Okay, in my old draft of this story, chapter seven was where I stopped the story to re-plan it. So now, since I THINK I got everything planned out, everything should be fine and dandy. :)
And just to let you all know, this version of the Overlook Hotel is modeled after the REAL hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, named the Stanley Hotel(which I obviously do not own as well. :P ), which is actually, in fact, haunted. But, never actually having BEEN to the real hotel, I'm sort of making up my own version of the format of the hotel, which I find acceptable, I would think.
But yeah, just wanted to give you all that slight info! Now onto the chapter! :D
Over at the west region of the hotel, in a room at the left side of a wide hallway, Jazz was in the ample sized reading room, filled with tall bookcases – which were large conjoined custom made bookcases that surrounded half the room – that stored old and new books alike. There were five tables - two pairs on each side of the wall, and one in the middle of the room -, with four comfy chairs each occupying them. Jazz was sitting near the middle, center legged, dark oak table, reading one of her psychology books and has been reading her book contently ever since then, with no distractions or any activity.
Jazz smiled as she was reading her book in quiet solitude. The room was well-lit, and the tables have little lamps on the center to add a classy feel. 'Wow, I'm really getting ahead of this book! This place has a great atmosphere for reading!' she thought as she noted the cozy feel of the room. 'And best of all, no ghosts are bothering me!'
Jazz's smile faltered a little. She stopped reading her book and looked around the room to check to see if there was any activity around, anything that looked daunting. After giving the room a quick once-over again – she cautiously looked around when she first entered the room - and seeing that there was no ghostly presence, Jazz was satisfied. She went back to reading her book.
'Yep. No ghosts bothering me whatsoever.' She thought in content, a smile back on her face. But then her face turned into a thoughtful frown. 'Hm. Actually, I do hope there are SOME ghosts walking around here. Mom and Dad are getting paid to do this, and from the way Dick was describing, there has to be at least dozens of ghosts in the hotel.' She mentally shrugged. 'Still, this is nice. No interruptions, no spooks or scares, just quiet, relaxing, reading time.' She nodded in satisfaction to herself and went back to her book.
THUMP!
Jazz jumped in her seat, surprised from the sound. She quickly looked behind her to find the source of the noise.
Near the middle bookcase, was a fallen book. Jazz gazed up to see where the book had been crammed and situated in the shelf.
Jazz scowled. 'Spoke too soon.' She sighed irritably. 'Well, I could just call Mom and Dad over here to get rid of the problem…' She furrowed her eyebrows as she remembered something. '…or, if it's Danny that's doing this, then I'll just ignore it for now.' Jazz then, in a calm but stern tone, said, "Danny, if that's you, I would really think twice than trying to scare me. You do know that Mom and Dad are searching for ghosts right now in the hotel? They could catch you if you're in their sights, you know?"
No answer.
Jazz frowned and then sighed. "Fine. Be that way." She went back to reading her book.
'I swear, if it is Danny that's doing this, then he needs to learn to grow up.' Jazz thought with her eyebrows furrowed and her nose scrunched up. But then her expression changed to uncertainty. '...But what if it is a ghost?'
THUMP!
Jazz jumped in her seat again. She once again looked behind her to see yet another book from one of the middle bookshelves have fallen off.
Jazz stared at the two fallen books in puzzled silence. As she was finished staring, she warily looked around the room once more in to see if anything was in the room. She put her opened book down on the table, and carefully got up from her chair. She slowly advanced onto the books that were on the decorative carpet floor and picked them up one by one. Studying them for a second, she put them back in their respected places in the shelves. Still a little cautious, she backed three steps away from the large, single, conjoined arched bookcase and turned around to walk back to her seat.
She sat back down on the chair, grabbed the edges of her opened book, and continued reading, still a little vigilant.
A minute passed…
The silence was uncomfortable. She tried to keep reading. But it only made the silence worse…
She expected for Danny to come out and appear behind her and give her a cheap scare. That's what she was expecting, at least. But, remembering the possibility that an actual ghost might be present…
Besides, if it was Danny, then he would know better than to scare Jazz and not to reveal himself to their parents…
More nerve-racking silence…
PLUP!
