CHAPTER 20
Until Proven Ghostly
…
The video started with Tucker, huffing and puffing as he ran through the trees. The camera was focused on his face, eyes wide and constantly looking over his shoulder at the others. At first, the viewers were worried there's another ghost attacking. The people watching were tense, expecting a foe to jump out at the fleeing teens, and adult, at any moment. Suddenly Tucker disappeared from view.
"Tucker!" Star shouted. She, Kwan, and Grayson stopped running, stumbling to a standstill. It seemed like one of them would disappear next, until the camera swivelled behind them. It showed a break in the trees, the sky and ocean blending together, and a strip of sandy beaches. Lying face down on the golden grains was Tucker. He was digging into the sand, lifting it up by the handfuls, and watching it fall through his fingers.
"Finally!" Tucker cheered, but it sounded weak. In fact, everyone in Tucker's group looked weak. They were panting, dirt smeared across their faces and arms. Star's hair was a tangled mess, and Kwan's shirt was hanging off of him in shreds, small scratches adorning his torso. Grayson's suit was no longer immaculate, although it was already impressive it had remained relatively tidy at all in their situation. His pant legs and sleeves were rolled up, and his nice shoes were covered in scratches, smudges, and dirt. His previously combed back hair was messy and hanging in front of his eyes.
Many women, and a few men, watching the video realized that Grayson looked pretty good. Now that there was no need to run, they all collapsed, stretching out to touch the sand.
"You could have… at least told us… why you were running," Grayson panted.
"I did," Tucker gasped into the sand, rolling onto his back.
"Shouting… 'free wolf…' doesn't count," Star said as she caught her breath.
"I said Wulf, actually," Tucker corrected, and the word Wulf flashed across the bottom of the screen. He sat up, chest no longer heaving, and shook the sand from his hair. "It's a code."
"For what?" Star snapped.
"Freedom, sort of. It applies to a lot of things." Tucker shrugged.
"I've never heard of it," Kwan said.
"Only Sam, Danny, and I use it. It's a nerd thing?" Tucker's statement sounded more like a question. The viewers who believed the Danny Phenton theory immediately translated 'nerd thing' to mean 'ghost hunting thing'. Suddenly, a lot of things the trio said in the early videos made sense. Sort of.
"In case it isn't obvious, we're not nerds," Star reminded him with a huff.
"But you are the closest thing to nerds the A-listers have!" Tucker laughed, while Kwan looked sheepish and Star scowled at the techno-geek.
"As entertaining as all this is, we should keep going," Grayson interrupted, reminding the three teenagers of their goal.
"And we didn't even find any food," Star grumbled miserably, hunching over slightly. For a moment her growling stomach was audible to the viewers. The others nodded somberly.
"Maybe the others had more luck," Tucker offered, but he didn't sound confident. Many people watching felt a pang of pity for the group. It was obvious some people on the island, namely Danny's group and Dylan's group, sans Jon, were doing better. They were able to find food, and water. But those stuck back at the plane, Lancer and Tucker's group were having a lot less luck. A few people even considered how the ghost or ghosts responsible for everything could be influencing that.
"Stupid ghosts," Tucker muttered, kicking at the sand as he started walking. Star gave him a confused look, and everyone watching was immediately reminded that the trio were the only ones who actually had any idea of what was going on right now, and they hadn't told anyone yet.
It could be funny, watching everything from the outside and realizing you have more of the facts than the people directly involved.
"What do ghosts have to do with anything?" Star asked.
Tucker's step faltered as he seemed to realize the same thing the viewers did. "Oh, um… everything, sort of."
"What?" Star and Grayson chorused.
"We didn't want anyone to panic!" Tucker quickly defended himself. "Danny probably knew from the start, and told us the situation during the bonfire."
"What makes you say we would have panicked?" Grayson asked sternly. "My partner, my son is dead because of those ghosts!"
"We- your son?" Tucker faltered, argument dying in his throat. Grayson's eyes widened, as if he only just realized what he said, and he clapped a hand over his mouth.
