The streets were crowded and filled with music and voices when they entered the ghost city. To Tucker's amazement, it resembled, both by ear and by sight, a city like Tokyo or Paris. The streets were narrow and buildings, particularily residential buildings, were built on top of each other, not beside each other. Giant sky scrapers reached for the green sky of the Ghost Zone. Ghosts, those that looked more human and those that looked more supernatural, floated or walked by, chattering loudly.

Danny led Sam and Tucker into the crowded market street and looked about.

"It's like… Jerusalem or something," Tucker said in awe. "They hardly act ghost at all. They actually act a lot… a lot like humans."

"Surprising, huh?" Danny replied with a grin. He entered the street and walked off, followed closely by his wife and best friend. "I was pretty startled myself when I first came here."

"When was that?" Sam wondered.

"A few months after being locked in the Ghost Zone five years ago. I stumbled upon it when Skulker started chasing me, and to my surprise, I found this place. There's over 7 million ghosts that live in Ectonia. It's really a neat place to be if you get lost."

They walked on in silence for a few minutes; Danny knew that Sam and Tucker were busy taking in every detail they found and every resemblance they noted between their world and the Ghosts' world. As they were led out of the crowded market area, the entered a more wide highway, one where ghosts zipped by quickly. Hardly any of them rode any type of large vehicle. If they did, it was no larger than a motorcycle or a small two-man car.

"I'm dreaming! I'm totally dreaming!" Tucker gasped, pulling on his beret. "Sam, are you seeing this?"

Every area seemed different from the first, but every area was similar to different cities on Earth. Ghost merchants tried selling goods to them; ghost singers played guitars in the streets; ghost children flew by, chasing each other while giggling.

"I'm seeing, but I'm not believing," Sam muttered in awe.

"It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life!" Tucker added. "Ghosts living like… humans!"

A ghost suddenly bumped into Danny, causing the hybrid to stumble to one side. Sam and Tucker froze, wondering if he was in trouble; they knew that Danny's reputation in the Ghost Zone was not entirely a positive one.

But to their surprise, the ghost that bumped into them quickly reached over and helped Danny steady himself. "Sorry about that, Mr. Phantom," the ghost said politely before tipping his hat.

Danny dusted himself off. "No worries," he replied. "I should watch where I'm going."

Once the other ghost continued on his way, Tucker and Sam rushed over to Danny. "Did he just… help you back up?" Tucker said in shock.

Danny looked at him. "Yeah," he replied.

"But I thought ghosts hated you, Danny!" Sam said. "You're a Ghost Hunter!"

"Well, yeah, I am. But I'm also a hero." Danny continued on down the sidewalk, leading them off. "The ghosts that live in crowded areas like these aren't all bad, guys. Most are incredibly friendly. They all know who I am, but because they don't hold a personal grudge against me, they don't hate me."

"But you hunt ghosts and trap them in your Thermos."

"But that's because they come onto our side to cause trouble. The ghosts that don't cause trouble, I don't hunt. It's the same way here. If I'm not causing trouble, then they don't have a reason to lock me up."

Tucker and Sam looked at each other in awe. "That's the weirdest thing I have ever heard a ghost not doing," Tucker muttered.

Danny secretly rolled his eyes to one side while grinning.

They walked on for several more minutes. Children who dashed by waved happily at them and greeted Danny; men tipped their hats; merchants shouted out joyfully. Some even shot back curious looks, like the ones Sam and Tucker were sending to them.

Danny greeted each ghost who greeted him with a wave, a salute or a smile. At one point, he stopped and said hello to a passing ghost, almost as though he knew him personally.

It was only at that moment did Sam and Tucker begin to suddenly realize just how much Danny had learned during his stay in the Ghost Zone: he knew every street as though he had lived there for years; he spoke to certain ghosts as he did to people in his hometown. He rubbed the heads of passing children if they ran into him. When they passed some teenaged ghosts playing basketball in an alley, Danny rushed over, stole the ball, made a slam dunk and then returned it after giving a high-five to one of the players. During his five-year stay in the Ghost Zone, searching for his human body, Danny had made this dimension his home-away-from-home. With nothing else to do, he had needed to get acquainted with the area.

He finally turned down a dimly lit street, entering an area that almost looked like a Chinatown neighbourhood. The street was so narrow, in fact, that you could only fit two people side-by-side while walking.

Ghosts were sitting on the front step to their house, reading something or smoking oddly shaped pipes. Children played games and giggled softly. Soft music was played in the distance over an oriental instrument.

"This is either getting too real or too weird," Tucker muttered while looking about.

"Try too weird," Sam replied.

Danny looked from one house to another until a young ghost boy ran up to him. "Welcome back, Mr. Phantom!" he said politely while bowing.

Danny grinned in reply. "Nice to see you too," he said. "Is—!"

"Yep, she's right where she usually is, Sir."

"Thank you."

