In the long run, Vlad won the vote of mayor, with underhanded tactics. And while he was getting situated in office I was growing my friendships with Sam, Danny, and Tucker. Sam and Tucker heard the bits and pieces of my story from Danny, and they accepted it. But Danny had second thoughts.
After some thought I decided it was best to tell them my whole back-story. Mostly of the events in Wisconsin that lead to the move and my ghost powers. carefully leaving out The Jewel of Ectocide. And anything involving Filou was hazy. They didn't question it, and I had a new found trust.
Today we decided to hit the movies, and by some standards the flick we chose was actually interesting. The movie had all a guy's preferences; violence, gore, horror, and some clever innuendos for humor. But of course, it was a tragedy, so everyone ended up dead, or mentally/emotionally scarred.
"Let's watch it again!" Tucker enthusiastically suggested.
"I would, but I don't wanna miss my curfew" Danny sleepily checked his watch.
"Sam, Cali? Any thoughts?" Tucker asked, we were off to the side with ears pressed to my phone listening.
"What is it?" Danny tried to listen as well.
"It's just my voicemail. My Dad kept calling me, over and over during the movie, but he left like five minute voicemails of nothing!" I ranted while erasing my voice messages.
"And every once in awhile you can hear a breath" Sam pointed out, and the guys shivered. I rolled my eyes and called Dad back. Tucker's stomach signaled the next thought, grumbling, making us feel at our own empty bellies.
"Before home, let's head over by the Nasty Burger" Tucker licked his lips.
"Sounds good, I told my parents we would have dinner at the movies, but popcorn isn't very filling" Sam added.
"I told my parents the same thing" Danny laughed.
"Uhm.. You guys go on ahead. My parents won't pick up, so I'm gonna go see what they want" I put my phone away with a wave and left.
"Hold up I'll escort you" Tucker courteously offered. "The streets can be dangerous at night"
"Well, your dangerous to all feminine kind" Sam followed up beside Tucker.
"You just can't see the gentlemen I truly am" Tucker acted high class.
"Geez, I'm not gonna go eat alone" Danny came up to my other side, defeated.
"Heh, then thanks for coming" I smiled, happy to have friends at my side.
"..Whatever" Danny folded his arms across his chest and stared straightforward.
The lights were off at home, and as the door swung open, we all cautiously advanced forward. The ghost sense went off between me and Danny, and our guard went up.
"Mom.. Dad?" I beckoned. Then to the slightest unearthly creak in the floor, we all recoiled to Danny's back.
"You girls…" Danny angrily whined in a whisper.
"Hey, I'm a dude" Tucker asserted his manliness in a low whisper.
"Not at the moment…" Danny ended the whispers, annoyed.
"Hey, what's.." Sam pointed to a shadow in the kitchen.
"Mom?" I asked following behind Sam.
From the height, I guessed Mom, but the build looked more like a mans. I nudged Sam forward, clinging to her shirt, to get to the light switch. The lights came on with a flick and revealed Danny.
"Danny?" we asked, as we all took a doubled take to the Danny by the door and the ulterior Danny in the kitchen. I swung Sam into the guys, to face this fake, until I noticed Mom and Dad out cold on the floor.
"What did you do?" I quickly said, tripping over my words. The Danny we arrived with came up to my side, transformed, and ready to fight.
"They're only asleep" he deceitfully smiled. "I'm only here for you" He brooded over his icy powered hands. Then 'kitchen Danny' fired an ice ray at me and 'Danny we came with' blocked it by bringing up a shield.
"You're in my way!" He shouted at Danny.
"Who are you?" Danny stared, confused at him.
"Inviso-Bill, of course" He stuck his nose in the air.
"I'm so confused!" Tucker ate at his hat with a twitch.
"Obviously, Inviso-Bill Danny, is the fake" Sam indicated.
"But you all see the Same Danny right? Like, they're perfect twins?" I asked.
"Yep/yeah" They agreed. I took comfort in the fact that it wasn't Filou. Then I ran off, to my parents side.
"Cali!" Danny shouted, angry that I was running straight to Inviso-Bill.
"How obedient" Inviso-Bill's hand glowed and he charged me, I took evasive action and transformed to do a ghostly dive into the ground.
