Disclaimer: I do not own 'Danny Phantom'; Nickelodeon does so I am not making a profit outta this in any way. It's for fun so compliments are more than welcomes but flames will be ignored as if they never existed.
"Guardian Ghost"
By: Beloved Shadow
Another day another ghost to be sent back to the Ghost Zone, Danny Phantom thought to himself as he headed home. The Fenton Thermos was filled with ghosts he had fought that night and he was exhausted! On top of that I still need to study for my French test and finish my homework for Math class. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be a super hero.
Turning the corner he sighed when he saw his house just down the street but suddenly his ghost sense tingled. He stopped and looked around. "That's strange, I don't see a ghost." There was no one out at this time so he flew into a dark alley and changed back to a black haired, blue eyed teenage boy by the name of Danny Fenton. He stuffed the thermos into his backpack and ran out…
… Only to run into someone. Danny fell back on his butt, a bit dazed. "Uh sorry about that," he said sheepishly.
"Sorry, didn't see ya there," came the reply. A hand reached down and pulled him up. The guy looked like Dash, complete with the letterman jacket except he had wavy, chestnut brown hair and dark green eyes. He wore dark blue jeans, a black flannel shirt with a gray t-shirt underneath. The jacket was green and golden yellow with a large 'C' on the left side instead of the red and white. The guy also had a silver hoop through his right ear. Still grinning he gave the halfa a salute and walked past him. "Laterz."
"Yeah later." But before he could turn his ghost sense warned him again. That's not right. There's no one here but me and that-where'd he go?
The nice jock was gone.
Danny looked around but the guy was no where to be seen. Did he imagine him? But if the guy was a ghost… then that would be the first time a ghost wasn't trying to wreck havoc on his town. Aside from the Dairy King but he didn't really count.
-
Casper High was buzzing as students went to their lockers and classes, talking about the latest gossip, or pulling pranks on those they thought were lower than them. Such as the case with Danny and his two best friends, Tucker and Sam.
Tuck was known for being a Techno Geek with his cell phones, laptop, and ever present PDA on hand. Sam was the school Goth and activist for just about any and all rights. They were also the only ones to know about Danny's secret identity. But even as friends the two couldn't be so different. Tucker wasn't one to give up on things and Sam tended to look on the dark side of everything life had to offer. Danny… was somewhat in the middle.
"Man Danny, you look wiped!" Tucker commented.
"Yeah. I stayed up late doing my homework and studying. Just as I was about to get some sleep, the stupid Box Ghost was rummaging in our basement. I wasn't able to catch him but when I got home it was time for school," he answered and yawned behind his hand. "Why does school have to start so early?"
"Pure torture so the adults can bend us to their unrelenting will," Sam added. Danny and Tucker just stared at her. "What?"
"I'm too tired to even comment on that." Another yawn escaped the halfa and he waved to his friends as they went to their classes. And lucky for him, his French class was first.
Sitting at his desk he was happy to see that he could squeeze in some minutes for class so he laid his arms on the desk and head on his arms. As soon as he closed his eyes he was fast asleep. He didn't even wake when the tardy bell rang which proved how tired he was.
"Now class, I hope you studied for your exam," the French Teacher, Mrs. Donni said but paused when she heard snoring. Looking around she spotted Danny. Grabbing her yard stick she walked over to his desk and gently shook the boy's shoulder. "Mr. Fenton, time for your exam," she said softly.
Danny mumbled something under his breath but continued snoring. The class snickered at this.
Sighing she lifted the stick and brought it down with a loud slap on the desk, right near Danny's ear. "Mr. Fenton!"
"No more ghosts!" He sat up straight and blinked as his entire French class laughed at him. "Um, where am I?"
"First period French class and ready to take your exam. I can only assume you stayed up late studying?" the teacher asked.
"Um kinda?" he asked himself.
"Well see. Everyone clear your desk and take out a pencil or pen. Remember that grammar counts." Everyone groaned as the test was handed out.
Danny looked at it and everything he studied last night, went flying out the window. "I'm doomed."
The hour and a half passed by relatively slowly for Danny Fenton but when he got his test result back he groaned. F+ and with such a grade it brought his grade point average even lower. Now how was he going to explain this to his parents?
"I'm starting to think about just dropping this ghost fighting gig, at least until I pick up my grades," he said to himself, gathering his stuff and headed out of the class. Going to his locker he saw Sam was waiting for him but she was talking to someone. That was strange in itself. Sam never talked with anyone, she was a loner!
She noticed him and waved him over. "Danny, come here! I want you to meet someone!" she called to him.
"Be right there!" Thinking nothing of it he went over.
