Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Control Freaks.
AN: This story contains rape and male sex. If this disturbs you, please do not read.
Chapter Ten: Control
I started my day the way my dream said I would except I wore a long-sleeved shirt and I was ready when I met Mom at the bathroom. Instead of pretending I didn't know today was Saturday, I just told her I forgot to turn my alarm off and when I woke up, I couldn't get back to sleep. It was much later in the morning than what my dream had told me it would be because I had the dream. Before I picked up the paper, I started the coffee pot.
Mom came down the stairs but I continued to read the paper. I had a mug of coffee sitting on the coffee table while I began to sip mine. Before, I downed them in big gulps like in my dream.
"I got you a cup right here, Mom," I addressed her, not looking up from the paper. I was reading about some headline in another part of the country.
"How'd you know I was gonna get up," Mom asked me, a smile on her lips but her voice groggy. She took a seat beside me on the couch and grabbed the coffee hungrily.
"It's still hot," I advised her. "You may want to be careful."
"Thank you, honey," Mom said, taking a cautious sip of the coffee. She withdrew the cup from her lips immediately, not wanting to burn herself.
"It wasn't very hard to guess you'd be up," I stated something very close to the truth. She didn't have to know my ghost powers told me.
"Well, I appreciate the coffee," Mom said, finally taking a drink. She exhaled loudly, the liquid stinging down her throat. I followed her, taking it in moderation to explain why the liquid wouldn't cause me to have a similar reaction.
"I was wondering…" I trailed off, my dream still vivid in my memory. "Maybe we could do something until Dad and Jazz wake up."
Just as before, Mom's eyes lit up with the prospect of us hanging out together. I had to be careful, though. I wasn't naïve. There are multiple ways for my secret to be busted wide open and it didn't all involve the cold and my temperature.
XXX
I had my head in the refrigerator, digging around for the ingredients for a Fenton-Family breakfast. Mom had taken her place at the counter, cutting flour in with buttermilk. I rummaged until I came to the counter beside her, balancing eggs, bacon, sausage, milk, oranges and a tightly bound brown package. I placed them all on the counter and began to separate them into piles. The meat in one area of the counter, the milk beside of Mom where it could be paired with the previously-used flour; I placed the brown package in another area and the oranges beside the juicer.
"You're starting to look like Rachel Ray," Mom mused at me, with a smile.
"I think I've outdone her," I commented, beginning to open the meats' packaging. I pulled out a large group of bacon and proceeded to the griddle. I placed the bacon on the flat surface and turned on the heat. I proceeded to my self-assigned task, grabbing a knife from the drawer. I began to cut up slices of sausage, four in all. I placed them on the burner.
Mom began to cut out the biscuits, glancing at me every so often. I unwrapped the brown package, beginning to place the sickly looking light colored substance on the griddle, my nose wrinkling. I didn't know if it had any smell or what but I knew what it was. Tofu.
"Still not giving Sam's lifestyle a chance," Mom chuckled, watching me carefully working with the protein-rich vegetable.
"I don't know how she made the change at such a young age," I commented, thinking back before Sam swore off meat.
"A lot of children become vegetarians when they realize what meat actually is," Mom commented, placing the five to six biscuits she made into a greased pan. "Just very few put in the research to discover what food groups used to be alive."
I laughed, remembering Sam's hell-bent quest to 'expose' the foods of the world. Sam had refused to eat anything that was alive before it was ready to eat. I still remember Sam's child-like resolve to never eat again, because plants too are alive. It didn't take long for her to come to the conclusion that when she ate plants, they were giving her a piece of them, not dying, so we could feel good about ourselves.
"Sam was determined," I commented. "Could you imagine the difficulty we'd have with Tucker if he realized all the vegetables he ate?"
Mom shivered, "I'd have to pull some wool over that boy's eyes like I do with Sam. Everyone needs meat… it supplements nutrients that can't be given elsewhere. She's on so many supplemental vitamins it isn't even funny. Thank goodness she allows me to invent some vegetarian meals or she'd have to be on so many more."
I nodded my head, not completely understanding the scientific reasons Sam should eat a more balanced diet. While both of my friends have terrible dietary habits, Tucker is actually the one who is better off. As Mom explained, the animals eat the plants and Tucker eats the meat from the animals. While his other lifestyle choices causes him to fall behind Sam, Tucker's eating habits are actually healthier… if not more expensive.
I returned the meats and the tofu back to the refrigerator, continuing with my breakfast duties. I dropped a small teaspoon of grease into a pan and began to melt it over low heat. I added half a cup of flower by eye to the pan, mixing the two contents until they made a thick paste. When it reached the right color, I added the milk. Mom had the biscuits in the oven, the dough rising. Breakfast would be ready soon.
XXX
Mom and I engaged into small talk, not going too deep in our conversations. I enjoyed chatting with her, but the discussions were no deeper than a small puddle. As we began to plate the food, I heard the front door open and close softly. I smiled, knowing exactly who had 'invaded' our house.
"Oh, man," I heard Tucker cry happily, obviously the smell greeting him. Mom smiled knowingly at me as we put the dishes in the right spots. Sam entered into the kitchen first, Tucker pushing her along as he desperately wanted to reach the source of the smell.
"Tucker," Sam cried out, upset.
"I don't blame you for wanting to drag to breakfast but mine is actually good," Tucker stated, insulting Sam's breakfast. Mom and I smiled, knowing those two would never see eye to eye when it came to food choices.
"I'm going to go wake up your father and sister," Mom said to me, kissing me on my hair. I looked up to her, the smile never leaving my lips. "Thank you for the morning, honey."
"I miss these moments, too, Mom," I commented, my smile faltering to a sad one. "I'll try not to get so caught up that I forget my family again."
I traced Mom's eyes until she turned to disappear up the steps. My smile faded, thinking that too soon I'll be back on the clock with my hell. I turned my eyes on my friends, their gazes displaying confusion. I took a shaky breath, taking my seat.
"What was that all about," Sam asked me.
"I forgot yesterday was Friday," I answered after a breath. "I woke up and began to go about my day like it was a school morning. Mom came to the bathroom and told me what today was."
"Okay," Tucker said, knowing there was more to the story.
"Okay, so I decided I wanted to spend some time with Mom since only us two was up. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk and we went for a morning stroll. I didn't wear a jacket," I said, my voice trailing.
"Oh, no, Danny," Sam said, seeing the dilemma.
"Yeah," I replied. "Mom kept asking me if I was cold and I was telling her I was fine. I balanced my sides so I wouldn't be steaming but Mom, out of the blue, hugged me. She felt my temperature."
"Oh, no," Tucker said, his eyes displaying his fear.
"Yeah," I said, shakily, "She put me in cold water and ice… I was dying. Hypothermia setting in. There was no way out of it…"
"What are you talking about," Sam asked me, her voice going high. "Are you saying Mrs. Fenton knows you're half ghost."
"I have no doubt in my dream she found out," I finally added a big piece of the puzzle. "I woke up when I died of hypothermia. It was so real," I continued after their faces displayed total fear. "That was the path it would have taken if I'd done that this morning. I was destined to die today."
"Danny," Sam whispered, breathless.
"Yeah," I said, looking in their direction but not meeting their eyes. "I could feel myself dying. I never once got the impression I was dreaming until I shot awake," I said, my voice low. "I hate to think about what would have happened if I didn't dream that. Surly, I would not be here talking to you two."
Tucker's eyes glassed over in unshed tears. My pathetic dreams are just that until moments like these. Then they're prophetic dreams, which is the actual name of the power. That dream last night saved my life.
XXX
After breakfast, Sam, Tuck and I went to the lab to do some training. I was still desperately trying to improve with my powers so that maybe I could stand a chance against Vlad. I'm not sure if I will ever challenge him for my freedom back but I want to be able to protect my family if ever the need arises. Tucker was on the computer, doing his own version of training with his PDA and hacking. Sam was on the program, trying to beat level eight. I was concentrating hard on figuring out how to move an object without using my hands or using them to form a beam.
I could feel a headache coming on as I stared at the object of my attention for going on five minutes. I could feel a bead of sweat slip down my forehead as I concentrated my entire being on the metal box Mom and Dad store their tools in. I had been trying this game for weeks with still no success. No matter how hard I concentrated, all I ever did to it was stare at it for minutes at a time.
