Chapter 29: Second Child, Restless Child

Jazz was a pragmatic girl. She reveled in her ability to maintain control in situations where most others would fall into panic. She regretted having to put the skill into practice lately, but admittedly was also proud of herself for keeping her cool through it all.

She didn't lose herself when she was forced to walk through literal hell as ghostly monsters prowled the streets. She had remained calm when people needed her help reaching the hospital, and when it fell on her to search for her brother, twice, she'd accepted the task with a level head.

And now, two weeks later, Jazz was a beacon of composure in Casper High. The number of students being scheduled to see her had nearly doubled. So many kids in states of emotional turmoil, looking to Jazz for words of advice and a calm presence.

The extra counseling cut into her classes, which did not please her teachers. But none would dare force her to cancel even one appointment, and so Jazz bore the extra weight gladly, happy to lose a few hours of sleep if it meant helping Casper High's student population.

Her feeling of accomplishment was always marred, however. Something persistently tugged at the back of Jazz's thoughts. Or rather, someone.

Danny was a frequent source of frustration for the red-haired girl, and her sagacious mind turned so heatedly to unanswered questions and worried confusion that Jazz was sure steam would blow out of her ears one day.

It wasn't as though Danny was an open book to her. Since hitting his preteens, he had been steadily putting distance between them. It was the typical moodiness, secrets, and lazy attitude that Jazz expected from her brother. He was an average teenager, after all.

But something had changed recently. Something Jazz was unable to pinpoint. His mood, while sarcastic and standoffish before, was now downright caustic. And it was only getting worse with each passing week.

His C average was tanking quickly into steady D's and F's, mostly from not handing in homework. He was also missing more and more days of school. In fact, this very Monday, the first back to school since Halloween, Danny was pronounced Missing In Action by his third period teacher.

Jazz used to ignore it when he and his friends skipped classes. Mostly because it didn't happen often and yes, because Jazz was secretly biased.

But she couldn't let Danny slide by anymore. Not when he was sliding straight down the path of failure, with the looming shadow of repeating the nineth grade slowly turning from a threat to a certainty.

And that wasn't even the end of it. There were other things…incidents that stood out in the girl's mind, refusing to be forgotten. If she had to pinpoint when the weirdness really began, Jazz would say it was the night she swore she saw Danny standing in her room.

In her bed late at night, Jazz had turned over at the sound of papers fluttering. Two glowing eyes caused her to sit up, certain she was having a strange half-dream. Up until she saw Danny standing inside her mirror, that is. Then she'd screamed, and woke her parents up. She only told them about the eyes, and that night they kept her awake scouring the house for ghosts. Though Jazz knew it couldn't have actually been Danny, she couldn't shake away the image.

And soon after that, he'd seemingly appeared out of thin air to save their dad from a possessed Maddie. Jazz told herself that she was simply too caught up in being freaked out to notice her brother, but her mind knew better.

Not to mention the time she could've sworn she saw him floating in the air above a tree. Or when she heard his friends tell her mom that Danny was at Sam's house, only to then hear her brother talking with them a minute later.

Jazz was divided in two. Her emotional half wanted to push all of this aside. It was too confusing and terrifying. But her logical side refused to let it go, poring over everything on repeat until Jazz felt like she might snap.

It was all building into something; she could feel it. Some big towering answer was sure to come crashing down right on top of her, and she only hoped it would wait until after everything else in her life had cooled down first.

Jazz gathered the rest of her things, leaving her office and heading for the front entrance. She exited Casper High, looking up at the late afternoon sun that warmed the chill air.

She really hoped it wouldn't snow much this winter; walking home in the snow was one of her least favorite things. It was, however, just one step above driving the Fenton RV to school and back.

Yawning, the tired girl picked up her pace.


The Manson house was experiencing a phenomenon.

All three family members, plus Tucker, were actually sitting comfortably in the same room together. Pamela idly filed her nails as she watched the baking channel, while Jeremy lounged nearby, his braced legs propped up and a book in his hands.

These sights weren't out of the ordinary on their own, but when paired with the gothic daughter of the family sitting content nearby, it just made the whole thing downright odd.

At least, that was Tucker's opinion. He sat back on the flowery sofa with Sam, both eating frozen yogurt and chatting about the new trailer for Doomed 2. And not once did either adult shush them or even send pointed looks their way. Yet another deviation from the norm. Tucker couldn't recall a time when Sam willingly hung around her parents, or they sat passively by while she described in enthusiastic detail the updated blood effects that Doomed 2 showcased.

Tucker guessed that it was due to it being Mr Manson's first day out of the hospital. And Tucker was possibly as grateful for that fact as the Mansons were. He was glad to put all of those afternoons spent in the hospital with Sam behind him. Being a supportive friend sure was hard work at times.

Not that Danny would know anything about that, Tucker couldn't help but think. Two entire weeks and several unanswered phone calls, and not once did Danny make good on his promise that he'd visit Sam's father with her.

His excuse that he was avoiding his parents, which he'd also failed to fully explain, lasted only three days. Then Maddie left the hospital, a few new scars as souvenirs, and yet still Danny never went with them. Soon after that he cut all communication with the two, leaving them in the dark as to what had come over him.

He'd also left school that day without a word. Sure, Tucker couldn't really blame him. It was rough being back, with so much changed. The empty desks were hard to not stare at, and the cringey memorial speech they were all forced to attend for first period had Tucker wishing he could turn invisible and sink through the floor.

The people in white suits roving from class to class didn't help, either. They questioned students on the events from two weeks ago, leaving hardly any time for actual class work to get done.

But still, if Danny was going to ditch he could have at least told them. They would've happily skipped out with him.

Now he was off somewhere, once again leaving his friends alone to wonder about him.

"Hey, Tuck? Tucker?" Sam's voice floated into his mind.

