The alarm went off, signalling the beginning of another day of school. Danny hit the button, turning it off, and slowly got out of bed. The clouds still hadn't cleared, and he had a feeling that Amity was due for another rainy day. He got ready for school and ran downstairs. His dad was reading the paper, watching the news, and drinking coffee at once.
"Danny, I'd like to thank you again for picking up those supplies last night," he said.
"No problem."
"In fact I'd appreciate it if you and your friends would do the same for me again this weekend. We had to move the location at which to pick them up, though. Ever since that problem with Paranormalics you can't be too careful. Not to mention Wakeman's on my back again. Speaking of Paranormalics, I think they're on the news," Danny looked over at the T.V. It showed a large crowd in Washington, D.C., with everyone wearing good-luck charms and holding up signs either reading, "Ghosts are Here! Protect the Public!" or having signs on them that were thought to ward off ghosts in medieval times.
"This crowd demonstrates the reaction to the incident at Paranormalics Headquarters," the reporter was shouting, "The shown tapes given to all news networks in the country by an anonymous source have reveal that a band of pirate ghosts made an attack on the organisation's home base, which still remains in a secret location. The level of public fear and superstition has skyrocketed, and stores selling magic spells and good-luck charms have never had better business! All over the country schools are being covered with symbols to protect their children, while public places are being closed down for fear of being haunted! One can only imagine the affect that this will have on Amity Park, rated one of the most haunted cities in the United States by our source." Danny kept his eyes on the screen.
"This can't be good," he muttered to himself.
"Just sad," his dad said, "What kind of ghost facility lets ghosts fly right in! I missed the airing of the tape and your sister took the main page of the newspaper with the pictures for some school project. Speaking of school it's time for you to get going," Danny grabbed his backpack and headed out, still keeping an eye on the news...
---
"I'm telling you, I've never seen so many good-luck and magic symbols in my life!" Danny was telling Tucker and Sam on the bus, "This cannot be a good thing."
"I saw it too," Sam nodded, "And since your dad's ghost-zone portal lets out ghosts all the time, we can't cut the ghost-hunting down and Amity'll still be viewed as the biggest haunt in the country," they looked at Tucker; his eyes were bloodshot and he was half-asleep.
"What did you have to do with your dad anyway?" Danny asked.
"Huh? Oh, uh..." he couldn't think of an excuse right away, so... "something...very important. And exhausting. Man, am I tired! So what were you guys talking about again?" they both sighed.
"Any idea what those ghosts were up to?" Danny asked Sam.
"Nope, but whatever it was it can't be good for ghosts if it causes this much superstition."
"I just hope..." Danny looked out the window. The school had a huge cross mounted on it, with good-luck, magic, and religious symbols painted on every window, and two large chains of garlic were hanging from the flag pole.
"...that Casper High isn't one of the schools that freaks out about this," he sighed.
---
Mr. Lancer had called the students to an emergency gathering in the theatre. They gym was full of garlic, so that didn't make anyone too happy. A couple kids had good-luck charms with them; Dash and his group of jocks seemed uninterested. Mr. Lancer stepped up to the podium.
"May I have your attention, students?" he said, "Thank you. As some of you may have seen on the news, an incident involving our government has been called to our attention. I'm sure all of you remember the piece of news where our Mr. Fenton and his family uncovered the files showing the corruption of the CIA department Paranormalics under Sarah Frost," Danny smiled weakly and sank lower in his chair as most of the kids turned to look at him.
"Now the department is headed by General Gary Conrad. Last night, an assassination attempt was made on the lives of Conrad and his staff," this drew gasps from around the theatre, "by paranormal beings. This is a very serious issue, students. These ghosts are considered terrorists, and our town has a history of haunting. That is why we have taken a few minor precautions."
"Minor?" Danny elbowed Tucker to get him quiet.
"School hours will be conducted as they always have. We must all remain calm...or, as you kids say, 'keep it cool,'" one could almost hear a cricket chirping, "Well, report to your first hour."
---
The lunchroom was one of the only rooms that was relatively normal. An extra salad bar that had only garlic was the only thing unusual. That, and everyone muttering their fears of ghosts and paranormal beings. Danny, Sam, and Tucker sat at their usual lunch table, Tucker struggling to keep from falling asleep and landing his face in his sandwich.
"So..." he yawned, "That was what was on the news?"
"Yep," Sam said, "And now we've really got a problem. When you parents find out about what happened they'll be..."
"They know," Danny sighed, "Hopefully news somehow gets to The Ghost-Zone so they'll stay there."
"That does leave the one ghost we know would never have the brains to..."
"The Box Ghost?" Danny and Sam asked at once.
"We just had to fight him last night trying to get my dad's supplies," Danny said, "He normally waits at least a few days before making an idiot of himself again," blue ectoplasmic smoke then came from his mouth, and then...
"Oh, Fenton!" he heard someone shout, "Oh, Fennnnnnnnnntonnnnnnnnnnnn..."
"Oh, great," Danny got yanked out of his chair from behind.
"As you are aware, Fenton," Dash said, "We've got ghost problems. I think that it would be safer for all of us if they had a weak, easy victim to terrorise. To help them find you, I think I'll make you stand out a little more. Black and blue in white hallways with green lockers tends to get noticed," he made a fist with his free hand and prepared to hit him, but his eyes were suddenly covered by a sandwich.
"Hey!" Tucker shouted at Sam, "That was my lunch!"
"Get lost, Dash," Sam reached for something else in case he didn't leave.
"Oh, how sweet," Dash said mockingly after he got the sandwich out of his face, "Your girlfriend is fighting your battles for you!"