I knitted my eyebrows closer together, trying to imagine it flying to me. That had to be the trick but no matter how many times I imagined it flying to me, I could never get the result. After eight minutes, I heard Sam grunt and a loud thud. I ignored the noise, knowing what it was. We all three had points in our training we couldn't quite get passed.
Ten minutes went past when I heard the voice on Tucker's computer announcing termination of files and him grunting. Tucker reached as far as he could get before being thrown out of the hacking program. I continued to focus on the tool box, imagining it floating to me. Nothing seemed to work, the box not even shaking from the concentration I was placing on it. The same could not be said for me, my body shaking side to side from the tremors.
Sixteen minutes had evaporated since we initiated in the training. I heard Sam once again being expelled from the program, the level defeating her. Time began to proceed, Tucker being thrown out at twenty minutes. My knees began to weaken as my body drained from the concentration I put on the box. Twenty-four minutes. Thirty minutes. Thirty-six minutes. Forty minutes. Finally, at forty-eight minutes, I felt my powers kick and I knew I was about to be thrown back, painfully. I slammed into the anti-ecto walls of the lab, screaming as the shock jolted through my body.
"Damnit!"
"Danny," Sam and Tucker ran crying to me. Sam and Tucker left their programs incomplete as they rushed over, helping me to my feet. I rubbed the back of my head, wincing at the pain.
"I'm okay," I said, retracting my hand as the throbbing ceased. "Damn, why can't I figure that out?"
"What exactly are you doing," Tucker asked me. "I thought for the longest time you were lost."
I chuckled, "No. It's something I've been trying lately. Picking up an object without the use of my hands." I threw my hand up as my mood turned darker, "No matter how hard I picture it floating or concentrate on the damned thing, it ends up kicking me back from the energy I put into it."
"What makes you think that you can," Sam asked me. For my friends, it was an honest question.
"I saw Plasmius do it," I answered, looking down. "That man… he can do so much. I try to reach his level but it's like there are several floors with no steps. I can't jump to it and I'm just faltering… falling."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Sam said, wrapping an arm around my neck. "This guy has had his powers for years. You've only had yours five months."
"But I don't take kindly to that large of a difference between our powers," I stated angrily, shrinking away from her touch. I hated how much more powerful Vlad was from me. It made me feel small and insignificant. "I mean, there's this ghost… he can do anything. He wants my dad dead for crying out loud and he wants my mom… and it's not like he'd let something like consent stop him…" I froze as I realized what I said.
"What," Sam asked, her look horrified.
Tuckers on the other hand mirrored fury, "Are you saying…"
I forced a resignation sigh, "I'm just saying… this guy is so powerful. I'm not sure anyone can beat him."
Tucker's anger suffocated away while Sam held on the look of horror. I turned away from her stare, a light clicking in her head I'm sure. I'd said too much and now Sam knows. She was too close before. All I needed to do was give her a shred of evidence.
"Danny, no one is going to hurt Mom," Tucker said, not noticing Sam's expression.
"I'm just scared," I admitted. "Before I met him… I-I believed I could handle anything threatening my family but that night… that night I faced something I couldn't even begin to wrap my head around. Then he went after my parents, and I came so close," I trailed off for the third time in my sentence. "I had an advantage. I was naïve and believed I could just say I'm a ghost and everything would continue as it were. Now, I don't have that comfort. If he tries anything again, I'm solely relying on my powers. They're… not enough."
"But Danny, you're progressing so much. Every day you get stronger. Every day, another piece of you falls into your work. Every day, you become unstoppable," Tucker stated, truly believing every word he was saying.
"That's just it, Tucker, I'm not. Not really. It's this damn situation I've found myself in. I get stronger because of the line I walk. I have two worlds I draw strength from… if one is failing me, I know I have another. The other ghosts, they don't have this advantage but Vl—Plasmius," I said, nearly slipping up, "Plasmius has this advantage too. We're so much alike yet I want to be nothing like him. If I received my powers the way I was supposed to… I'd be nothing. With him, I show who I really am."
"He's using psychology on you," I heard Sam's frail voice say, the words breaking in her throat.
"Are you okay," I said, walking over to her. Where was I a moment ago? Tucker hadn't noticed Sam's broken state. I had. What kind of friend am I?
"Yeah," Sam said, closing her eyes as she tried to compose herself. "Your words… they just caused some bad images. I'll be fine. And don't beat yourself up over it."
Too late, I thought sourly as I held her petite hands in my blocky ones. "It's okay," I said, my voice nearly breaking. "I won't let anyone else hurt you."
"I don't need your protection," Sam said, her violet eyes shining into mine. "I'm fine… it's just… sometimes I still feel that small part of me try to suffocate me." Tucker now joined us, him watching silently and uninvolved. "I try to wash away those feelings… but sometimes… they're harder than I would like to admit."
"I know," I said, softly. I knew exactly how she felt. It was hard to admit you were powerless to something else. Sam hadn't been powerless to her attackers like I am but she is powerless to the memories. They flash in her head, reminding her every day how much of a screw up she is. Of course, they're wrong but I know how convincing those memories can be.
"Do you," Sam asked me, her eyes penetrating deeper into mine. Her voice was kind and soft, not accusing. I felt a lump form in my throat as I once again wondered if she could discover my deepest secret. "I wonder sometimes, you know? If that's what happened over the holiday. It fits, too," Sam stated. Her voice was so low. I really don't believe there was anything Tucker could do to hear her words. Even I fought to pick them up. I wondered if she was even speaking or if she was just making inaudible sounds that I deciphered.
"Guys," Tucker interrupted our connection. I looked away, grateful for anything to escape those purple orbs. "Why am I excluded from this?" Tucker remarked, his lips displaying a scrawl. Tucker couldn't hear our conversation and he couldn't read our body language. It was getting on his nerves.
"It's just me," Sam spoke up before I could gain my bearings. "I-I can't exactly explain it, Tuck, but I've had this suspicion about Danny for a while and I didn't want to say anything in front of you."
"Hey, I'm your friend too," Tucker said, hurt. "I can handle this."
"Oh, come on, Tuck," Sam said, turning her eyes on him. "You wear your heart on your sleeve. I'm surprised that you haven't spilled about my incident!"
"I got it when they attacked me," Tucker admitted. "I guess Danny somehow understood better… probably from the ghost attacks. To you two, it was easy to explain what happened but that evening when I went home… I couldn't imagine telling my parents or anyone else."
I stood in the back, now the one out of the conversation. However, I didn't find it as upsetting as Tucker had. Sam was so close to discovering my secret… actually, I'm almost convinced she's convinced herself. I felt the anger in my body rise as I cursed the C-crew. If they hadn't put her in that situation… she'd never known what it was like. She wouldn't be broken now, fighting to keep the shatters from appearing. I laughed bitterly to myself, knowing that's it's official. Whatever happens to me, happens to Sam. Of course, that also meant I was responsible for her attack.
"… I'm not entirely sure," Sam's soft voice cut me back to reality. "Some days I'm convinced that I'm right," Sam said, speaking slowly, "then I'm second guessing myself. It's not just that I don't think you can keep it a secret… cause I know you can. It's that I'm not sure if I'm right and I don't want to scare you."
I wanted to speak up. They were not one foot from me and talking like I wasn't even there. "Well, maybe we could figure it out together?" Why can't I stop them? Why can't I move? It's like Vlad has frozen me again but I know that it's me, not something or someone else.
"I don't want to scare you," Sam said, her voice low. "I don't want you to get scared too." Stop them, Fenton. They're scared and you have the power to give them false security.
"Sam," Tucker said, his eyes on me.
Do something, damn it, before they get too close! Damnit, Fenton, get a grip. "Danny," Sam asked me, her eyes shining with tears. She's crying because of you! She's shed too many God damn tears on your behalf. Stop her from shedding more!
"What is your theory," Tucker asked, his voice frail. Damn it, Fenton, move. Breathe. Something, before they read you like the book you're resembling.
"I-I," Sam struggled to find her words. "Danny?"