Tucker shook his head, coming back to the present. Sam quirked an eyebrow at him, smiling.

"You with me?" she asked. "I said, do you want to go play Doomed? Y'know, say goodbye to some old favorite hangouts before the new game launches."

"Sam, the new game won't be out for weeks." Tucker replied, though he followed the girl as she walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, but I have a lot of places I want to visit." Sam dumped their empty bowls into the sink. "Plus we can fight some of the bosses again, for old time's sake."

"Yeah, it's gonna be difficult bidding the Thrashinator goodbye." Tucker grinned.

They both bound up the stairs, now excited to once more do epic battle against their favorite monsters within the game. It was going to be more difficult using their team strategies while missing one member, but they would manage.


Maddie set down the last bowl of food on the table, Jazz already taking a seat beside her. She called down to Jack just as Danny entered through the front door. His backpack slung over his shoulders, he made for the stairs.

"Danny! Dinner time." Maddie said over the thundering steps of Jack as he bound into the kitchen.

"Not hungry." Danny answered.

"Now you come down here and eat, mister." Maddie ordered, hands at her hips.

Danny paused in his ascent, slowly letting his bag fall onto the steps. He turned around and made his way into the kitchen with everyone else.

Frowning, he sat down in an empty chair. The rest of the family began piling food onto their plates, some more enthusiastically than others.

As they ate in relative silence, Maddie looked toward her son. Danny sat back in his seat, boredom clear on his face as he stared off to the side.

"Try to eat something, honey." Maddie insisted.

Danny cast a blank glance her way before sitting up. He grabbed the bowl of broccoli, placing exactly three pieces onto his plate before sliding back in his seat once more. Both Maddie and Jazz couldn't help but stare at him. When Danny noticed, he rolled his eyes in aggravation before taking hold of his fork.

It was kind of scary, Jazz thought, the way he stabbed all three pieces of broccoli hard enough to make awful scraping sounds when the fork collided with the plate. The way he practically glared at them with each stab was also pretty unnerving. Without a word, Danny shoved the broccoli into his mouth, swallowing the meager food down immediately. Letting the fork drop, Danny went back to watching the walls.

"Um, sweetie?" Maddie spoke up. "Is…is that all you want?"

"Yep, I'm done." Danny replied casually. "Can I go now?"

"If that's what you want..." Maddie answered slowly.

Danny shot out of his chair, walking fast to the stairs.

"Goodnight." he called over his shoulder as he disappeared from view.

Jazz felt her own appetite leave her. Danny had been behaving that way for around a week now. She supposed it was a small improvement, though. Before this permanent bad mood, the boy had been skittish and flighty, barely able to be in the same room as any of them before muttering out an excuse and running away. Combative was better than afraid, Jazz thought. But she still wished she knew the reason behind Danny's strange mood swings.

Jazz mentally resolved to try talking with Danny more about this. Perhaps if she made it clear that she was there for him, he might open up.


Danny closed his bedroom door and locked it in one smooth motion. He threw his bag onto the bed, letting himself fall straight through the floor afterward.

He slowly drifted down, feet touching the floor of the lab without a sound. He walked around a pile of scrap metal, eyes darting toward the shining table in the centre. He wondered just how much strength it would take to rip it loose from the bolts and throw it as far as he could.

He was surprised it had stood against his ecto blasts over two weeks ago. His parents seemed to have gotten everything back in order, though the walls still sported a few stubborn scorch marks. He had heard them lamenting the loss of quite a few of their weapons and prototypes, and felt another flutter of satisfaction at the memory. It effectively slammed the brakes on their ghost hunting escapades, leaving Danny wondering to himself why he hadn't just trashed their lab before. They were working diligently on updated designs, though, and Danny wasn't looking forward to whatever new device his mother cooked up.

He focused back on the present; namely on the closed portal doors in front of him. Silently, he slipped past the metal barrier, passing through into the Ghost Zone.

He smiled at the warped lab, noting with interest how all of the missing items in the human world were also gone here. His eyes moved down to land on the table. Its glimmering metal had a purple hue that slowly churned and swam beneath its hard surface.

Walking forward, Danny held a hand out, slowly lowering it to rest upon the table. He felt the bite of restraints cut into his wrist, and yanked his hand away. Backing up, Danny stared at the table in fear, before he reminded himself that he was not actually in his parents' lab. He was safe.

Glowering at the hated object, Danny felt a smile overtake his features. Striding forward, he gripped the table with both hands. Gritting his teeth, he wrenched it from the floor in two quick pulls.

"Wow, that was easy." Danny grinned, impressed with himself.

He held the table over his head, phasing both it and himself up through the floors of the house. Floating above the Op Centre, Danny threw the table into the space above him. Charging a powerful ecto blast, Danny hit it dead on, sending it careening away from him. He watched it go, disappearing past the patch of land and falling into the depths of the Ghost Zone.

Danny wondered if the table would eventually land somewhere and stay there, or if it would dissolve like the objects that fell out of the doors.

Danny's gaze drifted from where the table had disappeared, sweeping across the expanse of empty space, and then landing on the Op Centre beneath him. He really hated that thing. It bulged out above their house in Amity Park; a shining beacon proclaiming to the entire city that the Fenton home was a house of ghost-obsessed freaks. He could barely remember what the house had looked like before it was built.

Well, this was his house, technically. Here in the Ghost Zone, this wasn't the Fenton Works anymore. It was Danny's home.

'And I think it's high time I do a bit of redecorating.'

He flew down to where the Op Centre connected to the rooftop. He reached out, gripping a part of the metal wall, and pulled with all his might. The metal was stubborn, however, and resisted. Danny flew back in frustration, charging an ecto blast. He sent it right at the structure. And then another, and another. Soon the metal began to give, and Danny gathered energy into both hands before taking aim.

