A Ghostly Cry

by P.A.W.07

Danny loses everyone he loves when they are killed in a fire, leaving him to be taken in by his godfather, Vlad Masters. How will they survive each other and the vengeful demon that killed his family? It won't be easy, especially when everything isn't what it seems and Danny has no powers to help him deal with everything. Gore. Dadvlad. PreSeason 3. 23/30.

22. First Love

Chapter 22: First Love

"So what does being cursed have to do with graffiting my bed?" asked Danny as he watched two shaman-like ghosts write something on his headboard with glowing ectoplasm a few hours later. Or it might have been one ghost with two heads, four arms, and four legs. The two were made of floating limbs after all and kept interchanging parts. It was kind of disturbing honestly.

Where did Vlad even find these ghosts?

"It's just a precaution. To try and keep out outside influences … of the supernatural kind," said Vlad simply, part of him disturbed that Walker and Clockwork couldn't determine if it was a siphoning curse on Daniel's arm or something far more sinister. Thus, the Shaman.

Danny, already in a ducky shirt and sleepy shorts, was about to open his mouth when suddenly one of the shaman's hands flew across the room unaccompanied and poked him right in the forehead.

Immediately, the teenager cursed and was about to wipe away the ectoplasm when the two heads turned in Vlad and Danny's direction, their mouths moving in unison like marionettes. Danny didn't know the language, but Vlad seemed to. His godfather quickly gave the youth a sympathetic glance before muttering, "They said they must bind your mind to your bed every night until the curse is contained. To keep your dreams from wandering."

Looking up towards his forehead, the teenager sighed, "Great. Not only am I cursed, but I'm probably going to wake up with a pimple for the second day of school. Can this day get any better?"

Vlad, turning to leave, patted his godson on the head, stating simply, "Well, that depends on you, little badger. Now, go to sleep. If you have any odd dreams, please tell me."

"Pleasant dreams, my butt," groused the teenager, refusing to look at his scarred arm or the mark on his headboard as everyone finally floated out of his room leaving him to rest. "I'll be lucky if I don't have nightmares."

Danny moved his hand to his forehead once more, contemplating wiping it off before he dropped his hand with a sigh. He hadn't really mentioned the horrible dreams he sometimes had about the Demon. They terrified him and he didn't want to recollect them at all. Maybe, if this helped, he would never have to mention it at all.

Leaving the mark on his forehead, the teenager shuffled to his bed and threw himself in. He laid there for a moment, sinking into his sheets.

"Everything will be fine," he told himself, not knowing how else to calm himself because he was not allowing Vlad to take him down to that White Lady again. "You will be fine."

Sadly, Danny didn't completely believe himself.

…

Danny yawned, his uniform half on and his mind groggy. He had had a dreamless night, but it honestly hadn't been restful. He just felt anxious, waking up repeatedly with a heart in his throat as he looked about his dark room waiting for something to happen. Every time, there was nothing there. Not even the lingering traces of a dream. He honestly hoped every night would be like this: quiet.

Yawning, telling himself he'd get used to the dreamlessness, he stumbled into the kitchen and saw it was empty. He stood there dumbly for a moment staring at the chef Ronaldo. The man smiled warmly at the groggy teen before he pointed towards the doors leading to the main dining area.

The halfa groaned, suddenly remembering the conversation he had the morning before. He honestly liked the little table hidden away in the fancy kitchen. It felt private, small, and enclosed like the table in his childhood home. Vlad's castle was too big, especially that dining room. It didn't feel right, but he had promised to try. So he would try to have breakfast with his godfather at the big fancy table.

So, shuffling into the dining area, Danny immediately regretted getting up early enough for breakfast. Vlad was at the large dining table, predictably, but also was Linx Nikolli. He couldn't help but feel resentment towards the man as he perked up from whatever conversation he was having with Vlad to smile at him. The jerk's teeth were so white they almost blinded Danny as the morning sun reflected off of them.

Picking a seat on the opposite side of the table from Linx, Vlad at the head of the table, the teenager was immediately assaulted by a server. The man brought him breakfast on a fancy plate: Eggs Benedict and some kind of pomegranate dish Danny didn't recognize. He wanted to pout over it, never a fan of pomegranates, but Vlad's side glace silenced him. A healthy breakfast was obviously going to be a requirement at this table. Besides, complaining would only give Linx more ammo against him.

Deciding to leave the pomegranate until last so that he might be able to get out of eating it, Danny grumbled a tired good morning and made to eat his food as quickly as possible. He didn't want to be at this table with Linx any longer than possible. It honestly felt like he was dealing with a smarter and older version of Dash, and he hated it.

"Well, aren't you all sunshine and kittens?" asked Linx as he put down his cup of coffee, leaning forward with a predatory smile. "At least the uniform looks good on him, Vlad. Maybe you should take a family photo with him wearing it. On the castle's front steps probably or the drawing-room on the first floor. It would be a good photo to circulate before the celebration. Though … we'll have to do something about that acme beforehand."

Danny stalled, ready to eat and get away from the man, be he immediately stopped mid-fork. Acme?

Oh yeah, the ectoplasm from last night. Ugh, he knew this would happen.

Grabbing a spoon, the teenager used it as a mirror and groaned. Yep, there was a zit right in the middle of his forehead. Linx was chuckling at the despairing look forming on the youth's face and Vlad had finally stopped messing with his business tablet long enough to give Danny a sympathetic look.

"I-I can't go to school with this on my forehead. It's my second day," whined Danny as he put his spoon down, his voice breaking for a moment to almost push the point across that puberty was in full swing.

"It could be worse," replied Vlad knowingly; even Linx nodded at this as he side glanced at the billionaire. "It comes with the territory of growing up. I'll have the staff get some cleansers for your face. If it gets worse, we can always set up an appointment with a dermatologist. This is normal for your age which is why you will still be going to school today."

Folding his arms over his chest, slouching into his chair at Vlad's obvious dad voice (which was kind of creepy honestly), the teenager muttered, "More like my face is haunted."

