Heylo! Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been having problems with this chapter, but I finally got it.
I'm really glad that you all love this one. It is one of my favorites to work with, romance wise. Thanks to my lovely reviewers.
JNgirl, Panthera x4, Glean-Glean, Archer of Darkness and Callie, Olivia x3, yingan-shadow, Uru Baen, cakreut12, Ryuu no Taiyo, Lilypetal (x2), Lucifer, cakreut12, DannyPhantomLover, guess whhhoo, Johann-son, Dragon Girl, johanna, ChibiSess, Hopeless4life, Penguin, LaBOBuren, shepyt, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, AngelofLight, night person, Lacy, Faith's Melody, DannyPhantom66, outlawarcher, unlikely-to-bear-it, Megan,
Some of you are probably wondering if I'm going to keep this story now that Memory Blank has aired. For those of you that missed the episode, it basically said that if Danny and Sam have never met, Danny would never have his ghost powers. But….the whole thing with Karissa is far too into the plot to turn back now and I really don't want to get rid of this story. So…if it's alright, I'm going to say Danny has his powers anyway. (I'm mentioning this in Paradise and Sunshine Circle too)
Danny does not come into this chapter at all. In fact, it's mainly Sam and Jazz and a few extra characters. Karissa is in this chapter, but she's not seen. (That will make sense later)
Chapter Nine
Breathe
Sam's shallow breathing and rapidly beating heart seemed to be as loud as the thundering rain outside. Immediately, she pulled off her seatbelt and opened her car door, rushing outside.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry," she said, staring at Jazz. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, I need help," she muttered. "It's Sam, right?"
"Yes," she said. "I think you need to go to a hospital." She couldn't ignore Jazz's bleach white cheeks under all the dirt caked on her skin. She looked like she'd just been in a struggle.
"No, I'm fine. We need to get help," she said again.
Sam shivered. "Come on, climb in so we don't freeze out here."
Jazz hesitated a moment, her blue-green eyes wary, and Sam waited. She made up her mind finally and nodded.
They both climbed in and Sam turned up the heater, seeing Jazz tremble. She turned down her music so that it was barely audible.
"Can...can you take me to the police?" she asked. "I have reason to be--" She stopped suddenly, clutching her arms to her chest. Sam watched, slightly frightened. Was Jazz sick?
"Are you okay?" she asked.
She reopened her eyes, shaking her head. "I'm fine. Can you take me to the police?" she demanded.
"Yeah, sure thing," she said. She turned her 'Stang around and started driving rather faster than necessary towards the Amity Park local police station in silence. Finally, she couldn't take it any more. "What happened Jazz? Why…why are you like this?"
"I ran away, that's all," she said. They went into silence again and Sam figured that she wouldn't get a real answer from the terrified girl. The silence was awkward, but it gave Sam time to think about something.
How was it that Karissa had known about Danny's ghost powers? Her once best friend had absolutely hated paranormal stuff. Had she just been blind by love and not seen the obvious things that Karissa had seen? Or did Kari really know something more than she was telling her?
Before Karissa's mother had disappeared after the fiasco with some girl's death, she'd been a constantly busy mom. Her partner….Bertrand, and she were always out somewhere. Karissa hadn't wanted to follow in Penelope's footsteps, preferring other ways to get money.
The next thing she knew, her thoughts had taken her all the way to the police station already. She pulled into a parking space.
Sam turned off the ignition and glanced over at Jazz. "Are you certain you can't tell me anything…I know you don't know me very well, but if I could help—"
"You wouldn't understand," she muttered plainly.
Sam nodded. "Okay." She smiled weakly. "Maybe when this is over, we can go get lunch. I'll buy."
"Spoiled little rich girl are you?" she snapped.
This was not going well. Sam was trying her hardest, but she just couldn't make Jazz's approval. But it's not like it would matter anyway; his sister wouldn't have to worry about her once she got out of there. Once again, her heart seemed to slow at the thought.
"That's what they say," she whispered.
Jazz got out of the car, walking fast towards the entrance to the police station. Sam followed, locking her car up behind her. As she walked into the entrance, she bumped into someone coming from the opposite direction.