Twin streaks of lightening danced and twirled around one another, illuminating the area in flashes of white as they obliterated most of the wall.

Danny didn't let up, blasting away at the rest of the Op Centre, pulling pieces apart and throwing them in all directions. Bits of metal rained down around the floating island as thunderclaps reverberated across the wide expanse.


The Fenton household was in an uproar. Maddie and Jack ran about, trying to find the source of the ear-piecing metallic sounds. It was as if the entire house was being uprooted. The walls around them trembled with the force of it, and Jack ran for the front door, dragging Jazz behind him. Maddie, meanwhile, made for the stairs, gripping the railing tight.

"It's an earthquake!" Jack yelled. "Quick, everyone get-"

He stopped mid-leap, landing on the sidewalk outside. Everything was calm and serene, no noises or shaking. A few people down the street looked toward them in confusion.

Back inside the house, Maddie grabbed hold of Danny's door, turning the locked handle before beating a fist against the wood.

"Danny, come out!" she shouted over the noise.

With no answer forthcoming, Maddie grew fearful. Stepping back, she gave the door several mighty kicks. On the fourth one, the handle broke off and the damaged door swung inward.

"Danny!" Maddie called, stumbling into the empty room.


Danny smiled down at the house, now completely average and normal. Well, as normal as it could look while floating in the middle of a purple void. Danny was satisfied, nonetheless.

He did frown at the hole left in the rooftop, where the Op Centre's stairway once stood. He would have to figure out some way to patch it up. Perhaps if he brought wood and nails over from the human world.

Flying through it, Danny landed at the end of the upstairs hall, right next to his parents' room. He looked at the closed doorway, his mood darkening before an idea sparked.

He opened the door, floating into the room and looking about. The bed, antique armoire, and everything else didn't feel like his. It was copies of his parents' things, and he didn't see why he had to have them here. It wasn't like Maddie and Jack would be sleeping over in this room any time soon, after all.

One by one, Danny carried each object out of the house, throwing them far and firing ecto blasts after them as they sailed away. It made for good practice, Danny thought to himself.

Once he'd emptied that room, he moved on to Jazz's. Her creepy stuffed animals flew the farthest. When that was finished, Danny dove down into the lab. He tore apart everything he could get his hands on, and before he knew it the entire space was barren, save for the glowing portal.

He wondered if the items would spawn back, and part of him kind of hoped they would, if only for him to make a regular target practice session out of it.

Considering it a job well done, Danny turned invisible and flew back through the portal, hating the extra effort it took to fly when oxygen was pressing down around him. The difference was minuscule, but he could still feel it.

He was glad that his parents were out of the lab. Though he was getting used to it, flying through the lab while his parents were there still unnerved him greatly.

He ascended through the floor and into his room, becoming visible as he landed. He immediately noticed his busted door, and whipped his head around, expecting to see some ghostly enemy waiting to ambush him.

No one was around, however, and the house was completely silent. Danny slowly exited his room, walking down the stairs and into the main room. He glanced into the kitchen, seeing plates sitting unattended on the table.

"Uh…guys? Anyone?" Danny called, trepidation welling up inside.

This was beginning to feel a lot like a trap, and Danny couldn't stop the vibration building up in his hands as he stood in the middle of the living room. His body tense, Danny's mind fought over whether he should calm down and be reasonable or prepare for a fight.

The front door opened, and it was a sheer miracle that Danny didn't send an ecto blast crashing through it. Static sparked around his hands as he turned to the door in terror.

Jazz walked across the threshold, shrieking in fear as she looked toward her brother. Hands flying over her mouth, Jazz stared at him in silence.

Danny immediately calmed upon seeing that it was his sister, but her scream had him worried again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, moving toward her.

Jazz backed away from him, before she quickly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she walked fully into the house, closing the door behind her.

"N-nothing's wrong." she said. "Just my eyes playing tricks on me. This whole month has been such a mess, I think I'm finally losing it."

"Finally? Pfft, you lost it long ago, Jazz, believe me." Danny replied with a smirk, grateful that it appeared nothing was amiss.

Jazz glared at him, though a smile lit upon her face as well, before her eyes went wide again and she was frowning at him in full fury.

"Danny! Where have you been? Mom and Dad are out looking for you!" she yelled.

"Why the heck are they out looking for me, and who broke my door?" Danny asked, aggravated once more.

'Can I never get one moment's peace in this house?' he thought gloomily.

"Hello, you can't just disappear for hours, Danny! It's well past curfew and Mom is totally going to kill you when she gets back." Jazz said.

"What?" Danny looked past his sister and out a window. The black night sky could be seen.

"Exactly what time is it, Jazz?" he asked, kicking himself for losing track of the hour so easily.

Jazz stalked angrily over to the sofa, pulling out her cellphone and sitting down with a huff.

"It's nearly one in the morning." she informed, pulling up her mom's number. "And if you forgot, we have school tomorrow!"

Putting the phone to her ear, Jazz waited for Maddie to answer. In the silence, Danny weighed his options. It was very tempting to just pull another vanishing act; the last thing on earth he wanted was his parents towering over him as they yelled in his face. But that would only make things worse. It seemed the only real choice he had was staying put and dealing with the situation he had gotten himself into. It surely would be a good reminder to set alarms for himself when he entered the Ghost Zone. It was so easy for time to slip by when in there.

"Hi, Mom," Jazz said, and Danny's eyes were pinned to her. "Yeah. I called to tell you that Danny's at the house now and- yeah. Okay."

She lowered the phone to her lap, settling a disapproving look toward her brother.

"They're on their way back, so you'd better think up a good reason why you left the house, at night, without permission. Seriously Danny, what is up with you?"

Now Jazz looked concerned, standing and walking over to Danny. He immediately wished she would go back to scorning him. A lot less prodding questions that way.