"Come on, Sam, whatever you're thinking it's true. Look at him," Tucker declared, lifting an arm in my direction. I didn't know what I looked like but I was giving myself away.
"Maybe he's just zoned out," Sam said, her voice frail and weak.
"Sam, stop letting your fear grip you. Whatever you're getting at, you're right," Tucker snapped.
No, no, no… please, God, no! Just stop it. Just stop it.
"I can't be right, Tuck," Sam said, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I just can't."
"What is it, Sam," Tucker demanded again. I willed myself to come back to life but nothing worked. I was once again comatose and it would be minutes before I could return.
"I-I think… Danny was… I mean to say…" Sam repeatedly started, more tears streaming down her face. Just let me wake up. Let this be another dream. I don't want to do this. I can't do this.
"Sam," Tucker snapped again.
"I think Danny was raped," Sam stated, her shoulders falling in defeat. I felt my heart explode. It was out. They know who it is. They know what is going on. Vlad is going to take me to the island and I'll never see my family again. There will never again be any freedom. I will never know a moment of my life from here on out that isn't spent in excruciating pain. Vlad will kill my family and take me.
"What are you talking about," Tucker said, recoiling back from Sam. "Danny's a guy. Guys can't be raped."
Please, God, no. I can't take this. My world is spiraling out of control. I can't stop it. Please, make it stop. "Tucker, they can," Sam said, her shoulders shaking. "By men, by women… rape isn't only something that happens to girls."
"But… he's Danny."
"That doesn't make him invincible."
"But.. who?"
I couldn't do anything but listen to them. I stood there, motionless, watching as my world came crashing around me. Sam's crying and Tucker's denial went on unnoticed as I just focused on my hell. I blocked out my friends, I blocked out my world… I just sat there, in the spinning darkness.
XXX
I opened my eyes, groggily. Seeing my ceiling, I took a collective breath. It was just a dream. I'm just dreaming… even as I thought this, I could feel wet drops rolling down my cheeks. Outside my window, the sun burned brightly. I came to a sitting position on my bed, wiping the tears on my face. It wasn't. I'm still screwed.
"Danny," My two friends rushed over to me, surrounding me on my bed.
"Are you okay," Sam asked me.
My shoulders shook as I continued to spill water down my face. They knew. They knew the truth and when Vlad returned from his trip, he would take me.
"Danny, please," Tucker asked me, the fear and his tears intermixed in his green eyes.
I still couldn't form any words. I pulled my knees up to my chest, placing my head on my knees. I wrapped my arms around my knees, feeling so alone. What is wrong with me? First, I can't keep the secret from my grandparents and now my friends? What is so different this week than it was the first three?
"Danny," Sam spoke softly, "We know Plasmius raped you."
I hugged my knees tighter, my shoulders shaking as I cried.
"We don't know anything," Tucker retorted. "Not until Danny admits it."
"Tucker," Sam's voice stated. "Look at him. Now who's turn is it to be in denial?"
"I-," my voice cracked. I focused, trying desperately to find my voice. "I don't," I found another word but my mind tried to shut down again. "I don't know."
"What do you mean," Sam asked me softly.
"P-Plasmius has mind control," I blurted out. I lifted my head from my knees, taking in their broken appearances.
"Mind control," Tucker asked, confused.
"The way I can give you guys your powers… it's something along those lines. Plasmius takes over your mind and plants memories or visions with the slightest of ease. That night, when he attacked me, I remember fighting him… then things start going fuzzy. I remember running from him, a feeling of disgust and fear crippling me. I woke up later back in bed. I-I can't shake the feeling that-that he did something to me."
I had to do everything in my power to throw them off. This was easy… I truly had lived that feeling for two and a half weeks. Sometimes, the memory of Vlad raping me that first time was so crystal clear it would paralyze me then there were times that it returned to me as a dream. I wasn't sure what had happened. That next week was Spirit week and Spectra only made it worse. I got so depressed… so heartbroken.
"So you mean he may not have hurt you," Tucker asked me, his eyes shining in happiness.
"He hurt me," I said, my voice low, "But whether it was physically or mentally I don't know." I wasn't lying. I'm not sure which pain he caused me hurts worse. The physical pain is hell in the moment but the mental pain radiates. Comparably, I don't know which one I hate the most.
Sam pulled me in and I struggled from crushing her. I wrapped my arms around her, taking her comfort. "We're here, Danny. You don't have to go through this alone anymore."
I could feel myself slipping, breaking. I fought until I couldn't stave off the emotions anymore. I cried on Sam's shoulder, breathing in her scent and wishing desperately that I could smell it. I also desperately wished I was stronger for them.
I felt a weight come upon me and I opened my eyes to see Tucker hugging me as well. I removed one hand from Sam to wrap around my other friend. We stayed like this for what seemed like hours, unable to move for fear that we'd fall into a hole so deep none of us could escape. Finally, I found my usual strength that I had for being a Fenton. I pulled away, keeping my hands on their shoulders.
I looked to Sam first, then to Tucker, saying softly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you two this to begin with. I know I shouldn't pull away… but I just feel—I just feel like I let you guys down so much lately."
"Danny, you've never let us down," Sam said, wiping her eyes.
"Yes, I have. If I hadn't been turned half ghost, none of this would be on our heads."
"Danny, that's my fault," Sam said, the tears returning.
"No," I said, removing my hand from her shoulder to her hands. "I've told you, Sam, all you did was ask to see the portal. I'm the one who disobeyed my parents and went into the lab."
"But if I-I hadn't asked for the picture, you wouldn't have tripped," Sam began, the weight of her guilt threatening to crush her.
"Sam, you are not responsible for my clumsiness," I said, my eyes capturing hers. "Hell, if Mom hadn't caught me I'd imagine I'd had the accident right there in front of Mom and Dad. Could you imagine not being there with me… hell, maybe they would have turned the portal off."
Tucker's face paled, the fear showing in his eyes. We had discovered some time ago through some experimentation that if the portal would have been turned off or disrupted during my accident, I wouldn't have survived. It took five minutes, no more no less, to turn me half ghost. I have seven little green blobs (think Flubber) that I call half-ghosts and 299 gel substances that died in the experimentation. After the accident, Tucker had been furious with Mom and Dad for not including his thumb print for authorized personnel and yelled at them for three full minutes. It came as a shock to realize the slip-up had saved my life. Mom, Dad and Jazz knew minimal facts about the accident. What happened was much more serious than the 'short' I told them I felt.
Another image filled my mind. The accident had been hell. I have since felt something more painful but I will never find anything more terrifying. Dying is one thing but dying in front of your two best friends, them watching you helplessly, crying and screaming your name is something that no one can ever imagine without experiencing it.
Tucker leaned in, his head propping on top of my shoulder. My arm followed him as he moved from his previous position and when he settled in I draped my arm around his neck. Sam took this time to lay back on top of me, her head pressured against my chest. I breathed a sigh of relief. Things were returning back to the way they were supposed to be.
I bit a bullet. And I knew it.
Six o'clock arrived and we three headed out to the streets. I walked beside my three friends, each of us having a thermos and Sam and Tucker having their chosen weapons in small form. The streets were pretty normal, no overall danger around. The same old ghosts were out and about and we took care of them like usual. We kept our profile low and no one saw the ghost boy. When nine-thirty came, we had thirty ghosts in the thermoses. It was still a shock to know how many ghosts now just decide to come out of the portal, one month after the incident.
We stopped at Sam's house first like always, neither Tucker or I willing to risk Sam's safety. Sam hated being escorted home all the time, but she gave little objection. Sam knew I wasn't being discriminatory. Tucker got the same treatment though I had to pass my house to reach his from Sam's.
"Get some sleep tonight, Danny. Don't let the night time ghosts bother you, just for tonight," Sam said. I nodded my head but inwardly knew the first ghost sense I got I'd fly to beat them back to the Ghost Zone. "Night Tucker. Call me if you need me, Danny."
"Get some sleep yourself, Sam," I replied, watching her walk up her stairs. When Sam disappeared from sight, Tuck and I started towards his house.
As we passed my house, Tucker glanced at his watch. I didn't need to wonder why he was so curious about the time. "I'm not leaving."
"Oh, come on, Danny. I can handle the C-crew," Tucker complained.
