Author's Note:

Hey there, all my wonderful readers! =3 I apologize (as usual) for the time it took to get this up…I warn you, it might be a trend. School is killer, and it enjoys eating my free time.

Anyway, there's not a lot to say about this chapter. It might be kinda short, but I think you can resist killing me, right? Right. ^^

(I've totally forgotten about this until now!) DISCLAIMER: The plot does not belong to me, the name does not belong to me, the characters do not belong to me…need I go further? However, if you are stupid and just copy/paste this, calling it your own, be prepared to face a horde of undead flamethrowers.

You've been warned.


The rest of the school day was as odd as could be expected. Rain clouds were beginning to gather to the north, so the trio took advantage of an empty front lawn and ate lunch outdoors. They had been trying to avoid the majority of the student population all week in an attempt to keep stress levels down. Danny's 'symptoms' hadn't been discussed since last Thursday, and though he would occasionally make some sarcastic remark about falling into the basement to get out of class, the boy was pointedly trying to keep them out of mind. More often than not, however, the few times they managed to forget about it for a moment something else would happen that would cause Sam and Tucker to exchange rather worried glances while their friend immediately attempted to revert his limbs back to normal. None of them mentioned the fact that it wasn't common to be able to control symptoms of any sort without medication, which Danny had now been managing (to an extent) for more than a week.

Lunch had, shockingly, been going along fairly normally at first. The three friends were debating the best way to get Dash expelled (which was always fun to discuss, even if none of the ideas would work) and, for once, not even considering Danny's occasional oddities. The cool weather kept most of the students indoors, as they preferred not to go to the trouble of wearing a jacket and simply ate in the cafeteria. Sam was letting her chin rest on her arms, watching as the two boys laughed uproariously at some scheme involving a taxi, some chocolate and (she hadn't quite figured this part out yet) a squirrel. As Tucker was concentrating on not passing out, he was the only one not to notice Danny suddenly shiver, all laughter gone from his face as he stiffened with a gasp. Sam sat up, eyes widening, carefully watching her friend for any signs of needing help. It took her a moment to notice the faint mist coming from his mouth, almost like breath on a cold day. It wasn't that cold out though…and if it was just a chill, why did he look so terrified? By now Tucker had noticed something amiss and was glancing around in an attempt to locate whatever it was that had shocked the other boy. There was a moment of silence before Danny's shoulders relaxed again, though he still seemed extremely tense.

"Dude…What was that?" Tucker asked immediately, taking the movement as an invitation to speak.

"I wish I knew!" the black-haired boy growled, rubbing his arms. "It was that…that weird chill again. Colder than usual," he felt compelled to add, glancing up briefly. "With the clenching here…" Danny gestured vaguely to the right side of his chest before letting his hand drop, aware that two sets of eyes were stubbornly examining him. He knew what they would see if he looked up, and therefore kept his eyes pointedly on the wooden table. Though he still couldn't feel the change, he had enough experience to know when the baby-blue would switch to that piercing green he had grown to detest. The silence stretched on for a while before it was interrupted - quite suddenly - by an all too familiar voice.

"At last! I have discovered the corrugated cardboard that I sought!" The three freshmen whipped around to stare across the street, eyes widening even further at the sight of the same squat little ghost that had appeared in the basement. His nasally voice, even though it was only the second time they had heard it, was already beginning to grate on Danny's nerves. Although his friends instinctively moved back, the boy stood with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed. The self-proclaimed 'Box Ghost' didn't appear too interested in the school and seemed to be ranting to himself as he surveyed his prizes: three rather large cardboard boxes hovered around him, all glowing faintly. They were a bit tattered, but recognizable as boxes nonetheless.

"It took him this long to find a box?" Danny muttered, watching closely as the blue ghost carefully stacked the prisms inside one another, grinning like some toddler who had found an abandoned toy car. "This guy must be dense…hardly looks worth hunting." Indeed, the spirit was currently of little threat, as he had yet to notice his audience. The fact that there was supposedly no one around to hear his speech didn't seem to bother him, however, and he continued his tirade undaunted.

