Hello! Welcome back to chapter nine of Ghost Gal! One more chapter after this and then it's over. –Cries—Well, at least you have the sequels to look forward to. Thanks to my lovely reviewers!
Marenda Coxy, yourevilfriend, kikyou-sama, Lucifer, cellosolo2007, Kairi7, heeros n legends, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Rainstorm Amaya
By the way, I forgot to mention last chapter, but usually I give out the last two chapter names when they start to come to a close. This chapter of course, is called Secrets and then the last chapter is called Return.
So, one last disclaimer should do it and at the end is a final sneak preview to chapter ten!
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom; Butch Hartman does.
Chapter Nine
Secrets
Jazz's eyes fluttered open and she groaned slightly in pain. She caught sight of a figure moving, towards a flash of light. Through slanted eyes, she saw silver-white hair and black and silver clothed body. The next thing she knew, the figure had disappeared.
The figure had been Danny. The realization of that hit her and she raised her head off of the ground a little, but it was too late. He was gone.
Her body hurt like she'd been thrown from a fifty feet building and had unfortunately lived to tell the tale.
She groaned again and tried sitting up. She placed her hands over her eyes as the room spun around her softly. Thunder echoed throughout the house. She wondered where her parents were and if they had heard the whole commotion.
Then it hit her. What had happened? Why was Danny suddenly back to normal? Well, at least normal as far as she saw…. She didn't understand what was going on. She understood the fight between them little and how she'd ended up here even less.
"Jazz?" said a voice.
She looked carefully, forcing her eyes open behind her and saw a familiar pale face and amethyst eyes.
"Oh my god, Jazz, what happened to you?" Sam asked, rushing to her. "Tucker!" she shouted.
"What?" his voice called as he pounded down the stairs. He stepped onto the lab floor and saw Jazz. "What happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure what happened myself," she said.
"We wanted to tell you, since you're like him now, that Danny looks different. He changed into his ghost form and he looked—" she began.
"He looked evil," Tucker finished for her. "Again, except different appearance."
"He is, well…. he was," she replied, rubbing the back of her neck.
"He was?" Sam questioned.
"We were fighting," she said. "I think Atheme did something to him, but I'm not really sure. But the power turned off and then he—" She trailed off, at last getting what had happened. "I think I lost my powers."
"How?" Sam asked, staring at her in concern.
"He pushed me into the Fenton Portal and turned on the switch after it lost power," she replied, staring at the portal, which now showed the Ghost Zone.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'll be fine," she said. "But we need to find Danny."
"Did you see where he went?" Tucker asked.
"Into the Ghost Zone, I think," she said. She stood up shakily and closed her eyes to stop the dizziness that wracked her again.
"Maybe you should rest, Jazz. We can look for Danny," Sam suggested, holding onto her.
"No, I don't want you guys hurt in case he's still…Dark Phantom," she argued. "But I don't know how we're going to find him."
"The Specter Speeder. Tucker drives it all the time when we go out hunting in the Zone with Danny," Sam said, pointing to the small vehicle.
"I'll drive first until we find Danny," she said. Tucker nodded and had the door waiting open for them already.
Sam grabbed her arm as she started to walk away. "Jazz…" She stopped, unsure of how to say what she wanted to.
"What?" Jazz asked.
"It's just…how are you going to fight him without your powers…if he is evil?" she asked.
"Reverse psychology maybe?" she tried. She ran a hand through her hair, and in instant, Sam suddenly noticed it.
Jazz and Danny were extremely alike. Not only did both of them do the same things, which were run their hands through their hair when they were stressed, but both were stubborn and overprotective at times, and both risked their lives. And both of them, when they were nervous would bite their fingernails or rub the back of their neck.
They even looked alike sort of. Both had the same shaped noses and even though a different color, the same determined eyes.
"What?" Jazz asked, noticing Sam's attention to her.
"Nothing," she said softly.
"Come on, don't worry. If anything, maybe if I can't find my way back to Danny, you can," she said. She hugged Sam. "He likes you more than he'll admit."
Sam's eyes filled with tears which she brushed away. "I'll do anything I can to help."
"I know. Right now, we need to find him," she said.
Sam nodded. "Okay."
The two girls climbed into the Specter Speeder and Jazz took the driver's seat, cranking down the gear shift.