"And I can handle my parents," I commented, not faltering once.
"Danny, I'd be more scared of Mom and Dad than the C-crew. They're the ones who can do real damage."
"Oh, Mom and Dad aren't that bad. As long as I have black hair and blue eyes, I'm fine around them."
Tucker laughed, "Yeah, well they still prove an obstacle to Danny Fenton. If you keep missing curfew, Mom and Dad may do something drastic."
"I'm not concerned about that and neither should you," I replied.
"And why aren't you concerned. You get grounded two times a month and your grounding punishments usually last a week. You're nearly always grounded. If we didn't lie to Mom and Dad and say you were over at my house, we'd never get to go ghost hunting."
"I haven't let it stop me so far," I replied. "Why would I let it stop me now?"
"You wouldn't," Tucker replied in a monotone. "That's why I'm trying to talk some sense in you."
"You're not getting rid of me," I said, my house disappearing from sight. The green glow still discolored the dark sky but that's the only sight of it left in the area. The glow was almost visible from miles around.
Tucker groaned but didn't say anything further. We finished the walk to his house and I watched him disappear inside after a quick goodbye. I turned to walk back to my house. I glanced at my watch and it said ten minutes before ten. If I walked briskly to my last ghost attack of the day, I may make it home before curfew.
I could see my house in sight and a ghost still hadn't attacked. I was getting suspicious. It never fails, I'm always attacked on my way home from patrolling. The ghosts discovered that when I was grounded, I was actually a bit distracted and didn't win the battles as easy. Of course now I don't get as easily distracted but they still try. They've come up with a plan to make me late every night so maybe I'll be forced to quit. It hasn't worked, of course, but it still doesn't deter them.
I stopped my progression, eyes scanning the surrounding area. The only glow was my house and the street lights. It wasn't right. There was something wrong. I just didn't know what. I picked back up from where I left off, heading home. Maybe they've got the hint.
I was less than two houses away from my own when I felt the chill. Just great, Fenton, you cursed yourself! I ducked behind a tree and transformed, seeking the ghost as I did. However, as soon as I transformed I felt him before I seen him. His energy screamed at me like nothing I've ever felt. I felt myself grow weaker for some reason, a different kind of feeling going through me.
This isn't my first brush with this kind of element. My parents rarely get a hold of the stuff because it's so rare but when they did after my accident, I had to spend the night at Tuckers. I felt my body being torn apart, just being in the vicinity overpowering. I prayed that Mom and Dad had gotten a new shipment in because if it wasn't theirs, then that means that it belongs to this new ghost.
"Are you Danny Phantom," I heard a booming voice ask me. I looked up, my insides tearing out. My eyes fell upon this new ghost. Of Asian descent, he stood tall and proud. His black hair swept into his face casually but his eyes sent chills down my spine. His eyes were black as coal… irises that displayed pure evil.
"Who wants to know," I asked, trying to sound indifferent.
"Your reputation precedes you. I always enjoy a challenge and when I heard you're undefeatable, I had to put that rep to the test."
"And who might you be?"
"My name is Invincible. I rather enjoy having that reputation but if they say someone out there is undefeatable, then a contest must be arranged. We can't have two indestructible ghosts."
"Well, I don't mind not knowing. I don't particularly call myself indestructible. You're beef is with someone else," I said, trying not to show how much pain I was in.
"Well I do! There's only enough room for one person who's indestructible and I've had that spot tied up for centuries. I don't take kindly for some unknown ghost to come in and steal my rep."
"What are you going to do about it," I asked, preparing for a fight.
"Kill you," Invincible called out. I've got a bad feeling about this. The ghost dove towards the earth, putting me in his sights. I went to meet him, blasting up in the air. However, the minute I touched him, I screamed out in pain. I began falling from the distraction.
"You didn't believe you could face me, did you," he asked. I forced my mind to work, catching myself before I hit the ground. "Why do you think I call myself Invincible?"
"Because you've got a big head," I called out, rocketing back up to him. I shot an energy blast at him but Invincible simply knocked it out of the way.
"It's hard not to when you can't be defeated," Invincible smirked. He held his hands in front of him in a battle stance. "So, I'll ask you again, do you know why I call myself Invincible?"
"Not a clue," I said, trying to sound cheeky. I wanted him to believe I had no worries.
"Tell me, Phantom, what do you know about Ectoranium," Invincible asked me, relaxing his stance.
"Enough," I remarked. I didn't want him to know too much about my life.
"Well, could you imagine dying surrounded by it," he asked me. Actually, I could. I just don't know why he's bringing this up. "Because many of those that cross me, do. You're getting a small dose of it now but when you die tonight you will be covered in it. The obliteration will be painful and you will pray for death long before it comes."
"I don't pray for death," I shot back. "But if you want to try, bring it!"
"Very well," Invincible shouted. I bit back the bile I felt, telling myself I can beat this guy. He was only a ten!
Of course, that's on a scale of one to eleven, Vlad and I being the only elevens.
Invincible put his hands back in the stance and a small part of me grew excited. Most ghosts didn't fight with their fists, much too accustomed to fighting with their powers. Hand to hand combat was my specialty. However, I couldn't fight off the feeling that this only made things worse.
And just like that, my greatest fears were confirmed. Invincible's hands took on a glow and they transferred into a pair of otherwise normal looking swords. The swords had this neon green glow, the material made of something other than steel. When his hands settled, I could feel my body shutting down. I couldn't figure it out. That stuff is toxic to ghosts.
"I was a miner in China before I died. We had come across this strange mineral that no one could explain. The stuff would glow on its own, much brighter than our candles and lanterns. When we tried extracting the unknown mineral, the mine began to collapse. Every one of us died in the collapse but those of us closer to the mineral were exposed to it. Some of us had its compounds transferred to us in the afterlife. I destroyed them before they rose up against me."
"Y-You're immune to the effects of Ectoranium," I asked, the situation becoming more bleak.
"And you're not," Invincible remarked, swinging his sword-arms. I brought up a shield, trying to block the lethal element. My shield burst like a bubble and the sword came into contact with my arm. I screamed as the crystal-like substance lodged itself in my arm.
My arm glowed a sickly green, ectoplasm and the Ectoranium mixing. My arm was completely useless, the toxic material seeping into my bloodstream. The mineral caused me to sway, the burning spreading through my system. Invincible swung again but I could do nothing to stop the attack. The blade came into contact with my shoulder and I screamed again. This time, I slammed to the earth, forming a crater where I landed. Invincible landed in the crater with me, slashing my leg without hesitation. The cuts were sharp and painful but he never dealt a death-blow. Finally, he sliced the sword down my chest, my heart nearly exploding.
"Nice knowing you, Phantom. Have a wonderful whatever there is after this life," Invincible said, blasting off. I stared after him, withering in complete agony. I couldn't move, just lying there frozen in the agony I felt.
XXX
I don't know how long I laid there, but I could finally move again. The needles in my mind began to disappear as the time passed. I floated out of the hole, immediately seeking the ground once I took to the air. I landed on my feet, feeling my energy drain. The rings formed around me, powering me down.
I stared at my hands in shock. I normally power down right after being injured, not after the fact. I took my eyes off of my hands to look to my arm where Invincible first slashed me. I gaped at the hole in my arm, green glass jutting out of the wound. Quickly, I lifted my shirt up to my chin, looking at my chest. Glass mixed with red blood.
I looked around me, trying to clear my thoughts. Nothing made sense. I wasn't even sure what way was up and what way was down. I lifted my uninjured leg when a sudden pain shot up the bone of the other. I screamed, landing in a heap. I couldn't figure out what to do. I needed to get home… but what way was it. I couldn't think. All I could do is feel the pain.
I gently lifted myself up and retrieved my phone. If I call Mom and Dad, they'll be so worried I probably won't be allowed out of their sights. If I call Sam and Tucker, though, I'll have to tell them some things I don't want to tell them. I looked at my screen, not knowing what to do. Finally, I looked up a number I wasn't too familiar with.
"Doctor Reynolds," I heard the groggy voice answer me.
"Hello, I'm sorry about the time. I need some help and you told me I could call any time," I replied. By the sound of her voice, it was late.
