Downward Spiral by SupremeDramaOverlord

Chapter 7 - Can't We Just Talk This Through? NO!

Danny's POV ~

Soft sunlight was gradually urging me to open my eyes. But I was a stubborn child. Nothing on this green earth could convince me to abandon this wonderful blissful sleep. Good gosh, I haven't been this comfy in a long time. Refusing to wake up, I rolled over and pulled the thick comforter over my head.

Hold the phone…

Keeping my eyes glued shut, my lips ever so slightly frowned in thought. My blanket wasn't this thick or soft, and it doesn't have the same scent. Now that I think about it, wasn't my mattress harder than this? I felt like I was floating on a freaking cloud. That wasn't normal.

Come to think of it, I couldn't hear anything familiar either. Usually, I'd wake up to the sounds of muffled clicks and clangs of my parents working on their inventions with the constant noises of the city outside my window. But not now. It would have been peacefully quiet if not for the strangeness of the situation. To me, the silence was eerily ominous.

And then it dawned on me. This. Is not. My bed!

My eyes shot open as I flung the blankets off and sprang to my feet. Ignoring the dizzy feeling in my head from springing up so suddenly, I stared around in horror. It was most definitely not my bed and I was undeniably not in my room.

I was in a luxurious bedroom that was far bigger than my own with rich dark wood walls and floors. The four-poster bed I was previously sleeping on was huge, the blankets and sheets a tangled mess from my hasty departure. Looking around, I noticed that all my surroundings were fancy, the desk, the dresser, and the bookshelf - practically everything. Three doors were stationed around the room, one of which had to lead me out of here. I was about to try one before hesitating.

Apprehensively, I eyed the expensive environment with a sickening feeling worming its way into my gut. Remembering the ghost-proof seatbelt on the plane made me reach an obvious conclusion. My kidnapper knew my secret. Besides my sister and my two friends, there was only one other person who knew about my ghost-half and had the money and resources to pull this off.

"Vlad," I growled as my eyes pulsed with ghostly energy, the name leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. That seriously crazed-up fruitloop was behind this! My fists and teeth clenched in unison. He kidnapped me. Vlad actually freaking kidnapped me! That creep!

Deciding that I didn't want to risk running into him, I figured I should go ghost and fly out through the window. I took one step before pausing to look down at my sock covered feet.

My shoes were gone.

Great. Besides kidnapping and attempted murder, we can add grand theft converse to the long list of Vlad's crimes. Frustrated and deeply annoyed, I scanned the room hoping that they were just lying around somewhere. Guess what I found? Yup, you guessed it. Zero, zilch, nada, no dice. No shoes, no duffle-bag, no phone, and no weapons. Across the room two of the three doors were stationed closer together. Thinking one of them might be a closet, I opened one in the hopes my shoes or duffle bag would be in there.

Well, there were shoes in there and clothes, but none of them were mine. They did look like they could all be my size though. Dumbfounded, I walked into the closet and checked the tags on a few items and instantly became repulsed and a bit horrified to find that everything in the closet was exactly my size. Disturbed on a number of levels, I hurried out of the closet and towards the window. Deciding that I didn't want to know why or how Vlad knew my shoe and clothing size, I made the quick decision to stick it out with my socks. I just wanted to get the heck out of here!

Changing into my alter ego, I phased through the window and flew into the air. Despite how much I wanted to hunt Vlad down and beat him senseless, he was stronger than I was. He had twenty freaking years worth of experience on me! Not only that, but I was disadvantaged by the unfamiliar territory. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew my best bet was to make a run for it and pick a fight on my terms, when I could have some kind of an advantage. Begrudgingly, I sucked up my pride and pursued the wisest course of action. I'd beat him up later.

When I flew outside, I discovered the building was a large, ritzy, ornate chalet built on the side of a massive mountain. Yeesh, can someone say overkill? Examining the surrounding area, my heart sank as I realized that I was probably miles away from any civilization. All around me were towering mountains and thick forests. A soft glow of the morning sun was just visible behind the mountain peaks and a thin mist was gradually rising into fresh, crispy air. I felt like puking. How long was I unconscious?