"If you see Atheme, tell me," she said, pressing down the gas. Tucker and Sam nodded, both thinking the same thing. They entered the odd Ghost Zone once again.
"Jazz….why did you make yourself like Danny?" Tucker asked.
"I had to help him, I told you that," she replied calmly. She turned to the left, trying to remember where she had last seen the bow-and-arrow ghost girl.
"I know that, but….what about your parents?" he asked.
"What about them?" she asked, glancing over to him.
"Jazz, they're suspicious. We overheard them talking earlier," Sam said. "They think you're possessed."
"They won't be able to find that I'm a ghost anymore though," she said. "I lost my— Tucker, drive!" she said.
She saw Atheme heading towards a large rock. Opening the door, Tucker climbed in the driver's seat after her and she leaned out carefully and snagged the unprepared ghost's arm, dragging her into the Specter Speeder rougher than intended.
"What is your problem?" Atheme asked. Jazz closed the door behind her and grabbed one of her parents' portable inventions hanging near the sliding door in the back, pointing it at her threateningly.
"Move and I shoot," she warned.
"I'm not afraid of you," Atheme spat.
"You should be," she said, loading the gun like weapon. Rather than bullets, it held beams of powerful energy.
"So what do you want then?" Atheme asked, watching her warily.
"You're going to change Danny back to normal with your arrows," Jazz ordered.
"Why?" Atheme snorted.
"Because your arrows are the reason he's gone," Jazz said menacingly.
"What do you mean, my arrows?" she asked.
"Don't be stupid, I already know you did it. Those damn things are what turned him evil," Jazz snapped.
"What? That's not true—I—" Atheme smacked her forehead. "Unless I…oh crap."
"What did you do?" she asked.
"My arrows weren't supposed to turn him evil. They were supposed to make him commit one dark crime. It didn't have to be like breaking an actual law, but just something bad enough to make him feel guilty," Atheme said.
Jazz looked down. "And he usually doesn't do anything bad, so that's why he turned. And then he thought he hurt me." She walked in front of the ghost so close that they were eye to eye. "Then what would happen?"
"He would become so guilty, he would just snap," she said.
"You will lead us to him," Jazz said, shoving her onto the seat of the Speeder.
Atheme didn't say a thing.
"And after that, you'll change him back to normal," she demanded.
"You're asking for a lot Ghost Gal," Atheme said to her.
"Ghost Gal doesn't exist. Not anymore."
"Ah, so what threat are you to me now?" she asked, focusing on going intangible. Jazz pressed the energy trigger and a blast of pink energy shot out at her and crackled with electricity. Atheme cried out.
"Tell me where he is!" she demanded, threateningly holding the trigger again.
"He was back at the Rock of Linear we just passed about five minutes ago," she said, triumphantly.
Tucker gasped and wheeled the Specter Speeder around in a mini U-turn. Jazz lost balance and slammed hard into the door. Atheme seized the opportunity to escape but Sam stood up and pointed a Fenton Thermos at her and she floated back down, giving an evil glare.
"You said Danny would snap, what does that mean?" she asked, stepping forward.
Jazz stood up roughly. Sam had a point….. She waited for the answer.
Atheme blew it off like it was no big deal. "He'll just be consumed with enough guilt to make him do something stupid."
"Like what?"
"Best case scenario, nothing. Worst case, scenario, suicide," she said.
Jazz snapped and leapt on top of Atheme, fighting with as much anger as she'd pent up this whole time. None of this was fair. No one deserved this.
She got a good grip of the back of her neck. "You…will change him back to normal. And if he does kill himself, I'll make sure you don't even exist as a ghost."
"Jazz, right here!" Tucker said suddenly.
"Is this where he is?" she asked him. Atheme nodded, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Sam, can you watch her for me?" she asked the girl.
Sam nodded and Jazz tossed her the weapon which she caught one handedly, then aimed it at Atheme.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Tucker asked.
"No, I want to try something first," Jazz said. "If I need you, I'll whistle."
"Okay, I'll wait here," he said.
She sighed, breathing in deeply and then opened the door, feeling the freezing air of the Ghost Zone wrap around her. She shivered bleakly and stepped out onto a rough stone, shutting the door quietly behind her.
"Danny?" she called. She walked around a large, circular stone pillar and made her way carefully along the outside.
