A bedraggled leatherbound journal floated haphazardly through the swirls of the Ghost Zone. Occasional passing ectopus and other items caused the journal to careen into new and random directions. Deemed uninteresting by the passing specters, the journal twisted and twirled through the murk, as a feather in the wind.
This book floated closer to a large structure made of brick and razor wire. Sirens screamed through the air as lights flashed from the other side of the wall. Ghosts decked in riot gear rushed around the prison, chasing down prisoners clad in black and white stripes. Harried as they were, these prison guards did not notice as the real world object floated through the brick walls and steel beams into the heart of the Prison. Walker, the Warden, was also occupied. The book floated past the white clad ghost just as Walker took a heavy blow from a teenager with white hair. The book changed direction once more as the churning air pushed it away from the brawl. The book floated back through another wall, and another, and another. If it had eyes, it would be witnessing the chaos that had erupted in the prison. Flashes of green light scarring the walls with scorch marks, cracks and holes in the floor from bodies thrown with great force, chairs and tables and iron bars ripped to pieces or smashed over ghostly forms. War cries, and taunts, and shouts of "Beware" rang with the heavy thuds of fists meeting stomachs.
The book flew through another cell, this one untouched by the chaos outside. Just as it was about to float once more out of the room, a pale hand snatched it from the air. Green eyes stared at the journal, flipping through the mostly empty pages.
"This will do," The ghost said.
Danny groaned when his alarm clock went off at seven am. He had only gotten a little more than forty-five minutes of sleep, having been up all night chasing what seemed to be an entire colony of ectopus. It was weird. He had never seen them group together like that before, and he hoped he never would again. It had taken him nearly all night to get all twenty-seven of them. They were easy to catch, but finding them had been the worst game of hot-and-cold with his ghost sense. Maybe next time he should grab the Fenton Finder when he goes out. It was irritating how it continually beeped because of his own ectosignature, but he could deal with the annoyance if it meant he could get a bit more sleep.
Danny pulled himself into a sitting position, trying not to fall back asleep as his head nodded forward against his chest. It was the first day back at Casper High. A brand new year. Just great. Finally, he was halfway done with the torment that was high school. Yawning wide, he walked to the bathroom that he used to share with his sister.
Life had been weird without Jazz around all the time. She had left for an early summer program for honors students at Yale almost as soon as summer started. Sure, he had less opportunities to be psychoanalyzed over breakfast, but keeping his secret from his parents had definitely become harder. He had finally found a balance to maintain his grades to at least a C last semester, but his parents were feeling very sentimental this summer since Jaz left. They suddenly wanted to spend every moment they could with their baby boy. Which Danny just didn't have time for.
Danny brushed his teeth in a haze, wishing he could have gotten a little more sleep. First days of school are usually pretty boring, so he could probably get through the day. Still.
"Danny, come down for breakfast!" He heard his mom call. He rinsed his mouth before answering.
"One minute, I'm in the bathroom," He called down, fighting another yawn. Splashing water in his face, he made his way back to his room to change. Getting ready, and grabbing his book bag, he made his way downstairs. His parents were all smiles, having prepared a comically large breakfast. Jack Fenton held a small white board in his hands. Danny groaned.
"I think I will just skip breakfast," Danny said.
"Nonsense! It's time for another Fenton Family Funtime. We are going to answer pancakes and eat trivia," Jack Fenton said. "Wait."
"Come on Danny, we know you enjoy trivia. You and Jazz used to love this game when you were kids," Maddie Fenton said.
"As fun as that sounds, I think I am going to pass," Danny said, grabbing the carton of milk from the fridge. Looking at the date listed on it, he promptly put it back.
"Danny. We just want to spend time with you. You're going into your Junior year! After this it's all college applications and state tests and-" Maddie Fenton said, her eyes misty.
Danny sighed, too tired to fight. He sunk down into the chair, resisting the urge to lay down across the table. He picked at a piece of burnt toast. At least it wasn't glowing.
"Okay okay okay," Maddie said, sitting primly. She held notecards. "First question! What scientist was also the sixth abbot of Brno's Abbey of Saint Thomas?"
"Uh-" Danny said.
"Oh oh! Pick me!" Jack Fenton said, knocking food into the floor.
"Alright, Jack," Maddie said.
"Gregor Mendel," Jack said.
"That's correct," Maddie said. Danny continued to pick at the toast, trying to scrape off the burnt top. "Next question, what is the more common name for a Hallux?"
Jack once again raised his hand, frantically waving it. Maddie laughed.