The blond chuckled at this, probably thinking this was normal teenager angst while Vlad threw a sharp glare. It was basically unspoken, but there was to be no ghost business in front of the vice president of Vladco.

"So," continued the blond man, ignoring Danny's moping, "I've received some replies for the invitations. It looks like there will be a good turnout. Some people are even bringing their kids. I'm sure it'll be the usual networking, but it might open some new pockets for us. Especially since you now have the patents to Fenton's Works. There are some eccentric designs in there, but there's always a market for that if you know who to sell it to."

Danny stalled once again at this, his head snapping to look at the billionaire as he asked, "Patents … like in mom and dad's inventions? How did you even get those? Why do you have them at all?"

Knowing that this was going to lead to a fight of some kind, Vlad sighed, "Daniel, I'm your godfather and obviously your financial guardian as well. So, I am dealing with any finances that your parents left behind, that includes the existing patents for Fenton Works that were already on the market or salvaged. It's not like I could just allow the business to go stagnant until you were of legal age to deal with it on your own. Your mother had some investors after all. So, it is in your best interest if those designs keep earning. Thus, Fenton Works is now a subsidiary to Vladco, which keeps the stockholders and investors from pulling out while earning enough to put into a trust for you."

The teenager stalled, his confusion and anger battling under his skin. He did not want Fenton Works to even be associated with Vladco, but at the same time, he just didn't want his parents' business to go under. And this trust … what was that about? In fact, Danny now realized that he didn't know much about what happened to his parents' assets. He had just been so broken up that … money wasn't important.

Putting a pin in Fenton Works for now, Danny found himself asking, "Trust? What trust? Why do I have a trust and why am I just hearing about it?"

Vlad looked frustrated for a moment before he seemed to deflate, "I haven't brought it up because you are just a child. You shouldn't have to worry about things like money."

Danny felt his lip twitch, about to tell Vlad that he wasn't helpless when it came to money. He had had an allowance, done a few odd jobs and such. He probably didn't know the finer details of budgeting yet, but he still wanted to know.

"If it has to do with my parents, I deserve to know," argued Danny, the words escaping him as breakfast was all but forgotten.

His godfather opened his mouth as if he was about to disagree when Linx interrupted, "Just explain it, Vlad. The kid has to learn finances someday if he is going to be the heir to Vladco."

Danny felt like he had just been punched in the stomach, his appetite completely dead now. He didn't want to be the heir of Vladco. Instead, he was planning on being an astronaut. He didn't even get to mutter his opinion though when Vlad suddenly agreed, "I suppose you are right. I'm not doing him any favors."

For a moment, the teenager was stunned. Here Danny would have had to literally battle for his godfather to release this type of information, but agreed with Linx with little prompting?! That-that was just so unfair. Why was the smarmy sleazeball's opinion more important than his?

"I don't know if breakfast is the best time to bring this up, Daniel, but your parents did have some assets on their passing. There were a few things that survived the fire such as a safe that had a few patents in them, but also some insurance policies and important documents. Your mom took one out for herself and Jack. She even had a small one for Jazz."

Immediately, Danny no longer felt angry … he felt sick. His mom had planned on this? She had bought a policy that planned on her dying?

Yes, he knew that insurance policies didn't quite work that way, but at the same time that's was what it felt like. His mother had planned on her children's future without her in it … and it strangely hurt. Why would she plan on that instead of making sure she didn't die to begin with?

Vlad just starting talking though, interrupting those thoughts with what had to be his businessman voice, "As your financial guardian, I have collected all these policies in your name and have been placing said assets into a trust. So far, there are three life insurance policies. There was also the house insurance from the fire since it was never deemed as arson. They even paid out for the car insurance because it was destroyed in the garage. The bank account was emptied and added to the trust as well. I also was able to get their retirement funds. And surprisingly, your mother had some money in the stock market, but I am allowing those funds to continue to grow. If there is a significant dip, then I may do something more with it. All in all, I consider all of these assets a gift from your mother, and I can go over the trust with you and its assets in finer detail if that is what you want."

Danny … didn't know how to reacted. Vlad hadn't even said how much money there was. Probably not as substantial as Vlad's net worth, but he was talking like all this money left behind was normal and not something to be ashamed of. But Danny was ashamed. His family was dead and apparently had a price tag attached to their deaths. He had gained from failing his family and it honestly felt like dirty money. He was profiting off of the dead.

Those thoughts must have shown on the teenager's face because Linx, ever abrasive, actually interrupted, "Yeah, I don't think he was ready for this conversation."

Vlad winced, carefully backpedaling, "Yes … This was too much, wasn't it? I knew I should have waited. Listen, Daniel, we can talk about this some other time when you are ready. If you don't feel up for school now, I can call your -"

"No," interrupted the youth, pushing all those feelings down. "I-I just need to think on it. I want to go to school."

Honestly, he didn't really want to go to school, but he didn't want to be stuck in the castle either.

Vlad was eyeing him critically before he nodded, "Very well, we'll talk about it when you are ready. For now, finish your breakfast. The car should be waiting out front. You may have some company on your commute."

Looking down at his now scrambled eggs, willing to do anything to get out of this conversation, Danny scarfed down his mashed Eggs Benedict and all but ran out of the dining area. He left the pomegranate untouched. Thankfully, Vlad said nothing.

It wasn't until Danny's footsteps faded that Linx spoke up, "Well, it could have been worse."

Vlad could only sigh, resisting the urge to throw his toast across the table. Knowing Linx, he'd just catch and eat it anyway.

…

Danny all but sprinted across the courtyard and to the running car waiting for him. Thankfully, Vlad spared him having to ride in the limo. It was just a sleek black car with tinted windows.

