A/N: Yeah, here's a chappy I'm sure you've all been waiting for! Some explanations, YAY! Heh, enjoy!

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Chapter 6: Pushing

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The four teens spent the next few minutes sipping hot cocoa. Danny sat as far away from any windows or doors as he could.

"So, Danny," Sam began, "where all have you been?"

"Every major city. Each state at least twice," he said shortly.

"Wow. Where was your favorite?"

His answer came immediately. "Wise, Virginia."

"Why?"

"I liked having a forest as neighbors. Everyday I got to go outside and just explore. I probably knew those woods better than all the people that had lived there their whole lives. It was peaceful." Danny smiled, mentally lost in those trees again.

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz couldn't help but grin as well; Danny's seemed contagious. Maddie was pleased with what she had heard as she came in to refill their mugs. That's probably the most I've ever heard him say at one time since Vlad. These three are really good for him. Tucker said something that made Sam laugh, causing Danny's smile to brighten even more. Especially Sam.

"Do you ever go back to the same town?'

"No, not usually. We did once, but that's all."

Maddie gasped silently. How could he…? Does he somehow know about…?

"Where was your least favorite?"

Danny blinked, then whispered, "Wisconsin."

"Why?"

"Mom, missed breakfast. Is there anything I could…?"

Maddie turned back to him, clearing her thoughts with a shake of her head. "Uh, sure, Danny. What do you want?" She and Danny went back into the kitchen.

"I think asking why was pushing it," Tuck said.

"Ya think?" Sam snarled, then sighed. "I—He was doing so well. I had him talking in actual sentences, did you see?"

"Yeah, Sam, but maybe Wisconsin was where he had that bad snow experience," Jazz suggested.

"Probably."

They waited for a moment until Danny came back, munching on an apple.

"Hey. How old where you when you went to Wisconsin?" Sam asked.

"Eight."

"Where else did you go that year?"

"Ohio, Oregon, and Iowa."

"Whoa, you guys got around!" He's closing up again. Gotta keep him talking!

"Yeah."

"What's your record for most moves a year?"

"Seven."

"Wow, seven?"

"No, I was seven. We moved twelve times."

"Once a month?"

"Every few weeks, yeah."

"Shortest length between moving?"

"...Three."

"Weeks?"

"Days."

Tucker whistled lowly. "Th—That's pretty short, yeah."

"Um, where'd you live for the longest time?"

"…I dunno…."

"Well, where'd you live before your step-dad came?"

"In one place, I know that."

"How old were you when you first moved?"

"Six years, two months, one day, six hours, three minutes, and five seconds, when we left."

The others stared, and Danny shrugged. "I kept count."

"How long was it between the wedding and the move?"

"From the end? Ten minutes, twenty-two seconds. They didn't have a reception."

"What happened to your first dad?"

"Only dad. He died."

"…When?"

Danny stared blankly for several minutes. It seemed he wouldn't answer. Sam got fidgety, saying, "You don't have to answer if you—"

"It was when I was six. My birthday present," he whispered, staring into his cup. No obvious emotion was on his face, but bitterness escaped just barely through his words. "He was on his way home. Was calling to say he'd be back in a few minutes. Said he had the best present ever for me, too. Mom had just handed the phone to me when it happened. A… a truck…." He paused, licking his lips. "A truck came out in front of him. Eighteen wheeler. He didn't have a chance…. It was 3:52 and nine seconds. My birthday exactly. I could hear the crash over the phone, then nothing. The… the body was completely mangled, pretty much unidentifiable. The only thing that made it was a small package, wrapped up. There was a tiny card on it. 'To Danny'. My present…."

"Oh, my gosh, Danny, I'm so sorry!" Sam gasped, a hand to her mouth and tears in her eyes. Well, I got him to talk, she thought grimly. Jazz was sobbing softly, and Tucker had grabbed a napkin and was blowing his nose, quietly.

"Don't be," he said, looking up at her. For the first time, Sam noticed the different shades of his eyes. She also noticed something around his neck.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing.