"Danny…" she whispered.
He was lying on his back on the stone, his eyes staring blankly upwards at nothing in particular, in his human form. His arm was beside him, the other across his stomach, and he was unnaturally pale. And he was extremely close to the edge of the rock ledge.
"Danny, are you alright?" she asked.
He leaned up a moment and then rolled back over to his side, turning his back to her. "I guess this is what I deserve."
"What?" she asked, walking over to him.
"I didn't mean to…I didn't know," he muttered.
"Didn't know what?" she asked.
"I didn't know it was you, and now you're dead and you're back to haunt me and there's nothing I can do about it because I deserved this," he said.
"Danny, you don't deserve anything," she said. She touched his arm gently and they both jumped. He hadn't known she was right behind him, and she had another reason. Carefully, she touched his forehead. "Danny, you're burning up. We need to get you out of here."
"Why?" he asked. "I don't deserve to live after what I did."
"Danny, you didn't do anything," she pleaded. She grabbed his hands and pulled him up. His blue eyes had a glaze to them and she could feel heat coming off of him in waves, yet he was shivering. "You're sick. Come on, let's go home."
"I killed you," he whispered.
"Danny, I'm not dead. Look at me," she said. "I'm right here."
"No, you're not….god…no, stop…." he muttered.
"Danny, snap out of it!" She reached for his hand and grabbed it. He didn't fight back and she took it and pressed it against her heart. "I'm alive. See? My heart's beating, and yours is too…."
His eyes widened as at last he understood and he suddenly collapsed. She caught him before he fell and sat down gently. He was still conscious, but barely.
"Jazz, I'm so sorry," he whispered.
"You don't need to be Danny," she said, brushing a tear away from her eyes.
"I didn't know," he muttered.
"Come on. We're going to get you help," she said. "You're still hurt." She helped him up to his feet, making sure he didn't slip off the edge. "We're going to go home, and everything's going to be okay."
He nodded, his glazed eyes staring at her blankly. She was about to whistle for Tucker and Sam when he suddenly yelled out.
"Danny?" she asked. He gasped, as if it were difficult to breathe. Then his eyes closed and he fell backwards, toppling off the edge. "Danny!" she shouted. She grabbed his arm just in time and fell to the ground, trying to hold on as her brother dangled over the edge.
"Danny, wake up, come on," she said, panting.
Then what she saw made her heart stop. An arrow was stuck in his back….. Looking up furiously, she saw Atheme hovering near, smiling darkly.
"You wanted him changed back, didn't you?" she challenged. "He won't remember a thing. You can thank me later. But right now, if you don't get him help soon, he'll die."
She disappeared, turning invisible. Jazz tightened her grip on her brother's arm as she desperately clung to him. Using most of her energy, she produced a whistle to alert Sam and Tucker.
The Specter Speeder drove up, and Sam threw open the door. Her eyes widened when she saw them.
"Sam, take Danny," Jazz grunted.
Sam reached upwards and grabbed Danny's shoulders, pulling him inside as carefully as she could.
After he was safely inside, Tucker moved the Speeder up a little and Jazz climbed on, dropping down immediately.
"Tucker, call 911, we need to get him to a hospital," she said.
"Oh my god," Sam muttered. "Jazz, he's burning up."
"I know," she said. She leaned over her brother, who kept fading in and out of consciousness. He was bleeding badly, not to mention his fever. "Hold on Danny."
…………………………………………
Yeah, that's a horrible cliffhanger, huh? Well, that was quite longer than I expected it to be. I can't include a sneak peek because that will ruin the next and final chapter of Ghost Gal.
So, please R&R! Chapter Ten will be here soon.
Update List: Coming Today!
Freeze Out, Fiction 2, Sunshine Circle, Love Me, Love Me, Adjustment, Ghost Gal, Even In Death, Twisted Life, Wherever You Will Go, Fired Up, Becoming, Senseless, Seventeen Days, Paradise, Hotel Paper
Update List: Coming Soon!
Ghost Gal, Ghost Gal 2, Infinity, Worthy (New Version), The Phantom Rogue, Adjustment, Modern Day R+J, Feeling Fear, Images, Hotel Paper, Till Death Do Us Part, Obsession (Finally)
Lateraina Wolf