"Nothing is up with me, thank you very much, Dr Jazz." Danny replied.

"Yes there is." she persisted. "Danny, I'm your sister and I care about you, okay? Please, if there's anything you want to talk about-"

Her pleading expression and softened tone itched at his nerves, and Danny darted around her.

"Why don't you save the therapy sessions for school, Jazz, because I'm so not interested."

Jazz looked ready to argue, before she crossed her arms, staring at Danny with a look that he didn't like. It was a look that meant she'd sparked an idea.

"Fine, Danny. I'll save it for school." she replied in a calm tone.

The two sat together on opposite ends of the couch, silence piercing the air between them as they awaited the arrival of their parents. It didn't take long.

In under ten minutes the unmistakable rumble of the Fenton RV could be heard, and Danny picked at his jeans nervously. Jazz sat cross-legged and stoic, one finger tapping against her folded arms.

The front door burst open, Maddie springing through it. She spotted the two teens immediately, and her posture went rigid. Hands at her hips and fire in her eyes, Maddie marched upon the two, her glare settled on her son. Jack entered soon after, closing the door behind him and looking just as angry as his wife. It was all incredibly nerve-wracking for Danny, who leaned back into the sofa, his fingers digging into the denim of his jeans.

"And just where on earth have you been, young man?" Maddie demanded, her voice rising. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I couldn't find you in your room?"

Danny scowled up at her, his mind running too fast to think up any elaborate lies. He crossed his arms tight over himself, slouching further into the cushions.

"After everything that's happened! We don't even know if there are still dangerous ghosts roaming the city, and you sneak out at night! Where did you go?"

Her voice cut away at him like jagged glass, and Danny dug his nails into his sides to try and distract himself. It didn't work, and he felt a thrumming begin to build inside, running along his bones, threatening to break through his skin. He needed to get some distance between himself and everyone.

Standing up abruptly, Danny shot toward the stairs. He moved so quickly that Maddie started backward out of his way, interrupted from her yelling. She looked after him for a moment before following behind the retreating teen.

"Get back here, Danny, we're not done discussing this!" she said.

"Listen to your mother!" Jack called when Danny refused to obey.

He and Jazz watched as Danny reached the second floor, Maddie in hot pursuit.

The boy glowered at his broken door, shoving it further aside as he entered his bedroom. Maddie stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Danny returned her glare, gesturing angrily.

"What the heck happened to my door?" he asked, frustrated that he couldn't lock them all out.

"The house was shaking, Danny," Maddie replied. "It sounded like it was being ripped apart. You wouldn't answer, so I assumed you were hurt. I honestly can't believe you just ran off without telling us."

Danny shrugged his shoulders, turning away from her and walking further into his room.

"I just went out for a walk. I didn't realise we were under a lockdown."

"You were gone several hours past your curfew, Danny!" Maddie stressed. "What did you do, climb out your window?"

Danny groaned, wanting this to be over. He rubbed hard at his face before turning back to his mother, trying to appear composed.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I wasn't thinking. I was being a stupid irresponsible teenager, and I wanted to go for a walk. It won't happen again."

"You're darn right it won't, mister!" Maddie affirmed, pointing at him. "From this moment on you are grounded until further notice. That means you come right home after school, no hanging out with your friends-"

"Fine, fine, I get it!" the teen cut in.

"Don't take that tone with me, Danny, I'm in no mood for it." Maddie scolded. "What has come over you lately?"

"Nothing is wrong! I just want to be left alone. Is that so much to ask?"

Maddie breathed in to reply, but a voice from the hall stopped her.

"Mom?" Jazz called. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Maddie relented, giving Danny one last discomfited look before leaving his room. Danny could hear the two talking in Jazz's room soon after, but was too busy trying to calm down to bother paying attention. He walked over to his window, staring hard at the night sky and squeezing his hands into tight fists. The faint vibrations moving through him felt different than normal, and Danny didn't know what it meant. And he certainly didn't want to find out what would happen if it got stronger.

Closing his eyes, he rested his head against the glass, hoping that Maddie wouldn't be back with a new line of reprimands and questions.

As the minutes passed and no one came to bother him further, Danny felt himself relax, the hum retreating gradually. He really wanted to go flying, but didn't see it happening with his door busted. He also really missed his old body.

Unable to do anything, Danny sat down heavily on his bed, staring unseeing at the far wall. Many hours passed over him as he waited for morning to arrive.


"Where have you been?" Tucker's voice floated into Danny's mind, pulling the boy from his drifting thoughts.

He frowned up at the pair as they approached him. They'd arrived a little early that day, cutting in on Danny's solitude as he sat against the wall, enjoying the peace.

"I was at home? Where I live?" he sniped, letting his head fall back.

"He means for the past two weeks, you jerk." Sam lightly kicked his leg.

Danny looked at them once more, frustrated. How on earth was he supposed to even begin trying to explain everything to them? It was easier to just deflect.

"You've been avoiding us, admit it." Sam said, going right to the point. "You haven't returned any of our calls or texts, you only came over to my house once, and you left like ten minutes later."

"And you ditched out of school yesterday, without telling us." Tucker added.

Both teens gazed down at Danny, looking angry and concerned in equal measure. Danny couldn't hold their eyes for long, and so stood up and began walking toward his locker.

"I left because those people in the white suits were crawling all over the school." he said, spinning the small lock. "They have those scanner things I told you about, remember?"

Silence filled up the hall as the three went about putting away their textbooks.

"Danny…what's wrong?" Sam finally spoke up, her voice soft.

"Nothing-" Danny started.

"Don't even try that." Tucker replied. "Something's up, and we can tell."

"We're your best friends, Danny." Sam continued. "We know that something is bothering you. Come on, nothing can be as big as the secret you've already told us."

