Dawning of a Sun

by pearl84

A twist in destiny makes the month old Danny F. half-ghost and places him in the hands of the ghost king: Plasmius. Stuck in between a Human and Ghost war, will this young prince find his true self? And most importantly, who will he fight for?AU DxS VD-FS

67. Chapter 65: Daniel Masters

Hello! I have return! He's a summary for those who need a refresher! Enjoy!

Summary:

Arc one: Vlad Plasmius is King of the Ghost World after defeating his evil uncle, Pariah Dark. Story begins as young King Plasmius discovers the creation of a man-made portal by a pair of ghost hunters known as Maddie and Jack Fenton. However, they are not working alone; and it is further revealed they are allied with the Guys-in-White. In an attempt to destroy the portal and keep his world safe, Plasmius infiltrates Fenton Works; but things take an unexpected turn. The unstable portal destroys Fenton Works; and the couple is devastated with the loss of their one-month-old son who they believe to have been killed in the explosion. In actuality, Plasmius manages to save baby Danny and soon discovers that the accident forever changed the child's life.

Half-ghost like him—though through different circumstances—King Plasmius takes Daniel as his own to raise with his wife, Desiree. But no matter how much the young King attempts to keep away from the humans, his kind are considered too much of a threat for the Guys-in-White. And most humans cannot forget the horrors they endured during King Dark's reign.

A plot begins to unfold with the help of Desiree's envious twin sister, Spectra, the leader of the Guys-in-White, Agent Thomas Chrome, and a ringleader by the name of Frederick Showenhower, whose family has been enslaving ghosts for generations.

Ultimately, the royal family, along with another ghost family, known as dragon ghosts, are pulled into this evil plot. While the dragon leader, Aragon, faces the kidnapping and disappearance of one of his twin sons, Prince Phantom is tricked into venturing into the Human World.

Danny's surprising yet memorable encounter with two young humans, Samantha and Tucker, is just as suddenly tarnished in the hands of Thomas Chrome. And at six-years-old, Danny is forced to learn how dark the world can be as he faces both physical torture and emotional torture; and further endures watching his mother murdered in the cruelest way possible.

Under similar circumstances, the young dragon, Gregory, is also forced into a world of evil, violence and torture with the end goal of transforming him into a weapon against his own kind.

Arc ends as the young King Plasmius is forced to make his own decision; and after the murder of his wife and near-death of his son, he realizes peace was never an option; and he vows to do what his Uncle Pariah, never accomplished:

Take complete control over the Human World.

Arch two: Prince Phantom is now fifteen-years-old. And his father's efforts to invade and rule the Human World is steadily underway. It seems there is no stopping the Ghost King's conquest no matter the Guys-in-White, the Fentons, and other hunters' efforts to stop it.

And yet, there is one thing King Plasmius has not taken into account. And in fact, is oblivious to its existence:

An eighteen-year-old dragon ghost that now goes by the name Gregor—the adopted son of Agent Thomas Chrome.

Arc two focuses mostly on Gregor's development. With his partner, the Red Huntress, the two are a pair to be reckon with. But more importantly, this once weak and helpless dragon child is steadily growing into his unique powers with the guidance of his master, Freakshow, and his handler, Chrome. While each man has his own plans for the dragon ghost, ultimately, Gregor becomes a dangerous weapon against ghosts. And his own hatred for his kind, fueled by his contempt for his brother, drives him in his lust for ectoplasm and destruction.

But Gregor hides a secret. Inside his mind, he is battling another war with his twin brother.And the two will stop at nothing until one of them is dead. That is, until Gregor's focus is suddenly turned to Samantha Manson. The teenager begins to realize that perhaps he does not have to be the monster he was made to be. But it is almost impossible to grow to love someone with so much hate in his heart. And the good feelings he begins to develop for Sam twist and darken into an unhealthy obsession.

Of course, Agent Chrome will have none of it; and his relationship with Gregor grows tenser and tenser as he tries to keep control of his Secret Weapon. Unfortunately, in a moment of rebellion, Gregor gives away his identity to none other than Prince Phantom who throughout this time has been battling his own identity crisis.

Naturally, Danny tells the King of Gregor's existence; and Plasmius knows he must remove the threat that is Gregor by any means necessary. But attacking Gregor puts him in direct confrontation with Thomas Chrome, but also with Gregor's father, Aragon, who will stop at nothing to save his son.

A race ensures. And Prince Phantom is once again caught in the middle of a conflict. As much as the King attempts to protect his son, there is no stopping Thomas Chrome's own obsession to crush the King by using his weakness for his son.

Matters escalate with the death of the Ancient leader, Horris; And with the possibility of Agent Chrome turning this war in his favor, Plasmius is forced to act once more. With the help of Skulker, he forgoes the consequences and targets Gregor.

But Vlad soon is then captured and faces possible death in the hands of his former friend, Aragon, who promises to bring about his whole kingdom's downfall in response tothe King's attack on his son.

In an attempt to save Daniel from sharing his bleak fate, Vlad commands him to escape to the Human World.

Meanwhile, Gregor faces a sure death, as his injuries inflicted by Skulker are too great for either Freakshow or Thomas to save him. But this also serves the Guy-in-White leader to realize that after all these years, Gregor has become more than just a weapon to him. And in turn, Gregor finally accepts that he needs Thomas; and cannot survive without the hunter.

And in a last desperate attempt to save his life, Thomas lets Aragon take his son back. In turn, Aragon releases the Ghost King and hides the news of his son's survival from Plasmius and his kingdom.

Plasmius is left disconcerted, especially after a former friend of the crown, a ghost named Juukka, unexpectedly turns on him. And just as alarming, during his imprisonment, he is forced to reveal his and his son's hybrid secret to Elliot—Aragon's other son.

With enemies everywhere, the risk of their secret bring exposed, and the Ghost World no longer safe, Vlad makes the decision to keep Danny in the Human World against his will.

With Gregor supposedly out of the way and his son out of reach of his enemies, Plasmius is more than ever determined to finish what he started.

In the meantime,Team Fenton has been dispersed and forced to go into hiding the moment the Ghost King set his sights on Amity Park and successfully took control of the city. While the Fentons have temporarily moved to Arkansas, the rest of their team remain in Amity, waiting for the right moment to strike back. Unfortunately, Sam has been unable to help Team Fenton after her parents made the decision to move back to Wisconsin soon after learning their daughter had been ghost hunting with the Fenton. Valerie has also been forced to retreat to Wisconsin under Chrome's instruction. Even the Guys-in-White have been forced to take a step back as the Ghost King's power grows over the Human World…

Begin Arch three:

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Chapter 65: Daniel Masters

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Six months later

It was past dusk as Valerie flew above the dark skies of Madison, Wisconsin. Time as of late seemed to drag on forever. Being away from the place she grew up in, the place that had all her memories—both the good ones and bad ones–was still hard. She felt lonely here. In fact, she had even been thinking of her father as of late. It had been a while since she had dared to admit to herself how much she missed him.

She missed his smile. His voice. His embrace. Although she had been so young when she lost him, she remembered him so well. She wished he could be here with her now. Maybe then, Gregor's absence wouldn't hurt as much.

The truth was it didn't matter how many times Agent C reassured her that her friend was well, she still could not get the picture of him dying out of her memory. She could still see the moment Agent C's house blew up. She could still feel the pain and despair with the thought of his death and with the belief that she had now been truly alone in the world.

And she still felt like that.

She had so much pent-up emotions that she felt like she was about explode at any moment. She knew she wouldn't be satisfied until she confirmed with her own eyes that Gregor was alive and well. But it had been months now, and all she kept getting from Agent C was that she needed to wait!

But waiting was all but driving her crazy. It was why she had taken to late night 'patrols' in the past two weeks of her forced vacation. She was fortunate Agent C had left her battle suit in the case of any emergencies. So, of course, she was sure he would not approve of her being out as the Red Huntress at the moment.

But she couldn't take it anymore. She needed an outlet. Even if it was just flying around Madison. She hardly expected to find a ghost around here. Ghost sightings in Wisconsin were rare being that the Ghost King had dominion over the state for almost nine years now.

Apparently, Plasmius felt no need for reinforcement when his subjects were too complacent or scared to fight back.

Valerie rolled her eyes to herself in annoyance before she flew down and zipped over the top of the city's tall buildings. One of the laws over a place owned by the Ghost King was the nightly curfew. So, the streets were all but empty. It was a literal ghost town. Then again, on some occasions there were dumb teenagers or rebels who would dare to risk being out this late.

Tonight was one of those nights as she spotted a group of teenagers walking down a street, laughing and talking.

"They're lucky ghosts are rarely around here," Valerie muttered with a shake of her head.

She continued on and ignored the gasps from the teens as she flew by.

This was torture! What she really needed was to get back to Amity Park. At least there she could make herself useful and somehow help take back her home from the Ghost King. She had not spoken to Tucker since she left, and all she knew were the bits of information she got from Sam, which really wasn't much.

Sam also had been having trouble staying in touch.

At least they knew Tucker was okay. And Sam had also told her that the Fentons and their team had not given up the fight.

She would gladly help them fight at this point.

Maybe if she talked to Agent C, the Guys-in-White could put away their differences with the Fentons to battle their real enemy. After all, Valerie was sure all parties wanted the same thing by now.

Unfortunately, she had not seen Agent C in almost three months now. He had all but abandoned her at the Mansons. It reminded her of the time in her life when Agent C had brought her to her adopted parents' home

He had left her behind that time, too.

She couldn't complain, though. The Mansons were nice people. A bit unrealistic and over-the-top. But nice.

Then, there was Sam.

Well, she couldn't exactly ignore their budding friendship. It was hard not to bond when they were in similar positions

Their friendship had made these past months away from Amity bearable. And yet, there were things they just didn't talk about. Gregor, for example. It was such a painful subject that they rarely spoke about him. Besides, Valerie could not deny she felt guilty at having to keep the truth of his being alive from Sam.

Even she knew that it was such a terrible thing to hide. And she was also sure when Sam found out the truth, it would probably be the end of their friendship. But she had no other choice. Gregor's safety came first. No one could know he was alive until he was fully recovered. And more than anything Valerie needed him to be okay and to see him again.

Nothing else mattered to her more than him

With a sigh, Valerie banished the thought. She needed to get a hold of Agent C. He could not keep her in Wisconsin forever! And she needed to know how much longer he was going to keep Gregor in hiding! At the least, he should let her to go to him, and they could hideout in the same place together.

Ultimately, it didn't matter where Agent C tried to hide them, they—nor anyone else—would be completely safe until the Ghost King and his evil race were dead!

Agent C had to realize that! And keeping Gregor and her hidden away was pointless and a waste of time! What they needed to focus on was coming together—even with the Fentons. Between them all, Valerie was sure they could bring down those putrid monsters once and for all!

An alarm abruptly sounded in her ear, and she slowed her flight to a stop as she pressed a button on her helmet and pulled up her visual GPS and ghost detector.

'Level-four ghosts detected.'

"Ghosts? Here?" Valerie muttered in surprise. And apparently there were at least three based on her radar.

She frowned to herself as she debated whether or not to engage. Agent C strictly ordered her to keep hidden

Another alarm, and she growled when she saw six ghosts now on her radar.

"What are they up to ?" she said with contempt before she finally made up her mind and took off towards the creatures.

She quickly activated her stealth mode and silently glided downward toward the ghosts. She then rounded a large building before she spotted the ghosts.

She quietly hovered in place as she studied her enemies. They were some kind of guards, and they seemed to just be patrolling through the streets.

In the past weeks she had been out here, she had not once seen a ghost; so this was definitely surprising . And troubling. Those teens she had seen ten minutes back were nearby.

What if these ghosts caught them out?

Valerie had heard and seen the news of what happened to people who disobeyed the King's rules. The ghost loved to make examples out of them. The sick creatures always found some way to broadcast the gruesome deaths to keep the majority subdued by fear.

Valerie narrowed her eyes as she quietly drew out one her guns. She knew she should just leave before she was seen. But she couldn't risk these ghosts catching those dumb kids.

Besides, Hell would first freeze over before she saw a ghost and let it live.

Smirking to herself as the ghosts continued to fly down the streets, she increased her gun's power-level well past the needed force to wipe out these ghosts.

"So long, ghosts ," she said darkly before she instantly fired one, two, six well aimed shots.

The creatures only had time to gasps before their bodies exploded, bathing the streets green with ectoplasm.

Throwing her gun over her shoulder, she dropped down to the street and calmly approached the mess.

"Man, I missed hunting ," she said with a satisfied sigh.

She glanced around the now quiet streets. Perhaps she could have chosen a less messier way of handling these ghosts. But it had been effective nevertheless.

"And Sam wanted me to go to some fancy boat party with her tonight," Valerie said with a chuckle. "Wait until I tell her how I spent my Saturday night. She'll be so jealous."

---

Danny ignored the ocean waves lapping at the yacht he was on and stared at the setting sun on the horizon. True, this may have been his first time out on the ocean, but he had never seen anything like it...It truly seemed as if all that glitter dancing on the dark blue water was slowly swallowing up the orange-red sphere.

It was beautiful. It almost made being here bearable—if just for a moment.

He sighed as he did his best to ignore the soft laughs and chattering somewhere below him. The good thing about being the host—or the host's son—was that he had his own private room and balcony on this vast ship. But he could still hear 'his guests' chatting around as they walked about on the ship's deck.

It was funny how quick time could go by. It felt like it had been only yesterday when his father had practically left him on his own in the Human World. And now, here he was playing the perfect son of Vladimir Masters, and being a good host for his father's many business partners and their families.

It was exhausting at best.

But Danny had learned quite a bit in the past six months. And his biggest realization was:

It was a little too easy to fool people.

Apparently, money did speak louder than words in human culture. The name Masters automatically granted him respect and trust from those around him. Then again, maybe this was not too foreign for him.

After all...being the Ghost Prince and the son of the Ghost King had also bought him certain privileges in his home, too.

The difference was his kingdom cared about him not just because of his title—but because they knew him and he was a part of them.

Here no one really knew him. They just knew his title and that was apparently enough.

But it was fine. He wasn't here to make friends. He was here to play his part in his father's plans. By now, he understood the importance of keeping up with the charade around these humans. It was an unfortunate necessity.

"Hey, Kid?"

Danny didn't react to the voice behind him. He would recognize the voice anywhere by now.

"Yes, Carl?" he answered calmly, still staring at the disappearing sun.

"The ship's dropping anchor here. Hobson wants to know if he should open the ballroom at this time for your guests?"

It was Danny's first time hosting a party without his father. But it was definitely not his first party. He had also learned how predictable humans could be. They were creatures of habits and expected the same things.

It made pretending easier.

"Yes, that's fine. I'll be there to greet them soon," he answered calmly.

"Alright," Carl replied before he turned to leave. But he suddenly paused and turned back to hesitantly ask, "I take it Mr. Masters won't be joining us this time around?"

"Unlikely," Danny muttered.

Carl silently nodded before he finally left.

Danny sighed to himself. He briefly wondered when had been the last time he had even seen his father? Perhaps two months ago now? He remembered it had been at another party. And before then, it had been several more weeks before he had seen him, too...

Since Danny got here, most of his communication with his father was through a communicator or a video screen in the lab. His father was even busier than before his takeover of Amity Park. It seemed the more of the Human World his father conquered, the less Danny saw of him.

There seemed to always be some situation either the Ghost King or Vladimir Masters needed to manage. So, usually if he did show up in person, there was little to no warning. And it rarely was to just see him, but rather, to let Danny know they had some human engagement to attend together. Then, right after, he would leave again, never staying long enough for them to speak much to one another.

It had really bothered Danny at first... He still remembered his first month in the Human World. He had been so miserable, confused, alone and scared that when his dad had finally returned to check up on him, he broke down. He still vividly recalled getting on his knees before his father and cried as he pleaded for him to take him home...

He also vividly recalled his father pulling away; and then leaving without a word.

Danny didn't beg again after that. He stopped asking when he could go home. He just... accepted things as they were.

It had been all he could do. It was how he had survived thus far.

Danny hummed to himself as he raised his wrist and pulled back his suit jacket to look at his watch. "Well... I suppose I've delayed this long enough."

Glancing one last time at the spectacular ocean view, he finally turned away and walked across the balcony to head back inside his cabin. He briefly paused at a full-length mirror to straighten out his tie and cuffs before he continued out.

All too soon, he stepped onto the main deck and laced his hands behind his back as he made his way through the crowd. Naturally, he got greetings from said people whom he either didn't know or had met once. And yet, it did not stop them from speaking to him as if they had known him all their lives.

Another thing he learned in his months here:

Humans also liked to pretend.

"Daniel! Hello, young man!"

"Hello, sir. Good evening," he greeted back with a calm smile but continued on.

"Young Masters! Good to see you!"

"Likewise, sir. Enjoy the party."

"There you are, Daniel! Where's your father, eh?"

"He had another engagement tonight. He apologizes for not being able to be here this evening. But it is always good to see you, ma'am."

And on and on it went.

Eventually he made it to the front of the yacht where there was a small stage with music playing. He stepped up and the music died down as he grabbed a microphone.

He paused only a moment before he smiled and said with well-rehearsed ease, "Greetings, ladies and gentleman. It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you this evening to my father Vladimir Masters' humble celebration."

They clapped. They always clapped.

"What is this celebration about, you say? Hmm... Do we need a reason to throw a party?"

On cue, they laughed.

Daniel chuckled himself. "Perhaps not; but we do have a reason for this exciting engagement. And that reason is all of you! My father wanted to thank you all for your partnership and trust. Each one of you here tonight have contributed to the success of Masters Enterprise. My only regret is my father could not be here tonight to tell you this himself. And I assure you, he wanted to be here. So, I do hope you accept my apologies on his behalf; but also allow me to cater to and host you tonight... The bars and the main ballroom are now open. And dinner will be served in about an hour. By now, everyone should also have their private cabins for the night and you are welcome to them at any time. I do hope you enjoy yourselves. We have a great evening planned for you all tonight. Thank you."

As he stepped down, he was greeted with more handshakes and pats on his shoulders. However, as he discreetly tried to escape the crowd, he was stopped by a man...

"Daniel, just a moment..."

Danny briefly tensed when he felt the man grab him by the arm.

He hated when people felt the need to touch him.

But looking at the older man and recognizing him, the teen smiled pleasantly and greeted, "Mr. Manson... Good evening."

While the teen had not had too many interactions with this man, he had had enough to recognize him as his father's very important business partner for Masters and Manson Enterprise.

"Good evening, Daniel," he answered back with a smile. "Will your father really not be joining us tonight?"

Danny sighed. "I do not believe so. He was in Berlin the last time we spoke, and it looks like his business there got delayed. It is unlikely he will be able to make it back to the states in time for today's event. He apologizes, sir."

Jeremy sighed himself but nodded. "I understand. And while I wish he was here it also puts a smile on my face to see you stepping in for him. He must be proud."

Danny chuckled. "Well, I would not go as far as saying, "'I am stepping in for him'. I still have much to learn... But yes, I suppose I know enough to host a party."

Jeremy laughed in response. "Indeed so. Oh, where are my manners?! I brought my family with me! Allow me to introduce my wife, Pamela, and..."

Danny raised an eyebrow when the man trailed off as he turned around and found his wife and whoever else not there.

"Oh my... where did they go?"

Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter in the distance caught everyone's attention, especially as it quickly closed in and began to descend on the landing pad at the very top of the ship.

"Is that...?"

"Hmmm, I guess he made it after all... Excuse me," Danny quickly said as he moved away from Mr. Manson and left in a hurry towards the stairs that led towards the helicopter pad.

Danny soon made it up the stairs, and quickly typed in a password to open the locked door leading to his intended location.

As he stepped out, the helicopter had just shut down its engine.

And then his father stepped out.

Danny sighed and shook his head. As much as he wanted to be annoyed, he could not keep a small smile off his face.

"Father... I literally just told everyone you were not going to be here."

Vlad chuckled as he walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. "No one has ever complained about a surprise entrance. I will explain; do not worry..."

Vlad then gave his son a kiss on his head before saying, "I have missed you, little badger... Unfortunately, we will have to catch up after this party. Come on. I need to change."