"Alright Jack, your turn again,"
"The big toe!" Jack said. Maddie gave him the affirmative, before continuing to ask more questions. Danny sighed and checked out of the conversation, his eyes drooping as each question was asked. Maddie noticed this with a frown.
"Now, Jack. Why don't we give Danny a turn to answer this?" Maddie said.
"Aww," Jack pouted.
"Well, Danny?" Maddie asked.
"Hm?" Danny said, sitting up straight.
"Did you hear the question?" Maddie asked, put out.
"Oh, I guess I didn't," Danny said.
"Well, the question was 'What scientist created a famous thought experiment about quantum superposition?" Maddie repeated.
Danny blinked and then sighed before merely shrugging.
"Come on, Danny-boy. You know this one,"Jack encouraged.
"I really don't," Danny said, standing up. He slung his worn purple backpack off the chair and over his shoulder. "Anyways, I am going to head to school now. I will see you guys later."
"Danny-" Maddie started, but Danny was already out the door without a further word. The door slammed loudly behind him. Jack and Maddie looked at each other a little disappointed.
Danny hopped down the steps in front of his house and walked the direction of his school. Mid-august heat scorched down, a late season heatwave hitting Minnesota. Danny's already sour mood turned worse at the feel of the heat on his face. He pulled at his ice core, a small gasp of cold air helping to cool him.
A short beep behind made him turn. An old Volkswagen Van, repainted in purple and black pulled to the curb. The sides held intricate murals of thorny vines surrounding a patch of black chalkboard paint. On it was written whatever the current issue that its driver was focused on. Today, it was the disbandment of PETA, a link to a petition was written beneath the statement.
Sam manually rolled down the old van's window, smirking at her wilting boyfriend. "Need a lift?"
Danny smiled brightly at her, his shoulders relaxing. Quickly, he ran around the side to the passenger seat, hopping into the old van.
"Thanks, Sam. You've already made my day one hundred times better," Danny said with a grin. Sam's smile only widened.
"Right back at you, Danny," Sam said and leaned in for a kiss.
"Yeah, it's great to see each other. Blah blah blah. Can you two lovebirds get a room? I just wanted a ride, not to barf up my breakfast," a voice said with disgust. Danny looked back to see his best friend Tucker fiddling with his pda, face twisted with distaste.
"Hey, it's my van. I can do what I want," Sam snapped back, pecking Danny on the cheek.
"Well, how about when you two do 'whatever you want' in this van, how about leaving me at home!" Tucker said.
Sam and Danny's faces burned, both looked away from Tucker with a nervous laugh. Tucker paused to look at his friends guilty faces, both of them squirming in their seats as Danny put his seatbelt on. Tucker's eyes widened just as Sam pulled back onto the road.
"Ew, and you let me SIT BACK HERE?" Tucker cried as the van made its way to the school.
Casper High already had many less than eager students piling back into its halls. Students ran and hugged friends they hadn't seen over the summer. Jocks attempted to show off by throwing a football back and forth. Oh, wait. That's not a football. Jocks attempted to show off by throwing a smaller nerd's backpack back and forth. The shorter kid desperately trying to grab it out of the air. A few girls stood to the side, fixing their makeup and gushing about each other's outfits. Other students passed by these groups, each individual in their own way. A group of freshmen passed by wearing Phantom merchandise, bought from the very well stocked online store FoleyFinds.
Danny was examining the terrain when his ghost sense went off. He sat up straight as the shiver ran down his spine. Sam glanced at him from the corner of her eye before searching the skyline.
Almost immediately, three ectopus became visible, dive bombing down at the crowd of students. Students screamed, and scattered. The backpack being tossed about by the Jocks landed with a thud as the students rushed into the building. It was easy to tell the freshman from the seniors, even without the height differences. The Seniors moved quickly, but not nearly as terrified as their smaller counterparts. Casper Middle never did get as many attacks as the high school.
"At least that makes it an even thirty," Tucker said, watching as the otherworldly beings began tearing apart the items left behind. Danny merely sighed, a glowing ring forming around his abdomen as he dug his Fenton Thermos out of his bag. Within seconds, his black hair had changed to white and he invisibly floated out of the Van.
Two of the Ectopuses were playing tug-of-war with a discarded hoodie. Why anyone would be wearing a hoodie in this weather was beyond Phantom. Invisibly, he flew up behind the two Ectopus and sucked the two into the Thermos, their high pitched squeals eliciting no response for the exhausted ghost hunter. The final Ectopus, seeing its companions capture, turned to flee from the glowing blue light. Turning visible, Phantom flew after the tiny ghost. Sam and Tucker finally exited the van, Danny's bookbag in Sam's hand as they watched Phantom fly away.