"You did kind of look alike," Kwan added quietly.
"He was, I… shut up," Grayson snapped and stalked down the beach. Tucker and Kwan watched him go, both of them wearing slightly pitying expressions. But Star continued to glare at Tucker, and the boys awkwardly shifted their gazes back to her.
"I knew Paulina was right. This is all Fenton's fault, isn't it?" Star spat. She kicked sand at Tucker's leg and turned with a huff, following the oldest member of their little group. Tucker gave Kwan an exasperated look.
"That's why we didn't tell anyone. We knew people would blame Danny." Tucker sighed, and his and Star's words struck a chord with the viewers.
Could this all have been Danny's fault? If he really was Phantom, he would have accumulated a lot of enemies. Many ghosts were dangerous, who knew what they'd be willing to do if only to get back at Danny Phantom. Those that didn't feel a sudden anger towards the Fenton boy were uncomfortable with this revelation, knowing he would have gained those enemies defending regular people like themselves.
Kwan nodded slowly, almost like he was agreeing the viewers thoughts, even though he had no idea they were there.
"Grayson, he's cried every night."
Tucker's gaze, which had been drifting towards the older man, snapped back to Kwan. "What?"
"It always takes me a while to sleep. Every night, I heard someone crying. I wasn't surprised, this is scary, but now I realize. It was him."
Tucker looked almost guilty as he turned away, and the viewers quickly realized something. Tucker, like everyone else, had his suspicions on how much of their situation was a result of Danny's ghost hunting.
…
"I hate the sun."
The camera was tilted upwards, towards the sun, and panned down to look into the perfectly cylindrical hole Jon was still trapped in, and where the daytime star was beating down.
"I hate it." The teenager mumbled again. His shirt, permanently stained by the dirt, had been removed and was thrown over his head. His injured leg was once again laid out before him, the fabric stained red, and he tilted his head towards it.
"I hate legs to, and holes. And ghosts. And Fenton. That bastard should have told us what he knew." Jon banged his head against the dirt wall several times before looking up. "Are you guys there?"
Two weak yesses were head as the camera moved right, revealing Casey and Dylan lying on the grass. There was a bed of leaves beside them, stacked with various berries. Dylan's eyes were shut tight as he massaged his forehead, and Casey was frowning skyward. The camera, which hovered directly above them, left no shadow on their forms.
"A human chain?" Casey said.
Dylan quickly shot down her idea. "Neither of us are strong enough to pull up two people, and there isn't anything for leverage up here."
"How about you guys just keep chucking stuff in here, and I keep moving on top of it. Eventually I'll reach the top."
"We don't have anything with enough substance to throw. Leaves would take forever, and they could just decompose anyways. Plus you could sink into them. If we use rocks, we could accidentally hit you."
"I still like a human chain," Casey mused.
"Nothing works!" Dylan protested. "This is the end! Jon's going to get an infection and die."
"I won't die!" Jon snapped. "I'm not gonna get a stupid infection."
"But you will, especially since-"
"Hey! We agreed not to talk about that! I have limited space down here."
The more insightful viewers cringed and gagged, catching on to what Jon's implication.
"But… it might be better for you guys to find your way back to the plane."
Casey immediately sat up and crawled to the edge of the hole. "Don't you dare say that! You said it yourself, you're not going to die. If we leave you, then you will die."
"And if you don't so could you! That ghost could come back, or another ghost could come, or you could run out of food, and then it wouldn't matter that you stuck around!" Jon sounded.
"Hey! It's my job to theorize," Dylan grumbled.
"And it's my job to be pissy, so hurry up and think of something!" Despite Jon's apparent willingness for self-sacrifice, he still sounded worried, and almost scared. It would be hard not to be in his situation.
Dylan sat up, burying his face in his hands, and groaned. "We can look for vines again."
"I thought you guys didn't find any last time." Jon's voice drifted upwards.
