Dizgirl: Wow, five weeks. Sorry everyone. I was hoping post tax season was going to be kind. It was not. But here is chapter 21! We're checking in on all of our different groups and even venturing into a new perspective. She was tired of not adding her thoughts to the mix. :)

Enjoy and love!

Chapter 21: Far from You

Phantom

The night sky was quiet and uneventful as I flew. Considering my last flight four days ago and the tumult of the last twenty-four hours, I was very grateful for that. The only thing I struggled with was my draining strength. I didn't notice it right away but after a few minutes I could feel my body begin to drag. I felt winded, though I didn't need to breathe, and a shaky weakness pestered me every few minutes. I frowned with frustration. I had been doing nothing but resting for three whole days! I had eaten food three times each of those days! Yes, I hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning, but normally I was lucky to get two full meals. Why did a flight like this drain me so much? I had even slept earlier today!

With a sigh, I shoved the complaints of my body and mind to the side and focused on flying in a straight line. About ten minutes later I saw the glittering blanket of lights below end abruptly in darkness ahead of me. The ocean! I floated downwards as I came closer, aiming for the docks I saw sticking out from the coast on my left. My eyes swept across the area, searching for the warehouse I had lived in the last few weeks. A smile stretched across my face in recognition…I had found the right place! I fell slowly towards its roof and phased through the metal sheeting, exchanging the night sky for the shadowy gloom of the warehouse. My warehouse.

Nothing looked different. There were the piles of boxes, rows of rusted machinery, the door to the outside, the other to the adjacent building, the large garage-like door… The only things that stood out were the smashed crates from when Skulker and I fought. Their remains had been left scattered across the cement floor, seemingly untouched. I continued my descent until I landed on the ground near one of them. Had no one come here since then? When they came back, they had to have wondered where I was, had to have seen that something had happened. He would want to wait for me. He needed me. Where was he?

I wrapped my arms around my middle, careful not to scrunch the healing wound on my chest, and listened to the distant sounds of traffic and the lap of the ocean. I couldn't hear anything else. I turned in a slow circle, my eyes wide as I tried to catch any hint of movement. Nothing stood out amongst the grays and blues surrounding me. No strange noises, no unusual sights. The place was empty and still just like it was supposed to be. Instead of bringing me the usual comfort, it only made me feel…lost.

Didn't they miss me?

No answer came to my unspoken question and I began to wander, walking silently across the ground between the stacks of crates. I passed the area where Sam and I usually sat, feeling a second pang of loneliness as I wondered if she had come back while I was gone. Had she missed me? It was probably too late in the night for her to be here, so it was possible she had come while I was gone, but I wasn't sure if I could believe it. I hugged myself a little tighter and moved past that part to the place I had fallen when Skulker attacked me. I frowned and skirted around the crushed wood. I guess one positive to being alone meant that he wasn't still trying to…capture me or whatever it was he was trying to do. I just hoped that he wouldn't come looking for me here again.

I continued my meandering path towards the other side of the warehouse where the machines sat, still finding no change to the place I had protected. My steps began to slow when I reached the back, another wave of that lightheadedness from my flight hitting me hard. I had tried to avoid using too much of my energy by walking instead of floating, but it wasn't enough. I probably needed to change back…and sit down. My body seemed to agree and the rings of light appeared before I consciously made the decision, switching me to my human half in a shimmer of energy.

The shaky feeling intensified, accompanied by a wave of exhaustion, and I closed my eyes as I swayed a little. Yeah…I needed to sit down… I walked slowly to the closest stack of boxes and grabbed onto the corner of the top crate to steady myself. There was one next to it that was on its own and I climbed onto it, resting my back against the taller stack. I shivered a little and burrowed deeper into my new clothes. I could feel the chill in the air again now that was I human. Was it from the rain? Or the upcoming autumn? Probably both. It was good I had grabbed the sweatshirt. I would have been really cold otherwise…

What should I do now? Should I wait here? They usually came back in the morning. Maybe…maybe they would show up like they usually did. Maybe it was just lonely…because it was night. My jaw cracked as I yawned widely, rubbing my face afterwards. Maybe…maybe he still needed me and he just…knew I'd come back. I would have to wait…and see. But…yeah, waiting sounded…good. I could just rest. Just let my eyes close…for a moment…

Sam

Thursday morning dawned cool and cloudy. It was the kind of weather I loved and I went around the house with a faint smile on my face, dressed more warmly and with plans to pack soup for lunch. If I weren't grounded and everything were okay with Phantom, things would have been perfect. But even with those two things hanging over my head, I still found plenty to enjoy on this early-fall morning. I even had the gumption to be friendly to my parents and I think I completely threw them off. That earned another smile from me, which was way past my usual quota for this early in the morning, and I left for school chuckling at their expressions.