Finding my way back home might be harder than I thought. I shook my head, not allowing myself to think like that. Determination set in and I speed off in a random direction. Eventually I was bound to stumble across a road I could follow to a town or gas station where I could find a map. With my top speed of 112 miles per hour, I'd be able to make it back to Amity Park on my own. Maybe I could even find someone who'd let me borrow their phone and I could call Jazz.

SMACK!

My mind went blank as I felt like I had collided into a brick wall, having the breath knocked out of me. Slowly, I slid down solid air before falling to the ground on my back. Groaning, I clutched my stomach, trying to get my lungs to work. Sitting up, I stared in confusion and bewilderment at seemingly nothing. Standing on shaky legs, I cautiously walked forward with outstretched arms. My palms met what felt like an invisible wall. Baffled, I pounded my fists against it, and for a split second, a transparent wall shimmered into view.

I knew what it was. My parents invented something just like this. It was a ghost shield. I smirked. Whenever my parents would put up their ghost shield, all I had to do was transform into my human half and I could walk right through it.

Needless to say, I was perplexed when I morphed back into my human half and I still couldn't get through. What the heck? Angrily, I kicked the invisible wall and punched it a few times for good measure.

"Like it?"

Jumping six inches into the air, my heart leaping out of my chest, I whirled around mid-jump to see a smug-looking Vlad standing three feet behind me.

He smirked as he raised an amused eyebrow. "A bit jumpy, aren't we?"

Transforming, I launched into the air to put some much-needed space between us. I screamed at Vlad with all the resentment and disgust I could muster, "You creep! What gives?! Why did you bring me here?! Why can't I get past the ghost shield?! Let me out!"

"Calm down, Daniel," Vlad frowned with disapproval. "Don't be so dramatic. You are making a bigger deal out of this than is necessary."

Gaping at him, I scoffed while making sounds of disbelief. Everything about this guy was completely and utterly insane! "I'm being dramatic? You abducted me! Don't you try to tell me this isn't a big deal, you deranged kidnapper!" Without warning, I threw a furious ecto-blast at him, intending my hit to shove him against the shield. Instead, he caught it in both hands and stumbled back where the shield should have stopped him.

"Wha - How did you-"

A condescending grin slid onto his face as he absorbed my ecto-blast, "This is not a ghost shield. It is a special shield I designed just for you. It's locked onto your ecto-signature, your DNA. You are the only one who can't pass through it."

My jaw dropped as I stared incredulously. "How did you get my DNA?!"

"When you fought my vultures at the reunion, I believe one of them gave you a nasty scratch." The corner of his mouth twitched, and I backed up a bit at the sudden anger flashing in his eyes. For a split second, his icy-blue eyes had flashed blood red. When he spoke, there was a slight edge to his voice, "Despite their inability to follow orders, I was able to take a sample of your blood from a towel you used."

I narrowed my eyes and growled, "What an incredibly well-planned coincidence."

All traces of anger gone, Vlad smirked at me, "That would be an oxymoron, dear boy."

I pointed at him while yelling angrily, "You're an oxymoron!" I held my ground as Vlad causally strolled towards where I hovered in the air, "You can't keep me here! Somehow, someway, I'll find a way past your stupid force-field."

"Highly unlikely." He shrugged his shoulders without a care in the world. "Even if by some miracle you were to get past it, I have other means of detaining you."

Screw standing my ground. I backed away as I nervously stared at him. I was really unnerved by the way his expression shifted into a grim seriousness that I hadn't seen on him before. "Now, if things can go civilly between us, your stay here can be extremely pleasant, Daniel. Though I would prefer to avoid any unnecessary violence, I will not hesitate to stoop to such measures if the situation demands it. But that is entirely up to you. Either way, you are not leaving anytime soon, I can assure you." He smiled in what I assumed was his attempt at being friendly. "What is it going to be, son?"

"Don't call me that!" I screamed as I fired a large blast of ecto-energy at him.

With a lazy wave of his hand, Vlad created an ecto-shield to deflect my attack. He heavily sighed in exasperation. "Violence it is, then."

I watched with wide eyes as a pair of smokey black rings formed around his waist before pulling apart to reveal Vlad's terrifying demon-like half. Icy eyes changing to blood-red, wicked grin growing sharp fangs, his silver hair darkening to black, and skin paling to an unearthly cold blue. Narrowing my eyes, I launched into a series of attacks.