"We couldn't. But this time, we stick together, and we go farther. We can mark the trees so we know what way we came from and won't get lost," Dylan suggested, lifting his head.
"… You couldn't think of that yesterday?"
"I was really stressed yesterday, okay? I don't see you taking the lead!"
Jon fell silent at Dylan's outburst, which had surprised the viewers as well. It was interesting, became Dylan did seem to be the one in charge of their little triad, even though he didn't seem like the kind of person that would normally do that. In fact, to most people, Jon was more like the type to step up and take charge. With the way he was butting heads with Danny on the first night, it certainly seemed to be the case. Apparently not.
Nerds around the world cheered their compatriots onwards as the seconds on the video ticked by.
"Uh, right. Could you just, could you just get me out of here?"
Dylan nodded, even though Jon couldn't see him, and stood up. Casey followed, and they both started scouring the ground for sharp rocks. After several seconds, they each had one in hand, and set off.
"I'll just sit here," Jon said, but they were already gone. "… I hate holes. And Fenton, I totally hate Fenton now."
…
"So who's 'the girlfriend?" Danny asked. His group didn't look any worse than the previous video, which was still much better than most of the other people on the island. Danny had rewrapped his injured arm, this time with leaves, and what little had remained of his sleeves. His muscles, and numerous scars, were now clearly visible for all to witness, further driving home the possibility that this teenager may be the hero that's saved countless lives. Through the hole in his shirt, a similar green covering could be seen plastered along his side
"She's-" Will started to answer, but was interrupted by Rux.
"A question for a question!" She demanded. "We answer one of yours, you gotta answer one of ours. Deal?"
Danny looked back at the young woman over his shoulder, his gaze first calculating, then amused. "Twenty questions?"
Rux nodded.
"Deal. So, who's the girlfriend?"
"She's just that, the girlfriend," Rux said, nudging Will. He swatted her hand away, but smiled as he did so. "All on her lonesome back in Amity. Probably worried sick about her perfect other half."
Will rolled his eyes and shook his head. "How'd you even hear that anyways? You guys were a little preoccupied."
"We were?" Danny asked.
"You were, and that counts as a question! You were fighting off the ghosts," Rux answered.
"Oh." The camera panned around to see Danny's wide eyes. He winced and glanced at Sam, who shot him a disapproving look while shaking her head. It was quickly replaced with a knowing smirk. "I have good hearing."
"But you-"
Rux quickly slapped a hand over Will's mouth and hissed, "Don't waste a question!"
Will rolled his eyes again and dragged her hand away. "Why was your class on the plane?"
"School trip," Danny answered shortly. Sam quickly elaborated.
"Class trip. We're all part of the Ghost class, advanced stream. They had a sort of preliminary class last year. When ghosts became known worldwide, it became official. Anyone who took the class last year got into the advanced one this year. And the class with the highest grades always get to go on a trip."
"Cool. Wish they had that when I went to Casper High," Rux mused.
"Why are you guys so calm? Casper High is closer to the middle of the city, where more ghost attacks happen. Our whole class is pretty used to chaos. But the university is out of the ghost's way. I can't imagine you've been involved in lots of big attacks. Most normal people would be freaking out," Sam asked.
"Hey, I'm not normal!" Rux protested.
"Books and TV," Will rushed, before Rux could properly answer. Danny shot him a questioning glance, and the older boy shrugged. "It's just, books and TV. Leave it at that, please?"
Will's eyes briefly darted towards Rux, who was ignoring them at the moment in favour of staring up at the sun. Danny focused on her a moment, and it almost looked like his eyes grew a little brighter, until he blinked at it disappeared before anyone could really see it.
"Okay."
"Good, my turn. It is my game. How long have you two been dating?" Rux asked, pointing at Sam and Danny. The two ravens froze, identical blushes on their cheeks, and rounded on Rux.
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"She's not my girlfriend!" They protested, in unison, with equal vehemence. The young not-a-couple avoided eye contact with each other.