Jazz closed her book forcefully, and hurriedly got up from her seat with a dangerous look on her face. She breathed through her nose in irritation and stomped out of the reading room while carrying her book.
'If Danny planned this, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind when I find him!' Jazz angrily thought.
"Well, I hope you have a nice nap." Danny told Sam as they walked out of the recreational storage closet.
"Heh, yeah, here's hoping." Sam joked as she waved at Danny and walked to a set of stairs down the hall.
After watching Sam go, Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out the Fenton Phone that belong to his Dad. He put it in his ear and turned it on to test it out. "Um…Dad?"
He was getting static from the other line, which was odd, due to the fact that the Fenton Phones have crystal-clear reception. Danny tapped the phone, hoping it will clear it up. 'Huh, that's strange. They never did this before...'
As the static soon went away, he heard his Dad's voice on the other end. "Danny? Is that you?"
"Yeah Dad, it's me."
"Hey Danny-Boy! So, what's the matter? Seen any ghosts, hear any ghosts, ghosts bothering you?"
Danny smirked and shook his head as he chuckled. His Dad is a real firecracker when it comes to hunting ghosts. "Well, first of all, where are you?"
"Oh, I'm in the basement, slash, boiler room. I figured that some of these ghosts would be hiding in a dark place, so where else to look than the lower floor?"
"Fair enough. Did you have any luck finding any ghosts down there?" Danny inquired.
"Well…not yet. The place here is pretty spooky though, so I would think it's a good start! So, sport, any activity going on where you're at, or did you wanted to talk to your old man a little bit?"
"Uh…well, I called you because I think I experienced some type of activity…of the sorts…I think."
"Well alrighty! Where are you now?"
"In the hall near the recreational closet on the first floor. But it was from outside at the front of the hotel and…well, uh…"
"Everything okay, Danny?"
"…Dad, is there such thing as a ghost lion?"
"A ghost lion! You saw a ghost lion! Good gravy, are you okay!" Jack exclaimed frantically.
"Whoa! Calm down, I'm fine! I'm just asking if there is such a thing." Actually, Danny already knew that answer about ghost animals, due to that whole ghost dog ordeal back at Amity Park, but he wanted to be absolutely sure if there were a variety in the animal kingdom.
"Oh! Oh, well of course! There are all kinds of animal ghosts, believe it or not! …So…did you see a ghost lion, Danny?"
"Um, actually, I didn't say I saw a ghost lion, but rather I…heard one?" Danny said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Heard one? Where did you hear it?"
"Um…near…one of the topiary lions?" Danny stated awkwardly.
"…Oh, you mean the garden sculptures? …Wait a minute…are you saying you heard a growl from one of the lion sculptures outside of the hotel?"
Danny blinked. 'Wow, I didn't think he would catch on that quickly.' "Uh…yeah?"
"Wow! Well that's a first! Huh, it might be one of those intelligent ghost lions that possess objects!" Jack said as he thought.
Danny blinked again in puzzlement. "…Is…that even possible?"
"Danny, when you've been in the ghost hunting business as long as I have, you see weird things."
"Um…okay…" Danny though was doubtful. Again, if it was a ghost lion, his ghost sense would go off. But, for obvious reasons, he can't say that to his Dad. So he has to just go with it for now. Danny shook his head. "Well, either way, it's outside. It happened while me, Sam, and Tucker were playing croquet. I went to retrieve my ball near one of the topiary lions and that's when it started…growling at me." he explained to his father.
"Growling? My goodness Danny, are you sure it didn't harm you?" Jack's voice said in concern.
"No Dad, it didn't, I'm fine! I mean, it…growled at me for just a second and nothing really happened, so we went back to the game. I don't know, it might just be my imagination." 'I wish I could say that.' "But…could you…or either Mom go over there and check it out?"
"Hmm…well, your Mom is off on the second or third floor right now, and you know how focused she gets on her hunts. So I can go outside to investigate!" Jack reassured.