The youth ripped the door open and all but jumped in, wanting to be anywhere if only to get away from the conversation about his family's assets. He immediately came to regret that the second the door shut and he saw that he wasn't alone. The car was full of ghosts. Even the driver, thought looking mostly human, had glowing eyes which showed his true nature. But the worse part was the three hyena-looking creatures that were looking back at him, strange little chuckles escaping each one as if it was some type of twitch.

Well, he presumed they were looking at him. It was hard to tell given that none of them had eyes. At least he didn't think they had eyes until one opened its flat-teethed moth and revealed the eyeball on their tongue.

"Is this the one we are to watch or can we eat him?" asked one of the hyena ghosts as it leaned over the front seat and got into Danny's face, forcing the teenager to plaster himself against the car seat in the back.

It took a deep inhale and started laughing, "He's half-dead, half-dead like the Master. Half-dead!"

The creatures then all started to cackle at this and the car actually started to drive away, effectively trapping the teenager with these freaks.

Swallowing, part of him now awkwardly staring at these drooling and honestly cockamamie hyena ghosts, Danny asked, "Wait … did you say you were supposed to watch me? I'm not a baby."

The three figures immediately laughed, "Pup, no think he a pup. Hahaha."

Eyelid twitching, the teenager folded his arms over his chest and grumbled, "What? Does Vlad think I can have three ghost-dogs follow me around school and no one will freak out?"

The three canines stopped laughing for a moment before they all started to snicker instead as if this was all a big joke. Danny felt his stomach sink.

…

"Get in there!" growled Danny as he stuffed Ed into his locker, the hyena ghost cackling even after the teenager managed to slam his locker shut. It was only after he shut the locker that he noticed that someone was standing next to him … watching him like he was a crazy person. That in itself wasn't that odd. He was sure that half of the student body at Casper High thought he was touched in the head. Then again, they weren't a pretty girl.

"Something wrong with your locker?" asked the girl as she smiled jokingly, her caramel hair falling over her shoulder in a silky stream. "Abuse of school property is kind of frowned on, but if you tell the headmaster it's haunted or something, he might give you a new one. The whole town is really paranoid about ghosts and stuff. It probably has to do with the Wisconsin Ghost legend."

Danny felt his stomach sour. How was it that Vlad wasn't even here and yet he felt like the billionaire was watching him? There was a yip from inside his locker followed by the rattling of something scratching within. Then again, Vlad technically was watching him.

Throwing his back against his locker while kicking it with the bottom of his shoe, Danny tried to play it cool. He didn't know what it was about this random girl but she kind of reminded him of Sam. He didn't know if it was her voice or the perfume she wore, but there was just something about her. She was even a little taller than him and that didn't bother him in the slightest. He knew it was immediately wrong to compare some random girl to Sam, but … it just felt right. Like meeting an old friend you haven't seen in years.

Ignoring the look the girl was giving his locker as the scratching sound continued, Danny kicked it with the bottom of his shoe again and waved it off, "Naw, it's just a pet project. And besides, it looks like I got into the cool locker neighbor. Why would I want to leave?"

The girl chuckled at that and put out a hand, her nails a dark purple, "Well, welcome to the cool locker neighborhood. I'm Carmen Dewolf."

Smiling dumbly, he took her hand and shook it as he said, "And I'm Danny F-Masters."

"I know," said the girl with this glint in her eyes. "Talk to you later Danny."

And with that, the interaction was over and the teenager was left there feeling his heart flutter. He knew he should just friend-zone her, it was too soon after Sam, but there was just something about her. It had to be the perfume.

"So," suddenly came the familiar voice of Drake as he threw a hand over Danny's shoulder, the rest of the Mystery Cheese Gang suddenly there as if they had been watching the entire interaction. "I take it you like your locker?"

Danny immediately felt like dying when he noticed the rest of the gang was chuckling or smirking at him, obviously having witnessed the entire interaction with Carmen.

"How long were you watching that?" asked Danny with a wince.

The taller teenager hummed before releasing him, "Long enough to tell you that you need a mirror in your locker."

The halfa was about to ask what he meant by that when Drake slammed his fist against one of the nearby lockers, the door popping and revealing a mirror on the inside … along with a strange collection of streamers. It was as if a party store threw up in there. Danny didn't really get to question it though when he saw his own face and the huge pimple in the middle of his forehead.

"Ugh, I forgot!" groaned the dark-haired teen, a hand suddenly slapping his forehead. He had been so caught off guard with the trust fund that he completely forgot about the blemish. The blemish that Carmen had probably been staring at the whole time.

Lisa and Wakata gave Danny a sympathetic glance while Tech snickered, "And puberty strikes again."

Danny merely moaned to himself, his face going red in embarrassment, "I can't believe I talked to her with that on my forehead. She probably thinks I'm a freak."

"Nah, she wouldn't have even spoken to you if she thought that," said Drake, patting him on the back. "But the rest of the school might. Luckily for you, art class is first. Hope you want to look like an eccentric artist for the rest of the day because we are going to get paint all over your face."

"We'll even let you choose the colors," added Wakata with a coy laugh.

Danny didn't know if he should be thankful or horrified, but at least invisible ghost-dogs were the least of his problems for the rest of the day even though he tripped over them at least several times and had one of his books chewed on.

…

The rest of the week passed quickly and could have been worse. At least he didn't get any more pimples. In fact, school was the least of his problems besides getting lost whenever it was convenient so he could yell at some invisible ghost hyenas. He was sure one of the janitors saw him yelling at nothing, but the man merely shook his head and went back to mopping. Apparently, unbalanced rich kids weren't that odd.

Going home each day was worse and it wasn't even the shamans or Skulker's remarks about him smelling like a wet ghost-dog. The ghost stuff was actually starting to feel kind of normal, but Linx and this upcoming party were suffocating him. The first thing that happened was that an etiquette teacher showed up out of the blue to 'smooth out the rough edges' of Danny's personality. Vlad had merely given him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and told him there was no defeating Linx so it was just best to give in. The older halfa then retreated stating he had some business to catch up on.

