Did I say weekly updates on Friday? Sorry, but I'm afraid that's not going to happen. Instead, expect a whole ton of chapters at once as I try to finish this story before school starts again and I have even less time to write (could that even happen?). I'm also thinking about starting a new DP fanfic (AFTER this one's finished, so don't worry!). It won't be a crossover; I'll tell you more when I finish this story.
Sorry for having such a long time gap between posting chapters. If it happens again, feel free to start reminding me, angrily demanding more, or sending death threats - whatever you prefer. It will probably get me to write more often, so it's worth a try.
Also, sorry for what I'm pretty sure is the shortest chapter I've written yet, and for having such a long Author's Note to make it look longer. That said, enjoy.
I do not own Hanna is Not a Boy's Name or Danny Phantom.
Chapter Nine - Waiting
Finally, something had gone right.
Sure, Phantom had flown out through the roof and they had lost him, but they'd seen him, and from what the kids at the mall said, he would show up again. Apparently a lot of ghost fights happened at the school, as they've already seen in the cafeteria. If they wait, another ghost will show up, and they'll get another chance to follow Phantom. They just have to lie low.
Hanna can barely keep himself from jumping up and down in glee. The only thing keeping his feet on the ground is his attempt to maintain what little he has of a professional image. Since he just used magic runes to attack the Box Ghost in the middle of a crowded cafeteria, all the students are alternately looking at him in awe and whispering to one another. Naturally, he likes this state of affairs, but unfortunately, if he wants Phantom to show up and let his guard down, Hanna will need to be low-key.
"Hey, guys, let's get out of here and talk things over," Hanna says. The group follows him out into the hallway, where they look at him expectantly, thinking he has a plan.
No such luck.
Instead, he tries to come up with one on the spot.
"So, I was thinking we'd just hang around the school," Hanna says. "Lay low, maybe talk to some of the teachers and kids if we can."
"And you think Phantom will magically appear?" Veser asks.
"Maybe," Hanna says. "If this place is as haunted as everyone says, it shouldn't be long."
"Alright," Veser says, drawing it out to show how little he trusts Hanna's plan.
"We'll meet back in front of the school after everyone's gone," Hanna says. "Then we can compare stories and see if we saw anything interesting."
Everyone starts walking off, trying to find a good place to spend the day before lunch period ends and kids swarm the halls.
Hanna sighs and walks around for a bit before deciding to stand in a small alcove near a water fountain. If he stands just right, you can't see him from a certain angle. Probably. He waits.
Bells ring, signalling the end of lunch. Swarms of kids rush through the halls, fumbling with lockers and textbooks, and disappear into classrooms. Ten minutes after the bell rings, the halls are empty.
Hanna sighs. Even though this is his plan, he's already beginning to regret it. He's not really the type of person who can spend any period of time doing nothing. He's always moving, talking, doing something. But now he's leaning against a wall in a high school, trying to keep from getting bored to death by playing with his magic marker. Every time the bell rings, Hanna straightens and tries to make out parts of the dozens of conversations students are having as they walk from class to class, but the fragments he picks up on don't seem very interesting or useful.
" . . . and then on Sunday we're heading to Disney . . ."
" . . . no way! And then she keeps going on and on about . . . "
" . . . Dumpty Humpty are performing here! That's . . . "
" . . . can't just ignore a ghost attack, but what if they see Phantom and . . . "
Phantom? It has to be Danny Phantom, doesn't it? Hanna strains his ears to see if he can hear any more, and after that fails, pokes his head out of the alcove to see if he can spot who'd been talking. As best as he can guess, it was someone in the crowd of people heading to an English class.
The people in the hallway dissipate, and soon there's no one left.
Hanna wants more than anything to break down the door to the classroom and find out who'd been talking about Phantom, and what they knew, but he can't. For one thing, he probably isn't strong enough to kick down the door, but more importantly, it would blow their cover. Sure, every bit of info about Phantom helps, but seeing him in person was a lot more important, and he can't blow his cover (again) to risk losing that.
So instead, Hanna sits down in his little alcove, waiting for the next bell to ring.
And planning what he'll do when it does.