Danny agreed with her there; this wasn't as devastating as the secret that he was a dead person. But this felt different somehow, and he didn't want to talk about it. He didn't even know how.

He was rescued from having to give an answer by the double doors opening and Lancer walking into the school. He shuffled a few papers in his hands, moving down the hallway toward the trio. As he neared, he finally noticed them, stopping to look at all three. His eyes lingered an extra moment on Danny, and the four of them stood in strained silence for several seconds.

"Good morning, students." he finally greeted. "It's nice to see you all here bright and early. Mr Fenton, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like a brief word with you in my office."

"Okay." Danny replied haltingly. "I'll be there in a minute."

"See that you are." the man nodded, continuing past them.

The three huddled closer together, keeping their voices low.

"He still looks like crap." Tucker whispered. "I heard the principal offered to let him take a few weeks off, but he refused."

If he really had been struck by the Knight's sword, Danny thought, then he could certainly sympathise with Lancer. He wondered what exactly the teacher had seen.


Lancer sat at his desk, placing a few stray pencils and paperclips back in their respective spots. He had neglected to turn on the light, knowing the brightness would only worsen his growing headache. Part of him admitted that maybe coming back to the school so soon was a mistake. The memorial held yesterday had been difficult to get through. Not just because of the students lost that horrible night. But because it reminded him so much of another memorial.

He could still remember it clearly. The sobbing kids and parents. The news cameras. The blame in some peoples' eyes as they glanced his way.

The huge armored ghost had certainly dredged up every feeling and memory that Lancer had spent years burying deep down. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened that night. One moment he was certain that he was about to be gutted, and the next, he was back inside the school.

At the time, he was convinced that the Halloween party was still going on. But then everything became warped and confusing. The faces of children laying in piles across the floor were a mix of both students and classmates from years past.

And Danny…or rather, not Danny. Poindexter, grinning at him through Danny's face, floating above the carnage.

It had all been for nothing. His guilt and regret. His sincere apology to the person he had wronged so long ago. It didn't matter. Poindexter had still repeated history. And all he could do was collapse amid the corpses, unable to do a thing to fix it.

Hopelessness quickly changed to stomach-turning horror as the children began moving. They twitched and crawled toward him, and Lancer was too petrified to stand up and run.

He could still feel their hands on him, even now, painting him in their blood.

He shuddered, quickly brushing away the sensation. It had only been a dream; it wasn't real. He repeated this mantra to himself several times before the door creaked open.

Danny peaked into the room, and Lancer tried not to imagine that same face spattered in red.

"Come in and sit, Mr Fenton." Lancer spoke, grateful that his voice remained steady.

The boy did just that, fingers picking at his shirt and avoiding eye contact.

Lancer took a moment to really look at him. He had received an email under an hour ago, from Jasmine, and he had to admit that the girl was correct. Danny definitely appeared overly anxious.

It furthered Lancer's remorse. If only he had kept better track of the children under his charge that night. If only he had insisted on adult escorts for them as they walked home in the night. So many 'if only's, they weighed down upon his shoulders.

And the Poindexter incident. There was that as well. Lancer hated to admit it, but he'd avoided ever addressing that particular day with Danny. And now he realised what a cowardly move it was. Certainly being possessed by a ghost would have affected Danny. His declining efforts in school were testament enough to that. Not to mention his exhausted state not long ago, and his frequent absences from both school and home.

Yes, something was indeed wrong with the boy, and it was time Lancer did something about it.

"Daniel," Lancer began, sitting forward. "I know that I haven't done much to earn your confidence. And that's my failing as your teacher. But I want you to know that you can come to me any time, with anything that might be bothering you."

Danny raised an eyebrow at him, clearly uncertain as to what angle the man was playing. Lancer sighed, trying to find the right words.

"I know that's what everyone says, and rarely do we ever actually believe it. Trust me, Daniel, I know. But I mean it sincerely; any problems you are going through, you can talk to me."

"Um…" Danny spoke slowly, looking around the room. "Thanks, Mr Lancer. But I don't really have anything to talk about, so…"

The teen shrugged his shoulders, fingers tearing away at loose threads.

It was as Lancer expected. He didn't dare hope that the boy would open up to him. But still, he had wanted to make it clear that Danny was welcome to come to him with anything. Maybe that olive branch would be enough, for now.

Lancer sat back in his seat, glancing down at his papers before looking back to his student.

"I understand that you were absent from most of your classes yesterday." he said. "Any particular reason why you felt the need to leave without informing the school?"

Danny just stared at him, a frown forming over his features. He crossed his arms, sitting further back in his chair. So much could be seen churning behind the boy's eyes, and Lancer wanted desperately to decode what was going on inside his head.

Lancer waited for a full minute, before finally conceding that he wouldn't be getting any answers. He shuffled his papers once more, reaching into a drawer to pull out a pen.

"Well, Mr Fenton, I called you in here to inform you that any further unexcused absences will be reported to your parents. We simply cannot let you come and go as you please." he stated. "You will also from this day forward be serving half your Study Hall hour in counseling. You are to report to the counselor's office at the start o-"

"What!" Danny shouted, standing abruptly. The chair scraped against the floor as it was pushed back.

"Calm down, Daniel, it's only counseling." Lancer assured. "Many students here receive counseling; it's a perfectly normal thing. Nothing to feel-"

"I'm not going to sit in some room with my sister for thirty minutes playing twenty questions!" Danny argued heatedly.

"I understand that with Jazz being family, it does make things a bit awkward." Lancer agreed. "But rest assured, it will only be for today. We've recently hired on a psychiatrist, who will be arriving first thing tomorrow."

Danny stared at him momentarily, before the glare was back in place. He glowered darkly at the adult before him, and suddenly a chill ran across Lancer's arms.

"I don't need counseling." Danny's voice was low, and despite knowing better, something in the back of Lancer's mind became wary of the boy in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Mr Fenton, but your recent behavior cannot be ignored." the man said, standing as well.