Danny heavily suspected it was ghost business because Vlad suddenly walked through a wall when everyone's backs were turned. Danny might have taken time to be bitter about that, but being left with Linx stole any time he had to be rancor. The man was intolerable and wouldn't let up that Danny was now the young face of Vladco. Danny honestly didn't care about Vladco, but whenever he started to gain an attitude it was like Linx just knew what to say. The blond would always take the time to mention Fenton Works and his parents' dreams for their business.

The teenager honestly didn't know what his parents' dreams were for Fenton Works, but it was theirs and if putting up with Linx made sure that part of his family's legacy survived, Danny would suck it up. So, he put up with the etiquette teacher and all those stupid emergency lessons. He made sure to stand up straight when his new suit was being altered. He followed Linx around like a dog while Vlad frittered in and out of the castle because he couldn't suffocate the guilt. At the end of the school week, Danny was dead on his feet, and the party was tomorrow. They'd show him off like a prized puddle to the stockholders and some other bigwigs, and then he could get back to what was really important: like getting revenge and surviving math class.

Yes, he knew Vlad said he was dealing with all the ghost stuff, but Danny felt like he was the one that really deserved revenge. He knew losing his powers was probably for the best, that Dan could never be in the grand scheme of things, but he had never felt so helpless before.

He hated it.

...

Saturday had come too soon and Vlad finally was forced to confront the real world and not the problems in the ghost one. He honestly was getting frustrated with the lack of information about the curse, and Daniel honestly looked miserable after being under Linx's thumb all week.

He hated having to do that, but Linx knew his networking and Daniel honestly needed something to do at home. Vlad couldn't even imagine the trauma the boy was going through and having his power siphoned away on top of that, the kid needed the distraction. Honestly, Vlad was glad for anything that took up the teenager's time as he tried to clean up this supernatural mess.

Knocking and entering his godson's room, he couldn't help but hope that Linx picked something classic for the teenager's presentation to his business partners. Luckily, the kid didn't end up looking like Abraham Lincoln. In fact, he looked very mature donning a white suit with a yellow rose in his pocket and a silver tie.

Peter, Vlad's own personal tailor, was standing there with a tape measure over his neck. He was eyeing the teenager critically as if making sure he hadn't missed anything.

The man turned a flamboyant smile to Masters, asking, "Ah, Vladimir, love. Isn't it perfect and the colors are so complementary, yes? I do good work, don't I? A perfect little prince."

Danny looked like he wanted to die all dolled up as he was, hair slicked back with a touch of makeup. The teen probably thought he looked ridiculous, but the billionaire merely nodded his head and walked up to godson, straightening the boutonnière. Peter spoke a bit more before giving the two a parting kiss on the cheek, leaving the father and son duo to speak.

"So, you survived Linx for the week, I see," said Vlad joking, a feeling of pride bubbling up in him.

"Barely," groused Danny as he wiped at the cheek Peter had kissed him on, unused to the strange custom. "I just can't wait for this stupid reveal party to be over so things can go back to normal."

Vlad wanted to point out that they didn't exactly have a normal dynamic given all the ghosts and murderous demons, but he merely patted his godson on the shoulder, stating simply, "He'll be heading back to the offices soon enough. Come now, we have a few dozen people to smile at and show you off to like a prized Bichon Frise."

Danny rolled his eyes. "I've got 'play dead' down packed. Don't worry."

Vlad chuckled at the comment before he placed a hand on either of his godson's shoulders and stated, "You'll do fine. Just know that I am really proud of you. You are becoming an excellent young man and your parents would be happy with how strong and resilient you are."

The youth tried to smile, but a small amount of pain bled through. Vlad knew it would but he also knew that that pain would never entirely fade. You just learned to live with it.

"Alright, before we head down," continued Vlad. "I wanted to give you something. I was going to save this for later, but I think you've earned it for putting up with Linx for the last few days."

The older halfa had been trying to choose a good time for this and he found no better time to show Danny that he wasn't just his godson: he was his son. He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small box containing a pair of gold cufflinks with small 'M's on them. They weren't as flashy as Vlad's current ones, but they were his first pair of cufflinks and he was still proud of them.

He offered them to the youth, stating proudly, "These are the first cufflinks I ever bought, and I want you to have them. You are like a son to me, Daniel. You are a Masters and I want you to wear that name proudly."

Danny felt his voice catch in his throat as he stared down at the glittery little things. He wanted to say that he was a Fenton, but for some reason his tongue caught. He couldn't say that. Vlad was trying. He really was, despite all the conflicts.

Jack would always be his dad, but Vlad … could be one as well? He didn't know if it was right to even place Vlad in the same category as his father, but he did care about his godfather. They had reached an interesting dynamic in the last few months and Danny couldn't just dismiss that. So he took the gift, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, "Thank you. It … it means a lot."

The teenager smiled tightly and looked at the little treasures. Despite his best efforts, one of those tears escaped and slid down his cheek, but before Vlad could even offer his handkerchief, Danny admitted, "I really mean it. Thank you, Vlad. Thank you for taking me in and caring for me. I … I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't wanted to be my godfather."

Something skipped in Vlad's heart, something warm and frail, a connection with a name rarely muttered a loud by him. Offering his own sad smile he leaned down and embrace his godson in a tight hug. Those words were so wonderful to hear and had immediately burrowed into his heart. He had no idea if he was raising Danny right, but now he at least knew he wasn't a complete fuck up when it came to parental figures.

Feeling something gather in his eyes as well, he admitted aloud, "Thank you, Danny. Those are some of the best words I've ever heard."

The teenager had no idea how long he was allowed to be hugged, but when Vlad finally pulled away the teenager couldn't help but see the moisture in the older halfa's eyes.

"Now," said Vlad, some unknown tone in his voice. "We should be heading downstairs. It is one thing to be fashionably late and another to not even make an appearance at your own party. Now smile. This is your time to shine because the world finally gets to meet you."