Catch up... His father always said that. But they never really did.

Still, Danny nodded and followed his father off the landing pad, and they made their way across to the private room. Luckily, they did not have to walk through any of the public decks to do that; so, they were able to stay hidden.

Danny moved to sit on the bed as he watched his father go into the closet to pull out a suit.

"How was your trip...?" the teen asked.

"Unproductive," Vlad answered as he walked back out and laid out one of his many suits on the bed beside his son.

He pulled off the black jacket he currently had on and then took off his shirt.

"Oh?" Danny asked curiously. "You did not find what you were looking for?"

Vlad unzipped the cover off his new suit and grabbed the pants and dress shirt already pressed and ready to slip on.

"No... And I am beginning to wonder if I ever will... Maybe my suspicions are wrong..."

Vlad turned and headed into the bathroom to finish changing, though he left the door opened.

Danny leaned back on the bed as he thought of what he wanted to say next. It was never easy to speak about things they couldn't fully speak about...

"Well...maybe my uncle is right, and there's nothing... to be found...," Danny said with a frown. "...After all, you have not found evidence to prove your suspicions. Your... former friend has been quiet, I take it?"

Vlad walked back out as he was tucking in his shirt and replied, "Strangely quiet. That's what makes me suspicious more than anything else... I thought of paying him a visit or paying an unannounced visit... But I do not wish to risk starting another argument."

"And have you considered talking to his other son again? ...Maybe he could tell you more or lay your worries to rest?"

"Last I heard he is staying too close to his father's home. And visiting him might also be unwelcomed."

Danny just hummed though he stayed quiet.

"And you...? Anything productive?" Vlad suddenly asked with a smile as he walked back to the bed and picked up the suit jacket.

Danny scoffed. "I am on a ship in the middle of the ocean, hosting a party for some people I barely know. I would say pretty unproductive for me, too."

Vlad chuckled. "Oh, but you do this so well."

Danny sighed and shrugged. "Yes, Daniel Masters does it very well."

The older hybrid raised an eyebrow at hearing his son refer to himself in third person. But before he could ask, the teen got off the bed, and said, "Let me know when you're done."

Danny walked to the door to the balcony, opened it and stepped out.

Vlad exhaled before he continued to get ready. The past six months had been difficult to say the least. Not so much because of his plans. Quite the contrary. That was going very well. Amity Park was now under his rule. He had managed to take control of nearly seventy-five percent of the U.S., and he now had control of eighty-five percent of the entire Human World. As for his kingdom, aside from missing their Prince, the Ghost World was quiet. There had been no more attempts or attacks since he moved Daniel to the Human World.

Everything was so much better now with his son here except his son himself.

He was proud of Daniel. Even when he could see he was not happy here, his son had taken to his role perfectly. Almost too well. He was indeed his son. And though it had been difficult, he could also tell the change had helped Daniel mature quite a bit.

But he still hated knowing his son was not happy.

Maybe it was time to make another change. He had been considering it for about a month already anyways... It would at least make his son happy. Or, he hoped so...

Finally done, Vlad glanced at himself in the mirror before he headed after his son and stepped out on the balcony.

Vlad glanced briefly at the side where the decks were below. He could see a few people walking about. But most were probably already in the ballroom.

Vlad walked over to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We do need to talk after this," he told him seriously.

Danny forced a smile on his face and nodded. "Of course."

"I will be going back to the castle with you after the party tonight. I have some business matters I need to handle here in Wisconsin; and well, I hope to stay at least a week...," Vlad said warmly.

Danny's eyes widened. "Really?"

Vlad nodded. "Really... Besides, I miss you, Son."

Danny nodded before he hugged his father. "Me, too, Dad."

Vlad sighed and hugged his son back before he soon pulled him away at arm's length. He then told him worriedly, "I want to see you smile again, little badger... I hate seeing you like this..."

"I'm fine... I just...," Danny began with a weak smile as his father placed a hand against his face. But right then, a loud voice interrupted them.

"Young lady! Get back here!"

Vlad lowered his hand with a frown and moved across to look down at the lower deck. He frowned as he saw a woman briskly walking after her teenage daughter before they disappeared out of view.

"What is it?" Danny asked curiously as he joined his father and looked down but didn't see anything.

Vlad shrugged. "Our guests "

Danny smirked. "We better go be good hosts, then, before they sink the ship..."

Vlad chuckled. "Indeed. Come on."

---

Sam sighed tiredly as she managed to sneak away from her parents. God, she hated these kinds of events! She usually got out of them; but this time, her parents were not having it. They insisted that everyone was bringing their family, and it would look bad if the only daughter of the Mansons was absent—especially when their host was her father's business partner.

So, here she was trapped in a yacht full of fancy-dressed rich people for an entire night. But being paraded around and introduced to every one of her father's business partners and their kids was where she drew the line.

She was not interested in having any more fake friends—Paulina was enough. And she really had no desire of being introduced to potential future husbands.

She would jump off this boat before she dated some rich guy's son.

She groaned as she pulled at the tight dress she was wearing. As usual, her mother wanted to dress her up in pink; and so, of course, they argued about it until they came up with this dark purple with silver trim dress as a compromise. Still, she was so uncomfortable right now.

She sighed again as she leaned on the ship's railing and stared out at the setting sun. At least the view was nice. And it was quiet on this side. Most people were crowded at the front of the ship, either waiting for the host to come down to greet them or waiting for dinner and dancing in the banquet room—wherever that was.

Right then, she turned to the sound of an approaching helicopter and she watched as it came closer and descended on what she assumed was a landing pad at the very top of the massive boat.

"Speaking of the host...," Sam said with a scoff. "Rich guys sure love to make grand entrances."

She had met Vladimir Masters a few times. She even remembered spending the night at his house once when she had been a little girl. And as far as her father's associates went, he wasn't the worst. But it didn't make him any different than the rest.

She rolled her eyes before she turned her attention back to the ocean view. She briefly saw a pod of dolphins jumping up in the distance. The boat had stopped a moment ago, so she got to enjoy that view for a bit until the creatures headed too far for her to see them anymore.

Her thoughts drifted back to the things that troubled her when she was alone... mainly Amity Park... Her friends... Her uncle.

She had not seen her uncle for about three months now. He had apparently returned to Michigan and again focusing on his mission to destroy the ghost race. Yet he had left Valerie in Wisconsin with them. So, the other girl had now been living with them for about six months.

In that time... Well, it was hard not to get close to someone you live with for so long.

Sam had actually begged Valerie to come with them tonight; but she outright declined. She clearly hated parties and rich people more than her.

They also held another thing in common... They both wanted to return to Amity Park.

Sam had barely talked with Tucker or anyone else from Team Fenton in the past months. It was hard for them to communicate. And they were busy with trying to keep hidden. She wanted so badly to go back and help...

Instead, she was stuck on a yacht in some fancy dress with shallow people who had no worries in the world except which wine selection they should take with their next meal. These were the type of people who bought their safety and did not care about those out there suffering at the hands of the Ghost King.

Their money made them untouchable as long as they remained in a state already under the King's rule and their money bought them extra security.

Take this yacht... Their host had purposely thrown his party on the ocean because the Ghost King's curfew over Wisconsin did not apply here. Out in the middle of the ocean there was no need for a ghost shield, either, since there was nothing but water around them.

But the reality was that for all she knew, their host had sold his soul to the Ghost King in exchange for this kind of freedom. It wouldn't be the first rich guy that did. She had heard rumors of such dealings before.

Apparently even ghosts could be bought with money.

The sound of soft voices behind and above her pulled the girl out of being annoyed. She turned to the sound and caught sight of two people at the edge of that upper deck. She actually recognized the older man. It was Vladimir Masters. But she didn't know the other, who was a boy about her same age. But she easily concluded it was his son since she had heard about him.

The heir to Masters Enterprise.

Sam scoffed.

But then she frowned when she saw the boy hug his father. This time, she couldn't help but smile warmly. Rich or not, they clearly had a good relationship. And it was more than obvious when she saw the father place a caring hand on his son's face.

"There you are!"

Sam frowned deeply as she turned to look at her mother. Too bad she couldn't say the same about her own relationship with her mother...

"Samantha Manson! I have been looking all over for you! Your father told you it was important for us to remain together tonight!"

"I was just getting some fresh air! Is that a crime?" Sam asked as she turned away from her mother and headed back towards the main deck.

"Young lady! Get back here!"

Pamela quickly caught up with her daughter and grabbed her arm.

"What? I was going back so we can continue to meet complete strangers," she replied sarcastically.

"You know they are not strangers! They are important people for your father's business! Especially the host!"

"I've met the host plenty of times! How many times do I need to 'meet him'?" she argued back.

"Samantha, I am not arguing with you here. You know what is expected of you at these events. So, enough of this! It's just for one night. And then you can go back to being the dark gloomy teenager who wants nothing to do with the world!"

Sam rolled her eyes but then sighed. "Fine... But I just literally saw Mr. Masters and his son."

"Really?" Pamela said surprised.

"Well, from afar... But that still counts."

Pamela shot her daughter an annoyed look.

"Alright, I get it. Let's go meet the host again."

The two walked off to finally join Jeremy inside the banquet hall. There were so many people but most were already sitting at their tables or dancing to slow music.

The room was dimly lit since dinner had yet to be served.

Not that anyone complained. There was plenty of drinks and hors d'oeuvre to go around.

It looks like they made it back in time because moments afterward, Vladimir Masters and his son walked in and made their way to the stage.

Sam watched curiously at Vladimir's son... What was his name again? Daniel? Yeah, that was it. He took the microphone.

"Hello, everyone... It seems my father wanted to surprise us all tonight," he said with a smirk. "I suppose none of us are complaining... Although I think the helicopter was a bit too much. Oh, wait... We're throwing a yacht party! You cannot get more over the top than that, eh?"

Everyone laughed, even Vladimir.

"Alright, enough of that, Daniel...," he said good-naturedly, as he took the microphone from his son. "My witty son, ladies and gentlemen: Daniel Masters."

Everyone clapped.

Sam soon lost interest as Vlad began some spiel about how honored he was to have such 'fine people' supporting him... blah-blah. It was the same spiel rich people gave each other to boast their already inflated egos.

Eventually, they stepped down and dinner was soon served. Sam was glad for it, because it meant she could hold off on having to walk around with her parents and converse with people she didn't know or care to know.

"Sammy, I mean it. No more running off!" Jeremy insisted as they ate at their table. "Tonight is very important. I was already embarrassed earlier when I was talking to Masters' son, and you and your mother were nowhere to be found."

"I'm sorry, dear. I was trying to find our daughter."

Jeremy patted his wife's hand to assure her there were no hard feelings.

"Don't worry. There's not many places I can hide on a boat, Dad," Sam muttered tiredly as she poked at her salad.

But then, she paused and asked, "How long is this thing anyways? You think after dinner I can just go to our cabin?"

"Sammy, the evening has just started. Heading to the cabin should be the last thing on your mind," her mother answered.

"But aren't you all even a bit worried about being out in the open all night?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow. "Sure, we're in the middle of the ocean, but what if a ghost attacks?"

Sam really wasn't that worried since she knew how unlikely that would be. She just wanted to find an excuse to leave this party as soon as possible.

"I would not worry about that too much," Jeremy waved off. "Vladimir Masters has the best ghost protection on the market, and Wisconsin has been under the Ghost King's banner for so long, there rarely are any ghost scouts around let alone in the middle of the ocean."

Sam shrugged and took a sip of her soda before commenting off-handedly, "I guess it also helps that Vladimir Masters has some special arrangements with the Ghost King..."

"Arrangements?" Pamela questioned, confused.

Jeremy scoffed. "Sam, really. You should not pay attention to rumors. I mean, honestly, even if that were true about certain people trying to make deals with ghosts, how effective could that be? Ghosts are worse than animals. There is no negotiating with those creatures."

"Right...," Sam answered, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"In any case, by the time we return to shore tomorrow, it will be morning and the usual curfew will be lifted," Pam added.

Sam didn't say anything else. She just hoped morning came quickly.

Eventually, dinner was done, and people started walking around again or dancing.

Several of Jeremy's friends or associates came by to briefly chat or greet them; but they did not stay long.

Unfortunately, their next 'visitor' was not here for her parents. It was a teenage boy, just a little older than her, and he immediately smiled at her.

"Um, excuse me...Would you like to dance?"

Sam looked up at the blond-haired boy grinning at her as he extended a hand like an invitation to something grand.

Her parents looked at each other with hopeful smiles.

"Can't. Just ate. I would hate to barf all over your expensive shoes," Sam answered with a sweet smile.

The boy frowned deeply while her parents gasped.

"Samantha!" her parents scowled as the boy walked off.

Sam smiled back innocently. "Just being honest."

"You are impossible sometimes!" her mother huffed.

Pamela really could not understand what had happened to her daughter in this past year. It was like ever since they left Amity Park, she had completely transformed into this rebellious, sarcastic and negative teenager.

Pamela supposed she knew in part why her daughter was so upset. After all, forcing her to abandon her ghost hunting activities and leaving Amity had definitely been the trigger. But she had hoped her daughter would have seen reason by now

Instead, Sam just kept getting worse with each day that passed.

What happened to the Sammy who would smile at them even when she didn't like everything they did? She at least tolerated it all and was even willing to give things a try!

"I do not know why you make this out to be so terrible, Sammy," her father added with a tired sigh. He was clearly thinking the same as his wife.

"It's just a party. Just enjoy it like everyone else..."

Sam frowned and grabbed her drink to keep quiet.

Suddenly, the music changed from soft piano music to an actual song, and the lights dimmed even more.

"Meet me after dark again and I'll hold you..."

"Come on, Pam. How about a dance?" Jeremy asked.

"But Sam...?" the woman began, unsure.

"I'll be fine. Next guy that comes over and asks the big question, I'll say 'yes'," she replied with a smirk.

Her mother rolled her eyes but left with her husband.

"I want nothing more than to see you again..."

Sam's smile fell and she sighed at her parents' fading whispers about her. She had tried for so long to please them and be what they wanted her to be. But she just couldn't do it anymore.

She was tired of pretending.

With the thought, she could not stop the memory of Gregor from coming to her mind. It seemed he had been the only one who knew what that felt like...

She missed him.

"And maybe tonight... we'll fly so far away..."

Sam was pulled from her thoughts by a sudden feeling... It was that feeling you get when someone's watching you. She looked up, only to freeze as her purple eyes locked with a pair of bright blue ones some distance away...

"We'll be lost before the dawn."

---

Danny calmly sat beside his father at their private dining table. Well, it was not that private since anyone could walk right up to them. And, of course, they did. It was a good thing he wasn't very hungry because he barely got more than a few bites from how often he and his father kept getting interrupted.

His father, as usual, took it all in stride. And he said nothing when one of his business partners actually took a seat with them and started discussing work matters with him.

Danny resisted the urge to glare at the guy for not even being able to wait until dinner was over to be so inconsiderate. And worse, he just completely turned his back to him as he continued to converse with his father like the teen wasn't even there.

Daniel hid his annoyance behind his glass of sparkling cider. But eventually, he couldn't take anymore and he stood.

His father immediately looked at him.

"Excuse me... I am going to go speak to a few of our other guests."

Vlad smiled knowingly but just nodded.

Daniel walked off before rolling his eyes. "Jerk...," he muttered under his breath, referring to the rude man at their table.

He noticed when the room's lights dimmed again since most everyone seemed to be either done with their meals or about done.

Music changed, too.

"Meet me after dark again... and I'll hold you..."

Danny made his way to the other side of the room in hopes of staying away from the dance area which was already attracting many people.

He walked over to one of the many refreshment bars, and was about to pick up another drink when his eyes noticed a couple stand from a nearby table... But he wasn't really looking at them, let alone did he recognize who they were.

His eyes were set on the teenage girl they had left behind.

"And maybe tonight... We'll fly so far away..."

Wait... That girl... She looked like...

Then, she suddenly raised her gaze and stared at him with familiar purple eyes.

"We'll be lost before the dawn..."

Danny felt his breath still. It was like his human lungs had forgotten how to function. His heart... It wanted to escape his body.

He couldn't believe it... It was Sam... She was alive.

She was here.

Unable to stop himself, he walked towards her, their gaze never breaking the entire time. It was like her unique eyes were magnets pulling him closer.

Sam was also feeling something similar... The moment she locked her gaze on those striking blue eyes she just couldn't look away. But it wasn't their beauty or brilliance that had her almost mesmerized... A part of her reminded her she knew who the approaching boy was. After all, he had been onstage tonight with his father. But this was the first time his eyes were right on her... And yet she felt this unexplainable sense of déjà vu.

"If only night could hold you where I could see you, my love... Then let me never ever wake again..."

As he finally made it over to Sam, Danny hesitated because he was well aware of the fact that he could not say any of the things he was wanting to tell her... to ask her... to demand from her.

And yet, the one thing that rang loudest in his mind and heart at that moment was two simple words:

I'm sorry.

But he couldn't say that, either...

"Hello, miss... Would you care to dance?" he forced himself to say instead. It was rehearsed, of course. That was the line he had been taught to say when he came up to a girl of his age... A potential connection for his father's plans.

That's what it was all about. Gathering pawns.

Sam frowned with uncertainty. She knew what the expected answer was... She had played this role plenty of times before tonight. But for once she didn't feel like her response was rehearsed...

"Sure. Why not," she muttered as she stood up.

He silently guided her to the dance floor, and as he grabbed her hand and then wrapped another around her waist, she found herself staring at his eyes again...

Why were this stranger's eyes so alluring...? Dare she say familiar?

"Somehow I know that we can't wake again... from this dream...It's not real, but it's ours..."

"What's your name?" he asked her quietly, almost afraid. Afraid of scaring her away?

"Sam," she replied.

"Sam," he repeated it in almost a sigh. " Sam, I'm..."

"Daniel," she finished for him. "Yeah, I've heard..."

"Yes... Daniel."

He was quiet for a moment as they simply continued to dance.

"Maybe tonight... We'll fly so far away... We'll be lost before the dawn..."

There were alarm bells going off inside Danny's head. What was he doing? She was a hunter! If anything, he should have run in the opposite direction at finding her at this party!

But just seeing her again... Here, of all places... He had to go to her... approach her, and tell her what?

Or maybe he was hoping she would say something... Maybe give him a reason to trust her again... Maybe it was all some misunderstanding and she really wasn't...

He wanted so badly for her to still be the Sam he first met.

But he forced himself to calm down and think past his all but overwhelming emotions. He wasn't 'Danny' or the 'Ghost Prince' right now. And she just knew him as the son of Vladimir Masters like everyone else here.

He was Daniel Masters right now... And he had a role to play. So, was there any harm in pretending with her, too? Just for a moment? Pretend they could actually be friends again?

"Do you like the party so far?" he suddenly asked her.

Sam hesitated. What was she supposed to say to that? He and his father were the hosts of the party, after all...

"You can say 'no'," he told her knowingly.

Sam looked up at him in surprise.

He smirked back. "Do not worry... It doesn't offend me in the least. I am already flattered enough you accepted to dance with me."

Sam scoffed in amusement. "Well, there's worse things than dancing with the host of the party..."

"I also know of better things...," he retorted without skipping a beat.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Like...?"

Daniel lowered his hand from her waist though he kept her other hand in his.

"I'll show you."

Sam hesitated before glancing at where her parents had been; but she couldn't see them anymore.

"I'm harmless... I promise."

"I'm not," she answered with a smirk of her own, though she still allowed him to lead her out of the ballroom.

Daniel chuckled. "Noted... Sam."

The girl's eyebrows creased. Why did he say her name like that? It was like he liked saying it.

He took her towards a set of French doors that she had not known to be there until he pulled back the curtains hiding it. He then opened the door and led them out onto a large balcony.

Sam immediately saw the amazing view of the clear starry night and the dark ocean around them. But she also noticed the balcony had a telescope on one end, and a tower view on the other.

"...Have you ever seen a more perfect view?" Daniel asked her as he glanced up at the star-lit sky with a smile before he moved over to the telescope and leaned forward to look into it.

Sam smiled a bit. "Like the stars, I see..."