"Is this Daniel," she asked me, her voice no longer displaying the sleepiness it had earlier.
"Yeah," I answered, softly. "This is Danny."
"Where are you," Dr. Reynolds replied.
"I-I'm not quite sure. I don't know what is going off. Everything hurts and-and I don't know what you can possibly do… but…" I trialed off. The pain was so severe I didn't know what to do.
"Can you recognize anything around you," I heard her voice ask quickly, a sound of disturbance coming across the phone.
"I landed in a field. There's nothing around. It's blank," I said. I bit back as something shot through me. I grunted, trying to keep it together.
"Daniel," I heard her voice cry. "Danny, can you hear me?"
I could but I couldn't respond. Everything hurt so bad. I didn't think I was going to make it. Why me? Why must I keep getting all this rotten luck? If it isn't one thing, it's ten more. Another pain shot through me and I couldn't stop the scream. I screamed aloud, the phone dropping from my hand. I convulsed, my body shaking badly. I could barely hear Dr. Reynolds screaming my name but eventually that too vanished.
XXX
I came in and out of consciousness. At first, all that was around was nothingness, my sight completely black. But then, my sight would return just to vanish a few minutes later. My entire body felt like it was on fire. With my sight coming and going, all I could do was scream. Then, I began to notice people. The doctors and nurses from the clinic were by my side. If I saw correctly, every one of them were there. They'd vanish from my sight every once and a while, but as the time ticked on by, I could tell I was being moved. For every inch moved, I screamed a soundless scream, not having the strength to actually scream.
My hearing began to clear up later, hearing the doctors and nurses frantically trying to get me to respond. I looked up to one, her trying to hook something up to me. She inserted a needle in my arm and I screamed another soundless scream. The woman looked down to me.
"Daniel…" she asked me. Her voice popped in and out of my ears. "Squeeze… hear—." My hearing clogged up again but I clearly saw her mouth the word 'okay'.
I barely had the strength to squeeze her hand that I clearly felt it in mine. The gesture caused me to wither in more pain, shooting needles in my mind. I tried to calm myself down, tried to stop the pain but nothing seemed to work. "He's… too… morphine… cool…" Nothing made any sense anyway, so I tried to block it out. Even that was impossible to do without screaming.
XXX
I opened my eyes, hearing a soft beeping sounding beside me. I turned my head, noticing I was in one of the examination rooms. Sunlight cut through the window, shining on my face. I looked around alarmed as my memories began to clear up.
I pulled my arm into my sight, looking at the ugly gash that had formed. The glass was gone and I wasn't bleeding anymore. I pulled back the sheet, trying to look at my chest but I had a hospital gown on. I instead looked at my leg, the same appearance meeting me. I tossed the sheet aside, standing to my feet. I walked with a limp as I left the room.
I didn't know which way I was going but I knew I had to get home. Mom and Dad must have been worried sick over me. While I limped down the hall, a woman came running out of a room. "Daniel," she said, surprised. "What are you doing?"
"I've got to go," I declared, trying to find my way out of this place. "My parents… I never made it home last night… they can't know I was here…"
"Daniel, you're parents have been taken care of. You're father found us last night," she replied.
"What," I shot, fear running through me. If Mom knew I was at the clinic… I didn't want to think about it.
"He's in Doctor Reynolds's office," she replied. "He was worried about you and came looking for you. Go back to your room and we'll let him see you. If you want your clothes, we'll let you dress before we let him in. But we want to observe you. You're ghost side reacted badly to whatever that glass was."
My eyes snapped up, fearful, "My what side?"
"Yeah, you're father told us. We couldn't figure out why your heart rate was so erratic. It would beat way too fast or just too fast, then it'd beat at a normal pace, slow down, stop… It was all over the place. You're father told us that you were turned into a half ghost with that accident you told us about. He told us that your heart rate was double that of a normal human's."
"My dad doesn't know about me being half ghost," I said, completely confused. "Was Sam or Tucker here… uh, a girl in black and a boy with a red beret."
"No one else was here," she answered. "Just your father. He offered to take care of all the expenses but we told him we operate using public donations. He went out to write a very large check."
I could feel my breathing slow considerably and I asked in an aggravated tone: "What does my 'dad' look like?"
"An older man. Pure white hair, black suit. Really handsome, if I don't say so myself. I've got to say, though, that you really look nothing alike."
"That's because he's not my father," I declared angrily. "He's the man who raped me!"
I could see the shock that crossed her features. I walked away from her, ignoring her calls. I busted into the doctor's office, finding Vlad coming to his feet. "Daniel, I'm glad you are well."
"How dare you tell them you were my father," I demanded angrily.
"Well, you're welcome, Daniel. I know I didn't have to place you returning home last night in your parents minds and I know I didn't have to make them believe you left this morning but I wanted to… really."
This only made me angrier, "You messed with my parents' minds!"
"Like I had a choice, Daniel. They were losing their minds with worry before I arrived," Vlad said. I could have handled it on my own.
"I don't need your help," I screamed at him. "How dare you step in and take over like you own the damn place!"
"I own you and that's all that matters," Vlad replied coolly.
"Just leave my family alone," I shot back, anger boiling inside me. I didn't care what he did to me but the thought of him alone, with my parents, made me furious.
"What happened last night, Daniel," Vlad asked me, taking a seat again.
Images flashed in my head from last night. Some crystal clear, like before and during the fight; others were distorted and unorganized—painfully so. I shook my head, trying to cease the images before Vlad could see. "I don't want to talk about it," I replied.
"Well, just let your mind do the talking. I was seeing beautifully until you tried to shut them out. I can still see most of the fight, but with less detail now."
"Get the hell out of my mind," I shot angrily. I pulled a chair to me, taking the strain off my aching leg. I hadn't felt pain last this long since the accident. It's certainly been more than three hours since the attack.
"Yes, well, that is what Ectoranium will do to a ghost. You're just lucky that you're half human as well."
"I told you to get the hell out," I shot back, trying anything to throw him off. I was moody and in pain… I didn't have the strength to play his nice little bitch.
"I know," Vlad commented, despite my wishes. "That's why I'm not going to punish you." A thought crossed my mind, "Don't push your luck. Just because I'm letting this slide doesn't mean I'll let something you say in complete control go unnoticed."
"Just, please, leave me alone," I said, my voice small. I was in so much pain. I didn't feel like doing anything. "Is the heat on in here," I asked after a moment.
"Not as high as it is in your room," Vlad commented. "They had to chill your body down last night so they put you on an IV to keep you from going into hypothermia. The morphine was burning up too quickly because of your high temperature. You were in too much pain."
"So they put me in hypothermia," I asked in surprise.
"Sort of," Vlad replied. "The fluids kept you stable but it was their only choice. With the Ectoranium in your system, your body was reacting to every injury as if you were still human. You had a long gash in your arm, a severed leg and a deep cut across your chest. You're injuries were life threatening, Daniel."
"I know there were many instances I felt like I died last night," I spoke softly. "Did your business meeting close up already," I asked, changing the topic.
"Yeah," Vlad answered slowly. "I came to your house yesterday to bring you with me but you weren't there. I heard your parents thoughts and went looking for you. For some reason, I couldn't transport to you. I guess it was because of the Ectoranium. It was causing your ectoplasm to retreat from your body."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there last night," I commented. I didn't really feel that way because despite the fact he didn't have any fun, I still went through hell last night. I really wonder which one would be worse. Probably the one I received, considering the fact I still feel the effects of last night's attack.
"Undoubtedly," Vlad commented. "But, yes, I too am sorry. I won't be able to see you tonight. I had a small window to see you last night and I should be on a plane to meet with the insurance company but I wanted to make sure you were okay before I left. With the ability to transport, the chore of getting there becomes less stressful."
"So you won't be… I mean I'm not…" I tried, but I couldn't get out the words correctly. I won't be fucked by Vlad again tonight!
"Afraid not. I have to meet with my homeowners insurance and the gas company. For some reason, my will to make them pay out didn't stick. I will have to be there in person to force this upon them. I can't very well have the explosion be classified as a failed experiment or negligence. I may be rich but why else would I have an insurance policy except for in cases such as this."