Wiping his semi-wet eyes, Danny nodded, chuckling aloud, "Ok, I'll smile and play nice. Just know that I invited a few school friends. It is my party after all and Linx didn't even notice the missing invitations."

Beside himself, Vlad threw his head back laughter echoing down the halls. Linx would hate that and that made it all the better.

...

"Please! Don't make me do this to Danny! He was my first love … my only love!" cried the body of Carmen Dewolf as the girl fell to her knees before the Demon, begging the monstrosity before her. The monster merely sneered down at her, the moonlight falling through the mausoleum's roof to fully reveal his decaying features.

"I gave you a body. I gave you your first meal in the world of the living, and now you are having second thoughts? I can barely feel the boy anymore and I can't risk losing that connection. You both are succubi and will do as you are told," he hissed, a second figure twitching behind Carmen as her red glittering dress stood out in this defiled place.

Not willing to look back at the other woman behind her, Carmen bowed lower, "Please, I beg of you Master. You have so much power. The Ghost Zone and all that dwell in it are basically yours. You don't need Danny. W-why not Vlad Masters instead? He has a mature form and stature in the living world."

"He also doesn't become Dark Dan, decimator of the world," said the Demon knowingly, a smile spreading over his face as a horrified gasp escaped Carmen.

The Demon chuckled at her reaction, "Yes, I know the possibilities of the future thanks to that insufferable narcissist that was imprisoned next to me. He was the worst kind of prison mate, always bitching on and on in that containment unit of his. He would have driven me mad in a few centuries if I hadn't gotten out of that bloody clock tower. That is why you need to go, both of you. I need that boy's mind broken and his support structure completely destroyed. I will have what I will from that child. Only the best will do."

The female figure was all but sobbing behind Carmen and the younger woman looked horrified enough for the both of them. The Demon, done with her begging, then leaned forward, grabbing the girl's chin and forcing her to look up at him, "Besides, how much could he have actually loved you? He left you to die. He left you to burn. Grant my words, he has already moved on."

Carmen looked horrified, her head shaking.

The Demon merely smiled, petting her hair back before he waved them both off, "The heart is a fickle thing. Now, away with both of you. To the castle and that insufferable celebration they are putting on. Remember, you both were only given forms to serve me, and serve me you shall."

And with that, the Demon handed a dagger to the girl while stating, "And remember, its imperative that you break his heart. It's only fair. He did leave you after all."

...

Damian Hawthorn glared at the redhead who was holding onto his father's arm, glittering like a pompous prize. She just seemed to come out of nowhere and his father wasn't able to resist. In fact, that woman was adamant that he accept Vlad Masters invitation and take her.

Unsurprisingly, Hawthorn Senior gave in and now Damian didn't trust her. There was just something wrong with Ivy Scotts, like there was this rotten taste in the air that followed her around, especially since she always looked at him as if she was hungry. In fact, she looked at everyone that way. His dad probably confused that expression for lust or something, but Damian was sure it was hunger.

Not that his father would listen to him even if he did say something. His dad had probably already forgotten he was a tag-along to befriend the Masters's heir. He knew it was a networking move, that his father still couldn't believe that Masters had risen so quickly in the business world, but money was money and Hawthorn Senior wouldn't say no to that.

Plus, as far as Damian was concerned, maybe if he made friends with Danny Masters and then demanded to live with mom … well, dad couldn't ignore him then.

Watching his father and his arm candy cross the marble floor to speak with the hosts, Damian turned his own attention to befriending Daniel. Well, friend might be a bit heavy-handed. Associates seemed far more likely. He was sure that the new kid needed some better quality fiends than the Cheese Gang anyway.

In fact ... where was Danny Masters? Wasn't he just standing next to the vice president of Vladco?

...

"Have you guys seen Danny yet?" asked Tech. "The only reason I am here is because I want to try catching an image of the Wisconsin Ghost, and Danny promised to show us around the castle."

Drake laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "You don't believe that story about the Wisconsin Ghost originating from the Dairy King's Castle, do you?"

Tech gave him a look that said, 'you don't' before stating, "Yes, and I want to see the great cheese cellar of the castle. Maybe we can find the haunted cheddar wheel that the Wisconsin Ghost attached himself to when being imported from Transylvania."

Lisa rolled her eyes, stating, "Don't tell me you think the Wisconsin Ghost isn't from Wisconsin? He was a dairy farmer that got stampeded by some milk cows in the twenties. The Dairy King then built this castle over where the barn previously stood and the Wisconsin Ghost gained his powers from all the cheese that accumulated there."

Tech look insulted, adding, "He looks like a vampire, not a dairy farmer. He came from Transylvania."

Wakata quickly disagreed, shaking her head, "The Wisconsin Ghost is too powerful to originate from something like a wheel of cheddar. In fact, I heard it was a wheel of the finest Parmigiano Reggiano imported from Italy."

The Mystery Cheese Gang, that had hilarious gathered around the cheese section of the hors d'oeuvre, stalled when a snobbish voice inquired, "So I see you dolts were invited as well? Someone must not have been minding the invitations."

The teens all turned. The scholarship kids frowned, saying nothing in order to not jeopardize that, while the kids with rich parents sighed. Drake, not the least bit concerned, quickly quipped, "I'd say … don't know who would've let you in."

Giving a dry snort before he picked up something that looked sweet, Damien allowed the moment to hang as he tasted his choice, making the moment as awkward as he could before he added, "I thought you weren't trying to please your father anymore, Drake? So why are you here making connections?"

The grin on Drake's face faded, his broad shoulders suddenly becoming taunt, "I am not here to do my father's bidding, unlike you. Danny is my friend and he invited me."

Damien gave Drake a look that said he didn't believe him, but neither of the teens said anything else on the subject of fathers when Danny suddenly slid in next to them, hiding behind the group. A blond man stalled, looking around before continuing forward.

"Hiding from someone?" asked Damien cheekily, the teen taking another bright sweet from a different tray.

