Whoa, long time no update? I like Adversus Adverto more, so bleh. Although I have every intention of finishing Unexpected Abuse with justice. For some reason people actually like this thing.
Now I normally don't ask, but reviews with your advice will go a long way with this particular story. Any help to make the story and character emotions more real is a definite thumbs UP.
And oh dear GAWD! This monster has somehow turned into a very light DannyxSam. Gag. I can feel my VladxDanny side screaming in agony.
"Danny!"
I jumped violently, rattling my wounds. Sam and Tucker burst into the room, open shock and horror on their faces.
"Guys?" I said in a tired voice, blinking my fatigue away as I slowly pulled myself from a third nap.
They were standing in front of my bed, gaping like a pair of fish as their wide eyes took me in. I was still trying to figure out how they got here so fast.
"Didn't I, like, send that letter an hour ago?" I scratched my head, trying to ignore the headache.
"Danny..." Sam breathed, looking frozen.
"Dude," Tucker managed weakly, "Your...your Dad did this to you?"
I squirmed in the sheets uncomfortably, looking away from them and staring at Vlad's empty desk.
"Yeah." I admitted quietly, for the first time.
The silence in the room was palpable. It felt like there was a wall between me and my friends. I couldn't help but curl into myself a bit, wishing I didn't feel so lonely despite my friends being five feet from me.
But then Sam broke it, walking toward me with confident strides. Before I could blush or protest, she was sitting next to me, her arms thrown around my shoulders in a hug. Suddenly, I didn't feel the sting of disturbed wounds anymore, only her soft skin against mine. My breathe caught, stomach doing the tango. I didn't even glare at Tucker for smirking at us.
"I knew this would happen. I knew it." she scolded herself vehemently, turning her amethyst eyes to me. "Are you okay?"
I shrugged in response, honestly not knowing the answer. I didn't even have the heart to give her a look at the standard question.
Tucker slowly joined us at my bedside, giving my injuries stricken glances. I forced myself to sit up, tenderly resting my aching chest against the feather pillows. There was another silence between us, but this time it was comfortable, something I could tolerate. Sam and Tucker looked lost themselves, still trying to face the truth. I couldn't blame them. This whole thing was so crazy.
"What...what are you gonna do?" Tucker asked the question I've been wondering since 8 o'clock this morning.
"I don't know." I mumbled, worrying away at the sheets.
"You could stay at my place." he offered hopefully. I stared at him.
"Tucker. Your mom's a social worker. Of course I can't go there."
"But that would be the perfect place!" Sam instantly argued, "Vlad's right, you can't go back to your house-No. Danny you can't."
She cut me off before I could start, her glare daring me to tell her otherwise.
"But...but he was just a little ang-"
"Danny, stop making excuses for him. Do you really want to go back there?" she demanded an answer, "Do you?"
"...No." I said quietly.
"Please Danny. If you go back there he'll kill you." She practically begged, not convinced by my answer.
"That's what Vlad said."
"Well then Vlad was right." she stated bluntly, "He may be a fruitloop, but he's right. If you go back there your Dad will end up killing you. You can't go back."
"But...but my Mom..." I trailed off, not needing to finish.
What would my Mom say if she returned home to find her son in the foster care system and her husband behind bars?
Tucker and Sam glanced at each other, looking as worried as I felt.
"Danny." Sam began gently, "You can't go back to that house and continue being your Dad's punching bag till your Mom gets home. You can't do that to yourself."
"But when she gets home-"
"You don't know what will happen when she gets home. Your Dad could go back to normal, yeah, but could you look him in the face knowing that he's abused you and still keep that from your Mom? She'd be furious."
"I know." I croaked, my throat burning, "That's what I'm worried about. She'll be so angry and they'll get a divorce and our family will be completely broken."
"Dude, your family was broken the instant your Dad crossed the line and hit you." Tucker said in a hard voice, one you couldn't argue with.
I twisted the sheets in my hands, biting my lip painfully to keep my emotions at bay. I wish this had never happened. Why did Dad have to turn into an abusive jerk?
"I...I don't know what to do." I whispered.
"Tucker's mom..." Sam began hesitantly.
"No." I immediately refused, "I'm not gonna get swept up in that foster care deal and move to California. If my mom came home to that..."
"Your Mom's gonna come home to a crappy situation what ever way you look at it." Tucker said matter-of-factly.
And I knew he was right. If listened to my friends and went with the responsible decision, I wouldn't go back to my Dad. I would either tell Tucker's Mom and let the social workers deal with it or I'd...I'd stay with Vlad. If he let me.