"Okay, great!" Danny smiled. "It's the one near the croquet court. Or you can check them all if you want to."
"Alrighty! I'll catch the little bugger, don't you worry Danny!"
"Thanks Dad. Danny out." Danny turned off the phone and put it in his pocket. Now that that was taken care of, he can see what else he can do in the hotel. And with that, Danny made his way back to the lobby.
As he took a turn to the hall that adjoined the wider hall that has the reading room to the left side and the business room to the right side of that hall, he saw a familiar glimpse of a feminine figure taking a turn to the hall that lead to the lobby. Danny stopped for a second.
'Jazz? …Huh. She looked like she was in a hurry.' He shrugged. 'Well, I'm heading to the lobby anyway, so I might as well follow her lead.' And with that, he kept walking.
Jazz continued to walk furiously into the lobby. As she went into the lobby, she reached to a sitting area with two chairs, a table, and a couch that was near a window. She sat down on the couch and roughly opened the place where she marked her book, and read from there. Before she began to read her book however, Danny entered the same way Jazz entered into the lobby. Jazz looked up from her book to see her brother walk towards her with a smile. Mistaking the smile as a sign of self-satisfaction, she figured that Danny actually might have knocked those books down in the reading room. She narrowed her eyes at Danny.
"Hey Jazz. What're you doing here? I thought you were reading in the library room?" Danny asked as he approached her.
Jazz just stared at him with a glare, in which Danny looked taken aback and raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
"Um…did I do something wrong or…something?" Danny asked.
"Gee, I don't know. Did you do something wrong, Danny?" Jazz taunted.
Danny blinked. "Huh?"
"Don't play dumb, Danny! You know what you did!" Jazz said as she lowered her book on her lap.
"Wha…? Uh…no Jazz, I don't know what I did." said a confused Danny.
Jazz kept looking at him, but this time she eyed him inquiringly. "Okay then. Where were you four minutes ago?"
Danny frowned. "Oh, now you're going to interrogate me? What did I do?"
"Does pulling and dropping books on the floor ring any bells?"
"No!" Danny said aggravated. Then it struck him as his eyes widened. "Wait, did you encounter activity in the reading room?"
Jazz's irritated expression softened a bit. Danny so far looked like he was telling the truth, from the way he was acting and the way his expression looked. She knew that her brother wasn't a very good liar(except when it comes to fooling their parents, but that was sadly because they were painfully oblivious.), so he might be telling the truth. "Wait a second…so, you weren't the one who tried to scare me at the library room?"
"Is that what happened? No, I went outside to play croquet with Sam and Tucker. After we were done playing, me and Sam went to put up our equipment. When I turned around the corner that was when I saw you walk through the hall." Danny confirmed.
Jazz looked at Danny for a moment until she said, "So, you didn't try to scare me in the library room?"
"Ugh! No, okay! You think I would be that stupid enough to do that when Mom and Dad are here ghost hunting?"
Now Jazz felt pretty bad for even accusing Danny. She lowered her head in slight shame, and sighed. "Oh Danny, I'm sorry." She got from the couch and hugged her brother.
Danny looked at her strangely while she hugged him. "Um, Jazz, really, it's okay. It's not that big of a deal."
Jazz released the hug, but still had her hands on his shoulders as he looked at him. "But I should have known better. Of course you mess with me sometimes, but I should have known you weren't careless enough to do something like that."
After Jazz said that, Tucker entered the hotel with his mallet and croquet ball. He noticed Jazz putting her hands on Danny's shoulders and raised an eyebrow. Jazz and Danny also noticed Tucker's presence as they turned their heads towards him.
"Uh...I'm not interrupting a brother-sister moment, am I?" said an unsure Tucker.
Before they can even say anything, Jack came into the lobby via the middle foyer with his Fenton Weasel on his back. He took note of his son and daughter's 'bonding moment' and smiled. "Aww, you two! I wish I have a camera with me every time I see you two get along!"