Danny, watching Linx stalk away, probably trying to find him for another introduction, frowned. No, he was not going back to that slow torture. It had been two hours and he hadn't even gotten to any of the hors d'oeuvres.

Still hiding behind the other teens, even Damien at one point even though the teen gave him a confused glare, Danny filled his pockets full of hors d'oeuvres, stating, "No, I am taking a break. Now, let's discreetly get out of here so I can actually stop smiling for five minutes and eat some fancy cheese and ladyfingers or whatever these are."

Tech was the first to pipe up, ignoring everyone else, "And will you show us around then? Like the fabled cheese cellar?"

Drake was already rolling his eyes as well as Lisa, but Danny was nudging his human shields towards the nearest door regardless, confusedly stating, "Uhhh, sure. Cheese cellar. You got it."

"And maybe the Dairy King's old rooms? I hear they are completely haunted," came another voice, a female voice.

Immediately, before he even turned his head, Danny was blushing. She had really come. He had stuck the invitation in her locker on a nervous whim, but as he turned around there she was: Carmen Dewolf. She wasn't a figment or a ghost, and … wow. Oh, wow. She was really pretty in that dress.

"Oh hey, Carmen. You came," said Danny in a dopey tone. Part of him wanted to feel guilty for already crushing on this girl that he just met this week … but she even dressed like Sam. She was in this purple and black dress, the black lace seeming to imitate spider webs. It was classy, probably so she could get in, but even the way she held herself reminded him of Sam. He knew she wasn't his old girlfriend, that he shouldn't even compare the two, but she seemed nice.

The Cheese Gang was already rolling their eyes, but not at the girl. No, at their newest love-struck club member. Drake even grabbed him by the back of the suit, tugging him along as he stated to the new girl, "Yeah, I'm sure he'd love to show you, but we have adults to escape first. You wanna help in our living flesh shield project. Your dress seems puffy enough."

The girl laughed immediately making Danny even more lovesick as Carmen joined the little brigade on their mission.

Damien though, hanging back to the rear of this idiot train, frowned. He … did not recognize this girl, and he knew everyone by at least name. It was important, after all, to network properly. Nonetheless, he followed after, keeping his curiosity to himself. He might not like the job his father had assignment him, but even he could tell that it was best to get one's claws in early.

…

Danny came to a quick conclusion as he led his co-conspirators around the castle: he really didn't know where anything was. Between being sick all the time, babysat, or locked in his room, the castle was still largely a mystery to him.

"How do you not know where the cheese vault or the Dairy King's room is? I mean you live here, don't you?" asked Tech, the most troubled by the lack of development in their ghost search.

Carmen, who seemed greatly entertained by all this, defended Danny before he could do it himself, "This castle is creepy. I mean the Packers room was offsetting on its own. Can you really blame him for not exploring much?"

"The Packers room was creepy," agreed Tech, asking, "Is there someone we can ask? I want at least a little evidence to go over this weekend."

The first person to come to mind was Skulker and that … that was probably a bit more ghost than his new friends (and rich tag-along) were probably looking for. He wasn't sure where Kristy was, and he was certain that the other half of the house's staff were secretly ghosts in human disguise. The only other person he could think to ask was located in the kitchens.

"We'll have to brave the kitchens," suddenly said Danny as he turned around and gave his entourage a brave face. Most of them gave him a horrified look in response as if he had just said they had to throw the One Ring into Mount Doom. That was because most of the rich kids knew that the kitchens were a nightmare of bustling servers and chefs during a big party. Danny himself had discovered that earlier that day when he had gone down for a snack.

Needless to say, Renaldo was not impressed when the teenagers created complete discord in his kitchen, one or two servers tripping on the girls' dresses. So, when they asked about the cheese vault, the man had threatened to flambe the lot of them first. Regardless, after some teenage pouting and rude taste testing, he told them where it was if only to be rid of them. The cheese vault was apparently next to the wine vault which was next to the secret entrance to Vlad's apparently not-so-secret lab. The maids when down and cleaned it once a month to keep up with the dust.

Tech immediately demanded to see the not-so-secret lab. Danny really didn't want to run into the White Lady and pretended he didn't know anything about the lab. And thus, they were now all standing before giant rolls of wax-covered cheese. Some aged, some exotic, and some probably haunted. Damien seemed set on correcting anyone when they called any type of cheese the wrong name, Lisa had out some kind of scrying crystal, Wakata debated cheese quality, Drake was entertained, and Tech had some kind of ghost-finder machine going. It was utterly dumb and yet strangely funny.

Danny, in turn, decided to stand near the entrance and just take it all in. Maybe making new friends wasn't a betrayal. Maybe ... he could be happy again.

"That smile looks good on you," came the voice of Carmen, the girl at his side. In fact, she had been at his side all evening like she wanted to say something more.

"Uh, thanks," said the halfa, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "It's nice to smile again. Smiles were rare for a while there, but I'm glad to be happy again."

The girl suddenly frowned, the glimmer in her eye disappearing. She almost seemed upset. And yet it was gone before Danny could completely recognize it, her smile present as she stepped closer, "I'm glad I could make you smile. It means a lot to me."

Danny tried not to be weird and sniff the girl standing next to him. She really, really did remind him of Sam. It had to be the perfume. It was the same. He was sure of it.

"Hey? Wanna have a night that you won't forget?" suddenly asked the girl, drawing in closer until her hand suddenly encircled his. Her fingers immediately interlocked with his and their forms instinctively got closer.

Her touch felt like electricity and it was amazing as she pressed against his side. Part of Danny thought that this was going a bit fast, that he should slow this down, but the teenage boy in him couldn't stop looking at her mouth. He couldn't stop staring at that perfect cupid's bow and wonder what flavor her lipstick was. He hoped he was an okay kisser. He really hadn't had a lot of practice.

Choking on his own tongue, Danny barely got out 'We'll be right back' to his friends before the girl was leading him away from the others. He didn't care that she led him down dark halls and out back doors and through the tall grass towards the edge of the property. He followed her, unable to look away from that glimmer in her eye as if he was completely spellbound. In fact, he was so entranced, he didn't even notice the smell of copper and death in the trees until something struck him in the back of the head.