But as screwed up, backwards, and ridiculous as it sounds, a small part of me does want to return home. Even though I know Dad's not gonna quit, I figure I can deal with it as long as Mom comes home and everything is okay. Just imagining the look on her face if she finds out what Dad's done is enough to make me go back. She'd be so upset.
Then again, I don't relish returning to my father's misplaced aggression.
"I feel like the Box ghost." I mumbled.
"What?" Tucker's head swiveled in my direction, looking totally lost.
"The Box ghost." A shadow of a smile flitted across my lips as I looked up at my friends. "You know, misplaced aggression? I'm my Dad's Box ghost."
It took a moment, but when it finally clicked they chuckled in a "that's really not funny but I can't help but laugh anyways" way. I felt my smirk widen.
"So how did you guys get here so fast?" I asked, playing off the lighter mood.
"A freaky green mailman ghost showed up in the middle of Lancer's class." Sam rolled her eyes. "He gave me the letter and after we both read it we headed straight for Mayor Master's mansion. Lancer about had a heart attack."
"He just showed up right in the middle of class?" I gapped.
"Yep. It was the perfect way to get out of reading The Awakening." Tucker snickered.
I leaned back into the pillows, closing my eyes and exhaling slowly.
"Well then, I guess your welcome." I shrugged lightly.
"Don't be." Sam quickly frowned. "I'd rather read The Awakening twenty times than have this." she gestured to my bandages.
The comment was a downer, swiftly bringing us all back to the problem at hand. What was going to happen to me? Where was I going to go? What was I going to do? I stared out the window silently, not wanting to ask those questions just yet.
"Your...your Dad came into the school." Tucker spoke up quietly.
I twisted my head in his direction so fast my neck cracked.
"What?" I croaked. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Tucker shuffled his feet, Sam wouldn't look me in the eye. I got a really bad feeling in the bottom of my stomach.
"It's why we rushed over here so fast. He was talking to the principal and he...he looked really mad." Tucker replied, talking to the lamp on the bedside table.
"I've never seen your Dad like that." Sam said quietly.
"What did he say? Is he looking for me?" I grappled for answers, already imagining his furious face in my head.
"Um...well he was saying something about you running away, and when Principal Ishiyama got worried and asked if he wanted her to alert the investigators, he kinda blew up on her, saying he had already taken care of it."
I stared at their uncomfortable expressions blankly, feeling the flat drop of disappointment flood through me. I should have known he wouldn't care. I should have known he would try to cover it up. As far as he knows, I was kidnapped by the Wisconsin ghost, and he doesn't even give a damn.
"Danny..." Sam began gently. I looked over at her, expressionless.
"Maybe you should call Jazz."
"I have, but she won't pick up." I tried to ignore the feeling of abandonment. Maybe Jazz didn't want anything to do with me either.
"Just try again. I know she'll want to hear about this."
"She's just gonna go all psychologist on me."
"She's gonna try and help you."
"She's in college. She won't have time to deal with my problems."
"Trust me Danny, she'll make time."
I stared at Sam, not even knowing why I was being so difficult. She stared right back, refusing to break eye contact.
"I'll tell her if you want me too." she offered.
I got the sudden mental image of Jazz answering the phone and my throat seizing up as I tried to tell her our Dad was abusive. There was no way I'd be able to do that. I finally dropped my stare, nodding numbly and finally succumbing to her request.
"Do you need her number?" I offered.
"No, I think I've still got it in my cell." she mumbled, scrolling through the screen till she found it.
I sat patiently, waiting for her not to pick up. Tucker played with lamp, poking the heavy chain and watching it swing like a pendulum.
"Hello? Jazz?"
She answered?
"No, It's Sam."
I heard some muffled talking and Sam glanced at me.
"Yeah, he's next to me."
After a moment, she handed me the cell phone.
"She wants to apologize to you."
I rose an eye brow in confusion but put the phone to my ear.
"Jazz?"
"Danny! I'm so sorry I haven't called you back!"
I felt a wave of relief at just the sound of her voice, all of my worries about her avoiding me disappearing on the spot. Maybe it was because Jazz was always the one who solved my problems, but I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders, knowing by just the tone of her voice that she'd help me again this time, like she always has.
"I switched dorms with a friend of mine and lost my phone in the move." she continued. "I finally got it back and there were at least six messages from you. What's going on?"
"Uh..." my mouth was suddenly very dry.
"I tried calling back, but it always went straight to voice mail." she said during my hesitation.
"That's cause Dad took my phone away."
"He took your phone away? Why?" she sounded surprised.
"He said I wasn't responsible enough to handle it." my voice cracked slightly.
There was silence on the other end of the line. I could almost see my sister's shrewd expression. She's always been so perceptive.
"Danny." she began slowly. "Are you okay?"