"I don't believe it, kid." Rux shook her head and strolled past them.
"We're not dating," the teens muttered at the same time. They caught each other's gaze, and Danny quickly rushed ahead, taking the lead once again, while Sam hung back a little.
"You should tell her," Rux whispered when Danny passed.
"Nothing to tell," Danny protested, his lie obvious. "What makes you think there is?"
"That counts as your question. And I just know these things." Rux smirked. "So those ghosts before, how'd you fight them without weapons? You just touched it, and poof."
"Who said I didn't have weapons?"
"That counts as another question, you're bad at this. And you have nowhere to keep any weapons." Rux motioned to Danny's torn pants, and what little remained of his shirt.
"But I do." Danny slipped something from his left hand and dropped it into Rux's palm. It was a small gold band, a ring. It looked like there was something written inside.
"What does it say Wes?"
"That's another question for you, and it doesn't," Danny said.
"It totally does, see? Although, if you flip it the other way…"
"It doesn't say Wes!" Danny snatched the ring back and returned it to his pinky, the only finger it would fit. "Those are just scratches, from when it was assembled."
"And you say it's a weapon. What does it do?"
"That's three in a row, Rux. When it's activated, it messes with the ectoplasm bonding the ghost together, makes it disintegrate on contact. Then, poof."
"Poof."
"Exactly." Danny nodded and shoved his hand into his pocket. Rux frowned, staring at it, and the viewers did too. Something about Danny's story didn't seem right. The possibility of that small ring being a weapon could very well be true, with his ghost hunting parents. But still, there was something that bothered the people watching.
But everyone was distracted by the clearing the group happened upon. Most of the surrounding trees looked different, but the bare banana tree, and the path of destruction cutting through the forest was unmistakable. Though Sam was the only one who knew it for what it was.
"Whoa. Hey, Will, imagine that, but a river," Rux said, pointing to the path torn through the trees.
"A little small for a river." Will frowned.
"That's why you imagine! What would this place be?"
"A weird forest. With a river."
"Mossflower," Rux whispered, almost reverently. "But if there's no river, it could be Dark Forest, then we're totally all dead right now."
"Danny, do you know what she's saying this time?" Sam asked, nudging her friend.
"Nope," Danny muttered back.
"Come on, kid. You were doing so well. It's Redwall." Rux gestured grandly, as if that would suddenly make the knowledge appear in his mind. Danny just shook his head.
"No idea," Sam vocalized.
"What happened?"
"Ghosts, big ghosts."
"That goes towards the plane," Danny said, nodding to the path of wreckage.
"Are they in danger?" Sam asked.
"Not from them."
"'Them' being the ghosts doing all this?" Rux asked innocently. Danny and Sam looked at her, surprise evident on the Goth's face, but Fenton's was neutral. "What? We were attacked by ghosts, ghosts attacked everyone else. It would be an awful big coincidence if they all just happened to be residing here when we crashed."
"I always forget not everyone's an idiot," Sam muttered.
"Everyone is an idiot," Danny corrected her, eliciting many unheard cries of protest from those watching. "They're just smart at some things.
Sam gave him an amused look. "Where was this Danny Fenton in middle school?"
"He wasn't dead yet." Despite the morbid comment, the two friends actually burst out laughing. They didn't hang around the clearing much longer. Danny seemed to study the area, although as far as anyone watching could tell, there wasn't much to see besides some trampled plants. They resumed their walk, and Sam took up the game of questions again.
"What do you study, at university?"
"Lame question. I'm an art student," Rux said.
"And Will?"
"He dabbles, mostly does self-publishing on the side."
"Really? What kind of-"
"Stop," Danny commanded, and they did. Even Will, who was still several paces behind. The Fenton boy stood up straight, glaring into the trees. The camera panned around, showing nothing.
"More ghosts?" Will asked quietly.