As the boy continued on his way, Danny stepped over a sleeping ghost dog and turned down an even narrower alley.

"Who's she, Danny?" Sam wondered as she and Tucker followed him in single file.

Danny looked over his shoulder at her. "The ghost we're going to see," he replied. "She's very old and very wise; if anyone can help us save Andy, it's her."

They walked on in silence until Danny stopped in front of the doorway into an old building. The front of the building resembled an old Chinese house.

The ghost-man stepped onto the porch and walked through the open doorway. "Come on," he whispered as the others followed closely behind.

The smell of herbs filled the air with a strong aroma when they entered the house. Tucker was amazed by this. I didn't know ghosts could make things smell so… real, he thought in awe.

Danny looked back at his friends for a moment before starring around the old house. "Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone home?"

"I thought it was you I sensed up the street."

All three turned their heads to another doorway that was covered in a curtain of beads. A short, slightly hunched hooded figure parted the beads and floated into the same room as them. Two small hands came out from the sleeves of the dark burgundy robe and pushed back the hood that covered the person's face from view.

Tucker and Sam raised their eyebrows. It was an old lady, with grey and white hair, tied in a bun. She had a pale face yet rosy, round cheeks, and despite the wrinkles and folds that suggested her to be quite advanced in age—for ghosts, that is—her face did not look as old if you did not examine it closely.

The white-glowing ghost lady smiled warmly at Danny while placing her hands and sleeves together before her. "You still have that same nervous step when you come around the corner," she added.

Danny grinned in reply and bowed politely. "It's nice to see you again, Ma'am," he said. When he noticed that neither Tucker nor Sam had done the same, he frowned at them and nudged their sides until they groaned painfully and bowed as well.

The old lady laughed very softly at this. "Newcomers, I see," she said as all three straightened out. "You must be here on business, strictly."

Danny held out a hand in Tucker's direction while placing his other in Sam's. "These are my friends that I spoke to you about," he said. "This is Tucker Foley, my best friend—" Tucker waved as politely as he could "—and this is Sam… my wife."

The lady laughed again and clasped her hands together. "Ah, yes, the young woman you said you had your heart set on," she announced. "Yes, I do believe I remember seeing you daydream of her quite often."

Sam looked at her husband while grinning. Danny turned his head away and blushed.

"So you did marry her, did you? I always knew you would…"

Tucker cleared his throat softly. "Uh, Danny?" he said. "Mind finishing the introductions, please?"

Danny blinked and then let go of Sam's hand. "Right," he replied. He walked up to the old woman and held out his hand to her. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Lady Sadina. She's one of the Ghost Zone's most powerful ghosts."

"Though not the youngest," the woman added with a wink.

Tucker stared at her in surprise. "She's one of the Zone's most powerful ghosts?" he said. He rubbed his chin. "She sure doesn't look powerful," he muttered.

Sam glared at him and punched his shoulder, making the man groan in pain and rub it. Lady Sadina giggled softly. "Hee, hee, humans were always so entertaining," she said.

"Lady Sadina is over five hundred years old," Danny added. "She knows more about every type of ghost power than anyone else does in this realm."

"Five hundred?" Tucker said in disbelief.

Sadina giggled again and tugged on Danny's jumpsuit. "I like his spirit," she said. "He feels like a dancing flame, ready to burst!"

Tucker blushed and stuck his hands in his pockets while Sam laughed behind her hand. "Tuckah is on fiyah!" Sam teased while nudging the mayor's side.

Tucker glared at her. "Put a sock in it, Sam," he muttered as the woman continued to giggle.

"He has energy, life… and plenty of intelligence," Sadiny continued, catching their attention again. She looked at the hybrid. "I see why you value his friendship, Danny."

Danny grinned in reply and looked at his best friend. "Lady Sadina is a Senser," he explained. "She can sense different energies in ghosts and humans, as well as their emotions, their thoughts, their dreams, everything. This allows her to make certain predictions about the person. She's also great at medicine making, healing, and she makes delicious cookies."

Sadina laughed softly at these words while Sam pointed at her. "You mean, you can cook food for humans?" she said.

Sadina nodded. "When Danny came here, I made him a few treats," she explained. "Although he had no physical body, which made him lack the hunger or the taste buds you humans have on your tongues, he still needed to energize himself with human food. If he ate in his ghost form, his physical body would still get nourishment in some way, and remain strong and healthy."

"When Danny came here?" Tucker echoed. He and Sam looked at Danny. "Mind filling us in on how you know this Lady Sadina, Dude?" he asked.

Danny placed his hands together. "When I got stuck in the Ghost Zone and came to Ectonia," he explained, "Lady Sadina was the one who helped me get acquainted with the city and how it worked. She showed me how to get around, she gave me a place to stay for the night, but she also gave me maps to study." He looked at Sadina and grinned. "No thanks to her, I practically know the entire Ghost Zone by the back of my hand," he said.

