Part 1: Chapter 10
Sunday, March 12, 1933
I groaned, feeling sudden soreness all over my body. However, I was somewhere comfortable, oddly it felt like a mattress.
Slowly I opened my eyes, to find the hostess in front of me...in my room?! I looked around wildly, how did I get here?!
"Thank goodness you're awake, you've been asleep for four days!" She cried.
"FOUR DAYS?!" If I wasn't alert then, I definately was now. Four days? I missed out on my life for four days? What did my parents think? What's gonna happen at school? Why wasn't a doctor here?
Her sudden laughter brought me out of my panic-filled thoughts. "Nah, it was only for two hours." She flipped her brown hair out of her face as she sat on the edge of my bed.
I scowled, positioning myself into a sitting manner. "That wasn't funny."
She grinned and sputtered, holding back laughter. "You're right, but your expression made it all worthwhile."
I rolled my eyes. "So anyway, just who are you exactly?"
She thrust out her hand to me. "Amber McClain. Nice to meet you."
"Daniel Fenton." I shook her hand. "And how did you know where I lived?"
"I saw you sometimes exiting or entering this building on my way to work. Don't worry, I'm not a stalker." We both shared a dry laugh.
"Weren't my parents suspicious?" I asked.
She smirked. "They weren't home, and the door was unlocked. Really, you guys should lock your doors, there are robbers out there you know, especially with this Depression."
"But enough with questions about me." She cocked her head to the side. "Just what is it with you?"
I froze as my memory of the moment returned. I passed out. I changed back. She saw.
"I-it is nothing. There's nothing wrong with me." Maybe she passed out too and didn't see? Although I highly doubt that.
"Really? So two glowing circles around your waist changing you into a seemingly all-new person is nothing?
I gulped. She knows. She knows. I'm dead, I'm doomed, I'm cursed to a life of painful dissections, never to have love shown to me again.
I hung my head low. "You're right, it is something. You see, I had an...accident. That accident made me a half-ghost, half-human hybrid." I paused to look up at her. Her eyes were wide with shock, she didn't move an inch.
"Go ahead. Run screaming about how the average Fenton boy is actually a mutant freak of nature." The words stung even as I said them.
She had a sympathetic look to her eyes as she stood, and for one wild moment I thought she was going to do just what I said. However, she sat closer to me, laying a hand on my shoulder.
"You're not a mutant freak of nature, Daniel Fenton. You're extraordinary, unique. An amazing hero." When she saw my eyes widen she continued. "Yes, hero. You saved me from that crazy old hag. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead. After eating the meat of course." Her mouth quirked into a smile, I couldn't help but do the same.
Amber took her hand off my arm. "So, do your parents know?"
I shook my head. "No one knows."
She nodded. "Good. The less people that know the better, especially for your sake."
After a silence she murmered, "My reckless actions almost got you killed."
Before I knew what happened, the next sentence flew from my mouth. "You had to take the meat away, didn't you?"
She turned sharply to me and narrowed her eyes. "It's not completely my fault."
"Whatever. I think the menu should just be changed back so she'll leave."
She stood and stomped to my door. "You want to change that menu back, you're going to have to go through me to do it!" She left, but peeked back in before leaving for good. "By the way, you missed the news. Apparently a concentration camp for prisoners opened up outside Berlin somewhere. I couldn't remember the name since it's so long."
I let the words sink in. A camp for prisoners? Well, I guess it's not all that bad, to pay your debt to society and all. Yet I had the feeling I wasn't grasping the whole picture.
Monday, March 13, 1933
After school me and Mikey walked toward my house to do homework, Jazz wanted to walk home with a friend of hers. At the beginning of the school day, Mikey bombarded me with questions about what happened to me when the Lunch Lady Ghost attacked. I answered with the same reply, "I was knocked out but when I came to I escaped." Simple, yet believeable, no?
What stopped us in our tracks was yells of protest. "What's going on?" Mikey asked. "Like I have any idea?" I questioned. "Come on, might as well check it out."
The yells originated from the Nasty Burger, there was a small crowd of people gathered in front of...Amber? What was going on?
"We want meat!" The one side cried.
"Veggies now, veggies forever!" The other side chanted, along with Amber agreeing.
"They organized two protests in one night?" I inquired completely baffled at the scene. At that moment Amber came to us.
"Daniel Fenton, glad you could make it!" She shouted happily as she tried to pull me to the vegetarian side. "Danny, hey wait!" Mikey protested and grabbed my other arm, pulling me in between them.
"Since when did you know the Veggie?" Mikey crossed his arms.
Amber narrowed her green eyes. "I met him yesterday, if you must know."
"Yes I must, we are friends after all. And we're going to join the meat side."
Her eyes flared. "You might, but Daniel isn't! He's going to join our side!"
They both looked at me, awaiting my response. I glanced back and forth repeatedly at them, trying to figure out a way to settle this where everyone wins.
"I-" But they didn't let me finish.
"You're either with me," Mikey started.
"Or against him." Amber finished.
"SO WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" This time they were in perfect sync.
Before I could say anything a boom of thunder sounded, followed with a crack of lightning. The wind blew at what felt like twenty miles per hour, everyone's hair was blowing wildly, people's shirts and dresses billowing.
The same blue puff of air escaped my lips as I gasped, another shiver running down my spine. Evil cackling was heard, as meat surrounded the ghost which I thought was gone.
"IT'S LUNCHTIME!" The hulking monster yelled, while both meat-eaters and vegans alike were running away and screaming in fear. I had to do something, but I can't go ghost with everyone running wild and watching!