"I'M (SHE'S) NOT HIS (MY) GIRLFRIEND!" Danny and Sam shouted at once. Dash's jock friends grabbed the other trays with food as Dash tried again to hit Danny. Before he could, however, something black that was dressed in a light cream-coloured coat and trousers attacked him, knocking him on the floor and kicking him out of the cafeteria. It whirled around, getting up on two legs but having an animal-like posture. Danny's jaw dropped at what he saw. Whatever it was, it used to be human. It had black fur, elf-like ears, a cat's tail, and glowing yellow eyes. It smiled, showing its strange teeth. They were neither that of a human nor a cat, but a cross between the two. Slowly it crouched down lower, shooting a menacing glare towards Danny, Sam and Tucker. Then, in a flash, it leapt towards Sam, who barely managed to duck. It hit the wall with its feet, whirling around and heading back towards them. This time it collapsed right on top of Sam, snarling in her face. It was distracted when a tray flew threw its head, proving to the now terrified students that whatever it was when alive, it was a ghost. It set its eyes on Danny. He and Tucker had barely managed to set their lunch table standing completely vertical, and now pushed it down on the panther- ghost, Sam quickly climbing away. The students all rushed out of the cafeteria as fast as they could, the panther-ghost slowly phasing its way out from under the table.
---
Mr. Lancer opened the door to his office and saw the entire school flooding down the hallways, screaming.
"What is the meaning of this!? I mean," he pulled out his book, How to Speak Hip for the Un-Hip, "Yo, dogs! What's goin' down!?" it was now he noticed a second wave of the flood, the worst possible one to be caught in; the jock wave.
"RICHARD III!" in their rush, they trampled over Mr. Lancer.
"Well then," he said as he slowly got back on his feet, "Maybe I'll just..." he consulted his book, "'go with the flow,'" he collapsed back inside his office. Meanwhile, Danny and his friends were charging down the hallways with everyone else, towards the back of the crowd.
"What the heck was that thing!?" Tucker shouted.
"Who cares! RUN!" they moved faster, but soon came to a stop. After a blinding flash of light came from behind them, the few kids that were further back got knocked forward. The panther-ghost was charging down the hallway on all fours, snarling.
"Cover me!" Sam and Tucker surrounded Danny as he went ghost, "Now keep running!" they didn't hesitate...at first.
"Oh, no," Tucker moaned, "it's coming! The effects of watching sci-fi movies all night are coming up yet again!"
"Wait," Sam said, "You were watching movies last night!?"
"Growing tired...can't run," he began to slow down, "Must...go...to sleep," he fell asleep. Sam sighed and started dragging him by his leg.
---
Danny landed a kick right in the panther-ghost's stomach, knocking it back into the kitchen. He readied two energy blasts and fired them forward, blowing up the garlic bar; the panther-ghost managed to quickly become ghost fog and re-form right in front of Danny, knocking him to the ground. Danny kicked it off of him, standing up and whirling around. The panther-ghost sent a blinding light blast towards the floor right in front of Danny. It burst into an even brighter flash that knocked Danny upwards, flying through the ceiling and out onto the roof of the school. The panther-ghost flew up to meet him.
"What are you!?" Danny muttered, firing off more energy blasts. The panther- ghost jumped up to avoid them and came down on Danny, causing him to crash into the upstairs biology lab...he had no time to phase through, instead crashing right through the ceiling. The panther-ghost flew through the hole, smiling and licking its lips. Danny slowly stood up, aching all over and covered in a white tablecloth.
"That does it," he charged forward at the panther-ghost.
---
Sam was going as fast as she could, Tucker still asleep despite his head having hit five lockers and two doors.
"Need help, Ms. Manson?" Mr. Lancer came out of his office, bruised, beaten, and covered in dust.
"Oh...yes, please," Mr. Lancer picked up Tucker.
"Would you mind explaining this to me? No, wait..." he pulled out his book.
"There's a ghost in the school!" Sam said quickly before he could use a slang term.
"What ghost?" they heard the sound of fighting up ahead and ran over. Danny (covered in the tablecloth) and the panther-ghost had crashed down into the hallway, blocking the exit to the school.
"That ghost," Sam pointed at the panther-ghost. Danny attacked it, knocking it into the trophy case (and accidentally damaging Dash's trophy, causing him to scream like a girl). It struck back, slashing across Danny's chest with its now bared claws. The tablecloth falling away, Danny collapsed to the floor on his knees, gripping his wound. Dash looked closely at him.
"Doesn't he seem familiar?" murmurs of agreement followed. Danny phased through the floor. The panther-ghost sniffed around the area he had been at before looking back at the crowd, its eyes specifically set on Sam. It leapt forward again, but before it could hit, Danny rammed into it, knocking them both through ten classrooms and out of the school.
"I don't think those good-luck charms have done us any good," Danny said, "But we've got something better; another ghost!" the panther-ghost hissed, throwing another light at Danny. He protected himself with an ectoplasmic shield, but something different happened this time. The shield wrapped around the light, forming a bright yellow ball that landed in Danny's palm.
"Well that's new," he threw it, hitting the panther-ghost right in the chest. It flew back at least ten yards, crashing into a tree. All the fur flew off him, leaving the ghost of an ordinary man who started sneezing.
"I hate cats!" he shouted before vanishing.
"OK...that was odd," Danny went back to normal and felt his wound. The cuts weren't very deep, but they were very long. He didn't have time to worry about them, though. The students were running outside to see the fight. He ran behind the building, climbed through an open window, and barely managed to get into the crowd as the last of them headed outside.