Chapter 14
"Where on Earth is Phantom?" Valerie growled, ripping off a now useless weapon from her wrist as it sizzled. She dropped it down in a passing dumpster as she flew over and continued her sweep of the town. Normally, she only ran into a maximum of three ghosts a morning but already today she'd found five and it wasn't even eight.
A ring from her pocket got her to hover over a tree, out of sight, so she could pull it out. Thinking it was her father, she was surprised at finding a text from Danny.
Sory i didnt txt last nite got busy im good realy just family problms
Valerie dropped down to the ground and let her suit disappear as she starred at the screen. A thought almost as outrageous as the concept of jumbo shrimp appeared in her head. A thought that once made itself known could never be un thought. Phantom was MIA, Danny was runaway.
"There's no way." Valerie whispered to herself as the thought bugged her. She pushed the call button and held the phone to her head before she even figured out what she wanted to ask.
"He Val."
"Danny?" Her mind blanking out on her, not sure how to approach the question nagging her.
"What is it?" Danny's voice asked, worried.
"I know the truth about Vlad." Valerie admitted, just saying what her heart thought best to say.
"What do you mean?"
"And I know your secret." Valerie continued.
Silence filled the phone as Valerie waited for Danny to answer.
"You know?" Danny asked, his voice small. "What is it?"
"That you're Phantom." Valerie said, leaning against a tree as the knowledge fully hit her. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be." Danny admitted, "So how'd you figure it out?"
"It just kinda hit me." Valerie said, a laugh in her voice. "Really after knowing about… this hybrid I'm surprised it took me this long to figure it out."
"The ghosts have called us halfas." Danny informed.
"Does it hurt?" Valerie asked, surprising herself with the question. "When you transform, I mean."
"No…" Danny sounded unsure.
"So why'd you runaway?" Valerie asked.
"My parents didn't believe I was still me after they found out."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Ya, tell Sam, Tucker, and Jazz you know." Danny admitted. "I'd rather you not let onto Vlad you know."
"Ya." Valerie looked down at her feet, not sure about Vlad. She didn't want to continue working for him, but knew enough about Plasmius that fear found its way in.
"Hey, I gotta go. My Grandma's wanting me to help her."
"Ok, good luck." Valerie ended the call and put her phone back in her pocket. She slid down onto her butt as it all hit her. She'd been hunting down the one guy who had actually liked her for her and not her money since she'd known him.
Maniac laughter filled the air around her as she realized how ironic her life was. She broke up with Danny to protect him from himself.
Valerie raised a hand to her face only to feel tears streaking down her cheeks through her laughter. How she still loved that boy, but what she'd done was unforgiveable. How many nights had she wanted Phantom dead at her own hands? She dropped her arms to her side as she hung her head, the tears overlaying her uncontrollable laughter.
The tears dried away, leaving the girl with remaining hiccups as the sound of a late morning runner came to her ears. She quickly wiped her eyes as she stood up, holding a hand on the rough bark of the pine tree that had been the only witness to her brake down.
The soft pounding of running shoes on the small sidewalk got closer, getting Valerie to drop her head and walk deeper into the park. Her hair covered her face as the runner went by, not turning a second glace to the African-America.
At that moment she made a promise to herself, clenching her hands at her side. Danny will never find out she was the Red Huntress.
-.-.-.-
"Hey, how's work?"
Anita looked up from the main desk computer and smiled. "I'm sure my co-workers hate me."
"So much." A sarcastic voice cooed from somewhere behind the front desk.
"Where's your grandparents?" Anita asked as she grabbed a prepared backpack and walked out from behind the counter. She grabbed a Dismal Swamp ball cap off the coat rack and plopped it cock-eyed on her head, her pony tail making it lean forward.
"They're getting their gear." Danny said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder. "How are you able to do this on work time?"
The two walked out of the forest ranger's command office and towards the Fenton van as Anita explained with a laugh. "This is my job. Everyone here grows up believing in ghosts so when the Fentons moved here, the city paid them to keep the more hazardous ghosts at bay. They got me the job here as being the swamp's ghost buster. It's normally just my after school job but I asked for extra hours since it's fall brake."