"Meat! Why have you betrayed me?!" Mikey cried out in anguish, covering his face with his hands.
I turned to both teens, one of whom was still sobbing. "If you're making me choose, then I pick neither of you!" I ran as fast as I could behind the restaurant, Mikey shouting at me to come back.
A quick look-around later, and I was high in air in my ghost form, more than ready to take on the ghost again. I floated in front of her, dodging a few of her punches.
Whilst dodging another one, I flew around, cocking my leg in the right position, then kicked her as hard as possible on the back of her head, she tumbled down with a loud sickening squish.
"He really is getting better." I heard Amber muse.
"Who is he?" Mikey asked completely clueless. I smiled and turned back to my enemy, just in time to get a painful hit to the face.
"I sure hope he can take a punch, whoever he is!" Mikey's distant voice sounded from below, I myself was still being propelled higher and higher.
Finally I regained control. I zoomed down, letting my flying and gravity take control, both of my fists to propped out in front of my form. I slammed into the ghost albeit painfully, but she exploded, the meat going all around, a deep crater was now in the earth.
Eyes squeezed shut and arms trembling from the pain, I tried to climb out of the crater. I took ragged breaths, hopefully now she's defeated. However a sickingly sweet voice made me freeze.
"Oh dear, what a mess! Are you okay?" The regular old lady ghost was back.
I fully climbed out and rubbed my sore right arm. "Yeah, I think so." Hey, maybe she felt bad.
"TOUGH!" Hm, guess not. "BECAUSE YOU BEING OKAY IS NOT PART OF MY BALANCED DIET OF DOOM!" Suddenly five piles of meat appeared around me, I set myself up in a fighting stance.
Five small meat monsters formed, their mouths open in determination to possibly kill me. Instead of fighting each of them, I thought of a better way. I stretched out my leg, then used my boot to slice through them all in a perfect circular motion.
I grinned, but dropped it when I saw them all reform, their mouths now in sick smiles. "Wasn't expecting that." I muttered, and of course my powers decided to act up and change me back to human. "Or that."
They came up to me, trying to hold me down, they took my arms and legs. I struggled, I had to get away from them! Unexpectedly they flew high in the air, taking me with them, then when we were up a decent height they let go of my upper half, causing me to dangle upside-down. "Aaahhh!" I yelped in fright.
They flew again, only this time a metal object hit me in the face. I raised my hands to my face and took it. I scrutinized it, trying to remember where I've seen it before..."The Fenton Thermos!" I blurted out. "But how am I gonna get it to work?!"
At that moment the monsters dropped me. I shouted in fright, my parents simply swirling blobs from down below, everyone and everything else was out of focus too.
"Change back...change back!" I commanded myself. Change back, change back, change back! You can't die like this!
A surge of power swam through me, seconds later I found myself back into my jumpsuit and flying. I fazed through the ground, but not before yelling to my parents, "Thanks for the thermos!"
I could've sworn I heard, "Ha! Ghost kid! I was right!" Then again, it was my dad, so there was a good chance he did say it.
I came back to the original causer of this meaty mess. She eyed the metallic thermos in my hand. "No! Soup's not on today's menu!"
"I'm changing the menu, permanantly!" I retorted, uncapping the thermos. "Please work." I squeaked quietly to it, aimed it at her, then pressed a button. "I hope I'm right!"
Instantly a blue swirling mass came out, engulfing the Lunch Lady Ghost. Her mouth erupted a loud drawn out 'Noo!', she was then silenced by the confines of her new prison.
I changed back to human, replacing the cap on the thermos. I smiled, turned around, then noticed my friends under a pile of meat.
"What happened, where's the ghost?!" Amber demanded.
I sighed, a smile on my face once again, I held the wonderful invention up. "My parents have their moments."
"Danny, that was amazing!" Mikey interupted. "How, when?!" Great, looks like I have some explaining to do. I don't think anyone else saw my secret, being that the premises is abandoned.
"Ghost directly ahead." My dad's muttering sounded. I gasped, pressing the thermos behind my back as my parents and sister walked up to me, Mikey, and Amber.
"You would have to be some sort of moron to not notice the ghost ahead." My parents gave me quizzical looks.
"Sorry Dad, you just missed him." I pointed to my right.
"We got a runner!" He shouted, him and Mom going in the direction I provided.
"So, you're not gonna tell them?" Mikey asked, completely confused. I still had to tell him my story. Might as well, I have a feeling we're going to be hanging out a lot since he's my only friend. Well, besides Amber. Is she my friend, or an acquiantence? She kept my secret, so I assume friend.
"Nah, I think I finally figured out what these powers are for," Indeed I think I have. I have to help people, fight baddies, ghost or human. "they make me," I was silenced by a hand on my shoulder.
"In a world, of trouble." The policeman from the day before finished.
"McClain! Pick up that t-bone!" The cop barked.
"With my hands?" She groaned.
"Smith! Pick up that turfwitch!"
"With my hands?" Mikey complained. The cop turned his back to us, eating a drumstick.
I sweeped the meat closer to the dumpster, preparing to haul in in, when I heard Dash's snickering. I narrowed my eyes, discreetly putting a hand on the dumpster, and turned it intangible, causing all the meat to pile on top of him. I knew I had to pick it up, but it was totally worth it.
"Fenton! A little help?!" He begged, squirming around in the meat.
I smirked. "Whatever you say Dash, whatever you say!"
A/N: And so here ends the Mystery Meat episode! So now Mikey knows Danny's secret, but I don't think we have to worry about him ;) Anyway, Danny will be sure to explain in the next chapter!
p.s. Once again, this is the only time an episode will be dedicated to one/several chapters.