Same smiled. "Danny, meet Maxine. She's a new student here and she's also in my History class. Maxine, meet Danny, one of my best friends."
The girl turned to him and smiled. She was pretty with wavy, dark brown hair falling to her shoulders with a scarf acting like a headband and blue-green eyes. She wore a denim skirt with low boots and a poetic blouse that laced up front. She looked perfectly normal with her backpack slung over her shoulder except she had a long cane in her hand.
"Hi Danny, Sam told me about you," she said and held her free hand up before her.
Danny blinked and slowly, grasped her hand, giving it a shake. "Nice to meet ya. So you're new, huh? Where did you come from?"
"Out of state actually. Both my parents are in the military so when they got the order to transfer, well here I am," she laughed softly. "But who knows how long I'll be staying here."
"Hopefully it'll be for a while. What class do you have next?" Sam asked.
Maxine unfolded a piece of paper from her pocket and ran her fingertips over it. Danny looked confused and was about to ask something but Sam jabbed her sharp elbow into his stomach.
"I have… Science in 305."
"That's on the third floor we have that class," the Goth girl commented.
"Great! Now I won't be able to get lost."
Tucker came up to them, looking a bit put off. "Just once I would like a girl to say yes when I ask them for a date!" he complied.
"Turn down again?" Danny asked.
"Five times in a row!"
"Maybe it's the way you approach them," Maxine said and slowly began walking with them, tapping her cane side to side.
"Hey what's up with the cane?" Tucker asked and winced in pain when Sam jabbed her elbow into his side sharply.
"Rude much?" she hissed at him.
"It's alright, Sam. I need it or else I'll run into walls and it lets people know I'm coming," she answered without looking back. She stopped when her cane tapped around the corner. Still tapping it she felt around for the staircase and slowly began moving up, still tapping each step and holding onto the railing with her free hand. "One, two, three, four, five…"
"Um Sam, what's Maxine doing?" Danny asked.
"What's does it look like she's doing? She's counting." The Goth girl left, hurrying to catch up with her new friend.
Tucker blinked then grinned. "Hey a new girl! Maybe she'll say yes to a date! Ladies, wait for me!" He ran after them.
Danny blinked before running after his friends. "Hey wait for me!"
As the tardy bell rang and the students hurried to their classes the halls were soon empty. Silence filled the halls but then the sound of heavy footsteps was heard. There was no one in sight but a figure slowly materialized as he continued his walk. His form grew solid and the footsteps were slightly louder but they were in no hurry.
It was the same man that Danny bumped into last night but he looked, sad. He kept walking down the hall but reached up and pulled out a pair of dog tags from under his shirt. One had the picture engraved of a pretty girl but the other had some wording on it, a message if you will. He sighed, running his thumb over the image and continued walking. Even when he came to a wall he walked right through it and the footsteps slowly faded into silence.
-
"Okay class we have a new student, Maxine Weathers. Care to say something about yourself?" their teacher asked.
Maxine nodded and faced the class. "I just moved her about two days ago but I wasn't able to register until early this morning. As you can tell, I'm blind so if I happen to run into you or I hit you with my cane, I'm sorry. But it's better than having a seeing-eye dog come over and bite you in the leg." She laughed and the class laughed with her. "I hope I have a good time here."
"Now then, is there anyone here who would like to show Ms. Weathers around?" their teacher asked.
Before Sam could lift her hand Dash beat her to it. "I'll show the lovely lady around," he said in a smooth voice.
"Great, and another one falls under Dash's attention," Danny muttered under his breathe.
Maxine thought it over before slowly walking towards the tables. Dash's table was next to Danny's but she stopped between them. The quarterback smirked at his friends and made to lead her to the stool next to his but instead, she turned to her right and carefully sat herself down on the stool next to Tucker.
"Mind if I join your table?" she asked.
"Sure!" Tucker said happily. Sam gave Dash a smug look but Danny couldn't help but stare. He didn't notice it before. But she had a very faint mark over her eyes. He focused his eyes and leaned a bit closer.
It was like the skin around and across the eyes were a few shades paler than her normal skin tone. It also looked like she had tried to cover it up with make-up but it was beginning to smear. Was that how she became blind or was she born with it? Was she in an accident or a fight? Why was he getting so nosey?
"You know it's rude to stare," she said softly.
Danny blinked and jumped back when she slowly blinked. "Huh? How'd you know I was staring?" he blurted out.
She smiled lightly and brought her cane up, pushing one side in until it was short and out of the way. "Just because I lost my sight doesn't mean I lost my others senses. I heard you move in closer and I can smell your breathe. Also, it's kinda hard for someone even without their sight to ignore someone staring at them, unless they're used to it."