Danny seemingly ignored him and instead stepped forwards, placing his feet carefully. The foliage up ahead was thick, the trees closer together and the bushes more wild. Anything could be hiding in there. He looked back at the others once, taking in Rux's excitement, Will's curious worry, and Sam's careful gaze, before disappearing into the trees.
A few seconds later, there was a scream.
Sam dashed forwards, then quickly stumbled back as a body, one that wasn't Danny's, tumbled out of the leaves. Brown hair, green eyes, and a twitchy habit. Dylan quickly scrambled upright, staring at the others.
"We found someone!" He cheered.
"And nearly blew his ear drum out," Danny said as he emerged behind Dylan, with the cabin attendant in tow. He was rubbing his ear.
"That was you?" Rux asked, and she giggled.
"Hush, Rux," Will chided, slapping her lightly. The young woman hardly stifled her laughter.
"I will have you know, that I'm very jumpy," Dylan defended himself. "And Danny… what happened to you? Was it a predator? Were you attacked? Are you going to bleed out too?!"
"We were attacked, but he's not going to bleed out," Sam said.
"And too?" Danny added.
"We were running from this wolf ghost thing, and we climbed a tree, then fell out into this oddly perfect hole that I swear wasn't there before, and Jon injured himself. We got out, but he's still down there, and what if he dies too?" Dylan's explanation was rushed and panicked, and Danny grabbed his shoulders. The Fenton boy didn't say anything, just gave Dylan a look, and he immediately calmed down.
"Where is he?" Sam asked.
"We marked the trees, it's this way," Casey waved them forwards and showed them to the first marking, then pointed to another not too far away. Danny touched the bark and scowled lightly, dragging his fingers along the gouge. The others started moving, but he immediately stopped them.
"Not that way." He went off in the other direction. Sam followed without hesitation while the others shared confused glances.
"You made these, right?" Will asked.
"Yeah." Casey nodded.
"And you came from that direction?" He pointed where the markings went.
"Yep," Dylan confirmed.
Will looked skeptical, but Rux had already started moving. "Fenton hasn't led us wrong so far, not that I know where he's even leading us. I guess I'll follow."
Casey looked at the trail they had marked, then at the three quickly receding backs. "We shouldn't be separated."
"Right, bad things happen. Wait for us!" Dylan called and ran after them.
…
The screen cut to what was quickly becoming a familiar, and rather uneventful sight, to the viewers. Jon, doing nothing, while sitting in the bottom of his hole. A few people questioned why he was even being showing again. Without Casey or Dylan around, there really wasn't anything to see. At least that's what they thought, until two black eyes distinguished themselves from the surrounding dirt.
Jon remained oblivious for several seconds, unaware of the shouts of warning being called at computer, cellphone, and TV screens across the continents many days too late. When he did look up he jumped and tried to scramble back, jarring his leg and releasing a hiss of pain. A purple teardrop body formed around the eyes, much like the Cheshire cat and his grin, and the Purple Man raised his four arms.
"Don't panic, I'm not going to hurt you," the ghost said in a surprisingly soothing voice.
"Like hell I won't panic! Get away from me!" Jon lashed out at the ghost, but his hand passed harmlessly through it.
"I already said I'm not going to hurt you. I can't yet, not when I don't know if you're going to be one of the interesting ones." The Purple Man grinned slyly, floating closer to the invalid boy. Jon pushed himself along the wall, not getting any further away.
"What the hell are you here for?" Jon spat.
"I need your help with something."
"What the f- I'm not gonna help you!" Jon shook his head sharply.
"Yes, you will." The Purple Man's voice lowered, and Jon immediately stopped moving. "That's better! Now, I need you to do something for me."
The ghost floated closer and whispered something in Jon's ear, but the camera didn't catch it, most likely on purpose. The ghost pulled away with another grin plastered across its face and faded from view while Jon sat there, unresponsive, for what felt like a long time. The spell was broken when a sharp scream pierced the air.
"Holy!" Jon flinched, whipping his head around. "Where… what the hell was that about? I… what was what about?"