"You do not?" he asked in surprise as he looked back at her.

Sam nodded. "I love the stars..." She looked up at the sky again and added, "It's just that sometimes you forget they're there..."

"How can you forget?" he asked, confused.

But Sam shrugged as she walked up to the railing and leaned on it. "I don't know... I guess you just get caught up in everything else that you forget to stop and just look around you... Appreciate the simple things, I guess."

She glanced at him and couldn't help but smile when she realized he still looked confused by what she was saying. The almost-innocent look on his face suited him.

It was cute.

Sam coughed and looked away as she realized what she was just thinking. If she had been alone she would have gagged at her own sentimentality, especially over some kid she just met.

She dared to glance at him again and he had gone back to looking into the telescope. But suddenly, his blue eyes and small smile silently beckoned her.

She went over and looked into the telescope. It was the moon. It was pretty bright tonight, or maybe that could be because of how they were in the middle of nowhere.

"Wow... The moon looks amazing out here...," she said before she turned the telescope in another direction and searched for an actual star.

She could feel him watching her; and she was instantly glad she was facing away from him; or he would have seen the blush on her face.

"I have never seen you at one of my father's engagements before...," he suddenly commented.

"I try to stay away from these kinds of things," she muttered before she smiled again when she found the star she wanted. It was a very noticeable star so it had been easy to bring it into focus. Plus she was silently impressed with the quality of the telescope on the ship.

Daniel raised an eyebrow though she didn't see it. "...'These kinds of things?'" he repeated questioningly.

Sam finally looked at him and said with a small frown. "No offense. It's just that these social parties are well, always the same... It gets boring."

"Are you bored now?" he retorted, tilting his head slightly, though his lips quirked with amusement.

Sam chuckled. "I haven't decided yet...," she teased. But then she motioned for him to check out the telescope.

He laughed in response this time; and as he moved closer to view what she had found, he added, "Alright, Sam... Let's see the result of your boredom..."

Sam rolled her eyes; but she was clearly entertained by him.

He immediately smiled at what she had found, and said, "Polaris..."

Sam grinned. "You know your stars "

Daniel smirked again. "Just a few... This one's pretty obvious."

"Oh, you can do better?" she challenged.

"Let's see...," he answered before he turned the telescope and looked for another star.

Sam huffed in amusement. What a peculiar kid... She didn't know what to make of what was happening right now. Talking to Daniel... She felt like she already knew him. It came almost as natural as talking to a friend. It was the strangest thing.

"What do you like to do, Sam?" he suddenly asked her, though he kept searching for the star he had in mind. "...When you're not bored, that is," he added jokingly.

Sam leaned back against the railing as she said, "Um... I like to read and draw sometimes... I haven't done that in a while though."

She suddenly shook her head with mirth as she realized, "...Kind of like stargazing. I can't remember the last time I did this..."

Daniel glanced at her as he asked, "Why?"

She paused to look at him questioningly.

"...Why haven't you stargazed for so long?" he elaborated.

"I don't know...," she muttered. But the truth was she was hesitant to tell him why.

Daniel's eyebrows creased with uncertainty again; but he said nothing else as he focused back on the telescope.

Sam glanced over at the balcony doors, and suddenly noticed they were closed. She had not seen Daniel close them... Still, the curtains were slightly parted so she could still see the party inside.

She was definitely glad to be away from it. This was without a doubt better than dancing or having her parents drag her along to meet their friends' kids.

She turned her eyes back to Daniel... Well, she guessed her parents would be content about right now. They had kept mentioning how they wanted her to meet the son of Vladimir Masters. It got so annoying she had started to dislike this 'Daniel' even without meeting him...

But now... Well, she supposed his company wasn't unpleasant. He was definitely not what she had expected the son of Vladimir Masters to be. Then again, she had a rotten view of rich people in general after being subjected for years to so many shallow or just pretentious ones.

Yet Daniel... Even with how approachable he seemed to be, she knew it wasn't the reason why she was out here with him. The truth was she was intrigued by him, and she was trying to figure out why.

Not wanting to be caught staring, Sam turned around to face the ocean and just focused on the barely visible waves as they hit the ship.

"It must be unpleasant...," he muttered after a brief silence.

She glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow.

He looked almost worried as he continued, "...No time to enjoy the simple things or the things you like to do. And you are clearly here against your will... I can't imagine what would keep someone away from pleasing things in favor of the not-so-pleasing things..."

Sam looked away when she had to remind herself that she was talking to a stranger. And she could not just tell him the truth about her life even when for some crazy reason she wanted to...

Instead, she decided to focus on something she could share.

"It's complicated...," she replied with a shrug in hopes of not letting on how accurate his description was. "I mean, it's not like I don't do the things I enjoy... It's just different now compared to when I was younger..."

She then noticed the subtle confusion on his face.

She paused as she tried to figure out how to explain herself without giving too much away. " I used to live in Amity Park, Michigan... Have you ever been there?"

Daniel shook his head though he almost seemed hesitant. "Not personally, no... Though I have heard much about it."

Sam looked out at the view with a frown when she found it easier to continue when she wasn't looking directly at him. "Before the war started, my dad would take my friend Tucker and me to the highest hill at the park and we'd go stargazing almost every weekend. And the times we couldn't, then we would go exploring... We'd take pictures of anything that caught our interest. I remember always looking forward to those days..."

She fell quiet but when she spoke up again, the tone of her voice was coated with anger and bitterness. "...Then one day, the ghost shields came up... And you realize it's hard to view the stars when you're living trapped under a dome in the hopes of feeling safe enough to continue your life. You stop worrying about taking pictures of bugs and finding different colored leaves in favor of worrying over making it home before it gets too dark and dangerous. But then, there's the other option. The worst option in my opinion: living in a place like Wisconsin with a curfew where if you are caught outside past it, you could be killed... And while, there might be no physical dome keeping you trapped, there might as well be."

She turned back to look at him as she seriously said, "So, you see... Looking up at the stars... enjoying the 'small things' becomes pointless. At least, that is how I think it is for most people now... We've all had to let go of things we 'like' haven't you?"

Daniel had stopped looking into the telescope shortly after an earlier comment and was still looking at her with a deeper frown when she had turned to him again.

"I suppose...," he finally answered. But instead of elaborating, he just silently gestured for her to take a look at his finding.

Sam smiled weakly and walked over to the telescope. She was very glad for the distraction and the chance to change the topic. Their conversation had gotten too bleak and personal.

"What star is this?" she asked as she looked into the telescope.

"Sirius," Daniel muttered, though he was looking away now.

Sam didn't notice though. "It pulses... That's really cool."

This time, Danny didn't reply. His eyebrows were drawn in tightly as he glanced back at the girl... What was he doing? He hated how his heart had jolted with sadness and guilt at hearing her talk about her home... about how this war had changed her life...

But he knew it was the same for him—for his own race, too. The difference was Sam probably blamed his kind for it. But the problem was she was missing the whole picture. She didn't know how his father never wanted to go to war. He never even wanted a thing to do with the Human World... His father was forced into this. And all of this was because of that...hunter.

Maybe he could get her to understand somehow... His father had not come to destroy the Human World, but to fix it. He didn't come to steal people's freedom; he came to remove the oppressing power from the evil humans who insisted on hurting everyone by declaring war on the ghost race. His father had to take control so that the fighting between both races would stop someday.

If humans and ghosts were ruled under one banner, then everyone could live their own lives. Sure, some things had to be surrendered, but with order, the violence and death could stop... And then maybe Sam and he didn't have to be enemies.

Daniel walked over to the railing and leaned against it as he debated with himself if he should risk continuing on that subject... He should just keep talking about the stars...

But he wanted so badly for her to understand...

He carefully thought of his next words.

"I know so much has changed... Like you said, we have all suffered losses in one way or another... But it's not so bad, you know?" he said quietly.

Sam pulled away from the telescope and asked with confusion, "What?"

It had taken her a moment to realize he had surprisingly returned to their previous topic. But she still didn't understand what he was trying to say...

He glanced at her. "...Being under the Ghost King's rule," he explained. "It's not so bad."

The look of shock on her face said it all.

But he just frowned as he stared down at the crashing waves and dared to continue, "I mean... it's better than being at war, anyways. Take Wisconsin, for example, which is completely under their control. At least there's peace here now..."

Sam scoffed. "Peace?"

Daniel tensed but didn't look at her.

Sam pulled completely away from the telescope, and said seriously, "Tell that to all the people who died or suffered to get to 'this peace'. Tell that to the people in Amity Park and other places in the world right now being forced to surrender under the Ghost King. This isn't peace, Daniel. It's an illusion!"

The boy looked up at the stars as he muttered, "If this is an illusion... it's a very elaborate one."

"That's the point!" Sam argued, suddenly feeling the need to defend what she knew was right.

She didn't know why she felt a mixture of disbelief and disappointment after hearing what he had just said. He was just a stranger, after all. But it still greatly bothered her. How could he be okay with what was happening to the world?!

"They want us to think this is 'peace', that we're better off being enslaved by some ruthless King," she continued to argue. "But just because you can't see the chains or bars doesn't mean they are not there. We're not free. We're trapped under the hand of a tyrannical monster!"

Daniel's jaw clenched at hearing the girl refer to his father in such a way—even if she didn't know that. And it took everything in him to not turn around and glare at her.

What was he thinking? Why had he even thought he could talk sense into a hunter? ...into this treacherous human?

Daniel finally turned; and showing little emotion, he raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "...You're very passionate about this subject... It's almost as if it's personal to you."

Sam frowned even more. "It's personal to all of us."

Daniel tilted his head just a bit as he leaned back casually against the railing. He studied her for a moment before saying, "You realize you are in Wisconsin, right? It's a crime to speak against the Ghost King..."

But before she could reply to such an unnecessary comment, he chuckled, and Sam suddenly realized he sounded different. And he was also looking at her differently somehow... It was almost like he was someone else all of the sudden.

"Good thing there's no ghost around in the middle of the ocean, right?" he teased—no, he mocked her.

Sam's disbelief melded into annoyance. She was immediately reminded of why she hated these events and the people in them. Of course, someone like him couldn't understand...

"Glad you can laugh about it," she said sarcastically. "I mean, what bother could any of it be to you, right? Perfectly safe on this nice boat of yours..."

Daniel crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh... So, you're that type of girl."

"Excuse me?"

"You know the spoiled ones that think they are better than everyone else; and that think they are somehow unique because they have profound ideals when in reality, you are exactly the same. Still rich. Still spoiled. Still clueless... You just pretend like you are not. It's why you need to make it a point to let everyone know how much you hate your privileged life..."

Sam gaped.

Daniel chuckled again in that mocking tone of voice. "Oh, Sam... You know what I really think...? I think the only one who lives in an illusion is you. Even before the Ghost King, did you actually think you were free?"

"Yes!" Sam answered with confident anger. "Because unlike you, I don't believe in a bought freedom. I believe in true freedom!"

She refused to let this arrogant jerk confuse her. She knew the truth. For years, she had been out there facing death and violence, and seeing people suffer under the King's oppression... What would this rich boy know about any of it? His father probably bought their safety, and why he was fine with how things were...

Daniel scoffed. "You are so naïve, Sam... There is no real freedom, not really. This world is always under someone's control... Whether in the hand of some corrupt government, a human dictator, or a tyrannical monster from another world... It's all the same. Someone or something always has to take the reins... And 'bought freedom'? Everyone buys their sense of freedom! Because nothing comes without a cost. Not even peace. Like I said, if this is an illusion, it's a very good one. A very comfortable one... What more can you want?" Daniel asked, gesturing at their surroundings.

Sam stared at him like he had suddenly lost his mind. But her expression melded into disgust as she growled, "You talk like everyone's willing to be bought and settle for a life of enslavement!"

Daniel smirked at her. "Everyone can be bought. Even you who pretends to hate her privileged position. After all, you have already paid the price... Face it, Sam. You can pretend you are not like everyone else on this boat, but at the end of the day, you are still here... You made the choice to get on my father's perfectly safe and nice boat..."

He suddenly stepped closer; so close in fact, she almost felt like he was trying to intimidate her.

She refused to admit he was succeeding.

"It's fine...," he whispered smugly. "I secretly hate all this, too... But word of advice, silly girl... Don't tell a stranger about it. They might get the wrong impression of you. Trust me, you're better off playing along..."

"Oh, because all this is just some game to you, right? An act?" she sneered, refusing to yield.

Daniel grinned. "Isn't that what all this was...? An act? I ask you to dance to that quaint love song, and you say 'yes'... We chat. We flirt. We laugh... Then, I bring you out here and pretend to admire something as profound as the stars. It inspires you to trust me because you think 'just maybe this boy is different'..."

He moved closer as his voice lowered, melding from smugness to an almost dark tone as he said "...just maybe he is different and unique like silly little me..."

Sam stepped back; and at that moment, she realized he had her trapped between himself and the ship's railing.

"Okay, jerk... You've had your fun, now move before I make you!" Sam hissed at him as her hands fisted to her sides.

"Oh? Am I scaring you, Sam?"

He chuckled, and his tone of voice was mocking her again. "But isn't this the part you were waiting for...? You know, the part that benefits your rich parents...? The son of Vladimir Masters right in front of you... so close in fact that it would be so easy for him to just reach up and..."

"Don't touch me!" Sam warned, grabbing his wrist to stop him from placing a hand on her face.

Daniel smirked. "What a shame. I almost liked you..."

He suddenly stepped away from her and said uncaringly, "Enjoy the party, Sam. Or the illusion. Whatever it is you want to call it."

Sam watched in disbelief as the boy walked off, opened the balcony door, and headed back into the party.

She wanted to be furious; but she was so taken aback by him, she could only stare after him in shock.

What had just happened?

---

It took everything in Daniel not to fist his hands as he headed back in to look for his father. He was such a fool!

No! She was the fool! Another foolish human! Another senseless hunter who thought they were better than ghosts... who thought themselves better than everyone else!

To hear her talk about his father like... like he was the bad guy... He couldn't even try to pretend another moment longer with her. And while he knew he should not have said all he had, he couldn't bring himself to regret it. She needed a wake-up call!

"Illusion...," he muttered bitterly. "The only illusion is her!"

"Daniel?"

Danny jolted a bit when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, but quickly realized it was his father.

"Father... Sorry."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Where did you go?"

Daniel sighed. "More pointless chatting...," he replied soberly. "Do you mind if I step away for a bit? I have a headache suddenly..."

Vlad's eyebrows creased in sympathy. "Would you mind coming with me to speak with just one more person? He and his wife want to greet you... Then you can go. Come."

Danny just nodded as his father placed a hand behind his back and led them between the crowd to where this couple was waiting.

But the moment Daniel saw who it was, he internally groaned. This guy... He had spoken already with him! What more did he want?

"Ah, there he is!" Jeremy Manson said with a smile. "I was telling your father we were not able to finish our conversation."

"Mr. Manson," Daniel greeted with a forced smile. "Sorry about that... I was distracted by a helicopter."

Jeremy laughed. "I think we all were! I wanted to introduce you to my family, but my daughter has decided to disappear again... So, at least let me introduce my wife, Pamela Manson."

"Hello, Mrs. Manson. It's a real pleasure, ma'am," Daniel said politely, taking her hand and shaking it.

"Hello, Daniel. You're such a handsome young man," she replied with a smile. "I really wanted you to meet my daughter. I think you would have liked her..."

He had to hold back rolling his eyes. Another rich couple wanting to 'introduce' him to their rich daughter just for a chance of snagging his father's name. The sad part was that his father's business associates and partners were never discreet about it... It was like they had no problem with selling off their daughters like property.

Daniel was glad the Manson girl had disappeared. Dealing with one foolish girl for the evening—namely Sam—was enough for him.

"Shame... Maybe next time," Daniel replied with a charming smile.

"Indeed," Jeremy said with a sigh. "It seems our daughter..."

"Oh, look, there she is!" Pamela gushed before excusing herself and moving over to fetch her daughter.

But the moment Danny saw who the woman all but dragged over, he tensed.

No way... Sam was... Sam Manson?

Daniel's previous anger at the girl immediately swelled inside him. He had said all that to Sam about her being interested in his name just to spite her. But apparently it was true! She had been leading him on intentionally! Her father obviously had already even told her about him...

But while Daniel did his best to hide his disdain at the sight of the girl, Sam did not.

She immediately scowled at him when she locked eyes with Daniel.

"Sammy, look who it is!" Pamela said excitedly, pushing her daughter closer. "It's Mr. Masters! You remember him, right? Oh and this is his elusive and handsome son, Daniel..."

"Samantha!" Vlad exclaimed happily. "My, how you have grown! And into a fine young lady, no less!"

"Hello, Mr. Masters," she muttered as she did her best to ignore the man's son.

But when Vlad noticed his son had gone quiet, he glanced at him, and said, "Daniel I don't believe you have met Samantha yet..."

"Oh, we—," Sam began, only for the boy to cut her off.

"No, I cannot say I have...," Daniel replied with a smirk. He stepped closer—just like he had at the balcony when he had tried to intimidate her.

"Samantha...," he sweetly said before he grabbed her hand, and actually dared to kiss it. Then, he added mockingly, "Such a pleasure."

Sam's eyes widened in disbelief. This kid was nuts! But then, she quickly became furious after everything he had done and said to her a moment ago culminated with that smug tone in his voice.

Sam immediately yanked her hand away, then just as quickly brought it forward, and punched him in the face.

Daniel yelped as he jolted back, and a loud chorus of gasps followed, only for the room to fall deathly silent.

"I told you not to touch me!" she sneered at the boy.

"Samantha Manson!" her mom screeched in disbelief.

Vlad, who had been stunned at seeing his son assaulted, jolted when he sensed more than saw the fury that suddenly swelled within his son.

"Why you..."

"Stop," Vlad quickly whispered to his son, grabbing his arm to keep him from taking even a step forward.

"Oh, my gosh!" Jeremy exclaimed. "She has never... I am so sorry, Daniel! I... Samantha!"

But the girl had already stormed off.

"I am so sorry!" Jeremy muttered again before the couple quickly ran after their daughter.

Seeing everyone was staring at them, Vladimir frowned before he shrugged. "Children... Nothing to concern yourselves over. Please, carry on..."

Danny suddenly pulled away from his father and walked off to the nearest exit. She had struck him! She had the audacity to actually...

"Stupid!" Danny seethed in his mind while holding his aching jaw. "I'm so stupid! And so is she! Stupid, foolish, arrogant... human!"

"Daniel!" Vlad called. He had chased after his son the moment he had left the party.

And hearing him, Danny muttered back, "I'm fine..." But he kept going. He just wanted to be alone right now and forget about what just happened.

"Daniel, wait!"

"I said I'm fine! Just go back to your party!" Daniel snapped back at him.

But running the last couple feet, Vlad caught up to his son, and grabbed his arm to get him to finally stop.

But the moment the boy glowered at him, Vlad's eyes widened in disbelief before asking, "Daniel... what has gotten into you?"

Finally realizing how he was acting, the boy looked away and sighed in an effort to rid himself of his anger and...hurt.

"Sorry," was the only thing he could utter back.

Vlad frowned deeply with concern before he said, "Come on. You're bleeding. Let me help you..."

The two went up to their private cabin before Vlad went to get a washcloth from the bathroom.

When he returned, his son was sitting on the bed. He lifted his son's chin and inspected the wound. But he soon realized it was just a small cut on his lip that had looked worse than it was.

"I told you I was fine...," Daniel muttered, pulling his father's hand away.

Vlad handed him the wet rag before he asked, "What was that about?"

Danny pressed the cloth to his lip with a shrug. But seeing his father raise an eyebrow at him, he sighed and lowered his gaze to the washcloth now on his lap.

"Nothing... just some silly girl..."

"That 'silly girl' is the daughter of a very important business partner...," Vlad replied seriously. "What did you do to her, Daniel? No one strikes someone like that without a reason..."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Her being crazy is not a reason?"

"Daniel..."

"Alright, so I said some things to her after she... Ugh, never mind. I'll apologize later, alright?" he said with an exasperated sigh.

"You need to be more careful...," Vlad answered.

