A/N: Here's chapter 7, about a week early ;D I'm actually starting school in two days (wahhh) so I figured I'd at least get this up in case I got too busy to do it later. That and I promised to put it up early...

Anyways, I've read over this so many times that I practically know it by heart. Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating but you get my drift. Something about the chapter seems...off. I dunno...I'm gonna post it anyways cause I don't think I can stand editing it one more time...

Okay, enjoy and leave a review!


Chapter 7: Prophecies and Whatnot

The atmosphere in the room was tense as Tucker and Sam sat behind me, concerned looks on their faces.

"Danny, are you sure you're alright?" Tucker said uneasily.

"I'm fine," I fumed, pulling my clothes out of the dresser and stuffing them into my duffle bag.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Tucker and Sam exchange worried glances. Ignoring their interaction, I continued pulling my belongings out of drawers and cabinets and throwing them into the bag.

"Well, what exactly do you plan on doing?" Sam asked nervously.

"I'm leaving. I'm going back home," I announced briskly. If Vlad thinks I'm going to sit here and take this, he's one mistaken fruit loop.

"Dude, I don't think that's the best idea."

Trying to steady my breathing so I wouldn't blow up on my friends, I replied, "Why is that, Tuck? You think I'm better off here, with Vlad? With the guy who pretended he cared about me just so he could use me for his own benefit?"

"No," Tucker answered slowly, "That's not what I meant. It's just that, don't you think that maybe if you disappear, he'll start asking questions?"

"You know what, Tuck?" I yelled, "I don't care! Okay? I don't care if he asks questions! I don't care if he calls the SWAT team to look for me! I just-," I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. With a sigh, I collapsed on my bed. What was I doing? This wasn't Tuck's fault, or Sam's. I had no right to yell at them like that. "I'm sorry," I said softly. "I've just been really tense since the whole ghost convention incident, and…and I thought Vlad had changed. I thought that he really wanted to help me. I guess I was just being stupid."

"It's okay, man," Tuck said, putting an arm on my shoulder, "We understand. But it's not like you're alone."

"Yeah," Sam answered gently, "We're still here for you. Like we've always been."

I sighed before getting up and throwing the shirt in my hand into my duffle bag. "I'm still going though," I said.

"Well, why don't you come live with me for a bit?" Sam suggested.

I almost scoffed. "Thanks Sam, but I don't think your parents would be too fond of that idea," I said sarcastically. Tucker was about to offer me the same thing, but I stopped him. "Really guys, it's okay."

"Well, how about Jazz's then?" Tucker proposed.

"Nah," I waved away the idea. "She's in college- she doesn't have time or space to deal with me."

Zipping up my bag, I looked around for anything else I may've forgotten. Just as I was about to transform so I could fly off back home, there was a knock at my door.

"Daniel? Are you in there?" I heard Vlad call.

Clenching my jaw, I answered, "No. I'm not. Buzz off, fruitloop." Probably wasn't the smartest way to answer him, but hey, I'm not good with logic when I'm under emotional stress. Either way, Vlad seemed to take my response as an invitation to enter the room. He opened the door and strode in, a look of surprise on his face when he saw Sam and Tucker sitting in the room.

"Ah," he said with false cheer, "I was unaware that we had guests. So nice to see you Ms Manson and Mr. Foley."

They scowled at him. "Now Daniel," he turned towards me, oblivious to their stares of loathing, "What seems to be the problem? You sound upset."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you care?" I seethed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"You have a lot of nerve," I growled. "Taking me for some kind of an idiot. What, you think you can just wave your money around in hopes that I'll accept you and then go off and work me into all your little evil schemes? I won't stand here and be used, Vlad!"

"If you would care to explain what you're talking about?" he said tightly, apparently not too fond of being accused under his own roof.

"I heard you talking to Skulker." I snarled. "You know. The ghost who hospitalized me?"

I heard two gasps of surprise from behind me, remembering that I hadn't told my friends about my little stay at the hospital. "I'll tell you later," I grunted when Sam wanted to pursue the subject.

A look of understanding passed over Vlad's face. "I see," he nodded. "Then you heard about the Jade Stone?"

"Yeah," I snapped. "And whatever it is, I'm not helping. Got that?"

"Daniel," Vlad said thoughtfully, taking in a breath, "Do you know what the Jade Stone Project is?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't need to. Knowing it has to do with you is enough to keep me away from it," I said coolly.

"Hm. I see," he responded. "And where do you plan on going with that duffle bag?" he asked, pointing to the bag slung over my shoulder.

"None of your business," I said curtly.