Jon shook his head and looked up. "Casey? That wasn't you, right? You better not have died."
The camera started to spin, still focus on Jon, and his movements became very rapid, signalling a passage of time. When it slowed, his fidgets returned to a normal pace. He was looking around nervously, although it didn't look like he knew why. It was evident he had no memory of the Purple Man appearing before him.
"I swear, if you guys are dead," Jon grumbled.
"Not dead!" Casey's head popped over the side of the hole, and she smiled down at him.
"The scream? Were you guys attacked?"
"No, we're fine."
"Did you find any vines?" Jon asked, the relief evident in his voice. "I really don't like it down here."
"We found something better." Casey's head disappeared, followed by a voice Jon barely knew, but the viewers recognized all too well.
"Is it the pincers?" Rux called.
Jon frowned. "Why would blondie-"
"Rusty blonde," Rux corrected.
"-be better?"
"Because it's not just blondie." Sam stepped up to the edge of the hole, followed by Danny.
"Fenton! When I get out of here, you're telling us what the hell is going on!" Jon demanded.
"Hey, when you get out there, it'll be because of Danny," Sam snapped. Danny just gave Jon a weak smiled before backing out of view.
"And how does he plan on doing that?"
"Human chain?" Casey suggested off screen.
There was no verbal reply, but everyone assumed Danny just nodded.
"Jon, get out of the way," Sam instructed. Since the Goth girl wasn't one to be disobeyed, Jon quickly did as told. He hobbled upright and pressed himself against the wall. A second later, a shadow blocked the opening, and with a whoosh and a thud, Danny Fenton landed crouching beside him.
Jon gaped at him, looking up, then back down again.
"Fenton, do you know how far that was?"
Danny shrugged and, still crouched, turned his back towards Jon.
"You can't be serious," Jon deadpanned, and Danny winced.
"Just, get on," he reluctantly spoke. Jon hesitated, probably not trusting Danny's strength, but listened anyways. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around Danny's neck, but was too proud to wrap his good leg about the other boy's waist. It was obvious Danny didn't mind.
Fenton started climbing immediately, much faster than Casey and Dylan did. He looked confident of his holds, scaling the wall with ease, and soon enough was pulling himself out of the top. Jon pushed away from Danny the first chance he got, hopping towards a tree and leaning against it. In the full light, his leg and injury could be seen clearly. There were no protruding bones or strange bends, but there was a gash along his calf.
"Is that all?" Sam asked.
"It's sprained," Danny answered before the boy who was actually injured could.
"How do you know?" Jon raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Ghosts, anatomy, science stuff," Danny explained lamely. His eyes were darting between the small gathering. Six people surrounding him. He quickly backed out of the circle, and Sam gave him a pitying look while she attended to Jon's injury.
"I'm going to use your pant legs to bind it," she informed him seconds before ripping his jeans.
"Oh, sure. Thanks for asking," Jon grumbled, but didn't protest further. It would be a little stupid to.
"Nice cut offs." Casey giggled, and Jon grimaced at his torn jeans.
Sam finished wrapped his leg and stepped back. "All the first aid supplies are at the plane. I can't believe we didn't take backpacks. What the hell, Danny?"
"Uh, sorry." Danny grinned sheepishly.
"Fenton men," Sam scoffed, but she was smiling to.
"Actually, Fenton, I decided I hate you," Jon said. "You know stuff, and you're not telling anyone."
"When everyone's together, we'll tell you guys everything."
"Sam." Danny touched her shoulder briefly, then looked at Jon. "You can hate me, fine. But I have my reasons for not telling you guys, not yet. But I will."
"Everything?" Jon asked. He didn't sound satisfied, but his mood had taken an odd turn at Danny's words.
"Everything, I mean it."
"Danny!" Sam hissed, sounding like a warning.
"They're gonna find out. I already decided to tell everyone."
Only Sam looked like she understood
"What now?" Dylan asked.
"Back to the plane?" Casey suggested.