"I think we would be more help getting Danny's schedule for him," Sam said, turning in the direction of the school. Already, students were coming out to inspect the damage, some morosely as they saw their things in ruin. "He can handle a single Ectopus."
"And if he can't, we can raz him about it all day," Tucker said, giving Sam a glance. "You can still give him hell even if you're dating, right?"
"Oh yeah. If dating meant I couldn't tease him every once in a while, I would have turned him down cold," Sam said with a laugh. The two entered the building and headed toward the office. Already, a line had reformed for schedule pick up. A little window stood at the front of the office so that you didn't actually have to go into the main foyer of the room. A few freshmen in line looked a bit shaken, but most of the students looked back to normal. They only had to wait a few minutes before a familiar head of messy black hair made its way back to them.
"Thanks for saving me a spot," Danny yawned, his tired eyes barely staying open.
"Damn, Danny. You really do look a wreck," Tucker said, inspecting his friend comically close. Danny used his whole hand to push Tucker's face away, knocking his glasses askew.
"Yeah, yeah. New year, same sleep deprivation. At least today should be pretty chill," Danny said. He reached reflexively to grab Sam's hand, interlocking his fingers with hers. Tucker just rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, new year. And unless I find myself a girlfriend, another semester of third wheeling with you two. Thanks but no thanks," Tucker said, eyeing the girls walking in the hallway. Most didn't even look at him.
Sam and Danny blushed slightly, grinning at each other. Over the winter break, Danny had done whatever he could to avoid Christmas prep at Fentonworks, skiving off as much as possible. He had found himself at Sam's house more often than not. Hanukkah is a more important holiday in the Manson household. One day, after the two had worked together to take down the Lunchlady, Danny had given Sam a celebratory hug. In the heat of the moment, Sam had kissed him causing both of them to stop short. After an awkward few minutes, Danny had asked Sam if she wanted to go grab a late dinner at Nasty Burger. Sam agreed, and not long after that they had made it official.
The holiday season was a little more special to Danny now.
Grabbing their schedules, the three friends meandered off to the side to compare them. Danny felt his heart drop.
"Well, we knew that it was going to be slightly off this year," Tucker started. He stared at the mess of the schedule.
Tucker had signed up for the AP Computer Science course as well as the dual-credit business course that was offered this year. Sam had signed up for Environmental Science. Neither of which had interested Danny. However, he had been interested in the Astronomy class being offered for dual-credit. Sam and Tucker had offered to take whatever courses Danny picked, as they were a huge reason he had passed the previous year. They always let him know what work he had missed so he could at least squeeze by without a zero, even if it was late. Danny had adamantly refused. He figured he could squeeze by with the few classes they didn't share, and then get help with their shared classes. Big mistake.
"I am only in like one class with you, dude," Tucker said. "And Sam is only in two. And look at next semester! Sam doesn't even have a class with you. And I only have one. Our lunch blocks aren't even the same!"
Danny nodded sadly, noticing the class line up. It was depressing, to say the least. He and Sam would share American Literature, at the very least. English classes were his worst subject. And then all of them would have US History this semester. But in his other classes he would be alone.
"It's fine, guys. I can manage. I've gotten a ton better about managing my time," Danny said.
"Danny, it's not too late for us to change our schedules. I can drop Environmental Science," Sam said.
"And I am only taking CompSci to get the college credit! I already know it," Tucker said.
"No, it's fine. You guys take the classes you want," Danny said firmly. "I'll manage."
"You sure?" Tucker asked, searching Danny's face.
"Very," Danny said, forcing a smile.
"Well, okay. We should probably head to our lockers. At least we were able to score some that were close to each other," Tucker said. Sam gently squeezed Danny's hand.
"Sounds like a plan," Sam said, guiding Danny away.
Tucker started telling about his new project as they walked, but Danny wasn't listening all that closely. They had all read his schedule. They knew that something was missing.
He didn't get into Astronomy.
Danny was fiddling with the stuff in his locker when water was poured on his head. The sudden cold startled him as he reflexively took a step back. A well placed leg tripped him up and he found himself falling to the floor. For a moment, he considered just letting himself float there, avoiding the hard linoleum covered concrete floor. But the temptation passed. He landed on the ground with a thud, water dripping from his hair.
His long time bully Dash was standing over him, a shit eating grin on his face and an empty water bottle in his hand.
"Welcome back, Fenturd," Dash said, dropping the water bottle on Danny's chest. The light plastic bounced off onto the floor, making a slight clack against the floor.
