Part Two: Shadow Man
Chapter Three: Obscure Identity
The object of my affection
is the object of my obsession.
She looks at me, but doesn't see my eyes.
I hide in the shadows of lies,
of self-doubt and darkness.
Yet seeing her gives me never ending bliss.
But not being able to touch, to be,
she doesn't even really know me.
She's always around.
I wish she had never been found.
I would never feel this,
such a yearn for just one kiss.
"I'm the deepest darkness in a soul. I'm the thing that keeps you awake at night and fearful of unknown corners. I'm the hunger, the shadow that one never admits, but harbors it. If you give me a name, why don't we make it Shade?" Danny contemplated at what Sam had told him. "So, he's basically some supernatural psychopath who's overprotective and living with you."
"Yeah, but I still need to find out what he actually is." She leaned against one of the lab tables, sighing in frustration. "I don't know if he's a part of you or not."
Danny closed his eyes thoughtfully. Bits and pieces were beginning to come to him now. He remembered the voice, the smirk, abilities, but everything was still blurry. He couldn't remember who Shade was, and it was giving him a terribly painful headache.
"Listen, why don't I—"
Sam's opinion was cut off as the door to the lab slammed open. Shade stood there, almost seeming to be an omen. Well, he basically was an omen of bad things to come, especially in hers and Danny's life. Could he also be an omen of death?
She was thinking too much again, but that was what she did best.
"She's always around. I wish she had never been found," Shade whispered. Anger boiled in him, rage consuming now.
Both Sam and Danny looked at him in confusion. He was definitely psychotic. Why was it that the weird always fell for Sam or vise versa?
He stormed over to the couple and they cowered in terror. Within moments, he had placed himself between Danny and Sam, a very effective barrier, and one that probably couldn't be knocked down anytime soon. He glared at young Fenton with such intense hatred that Danny wasn't sure why he was still standing…or living for that matter.
He grabbed Danny by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground so that he was an even height with Shade. Danny gulped audibly and Sam cringed, afraid of the massive bullying that would ensue.
"I'm going to tell you this now so that you won't get hurt." He shook Danny forcefully. "Stay. Away. From. Sam. Got it? I'll kill you if you get near her."
With a sense of finality, he threw Danny down to the floor, hard. Danny hit the hard grounding with a loud "oof" and groaned. Danny looked up just in time to see Shade grabbing Sam and forcing her out the door. He was about to call to them when he remembered.
All of a sudden, last night's events came rushing back to him with crystal clarity. It felt like a play by play, slow motion, rewinding, focusing in, and it made him feel nauseous. He resisted the urge to empty his breakfast out onto the lab's floor.
Shade. He had said he was a hunger, a shadow that no one admits to, but harbors it. The realization of what he could be hit him like a full blown punch. He sat back, absorbing the possibility, the theory of what Shade actually was. Well, it was a pretty damn good theory, but the worst was what the details might be.
Shade was what he had said, but what if he was a part of Danny as well? What if he truly was the darkness that no one admitted to but harbored? Could this be a manifestation of Danny's dark side? But…the strange thing was that if Shade truly was that, why was he so…powerful, so strong, so…here?
Maybe Shade was so powerful because of Danny's ghost half. After all, 99.99 of the ghosts Danny encountered were evil or harmed others, even if unintentionally. Maybe…his ghost half had amplified his dark side without his realizing.
He got up and brushed himself off. Cautiously, he checked to make sure Shade was nowhere in site. Then, he made a break for his locker.
He had never considered the ghost powers he had received harbored evil. After all, he had always used them for good…well, mostly for good. Yet, he was still confused at how Shade had escaped, how he had come into the real world.
How could a ghost stay here without his ghost sense going off the fritz? Maybe Shade was like him, a halfa. That would make sense, because Vlad never set Danny's ghost senses off when he was in human form. Maybe this was the same.
Danny made it to his locker, with no problems, which was really a first, because Dash usually found him by this time. He opened his locked and loaded his backpack with the necessary books for the day, equaling the usual fifty pounder.
He grunted as he hefted the bag onto his shoulder. It would be another day of unneeded stress, probably fighting (also unneeded), and trying to save Sam from a dangerous psychopath (very, very unneeded).
Danny made his way to class as the warning bell for first period rang.
One question remained prominent with him.
How had Shade gotten out?
I need to talk to you soon. I think I know what Shade really is- Danny
Sam read the note and felt a smile growing on her face, but quickly got rid of it when Shade turned around to look at her. She shoved the note into her book and gave him a small wave. He looked past her, to Danny, and glared. He turned back around.
Sam quickly wrote on the note and discreetly handed it back to Danny. He unfolded it and read.
Meet me in the girl's bathroom during lunch. I'll be in the last stall- Sam
He nodded and smiled a little. For once today, things were seeming to get better. Sam looked at him and her gave her the thumbs up. She smiled and turned back around.
Now, with nothing to do, Danny looked at the chalk board. The lecture couldn't hold his interest (who else would want to know about Hammurabi? Who was he again?), so he turned his attention to his notebook and began to doodle. While it wasn't necessarily something he did, he had to admit that he wasn't bad.
Unfortunately, his notebook (for this class) was full of pictures; full of pictures of Sam. It sounded like something Shade might do, but…he liked to draw her, in as many different forms as possible, and she was always gorgeous.
He felt a blush rise to his face.
Hopefully, lunch would arrive soon, very soon.
End Chapter
Author's Notes- I hope this is okay for you guys. I had a feeling that some people didn't know who Shade was, so I thought a better explanation than Shade's own obscure one was in order. I've been really busy with these chapters, trying to get them done, and I've had most of them. I had this one done when I posted chapters two and three for part one, so…it's all good. Also, I was so happy that I got reviews on the first day my story was posted! I got like 48 hits last time I checked, and that was in the first day! I was so happy. I think my last chapter will need to have some thanks. Speaking of last chapter…it's going to roll down to the final showdown here veeeerrryyyy soon! I hope you guys keep reading. Also, as always, C&C is very much needed and appreciated. Ciao.