Danny glanced upwards, towards the camera. "Back to the plane."
…
The screen briefly cut to the beach. Marie, Mikey, and Andy were sitting under the m the makeshift lean-to Will and Rux had hobbled together, her leg propped up on a presumably empty bag, and Valerie was sprawled out beside them.
"I can't take it, I'm gonna snap," Andy muttered, twitching his foot in Paulina's direction.
"Valerie beat you to it," Mikey said, refusing to look at the Latina, who was leaning against the body of the plane, running her fingers through her hair.
"Sorry, not sorry." Valerie shrugged.
"Aw, man. It's probably for the best, anyways. I'm so hungry, I don't have the energy to yell." Andy groaned. Marie nodded in agreement. For not having any food, the teens didn't look particularly starved or parched, but that was probably for the best.
"That's one of us." Mikey pointed to Leo, who was standing at the edge of the beach, dancing away from the approaching waves. She was shrieking with laughter while her mother watched, just out of the water's reach.
"It's good that she's happy," Marie said quietly. She drew her knees to her chest and lowered her chin. "Growing up sucks."
Andy hummed in agreement. "It sure does."
The others nodded slowly and flopped back to lie in the sand.
"Innocent until proven ghostly," Valerie muttered.
"And never again," Marie finished quietly.
Only those watching from Amity Park understood what the girls meant. No one knew who said it first, but it applied to people that could be overshadowed. When more people started coming in contact with possessed individuals, panic spread, no one knew who to trust. This phrase embodied the attitude many people in Amity Park had to take towards potentially overshadowed people, and now applied to anyone whose lives were influenced by ghosts.
Innocent until proven ghostly, and never again.
Once the ghosts get you, there's no going back.
…
"It's the plane!" Tucker and Kwan cheered. They were running along the beach, and looked a little better than before. Their damp shirt fronts hinted at them having found a source of water at some point. The sun, which had been steadily moving across the sky throughout the video, was nearing the horizon. Grayson was jogging a ways behind the boys, and quickly catching up, while Star was rolling her eyes and walking normally towards the aircraft that could be seen down the stretch of sand. It was amazing, how quickly they seemed to get back to the plane.
Tucker and Kwan whooped and high-fived, slowing only when they reached the piles of suitcases and bags. No one else was in sight.
"Paulina?" Kwan called.
"Val? Mikey?" Tucker shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Danny worshipping kid?"
"Leo, I think," Kwan whispered.
"Right." Tucker nodded in thanks. "Leo!"
They started walking towards the plane as Grayson caught up with them.
"Where is everyone?" The older man asked, looking around. As he did, a small head popped into one of the plane windows with dark hair. It didn't stay long enough for them to see her clearly, but it was obviously Leo.
"They're back, they're back!" The girl cheered. "Is Danny here?"
"Took you long enough," Paulina's accented voice drawled. The camera jumped to the doorway, but only showed a pair of feet as Valerie showed herself first.
"Where's everyone else?" Her good foot tapped against the frame.
"Everyone was separated," Kwan answered.
"Oh no! I hope they aren't missing, like Dash," Paulina whined. A small body pushed past Valerie's legs as Leo jumped from the plane. The camera followed her, but remained on her back.
"Where's Danny?"
"He's not with us. He's finding everyone else," Tucker said with an apologetic smile.
"Oh, okay." Leo's shoulders slumped.
Star, who had finally caught up, crossed her arms and looked at Leo with confusion. "Something seems off."
"Like what?" The little girl asked innocently. The camera started to move upwards and around, to face Leo's front.
"I don't know."
The viewers good no longer see Star's scowl but they could hear it.
"That means nothing's wrong!" The camera stopped as it reached Leo's chin.
"Yep." Leo chirped, nodding, and the camera backed away, giving the viewers a full view of her front. She tilted her head, an empty face turned up towards the older Survivalists.
"There's nothing wrong."
