what looked like a Cathedral made entirely out of ice, more than twice as big as the entire dormitory that he was now located in.
Danny walked around his eyes going from one intricately carved pillar to another. Each was a milky white and sky blue coloring and had images of places he had seen in the ghost zone. There were long stools like you would see in a normal Cathedral and stained windows that Danny believed had to have been made out of different colors of ice which had depictions of his ghostly friends.
Once Danny had made it to the center of the room he could see that there were two doors in the far wall behind the pedestal as well as a spiral staircase that looked like it would lead up to a clock tower if the room had one. Looking up to were a pearly glow was illuminating the room and saw a large blue and green crystal in the shape of one of Clockwork's medallions.
Danny was shocked out of his admiring the structure by a loud knock on the still normal green door. Danny gasped remembering that they were supposed to might up with his sister and the rest of the girls group after the Configurations. He pulled a bit of ghostly energy into his step and bounded across the hundred feet that lay between him and the door.
Turning the lock Danny opened the door to see Nigel standing there. "Oh there you are. I was starting to get worry that you went and lost yourself." He said in his jolly British accent. "Mind if I have a look?" He asked.
"Oh… ok." Danny said nervously as he realized that there was a large stained ice window that showed a five year old white haired boy in a robot suit doing battle with a giant with flaming green hair and an eye patch who was wielding a mace.
Nigel stepped inside and shivered. "Well it sure is cold in… here." The words seemed to die as he gazed around the iced Cathedral. "Well… this is a lot more imaginative then my old room." He finally said as he looked at a carving on a pillar that Danny realized was of the dragon form of Princess Dora. Nigel was rubbing himself for warmth and Danny could see his breath. "Are you going to be ok in here?" Nigel asked looking a little concerned.
Danny smiled and stretched out his arms. He was in a short sleeved T-shirt. "I like it." He said with a grin. "It reminds me of my uncle's."
"Wow!" A voice said from the door way. Danny turned his had to see the boy Connor staring from the door with wide eyes. "Guys come lookie at what the little guy made!" Max and David as well as some people that Danny didn't have a name for were looking in.
Danny could see them shivering in the doorway. Danny felt completely at home in the cold room and thought cold was little more than a slight chill even though it was several degrees below freezing. As Danny left Max asked him. "How can you be ok in there?" David sneezed loudly before backing away from the room.
Danny thought fast answered, "I guess it's just the magic of the room." He said hoping that everyone would accept the typical excuse of 'magic'.
"That is probably the case." Nigel said as he exited the room still rubbing his arms. "Every room is always different depending on its inhabitances. I've never seen two that are quite alike before."
"But Nigel, how did the rooms change? Didn't you change them?" A boy asked.
"Me?" Nigel laughed. "Oh dear heavens no. This is old magic, far older and more powerful than anything Nigel Bristow can conjure up." He waved off the comment. "But more about the Manse and old magic after dinner. Can you all help me round everyone up?" He asked.
Everyone jumped to it and went around gathering people from rooms of Japanese temples, Roman Palaces, and ships captain's quarters, though nothing seemed to be of the size of Danny's room. Danny's favorite was Max and David's room that had a large dome that showed the night sky and all the constellations on it.
It reminded him of back when he had dreamed of being an astronaut. Then Danny realized that with the education and connections from Rowan he really could become one. "I don't suppose one of you would want to trade me?" Danny had asked them.
Connor who had been nearby laughed. "I don't think anyone but you can survive in that room of yours, Danny-boy." He said in his thick Irish accent. David nodded in agreement before coughing. Danny shrugged his shoulder before following the older boys down the stairs and out the building to meet with the girls group.