"Uh yeah. Sorry I was just, um never mind."
"You're wondering about my scars. Maybe one day I'll tell you what happened."
Halfway during class Maxine was slowly melding into the group of misfits. She didn't care for the jocks and premadonnas like Paulina and Dash for she was happy the way she was. Even with her slight disability. But it was also halfway during class that Danny felt his ghost sense acting up. He looked around and his eyes widen.
There!
Next to the door of the class was the same man he ran into! But, why didn't anyone notice him though? The man looked at him, his own eyes widening but he just leaned back into the wall and fell through. Danny abruptly stood.
"Can I use the restroom?" he asked but before he could get an answer he ran out of the classroom. Looking down the hallway he didn't see the guy but he knew he was close-by. 'That guy, he is a ghost! But why is he here? Why isn't he terrorizing the students or something?' He ran into the bathroom and making sure he was the only one inside, prepared to transform.
"I'm going ghost!"
Rings of light appeared around his stomach then moved up and down his body. His clothing changed into a black kind of jumpsuit with white gloves, boots, a belt, and a wide collar around his neck. His black hair turned snow white and his blue eyes turned lime green. Now he was Danny Phantom.
Concentrating he moved through the walls and looked around. There was no one here but something told him the guy was somewhere around here. Frowning he floated down the halls, still wondering why the ghost was here and how he managed to get out of the Ghost Zone.
"Huh, dad probably left the Zone open," he sighed and headed down the next hall.
The young cautiously stuck his head out of the locker he hid in, making sure the coast was clear before he eased out. His form was transparent, pale and kind of washed out but as his feet touched the ground color was regained and his body became more solid. One hand went up to his neck and grasped the dog tag tightly.
"That kid... is he a ghost?" he asked himself.
-
Students talked back and forth, sitting at tables as they ate their lunch. The 'elite' of the school sat at their own table where many desired to be. Tucker, Sam, and Maxine sat at another table as they waited for Danny to return. He had been late coming back to class and had to stay after to explain to the teacher and that in turn made him late for their next class and Mr. Lancer kept him back to talk about his book report he turned in.
"Are days always this exciting?" Maxine asked, carefully setting her tray down, keeping her cane at her side.
"If we're lucky," Sam replied. "My favorite, Tofu Burgers."
Tucker made a face. "How can you eat that stuff? It's fake food!" he complained.
"And what about the innocent animals that were slaughtered to make your Sloppy Joes?" she retorted.
"Hey it's eat or be eaten world out there and I am not gonna be at the bottom of the food chain."
The blind girl sighed and continued eating slowly. She didn't see what the big deal was. So one person wouldn't touch meat and another wouldn't touch granola. Why try to force it on one another if they don't like it?
"One day I would like to sit down, eat my lunch, enjoy talking with my friends without being stuck in the middle of an argument," Danny sighed and sat next to Sam which put him across from Maxine.
"They do this that often?" she asked.
"Too often if you ask me."
"Hmm sounds just like home. How did your lecture with the teacher go?"
"Could have been better. I have so much to do with my parents and after school activities that I didn't have time to read our assigned book. So-"
"You improvised. Not a smart way to go, my friend." She slowly reached and patted his hand. "If you like, I can help you. What was the book report?"
"MacBeth."
"By Shakespeare? I love his plays and poems! Well I like Poe's poems better but I can help you out."
This caught Sam's attention at the mention of the famous poet. "Edger Allen Poe? Wow, I wouldn't have thought you liked poems about death, fear and darkness."
"Hey I'm a complex person."
Tucker was going to ask the girl on a date but frowned. "Jerk at 5 o'clock," he quickly said. Sure enough Dash came up to their table with some of his football buddies.
"Hey Fenton! Heard you failed Lancer's English class. Again!" They laughed.
"Yeah well I was busy! As least I don't cheat just because I'm not on the football team!" he snapped only to later realize his mistake.
Dash grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. "What did you say?"
"Put him down!" Sam yelled.
"Aaw does the freak want her boyfriend back?"
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"I'm not her boyfriend!"
"Can't we talk this out?" Tucker was lifted from his seat by his backpack and just grinned sheepishly. "Guess not." Around them the other students gathered, chanting 'fight fight fight' but Maxine was trying to locate her cane so she could find a teacher. She never noticed as her Sloppy Joe was lifted into the air before it was thrown and landed with a wet splat on Dash's face. Everyone gasped.
"Hey Dash, nice look for ya-" Danny gasped when his breathe turned cold. There was a ghost here!