Danny raised an eyebrow at him. "Over some girl? Father, I barely even insulted her! And she had it coming after she..."

But Danny trailed off. What would his father do if he knew Sam was a hunter...? They killed hunters on the spot. That was the law in a place already under the Ghost King's banner...

"I mean that your eyes turned green," Vlad explained, not thinking anything of his son's suddenly growing quiet.

But when the boy looked back at him in alarm, the man added, "You are fortunate, the lights were dimmed, and everyone was too busy staring at Samantha to notice it."

The teen looked away, ashamed. He was an idiot. He had known it was a bad idea to go anywhere near Sam. And now he had put himself and his father at risk with his actions.

When would he ever learn?

"I'm sorry, Father... I'll be more careful," he replied sincerely.

Vlad frowned. He was a bit disconcerted by what had just happened. He had never seen his son react to anyone like he had with Samantha And he had never seen someone, well, punch his son. But he realized whatever happened was pointless to discuss.

It wouldn't be the first time two teenagers disliked each other.

Vlad sighed. "I have to return. I know I said you could leave the party before all that happened; but now, I think it's best you also return. I need you to make amends with that girl... We must keep up appearances, after all."

Daniel just nodded.

Vlad hesitated before he finally stood, and added, "Don't be too long..."

Once alone, Danny sighed tiredly and his face dropped in sadness...

"Why, Sam?" he muttered bitterly.

---

"Have you lost your mind?!" Jeremy exclaimed at his daughter when he managed to catch up with her.

Pam soon followed, and added, "How can you embarrass your father like that?! We had talked about this, Samantha Manson!"

Sam glowered at them both and replied, "And I told you both I didn't want to come to this stupid party!"

"So, this is your way of getting back at us? By assaulting Masters' son?!"

"What? No!" Sam snapped back. "That jerk had that coming! He... ugh! Forget it!"

"No, Samantha! We will not just 'forget it'!" Pamela replied seriously. "This rebellious attitude of yours has gone too far! Ever since we went back to Amity Park last year and we found out you were in cahoots with those Fentons, you have taken a turn for the worse!"

"Why? Because I don't play your perfect daughter anymore?" Sam replied back bitterly. "That's all either of you care about! Your image! And me fitting into it! Why can't you accept I am not like either of you?! Why can't you both open your eyes and see there are more important things happening in the world than parties and making money?!

"Oh, of course! How can we forget how your little ghost hunting escapades are so much more important!" Pamela replied sarcastically.

"At least I was trying to fight for something worthwhile!"

"How is a lost battle worthwhile? How is it sensible to fight against an inevitable takeover and then take out your frustration over the issue on your parents and anyone else who tries to get close to you?!" Jeremy argued.

He shook his head even when he was still glaring at her. "You are angry at us for making you come to Wisconsin instead of realizing we did it to protect you! Or, have you forgotten you almost died thanks to those Fenton freaks brainwashing you with their ideals!"

"They're not freaks!" Sam snapped back. "And no one has brainwashed me! We were fighting for a good cause! Something neither of you understand! God, you're both just like Daniel and his father! You're all delusional! Too wrapped up in your happy lives to care about what happens to the rest of humanity!"

"Enough!" Jeremy snapped back. "I will not hear anymore of this! You are grounded for what you have done!"

"You don't even know why I punched that jerk in the first place!" Sam exclaimed.

"I don't care!" Jeremy yelled, silencing his daughter. "And if you care even a little bit for your mother and I, you will apologize to that boy and his father!"

Sam scoffed. "Unbelievable!"

"No, what will be unbelievable is what awaits you if you do not apologize!" Jeremy assured her angrily before he turned and walked off.

Sam's hands balled into fists though she felt her throat constrict in a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"The party is not over," Pamela suddenly spoke up quietly though it was obvious she was just as upset. "Take a few minutes to think about what you have done, and then come back inside."

"And if I don't?" Sam challenged.

Pamela looked at her soberly. "Then, you can continue to just be angry at the world and everyone in it... But it will change nothing."

Sam glared out at the dark ocean as she heard her mother's retreating steps. Her parents were right about one thing:

She was angry.

But she was angry mostly at feeling so powerless. She felt powerless against her parents who wanted her to be someone she was not. She felt powerless at being stuck on some fancy boat when she wanted nothing more than to go back to Amity Park. And she felt powerless the more she saw this war progress from the sidelines, unable to do anything while her friends and other people struggled.

"I have to get back to Amity Park," she whispered. "I can't do this anymore!"

But her parents would never allow it... Unless...

"I need to talk with my uncle," she muttered. "He's the only one who could convince them. He has to!"

But then she sighed again. Her parents were really ticked off at her. But they didn't even care to know why she had punched Daniel!

"What a complete jerk," she muttered, crossing her arms. "And I actually believed he was nice for a moment!"

But as angry as she was, Sam was as equally confused. The boy that had approached her... the one watching the stars through the telescope had been so different... so genuine she had felt comfortable around him. It's why she had been willing to be so open and honest with him as they had talked...

But then he had abruptly just transformed into something cruel. Was that who he really was? He had said it was an act, after all. But what part of it was the act? And why such a drastic change?

What triggered that response?

"Oh. So, you're that type of girl..."

Okay, so maybe judging him for not having the same view as her when it came to the Ghost King and this war had been a bit intolerant of her. After all, he wasn't the first person who preferred to surrender than to fight.

But that didn't excuse him going off on her like that!

"It's okay... I secretly hate it all, too..."

"Whatever...," Sam muttered, annoyed. After tonight, she wouldn't have to look at that jerk until her parents decided to drag her to another one of these parties... Hopefully, it wouldn't be anytime soon.

"I will admit... out of all the girls I have met tonight, you have certainly made the most impression on me. Congratulations."

Sam tensed and she quickly scowled when she saw Daniel approaching her. She noticed his slightly swollen bottom lip but it didn't keep him from smirking at her.

God, she wanted off this boat!

"I can make another impression if you want...," she threatened, daring him to get any closer.

Luckily, he got the hint, because he stopped a few feet from her and raised his hands in surrender.

"Wow... You are such an angry girl... It's almost hilarious."

Sam frowned in distaste. He was acting again. Why was he such a jerk? She felt like punching him again!

"Look, here's the thing... My father expects me to apologize to you and I am sure your parents expect the same out of you. But we both know we are not sorry for what we did to each other..."

"What...? I didn't do anything to you!"

"You insulted me first," he argued.

"Barely!" Sam snapped back.

Daniel shrugged. "Why don't we help each other out, hmm? We walk in there together, put on a smile to reassure the adults that we have kissed and made-up... Pretend to laugh and have fun, and then we both go home early tomorrow morning, never to see each other again... Deal?"

Sam rolled her eyes, but he had a point. Her parents were angry enough at her. Plus, she needed to convince them to let her go back to Amity with her uncle.

"For the record. I'm absolutely not sorry for punching you. You had it coming."

"Fair... Now, come on I—"

But he stopped when suddenly the ballroom doors opened and people began to walk out.

Danny frowned in confusion as he watched everyone moving towards the ship's exterior and looking up at the sky.

Danny glanced questioningly at Sam who shrugged back and mocked, "Don't look at me. You're the host, bright boy."

Daniel immediately scowled; but before he could say anything, they were interrupted.

"Oh, Daniel! Samantha! You are both right on time!" Vladimir suddenly said as he appeared with the Mansons close by. "I have a surprise for everyone tonight. Wait and see..."

As if on cue, there was a sudden explosion in the air and a burst of colorful lights lit the sky.

Danny jumped, but Vlad quickly placed a calming hand on his back.

"Fireworks!" Vlad exclaimed with a grin.

"Oh, my! How long has it been since we have seen a firework show!" Pamela beamed, and the rest of the guests joined in as they 'ooohed' and gasped in delight.

"Fireworks...," Danny muttered quietly before a smile curled his lips as he stared up at the beautiful display.

He had never seen such a thing before. It reminded him of how ghost energy lighted up the darkness in such arrays of colors. It was incredible.

But Danny's sense of wonder was interrupted when he felt eyes on him, and he glanced over at Sam and realized she was staring at him.

Danny instantly blushed as he realized how he had to look, and he quickly glanced away. This time, though, he quickly hid his excitement behind a calm, almost bored, manner as he continued to watch the show.

And yet, Sam had seen the change. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn the boy had never seen fireworks in his life. She had caught his jolt of alarm, and how his father had discreetly calmed him. And then for a moment, he had seen that boy again the one who had been stargazing with her... she had seen that genuine wonder in his eye...

And then it was gone.

Sam stared up at the fireworks show as she thought, "Maybe we all have to pretend sometimes..."

The question was, who was the real Daniel?

But as she thought that, she quickly realized it didn't matter. She had more important things to worry about.

"By the way, Daniel," she heard Vladimir Masters speak up. "The Mansons will be joining us tomorrow for lunch. Isn't that delightful?"

Sam almost smirked when Daniel barely concealed his sudden annoyance.

"Delightful, Father," he said with a forced smile.

Well, being that they were going to be stuck with each other for at least another day and she needed to get back on her parents' good graces, Sam decided to play along like he had recommended...

"Hey, Daniel," she called casually, but loudly enough to make sure that her parents and Vladimir Masters had also heard her. "Thanks for apologizing... I guess we both got the wrong impression of each other, huh...?"

Daniel looked at her in surprise. But he soon recovered and said with his own fake smile, "Yes right... And thank you for your apology, too. No sense of ruining a good evening over misunderstandings, after all."

Sam smiled. "It would be a crime when it's been such a nice evening otherwise."

The two stared at each other with secret amusement knowing they did not mean a word of what they had said; but still satisfied that their act worked.

After all, as soon as the Mansons heard the exchange, they gushed happily, while Vladimir proudly wrapped an arm around his son.

As the tension fell away and everyone looked back at the fireworks. Sam quietly scoffed.

Sometimes pretending was a necessary evil...

And as annoying as it was, Sam had to admit, Daniel Masters played the game very well.

---

The next day, the boat returned to dock right at seven in the morning.

Sam had been immensely relieved that after the fireworks, her parents had allowed her to head to their private cabin where she could finally get away from it all.

She was fortunate she had not had to look at Daniel again, especially when she would have to endure him yet again later today.

For now, she was back home having breakfast with another certain teenager. And they were talking freely since her parents had skipped breakfast and had gone straight to their bedroom, probably more exhausted from the party last night than Sam was.

"Wait, Wait... You did what?" Valerie asked as she choked on her orange juice.

Sam rolled her eyes at her friend's reaction after sharing with her the 'events' of the yacht party.

"I punched him."

The other girl finally burst out in laughter. "And I thought I was short-tempered!"

"I'm not short-tempered!" Sam protested! "The guy was a jerk!"

"Of course, he's a jerk! He's the rich spoiled kid of Vladimir Masters!" Valerie answered, still laughing. "I still can't believe you decked him! And in front of everyone! Hahahaha! You're crazy, Manson!"

"You should have heard him...," Sam huffed. "He's actually okay with the Ghost King's rule. He kept saying how we all buy our freedom. You would have punched him, too."

"I doubt that," Valerie answered with a smirk. "First of, his father is my benefactor. And second, who cares what he thinks? I'm surprised he managed to get a rise out of you. It's not like he's the first rich kid you've met that doesn't share your opinions."

Sam frowned. "Well, yeah... I mean, no, he's not the first idiot who thinks the world revolves around himself, but..."

"But what?" Valerie pressed with a smirk.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Forget it."

"No, I want to know," the other girl pressed. "There has to be a reason why he got you so upset."

"You thought just maybe, this kid is different... that maybe he's different like silly little me..."

Sam lowered her eyes and frowned with displeasure. "I guess, I thought he was different."

"Oh..." Valerie looked curiously at her. "You liked him."

Sam jolted. "What? No! I don't even know him! I just... I don't know! He seemed nice at first! So, of course, I got ticked off when I realized it was all some act! He's a hypocrite and a sleazeball!"

"And yet, you're going to go see him again."

Sam scowled. "It's not like that. My parents are making me."

"Sure."

"Seriously, stop," Sam replied, annoyed.

Valerie snickered. "Okay, okay. You just make it too easy, Sam."

The other girl shook her head. But then, she suddenly smirk and said, "By the way, did I mention you're going with us to the Masters' estate?"

"Me?" Valerie quickly replied, smile melding into a frown. "No way! I told you. I don't do rich people parties."

It was Sam's turn to grin. "Too bad... Because my parents told me Mr. Masters specifically requested you to come today."

"Really? And how does he even know I'm with you guys?"

Sam shrugged. "My parents probably told him. I mean, he's your benefactor, right? And by the way, how did that even happen?"

This time, Valerie looked away before she muttered. "He was a friend of my dad's. And apparently, the main investor in my father's company."

"But Axion Lab was completely destroyed that day...," Sam replied, unsure.

"Sure, the lab was... But the research... the patents... Mr. Masters had the majority stock. And well, my father left him in charge in his will. But not just of my father's business but of everything until I turned eighteen."

Sam blinked in surprise. She had no idea Valerie's father had practically given everything over to Vladimir Masters. At least until Valerie became an adult.

"...And you're okay with that?"

Valerie shrugged. "It's not like I have a say in it. Besides, if my dad trusted him, then that means something. Sure, I barely know the guy. In fact, I've only spoken to him once in all these years since I was old enough to learn about his involvement. But he hasn't given me a reason not to trust him... And it's not like I've lacked anything."

"Well, he wants to see you now."

"Which is surprising ," Valerie said with a thoughtful look. But then she shrugged and smiled. "I guess I can go... Not just to speak with Mr. Masters but I gotta meet this kid that got you mad enough to make you punch him in front of everyone!"

Sam shook her head at the other girl's amusement. "Just wait until you meet him. Like I said, you'll want to punch him, too."

"I guess we'll see..."

---

"General Chrome," the executive general greeted the hunter with a handshake as he stepped inside the Guys-in-White D.C headquarters. "Glad you could make it. We have much to discuss."

"We certainly do, General Walter," he replied to his superior. The African American woman was in her late fifties; and currently, the only person above him within the Guys-in-White's division. But while Tom didn't really use the 'general' title out in the field, he was indeed the field General for the GiW, while General W was the elected general. In other words, she dealt with the politics side of things. So, only for that reason, she was a position above him.

Tom gestured towards his team behind him as he added, "I believe you have already met my top research scientist, Dr. Kosher and his team; and my lead engineer Nicholas Balmier."

The woman nodded. "Yes, always a pleasure. We have been following your team's work very closely, General. I hear there is progress with Mission A.I.M?"

"Oh, most definitely. We have even prepared a demo," Thomas replied with a smirk.

"Excellent," General W replied. "We need some good news, General Chrome. The Guys-in-White cabinet members and our country's core executive are expecting it."

Tom frowned with some uncertainty. "Core executives... The president will be present today?"

"Everyone will be present," she replied with a sober nod before she gestured for them to follow. "You know full well the gravity of the situation. Not just for our country but the whole world. I have been battling for years to keep us at the front of the Ghost War. And to do that, we need to remind our government why we are still the most adapt for this responsibility."

"Who else would they fall back on? The U.S army is not trained to handle ecto-entities," Agent C muttered, annoyed. "I thought we have been through this already. They know we are their best option."

General W suddenly paused and looked at the hunter with an almost angry look. "Do not be overconfident, General Chrome. Let me remind you that we have lost control of seventy-five percent of this country. Our government is on the brink of collapse. You can be sure everyone has gotten to the point of desperation. We need a solution. And if we don't provide one, they will look elsewhere. The army, or even our allies—not that they are faring much better. Bottom line: we need a way to turn this war around before it's too late."

She scoffed and added, "Many already think it is too late... As unfortunate as it is, it's possible that the only reason we are still standing is because the Ghost King has not truly targeted the U.S government like he has others. And the only reason I can think of why that would be is because that beast likes to make us suffer. He wants us to watch as he picks away at us. Cornering our government—cornering us—into a smaller and smaller space with every sweep he makes!"

She paused to look at Agent Chrome soberly and further glanced at his team. "But like a cat, he will eventually grow bored of the little squeaking mouse... Like I said, everyone is expecting good news."

Agent C just nodded before he silently continued to follow the other general. They soon arrived at a large lab that merged into a meeting room. Currently, there were only a few scientists walking around the lab.

"You have about an hour before everyone arrives. I'll leave you to allow your team to set up," General W said before she turned away and headed back out.

Agent C watched her go before he gestured to his team to begin.

As Dr. Kosher and Star's father, Nicholas, got to work, Thomas went over to and then looked out of a wall-size window.

The GiW headquarters was one of the tallest buildings in D.C; so as he looked down, he could barely make out the patrolling guards around the building.

He knew that General W was right. The more that time passed, the more the future of their country and the entire human world looked bleak. At this rate, Plasmius' takeover would be complete in less than a year.

But he held firm to his belief. The Guys-in-White were this country's best—and only—option. If anyone could halt that demon's reign, it was he. He just needed a little more time to put his plan into motion.

He was close. He knew it.

In these past six months, he had been solely focusing on Project A.I.M. It was a project he had been developing for years now but had placed on hold after he hit a snag. In order for it to work, he required an almost impossible level of concentrated ecto-energy. If gathering enough energy to make a man-made portal had taken years, this amount would take decades! And obviously they did not have that kind of time. Even if he could capture a large number of ghosts to milk them of their energy, it would still not be enough. He needed another source.

A source he had only recently considered...

Thomas thought back to a conversation he had with a certain ghost some months back.

Thomas frowned in annoyance and surprise when Juukka appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the only remaining GiW lab in Michigan. The creature opened and closed portals so quickly, all one really saw was just a puff of green smoke and then that horrid Ghost Zone smell...

What bothered him most was that the creature seemed to somehow bypass the Ecto-ranium shield and other ghost defenses. It didn't make sense because he had captured this creature before. And he knew he could not bypass shields like that in the past.

"How did you do that?" Tom instantly asked.

Juukka's head tilted to the side. "Do what, Hunter?"

"You just bypassed my ghost defenses!" Tom snapped back. "How did you get in here? The shield is up!"

Juukka briefly glanced around the lab before he expanded his core energy and felt the unseen anti-ghost shield just outside the building.

Suddenly, the creature raised a hand; but the blue energy he tried to create just fizzled out.

"I cannot get out now," Juukka replied.

Tom stared at him in confusion. "You have no idea how you bypassed the shield? And now you cannot do it again?"

"Juukka got in the way he always does," the creature replied calmly. "It is simply just easier to enter the Human World than to leave it."

"Why?"

"Because the Ghost World has an abundance of energy, Hunter. When Juukka opens portals to come to the Human World, I do not need to use my core energy. I use the energy from the closest Nova. But when I have to return, I must use my core energy. No spectral energy in the Human World."

Thomas frowned. He had heard of 'Novas'; but he had never had much interest in them. It's not like he cared about how that demon zone functioned. He just cared about how to destroy it.

"How did you even find me here?" Tom asked instead. Even if this creature was updating him on Gregor's progress, he didn't like how it always knew where to find him, especially right now when Tom was trying to keep a low-profile until this next wave of the Ghost King's takeover went by.

"I told you. Juukka is linked to you and the pup. And Master, too. Helps Juukka do a good job."

"I don't exactly like the idea of you being in my head, demon," Thomas sneered.

Having Gregor in his head at times was enough for him. And unlike Gregor, he didn't trust this creature.

"It is harmless, Hunter," Juukka replied. "And you commanded me to keep you updated on the pup's progress. Do you not want this anymore?"

Thomas glowered at the creature before turning away. And knowing they both knew the answer to its question, Tom said instead, "I cannot risk someone else seeing you when you just continue to appear out of nowhere like this."

Juukka seemed to laugh. "I always make sure you are alone, Hunter. Juukka is careful. I do not sever my connection to the Ghost World until I am sure it is safe to cross over."

Thomas looked back at him.

And apparently he looked confused because the creature elaborated. "Before I open a portal into the Human World, I stretch the fabric that separates our dimensions, and I can look where I am going—to make sure it is safe for Juukka. But I can only do this while in the Ghost World. It takes too much energy to stretch the veil; much easier to tear open. Fortunately, Novas give endless supply of energy."