"Now that the collection has begun, the Box Ghost shall once again rise to be the most feared in all of…" He paused, bending to peer at the writing on the side of one of the boxes. "Oh yeah…5825 Southwest Lincoln Drive!" The ghost chuckled to himself, once again reminding the three of an extremely annoying surfer before shouting a parting "BEWARE!" to the general vicinity and flying off over the rooftops, his boxes tailing behind him as if tied by a cord. There was a shocked silence as the ghost left their range of vision, though they were all staring after him with rather blank looks. Tucker finally let his head fall onto the table with a muffled thump, letting out a soft groan.

"So I guess this means I wasn't dreaming last week, huh?" he asked, turning slightly to watch Danny as he sat down. "I mean, I wasn't too hopeful, but…"

"This is too much of a coincidence," the other boy muttered as Tucker trailed off. He was staring at the table again, not to avoid any looks, but in an attempt to avoid distractions as he thought it over. "It has to be connected somehow…but is it just for that idiot, or would it show up other times too?" There was a pause as Sam raised an eyebrow before crossing her arms.

"If you plan on including us in on this your conversation with yourself, please let us know," she told him, managing sarcasm even though it was clear the ghost's appearance had shaken her slightly. Danny, much to her annoyance, simply shook his head and stood, grabbing his bag from underneath the table.

"I have to think this over," he stated, glancing between his two friends. "Look, can you guys make it over after school? You haven't managed it since the ham incident on Monday, and I'll make sure the food isn't dangerous tonight. We need to go over some stuff." Exchanging glances, Sam and Tucker frowned, then nodded, standing with him.

"We'll come, but…what's up, man? You look like you've seen -" Tucker trailed off, eyes narrowing as he searched for a less appropriate expression. "Well, something that isn't getting a little too familiar for my tastes." Danny simply sighed, glancing back as he made his way up the steps.

"I'm not entirely sure, Tuck. I have some ideas, but…let's just say I hope I'm wrong."


It was always a bit of a risk holding 'meetings' in Danny's room, as there was the chance of his parents or Jazz catching parts of conversations as they passed. There wasn't a whole lot of other options, however, and the teens had gotten quite good at listening for any footsteps up the stairs. They seated themselves on the far side of the room, where Danny knew the wall was thicker (phasing through drywall gave one a decent perspective of it, and it had happened more than once when the boy had been leaning against that area as he waited for the bathroom) and hopefully muffled noise more. A few sheets of paper lay on the carpeted floor and Sam was idly tapping a pencil on her boot. As per usual, Danny was pacing between his bed and the window, hands stuffed into his pockets. Tucker was following his movements rather warily, as if expecting him to attack the comforter at any moment.

"Right," the girl muttered, her violet eyes on the list in front of her. "Unless you can think of any more, I think we've got them all here. It's...longer than I thought. Are you sure all this stuff happened?" The black-haired boy paused to shoot her a tired glare before resuming his ceaseless strides.

"Of course I'm sure. It happened to me, didn't it? Read them over once, make sure we haven't left anything out." Sam sighed slightly, then picked up the paper and leaned back against the desk.

"Since…what was it, Tuesday? You've had…" She paused for a moment as if preferring not to say it aloud, then continued. "Phasing, invisibility, green eyes, white hair (only once, thank goodness), no breathing, no pulse, temperature that hasn't gotten above 88 since the accident…and that weird clenching feeling, whatever that means." With a frown, she looked up again. The two boys were silent, Danny finally standing still as he stared at the opposite wall intently. The room seemed slightly tense until Tucker suddenly glanced down at his PDA and then back at his friends.

"Well, we know one thing for sure." The others turned to him with raised eyebrows and the boy forced a grin. "It's definitely not lupus." Sam groaned at the attempted joke, and Danny gave the boy a punch on the arm, but the mood managed to lift.

"There is one more," Danny recalled, seating himself cross-legged on the floor. "I didn't really think much of it before, but there's this weird…chill now. Not just the 'normal' cold," he added as Sam opened her mouth. "It's colder than that. Just a section, almost like some snowball or something. It's about here," He pointed at his chest, just below the ribs and frowned slightly. "It didn't seem like much, but then…when that stupid ghost came, it started to spread. Almost purposefully, too, like it knew what it was supposed to do. I managed to keep it back, but the stupid thing won't go away now, and I know it's going to try and spread again…" The boy trailed off, frown deepening as his friends stared at him with wide eyes. "Okay, really? After all this, you think that's weird?"