Vlad brought a hand to his forehead, massaging his temple. "Daniel, you really are jumping to ridiculous conclusions. I must insist that you stop being so melodramatic and," he paused, and with a small sigh he continued, "If you must know, then I shall explain what's going on."

My usual teenage response would have been something along the lines of 'Not interested, Fruit Loop.' But something compelled me to give Vlad a chance to explain himself.

"Fine," I muttered, dropping my bag to the ground. He better have an excellent reason for trying to pull one over me.

I think deep down inside, I didn't really want to leave the mansion. I really wanted to believe that this was all a misunderstanding. As angry as I was, I wanted to beleive that none of this was as bad, or as real, as it seemed. Here was my one chance to prove that theory, and like a parent reaching for the last Barbie doll on the shelf on Christmas Eve, I grabbed for it.

"Excellent. If you'll follow me into my office?" he said, gesturing for me to go ahead of him.

"Hey! Wait-," Sam protested. I signaled to them that I would be alright and that I'd tell them everything later. With a small huff, Sam fell back onto the bed, grumbling.

I followed him out into the dark hallway, thinking, This had better be good.


I took a seat in the same seat I had taken the last time I was in Vlad's office. Turning on the lamp next to him, he sat in front of me.

"Now," he began, but I cut him off.

"Why did you do it?" I asked. My voice was no longer harsh or anger-filled. In fact, my question was more of a desperate plea than anything else.

"Daniel, I did nothing at all. I had been intending on talking to you about the Jade Project since the very beginning. I simply decided that maybe in the wake of your parents' death wouldn't be the best time to do it. I assure you, I was in no way trying to use you."

I considered his response for a few moments. It was precisely what I had been hoping to hear...and yet I didn't believe a word of it. What if he was making it all up?

I pushed this thought aside. I was being paranoid again. After all, even Vlad could be caught in the middle of a misunderstanding, right? So why was I so reluctant to believe the words I'd been dying for him to say?

To distract me from my conflicting thoughts, I changed the subject.

"What is this Jade Project stuff anyways?"

Vlad's face seemed to light up at my question. "Well," he said, slightly excited, "The Jade Stone is a precious gem in the Ghost Zone. However, it has been lost for centuries. It's said that the ghost who can bring it back will be able to free the Ghost Zone from its misery."

I gave him a cynical look. "Its misery?"

"The Ghost Zone hasn't always been the way you and I know it, my boy- it wasn't always composed of floating doors and rock islands spread sporadically in an endless sea of swirling ectoplasm. It used to be a flourishing civilization that even humans couldn't replicate."

I raised an eyebrow.

"After compiling years' worth of research," he continued, "I've been able to narrow down the location of the stone. Once I am able to retrieve it, I will be able to use it to change the Ghost Zone back into what it once was. Ghosts will no longer need to slither and sneak about, avoiding the horrors that may be awaiting them behind the doors of the Ghost Zone. They will no longer need to haunt the human world in order to find food and shelter. The Ghost Zone will become the thriving society it once was."

"Why would you want to help the ghosts?" I asked suspiciously. "You're half-human, so it's not like any of this really concerns you anyways. What's in it for you?"

With a sigh, Vlad responded, "My dear boy, I may live in the human world, but I frequently visit the ghost one. Besides, if I could change the Ghost Zone back into what it once was, the ghosts would no longer find the need to attack Amity Park. Oh, if I could be known as the mayor who put a stop to the ghost attacks that had been terrorizing Amity for nearly two hundred years…" he trailed off, a gleam in his eye and his lips drawing into a small smile.

"You'd be worshipped?" I asked sarcastically.

He sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, honestly child. I don't know why even bother with you sometimes."

I rolled my eyes at his comment, but deep down, I was truly curious about this ancient Ghost Zone he spoke of. I felt my previous anger dissipate and transform into interest. "Proof." I said suddenly.

Vlad looked at me in surprise. "What?"

"Proof," I repeated slowly. "I want proof that what you're saying is true."

"Alright," he said, pulling open his desk drawer. He pulled out a small brass key from inside it and rose and headed towards a large cabinet. Opening the cabinet with the key, he took out a large dossier. Moments later, he was back in his chair, dropping the file on the desk in front of him. I noticed it was labelled 'Research' at the top. He opened it and pulled out several pictures, worn documents and news clippings, passing them to me. I took the illustrations and scanned over them.

"Wow," I whispered, staring at the pictures. "This is amazing." In my hands, I held two pictures of large, sky-blue grassland. There was a beautiful sunset in the background, illuminating the trees and shrubbery in the foreground.