Tom's eyebrows drew in as he finally contemplated what the creature was saying. And then he blinked as if a light bulb had come on.

"Endless supply, you say... Where exactly are these Novas?"

"Everywhere. Novas sustain life in my world. They are like suns."

Thomas' smile widened. "Demon...If I give you an energy container could you bring me a sample of this Nova energy?"

"I can, Hunter."

Tom smirked as he reached into his suit and pulled out a sphere of swirling green energy. He really should have taken an interest in the Novas sooner. He could have saved himself countless time and effort it took to gather energy from ghost cores. It was amazing to think pure ecto-energy actually existed in abundance like this.

Then again, there was still satisfaction in milking ghosts for their core energies. But this Nova energy. It was exactly what he needed to overcome the hurdle he previously had with Project A.I.M.

This would work. He knew it. All he needed was the government's approval to move forward and a quick way to harvest these Novas...

With this demo, he was sure approval would be no problem. And as for the latter, he was already working on it...

Eventually, his team was set up; and not too soon after the government officials all began to take their seats.

The last to come in was the U.S. president with General W.

"General Chrome."

"Mr. President," Thomas acknowledged as they shook hands. "Always an honor, sir."

"General Walter tells me you have something to show us. Please tell me it's a way to save us all," the president asked with a somber look.

"I hope so, sir."

"Should we start with the demo, then, sir?" General W asked. "I know we also have several topics and policies to review on today's agenda."

"Yes, let's start with the demo. Perhaps it will inspire us all," the president said with a smile at Agent C before he moved away to take his seat.

It only took a few more minutes for everyone to finish getting settled and Thomas began.

"Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for making the time to come today. As most of you already know, I am Agent Thomas Chrome, senior and lead field general for the Guys-in-White U.S government Anti-Ghost Defense division. My team is the leading experts on anti-ghost weaponry and defenses. And..."

Tom smirked as he added, "We have good news."

Agent C turned slightly from his audience to allow them to focus on his team behind him as they pulled up what they were about to demonstrate on several large projecting screens.

"Over the span of almost two decades now, the Guys-in-White have been working towards one goal: ending the ghost threat and ensuring the survival of the human race. Even before this war began, we predicted its beginning; and have endlessly been preparing and battling against this supernatural enemy. Unfortunately, our enemy is powerful. Creatures with limitless abilities that humankind could once only fathom. The question is and has always been: how do we stop a force that goes beyond human concept? These monsters are all but immortal. And we are mortals fighting against real demons, ladies and gentlemen. And while it certainly feels that our destruction is inevitable, I have come to assure you that the only destruction you will all witness in your lifetimes is that of our enemy."

Thomas pulled out the swirling sphere and lifted it up for everyone to see.

"This is pure spectral energy. Once we believed it was only found within ghost cores; but we now know it exists in various compounds within the Ghost World. And even more recently, we discovered that it exists in its pure form in one specific source:"

A picture of a brightly glowing Nova came up on the screens. Several other pictures showing different angles of the swirling forces quickly followed.

"Novas... Novas are what sustain and fuel the Ghost World, or as we call it in my division, the Ghost Zone," Thomas continued. "And unlike core energy which must be purified and concentrated to make it useable, Novas are nothing but pure, condensed balls of spectral energy. You see, we just struck gold, ladies and gentleman. And in more ways than you have yet to realize; but we are here to show you..."

Tom looked at Dr. Kosher and nodded.

"Dr. Kosher, with the help of my lead engineer, Mr. Balmier, have created and designed what we refer to as Project A.I.M," Tom continued as his team uncovered two small missiles only three feet in length.

But as Agent Chrome's team turned on the prototypes and they started beeping their audience began to look uncomfortable. Clearly, they were cautious about missiles, even small ones, being activated inside a building.

Thomas almost grinned.

"These are Anti-Ghost Irruption Missiles. They are powered by pure concentrated ecto-energy and programmed to seek out and destroy pure concentrated ecto-energy."

When everyone began to quietly mutter in confusion, Tom finally smiled, and said, "Dr. Kosher will explain how this works..."

Dr. Kosher walked up beside Agent C and took control of the projectors.

"If I can draw your attention to the screens," he said, "you will see the picture under 'Exhibit A'. This is called an Ecto-Converter... Developed by our team many years back, the Ecto-Converter is essentially a rechargeable battery and energy storage unit in one. You see, it absorbs surrounding ecto-energy and then coverts and stores it as usable energy for whatever system, device or weapon it is connected to."

The doctor then flipped to the next slide and continued, "When the Anti-Ghost Irruption Missile is activated, it immediately begins to draw power from the converter inside it. This is called the 'Standby Mode'. In this mode, the missile's programming not only prepares for launch, but it turns on the energy detection radar."

He switched to the next slide.

"Engage Mode begins once both steps in Standby Mode are completed. This means the missile is now ready for release. Once we give the missile the green light to launch, it will seek out the closest area with concentration levels of spectral energy above 400 kilojoules. For reference, a level seven ghost has an energy concentration between 150 and 225. In other words, the missile is not intended to target single spectral organisms."

Dr Kosher then explained, "Last is 'Irruption Mode'. As the missile passes through an area of concentrated spectral energy, the Ecto-Converter will absorb enough energy to replenish the missile's power. This completes the cycle and ensures a continuous fuel source. In turn, the Converter sends a signal of completion to the missile's computer and prompts the release and irruption of ... Exhibit B: Spectral Cytotoxin, Form G. Agent Chrome will be explaining the toxin in further details; but essentially, the toxin will breakdown and destroy spectral energy. The missile's full cycle is then completed and it will continue to the next target it detects. Once launched, the only way to halt the missile is to signal it back—if it is within acceptable distance. Or, it will halt on its own once it no longer finds areas of concentrated energy to target... Agent Chrome? Should we proceed to demonstrate at this time?"

Tom nodded at Dr. Kosher and handed him the energy sphere. The top scientist then moved closer to one of the missiles before bringing the sphere a few inches away from a dark glass panel on the side of the weapon's cylindrical body.

"Now that we have explained the mechanism, allow us to show you what the process actually looks like," the doctor said, "In my hand is a receptacle containing a sample of pure spectral energy from a Nova. I will use it as both fuel for the prototype and as its target... You will find that all the steps I broke down previously move in sequence very quickly..."

Everyone watched as the panel on the side of the missile turned green and began to draw out energy from the sphere. The missile's beeping sped up before an automated voice said, 'Missile charged and spectral detector is ready to engage.'

Dr. Kosher then proceeded to place the glass sphere, still containing swirling energy within, on a holder looking like a tee.

"Ready for launch, sir," Dr Kosher said as he looked at his superior. "I will let you take it from here."

Thomas nodded again before he turned to his audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, we give you, Project A.I.M..."

"Launch prototype missile one," Tom commanded.

"Prototype missile one initiated," the automated voice replied. "Confirming target coordinates... Confirmed. Missile launching in five, four, three, two... one."

The missile propelled forward and flashed green as it passed over its spherical target a couple of feet away. But in that instant, it also beeped and released a small black ball which exploded.

Everyone gasped as the green gas spread and engulfed the energy-filled sphere below it.

'Searching for next target.'

Tom commanded. "Return to docking station."

As the missile turned back and then descended on a bench with a docking mat, Tom moved closer to the fume of green smoke and waved it aside.

He then proceeded to grab the sphere on the table and brought it into view. The projectors' camera zoomed in on the sphere in the man's hands; and everyone watched in astonishment as the once green swirling energy stopped spinning, turned black, and then dissolved into black ashes at the bottom of the glass sphere."

Tom took a moment to study the now empty glass sphere save for the remnant of black dead particles.

"As mentioned, the question has always been how do we stop a force that goes beyond human concept?" Tom said calmly. "Well, the answer to that has always been simple—and now just as easily attainable: We use that very force to destroy itself... Once irruption of the cytotoxin occurs, there is no stopping its effects. This isn't a temporary repellant against ghosts, like Blood Blossom gas. This is the real thing. This is how we win this war: by using the 'A.I.M missiles to target and destroy the Nova forces within the Ghost Zone."

"General Chrome," the president spoke up, looking both unsure yet amazed. "What exactly is this toxin contained in these missiles?"

Tom smiled at his leader. "Let me share a little story back when I first started with the Guys-in-White," he said calmly as he slipped the sphere back into his pocket. "As you may recall, there used to be another Ghost King that went by Dark. Before Plasmius took over, Dark enjoyed terrorizing our citizens for sport. In one of his last attacks, the Guys-in-White managed to ambush several high-level ghosts and captured them all. Not soon after, Plasmius infiltrated the Guys-in-White facility in Amity Park, Michigan. That lead to my first encounter with him, which I was fortunate to have survived..."

The hunter smirked. "Plasmius managed to free his kin that day, but not before I learned quite a bit about him and a creature known as Behemoth. You see... aside from saving his kin from death, Plasmius had been searching for something of value that once belonged to King Dark. Apparently, he had entrusted this creature, Behemoth, to hide this item from Plasmius. But Behemoth never expected to be captured by us. And in that altercation, the creature lost this valuable asset... An asset I have kept with me since that day."

Tom reached into his suit pocket and pulled out none other than the Skeleton Dagger.

His audience gasped.

"Do you believe in fate, Mr. President?" Tom asked rhetorically. "I do... I believe it is my life's mission to kill the Ghost King and exterminate his evil race. I believe fate placed this relic in my hand to help save humanity."

"What in God's name is that?" the president asked, alarmed.

"This, Mr. President, is known the Skeleton Key—or Skeleton Dagger, at the moment. I have never been able to get it to transform into a key; but it has served me well all the same. You see, my team and I have managed to extract the power of this artifact and created a serum. A serum that destroys ghost cores from the inside out. Every test subject, including the Ghost Queen, perished within thirty minutes of inoculation."

Tom decided to leave out the fact that the Ghost Prince had somehow survived—and unfortunately, he still did not truly know how except that it had something to do with his unique core.

"The way it works is by targeting the pure ecto-energy particles within a ghost core. Initially, it spreads inside its host, like a virus or a cancer until it eventually breaks down the invaded energy cells and fatally destabilizes the host. As I said, it is quite effective, but not practical when the serum must be injected directly to a core for it to be fatal. So, we experimented with a gas form. In fact, less than a year back, we did a field test. We targeted a specific location within the Ghost Zone and dropped a denser gas form that is water soluble. The serum spread through the body of water in the targeted location and destroyed all marine life in less than an hour."

Tom smirked as he remembered he had also used that little 'field test' as a message to Plasmius; and poisoning his pet bird had been a bonus.

"The last version of this serum is what my team has demonstrated today. It is a lighter gas form that we are sure will spread throughout the atmosphere. The goal is to target these Novas and destroy them. Without them, the Ghost Zone will collapse and our enemies will lose their sources of life and power."

Looking at everyone, Agent Chrome then continued, "This ghostly artifact is Fate's gift to mankind—and these creatures' righteous punishment. It has taken years to gather all the pieces needed. And finally, everything is aligned. Finally, Project A.I.M is a possibility. If we launch these missiles in every open crevice leading into that dark world; If we ban together with our allies and every willing human leadership left on this earth, we can hit them all at once. We can attack so quickly and fiercely our enemy will have no time to react. If we do this right, Project A.I.M. will not only turn this war around; but bring it to a resounding halt."

Thomas glanced at General W before smiling back at his audience and added, "How's that for good news?"

Everyone was staring in quiet awe and hope at the hunter before the president rose from his seat and said, "Can that truly be done? Successfully target each of these Novas? How many of these things exist?"

Thomas glanced at Dr Kosher who stepped in and replied, "We believe anywhere from 200 to 400 billion. However, we know from environmental research, that to collapse an ecosystem, you just need to destabilize it enough until it comes apart on its own. Our lead engineer, Mr. Balmier has designed these missiles to work quickly... Mr. Balmier, would you like to elaborate?"

Nicholas nodded, "The missiles ability to self-fuel as they move from target to target ensures a single missile can target hundreds of these Novas. And it is fortunate, that a lot of these Novas exists in clusters, known as fields. The lighter gas form of the serum further ensures thousands of miles of effective coverage. By our calculation, if we effectively launch anywhere between 50 to 100 of these missiles into the Ghost Zone they will target and destroy enough Novas to cause complete collapse of their ecto-system within 24 hours of irruption."

"This certainly looks like a solution to the ghost threat," the president said, "Do not get me wrong, I am amazed by the development of this project. But I cannot help but be concerned as well... After all, we are not talking about just defeating the ghosts or getting them to retreat... We are talking about the destruction of the Ghost World, of that entire eco-system... If science has taught us anything, it's that everything exists in a balance; and their world is part of the universe we all share... How sure are we that this will not have severe repercussions?"

"If I may jump in, Mr. President," the vice-president stood and spoke up, "I also have the same concern. But ultimately, we have known that a deliberate attempt at full annihilation of this species could become our only solution ever since the Ghost King has made it a mission to take over our world. And he is on the brink of succeeding. Do we really have a choice here? Like I said, I completely share your concern, but if we do nothing, it will be our world and our race that will face possible destruction and extinction."

The president nodded. "Yes, I am aware. It is just disappointing this war has come this far." The man paused before he looked soberly at General Chrome, and asked, "How soon could we move forward with Project A.I.M.?"

"Once we have approval, it will take about two months to complete the construction of approximately 200 A.I.M missiles. We also need to gather the levels of pure ecto-energy required for initial launch. If all goes well, I say in less than three months, Mr. President.

The president nodded. "Then, let's start reaching out to our allies and anyone willing to participate... We will need another demo, of course, so everyone can see this. But in the meantime, you have my approval to initiate construction of the required missiles."

Thomas smiled. "Thank you, Mr. President."

"Excellent work, General Chrome," General W commended with a smile as she approached. "I think this might be a good time to discuss cost and operation processes to make sure we consider all aspects of this project and what it will take to move forward. We can also open the floor for further questions on the project..."

Thomas nodded and yielded the floor to General W.

The rest of the day went by in a painfully slow and long discussion over politics and policies and other items that reminded Thomas why he had no desire to have General W's job. He was a field agent. Always would be. And regardless of his title, it was where he belonged.

By the time he left, the sun was just setting, and he got into his car to head back to his temporary apartment. He had been in D.C for a couple months now with his team working on finishing the last test needed for the demo they did today.

And while Thomas was confident that his plan would work—after all, he had been working on this for almost as long as his career began—he knew it would be no easy task to gather the needed amount of spectral energy needed. He had an idea of how he would, but it was still not certain. But what he was truly missing to complete all parts of his plan was that key piece:

Gregor.

Crippling the Ghost World using Project A.I.M. was just one side of the coin. He still needed his secret weapon to bring down Plasmius' reign.

Thomas frowned at the thought of Gregor. He was alive, of course; but it had been just over six months now and the boy had not stirred from his coma. Juukka insisted it was necessary as Gregor's core had been too close to giving out. But it was too long that he had been gone.

A day had been too long. A week worrisome. A month sheer panic.

Six months... Thomas was on the brink of insanity.

"Get a grip," he told himself for the umpteenth time as he squelched the thought.

He finally turned on his car and headed home.

The drive took about twenty minutes. He was hungry; so as he walked out of the car, he was already thinking of what he would eat.

As he got to the door, he saw a newspaper left on the step. He picked it up without a thought and headed inside.

He put the paper on the kitchen's island before heading to the fridge and grabbing some leftovers. He easily threw the container into the microwave and let it heat up.

He then proceeded to grab a bottle of whiskey on the counter and poured himself a glass. He took a sip before he eyed the newspaper and moved over to it.

Tom uncaringly flipped through the pages, mostly as a means to do something as he waited for his food, until he paused at one of the larger articles.

"'The Future Masters: Global Powerhouse...'"

Thomas scoffed in amusement and bewilderment. "Vladimir Masters... My, looks like rich boy has been busy. And..."

Tom brought the paper closer as he stared at the picture of the billionaire and the boy beside him.

"...your kid. That's surprising."

Tom had heard rumors of the man having a son; but he personally had never met him; and the billionaire tended to keep him out of the spotlight until now it seemed.

The article was actually talking about the man's son Daniel Masters. And how he was quickly proving to be a potential force in his father's global empire.

"Global Powerhouse... Masters should hope there is a world for his brat to inherit. Amazing how some people can act like there isn't bigger issues going on in the world than making and spending money. At least this rich boy is useful."

Chrome chuckled as he studied the man and his son some more before he heard the microwave beep.

But the moment he turned away, the hairs on his arms stood on end as a barely noticeable electrical charge appeared around him. And that was followed by a familiar stench.

He turned and saw Juukka sitting on his counter.

"Hunter... Our pup is awake."

---

Deep in a secluded section of Wisconsin, the Masters estate stood proudly amongst the numerous trees which dwarfed in comparison to its imposing height. It was the middle of summer and just past noon as the sun's blistering rays almost seemed to make the castle-like home glisten under their waves of heat.

And yet inside the grand abode, the atmosphere was the very opposite. The halls were dark and frigid. And while the home was anything but uninhabited, the space was so vast that the rooms echoed almost eerily.

Ironically, the home at the moment had more inhabitants than it normally did. And this was because Vladimir Masters was expecting guests in less than an hour. Naturally, he wanted to make sure everything was ready; so aside from Carl and Hobson, he had called for additional help with today's lunch and had his maids come in sooner than expected to make sure the castle was pristine.

And yet, Vlad's mind was on something else entirely. And Danny also was not focused on their prospective guests—even if one of them was Sam.

Right now, there was something more important taking up their time.

Currently in the castle's underground secret lab, Danny frowned and crossed his arms as he watched a video clip on one of the many screens in the lab. The video was from the local news station...

And more importantly, some nearby surveillance camera had captured a certain hunter killing several ghosts...

"I don't like this," Danny muttered, eyes slightly narrowed. "Why is the Red Huntress in Wisconsin?"

Vlad just frowned deeply as he continued to watch the news and heard the anchor woman essentially ask the same question as his son. The state had been part of the Ghost King's territory for nearly ten years now and was one of the first places he had taken under his control.

So, naturally, his need to station sentinels was rare. If anything, Vlad at times ordered some of his lower ranking guards to patrol just to remind the humans who ruled this area. And yesterday, he had specifically asked for some of those guards to make their presence known simply because of the yacht party he had planned just off the coast.

But he certainly had not expected for those guards to be attacked, let alone by one of Chrome's little soldiers.

And yet, Vlad was not entirely surprised. He had known Chrome had been hiding the Red Huntress for several months now. He just had not expected him to hide her in Wisconsin with the Mansons—Chrome's family. Vlad had happened to learn of this just yesterday, in fact. In one of his many conversations with Jeremy and Pamela Manson they had brought up their additional guest. So, of course, Vlad quickly invited them for lunch today. He wanted to talk to Valerie Gray himself. And hopefully, get more information about her and Chrome.

Not to mention, he still was not completely convinced Gregory was dead.

He wouldn't get a chance like this again.

"Father?"

Vlad snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his son. "Hmm?"

Danny instantly frowned. "You do not seem alarmed by this... Did you know she was here? Is... Thomas Chrome in Wisconsin, too?"

Vlad sighed. He did not enjoy keeping things from his son, but when it came to Valerie Gray... Well... It was something he rather not discuss any time soon.

Not that his son knew who the girl was anyways. The only reason Vlad knew Ms. Gray and the Red Huntress were one in the same was thanks to his dealings with Chrome.

"I only recently learned of her possibility of being in the area and this proves it."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "And Thomas Chrome?"

This time, the father hesitated but still replied, "In the past months that I have been tracking Chrome and his agency, they have been quiet. At least, in the sense that they have not actively attempted to stop my invasions since I took out Gregory. Last I heard of Chrome himself, he was moving about between Michigan and D.C... If Chrome is or has been in Wisconsin, he has kept well out of my radar..."

"Do you think he suspects something?" Danny muttered as he raised the control and paused the TV.

"About us?" Vlad questioned but still answered with a shake of his head. "I know Chrome. If he suspected anything, he would already be at our doorstep. I think this might just be a mere coincidence... And very foolish on this huntress' part."