I arrived earlier than I normally did and wandered around for a while in search of Tucker. He usually got here before me due to his bus's schedule. I perused the front yard for a short while but, not finding him anywhere, switched my search to inside. I worked my way through each of the main halls and came up empty. With a faint frown, I returned to outside and watched as more and more students appeared and filled the grounds surrounding the school. Maybe he was running late today…

Just as I thought that, I caught sight of a yellow shirt out of the corner of my eye. I twisted around from my post on the front steps and confirmed it was him. He was walking from the parking lot and next to him was that redhead from a week ago. Who was she? I had seen them talking before, though more so in the last few weeks. I had never met her myself and I had never really asked or cared. Now I couldn't help the spark of curiosity rising in me.

I jumped off the steps and headed for him. With him coming towards me, it didn't take long for our paths to meet. "Hey," I greeted. He looked at me, an emotion passing over his face too quickly to catch before he smiled.

"Hey," he said back. Had I interrupted something? He didn't sound like I did. I was distracted by the girl as she gave me a guarded look and I remembered that the last time (and pretty much the only time) we had interacted I had been very upset—furious. I gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about, uh, earlier," I told her.

She relaxed a little. "No, it's fine. Obviously you two had something you needed to resolve..."

"Uh, yeah…" I looked at Tucker, trying to indicate that he could jump in at any point and introduce us to each other. Luckily, he got the hint.

"Jazz, this is Sam," he said to her and then turned to me. "Sam, this is Jazz."

"Nice to meet you," Jazz held out a hand. I took it and we shook.

"Yeah, you too." I then looked back at Tucker. "How do you two know each other? I mean, I don't see you around very often." Jazz also turned to Tucker, her eyebrows rising in surprise. His gaze dropped to his feet and he fidgeted nervously.

"Um, she's…" he paused and started again, "my friend that…disappeared two years ago? This is his sister." My eyes widened and I looked back at Jazz.

"Oh…" was all I could say. That could explain the funny look on his face as I joined them. I had never considered the idea that his friend from back then had siblings. I guess it was because I was an only child. Wow, if losing this person was tough on Tucker I couldn't even imagine what it was like for Jazz. Some sort of form of pity must have been evident on my face because she gave me a small smile that seemed to say that she knew what I was thinking and she was far too used to it.

"I guess you came here after all that happened, huh?" she asked.

I nodded. "I moved in during winter break." There was a moment of awkward silence that I instantly wanted to fill, but with what? What did you say to someone who lost a sibling? I mean, I could say I was sorry, but it's not like that really did anything. Besides, I didn't know her, or her…I guess he was her brother. I knew Tucker so I could say more to him, but she and I were basically strangers. A sorry just seemed kinda empty in that case.

"Well, I have a few things I need to do before class starts…" Jazz broke the silence. "I'll see you later, okay?" Tucker gave a nod and she walked off. I watched her for a moment and turned back to him. Dozens of questions buzzed in my mind, questions I had harbored since the last time we had talked about this. I debated whether to bring them up now, but before I could make up my mind he spoke.

"It'll be two years on Monday." He kicked the ground with his shoe. "That's why I've…been in a bad mood."

It only took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Two years since he…disappeared?"

"Yeah."

My next question burned on my tongue. I had used the word 'disappeared' when I had wanted to say 'died'. That was what he had said before so why had he used the word 'disappear' a moment ago? Was it just to be nicer about it? Or was it some legal thing like they couldn't actually claim he was dead until a certain amount of time passed? Or was it uncertain? I opened my mouth to ask but then chickened out and closed it again. That just didn't seem like the thing to bring up now while our peers were standing around us.

"So, will you…do something that day?" I decided to ask instead.

He shrugged. "I dunno, I might not come to school." I nodded and we fell into another uncomfortable silence. I kind of wanted to change the subject since he seemed reluctant but I also felt insensitive if I did that. Fortunately it seemed Tucker was of the same opinion.