"Anything to keep you away from home?" Danny asked, jokingly.
"You've no idea."
The two teens looked into the side door of the van just as Robert lumbered out, his back supporting a hiking bag with a strap holding a Fenton Thermos attached. Behind him came Linda strapped down to the T with hunting and surveillance equipment.
"Man, you look like you're Navy SEALs." Danny commented as Robert locked up the van.
"Actually we're going light today." Robert admitted as a snicker was heard from Anita. "This is just to check that the storm didn't damage anything."
"Right, this is your first normal trip with them, isn't it?" Anita asked before the group of four headed towards the side of the building.
"Ya, last time we were just here to help out with the Phoenix and those two murderers." Danny reminded.
"I remember your parents dealt with the murderers. What happened to the Phoenix, again?" Anita asked as she handed a pair of keys to Robert before swinging her legs over a ATV owned, obviously by the city of Suffolk.
Danny thought quickly, as he got on the back of Anita's ATV. Robert and Linda got on the similar vehicle next to them and started the engine. "We, uhm, convinced it what it was doing was wrong and a ghost named One Wind takes care of it now."
"You convinced an elemental?" Anita asked, surprised as she started up the ATV under them.
"With One Wind's help, of course." Danny tried, hoping they didn't run into the two ghosts while he was there. One person finding out about his ghost half was more than enough for today.
Robert drove off, getting Anita to follow them close behind until they hit the dirt path. Anita slowed down so that they could still keep an eye on the two but not get covered in mud doing so.
"How's your parents?" Danny asked, hoping for some small talk.
"Dad's a jerk for deserting me, Mom's a fill-in-your-own-cuss-word-here, same as always." Anita shrugged. "Yours?"
"They both hate me for who I am." Danny admitted.
"What, you turned gay?" Anita asked with a snicker.
"What?! No!" Danny held himself as far away as he could manage.
"Don't worry, I saw how you looked at your goth friend last time ya'll were here." Anita smiled. "As straight as a crooked circle."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked, leaning forward again to hear her over the rush of the wind.
"Whatever you want. It's kinda oxymoron." The girl shrugged her shoulders.
"You're weird, you know that?"
"I thought you figured that out last time."
"I mean more than your strange ability to being a ghost magnet and whatever else you do."
"And again, I thought you figured that out last time." Anita repeated. "I'm weird and proud of it. If you can't be proud of how you turned out, no one will."
Danny watched the trees pass as Anita's words sank in.
The group of four road through the forest roads, following the pathways before Robert turned off the beaten road towards some brush. Anita followed, slowing down to be on the safe side.
Danny hiccupped just as the two vehicles slowed to a stop, noticing his cold breath causing Anita to shiver.
"Huh?" Anita asked, looking around them.
"What is it?" Linda asked, getting of the back of the ATV to look at the girl.
"I just got a shiver." She admitted, keeping an eye around them.
"There's a ghost around here." Danny informed, slowly stepping off the ATV.
"I thought that was just some old wives tail." Anita said, getting off the vehicle herself.
"If a ghost goes close enough, you can sense their cold core." Robert reminded as he pulled out a device from his bag. He turned it on before standing up and read off, "Three ghosts in the area, but they all seem safe."
"Come on, station one is just over here." Linda said, leading the way into the dense forest.
"What all are we checking on?" Danny asked as he followed behind Anita into the forest.
"Three recording stations and I wanna check on the shield." Robert said, taking up the rear.
"The anti-human shield?" Anita made sure.
"We can't have any random human go wondering off into the natural portals this place creates." Robert nodded his head in agreement.
"Skulker would love that." Danny mumbled under his breath.
"Who?" Anita asked, getting Danny to freeze as she turned to look at him.
"Uh, nobody, nothing." Danny said, holding up his hands in defense. His face flushed as Anita stared him down. She shrugged before turning back to face where she was going and continued to follow Linda.
Robert put a supporting hand on the boy's shoulder, looking down at him with a smile.
Danny smiled back before trudging forwards to catch up to with the two ahead.