Jazz decided now was a good time to let go of Danny's shoulders and smiled at her Dad. Danny, who looked embarrassed, just lowered and scratched the back of his head. Jack turned his attention to Tucker whom he noticed that he was carrying his croquet equipment. "Hey Tucker! Sorry to say this, but outside is off limits right now! Danny phoned me in saying that there is a ghost lion out there possessing those garden sculptures in the garden!"
Tucker turned to Danny and gave him a wide eyed surprised look. "Really?"
"Wait, really?" Jazz said, also surprised.
"Well…I said something a little different, but…kind of?" Danny said with a shrug.
"Alright then kids!" Jack said with determination. "Wish me luck on this! I want you all to stay in the hotel incase this animal ghost gets too aggressive. Now…" Jack pulled out the Wraith Wrangler that was equipped on his utility belt. "…let's roll!" And with that, Jack exited out of the hotel.
After Jack left, Jazz and Tucker glanced at Danny curiously. Jazz started, saying in worry, "So there's a ghost lion out there?"
"And you left me out there for it to attack me? Dude, what the heck, man?" Tucker said, offended.
"Okay, first off, I don't know for sure if it was a ghost lion, since my ghost sense didn't go off. Second, it was just a topiary lion that got me on edge. It…well, it growled at me. And third, the growling was only for a moment, so I wouldn't think it would cause some sort of threat. "
Jazz and Tucker looked at Danny peculiarly. "Wait, one of the garden sculptures growled at you?" said a confused Tucker. Now he knew why Danny was out of it in the game.
"And your ghost sense didn't go off?" questioned Jazz.
"Yeah, but I contacted Dad to let him know and get rid of the problem. He can…probably get the job done." Danny hesitantly informed them.
Jazz looked back at the pane glass double doors to see their Dad in the garden, examining one of the topiary lions with a device he had in his hand. "Well…okay." She said dubiously. She turned back to Danny. "But why didn't your ghost sense go off if you heard some sort of growl from a supposed ghost lion?"
"Yeah, what's up with that?" asked Tucker.
Danny sighed as he put a hand to his head. "I don't know…"
Seeing as it really was bothering her brother, Jazz tried to come up with a solution. "Well, maybe your ghost sense had a delay or something. Does it usually do that?"
Danny, with his hand still on his head, thought about it. Maybe it was a minor setback…but he tried to remember the times it actually happened... "I don't know." He repeated again, unsure. "…Maybe?"
"I go with Jazz's theory. It probably was just a setback." advised Tucker. He hated to see his best friend get bothered.
Danny mulled it over and sighed. "Yeah…that's probably it." He kind of felt at ease now…kind of.
Tucker and Jazz both smiled at Danny's resolve. "Great!" Tucker said. "Well, now that we all have that solved, I'll just put these back in their rightful places." Tucker then walked into the faraway left hall to put up his croquet equipment.
After they watched him go, Jazz turned to Danny with a sympathetic smile. As Danny took note of his sister's expression, he looked at her oddly. "What?"
Jazz put a hand on his shoulder. "Danny, try to relax. Mom and Dad have got it under control, okay?"
Danny blinked and raised his hands up in defense. "Hey, I will, don't worry. I should, however, say the same thing to you."
Jazz gave him a smirk. "Ha ha." She said in a humorous sarcastic tone.
Jack, with the Fenton Finder in his hand, was scanning one of the topiary lions in the garden to see if the 'ghost lion' was anywhere around. So far though, he hadn't caught anything. He scanned every lion in the garden, only to come out with nothing. He scratched his head in confusion after he scanned the one Danny mentioned. "Huh, well that's strange…" he said to himself. "There seems to be no ghostly presence." Jack gazed at his Fenton Finder to see if he read it right. He put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "Surely Danny wasn't pulling my leg?" He shook his head. "No, Danny wouldn't do that…but there's no ghost here…"
Jack looked around to see if he could at least spot a ghost around the field. He saw nothing…
'Well, maybe if I wait just a bit, it will come out. It probably went into hiding…' Jack sighed. "And I was ready, too…"
Jack went to one of the benches that was inside the garden and sat on one of them, waiting for any ghostly ghouls to come up.