I thrust the phone into Sam's hands, biting my lip harshly and squeezing my eyes shut, pushing my emotions back. I don't know why her simple question caused such a strong reaction from me, but I suddenly couldn't talk anymore, my throat too tight.
Sam looked at me worriedly and then turned away, getting up and walking to the other end of the room, talking quietly. I wanted to bury my head under the covers, knowing she was revealing to Jazz what she'd missed while away at college.
Jazz's voice steadily rose, going so loud that I could hear it from across the room, but I couldn't make any words out. Sam was grimacing, talking in a calm voice as Jazz continued to spazz out on the other end of the line.
"She wants to talk to you." Sam said to me, coming to my bedside.
I knew this was coming, so I coughed a couple times to clear my throat and bucked up, talking the phone from Sam.
"Danny! Oh Danny, I can't believe this is happening! I have to get over there right away! This is so unpredictable! How long has this been going on? God, I can't believe I didn't call you back sooner! What-I don't-I just-"
"Jazz, calm down!" I yelled, stopping her frantic stuttering in its tracks.
She took a shaky breathe, obviously on the edge of crying.
"You know how Mom went to Germany, right?"
"Yeah." She sniffed.
"Well, he started acting kinda funny about a month after she left. He...he kept making odd comments...just...saying funny things." I voice died down. I didn't want to tell her about how he constantly berated me for being a less than perfect son.
I coughed again, clearing my throat.
"It was like he couldn't live without Mom, and eventually...well you know. I came home with two D's on my report card and he wasn't happy about that." But when I felt a surge to defend myself I couldn't repress it, and words started tumbling out of my mouth.
"But I did have three D's and I worked really hard and managed to get rid of one. I would have gotten the other two up but I was so busy cleaning and ghost fighting that I was practically falling over from exhaustion. I swear I tried as hard as I could but there wasn't enough time and before I knew it-"
"Danny! Danny!" Jazz yelled, stemming my waterfall of excuses.
I swallowed thickly, worried, waiting for her to tell me I hadn't tried hard enough.
"You don't have to defend yourself to me." She said in a gentle voice. "I know you work hard and I know you carry more responsibilities than anyone I know. I'll always be proud of you Danny. Remember that."
I smiled for the first time in ages, a warm feeling budding in my chest that made me feel ten times lighter. I didn't know what to say to that, and that was a good thing cause I don't think I could have said anything even if I wanted to.
"Now, where are you? I'm coming to help you." she continued, voice still gentle.
"I'm at Vlad's-"
"Your WHAT?"
Good voice gone.
"Look, Jazz, It's not what you think-" A full out grin was on my face now, a giddy feeling leaping in my chest that was somehow making her reaction five times funnier.
"Vlad's a fruitloop! Why on earth aren't you at Sam or Tucker's?"
"Well..."
"Danny. Why are you at Vlad's."
I sighed heavily.
"He busted in while Dad was beating the crap out of me and saved me, okay? That why I'm here."
Jazz was very quiet after that. Actually, everything was quiet after that. Not even Sam or Tucker moved.
"He...He saved you?" she sounded like she had trouble putting the sentence together.
"Yeah. If it wasn't for him, I'd be in worse shape than I already am."
She was quiet again, obviously thinking.
"Do you know why he helped you?"
"No. He won't tell me."
She went on one of her thinking trips again. I don't know how I could tell over the phone, but this silence was significantly different from the other two silences. She was thinking hard about something.
"What are you going to do now?" she eventually asked.
"That's the problem. I don't know." My grim mood was returning, the dark mysterious future coming to loom over me again.
"I think you should stay with Vlad." she said matter of factly, quickly shattering any mood I was feeling and leaving me with a total blank.
"Huh?"
"I said I think you should stay with Vlad."
"Uh...are we talking about the same Vlad here?"
"Think about it Danny. Why would Vlad save you from anything?"
"Because he wants to make me his pet-son thing?"
"Well judging from the fact that your still at his house and both Sam and Tucker are there with you, he obviously hasn't tried to take advantage of your situation, has he?"
"No." I admitted in a mumble.
"So, it's easy to draw the conclusion that he actually cares for your well being, and given the fact that you both share the same secret, he would probably be the best choice for you to stay with until the courts can deal with Dad."
"Yeah, but he's such a frui-wait, the courts? You're-you're not gonna turn Dad in, are you?"
She was quiet for a moment, but her answer was hard and definitive.
"Yes Danny, I am. I know he's our father, but this can't be ignored."
"But what about Mom?" I asked desperately.
"You think Mom isn't going to want to know about this? This is serious Danny. What if he turns on Mom?"
