orz Tuesday will be the start of our classes, and I'll be there from 7am to 9 in the night, so I guess I'll only manage one or two updates once a week. I hope you understand though. I love this story and I love you readers (and I love all of your reviews) so I'm still gonna continue it.
Have fun reading!
A Grasp at a Distant Memory
Chapter 12: Close Call
®® - Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman - ®®
"What do you plan to do with Jazz, huh!?" Phantom sneered at her, the woman raising her eyebrow at the ghost teenager. "It's not like she has something to do with you!"
"Oh, Little Phantom." She cooed Clockwork's nickname for the boy, Phantom grimacing at her voice. "Jazz, huh? It seems you've been out of our home and making friends with humans your age, while the rest gets confinement inside the Ghost Zone. Isn't that unfair? Or are you using Clockwork's authority to hang out wherever you like?"
"I'm not doing anything bad here, Spectra! And I certainly don't have bad intentions with the humans." He backed himself up, not willing to let the older one taunt him.
"Oh, but arresting a horde of ghosts just because they want to have fun outside? Come on, admit it Phantom. You just want to go to heaven yourself!" the last part was vicious and the boy was trying not to cringe.
"As I've told everyone, I don't even remember my past life so I don't know what that is!" he tried to blast the woman with a beam, but she quickly morphed into her shadow form and evaded him.
"The ceremony will start in a few minutes. I do hope you'll keep the boy busy before the main event, Bertrand."
"What are you-"
Before Phantom can go after her, the tiger Bertrand pounced at him, hot saliva dripping at his clothes.
"Oh, crap!"
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"To Kill a Mockingbird, what happened to you children!? You're supposed to be cheerleaders, not someone who looks like their spirit has been sucked away from them!" Lancer grumbled, disappointed by how terrible the Casper High cheerleaders look. He sighed, then turned around to see how the decorations are doing.
"Please put that banner a little bit higher…"
"Mr. Lancer!" the fake guidance counselor skipped beside the overweight teacher. "Is everything according to the plan? The ceremony will start in 10 minutes!"
"I'm sorry Ms. Spectra, but it seems some students are… lacking something… Are you sure you have checked all of them? Even the cheerleaders seem down."
"Oh I'm pretty sure I did, sir. Maybe there's something wrong with some of them, I'll try to check. Where's Jasmine?"
Before Lancer can mouth one of his book curses again, a familiar voice spoke.
"I'm here!" Jazz waved her hand, smiling at him.
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Maddie looked around, searching for her daughter. Even though she had practically disobeyed her, hitting her was never a right thing to do. She'd do everything to make her safe, but now her little girl can't even be safe with her temper.
She's still furious at the ghost boy, though. Phantom, as what Jazz called him, seems like he's in teenage years, such a young age for someone to die. She felt a little tinge of sympathy swelling on her heart, wanting to hear Jazz out for the boy being a good ghost, but everything else screams she do the opposite and blast them to the point disintegration as soon as her blast hit them. Especially if it has to do something with Jasmine.
She briefly wondered if Jack knew something about the Ghost Boy. Ever since Jasmine decided to live on her own, but still closer to Jack anyway, she has always warned Jack to keep their girl out of anything ghost-related. Jazz is the only thing that reminds her of the years when she and Jack were happily married, and if she is to be hurt in any possible way, who knew what Maddie can do to Jack.
But it seems that it can't be helped, so Maddie's going to make her safe. She's going to say sorry to her baby girl, and she's going to protect her… No one can take Jasmine away from her…
Maddie gasped when she caught Phantom's spectral tail at the corner of her eye.
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"Go away, beast!" Phantom said as he flew to the school backyard. "At this rate, you and Spectra can only be disintegrated!"
The said beast growled and pounced on him, scraping his shoulders with his sharp claws. Ectoplasm was dripping from his torn shirt, and he groaned.
"That would hurt for tomorrow!" Phantom, with a display of strength, grabbed one of the legs pinning him down and stood up, flipping the shapeshifter down like he was cooking a pancake. However, in a blur, he grabbed him by the foot as well, throwing him in the nearby tree.
Phantom was out for mere seconds, then grunted to the pain spreading on his ghostly body. He opened his eyes to Bertrand raising his claws at him, ready to swipe. Out of reflex, Phantom went invisible and phased through the tree. He then slammed the tiger at the back.
Just as he was to hit him one more time, Spectra tackled him, pinning him on the same tree he managed to land on earlier.
"If I were you, boy, I would have just left and cried on Daddy Clockwork's arms. Nobody messes with Spectra, do you hear me? Everything on this school is now mine, and they're going to be my walking spa treatments."
Phantom replied by spitting on her face, infuriating the shadow ghost.
"HOW DARE YOU, YOU LITTLE RUNT!" she raised her hand to finish him, but was met with a blast that wasn't from Phantom.
"And if I were you, I'd pick someone my size." Maddie said, holding a similar bazooka Jack held before. "Leave this place before you turn into an ecto-goop, spook!"
"What the hell? Bertrand, seize the woman!" the fiend wasted no time as he ran for Maddie, Phantom doing the same as he grabbed him first and turned both of them invisible.
"I don't know how this will happen but, I want you to trust me, Mrs. Fenton." Phantom whispered at her.
"Johnson, ghost boy. Madeline Johnson."
"Oh right. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But please cover your ears. This might hurt."