"Eat your heart out," I said, the ability to wipe the grin from my face absent. It won't be proven until I've eaten a bowl before I see Vlad but it's starting to look like Froot Loops are good luck.
"You honestly believe eating a cereal will help determine if I will be here or not," Vlad asked me, absurdity in his voice.
"Hey," I shot back, "It's crazy I know but I can't explain it any other way. I ate Froot Loops the morning you had to go to the meeting and then again on the day after. I didn't eat them yesterday because I helped Mom cook and I probably would have eaten them today! The jury is still out… but it's looking pretty convincing."
"You are truly helpless, child," Vlad remarked, a smirk on his lips. "Well, I hate to go but I must be going."
"Well, I'm glad you're going and can wait until you return," I remarked.
Vlad stood up, bending over to look me in the eye. I thought he was going to tell me something he wanted me to remember but instead met my lips with his own. I stood there, unmoving, until he pulled away. "Goodbye, Daniel."
Vlad teleported out. "Good riddance."
XXX
I entered back into the examination room that I awoke in, the heat greeting me. Instantly, I felt so much better. Outside had been so cold, something I am clearly not accustomed to. I rummaged through the room, trying to find my belongings. Nothing of mine was in that room. I laid back down in the bed, feeling really tired.
A noise brought me to reality, snapping me awake. I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep but I saw Dr. Reynolds enter into the room. "Good morning, Daniel. How are you feeling?"
Dr. Reynolds was a young woman, maybe in her mid-thirties. She wore her medium brunette hair in a clip and she usually had a pen sticking out of it. I saw her last time I was here but I didn't learn her name until the end of the session. She had a medical coat on but it was very relaxed. She had on a pair of blue jeans and a dark gray shirt under the coat. On top of her head was a pair of reading glasses. She hardly wore them but when she needed to glance at a chart, they came off her head.
"Better, thanks to you," I replied. My eyes met hers. "I can't begin to thank you enough. I-I'm certain I would have died if you hadn't found me."
"Well, I'm not," Dr. Reynolds responded. "You're ghost side did react badly to that glass but your body was protecting itself. Last night, you hadn't an ounce of ectoplasm in you. Today, one-seventh of your blood is."
"One-seventh," I asked, confused. "But I'm one half."
"I don't know. I know nothing about this but I know that a small percentage of your blood is actually ectoplasm. I don't know a lot about your situation, Daniel, but I do understand that you are in trouble. Whatever that ghost put in your system, it was solely responsible for every ounce of pain you went through last night. You would have survived had we not found you, but I have no doubt in my mind that you would still be lying out there in that field."
"Where was I? How did you find me," I asked her, curious.
"Well, after our call disconnected last night I called up the entire staff. We narrowed all the places you could be by your description and we searched the areas. Caitlin found you in a logged out area in Dawson. You were in serious pain and unresponsive."
"I can't thank you enough," I replied again. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if she had given up and not come looking for me.
"There's no reason to thank me, Daniel. I just want one thing from you," she replied. I looked at her, expecting her to say money, "Can you fill us in after the clinic closes tonight. You don't have to stay if you don't want to… and it doesn't have to be tonight but everyone is wondering what is up with you."
I mulled over the consequences, my instincts screaming at me to refuse but a small voice in my head told me that without the staff, I wouldn't be here—regardless of what the doctor believed. My ghost half may have protected me from the Ectoranium but the injuries themselves would have been fatal to my human side. I owed my very life to these people. The least I could do was help clear some confusion.
"Sure," I replied, instantly being crushed by the fear my answer brought. I took a shaky breath, trying to compose myself. I didn't know what or how much I'd tell them but that is certainly something I needed to consider. "Hey, Doc, do you think I could have my belongings. I-I don't exactly feel comfortable being," I trailed off, looking down at my torso. "You know."
"Of course," Dr. Reynolds's replied, a smile on her lips. "Of course, there isn't a person on our staff that hasn't seen you… you know." I felt my cheeks burn, Dr. Reynolds's smile intensifying. "We did have to patch you up last night."
"Thank you," I said, my cheeks still burning. I knew she was just joking with me. She had seen me naked, I have no doubt there, but I'm sure she's only pretending to be unprofessional. She's been nothing but professional with me since I met her.
Dr. Reynolds's nodded at me, her smile still expressive but it not quite reaching her eyes. I don't know if she was just confused or if she was worried but I knew that she had something on her mind that tried to smother her joy.
XXX
After the Doc returned my belongings and dismissed herself, I took off the gown and dressed in my underwear and pants. I stood in front of a small mirror in the room with my chest bare, looking at the gash. It had been so long since I've had a battle scar. The wound was clear of the green glass that it sported last night but it still was irritated. My eyes traced over my upper chest when I noticed something incredibly strange. Blue lines were running from my nipples to my sternum. I stepped closer to the mirror, trying to see if what I saw was indeed what I was seeing. What the hell, I thought. I couldn't tell what they were but they were strange. I shook my head, slipping my shirt over my head and pulled it down to rest baggily over my stomach.
I picked up my cell phone from the bucket they had placed my belongings in and called Sam. If Vlad took care of them or not I hadn't a clue but I needed to make sure they didn't worry. I listened to the soft sending tone until I heard Sam's voice greet me over the line.
"Hey, Sam," I replied.
"Danny," Sam asked me, a little confused. "Where are you? Mr. and Mrs. Fenton told us that you left early this morning. Are you ghost hunting?"
I was silent for a while as I went over my options, "I had something I had to take care of. I'm okay… I just wanted you to know what was going off so you wouldn't be worried."
"I was worried as soon as Mr. and Mrs. Fenton said that you left," Sam's voice retorted. "I don't understand it. How did you get them to agree to that?"
"What do you mean," I tried to sound innocent. "I just said I was going out. Mom and Dad aren't holding me hostage or anything."
"True, but with your behavior since Christmas, Mrs. Fenton has been cautious."
"I just told them I was heading out. No big deal," I stated softly.
"Plasmius isn't around, is he," Sam's voice grew serious.
"No," I shot back, "Why?"
"No reason, really," Sam said, sighing. "I'm just worried about you with what you said yesterday. I'd hate to learn he's hurting you."
"Don't worry about that," I replied. A twinge of guilt entered my stomach but I pushed it aside. "I don't know if I'll be able to hang out today. If I get a break, I'll come and see you. If not, I'll definitely see you guys tomorrow at school."
"Okay," Sam said, her voice soft. Suddenly, it shot full of energy, "Tucker's here with me. I'll let him know what's going on so you don't need to call him."
"Okay," I said, grateful. "Tell him everything I told you and I'll hopefully see you guys later."
We said our goodbyes, I disconnecting first. I sat back down on the bed, my leg aching. Now, what to tell these people.
I stayed inside the room, mulling over what I could say and what I could do. The only disturbance was the occasional nurse coming in to check on me or dress my wounds. As the time ticked by, I started to grow a thick mucus in my throat, the object seemingly choking me. I wanted desperately not to say anything but I knew I owed these people too much. If I wish to expect similar results next time, I need to show the commitment to them that they showed to me.
Eventually, Dr. Reynolds's came into the room and said they were ready. I forced myself to breathe, following her into their conference room. A number of people were in the room, most of the occupants female. An occasional male stood out in the room but most of these people were mothers. It took a special kind of person to work at this clinic. They knew if they didn't do this, most of the kids they treat wouldn't get anything.
Dr. Reynolds took a seat and I stood at the front of the room, taking the floor. I leaned most of my weight on my good leg but forced my back to go straight. I had to get into character. I wasn't Danny Fenton, the wimpy dweeb, I wasn't Danny Phantom, the enigmatic ghost, I wasn't Danny, the boy who relied on his friends and led Team Phantom… I was Radar, the head of the ghost hunters' camp; the third in command of Division G in the country; the right hand to Samuels.
"Five months ago, I was involved in a major accident. The device was a rare machine that could open a doorway between Earth and the Ghost Zone. It was comprised of ectoplasm and high volts of electricity. While viewing the device, my foot became tangled in the wires and when I went to move, I fell inside. While falling, my hand bumped against the on switch and the machine came alive with me inside it…
"The-the pain was unbearable. While inside this machine, I was conscious. I could see my friends and I was semi-aware of my surroundings. I would feel my heart come to a stand-still and I would stop breathing from time to time. However, the most pain I felt was in my two friends' eyes. I watched them sit there, not five feet from where I was, helpless to stop what was happening to me. I declared right there I would not die in that portal. I would not allow my friends to watch me die.