...

The world came back to Danny in flashes of color and pain. The teenager was no stranger to pain, but his head felt wrong, heavy. It seemed like an eternity until he could keep his eyes open … and immediately, he didn't like what he was seeing. For the most part, it was dark, but the broken-out windows told the story of an old factor. The fact that there were old conveyor belts and crates all around supported that hypothesis.

Groaning, not liking the look of this horror movie setting, Danny rubbed the back of his head only to immediately hiss and pull his hand away. It was wet. Blood from the look of it. Something had hit him in the back of the head.

"Fuck, what happened?" whispered the teen to himself as he started to sit up, ignoring the stains of rust, dirt, and blood now on his suit. He barely even got to sit up straight when he realized that one of his arms had tugged and jingled. Looking down, the teen's stomach dropped. He was handcuffed to a metal pole in the middle of the room.

Oh no. This was not good. Not good at all.

Cursing to himself once more, the halfa started wiggling his wrist as if trying to slip out of the cuff. He didn't get far in chaffing his skin when suddenly the sound of clicking heels filled the room.

It was a haunting sound in the way it echoed around the warehouse and was even more unsettling when light accompanied it. In the candlelight Carmen Dewolf's form slowly came forward until she stood above Danny looking down, judging him with her dark gaze.

It was with great care that she placed that candle holder down and just out of Danny's reach. She then started walking around him like a tiger circling its prey, her heels clicking with every step.

Getting onto his knees, because it felt far more defensible than remaining on his ass, the boy glared at her, his tone angry, "What's going on here? Who hit me? What is this place?"

The girl merely glared at him and made another round, answering him as she walked, "I'm fulfilling my promise. I'm giving you a night you won't forget."

"If this is some kind of first date thing … yeah, I'm never going to forget it. Can you just uncuff me now?" asked Danny, trying to keep his tone even. He was praying she was just some kind of weirdo, maybe even a stalker, but he had a feeling this was leaning towards a hostage situation.

The girl chuckled darkly, her form passing by the candle again causing the flame to flicker, "A first date huh? My, how easily you move on to the next girl, Danny. It's as if that kiss under the blossoms meant nothing to you. That I meant nothing to you."

There was a bitterness in the girl's tone and her eyes were right. They weren't right at all. Slowly his mind filled with horror as he recognized where he had seen those types of eyes before. Danny choked, "W-who, or should I ask, what are you?"

She couldn't be a sinister. She couldn't. She had human skin for one! Sinisters were basically hair and teeth with an attitude problem. Not a pretty girl.

There were tears now dripping down the girl's face. Tears that were turning red as if she had run out of all the clear ones. These were tears of blood. It was then that he realized … this girl was already dead.

"It's me Sam! Samantha Manson!" she basically shouted, her hands shaking as her manicured nails slowly started to get longer like claws. "How could you forget me so easily? You were my first love! My only love! And some girl comes around, giggles at you once, and now you love her instead? What about me?!"

Danny just gaping at her as if she was mad like she was some crazed stalker. The girl in front of him shivered slightly and then lifted her hands to her face, her palms running over her skin to quickly reveal the truth with only minimal blood and makeup smearing. This was her first face even though everything else about this body, this existence, was wrong. At least she could still call forward her first face. This tiny little piece of her was still Sam.

"Sam …" finally choked Danny, the boy looking pale and sick. "No. You can't be her. She … I saw. She's dead. You aren't her. This is some kind of trick."

Danny's voice was barely above a whisper. Still, those words echoed over the warehouse like a grim reminder.

Beside herself, Sam frowned deeper, her elongated nails digging into her palms. The Demon was right ... Danny had never really cared about her.

"You're right. In a way," replied the girl darkly, her voice almost like a hiss. "The Sam you knew is dead. You let her die in the fire! She was nothing more than charbroiled soot when you were done with her. And now … all that is left is this shell of a girl who was once foolish enough to think that you missed her, loved her, and would never forget her. But look how quickly you rebound. I haven't even been dead for five months!"

Danny flinched back as if physically slapped. No. She was lying. She had to be.

Wiggling in his cuffs, feeling them dig deeper into his skin, Danny snapped, "Stop desecrating her name you undead freak! You are not Sam! Sam loved me and I loved her. She would never hurt me. Now let me go! I'm not playing this game anymore!"

Even as he shouted at her … she could see the misting of tears in his eyes. And his confession about loving her might have meant more if her heart was still beating, but it was not. It was still and cold. It was a black thing that had been stuffed back into her chest cavity covered in spellwork to revive her in this form.

Coming forward, head shaking slightly, Sam squatted down in her heels so she was closer to Danny's eye level. She wanted him to look her in the eye, makeup smeared and bloodstained, and still say he loves her.

"Oh Danny, Danny, Danny," she almost mocked, her tone scolding as if she was talking to a small child. "You can't confess your love to a girl … when you leave her to die."

And then, the candle flickered, the room going dark for a moment. With that, Carmen was no longer kneeling there. It was Sam. Full body Sam. She still had her charred clothes, the skin of her cheek was even burned all the way to the bone, and one side of her head's hair was all but burnt off and gone. There was even the smell of barbecue and burnt hair in the air.

Danny immediately gagged and fell back on his ass, covering his mouth as he looked up at her. He hadn't seen her body after the fire. He knew it was bad and understood that there was a reason she hadn't had an open casket. His mental imaged didn't do the gore justice.

Unable to stop himself, he turned his head and dry heaved, suddenly glad he hadn't had a full super.

"I know I lost my good looks, but come on, you don't have to insult a girl," said Sam, her hip even jutting in the way it did when she was mad. "But I suppose it's best that you can't stand to look at me anymore because I'm sure you don't want to watch this. I'm sorry Danny. I did love you once, and it was fun when we were both alive."