He then turned visible, as the two looked at them. He wasted no time, as he shouted, too loud for Maddie's ears, however obeying what the boy told her. He unleashed a rather powerful wail, effectively weakening the other ghosts.
After a minute or two, all of the ghosts including Phantom were on their knees, panting. Maddie took the chance and uncapped the thermos, aiming it at Spectra and Bertrand. However, as Bertrand got sucked inside, Spectra managed to escape in the nick of time.
"Shit." Maddie cursed, as she returned the cap. Phantom, however, remembered what Spectra said.
"Jazz!"
"What?" Maddie asked, looking as mortified as he is.
Phantom, completely ignoring her, swiftly flew inside the school grounds, Maddie running after him.
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"And, going on, these dominoes are supposed to spell out 'Casper High Spirit', and after the last one hits the trusty red button there, a surprise will await you!" Jazz continued her speech, however met by silence and depressed teenagers. Confused, she just motioned Mr. Lancer to start the domino sequence.
It took around two minutes before one of the small blocks hit the button. However, what met them was not the 'fireworks' as the plan said so. Something above her, which hasn't been there earlier, suddenly emitted a big red beam. Jazz gasped, as she realized it was targeted at her. Everyone in the crowd noticed and gasped at the horror. Jazz closed her eyes, unable to stop whatever will be the cause of her death.
However, she felt an invisible arm grab her, and flew her out of what could've been her tragic predicament. Opening her eyes slowly, she realized it was Phantom, giving her a smile.
"Sorry. I was almost too late."
"No!" Jazz disagreed, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Thanks a lot. I guess I owe you my life once again."
"Hehe, maybe you should treat me to-"
Their joy was cut when a shadowy hand clamped on Phantom's mouth, grasping him away from the teenage girl.
"You ruined my plan, Phantom." Spectra said as she firmly held the boy, her nails digging onto his pale skin. The ghost teen winced, trying to pull away from her. However, his fatigue of using one of his best attacks was tearing him down.
"I've always thought Clockwork was a pain in the ass. Guess he passed that attitude down on you. Don't worry though." She smiled, the boy contorting at her evil grin. "I'll make sure he'll feel my wrath once his little Phantom is out of the picture, courtesy of yours truly."
"Quick! Go away from her, Phantom!" he heard a familiar voice. Using Spectra's reaction, he bit her hand and front rolled away from her. Maddie came in the picture with a funny-looking armor, holding something like one of Jack's devices.
"Never thought I'd use the Fenton Peeler once again, but I guess I have to thank him sooner." Maddie said, aiming whatever she was holding at the shadow ghost. Like an onion, the ghost peeled to her human disguise, getting older and older.
"Nnnooo!" she croaked in a hoarse voice. Maddie then sucked her into the thermos.
"U-Uh, thanks." Phantom stuttered out, still getting nervous when Maddie's around. The woman raised an eyebrow at him.
"Don't think I trust you yet, Phantom. Think of it as a payment for saving my daughter thrice. We're not even yet, but don't think I'm getting friendly with you. Now go back to your home. I'm going to explain to Jazz where you went. Here, take this", she tossed the Thermos to him. "This baby contains those two ghosts. Just press the release button at the Ghost Zone."
The young ghost nodded, as he phased through the wall, ready to go home to apprehend both Spectra and Bertrand.
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Jazz, somehow confident that her mom will rescue Phantom like what she promised, went back to the stage, wincing at the sight of the burnt part of the stage where she was earlier. That was a close call.
When the crowd noticed her presence, it roared into happiness, much to Lancer's pleasure. She would have a talk with Jazz later. He'd leave the teenagers to celebrate for now.
Just as she stepped out of stage, two sets of arms enveloped around her.
"Sam! Tucker! Glad you made it back! Sam looked more goth earlier…" Jazz giggled.
"Duh, never knew I could go more goth. I don't like how I sound however. I like to be the cheery goth."
"What… happened earlier, Jazz? We… We thought you got blasted." Tucker faltered.
"Phantom saved me at the nick of the time. He flew me away from the danger. I don't know what happened to him though… He got grabbed by the offending ghost that probably did this…"
"He's safe now." The teenagers turned around to see Maddie going to them. "Helped him capture the ghost which happened to be your guidance counselor, Spectra Penelope, who likes sucking spirits out of you teenagers, and now he went back to the Ghost Zone with those ghosts at the thermos. Don't misunderstand me Jazz. That was just a payment for him saving you. I still don't trust him."
"Oh, mom." Jazz smiled at her, as she threw her arms around her mom for a hug, the older woman returning the affection.
"I'm sorry for earlier, sweetie. I'm just worried for your well-being ok? Please take care, I don't wanna lose you too… You're too important to me."
"Mom." Jazz chuckled. "Stop being so dramatic. I'm sorry for acting like a brat earlier too, I guess I just want you to see it my way. I'm gonna prove that Phantom is not as bad as you think, Mom. And I love you so much."
"I love you too, my baby girl, my princess..."
Sam and Tucker laughed at what Maddie called her, as Jazz chased them around the campus.
A/N: Shorter than the previous chapter, I guess. But a fluffy chapter doesn't hurt too much. Please look forward to the next chapter, I'm gonna upload them next week at Saturday, I guess?
Thank you for reading! Please drop reviews, I really like reviews! ~AyaPie