"So you're here early," he said, turning towards the entrance to the school. I took his lead and we walked inside the building.

"Uh yeah, it was a good morning actually."

His eyebrows rose over his glasses. "A good morning? For you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I know, the miracles of miracles, but yeah. The weather's nice, not too much sun, and I have garbanzo bean soup for lunch today."

"Yeah, cold, shade, and bean soup. Nothing else says 'good morning' like that combination."

I pushed against his shoulder at the thick layer of sarcasm that coated his statement. I jibed back, "Well it's no PDA, but I think it's pretty good."

He shook his head. "Hey, don't diss the tech!"

"Technology is one thing," I replied. "Your unhealthy obsession with it is another."

"I'm a techno-geek." He jabbed his thumb towards his chest. "It's my job to be obsessed with technology."

The smile slid off my face. It was funny; the comment would normally make me chuckle and say something snarky back, but I found myself unable to continue the usual battle of wits. All I could hear was Phantom saying "it's my job" and think about how he obsessed over protecting the warehouse, the warehouse where he wasn't anymore and I still had no idea why. I didn't know if he was okay, if he would return, if…

"Sam?" Tucker looked at me with concern.

I smiled apologetically. "Uh, sorry, Tuck. You just reminded me of…Phantom." I sighed and rubbed one arm. "I'm just worried about him and it sucks that I can't even go try to find him since I have no idea where he could be!"

A peculiar expression stole over Tucker's face. It looked almost brooding. I grimaced. Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring up Phantom right after we had that chat about his friend who had died—or disappeared or whatever—because of ghosts.

"Sorry, Tuck. Just ignore that. I'm sure you're tired of hearing me ramble on about a ghost."

"Uh, no it's fine. It's not you," he muttered back, his eyes dropping away from mine. "I'm…" he paused, fiddling with his backpack straps, and then continued, "I'm sure your ghost is fine, Sam. They're pretty tough, so…" He shrugged. I watched him curiously, trying to figure out why he was reacting this way to a subject he usually avoided or handled with disapproval or resignation. Was he trying to be nice to me? Reassure me? I smiled. That was new and very welcome.

"Thanks, Tuck. I hope you're right. And I hope I can see him again. I'd hate to never find out, y'know?"

A smile flickered onto his face but disappeared as he pressed his lips together again and his eyes wouldn't meet mine. I guess it was awkward for him. Maybe he was waiting for me to tease him about changing his attitude. Or maybe this still had to do with his friend. I decided to act like it was normal instead, even if it did seem kind of odd…

"Okay…I guess I'll head to class. See ya later?" I turned towards the stairs that were down the hall. I had history first but Tucker had P.E. so he'd be sticking to the ground floor while I went up.

"Yeah…"

I had made it a few steps when he called out, "Sam?"

I stopped and twisted back to face him. "Yeah?"

"Uh…" he paused and then shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Never mind. I'll…see ya later." He gave me a half-smile that wasn't very convincing.

I furrowed my brow. Was it something more than just awkwardness? Did it have to do with his friend's anniversary? "You sure?" I asked out loud.

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, really. It was nothing." The half-smile returned and then he turned to head to class. I watched him walk away, frowning a little. That was strange…

Jazz

"Hey!" someone called as I stepped out of my car. I didn't realize that it was for me until I heard the same voice say, "Jazz!" I looked up and saw Tucker waving at me as he walked by. He changed course and veered my way as I locked the car door.

"Hi Tucker," I said as he reached me. I picked up my bag and we began the walk from the parking lot to the school building.

The silence between us wasn't really awkward, but it wasn't common for him to come and talk to me. We would say hi and he'd come by sometimes to our house, but he tended to avoid me at school. I was sure it was because of how badly he had been badgered by his peers after my brother disappeared. Being barraged by questions and having to hear all the rumors floating around wasn't easy—I would know. We both tried to avoid that as best we could, and that meant keeping our interactions to a minimum. The only time that changed was when…

"Hey, so," Tucker spoke up, "can I still come over on Monday?" The only time that changed was when the anniversary came up.

"Yeah, I think you can," I told him. "I haven't asked my parents yet, but I don't think they would mind. I was thinking of watching some home movies of him; you could join me." Because I was pretty sure my parents wouldn't. It would be too hard for them. It was hard for me too, of course, but it was…therapeutic. It was good to focus on positive memories instead of only dwelling on the negative. Or the realization that there wouldn't be any new memories.