It was with that said, Danny still wiping bile from his mouth, that the girl pulled out a dagger. The same dagger that her Master had given her earlier. This was something only an old love could do … that a bygone heart could perform. And so, bringing her good arm forward, she sliced it all the way down like a romantic gesture to suicide. And even though she was dead, Carmen's flesh still had some blood to spill and it splattered everywhere … even on Danny's vest and cheek.

Then, as Danny looked up at her with horrified eyes, she slowly started to walk around him in the same circle she had been earlier, her blood dripping all around the boy like a cursed circle.

"Sam? What are you doing? Sam?" he asked, his voice shaking, his heart breaking, but the girl just continued to walk around and around and around.

It was at this time, that Danny was a few seconds from sobbing, that a cold rhythmic clapping echo over the empty building. Even though she was still circling him, still bleeding out around him, Danny looked up. And there, sitting on one of the crates as if this was all a good show, was the Demon.

"You," choked Danny, his heart skipping in his chest even as his voice rose in volume. "You did all of this. You killed her and then brought her back like this! Release her! Release her right now!"

The Demon, ever entertained, laughed at that and leaped down. He even seemed to skip until he was standing just outside the circle of blood, his hands in his pants pockets as he grinned, "Release her? Why? So she can once again be dead?"

Danny sneered up at him, "Do it. Now."

Laughing at the gall of the boy, the Demon's grin slowly faded before he was frowning, his tone dark, "No. You are going to watch her bleed that body dry because you tried to block me out. You aren't allowed to hide from me."

The teenager raised a brow, confused until it hit him. The symbol above his bed. The shaman. Had that actually worked?

Then, right when Sam was making another round, the Demon put out a hand as if asking for something. Sam, apparently not even confused, lifted her arm up her blood dripping into his open palm. Once he had enough, he then shooed her off, the monstrous being walking forward as he put one of his own fingers into his mouth. His canines glinted before he bit down, a dribble of thick black liquid coming forward. It might have been blood once. Either way, he was now mixing his own fluids into the blood in his palm like it was some kind of grotesque paint and not bodily fluids.

Eyes going wide, part of him knowing what was going to happen next, Danny tried to squirm away, "No! Don't come near me! No."

The teenager barely even got one good kick in before the beast was upon him, slamming him squarely against the pole while his knee kept the teen pinned. That didn't keep the youth from swearing up a storm though as the Demon drew away at the youth's forehead. Danny knew it was a spell. He knew it was going to do something to him, but he was just so-so fucking weak. He couldn't do anything for himself anymore.

Despite himself, he felt the energy go out of his struggle. He knew he was stuck, and maybe it wouldn't be so bad being dead. So far life hadn't been that good to him.

"Good boy, good boy," cooed the Demon as if he was talking to a dog and not a human being, the symbols moving down from his forehead to his cheek, neck, shoulder (bastard ripped his suit) and then down his arm. The arm with the scar.

Sneering, his wrist bloody as he tried to get out of his cuff, Danny growled, "I'll kill you for this."

"Greater beings than you have tried," replied the beast like it was an offhand comment, his attention entirely on his writing until he finally got to the burn scar. Suddenly, Danny regretted not having it wrapped as the demon ran a bony finger over its edges as if admiring his work. He then started drawing on the scar as well, the feel of the liquid making his skin crawl.

"I'm glad to see it healed fairly well," finally said the Demon as he turned on his jagged tooth smile, the beast adding, "Now, scream for me. I wish to hear such a lovely voice."

The monstrous being them slapped his hand over the healed wound, like he had done that terrible night so long ago, and at first, there was nothing. Just the feel of his cold, horrible rotting skin on Danny's skin. But then he felt it, he felt a burning in each of the symbols written on him. They even started to glow green … like ghostly green. His green.

For a moment, Danny felt a familiar power rise in his stomach. He'd never forget that feeling. It was his powers! Why had they shown up now? Did he even care?! That thing was dead now!

"I'm going –"

The Demon slapped a hand over the child's mouth, the taste of copper suddenly filling his mouth. It was the hand that had had the blood on it. Danny immediately tried to wretch away, but the being kept a tight hold as he snarled, "Just swallow it, boy. You can't do a damn thing here. You are mine."

The teenager struggled regardless, trying to call on his powers, but then something odd happened. His powers, usually a cool balm, started to feel hot ... wrong ... burning. It felt like lava was in his veins and it was all originating from his arm.

Danny's forced his head down and away from that taste of blood only to stall when he caught a glimpse of his arm. He could only look on in horror as his veins started turning black, pressing up to the surface of his skin and towards each symbol written there. This was wrong. This was so wrong!

"Get it out! Get it the fuck out!" shouted the teen, struggling against the Demon's grip as he was pinned against the pole once more, his body immediately feeling week and listless. It was as if all the energy was being sucked out of him. Shit. He was getting tired and the edges of his sight were going black. No. No. NO! He was falling unconscious. What had that thing done to him?

The Demon merely gave one of his monstrous smiles, his hands patting Danny on the cheek as the struggling slowly ceased, "Now, now. It's just a little bit of medicine. Growing boys need it. Just like they need their rest. I'll be leaving you and your girlfriend alone now. Gods knows you deserve it."

The fire demon then patted Danny on the cheek once more as the boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head. He heard something thud, like a body falling to the floor, and then the blackness swallowed him up whole.

XXX

Paw07: I hate young me. Why are all these last chapters like 10,000 words long? I have a few multichapter fics shorted than that. Ugh … it's like trudging through teen angst, run-on sentences, and pointless plot points these last few chapters. ;_;

Edits: The whole chapter was basically a rewrite. Only the skeleton of the chapter remained: there was a party, Damien was there, and Danny was taken at the end by Sam for magic tortured. In fact, only the last scene is mostly intact. Don't get me wrong though … I love the side ghosts that have developed because of this rewrite. It's probably because I'm actually good at world-building now. ;p