"... Who threw that?" he asked coldly. No one said anything but they turned to the new girl when she finally stood, and her plate was empty. "You're gonna pay for that!"
Maxine whirled at him, his face set in an angry scowl. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" she snapped.
"You threw your lunch at me!"
"How dare you accuse me! In case you haven't noticed, I'm blind! I couldn't hit you with a 30-foot pole if you were standing right in front of me!"
Dash was about to say something but a pie went flying and hit the back of his head. When he turned to yell at the person a barrage of vegetables struck him in the face, one after another. It wasn't long before there was a food fight.
"Maxine, get down!" Sam and Tucker pulled her under the table and Danny left the cafeteria to transform. He phased into the kitchen only to find that the ghost fazed through the floor so he followed.
"Hey you! Hold it right there!" he called out and amazingly, the ghost stopped and turned to face him. Danny wasn't sure why but he felt like he meet this guy before but the guy had a hood hiding his face from view. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I don't have to answer either one and you can't order me around, kid."
"I'm not a kid!" Danny yelled as he flew at him, fist raised high to hit him but the big guy stepped to the side, grabbed him by his leg, and hurled him into the wall.
The older boy looked at him and shook his head. "Sorry kid, but I'm not done here. Just leave me alone." Phasing out he went to the cafeteria only to see that the teachers were breaking it up. He frowned as he saw the jock known as Dash try to pin it on Maxine. Growling he flew up and took a hold of Dash's hand. Smirking, he grabbed a large pile of mac an' cheese from the floor and shoved it right into Mr. Lancer's face. Laughing he released his grip and flew out of the school.
"..." The balding teacher looked at the top football player, calmly wiping the food from his eyes. "Mr. Dash... I think you and I had better have a talk with the principal," he said calmly.
"B-But I didn't do it!" he protested.
"I suppose someone took your hand and made you do this to me then."
"Uh yeah!"
"Come with me." Taking his arm he led the student out while the other teachers escorted the students out. Going to their lockers Tucker and Sam were wondering if Danny had anything to do with this but Maxine was still upset.
"Oh that pig-headed, arrogant, jock-strap! How could I have thrown it at him! I hope he gets detention but since he's the star of the school they'll let him off easy. Typical! Wish I had stayed in private school..." Ignoring everything and everyone she tapped her cane angrily against the floor, yelling at students to move when she ran into them.
Sam went after her, hoping to get her calmed down and careful to avoid getting struck with the cane. Tucker almost followed but Danny floated up through the floor and transformed back to his human self.
"Wow, I'd hate to clean up this mess," he laughed.
"No kidding. Nice trick with making Dash smear that cheesy stuff in Mr. Lancer's face," the other boy said, slapping his friend on his back.
"I didn't go near Dash. I chased the ghost to the basement but he swung me into the wall. I was knocked out. It had to have been that ghost but why is he doing this?"
"Beats me. C'mon we're gonna be late for our next class if we don't hurry."
-
The bell rang and the door burst open to let loose the flood of students. The trio plus one were the last to come out, talking about the piles of homework they had. Maxine had calmed down since lunch but she was still holding a grudge against the football player.
"I can't wait to tell my parents how I failed my French test and I have to redo a book report," Danny complained.
"Things aren't a total lost," Tucker spoke up. "Dash has to clean up the cafeteria everyday for the rest of the week."
"Not good enough," Maxine mumbled.
Sam looked up and stopped. "Hey Maxine, do your parents wear their military uniforms all the time?" she asked.
"Yeah why?"
"I think they're here to pick you up."
A man and woman were standing at stiff attention before a black hummer. They were both tall and they eyes were brownish-green but they wore deep army green uniforms. The man wore slacks with a jacket and red beret on his head. The woman wore a sharp skirt with a matching jacket and a red beret as well. They looked like statues the way they stood like that. The blind girl sighed and shifted uneasily on her feet.
"I gotta go… see you guys tomorrow," she said softly and made her way towards them. They didn't say anything but the man stepped back and pulled the hummer's back door open. The woman helped Maxine in but the girl didn't seem very happy about this. She sat back as the door was closed and the adults got in the hummer and drove off. The trio just stood there, knowing something was wrong. Sure in high school kids were embarrassed if their parents picked them up from school but with the Weathers they looked so… stiff and their new friend didn't seem embarrassed but more like slightly annoyed and tired.
"I thought she was just joking," Sam said out loud. The boys turned to look at her.
"Who, Maxine?" Danny asked.
"Yeah. She told me her parents were strict and that the only reason she was coming to school was there wasn't a private school in town."
"With parents like that guess she wasn't kidding. What's their problem?" Tucker asked as they began to walk home.