"Well, it just adds to the factor," Tucker said with a shrug, glancing at the paper as Sam scribbled it down. "I mean, you're weird enough as it is," this earned him another hit to the shoulder "but with all these…symptoms added, I might just have to hand you over to the government."

"Right," Danny chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Because I'm half dead, right?" The other boy laughed and even Sam managed a grudging smile. There was a pause before the black-haired boy frowned once more, letting his elbows rest on his knees. "There is one thing that doesn't seem right though…I mean, these are just symptoms from the Portal blasting, aren't they? Symptoms aren't regular, they don't have any given purpose. They're just…there."

"Got it." They turned to Tucker as he tapped a few buttons on the device in his hand. "Symptoms; An indication of disorder or disease, especially when experienced by an individual as a change from normal function, sensation, or appearance." He glanced up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose in the perfect imitation of a total nerd. "What? Definitions always help." Danny rolled his eyes before continuing.

"Right…it fits, at least. Normal functions, sensations, appearance…they've all changed. The only thing that seems strange is the fact that I don't really seem to have any disease, but we'll get to that later." He paused, glancing out the window briefly. "I'm guessing you guys remember the basement incident?" The boy chuckled, waving one hand as he realized the absurdity of the question. "Never mind, not exactly something you can forget easily…but right before that ghost came, did you notice anything odd?"

"Other than the fact that a ghost came into your house?" Sam questioned with a raised eyebrow. "There was a point when you went all weird. Tucker and I both noticed; you shivered like it was suddenly cold (or colder than usual) and went all stiff. I think I could see your breath for a second, which was weird. Even if you got a chill, it wasn't actually that cold…" She trailed off, violet eyes suddenly going wide. "Oh…So you think…maybe they're connected?"

"That's what I'm thinking," Danny muttered, one hand going to the back of his neck. "I mean, I didn't really pay much mind to it before, but happening twice…"

"Right, well if you're planning on letting me in on this revelation, let me know," Tucker cut in with a frown. "What am I missing?" His friends glanced at each other rather wearily before Danny ran one hand over his face.

"You remember the whole thing before the ghost showed up, right?" Tucker simply nodded, eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to make the connection. "It happened again today, didn't it? You didn't actually see it, but I think I said as much. Think about it, Tuck; what did they have in common?" There was a pause as the boy bit his lip, pondering the information. His eyes went wide as suddenly as Sam's had, and he clutching instinctively at the carpet.

"The ghost?" Tucker breathed. "He showed up both times, right afterwards…So you think it has something to do with him?" Danny shrugged, leaning against the wall with a sigh.

"I'm not sure…something with him, maybe with ghosts, or maybe it's just a coincidence. It seems a little too regular though. If it happens again without a ghost, I'll know it's just another weird symptom, but for now…" He frowned, eyes closing for a moment. "Symptoms are supposed to be random. They don't have order, they just happen because of whatever disorder or disease is causing them. If this thing has some pattern…it's not just a symptom. That doesn't necessarily include the rest of the stuff, but they're so closely connected, it just might. If they aren't side-effects of the blast…" The freshmen opened his eyes again, glancing between his two friends. "Then what's going on with me?" As the implications of this set in, they fell silent. Sam looked down at the list with a frown, her eyes narrowing as if willing the words to somehow change. Each sat in their own thoughts for a minute or so, the only sounds coming from the basement where Jack was busily working on some invention. It took a while for Danny to notice something slightly off, and when he did it seemed so slight that he didn't respond past a slight tensing, blue eyes moving from the floor to stare across the room. After a moment, they narrowed briefly before suddenly widening as he inhaled sharply. Sam and Tucker looked up with rather worried expressions, each half expecting to have to pull him out of the floor again. When nothing seemed immediately wrong, the other boy put one hand on Danny's shoulder, resisting the urge to draw back as he was reminded once again how cold his friend was.

"Danny? You alright, man?" There was no answer for a moment and Sam shifted slightly to get closer, her expression a mixture of confusion and fear. When the black-haired boy's eyes suddenly focused again, they seemed to match Sam's exactly, although both could see a hint of sudden determination as well.