Danny fell quiet. Well, it was definitely foolish, because she had just put a bigger target on her back. Not to mention, the people of Wisconsin were not happy about it. After all, in places were the Ghost King had full control, most people had accepted surrender. Preferred it, really. The Ghost King might have strict rules, but as he had told Sam, there was peace in this place.

And this Red Huntress had just threatened that peace by killing the King's guards...

"Maybe it is a coincidence that the Red Huntress is in Wisconsin...," Danny finally said, "But I think it's still worth investigating. You still have your doubts about Gregor truly being dead; so perhaps this is a good time to make sure. If the Red Huntress is here, then her partner will be, too... If he is somehow still alive, that is..."

Vlad kept quiet. His son was right, of course. And that is also why he had asked the Mansons to bring Valerie Gray with them today. If anyone would lead him to Gregory—alive or not—it would be Ms. Gray.

But this was something he would handle himself.

"I will call for Skulker," Vlad finally said, realizing he had fallen quiet again. "He can arrange a group of scouts to search for this Huntress."

"Or we could go on patrol tonight," Danny suggested off-handedly as he rewound the recording and paused it on the clip of the Red Huntress.

Vlad quickly looked at his son and replied, "No."

Danny raised an eyebrow at him again. "Why not? We're here already. And we know this place better than any of your guards."

But Vlad shook his head. "Right now, I cannot chance the Ghost King being seen in Wisconsin when I am supposed to be completing a takeover clear across the world. I need the humans to believe I am near France so they remain fearful as I complete my reign over that human territory."

"Then, let me do this."

But Vlad shook his head. "No, Daniel. It's too dangerous. You said it yourself. There is a chance Chrome is here, too. He would come after you in an instant if he knows Prince Phantom is here alone."

"Or I would be the perfect bait to get him and possibly Gregor to come out of hiding."

Vlad opened his mouth to protest.

Lowering his arms, Danny quickly said, "Father, think about it. If Gregor is somehow alive, Thomas Chrome is not going to risk you finding out over some ghost guards or even Skulker. But if sees me... You want to know the truth? Then let me go out there. Besides, you said I could still help out as Phantom. And, well, this is a good reason to."

The older hybrid looked away towards the screens.

Danny resisted the urge to sigh in frustration and instead added, "If you are worried about me going on my own, then I can go with others... Preferably Ember and the rest of my team?"

Vlad scoffed and answered, "You mean your little friends?"

Danny smiled this time. "They are good and you know it. If you forget, we managed to free your warriors from the GiW facility..."

But Vlad did not smile as he looked back at him and said, "I cannot risk you."

Danny finally sighed before he muttered, "You cannot hide me forever."

"I'm not," Vlad answered. "In fact, I think it's time for you to come home."

Danny's eyes widened. "What? ...Really?"

"Well, in part, anyways," Vlad quickly said. "I still need you here as Daniel Masters. So, you would travel with me between worlds as needed."

Danny wanted to smile. He had been dying to come home. But his father's sudden decision seemed odd.

"What about what you said about our home not being safe?"

Vlad crossed his arms as he stared soberly at his son. "Aragon has been quiet. Whatever the reason, I think he is not an immediate threat at the moment. And I know who was behind Horris' murder..."

Danny's eyes widened. His father had not told him he had found out who was responsible for that.

"It's Juukka," Vlad revealed.

"What? No... Juukka would never—!"

"Daniel, it was him. He is working with Chrome."

But the boy shook his head. "But Juukka... He would never hurt Horris. I-I don't understand."

"Believe me, I don't understand it, either. If he hadn't..."

Although Vlad trailed off, Danny quickly caught on that his father was not telling him everything.

"What happened? How... How long have you known it was Juukka?"

The older hybrid hesitated but then muttered, "Soon after I brought you here, Juukka attacked Skulker and me. He almost killed Skulker just to send me a message from Chrome."

Danny stared in shock.

"I didn't want to tell you because I know how you and Juukka were close... I'm sorry, Son. For all I know, he has been working with Chrome since your mother's death... He betrayed us all."

Danny walked back and leaned against a work table. His eyes lowered in a mixture of sadness and disbelief. He had known Juukka since he was a kid... He grew up with him. Played with him. Trusted him. But so had his father. If anything, the ghost had a closer bond to his father than he did. And yet, his father clearly had no doubt of Juukka's betrayal...

But Danny still couldn't believe it, even when he was being told the wolf-like ghost had actually attacked his father and Skulker... Danny could not help but wonder why? He wanted to find an explanation... A justification for his childhood friend.

"I have ordered Walker to find him... Alive or dead. He is too much of a threat to us, Daniel. He knows intimate things about our world that could prove catastrophic in the hands of Chrome. But at least I know the truth now, and we have already begun taking measures to keep Juukka at bay until we can deal permanently with him. It is why I feel confident in letting you return home."

"Besides..." Vlad continued, moving closer before placing a hand on his son's shoulder. He smiled. "As you said, I cannot hide you forever. And everyone misses you back home. I miss you. And I know you miss being home, too."

Danny nodded. Of course, he wanted to go home. He wanted nothing more. But he had not been in the human world for six months without learning some things such as, understanding why his father had insisted he learned to be Daniel Masters and why his father bothered to keep his human persona, too.

"Dad... how much longer is this war going to last?"

Vlad frowned deeply and lowered his hand from his son's shoulder before focusing on his mainframe. "Open the 'Human World Map' file," he commanded.

Instantly, all the screens lit up. And Danny's eyes widened when not only did a world map with several blinking lights came up, but also video footage that changed constantly to different parts of the world.

"Daniel, there is very little of the Human World that has not surrendered to me," his father explained. "And while I could easily focus on conquering the areas that are left, my focus is on something greater. You see no matter how many places I conquer, I continue to run into those who refuse to yield... Rebel groups, I suppose. And if I do not eliminate them, I have gained nothing. My reign will always be uncertain here."

He looked back at his son as he seriously said, "In the states, my biggest problem is the Guys-in-White.. especially when they have also spread out and are assisting other allied countries. But going after rebel groups with brute strength only results in more death on our end and the violence further urges others to join the cause. No, to destroy rebellion, it takes more finesse."

"That's why you have not killed Chrome yet," Danny muttered.

"Correct. It's like the human game called chess," Vlad replied. "You have to move the pieces, slowly destroying their numbers while closing them in... There is a reason why I have allowed some of the states to remain outside of my total control... D.C. is the Guys-in-White's stronghold. Part of Michigan... California... I am closing off their moves until they have none left. Then, I will destroy them all. From the root so they cannot grow again."

Vlad looked back at the map and studied the video feeds before he said almost darkly, "That is how you deal with humans who refuse to yield, Daniel. They are like an infection you must first contain before you can eliminate it. This is why I am in no hurry to take what remains of the Human World. I need to first contain the disease that is rebellion and then destroy it permanently. Only then, will we have peace. Both here and in our world."

Danny fell quiet as he looked away from his father and focused on the screens again. His father's strategy made sense. But the teen could not help but wonder if snuffing out the humans' will to fight back was realistic, especially after hearing Sam.

"You know, if I've learned anything since I've been here, it's that most humans rather submit than live in constant fear...," Danny muttered. "Take this place, Wisconsin... It's been years since the Ghost King took this place... The humans have settled into a routine here. They know the rules, and they easily follow them... Just look at their reaction to the Red Huntress. They are more afraid of her interference than the fact that you had guards patrolling the streets. This huntress might think she has done something good by killing our guards. But the citizens of Wisconsin see her as the threat... A threat to their peace and stability."

Vlad raised an eyebrow as he looked curiously at his son. "Go on..."

The teen crossed his arms as he thoughtfully said, "Maybe... It is not you or your army who needs to target these rebel groups... Maybe the humans who have submitted to your rule can do it for you. Most humans just want to feel secure, Father. So, show the Humans a safe world... A vison of peace. Most will want that. And if you give them what they want, then they will submit not because they have to but because they want to."

Daniel smirked as he asked, "Then, who do you think the humans will hate more? Us? Who offer them peace? Or these rebels who threaten it?"

Vlad stared in surprise at his son before his own smirk curled his lips. "Oh, truly you are my son..."

Danny's grin widened. "Oh? You mean you had not thought about this yourself? Tsk... Maybe old age is finally catching up, Father."

Vlad instantly swatted at the boy's head; but Danny quickly evaded his hand and laughed.

"I'm not that old," his father huffed.

Daniel chuckled some more; but instead of continuing to tease him, the teen looked back at the screen and said more seriously, "The truth is I have realized a few things since I've been here... As much as I want to be home and miss my life, I understand why you made me come here."

Vlad's eyebrows drew in. His son had initially been so hurt and angry for his bringing him here that the man had silently questioned his decision time and time again. So hearing him say he finally understood, well, it was a relief and he felt prouder of his son.

"Being forced to be with them... pretend to be them," Daniel continued, "I realized how fundamentally similar they are to us—even when I know you hate me comparing our kind to theirs. But I still remember the stories of King Dark's rule. How terrorizing he was. And how quickly the Ghost World took to your rule. And you know why, Father? It's because you offered a safer world. A world where our kind could thrive... Humans have the same basic need."

Danny waved his hand to emphasize their surroundings, "All this... their technology and wealth; they use it as a security blanket. The more they amass, the safer they feel... The stronger they think they are. But this isn't what they truly want. They want to be able to enjoy the simple things. A walk in the park with their children. A date night at one of their theaters... But they cannot do that if they do not feel safe; and instead feel oppressed by your rule. As I said, if you give the humans what they truly want and need, they will eventually favor your rule just like our own world. Then, you won't have fight against those few who refuse... The humans will do it for you. Those who oppose you will fall into the minority and eventually hold no power."

Vlad smiled and rubbed his chin. "Hmmm... So, instead of being reactive, a proactive approach is needed... In places like Wisconsin, I could show some good will towards the humans by giving back some control to their human law enforcers... Maybe even create specific teams of human enforcers that patrol against rebels."

"And in return for their support, you can lift some of the more restrictive rules... reduce curfews even," Danny added with a raised eyebrow. "For places like France, which is newly under your rule, do not restrict their food supply and access to their technology. Instead make it easier for them to have those things in exchange for their following your new laws. They are battle-worn, and they will want some quiet after such a fierce takeover. Show them they have more to gain than to lose by your reign."

Vlad suddenly laughed before he wrapped an arm around his son. "Smart boy! I knew bringing you here would be of benefit! I am so proud of you, Son!"

Danny smiled but before he could say anything, the sound of a doorbell echoed down into the lab.

"Ah, our little guests have arrived. Come, we will continue this discussion later. Let's go play hosts, hmm?"

As the two walked up the long steep stairs out of the lab, Danny asked curiously, "Why did you invite the Mansons here today?"

"I have some matters I need to discuss with Jermey Manson. But now, your suggestion has me thinking... After all, there is a reason why I involve myself with influential people, Daniel... And you have just given me another reason to make our alliance with the Mansons beneficial..."

But just before the man opened the door, he paused and added carefully, "Oh... And do try to get along with Samantha today, hmm?"

Danny sighed. "No promises."

---

"Jeremy! Pamela! So glad you could make it!" Vladimir exclaimed with a delighted smile. "And, of course, I cannot forget these two lovely young ladies... Ms. Manson. Ms. Gray..."

The older hybrid made an emphasis on the latter teenage girl's name as he placed a hand on her back and escorted them further into his home.

"Please, do come in. It is good to see you after so long, my dear," he continued with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Masters. And yeah... It's been years," Valerie replied with a timid smile.

"Oh! Where are my manners?" Vlad suddenly beamed and removed his hand from the girl; and instead beckoned his son closer. "Allow me to introduce to you my son, Daniel Masters . Daniel, this is Ms. Valerie Gray. The daughter of one of my former business associates and a good friend."

Danny stepped forward and extended his hand at the new girl. "It's nice to meet you."

The dark-skinned girl smiled and shook the boy's hand as she answered, "Nice to meet you, too, Daniel. Do you go by Daniel? Or, 'Danny'? 'Dan'?"

The boy almost tensed but still replied, "Daniel is fine."

He then looked at the rest of their guests and said, "Mr. Manson. Mrs. Manson. Pleasure to have you both here. And..." This time he focused solely on his last guest and added with a small smirk, "...It's also good to see you again... Sam."

Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes and just nodded and muttered, "Same." But she quickly focused on the male teen's father and added, "Thanks for inviting us, Mr. Masters."

"Oh, but of course!" Vlad exclaimed happily. "Daniel and I are delighted and honored to have you all here at our humble abode!"

"Mr. Masters?" Hobson suddenly called as he appeared in the foyer. "Lunch is ready."

"Wonderful!" Vladimir replied before he gestured at his guests to follow him. "I do hope you are all hungry... I had the chef prepare a few of his best dishes for us."

"Thank you," Jeremy answered. "We are all certainly hungry."

The Mansons and Valerie soon sat on the left side of the table, while Vlad sat at the end with Danny on his right.

As the servants busied themselves with pouring everyone's drinks and setting the food on the table, Vlad continued to speak.

"I apologize if anyone is still tired from last night's ordeal," he said with a small chuckle. "Arriving at seven in the morning to port and then asking you all to join me for a late lunch now was perhaps a bit too much too soon."

The Manson couple laughed warmly.

"Not at all," Jeremy replied. "We are well used to a busy schedule."

"Yes, and we were very excited to join you today," Pam added. "It has been some time since we have privately gotten together."

"Indeed...," Vlad agreed. "I am always so busy traveling... It's not easy to keep several multibillion-dollar businesses running successfully. But as my son grows older, I have realized the need for a bit more stability. At least for his sake, I am trying to spend more time in Wisconsin and handle more of my affairs remotely... Still, it proves difficult at times."

"I completely understand," Jeremy replied. "I had to make a similar decision just some months back myself... It was a hard decision for us to return to Wisconsin. As you know, the main office of Masters and Manson Enterprise is in Amity Park. But my family's safety will always come first."

"How long ago did you all move to Wisconsin?" Daniel suddenly asked with slight hesitation yet more with curiosity. He briefly glanced at Sam who had quickly looked at him with his question.

"I'd say about seven months now...?" Jeremy replied, though he glanced at his wife for confirmation.

Pamela nodded. "Yes, we left about a month before the take over."

"Dreadful affair," Jeremy continued. "...A lot of our trades and sales have either frozen or lowered in revenue with what has happened in Amity."

"Hmm, yes... This whole business of war is quite a hindrance to the economy all together," Vlad answered with a slight frown.

"I would say it's more than a hindrance," Jeremy said with a sigh.

"Oh, I would not worry too much," Vlad answered with a small encouraging smile. "Masters and Manson Enterprise has plenty of cushion to get us through this brief crisis. The worst of the takeover in Amity Park has now passed; so I am hopeful we will be back on track soon enough."

"I sure hope so. As you know, Masters and Mason Enterprise is all I have to fall back on. So, any threat to my and my family's livelihood concerns me."

"Naturally, I understand," Vlad answered. "Oh, but enough talk of business and bleak matters. We have plenty of time for that later. Tell me, how are you all adapting being in Wisconsin, hmm?"

"We're not," Sam abruptly blurted out as she reached to grab a roll fromthe closest bread basket on the table.

Vlad raised an amused eyebrow while Danny almost smirked at the girl's sudden outburst.

"Huh. And here I thought her sass was just directed at me," the teen thought, amused.

"Oh? I take it you prefer to be back in Amity, Ms. Manson?" Vladimir asked.

But before Sam could answer, her mother spoke up. "Don't pay mind to Samantha. She just misses her school and friends; but she knows why we made the decision to come to Wisconsin."

Sam resisted the urge to scowl and just focused on eating her bread and tomato soup.

Vlad hummed. "I think it is quite fortunate that you all managed to leave before the invasion on that city." But then focusing on Valerie, he added, "And I am also relieved to see Ms. Gray safe and sound."

"It has been a delight to have her around," Pamela spoke up warmly. "Sam has certainly enjoyed the company, right, Sammy?"

This time, Sam smirked at the other girl as she teasingly said, "Eh, I guess."

Valerie rolled her eyes and answered with her own cheek, "Pfft, you know you would've been bored out of your mind without me in these past months."

"And God forbid that Sam gets bored...," Danny abruptly said off-handedly though he hid his smirk by taking a drink from his beverage.

Sam instantly looked at Daniel and resisted the urge to glare at the boy while Valerie suddenly laughed.

"Got that right! She's unbearable!"

"Oh, I know it..." Daniel answered, this time teasingly smiling at Sam.

"And what do you do for 'fun', Daniel?" Sam abruptly asked with a sarcastic smile. "I mean besides enjoying sightseeing on nice boats?"

Danny almost frowned at that; but instead answered with a tight smile. "I also like to travel... This Amity Park. I keep hearing so much about it as of late. Must be quite a place to live if everyone is so eager to return to it."

"Because it is a great place. You should visit sometime," Sam quickly answered, this time frowning. "It might be enriching for you. Give you a new perspective..."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at Sam before a small carefree smile tugged on his lips. "You think so?"

"I know so... Then again, it might be outside your comfort zone," Sam added off-handedly with a shrug.

"And why would...?" Danny began to counter, only for his father to cut him off.

"It certainly is never easy to step outside one's comfort zone and leave home..." Vlad agreed before he then patted his son's hand on the table and added, "Daniel here misses Germany. But he understands it was in his best interest to come to Wisconsin. It is safe here. And any responsible parent will always want to keep their children safe from harm. Perhaps, that is something our youth here might want to consider... Sometimes we must leave the past behind for our sake and those we care for..."

Pam and Jeremy, who had been growing concern with the subtle barbs between their daughter and Daniel, quickly chuckled in relief.

"Well said, Masters!" Jeremy answered with a smile. "That is precisely our thought, too!"

Sam resisted the urge to argue the topic but just kept quiet especially when Valerie elbowed her when she noticed her growing annoyance.

Soon the main dish arrived. Sam was actually surprised when she was served a vegan meal. Either her parents talked about her a bit too much with Masters yesterday; or the billionaire had a very good memory from when she was seven.

The adults continued to talk about topics of interest and certain things happening in the world.

Meanwhile, Danny silently ate his food.

"He looks as annoyed to be here as you," Valerie suddenly whispered to Sam. "Then again, did you have to make that 'nice boat' jab at him?"

"He was the one who made a jab at me first," Sam muttered.

Valerie snickered. "Man, this guy really made an impression on you, huh?" The girl smirked as she added, "I don't know... He seems harmless and... kinda cute."

Sam choked on her drink and began to cough, while Valerie tried to hide her growing smile with her own glass.

"Are you alright, Sammy?" Pam asked.

"Yeah, just choked a bit on my drink," Sam quickly said with a slight blush.

She didn't notice that one of Daniel's eyebrows had hitched when he heard what the girl's mother had just called her. But he then turned his gaze back to his food. His brief 'conversation' with Sam had been enough for his father to silently warn him to behave. He had felt the older hybrid's displeasure with his brief touch to his hand.

As much as he had mixed feelings about the human girl, Danny knew his father was right. He really shouldn't have provoked her just now by teasing her, even if it had been more of a benign reaction on his part. The mention of Sam being bored had reminded him of their friendly teasing back on the ship—before their conversation had soured. But clearly, Sam had taken it as his trying to start something.

He had to force himself to stop reacting emotionally over her. His father and he had more important things to worry about; and a silly quarrel with Sam was counterproductive. His father clearly had his plans for the Mansons, and Daniel knew he needed to do his part to make sure all went well.

After all, he meant what he said to his father in the lab. If they could convince most humans they meant no real harm to them, perhaps the rebellious groups could be controlled by their own kind; or perhaps most would give up.

Although the latter might be less likely.

After her reaction last night, Danny wasn't sure if Sam would ever submit to the Ghost King's rule. But that meant death for her. And as angry and betrayed as he felt with her, Danny knew deep down he didn't want to see his once-friend hurt.

And the only way to prevent that was to convince her to see things his way. He needed to find a way to move past what happened yesterday and try to gain her trust as Daniel Masters. Maybe then, she would listen...

Eventually, they finished their lunch, and Vlad knew he needed to get to the real reason why he had invited the Mansons and especially the young Miss Gray.