"So I began to fight. Every inch of my body would become so difficult to move but I kept trying anyway. I'd achieve a small victory to fall to a dozen more. There is a lot of the accident that is a mystery to me. There are a few pieces of the puzzle that I'm missing but after five minutes of being electrocuted, I was thrown from the portal.
"When I awoke, my eyesight was restricted. My side vision was blank and my direct sight was blurry. My hearing was gone at first but it was the first to return. I noticed that someone was crying beside me and when I had the sense to see who it was, it was my friend, Sam. I wasn't breathing and I had no pulse so they believed I was dead. Tucker had went to call my parents so I couldn't see him.
"When I spoke to Sam, she didn't recognize me. That may not alarm you, but to understand our friendship is to know we know everything there is to know about each other. Sam would definitely know my voice. As I began to come around, I kept noticing a fear in their eyes.
"Then I saw it. Tucker wears glasses and from the surface I saw my refection. I ran to the mirror in the basement and my black hair had turned white and my blue eyes were then green. I had walked in the portal with a white HAZMAT suit," I continued, my breathing becoming more strained. "In that mirror, I wore a black suit. Everything had reversed polar." I chuckled, not really humorous but to try to ease the tension. "I fainted.
"I was a ghost. I nearly had a heart attack it terrified me so much. But when I woke up again, my appearance was back to normal."
The doctor's and nurse's eyes all displayed confusion.
"I hope this doesn't freak you out," I said softly, remaining on my toes. If this went badly, I knew I was screwed. I triggered the rings, the white light flashing over my body super-fast. Starting at my mid-waist, the ring split in two, changing my shirt and jeans into a one-piece HAZMAT suit. My eyes changed color with the transformation, my hair following suit.
I heard everyone's gasps and many had to steady themselves as realization dawned on them.
Dr. Reynolds's gasped loudly, "Invisobill!"
I winced, "Danny Phantom, please. That's just a stupid alias I've picked up because Paulina heard Sam telling me to turn invisible," I commented, trying not to get caught up in my terror. "Go invisible," I quoted Sam on the phrase that started it all.
"But… aren't you supposed to be evil?"
And here it begins. "Yes, I am supposed to be evil but am I… I don't know. I'd like to say I'm not. I don't mean to do damage but… well, you get thrown into a building and see if something don't break! The whole situation through Christmas… well, that was a plot from a ghost wanting revenge on me. I created a jailbreak and he wanted me to pay for escaping and taking all his prisoners with him. He lined all his ducks in a row and mine were left scattering, desperately trying to organize themselves."
"So… you are really trying to help," another nurse asked me.
"Well, yeah," I spoke softly. "That's all I've ever wanted to do. When… when I first got these powers… I was scared. I wanted to be rid of them but they never… they never left. So when I decided to stop running from it and accept it, I decided I wouldn't waste these abilities. The ghosts started escaping the Ghost Zone and I wanted to protect those I loved. That was just four months ago. I couldn't keep it for more than three months."
"You mean to tell us that ghosts have been around for four months?"
"Yeah," I replied quietly. "I imagine I would have continued to keep it quiet if Walker hadn't led that attack." I placed my hand behind my neck, "He really thought things through."
"He didn't think of everything," Dr. Reynolds's smiled, my first real sign of acceptance. "You're still kicking and screaming."
I finally allowed my eyes to grace their appearances. The shock was still present in their features but most had acceptance present. I smiled back. If only telling my parents could be so easy… and painless.
And just on cue, I winced. Okay, almost painless!
XXX
Dr. Reynolds's dropped me off a few blocks from my house. She offered to take me home but I didn't really want her to know my address. The clinic didn't know my last name or my address and that's the way I wanted it. If Mom ever discovered I'd gone to the free clinic, she'd dissect me without knowing I'm Danny Phantom. Mom made it clear to us kids about how evil that place was. She actually came close to shutting it down had Mom Number Two not intervened. Mom turned her eye to the illegal practice but warned us if we ever set foot there, only then would we know true pain. Knowing Mom, I'm not looking to test her.
I wrapped my arms tightly around my waist, hurrying home in the cold, breezy nighttime. I shivered uncontrollably as I ran with all my might towards my house. I thought about turning but thought against it. Not even going ghost would immune me from the cold. I finally reached my steps, throwing the door open and slamming it behind me. I shivered, desperately seeking heat. I walked into the kitchen, hoping to find a pot of coffee.
At the table, my family sat eating dinner. I slowed down, not expecting to find my parents and my sister at the same setting. I ignored their sudden attention, walking in big strides to the coffee pot. Luckily, one last cup sat in the decanter. "Oh, thank you," I said in a low voice, grabbing the pot and walking over to the cabinet to retrieve a mug. I poured the steaming liquid into the cup.
"Hey, sweetie," my mom greeted me. "Did you get what you needed done?"
"Yeah," I spoke softly, returning the decanter. I put the cup to my lips immediately, denying my throat the relief it cried for. After I felt my throat cry it protest to the near point of dissolving, I retracted the mug. "Man, it's cold out tonight!"
Jazz looked up from her dinner, "It feels pretty normal to me."
I shivered, "Well, it's pure torture to me." I let out a loud detest of the weather.
"Well, there's some leftovers on the stove if you want to eat," Mom replied. I wasn't really hungry but curiosity got the best of me. If I was feeling again, did that mean I could taste?
I retrieved a plate from the same cabinet from earlier and began to pile Mom's cooking on the glass surface. The green color of the plate with white stencil markings stared up at me as I added the small proportions. After loading my plate, I sat down in my usual spot. I picked up a fork tentatively, fearful of what might meet my palate. Upon the metal hitting my tongue, I felt tears pricking my eyes. The burning sensation filled my nose, even something as simple as silverware causing the discomfort.
I closed my eyes, the flavors swelling on my tongue. I savored every bite, knowing moments like this would vanish as soon as the Ectoranium cleared from my bloodstream. Once I devoured the last bite, my ears finally picked up my parents' and sister's worried voices. I looked up, finally giving them the attention they cried for.
"Are you all right, honey," Mom asked me, a look of concern marred on her face.
"Yeah," I said, my voice breaking. I reached my hand to my eyes, wiping away the tears I hadn't realized I was spilling. "I'm fine."
"Sweetheart, you can tell us what's on your mind," Mom continued, not accepting my half-baked reply.
"It's stupid," I remarked, trying to ease their concerns. "I'll be over it in a little while."
"Danny," Jazz said, getting, what I call, dressed in her therapist suit, "you could either suffer through this alone or you could speak your mind, releasing your fears and anguish."
"I'm not anguishing anything," I retorted back, "I'm just crying over something completely stupid."
"It's not stupid if it's important to you," Mom remarked.
I groaned, "But it's not. I swear, I'm just a little emotional. It's probably the cold or something."
Now Dad spoke up, "Danny."
"I just missed Mom's cooking, okay," I shot back. I didn't know if they'd accept the answer for what it was or they'd probe. I hoped they wouldn't do the latter.
A look of disbelief crossed Mom's face, "You missed my cooking? It's not like you don't have it every night."
"I told you," I replied, pretending to be ashamed. "It was stupid. I don't know why I started crying. I was just thinking about how good it was."
Mom laughed out loud while Dad smiled broadly but Jazz's expression held one of confusion. I hoped she wouldn't ask the question that was surly burning up her mind.
XXX
I pulled my cell phone as I exited the kitchen, dialing Sam's number. I shivered again, another reminder that going out tonight was a bad idea. After a moment, Sam's voice came across in a question.
"Are you home?"
"Yeah," I replied. "You guys can come over if you want to."
"Okay," Sam remarked. "I'll get a hold of Tucker and we'll be over right away. If we hurry, we can hit the streets tonight."
I shivered again, "Actually, I've been debating about that."
"There's another option," Sam remarked, her voice displaying the disbelief she felt with a chuckle.