"You were a bad pupil when it came to studying maps," Sadina said, shaking her finger. "For a ghost hero, you hardly knew even a speck of the Zone."

Danny shrugged before looking at Tucker again. "Lady Sadina didn't only help me get back on my feet while I was stuck here," he said; "She also taught me how to use the power of Ultimate Control."

"She taught you?" Sam said in awe as Tucker gaped. "But I thought no other ghost has ever unlocked it."

"Because she's a senser, Sadina was able to teach me how to focus my energy and conserve it. It took several months to nearly three years of my time in the Zone for me to be able to properly use my gift without killing myself. That's why I can use it now without losing my human body."

While Sam simply looked on in wonder, Tucker was immediately enthralled. "So she's the secret to your success here?" he said with a grin.

Danny eyed him stupidly while both Sadina and Sam giggled.

Tucker shrugged in reply before looking at Lady Sadina again. "Um, considering you actually taught Danny how to control that uncontrollable power," he said, "I can certainly see now why you're one of the most powerful ghosts in the Zone. Danny's certainly not easy to train."

"Hey!" Danny exclaimed.

"Come on, Dude; you and I both know how unstable your emotions can get. Not to mention helping you when you first got your powers was a pain in the gut… and I do mean that literally."

Danny crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue. After a moment, Sadina cleared her throat and placed her hands together. "Although it is very nice to see you again, Danny," she said, catching his attention, "I sense that you are not here to simply say hello."

Danny looked at Sam. As the graveness of their situation returned to mind, they both shared a worried look before he turned to the old ghost again. "We need your help, Sadina," Danny began. "Our son's been overshadowed by two ghosts. They've been causing trouble in town and they refuse to get out."

Sadina rubbed her chin thoughtfully before looking up at Danny again. "There were two, you say?" she said.

"Yes."

"And how old is your son?"

"Five years old."

Sadina's face suddenly became incredibly serious. She frowned. "This is grave, indeed," she said, turning and floating towards the beaded doorway. "Come, all three of you; follow me."

While she asked her husband to remain at home and watch the Ghost Portal, Maddie left with the RV in search for her grandson. She knew that she would probably meet the two ghosts instead, but she still had to get the child to safety, at least until his parents returned.

She walked cautiously through the park, holding up a ghost blaster in case she was in need of it. "Andy?" she called out. "Are you there, Sweetie?"

The afternoon was growing late, which meant that if the ghosts slept at night, then Andy would be conscious again and in need of nourishment. And considering the amount of energy the two ghosts used that day to fight Danny, she knew that Andy would be incredibly weak.

"Come on, you stupid ghosts," the woman challenged while turning in a circle and pointing her weapon at the treetops. "Come on out if you dare. You guys will need rest, so no use in hiding. Come out!"

There was rustling in a few bushes ahead. Maddie gasped softly and swiftly turned in that direction, pointing her blaster. After several seconds of no extra movement, she cautiously walked towards the noise. Arriving there, Maddie stuck the end of her gun into the bushes, waited and then pushed them aside violently while shouting angrily. She pointed the gun, ready to fire what was there.

The five-year-old boy she had known to be her grandson was lying against the grass, eyes closed, clothes dirty and face incredibly pale. He moaned weakly and shifted his head.

Maddie raised her eyebrows and gasped before tucking her gun away. "Andy!" she said, reaching down and picking the child up.

Andy moaned again and weakly placed his arms over his grandmother's shoulders. He did not open his eyes.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" MAddie asked worriedly. "Do you feel sick? Do you want Grandma to make you something to eat?"

The boy only moaned again and rested his head on his grandmother's shoulder. "Mommy," he whispered. "Daddy."

"Your Mommy and Daddy are gone to visit a friend who can help you," Maddie explained while stroking the boy's back. "How are you feeling, Andy? Is the monster awake?"

"… No… He's tired."

"That's good… That's really good."

"I don't feel good… I want Mommy and Daddy."

Maddie hushed him as she turned and walked towards the streets where she parked the RV. "Don't worry, Cupcake," she said. "We'll get you feeling better in no time. I promise."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Lady Sadina was the second good DP OC I created. She appears in most stories mainly as a guide to Danny, and even Andy at times. Why? XD Well, considering Danny can often goof up a mission if he doesn't look before he leaps, it's essential to have at least ONE ghost who's patient enough with him but still a stern teacher.

I mean, SOMEONE had to teach him how to use his UCG, right? Don't worry, more of that will be explained in the following chapters, as well as more about those ghosts that are overshadowing Andy.

Another flashback moment: this time, it refers to my short story Training a Ghost. Remember how Tucker was constantly getting rammed in the gut by Danny when his best friend tried and failed at turning intangible or landing smoothly? Tucker recalls that when he says ".. Not to mention helping you when you first got your powers was a pain in the gut… and I do mean that literally."

Anyway, I finally found a small job during my studies, so thank you to all of you who prayed for me! God bless!