He blinked, then pulled out a chain, dangling from which was a black key. It seemed as though something else had been torn from it at some point. "My present. It was this chain with a flying hawk charm, connected to my name. It was small, but Dad had always said that I was like a hawk, 'cause I could find anything he was missing, even when Mom couldn't. He promised he'd get me a real hawk, too, but he… was never able to."

"But, it's gone?"

"My step-father tore it off and threw it away. I never could find an identical one, and I don't have any money to order one, either."

"And the key?"

"It's for the house."

"Why do you keep it on you?"

"I… was locked out one time. Before I got the key. Mom didn't want it to happen again."

"And, why are your eyes two different shades?"

"I'll tell you some other time."

"Danny, … do you want to go outside?"

By now, he had forgotten the snow. "Sure."

"C'mon," she said, standing up and pulling him to the door. Jazz and Tucker followed. Things were fine—

Until Danny saw the snow. Tucker and Jazz got a hold of him to help Sam when he suddenly began thrashing. "No!" he said, getting louder. "No! You can't make me go out there! I won't! Even if I have to fight you to do it!"

"It's just snow, Danny!" Jazz insisted.

"It's just snow, Daniel! What's wrong? Afraid you'll freeze to death?"

"You tried it before, I'm not falling for it this time!" Danny screamed, tossing himself about more. "GET OFFA ME! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

"Oh, but I can, Daniel. You'll see what happens when you disobey. To everyone else, you're just being a good little boy, taking out the trash. But what if you're trapped out there? 'Such a shame,' they'll say. 'Poor boy didn't wear warm enough clothes and froze to death!' Heh, I might even get lucky and destroy your ghost immediately. Then, I won't have to deal with you!"

"NO! I DON'T WANNA! I don't…."

He wouldn't take no for an answer. So Danny found himself stuck outside with a trashbag made to look full so no one'd be suspicious of "dear old Vlad".

If I do this fast enough, he thought, maybe I'll get back in before Vlad locks me out!

"Danny, calm down," Tucker said, hoping the boy would stop fussing.

"I'm not going out there, not again, not so close…. So close…."

"To where, Danny?" Sam asked, praying for an answer.

"Wisconsin…."

He looked around cautiously, freezing in the negative thirty-degree snow. He shivered wishing he had worn warmer clothes, even if he was just "taking out the trash". He walked back up to the door, looking ahead to see him standing there. Knowing this was obviously bad news, he ran forward, tripping in the snow and falling. He was covered in snow almost immediately. Shivering again and rubbing his uncovered arms, he approached the door, trying and failing to open it. He drooped his head, his arms and shoulders sagging. He'd locked it, and she wouldn't be home for hours. He knew better than to go around and try the back door; no doubt it had been locked already.

I wasn't fast enough, he knew. I didn't make it. Now, I'm trapped….

He prepared himself for the coldest day of his life, not even conscious or visible when his mother came home the next morning, calling his name.

When she came home, Maddie went straight inside, not noticing the pile of snow right by the door. She said hello to Vlad and looked around for Danny. When asked, Vlad said he hadn't seen him in hours. Frantically, Maddie searched the whole house, Danny nowhere to be found.

He was outside for a full twenty-four hours before Vlad "found" him, half-dead.

At first, Vlad was angry. Danny hadn't died! Then he realized: Danny was now a freak. He was half-ghost, and things would be even easier….

"Danny, why won't you go out?"

"Too much snow…."

"What's wrong with snow?"

"I hate snow! I hate snow, and winter…," the next part was added almost silently, "and my step-father…."

"You don't hate it," Jazz said, her psychoanalyzing brain deciphering his words in the wrong way, "you're just scared!"

"Conquering a fear is easy, dude," Tuck continued, "you just have to… face it!"

The trio pushed him out into the snow and he panicked. He began crying, now fully back in time to when he was eight.

"PLEASE!" he wept, yelling his loudest. "I didn't do anything! I just did what you told me to! DON'T PUNISH ME AGAIN!"

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A/N: So, how many of you officially hate Vlad now? Okay, if there's anyone out there who's heart didn't break during this chapter, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? Poor kid's been practically tortured since age six! MY heart broke just from him recounting Jack's death, which, by the way, wasn't originally in here! I was literally sobbing on the computer! I'm serious, it's soaked! Anywayz, with that said, night, y'all! BYES!