"It's…trying to move again," he managed, eyes closing again. "I have to…just hang on, I can get it." Exchanging looks, the others retreated slightly to watch. They had seen when he had to keep his arms tangible or even visible, and it seemed extremely similar. This time, however, there was no noticeable outcome, except…Sam shot a look at Tucker, satisfied to see that his eyes were wide. So it wasn't just her seeing it. It took about a minute for the boy to relax again, and he was very slightly out of breath. Eyes opening, he looked at each of the others briefly before leaning back against the wall. "Right…what were we saying?"

"Oh, no way," Sam nearly growled, her arms crossing. "There is no way you're just passing that off like nothing. What the heck was that, Danny?" With a sigh, he rubbed his neck idly with one hand, glancing around.

"It was just that chill again. It was trying to move, but I got it back down again. Not a big deal."

"Not a-not a big deal?" the girl cried, eyebrows threatening to rise into her hair. "Danny, you were glowing! How is that not a big deal?" Blinking once, Danny turned to his other friend who gave a rather wary shrug, all but confirming the accusation.

"I was…what?" the black-haired boy breathed, glancing down at himself. He seemed normal enough, but Sam wasn't just one to make things up, especially now. "What do you mean I was glowing? People don't glow, it just…doesn't happen!"

"Yeah, well people don't fall through floors either," Tucker reminded helpfully, earning himself a glare. "You can't just go around shouting 'impossible' when stuff like this happens, man. Face it, we're way beyond the natural here. It wasn't like some neon glow, but…you were definitely giving off some light there. White, I think, it was hard to tell with the room being so bright." Danny blinked again, staring between them as if waiting for someone to yell "April Fools!" It proved to be futile, and he put his head in his hands with a groan.

"You've got to be joking," the boy muttered. "This is just wonderful, now I'm radioactive too? Just add a cape and get me flying and I'm some creepy superhero."

"This is getting way too regular," Sam stated, her hand clenching and crumpling the paper into a wrinkled wad. "First the thing with the stupid Box Ghost, and now right after you tell us about the 'snowball' chill thing, it starts up again? You didn't glow last time, did you?"

"I don't know!" Danny snapped, eyes squeezing shut. "I was paying more attention to the wad of ectoplasm in our basement than seeing what my skin was doing." He shook his head with a deep sigh, attempting to concentrate on keeping himself tangible. "I think…these things have triggers. It wasn't just talking about it, either, I had been thinking about the feeling. I was remembering the thing when it started again. But that means…" He looked up again, green eyes troubled. "That means these can't just be symptoms of something. You can't control symptoms without fixing whatever's wrong, and I've been working to keep myself from falling through the floor this entire time." There was a silence in which they could all hear a distinct crash from the basement followed by a loud shout of 'Fudge nuts!'

"So…" Tucker blinked, idly tapping at his PDA. "What's that mean? Where does it leave us?"

"I dunno, Tuck," Danny sighed. "Whatever it is…I don't think it's going away. I can control some of it now, but people are going to start noticing the eyes." He let his head fall back against the drywall with a dull thump, staring up at the overhead light. "The only thing that hasn't intensified is the hair, and that only showed up right after the blast…probably just residue or something, right?" At the hesitant shrugs, he let his eyes fall shut again. "This isn't normal. We've established that. But now…" He gave another sigh, forcing himself to keep his eyes shut as he voiced the next thought. "This is just scaring me…"


Again, probably just filler. You guys will live, right? Gives you (and them) something to think about! I wanna get it posted before I get angry readers at my front door. -glances out window- I didn't really have more planned for this chapter, they're just slowly coming to the realization that they're not dealing with a disease here. It's a slow process, but it makes more sense to me that way. Don't worry, they will figure it out! … Eventually!

As always, I adore reviews! I adore favorites, I adore alerts…you guys are just wonderful all around. ^^ Thanks so much for putting up with me! I hope chapter 9 won't take very long, and hopefully it'll end up more interesting than the trio just putting pieces together.

If you caught the House reference (it should be easy, if you've seen the show) let me know. x3 Just a random little humor in there.

Many kudos and ecto-scones! (And a cup of tea to anyone who caught Waggy's House fan-girly-ness!)

~Waggy