"I'll explain it to you two when you get here. See you in a bit," I said.
"Okay, talk to you in a minute," Sam said, disconnecting the line.
I shut my door as I closed my phone. I tucked my phone back in my pocket, wrapping both hands around my waist. It was freezing in here! I tried to stave off the cold feeling, but it eventually got the best of me and I retreated to my closet. I pulled out one of the seldom-used sweaters.
I grimaced, not really wanting to put on the tell-tell sign of something's wrong with me. The only time I put on a sweater is when it's between the degrees of 40 and sixty. That's when the water begins to evaporate off my skin and appear in obvious puffs of steam. Everybody has that evaporated water on their skin, except in my case it comes off me when it's cold but not freezing. Normal people have water evaporate from their skin too, but theirs comes off when they have hot water on their body.
I slipped the sweater over my head and took a relaxed seat on my bed. I didn't have to wait long before Sam, followed by Tucker, came through my door. Tucker was the only one to greet me as he took a seat on my computer chair while Sam sat down wordlessly on the chest against the wall.
"Like I was saying to Sam," I started the inevitable conversation. "I was thinking about maybe taking the evening off tonight and just waiting for my ghost sense to tell me there's a ghost in the neighborhood."
"But Danny," Sam objected, "the ghosts attack more places than this neighborhood! What about the rest of the town?"
I groaned, knowing there was only one way out of this. "I've been more normal than normal today."
"And what is so much more normal today than it was yesterday," Tucker snickered.
Here goes everything, "I can feel the cold," I commented quietly. The two of them snapped their heads up quickly, "smell is muted but I have all my senses back."
"You mean normal-normal," Tucker asked, flabbergasted.
"Yeah," I commented quietly.
Before I could continue, Sam cut in, "Why? Did anything happen to you today that would explain this?"
As long as she made it a specific time, I could avoid it, "No. I just woke up this morning and I was cold."
"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why," Sam asked me.
"Sure," I replied. "But I'd like to enjoy this while it lasts. I don't know how long it will run its course but I don't want to jinx it. I can actually feel again and I know soon I won't be able to feel anything." At the questions in their eyes, I incorrectly amended: "You know, smell, taste, feel temperatures… everything!"
This seemed to do the trick, "But Danny, we have no idea what's causing this abnormality. We should determine the cause. It may come with a big price tag attached."
"I know, but come on guys… it feels so good to be able to taste and feel the cold. I actually ate Mom's chicken casserole, the flavors lasting on my tongue. Please, just let me enjoy this one time. I don't want to maybe do something wrong and cause it to end earlier than normal."
"All right," Tucker ended our small group conversation, "There's probably nothing wrong with just this once. But we'll be watching for any chance of a pattern."
"I know you will," I smiled back at them. "By the way, guys, I'm so sorry for dragging you guys out in weather like this every day. If I'd known it'd be this cold… I'd let you guys stay home. But you guys went anyway, never complaining… I'm so sorry," I began.
Sam cut me off, "Stop, stop, stop. Danny, we will always be by your side. It's not really that cold out. Tucker and I dress appropriately when it is. It's just because you haven't felt cold in so long. It's like someone visiting from the Bahamas. It's actually pretty mild out today."
I stared at her in shock, "You mean to tell me it's warmer today than normal?"
"Yeah," Sam commented. "After Christmas was one of the coldest days I can think of. It's just because you haven't felt cold in a long time."
I allowed what she said to sink in, relaxing in the silence. Tucker started to roll the chair forwards and backwards, evidence of his boredom. Sam displayed less obvious signs of being bored but I could detect them. She sat there, a small smile on her lips, with one leg propped up on the chest. It was subtle, but I could detect the small kick her muscles would send out, indicating her jitters.
I looked at my display clock, the red letters displaying just after seven-thirty. "Hey," I broke the silence, "Did you guys get your homework done?"
"Yeah," Tucker began but Sam stopped him abruptly.
"Actually," Sam cut in, "There is one thing I forgot to help Tucker with. Remember, our project in Art."
I knitted my eyebrows together. With Sam's sudden outburst and Tucker so easily admitting they had in fact finished their homework, I was suspicious. Tucker began to stutter over his words, 'admitting' that there was in fact something that they hadn't done.
"Hey guys, I may have been turned half ghost at night, but it wasn't last night! What's going on," I demanded.
"What are you talking about," Sam smiled that innocent smile. Now there are red flashing warning lights going off in my head.
"You guys aren't going on patrol without me," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.
"Patrol," Sam said, that smile still displayed on her lips. "Who said anything about patrol?"
That smile appeared genuine. Did you miss something, Fenton?
"You guys really have something else to do besides patrolling," I asked, confused.
"Yes," Tucker declared. I looked in his eyes, searching for the big 'I'm lying' that is usually displayed there. It wasn't.
"Okay," I said, slowly. "I'm sorry I doubted you. I'm just worried, that's all."
"Don't worry," Sam remarked. "No hard feelings. I guess I would have been suspicious as well had I seen what you seen. Tucker just forgot about the project we had to do."
I chuckled, realizing how far I had blown it out of the water, "And with it being art, I just thought it was a key word or something!"
Tucker chuckled, forcefully, "Right! Cause that's… that's."
I looked up, ready to fire a bunch of questions when Sam slipped her hand over Tuck's mouth. "Gotta go! Bye!"
Sam pulled him out of my room, closing the door. I stared at the closed door, trying to figure out what I was missing. Something's up. It's not patrolling… Tucker cleared the air there. But the key word? Maybe they do have a key word for something… is that what I got too close to?
Project in Art? I thought for a moment, trying to determine what it could symbolize. Is art the key word? Is project? Is it because it's a class I don't have with them, one they actually have together? I racked my brain, trying to decipher their code. Is it something they're doing today or some other code that Tucker mistaken it for? Do they really have something to do today?
Sam was doing what Sam does best: throwing me off. She got close to the truth, keeping it as simple as possible. Something that could be open for interpretation. Tucker has always been the one who couldn't lie to save his life. I had to teach him how to lie so he wouldn't bust my secret on the first confrontation from Mom and Dad. I'm certain 'Art Project' is a code for something, but is it relevant for what they're up to now. Should I be worried or should I keep this in the back of my mind for a latter use?
Something else to do besides patrolling. I really left that sentence wide open. That's how Sam had snuck in. I left a gaping hole in the situation and she capitalized on it. Now I really wish I hadn't been so vague. What else could they do without me besides patrolling?
Oh. Oh, no! 'And as soon as we catch you with your back turned, we'll really be in this together.' No, no, no.
I jumped off my bed, running out my door and dashing down the steps. I stumbled several times because of how fast I was running but I didn't care. I couldn't… they couldn't.
I ran into the kitchen, setting my sights on the lab door. It was closed.
"Whoa," I heard a voice cut above my erratic heartbeat. "Slow down. I tolerated that from Sam and Tucker but easy greasy."
I looked up at the sound, my heart nearly coming to a standstill. "Sam and Tucker came running through here?"
"Yeah, about two minutes ago. They were going so fast that I couldn't even yell at them," Mom replied. My heart came to life with a fury, the beat going loudly in my ears.
'Every attempt you make at disrupting the timeline fails.' I reached out to the doorknob, attempting to open it. It was locked.
"No," I cried. "No. No. No! Sam! Tucker!"
"Danny," Mom cried, horrified. "What's wrong!"
I couldn't answer her. 'Every single timeline says they become half ghost.' I began to shake, twisting frantically at the knob.
"Damn it, open! No!"
I left the kitchen, running out the back door. I took the curve so hard I slid, landing on the ground. I pulled myself to my feet, running as fast as I could to the side wall. I tried phasing through the wall but I was thrown back with a shock. 'They will become half ghost, it's their destinies.' No, damn it! I will not sacrifice their lives! Their futures. This can't be happening!
AN: I bet you really hate me about now. As posted on my profile page, I have created a forum page for Bitter UNIONS. All previous chapter companions are posted. I will keep the tradition of three chapter companions on my profile page but I have updated my introduction. Please check out my profile page and my forum page. PM, review or post any questions.
fan fiction dot net slash my forums slash Team 04 Phantom slash 3876657
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