For nearly a whole hour, I threw ecto-blasts with fury at the older hybrid who leisurely avoided them with hardly any effort. Stupid show-off. What was even more infuriating was the fact that he didn't throw a single punch or shoot a single blast! All he did was dodge me. It wasn't until the sweat was pouring down my skin and I was huffing and puffing did I realize my opponent's goal.

Vlad was waiting for me to tire out! Unfortunately, I realized this too late. I felt like all my energy was gone. And judging by Vlad's supercilious fanged smile, he knew his plan was working. I heatedly wiped the sweat off my forehead.

"Ready to give up, Daniel?" Vlad sent me another smug, arrogant grin. "There's no shame in surrendering from a futile battle."

"You wish!" I spat while preparing for another attack. I was getting desperate. Putting all my weight into it, I swung my body towards the creep to deliver what would have been a mean knuckle sandwich. Key word here being 'would'. With ease, Vlad caught my fist three inches away from his face and then he twisted my wrist behind my shoulder blades. Before I knew what was happening, Vlad had both my arms pinned behind my back.

"Oww! Let me go!" I tried to phase out of his grip, but sensing what I was doing, Vlad just phased right along with me so that I couldn't escape. I thrashed around like a feral animal. "Let go! Let go of me!"

Vlad's voice was annoyingly calm, "I will in a moment, Daniel." I felt something wrap around my wrist before he surprisingly released his hold on me. I made to fly away, planning to fire ecto-blasts at a distance. But without my consent, a familiar chilling sensation prickled up my spine. Blinding blue rings split apart from my waist and I fell to the ground in my human form.

Borderline panicking, I felt around inside of me for that paranormal energy that allowed me to transform. But I felt nothing. Every time I tried to change into my ghostly counterpart, a numbing sensation emitted from the skin on my right wrist.

Scooting away from Vlad who was hovering over me in the air, I stared down in apprehension at the metallic band wrapped around my wrist. Without success, I tried to tug it off, but it seemed to only get tighter the harder I pulled.

I shakily stood up and bared my teeth at the creep, "What did you do to me, Vlad?" I venomously spat his name out.

"It is a little invention of mine, designed to repress your ghost powers and keep you from transforming. I call it, the Plasmius Maximus." He explained as he morphed back into his 'human' half. He stood straight and tall, smirking down at me with hooded eyes, "It is inconsequential for you to attempt to get it off. The lock on it is fingerprint activated. I am the only one who can remove it."

Despite what he told me, I didn't stop my attempts to pry it off. It wouldn't budge! My sore wrist turned red. I was so frustrated that if Vlad weren't present, I probably would have cried.

Vlad studied me with a calculating gaze before turning towards his cabin, "Come, Daniel, let's go inside and I can explain things over breakfast."

"Not a chance!" I snarled savagely at being ordered around like a dog. "I'm not going anywhere with you! You can't make me!"

He eyed me challengingly while speaking sternly, "Don't be difficult. You are obviously exhausted and you have not eaten since yesterday morning. I advise you to come willingly because I am not above dragging you inside if I must."

I had a feeling that was no empty threat. He probably would drag me if he wanted to. Vlad had a point though, I felt beyond exhausted. My legs were wobbling, my stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself, I was light-headed, and I was visibly shaking from fatigue. To top it off, I didn't even have access to my powers. If I was 'difficult' as Vlad put it, there was no way I could put up a decent fight. Still, if I was going down, I was going down kicking and screaming! I might be stuck here, but I wasn't about to do a single thing he ordered me to do. Let him try it. I'd give him as much grief that was humanly (and ghostly) possible!

Ignoring my exhaustion, I crouched into a fighting stance and held my fists at the ready. "Try it, cheesehead!"

Without batting an eye, Vlad was in front of me in three long strides. I swung my fist towards his face, and just like last time, he caught it with lightning-fast reflexes. But instead of twisting it around my back like I expected, he expertly flipped me upside down and I was hauled over his shoulder like a sweaty, scrawny sack of potatoes before I could even blink. He didn't even need to morph into his ghost half! After getting over my initial shock, I began to struggle by screaming, kicking and punching. But it wasn't much, considering Vlad's tight, unrelenting grip on my ankles. Without a word, he turned around and began to briskly stride towards the cabin, or as I like to call it, prison.