He walked over to the door, opening it. The sight of students moving about rooted Lancer back in the situation at hand. Whatever had just come over him, it was obviously an effect of the past few weeks. Danny was no more a threat than he had ever been. Lancer was simply letting the nightmare color his perception again.

He looked back toward the dark-haired teen. Danny stared down at the floor, frowning angrily. His hands hung at his sides in loose fists.

"You're free to leave, Daniel." Lancer held the door open wider. "Please don't be late for first period."

Danny didn't answer. He picked up his backpack and strode out the door.

If Lancer didn't know better, he would claim that the room warmed up in the boy's absence.


'How do Ember and Johnny do it?' Danny wondered angrily.

How did they manage to sway people's opinions and actions just with their words? It sure was a useful talent, and one he clearly lacked.

Frustrated, he kicked at a stray gum wrapper on the floor, walking slowly. He'd retreated to an empty hallway on the far end of the ground floor. The classrooms there were mostly unused, gathering dust as Danny passed them by.

The warning bell rang out, and the distant stampede of feet told Danny that he should turn around and head for his homeroom. Part of him wanted to be late, just out of immature spite. An even bigger part wanted to skip the day entirely.

But that was out of the question. Not if he didn't want the school calling his family.

Unable to leave home due to his door being broken. Unable to leave school now, and for what? Because Lancer decided now of all times to get involved in his life?

Groaning through clenched teeth, Danny kicked the wall hard. He then turned and marched quickly back to the main hall.

The second bell rang just as he entered the classroom, and Lancer glanced his way before resuming his writing on the whiteboard.

Danny walked over to his desk, sitting down and letting his bag drop to the floor beside him. He didn't bother digging out a notebook or pencil, choosing instead to lean forward on his elbows and stare at the teacher's back.

A finger tapped his shoulder, and Danny turned in his seat to look back. Paulina leaned over her desk, smiling at him.

"Hey, Danny," she greeted, her voice a careful whisper.

"Hi, Paulina." he replied, happy that it was only her and not Dash. He didn't think he could keep his cool if the jock decided to mess with him today.

'Figures that of all the kids who died, Dash had to be holed up safely in his house the entire night.' Danny thought. The mental image of Dash cowering in his room did brighten Danny's mood a bit, though.

"So, how's your mom doing?" Paulina's voice floated in.

"She's doing fine." Danny answered shortly.

"Would it be alright if I stopped by sometime to see her? She did save me, after all, and I haven't gotten the chance-"

A throat cleared, and both teens looked up to see a disapproving Lancer standing over them. The rest of the room looked on, some snickering behind their hands.

"And what might be so important that it couldn't wait for class to end, hmm?" Lancer folded his arms. "Ms Sanchez, Mr Fenton, please refrain from conversing until after the bell rings. Thank you."

With that, he returned to the front of the class, picking up a textbook and opening it to a page. He directed everyone to do the same. Danny didn't oblige, mostly because he left his English book in his locker earlier.

If the man noticed at all, he said nothing, and the rest of the class continued without interruption.


The ticking of a clock was the only sound in the small room. Jazz sat in a plush chair, legs crossed and clipboard resting on her lap. She held up a flowery pen, poised to begin jotting down notes.

She was to be disappointed. Danny simply glared at her in silence, shoes scuffing at the carpeted floor.

Finally, Jazz lowered the pen with a sigh.

"Danny," she implored. "We're never going to get anywhere if you don't start talking to me."

"Wow, Jazz, I didn't realise that." Danny's words were smothered in sarcasm and contempt. "It's almost as if it's none of your business."

"Danny," Jazz stressed, frowning at her brother. "I want to help you. Is that really so hard to accept?"

"Well here's a tip," Danny responded. "Next time, you can help me by not telling the vice principal that I'm a basket case!"

"I told Mr Lancer no such thing, Danny, and you know it. Why are you so bent on evading and redirecting?"

"What and what now? Sorry, I'm too dim to understand your advanced therapy lingo, Dr Jazz."

"Danny, quit it." Jazz was becoming increasingly frustrated.

She closed her eyes and took a calming breath, reminding herself that this was just Danny's way of distracting her, by getting under her skin. It was a perfectly common response and not something she should take personally.

Still, it was hard to stay professional with her younger brother, especially when he insisted on being so annoying.

Jazz opened her eyes to see Danny watching her with a faint smirk.

"What's so funny?" she couldn't help but take the bait.

"Nothing really," Danny reclined casually. "Just watching you pretend to be a real therapist is amusing, that's all."

"I never claimed to be a licensed therapist, Danny." Jazz frowned. "But I am this school's councellor, and like it or not that gives me authority over you while you're in this room."

"Not for long." Danny smiled.

Jazz paused, blinking at him in confusion. Danny took the opportunity to continue, gaze turning to look out the window.

"Lancer told me this morning. They've hired a real psychiatrist; she'll be replacing you tomorrow. Guess you didn't get the memo."

The blow was low, and it hit its mark. Jazz looked sufficiently devastated. She stood up from her chair, walking over to the desk and laying down her clipboard and pen. Her back to Danny, she took a deep breath, and then another.

While she composed herself, Danny stood up from his chair, walking to the door.

"Danny," Jazz called, looking toward him. "We're not done yet."

He didn't reply. Didn't so much as glance back at her as he opened the door and left her alone in the room.

He headed to Study Hall, and Jazz remained standing in front of her desk.


Danny stared into his open locker, trying to stand as close to the wall as possible so as to avoid any unwanted contact from the stream of students flowing out of the school building.

To his left, his friends piled books into their backpacks. Sam looked his way, noticing his inactivity.

"Hey, don't forget to grab your Biology and Algebra books." she said.

"Why?" Danny asked.