…
Obviously by this point this story is more conspiracy and character oriented than action packed, which I think will remain the main focus. There will be more action, but I thought I'd just let you know. I tried to give Danny a tad more of his normal personality from the show. He may be all mature and silent (for reasons that will be explained) but he can still be that C student that forgets things at 'home' sometimes :P
One more thing before responses. I got a story idea, but I need people to actually be interested in it. It would be a oneshot series of DP fanfiction clichés (mental intrusions, GZ field trips, the class being caught by Walker). It would function purely on a request basis. You give me a fanfiction cliché, and I write a oneshot with an original Alis twist. So far I've only had one person express any interest, and if no one else does, then I won't write it.
Howlingflame345: I will indeed :)
Dimensional Girl: Thank you! It's my own little way of including you guys in the story
SilverFlameHaze: That's actually true! Danny has mastered duplication, so he uses it when minor, peskier ghosts are attacking, and it does affect Wes' charts. I love your questions
Starfang's Secrets: It's so close! Danny's already given up on keeping his secret, even though it's only been five days. He's gonna reveal it in an… interesting and unique way
Higigf: Why yes, it is a video. The turning off portion is part of future plot, and will be explained when Danny reveals his secret
Lovepatrolalpha1344: Thank you for understanding! My schedule should be calming down soon, so after next week the update frequency should be better
Great: Danny's parents will have actually searched his room. The next time they appear, that will be brushed upon a little. I'm toying with the idea of introducing one more media outlet to show the more personal moments, but I think it might end up being too much. I'll work it in somehow
Verdantia A: That would actually be hilarious. I might have to do a oneshot or mini-story about that one day
Animallover: Thanks for the long review! Wilkes actually has a fairly solid source for her reasoning, although it'll stay a secret until she (yes, Wilkes is a she) and Danny meet at the end of the series, but some of it is intuition based. Your explanation did make sense, and some of her processes were similar to your theory. As for Wes, I think that he became desperate the more people laughed at his idea of Danny Fenton being Danny Phantom, so having other people finally agree with him may have broken him a little. A clear timeline for the show would have been fantastic. Since they only showed holidays once (although they did have two summers, correct? It's easy to think it all could, theoretically, fit into one year. If you did a little bit of rearranging. I have a couple ideas for how Leo will react, and I just can't pick one.
Sirrius The Moonblade: I hope you liked the reference! And thanks for understanding. Stage managing is fun, if a bit stressful at times. But at least these plays will be done next week!
Cutiepie120048: Someone actually will accuse Wes of being Danny Phantom. I actually totally forgot I hadn't mentioned Vlad yet, but you've given me a fantastic idea on how I can at least show him once, and I'll do my best!
HEB807: Haha, sorry about that. But you can actually still logic your way to their identity. I haven't left any obvious clues yet, but there will be a couple. And it made me so happy to read that. I love it when I see someone reading several of my stories at once, it means I must be doing something right :P
Wiseguy2415: Wes is such a tattletale. Though he's bound to be a little excited when for the first time someone is actually going to believe him.
A Vivid Reader: It's so perfect when the whole fandom agrees on something that's fanon fact, and thank you for understanding my schedule issues. It's nice to know it's worth the wait!
Guest: [The plot has thickened so much not even a Simons cutter could get to it.] It will all go on behind his back, but he will eventually reveal himself as Phantom to everyone on the island. There's only so much he can do in this situation while keeping his secret safe
Guest: [Do Rux and Will have anything to do with Wilkes?] That, my nameless friend, will remain a surprise :P
Nozomi Higurashi: You just gave me a hilarious idea for a Jazz and Wes interaction scene, thank you for that. And once I bring the GiW in, they are going to have lots of trouble
PhantomWorks- Stories division: He may have, just a bit, driven Wes insane.
Phantomgirl21: The turning off thing will be explained when Danny's identity is revealed, but I'm really curious about your theory. I'd love to hear it
Shugokage: Thanks!
Oh my goodness, so many reviews! I love you all!
'See' you next time!