"Thanks," he smiled. "Um…do you plan on going to school?"

I pressed my lips together. "I should…but part of me thinks it might be a good idea to stay home." For me. For my parents.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too…"

"Well if we both do, you could come over at any time," I told him. "I'll let you know."

"Okay, thanks Jazz," he gave me a smile.

I sighed as I reflected on that conversation from this morning. I wish I didn't have to see that kind of smile so often. The kind that hid pain. It was one that my parents often used. It was one I had worn myself. Because what else can you do? You can't let your grief come out, though that would be much healthier for all of us if we did. Unfortunately our society doesn't consider it polite or respectful to openly grieve. You were supposed to be strong in front of others. It was a philosophy my parents stood by.

My thoughts then turned to Tucker's friend Sam. I didn't know her, but I had been happy that someone had befriended Tucker after Danny was gone. He had needed a friend desperately, someone in his grade with no connection to what had happened. When I had heard that he had befriended a girl who had just moved into our area, it sounded like the perfect match. And as far as I could tell it was; Tucker was much better now than he was two years ago.

Though, my first meeting with Sam last week had me wondering exactly how positive their relationship was…I'm not sure if I've ever seen a girl that hostile before. Well, that openly at least. Girls could be vicious in high school—I was well aware of that—but they usually directed it through snide comments and passive aggressive actions, not walking straight up to a person and dragging them off. I had half a mind to go after them at the time, but decided I probably should stay out of it. Tucker seemed okay when I saw him later. And they seemed perfectly fine with each other today. Maybe it was just how their friendship worked. Maybe, for some reason, that was exactly why Sam was good for him.

I shook my head and pushed my musings to the back of my mind. It was the end of the school day and I was just pulling into the garage at home. Now was the time to focus on family and homework. I got out of my car and gathered my belongings before heading inside. I hadn't seen my parents since yesterday morning. I had been at a friend's working on homework last night and when I came home they were still gone. They must have come back sometime after I fell asleep and then I left early this morning so I could get some things done before school.

It wasn't too unusual for us to not see each other sometimes; their schedules were sporadic with ghost hunting, but I couldn't help but miss the chance to begin and end the day with them. So, when I came inside, I immediately called out, "I'm home!" and waited for a response.

There was a moment of silence and then my mom's voice carried out from the kitchen, sounding distracted. "Jazz? We're in here." I followed the sound and found both her and my father sitting at the table. Various devices were spread out on its surface, some looking complete but most of them still under construction. Stuffed between them were blueprints and maps of the city with various markings on it. I raised an eyebrow in question. Usually they tried to keep this stuff in the lab.

"What are you doing?" I asked when they didn't look up.

"We're gonna go hunt down that ghost," my dad replied, his eyes gleaming with his usual passion. "We're gonna find it, take it down, and rip it apart!"

"No Jack! We can't rip it apart," my mom shook her head, her expression serious and lacking its usual exasperation. She set the weapon in her hand on the table. "We need to interrogate it first, remember?" My dad looked ready to pout but then he clenched his jaw and nodded. He became absorbed again in the giant gun resting on his knees. I smiled in amusement. How sad was it that this conversation wasn't that far out of the ordinary? I had heard a hundred variations of it over the last year. But it had been a while since I had seen them so intensely focused. I wonder what the ghost had done…

Not caring quite enough to actually ask, I turned to go upstairs to my room. I had only walked a few steps though when my mom called my name.

"Jazz?" I turned and saw her give my dad a significant look. He reluctantly sat up and set his gun down on the table. "We have something we need to tell you." I gave them a questioning look as I returned to the table and sat down in the closest chair.

"Okay," I said expectantly.

They exchanged another look and my mom spoke, "Do you remember we went to Axiom Labs two days ago to help the police investigate a ghost attack?"

I nodded. "Yeah, you said they attacked a boy there." And I remembered that they both had been a little funny about it, like the meeting had not gone as expected. Then again, how often did they go to the aftermath of a ghost attack instead of in the heat of it? And to have a boy involved…well, I had mainly chalked up their reaction to the fact that they probably thought of Danny in that situation.