"He's not gonna 'turn on Mom'" I scoffed.
"Yeah? Well no one ever thought he'd abuse his son either. Mom would want to know, trust me. She thinks the world of you Danny, she'd never want you getting hurt, especially not by Dad."
I squirmed in my seat, wanting to argue but not having the heart.
"What's gonna happen to Dad?" I asked quietly.
She sighed heavily, her voice weighted.
"If convicted, he'll serve time in prison. He'll also go through various therapy sessions to deal with anger, attachment, things of that nature. A parent usually doesn't harm their child out of spite, Danny. Given the right help, Dad will go back to his old self."
"Then why did he even do any of this?" I asked bitterly, feeling my anger bubble.
"I don't know." she said quietly after a pause. "I don't know."
We both sat in silence, a chaotic swirl of emotions twisting between us from both ends. I pulled absentmindedly at a loose string on the sheets, simmering in my anger and sadness, slowly feeling it leak away.
"Danny?" Jazz asked gently, her voice quiet.
"Hmm?"
"Please stay with Vlad. I know you two have a rough past, but I really think it would be the best choice. I'll deal with Dad, don't worry about that. I want you to worry about yourself for once."
I stopped pulling at the string, finally letting out a stream of air, my emotions deflating.
"It's not that simple. Vlad took me in and...I was just so upset and confused...well we had a fight, so I don't even think he wants to deal with me anymore." I said sadly, my heart heavy.
"Trust me Danny, the day Vlad doesn't want to deal with you is the day Skulker wants to join PETA. Just talk to him. I'll bet anything he's genuinely worried about you, even if he won't admit it."
It seemed like a stretch for Plasmius, but I didn't argue with her.
"You promise you'll stay? Going into the foster care system is the last thing you need. At least you know Vlad."
"Yeah, better than anyone on earth." I grumbled.
"Danny." Jazz sighed.
"Okay, okay, I'll talk to him. If he lets me stay, then I'll stay."
"Good." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll be in Amity Park in about three days, so I'll see you then. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
I couldn't help but smile here, hearing that question again and knowing an answer this time.
"Jazz, I've got you, Sam, and Tucker. Hell, I've even got my arch enemy helping me. I'll be fine."
I knew she was smiling on the other end of the phone, and our good bye didn't really seem like a good bye. Before long, Sam's cell phone was back in her pocket and my two best friends were looking at me with expectant faces.
"So what's up?" Tucker asked nervously.
"Jazz is going to deal with Dad and I'm going to talk to Vlad about staying here." I said in a sure voice, my decision made.
Sam and Tucker breathed a sigh of relief, Tucker falling onto the bed eagle sprawled.
"I thought we were gonna have to talk you out of going back to your Dad's." Sam smiled weakly.
"Jazz convinced me otherwise."
"Is she coming here?" Tucker asked, lifting his head from the bed to look at me.
"She'll be here in about three days."
We sat quietly together, enjoying each other's company while we could.
"I'm guessing you're not gonna be at school tomorrow?" Tucker asked, knowing the answer.
"No. I don't think so." I replied sadly, giving him a small smile.
Tucker sighed mournfully, dropping his head back to the bed.
"Lancer's is so boring without you in it." he groaned.
"Your just upset cause you've become Dash's new punching back." Sam laughed.
"Duh."
I laughed with Sam, that feeling of normalcy slowly settling in as we joked with each other like we always did.
I relaxed in the company of my friends, laughing and sharing stories. We talked about nothing and everything until the sun started setting. We didn't even realize the time until Tucker glanced at one of his many gadgets.
"Whoa, it's almost 8 o'clock." Tucker blinked in surprise as he stared at his watch/phone/Internet/satellite TV/kitchen appliance/and whatever else-thing on his wrist.
"Oops. My parents are gonna flip." Sam grinned, obvious wracked with guilt.
"Yeah, and we skipped school early too." Tucker sounded kinda nervous.
"Well in about three days you can tell your parents what's going on and then you won't be in trouble. Well, Sam might still be. Actually, your parents might throw a party." I looked over to see her frown.
"That's not funny cause you know they would."
Me and Tucker laughed.
"Guess that's real bummer for you Danny." he snickered, shooting me and Sam sly glances. "Your gonna have crappy in-laws."
"Tucker!" We yelled in unison, a blush rising to the cue on my face.
Sam tried to smother him with a pillow.
Eventually, after many long good byes, my two greatest friends in the world trooped out the door, leaving multiple promises to return the next day. Too soon I was alone in my darkening room, but this time I didn't cower at the shadows. I looked out the window to see the sun sliding into the horizon, my resolve hardened as butterflies began to dance in my stomach.
It was time to talk to Vlad.