"Ha!" I phased out of the ground beside Mom and Dad. As Danny held down Inviso-Bill, I flew my parents to their bed, hoping they'd wake up thinking this was a dream.
"Ow!" I shouted as Inviso-Bill shot an ectoplasmic blast at me. To escape, I phased through to the roof. Danny and Danny followed of course.
"Danny!" I called, expecting the real one only to answer. They checked each other.
"Yeah?" They answered. Now the fake was playing along to confuse me.
"Danny?" I prepared an ectoplasmic blast. They both waved defensively, but answered differently.
"Me!" One shouted. "Don't! Your aim is terrible" The other outbursts.
"Now that just hurts.." I calmed my ectoplasmic ray. Then Inviso-bill shot Danny away and attacked me.
"What's the deal?" I asked fumingly as we struggled.
"My miss asked for me to make you pay"
"Sorry I don't get much of an allowance" I blasted him away. Then Danny took over the fight. It was a close contest, and the real Danny landed some strong blows, but it ended when real Danny was froze to the wall of a building.
"Danny!" Sam and Tucker yelled, we all rushed to his aide.
At that point I was caught and pinned harshly to the ground. And my arms were frozen in a second. I shivered at the cold as Inviso-Bill pressed his hand to my chest, freezing my body.
"Maybe she'll like you better as a trophy?" He cackled.
"B-before tha-that. Who's this miss?" I chilled.
"Paulina of course" He said a-matter-of-factly.
As we had our conversation, I could hear Sam and Tucker talking.
"Do something!" Sam pushed.
"Me!" Tucker yelled.
"You're the 'dude'!" she quoted his previous statement.
Without further delay the real Danny broke free. Sam and Tucker, too timid to act otherwise, pointed Danny to our struggle. Danny knocked him away to examine me. The pain reversed my transformation. Unable to act I stared voicelessly at him. Without a second thought, Danny left to beat Inviso-Bill down.
The ice encased my chest, and my heart itself was suffering, acting up and causing sporadic breathing.
"You're alright, you're okay, Cali. Cali, Come on, you're making me panic" Sam was picking the ice off my arms, trembling worse then me. I shouldn't have even dared to speak, but my mouth movement and absence of words, was taking Sam to the edge.
"Am- S- am. I-m f.. fine" I sacred myself with the frail words, but it got Sam to work post-haste, freeing my arms. She sat me up and dug the ice off my chest.
"He got away" Danny muffled then reverted his transformation. Tucker returned late, with the Fenton Thermos they left at Danny's.
"Danny, do something! She- the ice" Sam ran fingers through her hair. Danny phased the ice off and Sam leaned against me, then she summoned Danny and Tucker to do the same.
"She needs a doctor.. Not body heat" Danny mentioned.
Instantaneously, a devastating heat covered the cold. Sam, Danny, and Tucker, stood at attention feeling this too. Then it cooled to normal.
"Hot- hot!" Danny beat the spot down where he was in contact with me. Then he kneeled down and rubbed over my forehead. "Fever" he said aloud. I placed a hand at my chest, the ice didn't do a thing to me. It damaged the Jewel that lied just beneath my shirt. Basically, the Jewel is my heart.
"Doctor," Danny carried on the thought. I waved a hand to and fro to add in my suggestion.
"No way dude," Tucker fought.
When I got their attention I portrayed a sleeping person. Danny sighed understanding my message.
"Come on" Danny kneeled down, hands turned over on his back, to give me a piggyback ride.
Sam guided me to him, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, linking my arms together to not strangle him. He effortlessly rose up, gripping my thighs for support. I felt a twinge of blush creep across my face at having to press my chest, fully against his back. But, all that mattered now, was to calm down. The Jewel/my heart was working overtime. I fixed my chin comfortably on Danny's shoulder, and closed my eyes, Danny had sturdy broad shoulders.
Then Danny jerked. I reopened my eyes to see Danny, arching an eyebrow, as he peeked at me over his shoulder. At something like this, we would usually erupt into a childish fight, but I slept again. Danny released a long exhale, and fixed his grip on me.