"Well Maxine didn't say it but she kept saying how she wished her brother was back. The way she said it though seems like he's gone or something."
"Weird."
The ghost watched this and trailed after the hummer. His entire form was transparent that he had no trouble phasing into the car and settled on the back seat next to the teenage girl. And he was just in time to hear their conversation.
"How was school?" the woman asked.
"Fine," Maxine said softly as she stared at her lap.
"Who were those kids you were talking to?" the man asked.
"My new friends."
"What do you know about them?"
"Dad, they're my friends, not my enemies!" she snapped. Her hands closed tightly over her cane.
"Watch how you speak with me, young lady."
"Sorry sir."
The woman finally turned to face her. "What are their names?"
"Sam, Danny and Tucker. They're in my classes," Maxine answered softly but didn't look at them. "They showed me around school and I told Danny that I could help him with a book report."
"Without telling us? I want to meet his parents first," the man said with a mere glance in the rearview mirror.
"If Tommy was still alive you wouldn't be doing this! With you two always gone I could invite my friends over and hang out!" she yelled and stared out the window. "What am I talking about? Tommy was the only one who cared about me."
"Your brother died because of his reckless behavior."
"He died protecting me. It took you two a week to find out I was in a hospital."
"We were busy."
"You didn't care! I wish Tommy was alive because in two years I could've moved in with him!"
"Maxine behave yourself or else!" he snapped and the woman didn't say a word.
The blind girl could feel tears coming she bit her lip. When the car stopped she pulled out the door and ran out. "I wish you two were dead instead of Tommy!" she screamed as she ran.
"Maxine!"
The ghost cursed as he followed but part of him wished to stay at the car and make the ungrateful parents drive into a tree but he was here to protect the girl until he was sure she was safe. He watched as she ran uneasily, her sobs making her sense of direction a bit off he grew worried when he saw her run into a street. A car was coming up but it didn't see her.
"Maxy!" he called out at the top of his lungs, diving towards her.
Maxine froze her eyes wide and looked around for the voice but all she could hear was the screeching tires of a car and the loud honk as someone yelled at her to watch out. She felt the ground beneath her feet rumble she threw her arms over her face, screaming in terror. For a moment, all her senses seem to shut down but so terrified she felt her world just shut down.
The ghost held onto the young girl tightly, glad she was safe and once more cursed her parents for this. Looking down he saw that she was out cold he sighed and held her tightly. 'I can't take you home so, let's just hope I can trust your new friend, Maxy,' he thought to himself and turning them both invisible, flew off.
The trio were walking home, talking about their day and complaining about homework when the blue-eyed boy, Danny, felt his ghost sense acting up. He looked around and saw a ghost dive into an alley.
"Guys I just saw a ghost, cover me," he told them quickly.
"You got it," Tucker said. He and Sam stood close, doing nothing and behind them their friend turned into his ghost form. Thanking them he sank into the ground.
Danny came up to the alley and solidified he saw the ghost kneeling before a girl around his age. "Hey get away from her!" he yelled.
The ghost turned and growled angrily. "Stay away from my sister!" he yelled at him.
'Wait a minute, his sister?'
Maxine rolled her head back, her eyes fluttering open she gasped and tried to blend into the wall. Her heart pounded in her chest she could make out voices and one of them she immediately recognized. "Danny!" she cried out, holding her arms out before her, hesitantly walking towards the voice. "Danny please, help me!" she pleaded, new tears making their way down her cheeks.
Danny looked at the girl and held his own arms out. He gently caught her hands and looked at the other ghost but he was gone. "Maxine what are you doing here? What happened to your parents?" he asked, glad she couldn't see his new appearance.
"I-I got so mad at them I ran out of the car but I think I ran into another street then I heard tires screeching but I was so scared I think I fainted but I woke up and Danny I'm sorry!" she bawled loudly, crying into his shirt heavily. "I want Tommy back!" she wailed loudly.
The young teenager wasn't sure what to do but pat her shoulders in comfort. When he heard footsteps he grew fearful that someone heard her cries but sighed in relief when he saw it was Tucker and Sam. They quickly rushed over and the Goth girl took over, leading their sobbing blind friend out of the alley. Once safely away Danny transformed back to his human self and let out the breath he was holding.
Hey what happened to the ghost?" Tucker asked.
"I have no idea but something weird is going on," he began to explain. "When I came here the ghost yelled at me to stay away from his sister then Maxine is crying like no tomorrow but she said she Wanted Tommy back. I think that ghost was her brother or something."
"Are you sure? Maybe you misheard him or something."
"There's only one way to find out. We have to ask her."