But the older hybrid was suddenly hesitant. He could not understand for the life of him why his son seemed so negatively triggered by Samantha. Sure, Vlad knew how draining these little charades were for his son; but ultimately, Daniel had gotten very good at them over the past months. So, these lapses of control around the human girl were surprising. Just moments ago, he had cut into their conversation because he knew his son. He knew his son had been about to get angry like at the yacht party last night.

Perhaps it was time to discuss this matter with his son about Samantha. Surely Vlad was missing something...

Regardless, it needed to wait. Vlad had a few more items to check off from his agenda concerning his guests. And he needed his son to assist him with a certain matter...

"So, Samantha... your father mentioned you had a green thumb. I do not think you've seen my gardens and greenhouses, have you?"

Sam blinked in surprise at Vlad Masters before she shook her head.

"Then, how about a tour? That is, if we're all done eating and no one minds a midday stroll?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Jeremy said.

"Oh, but, honey, it's so hot outside and I am wearing heels," Pamela hesitated. "Plus, you know you cannot take too much sun; or you will get hives."

Jeremy frowned before looking apologetically at his host and asking, "Do you mind if we stay behind, Vladimir? But I am sure the girls will love a tour."

"Oh, I don't mind at all. You both can relax on the terrace. It's shaded and has fans. Daniel and I can give young Samantha and Valerie a tour."

"Thank you, Vladimir," Jeremy said.

They all finally stood and began to make their way out of the dining room. Vlad led the way, of course, with his son beside him.

But making sure his guests were at a distance, he discreetly moved closer to his son and whispered, "I need a moment alone with Miss Gray. Think you can entertain Samantha for a bit?"

Danny almost jolted. "What? Father, I don't think—"

"Daniel, whatever quarrel you have with that girl, it ends now. I am not asking you to like her. I am asking you to keep her busy."

Danny sighed quietly but nodded.

"Good. Follow my lead."

They soon made it to the terrace, and as the elder Mansons stayed behind, Vlad continued outside with the three teenagers.

"So, how are you two girls doing in school?" Vlad asked causally as they headed down the path towards their destination.

"Fine," Valerie answered. "It's been weird going to another school these past months though."

"At least we have another month before summer break is over," Sam added.

"So I take it you are no longer receiving private schooling at home?" the man asked curiously, looking at Samantha.

Sam shook her head. "I'm attending Madison Ridge. It's still a private school but better than home-schooling at least."

This time, Vlad chuckled. "Ah, yes... I remember your parents have always been so adamant about your schooling. But do not hold it against them, dear girl. They do mean well."

Sam resisted the urge to sigh but still answered, "I know..."

The man smiled at her. "My... how time flies. Seems only yesterday that you were here with your grandmother and asking me how old I was."

Sam blushed. "I-I don't remember that."

Vlad chuckled, unaware that his son was staring at him in surprise. He didn't know his father had known Sam and her family this intimately. And by the sounds of it, maybe he had known Sam even before he had met her...

"How is your grandmother by the way? I have not seen her again since that time you all stayed the night..."

Sam looked away this time. "She's fine."

Vlad raised an eyebrow when the girl said nothing further; but then he decided to focus on the other teenage girl instead. "And then there's the young Miss Gray... It has certainly been years since I laid eyes on you, too... Imagine my delight to find you here, in Wisconsin. And living with the Mansons, no less. Just how did that come about if you do not mind me asking?"

Valerie smiled at the man before she fed him her coverup story. She might have no reason to distrust Vladimir Masters; but she also knew she needed to protect her identity as the Red Huntress.

"My foster parents know the Mansons," Valerie answered. "Their job did not allow them to leave Amity, so when the Guys-in-White pulled out of the city, they knew an invasion was imminent. And, well, they asked the Mansons if I could stay with them for a bit. At least, until the worst of it was over."

Valerie sighed, and added soberly, "I miss them, though. I really hope to return soon."

Sam kept quiet though she silently listened to Valerie lie to the billionaire. But she knew why she did. She knew firsthand the secrecy and deception that was required when working with her Uncle Tom.

"I understand. And it brings me joy to hear how much you care for your foster parents... You were so young when... Oh, forgive me. I should not speak of such painful things. But I just see you and I cannot help but think of your father. He was a good man."

Danny hid his surprise at hearing the girl's father apparently was no longer around. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him?

"It's alright," Valerie said with a small smile. "I'm glad everyone still remembers him and always has nice things to say about him."

"You know what?" Vlad suddenly said with a growing smile. "I have something I want to show you. Something your father gave me a long time ago."

"What is it?" the girl asked curiously.

"Daniel, why don't you and Samantha continue to the greenhouse? We'll catch up shortly."

"Of course, Father," Danny answered before smiling at Sam.

Sam looked hesitant as she glanced at Valerie. But the billionaire was already leading her in another direction.

"What's wrong, Sam? You don't mind being alone with me for a few minutes, do you?" Daniel suddenly asked with an amused smile. "I told you last night... I'm harmless."

Sam finally looked at the teenage boy. But then, she crossed her arms and replied, "And I told you that I'm not... But I'm sure you know that by now..."

"Ah, Sammy. You are hurting my feelings," he answered with a grin.

But to his surprise, the girl grew angrier and suddenly snapped, "Do not call me that! Ever!"

Daniel blinked in surprise. The girl didn't' seem to get angry at her mother for calling her that at lunch earlier. But then, he shrugged it off and said more seriously, "Come on, Sam. You can't be angry still, can you? So, we had a disagreement... Doesn't make us mortal enemies, does it?"

Sam scoffed. "I have other priorities than making a kid I just met yesterday my mortal enemy. But I also don't feel like pretending to like someone who feels the need to pretend to like me."

"I'm not pretending to do anything. I'm trying to be civil," Danny answered, this time a bit frustrated.

Sam sighed tiredly. "Fine. Whatever. Can you just show me this greenhouse? It's hot out here."

Danny looked at her, clearly wanting to say more. But instead, he muttered, "Yes... It's this way."

They said nothing else as he led them the rest of the way to the greenhouse.

"It's like my father wants to torture me," Danny thought with slight annoyance.

But, of course, Danny knew his father was not really trying to put him in a difficult situation. After all, he didn't know about his history with Sam. And for the time being, he did not plan on telling him. He couldn't risk his father finding out Sam was a hunter and having her...eliminated.

But this also put him at a stalemate. As much as he was trying to play his part as Daniel, his core was conflicted by the girl's presence. A part of him still wanted to reach out to her. But another part of him resented her. It was hard to pretend to be indifferent when his emotions were running rampant inside him.

And yet, Sam wasn't the only source of his turmoil. Danny was a bit disconcerted at learning how involved his father was with Sam's family. And then there was Valerie...

He really wanted to know what his father's interest was with this other girl. Sure, his father said the girl's own father was some business associate from his past, but something just didn't add up.

His father was up to something, and he was a bit annoyed that the older hybrid did not let him in on it before these humans got to the castle...

They soon arrived, and Danny opened the door before gesturing for the girl to head in.

Sam stepped in and her eyes widened in amazement. Sure, she had her own greenhouse and she absolutely loved it because she worked hard to nurture it and keep it beautiful. But this greenhouse... It had to be four-times the size of her own, and she could already see the variety of unique flora just at first glance.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

Danny had not expected such an honest reaction from the girl. So, hearing it, he stared at her in surprise for a moment before glancing at the greenhouse himself. He had seen it so many times by now. And yet... he suddenly remembered the first time he had stepped foot inside this place and experienced that same feeling of awe.

"It is...," he agreed quietly. He suddenly smiled before he added more calmly, "Come on. Let me show you my favorite section..."

Sam followed after the boy though she continued to look around her as they went. There were already several things she had noticed and wanted to stop to admire; but she didn't want to be rude; so she allowed Daniel to take her where he wanted to go.

They soon stepped past a plastic curtain, clearly separating a different section of the indoor garden. But to her surprise, as they passed yet another set of curtains, they stepped into an uncovered section of the greenhouse except for the canopy.

She glanced up at said canopy made of a thin almost transparent shading net. The sun beamed brightly down, yet under the canopy, she didn't feel the summer heat as brutal as she would if they had been completely out in the open.

"Just a few yards out, there are beehives," Danny suddenly spoke up, pointing in the general direction. But he then gestured to where they were as he continued, "This is the section of greenhouse where they like to come to the most, especially when the sun is at its strongest. It's interesting to just watch them moving between the flowers."

Sam glanced around and indeed saw many honeybees moving about the different flowers.

But the tone of his voice, which was a mixture of curiosity and awe, reminded the girl about the boy she had first met last night. His fascination for the simplest things really struck her as peculiar–but not in a bad way. It's just that she couldn't remember ever seeing something like this in anyone before, much less from a rich kid who had such a distorted view of the world.

As much as she wanted to remain indifferent, she was so confused and, dare she say, intrigued by him. She found herself wondering yet again who this kid really was. Why did he act like such a jerk when he seemed to be the opposite below the surface?

Danny walked over to the two blueberry bushes ripe with berries. He picked a few before popping one in his mouth.

"Try some. They are very good and such a unique color.'"

Sam walked over and also took a few and ate them.

But his remark struck her, and she looked at him and asked against her better judgement. "You think blue is a unique color?"

Danny paused, clearly surprised she was finally initiating conversation with him.

He looked down at the berries in his hand and replied, "Well, for a fruit, they are... I mean, I don't think I've ever seen another fruit that's blue..." He glanced uncertainly at her. "You have never wondered why? Does it serve the fruit or the plant itself a purpose?"

Sam stared at him before frowning thoughtfully at the blueberry bush. "I don't know... I mean, I know there's a scientific explanation on what makes them blue; but I couldn't say how the fruit benefits from being blue... No, I don't think I've thought about it before..."

"Oh...," Danny muttered, glancing away before he shrugged dismissively. "I guess I wonder odd things when I'm bored..."

But the teenage boy suddenly startled and raised his hands up defensively as he quickly added, "Not that I'm bored now or think you are boring! Just—"

He stopped talking with a sigh. "Never mind," he then muttered and turned to grab more berries.

Hearing the slight embarrassment in his voice, Sam was about to say he didn't have to feel bad nor was she offended—although she had no idea why she felt the need to make him feel better. But ultimately, she didn't get the chance.

"There are several fruits in season right now..." he then said, obviously changing topics. "If you want to try some others, I can show you?"

"Do you mind if I go look at the succulents instead?"

"Not at all," Daniel replied as they turned to head back to that section of the garden. "Feel free to look around. It sounds like you know a thing or two about plants."

Sam raised a questioning eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

Daniel shrugged. "My father mentioned you had a green thumb; and by your reaction to the greenhouse, you clearly have an interest in plants. I would even guess you have your own."

Sam nodded. "Yeah... I like to grow my own food when I can."

"You are a vegetarian," Danny replied with a small smile, though he had guessed as much based on the girl's lunch selection.

"Vegan, actually."

"Oh...," Daniel answered.

But there was enough of a pause that Sam picked up on it.

"What?"

The boy quickly shook his head. "Nothing... You said you wanted to look at the succulents; they are this way."

Sam frowned with confusion but ultimately kept quiet and followed the other teenager

---

"So, what is this you want to show me?" Valerie asked curiously.

"Oh, it's just up ahead. Next to my horse stables I have a small shed that I mainly use for storage. I have a few things in there from Axion Lab. Well, the few things that were salvaged at least."

"Oh, okay...," Valerie replied, unsure. Did she even want to see anything from that lab? She had very clear memories of her father's facility. After all, she would spend most days there. Her father worked so hard; but he still refused to just have her spend her day with a babysitter. It was his way of spending time with her, even if he was still working. And Valerie had loved it. It had been like her second home, and her dad's office was her playroom. She missed those times so much.

Vladimir glanced at the girl when he suddenly noticed her silence. He frowned at her sullen look; and for a brief moment, his face wrinkled with guilt. But it was gone in the next instant.

"You know, if your father were here today I am certain he would be most proud of you," the man said softly.

Valerie glanced up at him and smiled weakly. "I hope so."

"Ever since he passed away, I have felt a sense of responsibility for you, dear girl."

"I appreciate it, Mr. Masters. And I am also thankful you have taken it upon yourself to manage my father's assets."

"Indeed," he muttered before he cleared his throat and said more warmly, "Here we are."

He opened the shed doors and ushered the girl in. She was surprised the storage shed was cooler than outdoors. Most sheds got either too hot during summers or too cold in winters.

She then heard the low hum of a fan somewhere and realized why that was.

Vladimir continued in front of her. The shed was massive; bigger than any garden shed she had seen.

"Look," he suddenly said as he pulled off a dusty cover on a table. "These were some of your father's projects..."

Valerie walked closer and she frowned sadly as she picked up a helmet with the Axion logo on it. There were a few other trinkets and tech pieces on the table, too. But she didn't recognize anything since her father never let her wander around the labs.

Still, it painfully pulled at her heartstrings.

"What... What did this do?" she asked quietly, not looking at the man next to her as he hands tightened on the head piece.

Vladimir took the helmet from her hands and replied, "Protective gear. A sort of hazmat suit. Well, the helmet part, that is. The suit is here somewhere, too. I believe your father was planning for this to be a protective suit for employees working in hazardous conditions, such as radioactive locations or around toxic fumes. In fact, I have reasons to believe he was developing it for space travel or even travel into the Ghost World."

Vladimir grabbed a nearby box and pulled it forward before opening the lid. Inside was the suit.

"It's red...," Valerie whispered, unsure. This suit... it looked like an old model of the nano tech suit Agent Chrome gave her. Was it a coincidence?

"Looks familiar, doesn't it?"

Valerie tensed. "W-What?"

Vladimir put down the helmet still in his hand and focused fully on her. "I know who you are, Ms. Gray. I know you are the Red Huntress."

Valerie's eyes widened as she took a step back. "How do you...?"

"Because Agent Chrome told me. At least indirectly. He introduced to me the White Hunter some years back. Showed off some of the technology the Guys-in-White created for those ghost hunting suits... It's not hard, then, to conclude if he had no hesitation to make his own son into one of his little soldiers, that he would have little regard into making you one, too."

"With all due respect, Mr. Masters, I'm not one of his 'little soldiers'. I'm more than that!"

"What are you, then, Ms. Gray?"

Valerie frowned at the man's almost judgmental look and she quickly grew even more defensive.

"You can't blame me for becoming a hunter. Ghosts murdered my father!"

"I do not blame you. I blame Chrome," Vladimir answered seriously.

"Unfortunately," he continued before the girl could protest some more, "I have no say in your life or your choices save for managing your monetary assets. However, I do know if your father was still alive, he would have done everything in his power to keep you away from Chrome. So, forgive me if I am less than pleased that he has placed you in this kind of danger."

Valerie looked away before muttering, " I know my father would have never wanted me to be a hunter but Agent C is not forcing me to do anything."

She looked back at him and said firmly, "I am a hunter because I want to be. I made this choice."

Vladimir looked soberly at her for a moment before he said, "I know. And I cannot stop you. So, the least I can do is attempt to keep you safe."

"What do you mean?"

"Work for me instead," Vladimir said.

The girl's eyes widened. "But I don't understand. I thought you kept away from ghost stuff."

"No one can keep away from 'ghost stuff' entirely. It is only a matter of time before the human world completely falls to the Ghost King. But in the meantime, I have my own assets to protect. Therefore, I am in need of employing a capable huntress. I would pay you well, of course. When I need you, you will follow my instructions; and outside of those times, you are free to do as you please. You can also return to Amity Park if you chose... All you need to do is renounce to your allegiance towards Chrome and the Guys-in-White."

Valerie frowned as she glanced down at the hazmat suit on the table and lightly touched it. But then with a sigh, she shook her head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Valerie thought of Gregor but knew she couldn't say anything about him.

But as if reading her thoughts, the man said, "Do you want to end up like Chrome's son? I heard what happened to him... He was killed, wasn't he?"

Valerie fisted her hands. "It's because of him I cannot accept your offer," she said, staring seriously at him. "Someone has to make the Ghost King pay for what he did to Gregor! For what he did to my father! And so many innocent people like them!"

"Ms. Gray, trying to stand against the Ghost King is suicide. Think of what your father would want for you."

"My father is gone, Mr. Masters. Because of ghosts. No, I have lost too many things to turn back now. I work for Chrome because I believe in his vision! And I can't walk away from that. As much as I appreciate your offer, I can't accept. I'm sorry."

Vladimir stared soberly before he sighed in defeat. "Very well..." He then suddenly chuckled. "I suppose Chrome would not be very pleased with me if I took you away from him, hmm?"

Valerie smiled. "I won't tell him about our conversation, don't worry."

"Much appreciated. Oh, I do have one more thing for you..."

Vladimir reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. He then proceeded to hand it to the girl.

Valerie raised a questioning eyebrow but all Mr. Masters said was, "Open it."

With a frown, she opened the box and her eyes immediately widened.

"It's..."

"Your father's ring, yes. One of the few things that we managed to surprisingly recover in the wreckage. His old desk was partly destroyed but still whole enough to retrieve many of the items inside it. This was in one of the drawers... I was waiting for the right time to give it to you."

Valerie's eyes grew wet with tears. This was her father's wedding ring. Even after her mom had died, he had kept it. But she was surprised it was found at all. She could have sworn her father never took it off.

She pulled it out and delicately studied it as she whispered, "When... When they found him... He didn't have it on. I never thought I would see this again..."

"I'm sorry," Vladimir replied quietly.

And when the girl looked up at him with wet eyes, he added, "He didn't deserve to die... And you do not deserve this path you are on with Chrome... It leads to death, Ms. Gray. I would hate to witness another life taken in vain. If you change your mind about my offer let me know, hmm?"

Valerie swallowed thickly as she looked down at her father's ring before she nodded.

"Forgive me for upsetting you. But this conversation could not wait any longer."

Valerie wiped her eyes before she put the ring back in the box and closed it. She then put it in her pocket before replying, "It's okay. And thank you. I mean it. I want you to know I look up to you. I'm glad my father left you as my benefactor."

Vladimir smiled before he slightly gasped, "Oh goodness, we have been gone for too long. I am sure my son and Ms. Mason are wondering where we went of to... Come along, dear girl."

Valerie smiled as the man placed a hand on her back and they walked out of the storage shed.

Even if she could not accept the man's offer, she really was grateful and almost relieved to know she had someone looking out for her. Vladimir Masters was a good man...

"Hmm, I wonder if they are still in the greenhouse," the man mused out loud.

"Probably. I'm sure Sam is enjoying the company. I mean, enjoying the greenhouse! She likes plants," Valerie said with an embarrassed smile.

But catching on, Vladimir smirked. "Ah... You think so? I got the impression they do not get along."

Valerie shrugged. "Sam's a rebel. She doesn't get along with most people. But she's cool. I'm sure Daniel will see it, too."

"Hmm," was all Vladimir said.

---

Danny's his eyebrows drew in and he frowned with frustration when he dared another glance at Sam, who was in the near distance. He had decided to allow her to just look around at her own leisure without him.

How could this human's simple presence make him feel so exposed?

He had worked for months to build his human persona. It had been so hard, and the only way he had managed it was by mentally putting a barrier between who he really was as Phantom, and who he was pretending to be now. And after being surrounded by only humans for all these months, it somehow became possible.

He had finally felt he had gotten to a point where he could feel confident about this double life.

But now Sam appeared out of nowhere and he was struggling again to maintain this charade.

He was supposed to be Daniel Masters. Daniel Masters didn't know Samantha. He was supposed to be charming to her to gain her trust—like with any other human. Play into her emotions and beliefs so she could potentially be a tool in his father's plan. She was supposed to be one of the many human pawns on the chess board.

Yet as much as he tried, his true self kept leaking out. And that was because Sam didn't belong to Daniel Masters' life. She belonged to Phantom's life. She represented a bittersweet moment in his life.

Perhaps, if so much had not happened to him after his first meeting with Sam so long ago, maybe she would not be so etched into his core and mind. After all, they only met once, briefly, when they had been six.

Not exactly a long time to create any kind of bond with anyone.

And yet, Danny vividly remembered their first encounter. Her eyes. Her smile. The way they had been afraid yet amazed at the other. He remembered Tuck just as clearly, too. But she haunted his core so deeply because of...her touch.