"Thanks, Dash," Danny said tiredly. Danny shook his hair and started to get up when another water bottle was dumped on top of him. Dash let this one drop as well. They were beginning to draw a crowd. Curious freshman peaked at the interaction, cautious about getting involved. Danny just let the water drip, expressionless. Sam, however, was red with rage. She started to say something, but Danny met her eye. Gritting her teeth, she crossed her arms and fumed. For a second time, Danny tried to stand up.
Dash stood on Danny's hand. Not with his full weight, but enough to make Danny wince. Danny immediately stopped trying to stand, as this was familiar at this point. Dash had not taken it well when Danny had passed him in height last year. Instead of lifting the teen by the collar, Dash had made it a habit to knock Danny to the ground instead. The water was new.
Once more, a deluge of water poured on top of Danny's head. This time, a slow and steady pour, drawn out for all the crowd to see. A few had pulled out their phones to record the interaction. Danny said nothing, even when Dash tossed the final bottle at Danny's head before laughing and walking away. The crowd began to disperse, whispers and laughter heard.
Danny pushed the wet hair out of his eyes, his drenched shirt sticking to his chest. Tucked and Sam each gave him a hand, as he stood. His tennis shoes slid in the now pooling water. Sam looked ready to explode.
"Sam, it's-"
"Don't you dare say it's no big deal. We are not going through another semester of Dash's bullying," Sam hissed. Danny held up his hands, trying to be a calming presence.
"I'm not really sure how it's going to change now, Sam. Danny has been dealing with Dash's crap for years. The teachers don't care. You're gonna have to do something creative to get it to stop," Tucker said.
"I will think of something," Sam said decisively, her eyes glittering. She searched her bag to find something to help Danny dry off.
"Don't worry about it. I am going to head to the bathroom and...get some of this water off, if you know what I mean?" Danny said. "You guys are going to be late for homeroom. Go on ahead. We aren't in the same homeroom this year."
"Danny, are you sure? We don't mind waiting," Tucker said.
"I know you don't. It's fine. I'll see you guys later," Danny said as he squished away in his soaked clothes. Tucker and Sam glanced at each other before walking away.
Danny ignored the stares as he walked down the hallway, pretending it didn't phase him. He had endured worse humiliations over the last few years than getting soaked first thing in the morning. He would phase out of the water quickly, and make it to his new homeroom in no time. Or so he had planned. Just as he was about to turn the corner to get to the closest bathroom, a hand shot out to stop him in his tracks.
"Mr. Fenton, can you explain to me why you are dripping all over the floors?" Mr. Lancer said.
"Dash poured water on me?" Danny said with a shrug. "I was going to get some paper towels or something to dry off."
"Really, I very much doubt that a few paper towels are going to dry all of...this," Mr. Lancer gestured at Danny's clothes. Danny felt heat in his cheeks. "Go to the office to see if they have a spare change of clothes for you to wear."
"Mr. Lancer-" Danny argued.
"No, that wasn't up for debate Mr. Fenton. Office. Now," Mr. Lancer said, directing the dripping Danny Fenton to the Office. Mr. Lancer walked with him, moving students out of the way so as to not get anyone else damper than a dead Gatsby. A few students giggled. Danny shuffled into the office, the secretary gaping at him. The boys soccer coach, Coach Langford, was leaning against the desk, looking slightly put out at having his conversation with the secretary interrupted.
"Oh, Mr. Fenton. You are soaked. Come back here, I have something that would probably work for you," the secretary said with a sympathetic smile. A few students milling about in the office turned to see, and snickered. Danny slouched forward to here as she pulled up a wrinkled and fade scrub top a size too big for him. Danny eyes it with distaste.
"I think I would rather just be wet," Danny said
"Nonsense, Mr. Fenton. Put on the shirt. Miss Terrel, please find somewhere that Danny's shirt can dry off," Mr. Lancer said.
"Hand me your shirt, dear," Miss Terrel said kindly. Danny felt the tips of his ears turn red as the two freshmen girls in the corner giggled.
"I think I would rather change in the bathroom," Danny mumbled. Coach Langford rolled his eyes.
"Kid, you are already causing trouble on your first day. Just do what Miss Terrel says," Coach Langford said. Danny shot him a look of dislike before reaching for the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head.
The giggling girls stopped giggling and merely stared. As Danny once again pushed his hair out of his eyes, their eyes widened. The teachers in the room looked shocked as well. Danny tended to wear baggier clothes and longer sleeves so no one in the room, young or old had realized.
The kid was ripped.