"Well, that boy…he…is about thirteen with black hair and blue eyes…" She trailed off, looking at me as my eyes widened. What?

"The main detective on the case is Detective Lowry," she continued, her face carefully neutral and incredibly sober. I quickly looked at Dad to see he had also adopted a serious look before refocusing on my mom. Every word seemed to add itself to a weight on my chest. They…they couldn't mean…

"He…we," she looked at Dad, "asked him if it was a possibility that the boy was Danny. He said he would check and that night he asked for Danny's dental x-rays." I could only stare, my whole body rigid in my chair. If they were asking for dental records then that meant there was more than just a random possibility. That was considered conclusive evidence!

"Then we went to the hospital—"

"—he didn't want us to go," Dad interjected, a rare scowl on his face, "but we had to see for ourselves! They couldn't keep us away from our son!"

Those last words jolted me out of my shock. I opened my mouth, struggling to get my voice to work, my eyes darting back and forth between my parents. Did that mean? Was he saying…? I finally choked out, "Was it him? Was it Danny?" They once again shared a look, eyebrows drawn together but tentative smiles breaking out across both their faces. I waited impatiently for one of them reply, trying not to overanalyze the mixed signals they were sending.

Finally, mom said with her voice cracking, "Yes, Jazz. It...it was him." Her smile grew and her eyes turned glassy with tears as she covered her mouth with a hand. I felt a stinging behind my own eyes and I bit my lip as I watched a few tears slip down her cheeks. It was him? Danny was alive? Danny was alive?!

It had been two years without any idea of where he had gone. He had completely disappeared off the map. My parents had come up with many theories based on what had happened with the ghost portal, but none of them had been positive. He was lost, taken, or dead. After so much time had passed, we had pretty much given up hope that he was one of the first two. This…this was amazing news!

But… I struggled to hold back my own emotions, trying to remain logical. But this didn't make a lot of sense. Where had Danny been for two years? Why did he show up now? How did they find him?! I watched my mom trying to regain composure, Dad rubbing a hand on her back while looking a little choked up himself. My mind continued to race with questions and I finally sputtered one out.

"What happened to him?!"

My dad opened his mouth to answer but I didn't let him, because my mind threw out a new thought followed by a wave of anger. "Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out?!" I stood up. "I want to see him!"

"Jazz," Mom said, her voice still tight though she seemed to be in control again. Her smile was gone as another emotion pinched up her face.

"I can't believe you saw him yesterday and you didn't even tell me!" Now the tears came, gathering in the corners of my eyes and leaking slowly.

"Jazz!" She repeated my name more loudly just as Dad said, "Jazzerincess…"

"What?!"

"We saw him, but only for a second." Pain flickered in my mom's eyes. "Just one second he was right there, and then he…he disappeared."

"We were looking for him all day after that, Jazzypants," my dad added. "All day and night. We wouldn't have stopped if the detectives didn't threaten to throw us in jail if we didn't take a break." He narrowed his eyes, looking out towards the front door. "They wouldn't have taken us down without a fight," he shook a fist in the air before letting it drop, "but your mother said we shouldn't fight the police, so we came home instead."

"He's…gone?" I sagged back into my chair, the anger vanishing as quickly as it had come and leaving me feeling hollow.

"For now," Mom explained. "He disappeared from the hospital and we haven't been able to find him yet. But when we woke up, we remembered that there was that ghost that had attacked him. If that ghost was after him, then maybe it knows where he is. We're going to hunt it down and find out what it knows." Dad smiled, taking this as his cue to drag the gun he was working on from the table and back into his lap.

That's right. The boy was attacked by a ghost and ended up in a hospital… "How hurt is he?" I leaned forward on the table, ignoring the bits of wire and metal strewn across its surface. I had been around it long enough to know what was dangerous and what wasn't.

The anxiety on Mom's face increased and I felt a tickle of worry. "He was electrocuted with some type of claw-like weapon. It left a second-degree burn across his chest." I squeezed my eyes shut. That sounded bad. My mom rested a hand on my shoulder and I looked back at her.

"But he was healing well," she assured me. "In fact, they said that he was healing much faster than you would normally expect."

"That's 'cause he's a Fenton!" My dad stated proudly. "We Fentons are tough!"

My mom smiled a little at this. "He's right. We are." She looked back at me, determination filling her eyes. "And we're not going to stop until we find him."