To this day, he remembered how it had felt when she had touched his core. Aside from Chrome and his father, he had never had a human touch his core. Maybe that was why Sam's touch was so significant.

While Chrome's touch was etched in him for terrible reasons, Sam's touch was etched within him in such a way that he knew she was the only reason he did not completely and utterly hate the human race.

And while her betrayal hurt, as much as he wanted remain angry, his core would not let him forget that he had felt goodness in her. She had felt kind and loving. The memory of her gave him hope for humanity.

And if he let that go... If he lost that... It terrified him. Who would he be like if the day came when he hated an entire species, which a part of him ultimately belonged to?

What would he become if he hated his own race?

Not even his father hated humans, though he clearly resented them and saw them as violent and untrustworthy beings.

He was afraid of finding himself going down that dark road, even if it was against his will.

Most of his being already disliked humans, and he absolutely could not close the gap between his human and ghost personas.

The memory of the Sam he met was the only thing that kept him from going over that edge and fully embracing hate. And he wanted so badly to somehow find that his Sam was still alive in the Sam now in front of her.

Perhaps, somewhere under that hate she had for ghosts and her desire to hurt them was that childish wonder she once had of him... of the species he represented. Maybe, just maybe, she still longed for that.

So, hearing her call his father a tyrannical monster yesterday had really angered him so.

His father wasn't a monster. And the Sam he first met had not looked at him like he was one, either. That Sam had tried to save him and his mother from the real monster—from that murderer.

Demons.

That is what Thomas Chrome had called his parents. 'Demon Spawn' was what he had burned on his face.

What if Sam now saw him as such too? …She certainly must after he tried to kill her last time. But maybe if she understood why. If they could maybe forgive each other. Maybe she would see him in a different light—like she saw him when they first met. It was all he could hope for.

Danny glanced at the girl again and noticed she was now browsing through the carnivorous plant section.

"You have to be in there, Sam..." he thought sadly before he sighed a bit too loudly.

And they were not so far away that Sam did not hear it.

She glanced at him and instantly frowned. "Are you okay?"

Danny's instant smile was clearly forced. "It's just funny seeing you admiring flesh-eating plants..."

Sam rolled her eyes. "They don't exactly eat flesh."

"They feed on bugs They are living things."

Sam shook her head and turned to the pitcher plant she had been looking at. As she touched one of the bells, she replied, "All things are living, Daniel. Even this plant."

Danny tentatively walked over to her, and then touched one of the plant's many large pitchers, too. "I know..."

He did know. He could feel its life force. Even when the flora and fauna of the human world did not have energy cores like ghosts. Ever since he could remember, Danny knew that every living thing had a life force, which was interconnected to each other and the balance of nature.

"What I mean is that there are 'carnivores' even among the plants," Danny continued. "I guess one way or another we all feed on living things. Maybe that's why I eventually accepted it as… a normal thing."

"What do you mean? Were you a vegetarian at one point?" Sam asked, curious.

Daniel shook his head. "Not really. I just... I guess the thought of eating something that had once been alive, as a kid, it bothered me."

"It's always bothered me," Sam replied. "But I didn't have much say as a kid, either. Maybe that's why I am so adamant about the subject now. But I guess you're right. Even plants are alive. The difference is that plants are not sentient beings. I think everything has a right to live and live without fear."

But Daniel looked at her with confusion. What a strange thing for a hunter to say .

Sam chuckled. "You do that a lot..."

"What?" he asked, unsure.

Sam shrugged and looked away as she pretended to study the plants around them.

But then she frowned with uncertainly as she muttered, "I know... I don't make a lot of sense to most people."

Danny fell quiet before he hesitantly stepped closer and said, "You make more sense than you know... At least I can agree on your respect for all living things."

Sam smirked at him. "Look at that. We agreed on something. Our parents would be proud that we're getting along."

But the boy didn't smile and instead slipped his hands into his pockets with a sigh.

He was quiet for a moment before he said soberly, "Look, about yesterday... Maybe I shouldn't have said everything I did. We all have a right to our own opinions. And I know with so many eyes watching at events like those we don't always act ourselves... I was out of line, especially when I... Um... I guess what I'm trying to say is if perhaps we can start over? Not because anyone is watching or because of what 'our parents expect', but simply because we want to because... I want to?"

Sam blinked in surprise, but then she looked unsure herself. She still didn't know if she could believe him. He had acted 'nice' like this last night, too; and then turned into something else.

And yet for some reason, she couldn't deny she wanted to believe him.

Besides...

"I-I guess I was a bit of a jerk, too... And y-yeah..." She finally smiled at him. "I guess we can start over. After all, if you turn back into Mr. Hyde, I can always punch you again."

But the boy stared in confusion at her. "Huh?"

Sam's eyebrows heightened. "Wait. Don't tell me you have never heard of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?"

The boy suddenly looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "I... Not really. I-I mean I'm not from the states."

Sam chuckled. "More like you're not from this planet."

Danny quickly looked at her with wide eyes.

"I'm kidding!" she said, raising her hands up thinking she might have offended the other teen. "It's an old book. A classic. There're different versions of them... Movies, even."

"Right," he answered, still looking uncomfortable.

Sam stared curiously at him as she further asked, "Have you really lived in Berlin all your life until recently?"

Not that it explained his lack of common knowledge. But maybe he was somehow very sheltered?

"Yes," he answered casually.

"You don't really have a German accent," she mused. "I mean, I'm guessing your first language is Deutsch."

Danny lightly shrugged, though he clearly relaxed a bit now that he knew exactly how to respond. This was part of his cover as Daniel Masters, after all.

"I attended a private school which taught English as the primary language. So, ironically, my English is better than my German."

"Really?" Sam answered. "Do you speak any other language?"

"Why do you ask?" Danny retorted curiously.

"Because you might not have a typical German accent, but you do have some accent. It's not too noticeable; just on certain words like 'yes'. Not that it's a bad thing! I'm just curious since I wouldn't have guessed your nationality was German if you had not told me."

"My father is partly of Russian decent...," Danny replied. "But I don't speak the language, although he does. Maybe hearing him speak to other people in that language as a kid stuck? I don't know."

"That could be it. Though I gotta say. Anyone who can learn more than one language has my respect," Sam answered with a small smile.

"So, no other languages, then?" Daniel asked.

Sam huffed. "I wish. But my life isn't as exciting as yours. I was born in Wisconsin and raised in Amity Park, Michigan. Aside from some traveling as a kid before the war, I have not left the states for any extended period of time."

She paused before she added, "I do know some Ghost Speech though."

Danny almost jolted. "What?"

Sam frowned. "Is that weird? I mean, ghosts are like everywhere now."

"But how did you...?" Danny began, unsure.

This time, Sam hesitated before she answered, "Well, I have a friend named Jazz. She's super smart... Likes to study a lot of topics, including, well, ghosts. And she has picked up on words and phrases over the years. Deciphered them. I don't know much. Just a couple handful of words. I think it's fascinating, actually."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "But just yesterday you were so adamant about humanity being oppressed by the Ghost King and how he was a monster... Yet, you find their language fascinating?"

Sam wanted to say she didn't think all ghosts were evil; but given Daniel's reaction to her other beliefs relating to ghosts, she decided not to 'over share' this time.

"I think any language is fascinating, even a ghost language," Sam answered dismissively. "Hey, do you know where your dad took Valerie?"

Daniel blinked at the sudden change of topic before he slowly shook his head. "Not really. I'm sure they are nearby though "

Danny glanced towards the greenhouse's entry as if expecting his father to appear. But he then shrugged and asked instead, "Is there anything else you want to see?"

Sam shrugged back as she looked over at another area of the greenhouse. "I don't think we've gone over there..."

Danny nodded, and just as they headed in the direction of the vegetable gardens, Vlad and Valerie finally showed up.

"Daniel."

The boy stopped and turned when he caught sight of his father's entrance. "We were just wondering where you two were," he replied.

"I apologize for the delay," was all Vladimir replied before he focused on Samantha. "What do you think of my gardens, Samantha?"

Sam smiled as she glanced around. "It's impressive, Mr. Masters." She looked at him and added, "Looks like you have a green thumb, too."

Vladimir chuckled and nodded. "It seems so."

The man then glanced at his son and said, "You know, I think I am going to return. I have much to discuss with Mr. Manson."

Then, looking at Sam and Valerie, he added, "Ladies, I leave you in very good company."

Daniel rolled his eyes when his father smirked at him. He watched his father leave before he looked back at his two guests.

"Good to see you guys get along," Valerie remarked teasingly.

Danny suddenly laughed. "Barely. Honestly, my father is a bit of a... Hmm, I don't think I have a word for it."

"Fruit loop?" Valerie suggested with a smirk.

And Sam could not help but snort in response. "That makes absolutely no sense."

Daniel's smile immediately widened. "...I actually like that."

Valerie grinned back. "Good to see you have a sense of humor unlike someone else I know."

"I have a sense of humor," Sam quickly defended. "Maybe you should learn to actually tell jokes that are funny. Only reason Daniel's laughing is because he hasn't had to listen to your lame comebacks for months on end."

"Hey!" Valerie protested; but she was still smiling.

Daniel laughed some more before he turned towards the vegetable gardens. "We better continue with this tour before I get stuck as referee," he said good-naturedly.

The two girls looked at each other and laughed before they followed after the boy.

Sam returned to admiring the plants once they got to the new section in the garden.

Valerie, on the other hand, just glanced around, not all that impressed. She wasn't much of a tree-hugger.

Danny looked briefly at Sam before glancing at the other girl. He could tell by her body language that she didn't want to be here.

Maybe this was his chance to figure out why his father was so interested in her...

He approached her as she stared at some tomato plants with disinterest.

"Not much for plants, are you?"

Valerie glanced to Daniel before replying, "Nope."

Daniel chuckled. "Did you want to do something else? There's a game room here. Even a theater..."

"The fact that you have a movie theater would surprise me if I had not been living at Sam's house for several months now," Valerie said with a shake of her head. "Rich people are weird."

"Ah, well, I see why you and Sam get along," Daniel answered causally, slipping his hands in his pockets.

Valerie looked at him at last. "Sorry... I didn't mean that in a negative way."

"Is there a positive way to take the word 'weird'?" he asked, mildly amused.

The girl shrugged. "I guess I'm just not used to yours and Sam's lifestyles."

"No? Not even when your father was in business with my father? I'm sorry, by the way, that he's… gone. He passed away… right?"

Valerie paused when she realized the teen had no idea what happened to her father. "Yes, he did. When I was six. He was… murdered."

Daniel instantly tensed and a chill went down his spine. And it only further confused him. He still could not figure out what his father's interest was in this teenage girl…

"I'm really sorry. That must have been hard."

"Your father didn't tell you? It was also all over the news…" Valerie asked, realizing by the boy's reaction that he didn't know about the details revolving around her father's death.

Daniel lightly shrugged. "We do not talk much about business affairs¼ I guess the topic never came up. And I didn't hear about it in Germany¼ Sorry..."

Valerie bit her lip and barely murmured, "Sure." And then, not knowing what else to say, she grew quiet.

Daniel, too, didn't know what else to say. Or, rather, he didn't know what else he could safely say or ask.

And for a few moments, an awkward silence descended upon the two teens.

But then, Daniel saw his 'out' when he spied Sam. He called out to her, "Sam, would you like to see the stables?"

Valerie knew it would be better to move on now that Sam was approaching them, and smiled with the suggestion of seeing some horses.

And when Daniel noticed that it seemed that the dark-skinned girl was back to her usual demeanor, he smirked and added, "I hope horseback riding is not too weird for you..."

Valerie smirked back. "I happen to like horseback riding; and just for that, you are going to be eating my dust."

Daniel narrowed his eyes slightly. "Challenged accepted."

"Oh, you are going to regret that," Sam suddenly said with a smile as she walked up to the other two teens. "Valerie is a fierce competitor."

"I just like to win."

"Hmm, shame you will lose," Daniel answered casually before he walked past them, clearly expecting them to follow.

"Over-confident, isn't he?" Valerie mused with a playful smile.

Sam smiled back. "He's not that bad."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Well, well... Looks like someone had a change of heart."

Sam rolled her eyes. "You're so annoying sometimes."

Valerie just laughed as they all headed towards the stables.

---

Some hours later, the Mansons and Valerie were bidding their farewells to Daniel and Vlad as they stepped outside the mansion.

"It's been a pleasure having you here. We should do this more often now that we're practically neighbors!" Vladimir said pleasantly.

"Indeed! But next time, you must let me host you and Daniel," Jeremy said.

"We would be delighted," Vladimir answered as they shook hands.

"It was indeed a pleasure," Daniel said, also shaking Mr. Manson and then Mrs. Manson's hands.

"Thank you, Daniel," they both said.

"Ladies," Vlad said with a nod to the two girls. "I hope you enjoyed yourselves."

"Thank you, we did!" the girls said in unison.

"Wonderful!" he quickly said before he added, "Oh, Jeremy, about the board meeting. I remembered I have a quick trip to Colorado this week... Can we move the meeting to Saturday or perhaps early next week?"

The man frowned a bit but then pulled out his phone and opened his agenda. "Well… I suppose we could… How's Sunday looking for you?"

"Oh, don't forget Sunday we have to visit your mother," Pamela said.

"Monday, then?"

"We'll meet you guys in the car," Sam briefly interrupted.

"I'll escort them," Daniel suddenly said.

And not expecting a response from the talking adults, the teens walked off towards the Mansons' car.

Valerie suddenly snorted. "Escort? What are you? A butler?"

"Is that not proper?" Danny asked, bewildered.

"Proper?" Valerie shook her head. "You need to stop hanging around with your dad so much."

"Leave him alone, Valerie," Sam jumped in. "You know he's not from around here."

Daniel immediately smiled. "Oh, look at that. You're defending me. I am touched. Truly!" He extended a hand, and teasingly added, "I bid you farewell and safe journey, Sam… Try not to be too bored without me, hmm?"

Sam shook her head. "You really can't help yourself, can you?" But then she smirked, and not bothering to shake his hand, she added, "Valerie's totally right, by the way. You sound like a butler…. See you around."

Daniel looked surprised as she walked off and got in the car.

"Don't worry, Masters," Valerie suddenly said and patted his back. She then leaned forward and whispered, "She likes you. I can tell."

This time, Danny pulled quickly back, blushed and glanced at Sam in disbelief.

"She likes losers," Valerie added with a grin.

Daniel rolled his eyes this time. "I hope you realize that you beating me in the race was pure luck. You won't be so fortunate next time."

"Whatever, rich boy," she teased before she waved and left.

At last, Vlad and the two older Manson finished their discussion.

Vlad and Danny watched as the elder Mansons got in the car before they all waved good-bye as the family finally drove off.

The boy didn't even wait a second after before he asked, "Who is she?"

Vlad looked down at his son with some surprise.

"Who?"

Daniel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Valerie Gray. Her father is dead. So, why are you so interested in her?"

His father tsked. "You should show more respect for the dead. I have taught you better. Let's go inside."

Danny blinked in surprise, but followed.

Once inside, they headed towards the lab, and Daniel quickly said, "I did not mean—"

"I know what you meant, Daniel," Vlad cut him off. The older hybrid paused before adding, "Ms. Gray's father owned a company that was of great interest to me. After his passing, those assets were frozen. I managed to unfreeze them by legally claiming to be Ms. Gray's benefactor until she comes of age. It is the weight of her last name that interests me. Not the girl herself."

"You could have just told me."

"Hmm, yes, I could have," Vlad agreed. "Much like you could have told me what this situation is between you and Samantha..."

Daniel tensed. "What?"

Vlad suddenly stopped walking to look at his son. "What is going on with that girl, Daniel? Just when I thought you couldn't stand her, you look at her like..." The man paused and pursed his lips as if the idea of his son... No, it was too disturbing to even think about.

Danny glanced away. He couldn't tell his father about his history with Sam. He would kill her!

"Daniel."

His father sounded upset now.

"She... She said some things about the Ghost King. I got angry at her at the party yesterday. And, well, you saw the result." Daniel dared to look up at his father as he added, "I just did what you asked me to do: Be a good host. So, I let it go, and tried to get a along with her like you asked."

Vlad looked at him for another moment. He wasn't completely convinced; but if the girl had said something about the Ghost King, he could imagine his son getting upset over it.

The man finally sighed, placed his hand on his son's back and steered him to the lab. "You have a good heart, little badger. I appreciate you always trying to defend me. But I appreciate more that you were able to push past that to assist me with the Mansons today. You did very well." He smirked and added, "You even seem to have made an impression with Ms. Gray."

"I let her beat me at horseback," Daniel replied with a smirk of her own. "She seemed the type who enjoyed coming out on top... So, I let her. She instantly liked me right after."

Vlad chuckled as they entered the lab.

"Well, as promised. Let's go home. I'm sure everyone will be delighted to see you again."

"We're going right now?" Danny asked with disbelief. "I thought you needed to stay in Wisconsin this week for some business deals?"

"We won't stay more than two days. I just need to speak with Skulker over this whole 'Red Huntress' affair. I figured you would like to come along?"

"Most definitely," Danny answered with a growing smile.

Vlad proceeded to lock the lab before he pressed an intercom on the wall.

"Derek? Hobson?"

"This is Hobson, sir," his employee's voice replied.

"Daniel and I will be heading to my chalet at the Rockies for a couple days. Please take care of Matty and the house while we're gone, hmm?"

"Of course, sir. Do you need me to contact your pilot?"

"No need. I am taking one of my personal aircrafts for a test fly."

"Alright, sir. Safe travels."

Danny watched as his father finally walked away from the intercom and then proceeded to open the portals.

"As I said, we will have to return in two days' time. I need to finish those business dealings here in Wisconsin by the end of the week. After that, I will likely have you return here while I head oversees to see how the takeover in France is going."

The older hybrid suddenly transformed into Plasmius before heading over to a locked compartment and opening it. He pulled out his son's suit and cape.

"Here you are."

Danny was still a bit surprised by the suddenness; but he also knew his father was very busy as of late. So, the older hybrid wasted very little time when he had something in mind.

Danny grabbed his clothes and proceeded to change into his ghost clothes while his father busied himself with getting something else out of the vault.

Vlad frowned deeply as he pulled out the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage. He had kept them here all this time for safekeeping after that close-call six months ago. But having them anywhere near him and his son bothered him.

Each time he had come to his Wisconsin castle, he could feel their presence no matter how much he ignored it. With threats in the Ghost World down, Vlad knew it was time to put the relics back where they belonged.

He then pulled out his son's amulet. Well...it was Desiree's amulet and the Gem of Life remained hidden inside it.

Meanwhile, Danny had finished changing. And he hesitated just a second more before he reached for his core. It had been months since he had been Phantom, and it felt strange now to make the switch.

But like remembering how to ride a bike, he transformed into the Ghost Prince once more. And he could not help but sigh in relief as he left Daniel Masters behind. At least for a few days.

He looked up in time to see his father put the ring and crown in a glowing bag before pressing it against his belt where it dissolved and disappeared. He then floated over and extended his mother's amulet.

"Are you sure...? It..."

"It's yours, little Phantom," Vlad cut him off softly.

Danny nodded and put on his mother's amulet.

His father smiled at him before he said, "Let's go home."

Danny nodded as he looked at the portal.

Home at last.

They finally flew through the portal and boy sighed when he could instantly feel the familiar and welcome atmosphere of his home engulf his very core.

He belonged here.

And yet…

Danny glanced back at the closing portal. Why did he suddenly feel he was leaving something behind?

He immediately thought of Sam, and he wondered when he would be seeing her again? And just as important, who would he be the next time he saw her?

Daniel Masters or… Prince Phantom?

"Are you alright?" his father asked when he noticed how quiet his son was.

Phantom nodded and smiled at the King. But then, the teen's eyebrows suddenly creased in curiosity.

"Father… What is a vegan?"

---

There you have it! Start of final arc! Yay! Ahhh Danny... He does play Daniel Masters well, doesn't he? Little Mini-Vlad he is! lol!

Anyways, sorry there is no Gregor... heh. We'll see him next chapter. Until then!