A beep came from the device in Robert's hands, getting the group to stop and turn back to the man.
"What is it?" Linda asked, looking around the group.
Before the man could answer, a scream cut him off. Danny wiped around towards the sound only to see Anita struggling under a net as it reeled back towards the ghost that had caught her.
"Skulker." Danny growled, getting the ghost's attention as the boy gripped his hands into fists. He placed a foot in front of him, getting ready for a fight. "I should've known you were coming here when you mentioned the firebird. What do you want with her?"
"Don't you feel it, ghost child?" Skulker asked, pulling up the net so the girl floated next to him, a look of hatred on her face as she looked up at the ghost. "She's resonating of melasure."
Danny noticed his grandparents both had a gun pointed at the ghost, but curiosity made him asked, "And what's that?"
"Like sugar water to ants." Skulker explained with a smile towards the girl. "But rarer then all of my collection, which you will make a great addition to."
"As much as it would be so much better then living with my mother, I'm going to have to decline." Anita said smugly.
"This is not an option." Skulker said, activating a weapon to appear from his shoulder, pointing at her.
"What are you going to do, shoot me?" Anita asked, nerves impressing Danny as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"The melasure resides in your blood, human." Skulker explained, getting Anita's arms to drop at the news. "I'd rather you alive, but I can harvest your gift if need be."
Anita turned her head towards the three Fentons and admitted, "Ok, help would be nice right about now."
"Good luck." Skulker laughed as he pulled out a remote-like device and pressed a button. Around the ghost formed a purple energy bubble. A scream cane from Anita as the energy sparked around her form as if attacking her.
"Suffering Spooks! He's taken the anti-human shield." Linda exclaimed.
"Drop her, Skulker." Danny ordered.
"Not a chance." Skulker said, aiming the weapon launcher on his shoulder towards Danny. A hiss of air warned the boy in just enough time to dive from his spot as dirt and leaves exploded around him.
Linda and Robert started shooting only to quickly stop and dive for cover as their rays of plasma bounced back off the shield.
Skulker retracted the weapon and smugly straightened out his shoulders, proving with the Fenton grandparent's shield he was invincible. He turned and floated away, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be back for you, whelp."
"Not today you won't." Danny smiled as Anita was held out of sight. Quickly a light appeared around his waist, bringing forth his ghostly persona as he rushed forwards, flying once the transformation was complete. He pushed through the shield and called out, "Hold on, Anita!" as his only warning before blasting Skulker in the back.
Skulker fell forwards, dropping the net Anita was in. The ghost ripped his head around to see the boy with anger in his face. "I thought you were better then to take a coward's shot."
"Don't take my friends." Danny ordered, his hands ready for a fight as they flowed with energy. Before Skulker could right himself, Danny shot at the ghost's shoulder. While Danny had a moment not run by oxside, the ghost equitant to adrinalen, he felt it. What Skulker had called melasure radiating off of Anita was literally drawing his mind to her. He shook his head before pushing his foot down on Skulker.
Skulker found himself forced to the ground with a foot putting pressure on his head. He tried to get free only for a blast of ecto-energy to force him into the ground in a Skulker-sized hole.
"I'll take this." Danny said, plucking away the anti-human shield from Skulker's belt before releasing pressure on Skulker.
The ghost took his chance and flew out of sight faster than Danny had ever seen before. Danny stared at the sky with a smirk. "And he accused me of being a coward."
"Danny!" Linda cried, getting the boy's attention moments before pain erupted all over Danny's body. An explosion registered in his brain moments before darkness consumed his mind.
AN: just to prevent anything for coming from this, no I don't have anything against gays I was just using the time period to help. Yes ten years ago people were still getting used to the idea of people behaving that way and so Danny acted the way he should've counting in the fact of how their school is.
Danny: I don't think I know anybody who's like that…
AN: other than yourself?
Danny: what?... EWU! I do NOT do that pitch pearl junk! That's just *shiver* how would that even be possible!?
AN: Don't blame me, I don't write it.
Danny: says the girl that draws me in dresses and thinks it's sexy
AN: leave me alone. Read and review people!