"HEY!" I yelled furiously, my face burning red from both blood circulation and embarrassment. I pounded my balled up fists on his back uselessly, "Put me down, you maniac!"

"Are you going to cooperate?"

"Not on your putrid, filthy, bitter life!"

"Then, no."

Even though it was the most degrading situation I had ever been in, I never once stopped struggling and yelling insults. It really disturbed me how calm and collected Vlad was through all this. No matter what I did, no matter what I said, I couldn't bother him! I couldn't get him angry or get him to lose his cool. At the most, my rebellious actions have only been a minor inconvenience to him. If I didn't know any better, I'd say his mood has been almost… Pleasant. What was even more humiliating was the fact that Vlad beat me without having thrown a single punch!

This was not my day.

Vlad's POV~

Whether it was out-of-control teenage hormones or a short temper, it was obvious that the screaming adolescent I carried over my shoulder, kicking and spewing insults, was not in a compliant mood. Did I expect some resistance and attitude from the boy after tricking him into coming here? Yes, I did. Did I anticipate a downright aggressively hostile reaction to this extreme extent? No, I did not. However, I had felt positive that if I tired him out and let him get all his anger out, he'd calm down and comply with going back inside while I explained the situation to him…. Plan B then.

Guilt did manage to worm its way into what little I had left of a conscience. I exploited the boy's desire to go to space camp in order to lure him here. But I've learned long ago to use any and all means to achieve my goals. That day before the reunion I had intently listened for whatever information about the younger halfa I could remember. His fascination with space exploration and astronomy came in handy to my advantage.

I did however, have to admire Daniel to quite an unexpected extent. Even though the child desperately tried to hide it, I could see it in his wide eyes that he was terrified of the current circumstances. But instead of cowering like so many ghosts or humans would have in his position, Daniel bravely fought me and buried all his terror under a façade of resentful anger and witty quips. However, I did wish he wasn't afraid of me. Things would have been a lot easier on him.

My grip tightened around his ankles as he feebly tried to squirm loose. The strongest punches he pounded into my back were almost non-existent thanks to my super strength. Though I did wish he would stop struggling for his own sake. It was no effort for me to restrain Daniel, but he was heavily exhorting himself. Between screaming nonsense about 'fruitloops' and 'lonely, bitter, old creepers', the exhausted child would pant heavily and take deep ragged breaths. This couldn't be healthy for him to stressfully prostrate himself like this. At least his squirming and weak protests were gradually relinquishing, finally succumbing to his enervated state.

Though I must admit, I found Daniel's spitfire and determined personality refreshingly delightful. Ever since I mastered control over my powers and worked my way up in the world, ghosts and humans alike have never possessed the courage to stand up to me or argue against me. I couldn't help but admire Daniel for this. His cocky attitude and witty quips were endearing as well. If only the boy wasn't so stubborn! If only he wasn't so loyal to those traitors!

No matter. Even though he didn't see it, Daniel's best interests were to be under my parental care and tutelage. I was far superior to raise the boy than those two imbeciles. And I would prove it.

By any means necessary.

Special thanks to Mollie Nail!

*Drags myself out of bed and grabs coffee. Checks reviews for story and spews coffee everywhere* "Well gosh golly gee whiz and heavens to heckin' Betsy."

ChaoticMinds: I'm glad you're enjoying the story! While it's really fun to read your questions and theories, understand that I just can't confirm nor deny anything. You readers are ninja master minds and if I say too much, I'll just spoil future chapters. Rest asured that all your questions will be covered in the following chapters. However, I will give you this, you guessed correctly on a couple of things - but I won't tell you what they are! Muhahahaha! But seriously, thank you so much for the review, it really made my day! BTW, what's Phantom Planet? I've seen every episode, but I don't recall one named that. *Hates Phantom Planet so much, my brain deleted the memory of that episode* Are you sure that's a real thing? You must be confused.

And a big thanks to everyone else who reviewed, fav, and/or followed my story! And in case you're wondering, yes, I do thrive off cliff hangers and reader anguish. Muhahahahaaaaa!