"Uh, because," she replied. "You're going to need them."

Danny raised an eyebrow at her, watching her in silence for several seconds. Sam returned his gaze, sighing in exasperation.

"For the study session. At my house." she supplied slowly, looking at Danny as if he'd sustained a head injury. "The one we agreed to have at my place this afternoon."

"When did we agree to that?"

"At lunch." Sam replied, frowning. "I said we should have another study session because it's been a while. I asked you if you wanted to come along; you said yes."

Danny tried to think back. The day had been a blur for him, as was the usual. He truly couldn't recall a conversation happening at lunch. Or really remember lunch at all.

"Oh." he said, looking at his friends.

They looked back at him before sharing a glance between each other.

"You weren't paying attention, were you." Sam stated.

"And you're about to tell us you have other plans." Tucker added.

"Yes and no." Danny answered, closing his locker door.

He led the way outside, the other two following behind.

"Yes and no?" Sam persisted.

"I don't remember agreeing to come by your place." Danny replied. "And even if I did, I can't come over anyway. I got grounded yesterday."

"Grounded? What for?" Sam asked.

Danny didn't answer. Instead, his steps slowed to a halt, and he turned to face the other two.

"You guys wanna fly around? Just for a minute. Then we can head to my place."

The offer caught them off guard, but Sam quickly nodded her head.

"Sure, okay." she agreed.

Danny looked around before walking toward a dark narrow alleyway. They walked all the way to the end of it, where the thick shadows made it difficult to see.

Danny's eyes were glowing when he turned around, casting a pale green light across both Sam and Tucker. In the shadows, they could barely make out each others' faces.

They both startled when Danny grabbed hold of their arms, cold fingers feeling like knives pricking at their skin.

"W-wait." Tucker pulled from his grasp. "First, you have to swear that this'll be a nice, calm flight. No aerial acrobatics like last time."

The white of Danny's teeth glinted as he grinned at the other boy.

"Aww, what's wrong, Tuck?" he teased. "Scared?"

"Yes." Tucker readily admitted, folding his arms.

"Alright, alright." Danny laughed. "I promise. No tricks."


Inside Lancer's office, the man rubbed at his eyes, feeling exhausted and ready to go home for the day. The red-headed girl in front of him prevented that from happening, however.

"Ms Fenton, please, for the last time, it's out of my hands."

"But I've been this school's volunteer counselor for two years now!" the teen continued, still just as distraught as she'd been when first entering his office. "I don't understand, haven't I been doing an excellent job?"

"Yes, you have." Lancer assured. "But this is out of my hands, Jasmine. And yours. Ms Penelope Spectra has graciously offered her services here, and the school board accepted. There is nothing that can be done about that."

"But I-"

Lancer stopped her with a raised hand.

"You've been nothing but an asset to this school, Jasmine. And there's no denying you have helped many students here with their problems. But this is beyond that. Now please, I'm sure if you look at this objectively, you will see that I'm right. As much as you may resent me for saying this, you are still only a student yourself."

"But I've made so much progress with some of the students!" she protested. "That's all going to go to waste now!"

"It doesn't have to." Lancer insisted. "No one's saying you have to stop helping people, Jazz. But from now on, when you reach out to another student, you'll be doing it as one pupil to another, not as our school's counselor. Understand?"

Jazz still didn't look appeased, and Lancer sighed.

"Ms Spectra is very highly regarded in the psychology field." he continued. "She has spent years working with adolescents who've undergone trauma, and she has graciously offered to work here for at least a year. Now please, Jasmine, I'm very tired and would like to go home."

Lancer was clearly at the end of his rope, and Jazz could say the same about herself. She couldn't believe that they were replacing her. The worst part is that logically, she could see exactly why they did. It made perfect sense. All the new students she was seeing had definitely cut into her school and personal time.

But she accepted it! She'd been willing to sacrifice her time in order to help the students of Casper High.

But it didn't matter. In the end, she was still just another teenager, and the school board was apparently tired of her free service.

All anger drained from the girl, leaving her feeling melancholy. Shoulders slumped, she walked over to the open doorway.

"Can I at least give her my notes on the students?" she asked over her shoulder. "You know, so they don't have to start over from scratch?"

"You can, Ms Fenton." Lancer nodded. "I'm certain that Ms Spectra will appreciate how much passion you've put into your work."

Jazz gave a quick goodbye, leaving down the hall and out through the front doors. The cold air had her pulling her jacket closer as she made her way toward home.


Danny kept his word. The flight was indeed smooth and peaceful.

Tucker and Sam were grateful that invisibility didn't affect them the same way intangibility did. They were able to freely breathe in the crisp winter air from high above, the busy city moving below.

Danny took his time, flying around aimlessly for a while before finally heading straight for home. The Op Centre glinted under the afternoon sun, shining in their eyes as they neared.

"Brace yourselves." Danny warned.

The other two took deep breaths, fighting the sensation of needles that tried to force the air from their lungs. Danny quickly descended down through the roof and into his bedroom. Sam and Tucker tried to pull away when they touched the floor, but Danny kept his grip on them, listening silently.

Once he was satisfied, he released his friends, letting everyone become visible.

Sam and Tucker sat on his bed, shivering. Their eyes were drawn at once to the broken door.

"Woah, what happened?" Tucker asked.

"My mom." Danny said with distaste. "She busted it down while I was in the Ghost Zone."

"What were you doing there?" Sam asked. "I thought it was dangerous to go in by yourself."

"Not if I just hang around in my house." Danny replied, sitting in his computer chair.

A long silence enveloped them all for several dragging minutes. Danny stared at the black screen of his computer, Tucker idled on his PDA, and Sam looked between the door and Danny. Finally, she stood up, walking around the bed to stand at the back of his chair.