A minute passed…two minutes…three minutes…
Jack shifted in his seat…
Another three minutes…now five…six…
Even more minutes passed…
Jack pulled up his jumpsuit sleeve and looked at his watch for the time. It had been thirty minutes and still nothing. A slight frown was on his face. This was taking too long…so Jack let out a sigh, got up from the bench and walked back to the hotel.
'Well that was a bust. Maybe Danny was hearing things. He did say it might have been his imagination.'
And so Jack entered the hotel, crestfallen.
The four topiary lions stood where they stand, unmoving.
Thirty minutes earlier, Danny decided to take a nap in his and Tucker's room. Tucker, being the tech geek that he is, decided to go to the business room and to play a little MMORPG gaming on one the computers. Sam was watching TV, while Jazz was reading a book in their room. Maddie and Jack were still hunting for ghosts, but not having so much luck. Thanks to the staff and Dick, however, they have a special key that opens all the rooms to the hotel, so they can inspect the rooms for anything paranormal. But so far, not much activity has been occurring.
-oOo-
3:15 PM
-oOo-
Danny awoke tiredly when he heard a knock on the door. He sluggishly got up from his bed and walked up to the door. He opened it to find Sam standing on the other end.
"Hey Danny." Sam said.
"Oh, hey Sam."
Sam smirked as she noticed Danny disheveled bed-head. "Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?"
Danny blinked and straightened his hair as he chuckled. "No, you have not."
Sam looked over his shoulder to see his untidy bed. "Don't tell me you've been sleeping for two hours?"
"I have?" Danny looked over at the alarm clock to see the time '3:16' on it. "Wow." He turned back to Sam. "In my defense, they have comfy beds here."
Sam scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Well anyways, I came here to get you. Your Mom and Dad are taking a break from ghost hunting, and we were all going to look around the town for a bit. We were even thinking of going out to eat."
"They're taking a break while leaving the hotel with ghosts still roaming around?" Danny said with a confused raised eyebrow. That didn't sound like his parents…
"Actually…they haven't caught any ghosts today, really…" Sam said with a concerned frown.
"They haven't?" Danny said in wide eyed surprised shock. "What about that topiary lion that my Dad was going to check out?"
Sam scratched the back of her head. "He…didn't found anything."
"Really?" Danny said, puzzled.
"Yeah. Even Jazz told your Mom about the library room incident. She found nothing also."
Danny lowered his head in confusion and was in thought. That can't be right. There has to be at least some sort of activity in the hotel. His ghost sense went off twice when he was in the hotel, and he supposedly had some experiences in the bathroom of his room and outside. Plus, Jazz experienced activity in the reading room as well.
Sam noticed that Danny was in deep thought about this, and decided to put in her two cents. "Hey, if you and Jazz experienced things in the hotel, then there's something here. Maybe they're just not coming out right now, or they're having a ghost holiday or something." she said the last line as a joke.
Danny shook his head to clear his mind. "Yeah…yeah, you're probably right. Maybe it's just one of those days that the ghosts here don't appear very often or…whatever. Still, for Mom and Dad's sake, there's gotta be some ghosts around here for them to catch, or their whole ghost search will be for nothing."
Sam pursed her lips as she was in thought as well. She then said, "Well, maybe you can convince these ghosts into coming out. You know, turn into Danny Phantom and ask nicely for them to be caught."
Danny thought about it for a second. "I guess…heck, I'll try anything so as long Mom and Dad could have a field day in catching ghosts."
Sam smirked. "Well aren't you a good son?"
Danny smirked as well. "Believe it or not, I try to be."
Sam snickered and said, "Okay, that's enough talk. They're waiting for you downstairs, so let's get going."
"Sure thing." agreed Danny.
Alrighty! Chapter seven done! And I did this whole chapter on my NEW laptop computer that I got on my birthday! Hoorah! 8D
I actually can write better with the laptop than I can with the computer in my room(which is kind of messed up right now.), which is probably because I can write in a better setting that's not…well, my room. :P
Anywho, I hope this chapter was all good for your liking! Please leave a review! I like to know how I'm doing with this story so far! :)
