"So you guys didn't watch the news, I take it?" Danny said as he joined his friends at a picnic table in the park.
"You watch the news?" Tucker asked skeptically.
"What?" Danny demanded. "I like to know what the town thinks of me. What are you doing?"
"Just sitting here listening to this new band on Tucker's PDA," Sam answered. "They're pretty good. Wanna listen?"
Danny shook his head. "Guys, I think Kat caused the blackout." He paused while his two friends exchanged glances. "It was on the news. Someone sent in a security tape, and I swear it was Kat."
"Are you sure it wasn't just someone who looked like her?" Tucker asked hopefully. Kat was the only girl he knew who actually thought techno geek was the epitome of cool, and he fully intended to ask her to the next dance.
"Tucker, how many people do you know that dress like they just walked out of two hundred years ago? And while we're on the subject, when's the last time either of you saw her outside of rehearsal?"
Acquiring a slightly perplexed expression, Sam asked, "Danny, what are you thinking of?"
The ghost boy shook his head again and huffed. "I don't know. All I know is that there's something off about her. I've seen her as Electra plenty of times, but I only see her as Kat at rehearsal. I've never noticed her at school. Does she even go to school?"
"Maybe she home schools," Tucker ventured.
"Except then, they wouldn't have let her in the theater club," Sam interrupted Danny, about to say the same thing.
"But if she's a full ghost, she might be able to fool them. Except then, why can't I sense her?"
The three friends fell into a slightly disturbed silence. Kat seemed nice enough, even trustworthy. But they didn't really know anything about her save that she was Technus' daughter, and she considered herself to be a gremlin, or electric ghost.
It was Tucker who finally broke the uneasy silence. "Maybe it was just a prank. You know how much she loves to torment people."
Danny took a few seconds to reply. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just overreacting."
A few more minutes of silence later, Sam spoke. "Well, since the power's back on, do you guys want to see if the Googleplex is open?" Jumping at the chance to change the subject, the two boys agreed.
Danny sat on a catwalk with his legs dangling over the edge as he watched the performance below. Sam and Tucker had eschewed from joining him on the grounds that they would rather listen to Soul Fire on Sam's new stereo. He couldn't help but notice that Kat seemed on edge as she rehearsed the musical's title song with Rick, the unfortunate boy who got the part of Phantom. He was now the subject of Kat's own brand of malice, which meant that almost every time he opened his mouth, the auditorium's sound system started blasting feedback. Tonight, however, she seemed too distracted to torment the boy.
"Cut, cut, cut!" the theater director yelled, causing everyone to jump. "Miss Cadwell, have you ever heard of self-fulfilling prophecy?"
Although Danny was unable to see Kat's expression, he could just imagine the eye roll. "Well, I was right, wasn't I?" she asked insolently. "Peg's sick, which means we have no Carlotta. One of our ballerinas broke her leg, and the band can't be here because they have a gig."
"Peg has been on the verge of illness for several days, now," the director refuted. "We have known about the band for a month. And Kelly's leg is nothing but a tragic coincidence that hardly interrupts the proceedings. Now, if you don't mind, get with it!"
There was a very long, almost dangerous silence. Then the director called for a ten minute break, and the moment was gone. Danny stood and slid down the ladder. "Hey, Kat. What's wrong?"
She looked around a bit nervously before answering. "That blackout. It's a bad sign. I can't believe things are going this well tonight. Something bad's about to happen…"
"Don't mind her," said a ballerina, earning an irate glare. "She's just superstitious."
"The power's been flickering since it came back on," Kat went on in a much lower voice. She led Danny to the edge of the stage where no one would overhear. "I know you can't see it, but it's a like a fog horn to me. It's like something's draining the power."
"Actually," Danny interrupted her. "I kind of wanted to talk to you about that. Will you be here tonight?"
"When am I not?" Kat asked ironically.
The night was crisp and clear. The multitude of stars shined down enough light to more than make up for the lack of a moon. The city streets were quiet and still, unusual for Amity Park. It was nights like this that made Danny glad he could fly. He closed his eyes to enjoy the exhilarating feeling of gliding, unaided, through the atmosphere. But he was out this late for a reason and couldn't be distracted for long.
He became intangible to fly down through the roof of the auditorium and hovered near the ceiling to listen to the mournful sound of an invisible siren singing Music of the Night. He flew closer to the stage until Kat faded into view and wondered, not for the first time, why she would waste power on an effect like that when no one was around to be impressed. He had asked her once; she had simply smiled slyly and asked why he overshadowed people even though no one knew he was doing it.
She sang the last note, then looked at him. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Signore Phantom?"
Danny had thought about how to handle this, and he still wasn't sure. Kat was his friend, or so he thought. And if she had simply been playing a prank, she needed to know that it had gone a bit too far. On the other hand, she was her father's daughter… "Kat, I need to know…were you involved in the blackout?"
She shook her head. "Wasn't me, but thanks for the compliment. Normally, I can appreciate quality work, but not during the musical; its bad luck. I knew today was not going to go well…"
"So it was sabotage, like they said on the news?"
"You watch the news?" Danny folded his arms and glared. Kat sighed. "Well, I don't know about sabotage, but something's definitely draining the power. We're going to have another, probably around noon."
Danny thought for a moment, and decided not to mention that he had seen her on the security tape. If her prediction came true, he'd talk to her again.
A/N: Thanks, everyone. Ah, sweet reviews.I write for myself, but I live for these reviews. I just wanted to point something out here. Kat's comment about bad luck. I don't know how rampant it is now, but in days past, thespians, like sailors, were extremely superstitious. Especially the people playing the lead parts.