"Danny," she began. "Please just tell us something, anything, about why you're acting so weird. It's really worrying us."

"Yeah man, you know that whatever it is, we'll be on your side." Tucker said, joining Sam.

Danny watched their dark reflections on the computer screen, before he swiveled around in the chair, looking at them fully.

"Guys…" he said. "I really appreciate that you're trying to help me. I really do. And it's not that I don't trust you or anything. It's just…"

He looked down at his hands where they lay folded together in his lap. As much as he felt irritated by their insistence on butting into his business, Danny pushed his anger aside and told himself to be sincere with them. They were only trying to help him the best way they could, after all, and they deserved his honesty.

"It's just that…I don't want to talk about it. Not right now, and maybe not for a long time. I know that sucks. I'm sorry."

His candid explanation and somber tone had taken both teens by surprise. If they were to be honest, they'd admit that they were expecting more dodges and lies. Though it wasn't the answer they sought, they appreciated it. It felt like far too long since Danny had been truthful with them.

"Don't be sorry." Sam smiled, laying a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Whatever happened, you don't have to talk about it. Whenever you're ready, Tuck and I will be here to listen."

Danny returned her smile. "Thanks, Sam. And I'm also sorry I haven't been in touch recently. I've just…had a lot on my mind."

"Well, just make up for it by hanging out with us again." Sam replied. "We miss you."

She always was the best with words, and Danny couldn't help but grin up at her.

"Deal." he said.

The sound of the front door opening and closing drew his attention, and Danny focused on the sound of the person downstairs. He quickly guessed that it was Jazz, home from school. A pang of remorse struck through him. In his bleak mood, he'd been pretty terrible to her, as well.

Danny realised that he owed his sister an apology, and though he wasn't happy about it, he decided that now would be the best time to do it. Better to get it over with before his mood plummeted again, he thought to himself.

"Guys," he said, standing up. "I've got to go talk to Jazz for a minute."

He left his room and headed for the stairs, friends in tow. He spotted Jazz sitting on the sofa, watching the afternoon news with a doleful expression.

Danny rubbed at the back of his neck as he approached her, eyes falling to stare at the floor when she took notice of him. He stopped a few steps away from her, Sam and Tucker lingering near the stairs.

"Uh, Jazz? About today…" he began awkwardly. "I'm…sorry I was a jerk. I shouldn't have told you about the new shrink. Lancer was probably going to break it to you better than I did."

The red head watched him in silence for several moments, her face unreadable. Finally, she relaxed back into the cushions, offering a faint smile.

"It's okay, Danny. Lashing out is a common response, and I should've handled it better." Jazz rationalised, before sighing. "And as much as I hate to admit it, maybe I'm not the right person for you to talk to. Maybe a third party is really what you need."

Jazz didn't look at all happy about what she said, but she'd clearly been doing a lot of thinking it over. Danny wasn't sure what to say in response, concerned over her resignation and annoyed that she was still psychoanalyzing him. Did she ever turn that brain off?

Maddie walked into the kitchen from the basement door, stopping when she took in the sight of the four teenagers. Frowning, she stepped under the archway and into the living room.

"Danny, what did I say yesterday." she wagged her finger at him. "I told you that you were grounded."

"What, I can't walk around the house anymore?" Danny glowered at his mother.

Maddie turned her gaze from him to his two friends.

"Sam, Tucker, I'm sorry but you're going to have to head home. Danny is grounded and th-"

"You said I couldn't go to their homes; you never said anything about them coming here." Danny argued.

Maddie opened her mouth to reply, but Danny cut her off once again, pointing up toward his room.

"And just how long am I supposed to have no door?" he yelled.

"Don't shout at me, Danny." Maddie's own voice rose. "I'll get to it as soon as I can. Your father and I have been busy repairing several vital tools in the lab. And besides, maybe now that you can't lock your door, you'll be less inclined to sneak out."

Sam and Tucker tried to become wallflowers as both Fentons fought. Danny looked beyond irate, and they were concerned that he might accidentally do something to reveal his secret. Maddie was just as intimidating, eyes blazing down at her son.

Danny's rational side was terrified, fighting against the energy that whispered across his palms. It didn't help at all that he could clearly imagine blasting his mother across the room. It'd feel pretty damn good, he reckoned.

To Danny's surprise, Jazz came to his defense, stepping in between him and their mother.

"Mom," she crossed her arms. "You can't deny Danny a door. He deserves privacy just like every other person."

Maddie blinked at her daughter before a frown overtook her face once more.

"Jazz, I appreciate that you want to help your brother, but he can't be allowed to just climb out of his room any time he pleases!"

"So put bars on his window." Jazz shrugged.

"What!" Danny shouted, before common sense caught up to him.

'I can phase through the bars. Duh.'

"Uh-oh-fine!" he relented, looking angry while inside he cheered Jazz's brilliance. "If it means I get a door soon, then you can have the window boarded up for all I care!"

To his relief, Maddie looked like she was seriously considering Jazz's suggestion.

"Well…that does sound like a reasonable idea." she relented slowly. "I'll see who in town could get one installed."

Her eyes lifted toward Danny's friends once more, and Sam straightened.

"Mrs Fenton, can we stay for just a few hours?" she asked. "We were gonna do our homework together. Danny will miss out if we leave."

It seemed the score that afternoon was to be two points for the kids, and zero for Maddie. She appeared hesitant, but quickly gave in with a sigh.

"Oh alright, but I want you kids parked at the kitchen table, not up in Danny's room."

Three nodding heads was all she needed to put the matter to rest and begin preparing dinner.

Danny wasn't at all happy about being made to sit in the kitchen with his friends and family all around, forcing himself to concentrate on schoolwork. But he put up with it, not wanting to send Maddie into another diatribe.

Hopefully she would get around to calling someone to replace his busted door soon, and he could once again take to the skies without worry.