I woke to see Sam and Tucker, huddled asleep in a pile of covers on my floor. It was still dark out, and I guessed that Danny was out searching for Inviso-Bill. I uncovered The Jewel of Ectocide from where it hid under my shirt. The jewel was glowing, I unclipped it from around my neck, and inspected it. Then I realized, the farther I pulled the jewel from myself, the less I hurt. Like the jewel was pulling at something from my core.
*The jewel should be giving me power..* I thought in relation to the pain. "Unless.. This is power" I contemplated.
I turned ghost to slip outside and found a secluded park. Then I kicked at the air hoping this power the jewel was trying to show me would come out already. Sweat trickled down my face, and the heat from my fever felt like it had my blood boiling. The ground didn't even feel cool as I settled down on it. I took the necklace off and extended it as far as my arm could stretch.
"Is it getting to you?" I heard a friendly voice ask.
"Yeah.." I got up calmly, but alarmed, to face Danny.
"The power might be overwhelming you, try accepting it, not fighting it" He advised. I took in a quivering breath, and let the warmth take over. Fire engulfed all around me, but the color was an unnatural purple, reminding me of the jewel's influence on my powers. A weight was lifted, and Danny smiled looking glad to help.
"Whatcha doin here anyway?" I coolly acted, swaying the jewel back and forth.
"Oh, a-haha, I saw you flying by and followed you here" He said with a blush, but his eyes followed every swing of the jewel.
"Really… Cause that's not what I believe" I charged a fiery punch at him. Danny sidestepped the attack and I tumbled to the ground.
"Filou" I growled.
"Don't be so giddy" he took the Jewel of Ectocide, causing me to suffocate again, and inspected it. "I morphed from your memory of love, and I made sure to disregard any parental figure, tell me.." He laughed and dropped the jewel to the ground, I clung to it for dear life. "..how have you grown with my jewel?" Then he took the famous form of a joker. I stood silent and tucked the jewel away.
"Should I peer at your memories then?" His one hand held my whole head, he tilted my gaze to look directly at his. His eye gleamed, and acting on a hunch, I tried to mimic that same power.
"Ack!" He held his eye, as I held mine.
*I was right, the jewel is giving me his power* I thought, blinking the pain out from our collision of ability.
"You grow more knowledgeable with each passing second" Filou blinked, hiding anger.
"Like you care. I'm only your puppet" I glowered at him, and gleamed into his mind again.
"Hmm? Much.. Much more than that" He snickered. Again he tilted my head, but this time I couldn't think to fight back. He held back my consciousness, to poke through my mind.
"Use that power more, I need it to grow, to flourish!" He clutched greedily at the strap of the necklace, then disappeared in the form of mist.
I fell to my knees and transformed back to my human half.
He was gone.
But I had something from his mind, -only effective on ghosts. The Jewel needs a host once activated or else-.
"Cali?" My eyes unconsciously went to the source of the voice.
"Jazz?" I asked, still halfway not in my right mind. She helped me to a park bench.
*Jazz.. Danny's sister..* gradually I came back to my right mind.
"I've heard Danny talk about you" She stated.
"I've heard him talk about you too" I countered.
"Really?" Jazz skeptically asked.
"No.." I sighed, dejectedly.
".. Anyway, I've heard stories.. And was that.. Truly Filou?" She was rather panicky.
"Yeah?" I questionably answered, wondering what her response would be.
"But, how! He, he looked just like my little brother!" She freaked, and from the stories I've heard, she was remembering Dark Danny.
*Setting aside parents, the person she loves most is her brother?* I chilled at how overprotective she was. Then I explained how he morphs differently based on the mind's category of memory. Fear, happy, sad; she grasped the basic understanding pretty quickly.
"So, you're half ghost..?" She asked.
"Please do not tell me you didn't already know that" I swayed my arms to emphasize my surprise.
"Oh no, I know, sorry. It's just a little weird since this is the first time I've seen you transform" She apologized as we began a walk home.
"That's alright but, you can't tell anyone about meeting Filou" I pressured.
"Why not?" She asked, as she held some books from a recent library visit.
"You're studying psychology, right? I think you should understand 'why not'" I surmised.
"Okay, but, you understand it's my secret now too? You better tell Danny about this sooner or later" She demanded.