Not like a bodybuilder, or even a football star. It was lean muscle, similar to a gymnast or a martial artist. When Danny thrust his arms through the sleeves of the ugly scrub top, the younger girls looked to see a defined 'V' shape right below his slight abs. Both girls looked red in the face, but not nearly so much as Danny did once he got the shirt over his shoulders and covered. He slouched once more, hiding the shape of his body.
"When can I come back and grab my shirt," Danny said sadly.
"Oh, after the first period it should be good," Miss Terrel said kindly. Coach Langford looked Danny up and down.
"Cool, bye," Danny said in a hurry, turning to leave.
"Hey kid, have you ever considered trying out for the soccer team," Coach Langford said encouragingly. He took a step toward Danny.
"Nope," Danny said, popping the 'p'. And he walked out of the office as quickly as possible, rushing down the hallway. The coach frowned after him in thought.
Danny once more returned to his locker, nearly slipping on the wet floor. He grabbed a few things before rushing off to his new homeroom. He crossed the threshold just as the final bell was tolling, slightly out of breath. Everyone in the room stared at him as he walked in. There was only one seat available, behind Valerie. Danny sighed in relief. At least it wasn't Dash.
Ignoring the look he was getting from the teacher, Mr. Falluca, Danny made his way to the seat quickly, dropping down into it with a huff. Valerie looked at him with amusement.
"You look awful," she said with a smirk.
"Yeah, I didn't sleep great," Danny said with a shrug, he smiled back at Valerie.
"Not the best way to start off the year," she admonished.
"Oh well, it's just the first day. Not like anything important is going to happen," Danny said.
"Okay, everyone. Pay attention. We have a very important announcement," Mr. Falluca said. Danny stared in disbelief as Valerie tried to hold back her laughter. "Test scores last year were lower than they have been in years. And with the constant threat to school security because of Ghosts, there are going to be a lot of policy changes."
"Rule One: No one can leave the class for any reason unless the teacher deems it to be an emergency," Mr. Falluca said. The class started to protest. Valerie and Danny looked on with horror. "Don't bother crying to me, this is a school wide policy. Ghost attacks come out of nowhere. They don't want kids unattended if there is a danger about. The Fentons have upgraded our alert system as much as they can, but we still never know when an attack is going to come. So, no leaving the class, except during breaks."
Danny felt his gut turn in knots. Valerie also looked put out. Neither of them would be able to leave the class to fight ghosts. Even with a subpar excuse, the teachers had stopped trying to prevent Danny from leaving the classroom. They knew he would duck out of class anyways. The new rule wasn't going to stop him, either, if it meant someone would get hurt. Danny slumped further into his seat thinking about the detentions he will be given this year.
"Rule Two: Students who maintain lower than a C average will be required to go to mandatory tutoring. It will be set up by day, so some subjects will be tutored on one school day and others on another. All of them will either meet before school or after school, depending on the need. So try to focus on keeping your grades up. Us teachers don't want to stay late either, you know," Mr. Falluca said, his eyes flickering to Danny. Danny continued to sink into his seat, the scrub top starting to ride up slightly.
"However, for students who are worried about their grades, there are going to be several opportunities to bring your grades up this semester through volunteer work," Mr. Falluca said. The teacher grabbed a small stack of papers and began handing them out. "Here is a list of all the available volunteer opportunities the school has set up so far. We expect a few more to be added to the list, but these are the ones that are approved for school credit."
Danny grabbed the list, but didn't bother to look over it before stuffing it in his binder. He was sure that he was going to get roped into one of these eventually. Not knowing what he would have to do for a little bit longer seemed blissful. Valerie on the other hand was already scanning the options, looking for the ones that would be the most beneficial. Mr. Falluca continued on with the announcements, but Danny had already checked out of what the teacher was saying. His head had begun to ache from the news and from his sleepless night. Mr. Falluca read out dates for club sign ups, tryouts for different sports, bake sales already in the works, School events, dances, blah blah blah blah Danny felt his head falling closer and closer to the desk in front of him.
His eyes fluttered closed as he felt his head lean against the cold desk. Just five minutes and he would feel like a new man. He could get through today. Just a few minutes of…
Danny groaned when his alarm clock went off at seven am. He had only gotten a little more than forty-five minutes of sleep, having been up all night chasing what seemed to be an entire colony of ectopus. It was weird. He had never seen them group together like that before, and he hoped he never would-
Danny sat up in his bed, eyes wide. The alarm clock is still screaming. Danny's head whipped back and forth, looking at the blue paint on the walls of his room. His old computer whired softly, and the sound of his mother banging around in the kitchen downstairs.
"Wait what?" Danny said blearily.