Another picture showed a marketplace and some houses lined up next to it. There were ghosts drawn in several of the other pictures, happily trading food at the market or on canoes that were floating in the clear pink waters. Shuffling through several more clippings I came across one that pictured a small stone. Studying the picture carefully, I realized it was an illustration of the Jade Stone. It looked rather small- about big enough to sit in one's palm. It was glowing eerily in the picture, giving off an almost translucent green shade. The stone was diamond-shaped, though its edges were rounded, and it seemed smooth and polished- free of any dirt and crevices.

"That, my boy," he said, pointing to the pictures of the sunset and marketplace, "Is what we could achieve for the Ghost Zone if we had the stone. Ancient books have been found, all of them describing the Zone as the beautiful realm of which you hold pictures in your hand. I even managed to recover some pages of one of the most famous books detailing the old Ghost Zone." He pulled out a few worn pages from the dossier and handed them to me.

I examined them, deciding they looked legit. "So this is kind of like when Plato wrote about Atlantis?"

"Precisely. But it's about the Ghost Zone."

A few moments of silence passed before I spoke. "So where do I come in?" I asked sceptically, returning the documents to Vlad.

"My boy, it is said that the finders of the stone would come during our era, and restore the Ghost Zone to its original worth. There is a prophecy that the finders of the stone shall be two beings who are neither fully human, nor fully ghost."

I was silent for a few moments. "So you want me to help find the stone, then?"

He nodded. "If you'll accept."

"But I know nothing about the stone or its whereabouts…"

"Child, if you'll agree to help, then I will guide you. The prophecy notes that one shall guide, and the other shall execute."

"Execute?" I asked, rather unintelligently.

"It means you'll help clear the way in order for us to find the stone," he explained. "Your powers aren't as advanced as mine, but you do have ice powers and that wail of yours. They could come in handy while we're looking for the stone."

I stared at him blankly, not quite sure what to think. "You realize that this is a dangerous task. It isn't as if we're about to float into the Zone and find the stone sitting under and unturned boulder. There will be obstacles along the way. We will often be required to fight in order to get through the perilous journey that awaits us."

I bit my lip. It did sound interesting…and it's not like Vlad was lying, right? I mean, he had proof. And how cool would it be if they were able to stop the ghost attacks on Amity Park? Finally, I'd be able to get through school with more then just barely-passing grades. I could finally hang out with my friends and live a normal life…

"Fine," I agreed, if a little recklessly.

A smile formed on the older hybrid's lips. "Perfect. We'll leave in a week's time."

We shook hands on it and I left the room, confident that I'd finally done something right.


"So you're really gonna help Vlad?" Sam asked me, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. I had just returned to my room, where my friends had been waiting for me.

"Of course! Can you imagine what it would be like to find the Jade Stone? No more ghost attacks on the town, no more dealing with unwanted visits from ecto-creeps…" I trailed off with a happy sigh. "I can finally live a normal life."

Tucker looked at me sceptically. "Are you sure this is legit, Danny? What if Vlad's making this up so you'll-,"

"Tucker," I said, putting up my hands to silence him. "Come on, dude. Stop being so cynical. Vlad never planned on using me- it was just a misunderstanding He was going to tell me all along. And anyways, he had proof, so there's no way it could be a lie."

"Yeah, but a prophecy? Come on, dude. Doesn't that sound a bit..." Tucker trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Insane?" Sam piped up.

"Right. Insane. It sounds insane. This isn't Harry Potter here, Danny."

I rolled my eyes. "This has absolutely nothing to do with Harry Potter, you guys. The prophecy says we find the stone, we switch the Ghost Zone to it's original state, and everyone's happy again. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal," Sam said, rather matter-of-factly, "Is that we're dealing with Vlad Plasmius. I mean it's one thing to live with your arch-enemy, but to go on some dangerous excursion with him?"

"Yeah," Tucker echoed. "I mean it in the best way possible when I say, 'Have you lost it, man?'"

"Guys," I pleaded. "Please don't make a big fuss about this. It couldn't be more perfect; it's a win-win situation. The ghosts win, I win. Everyone's happy!"

"But that's just it. Don't you think it's a bit too perfect? You get the stone and everything transforms into what was supposed to be, like some Cinderella story?" Sam raised an eyebrow."

"Look, I'm going. End of story," I said firmly, shoving my packed duffle bag into the closet.

Shooting each other unconvinced glances, Tucker and Sam decided to drop it.

Finally, I thought happily, things were gonna change. And for once, it was going to be for the better.


Oh silly Danny. Nothing ever changes for the better in my fanfictions -grin- Danny's got no idea what he's gotten himself into.

Anyways, leave me your thoughts (and if you have any questions on this chapter don't hesitate to ask- it was filled with information after all)!

Crystal