"Sorry," she said hurriedly.
"Sam?" a familiar voice asked.
She gasped and looked up. "Dad?"
Todd Manson was a man in his late thirties and had wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. He stood a good foot over her and she stepped backwards, surprised.
"I've been looking all over for you, thank goodness I found you," he said, wrapping her in a hug.
"You…you were?" she asked.
"Yes, of course. Your mother said you ran away," he replied. "We've been looking for you the last three days."
"I…I did. I got really angry, she just got me so angry," she said.
"Where have you been staying?" he asked. He glanced around. "Here, let's go in here." He led her into the station and she saw at least ten workers hustling around. She sat down on one of the free chairs by the entrance and he sat down next to her.
"I was at….Karissa's," she lied.
"Samantha," he warned sternly. "I talked to Penelope. She was the first person I talked to. She said that neither you or Karissa were there. And you know that's not true." Sam didn't say anything. Her dad knew her too well. She couldn't keep anything from him…except perhaps one thing.
"Sam, look. I know you and your mother have had problems getting along with each other. But running is not the answer," he said.
"I know…" she said. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take back what she did. And a part of her didn't want to. She couldn't get Danny off her mind.
"Look…. I bought an apartment about a couple miles from here. If you're really having problems…" he said almost reluctantly.
Her mouth dropped open. He wasn't suggesting what she thought…was he?
"I've spoken to your mother and she's agreed," he said. "But if you would like to live in your own little space, I'll give you the apartment."
"You mean, live on my own?" she asked, half scared, half excited.
"We'll…I'll take care of the expenses of course, so you won't have to worry about that. But…you're a teenager. If you can find a job…I don't see why you can't."
"I have a--" She stopped. She'd almost said she had a job. But the only reason she had that job was because of….
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she stammered. "I can probably find a job."
"I know," he said. "Look, I don't really like this, but if it's what you want…then, here," he said. He placed something in her hand and she looked at it, her heart fluttering. Her own place…. It was the key to the apartment.
"Your mother and I will help you move in, and I'll show you around of course," he explained.
"How…how mad is she?" she asked, cringing.
"She's pretty upset Sam. She's pretty worried too," he replied.
"I didn't mean…some of the things I said," she said.
"We all do things we don't mean to. But we live with our mistakes and move on. We can't escape ourselves by running though."
A thought occurred to her. Running was the only thing that brought Danny to me. If it was one mistake that she could have made….it was a damn good one.
"So, are you ready to go home now?" her dad asked.
She bit her lip. "There's…something I have to do first. One of my friends is here. She's kind of flipped. I want to be here when she's done."
"Karissa?" he asked.
"No, just a new friend. I just don't want her to think I abandoned her," she said.
"Okay….you're not going to run again, are you?" he asked.
"No," she said certainly. Not anymore. "But…can I come home when I'm ready?"
He gave her a look. "Where are you staying?"
"At a hotel," she replied. "I have my stuff there and everything. And maybe…I'm just not ready to face mom yet," she said. It was half true.
He nodded. "Okay. Well, then, give me a call, okay? If you need something?" he asked.
"I will," she promised. She gave him a hug. "Thanks dad. This means a lot to me." She curled the key to her new apartment in her hand tightly.
"You're welcome." He sighed, standing up. "I suppose I should allow you to wait for your friend now."
"Okay," she said.
"I'll see you later," he said. Her dad waved and smiled, walking out of the door of the station.
She fought the urge to scream, in both happiness and pure shock. Her own place….she could already imagine how she would decorate it. A place to blare her music, practice singing, and just relax. Only one thing was missing….
…………………………………..
Sam twirled her tortellini in circles on her plate, barely eating anything. The Pasta House was where Jazz had chosen to eat after she had finished talking with the police. But Sam had yet to learn anything from her. She'd remained pretty much silent the whole time.
"You're a vegetarian, huh?" Jazz asked, taking a drink.
"Yeah," she replied. "Ultro Recyclo Vegetarian. It means I don't--"
"Eat anything with a face on it," she finished. "I know."
"I'm kind of obvious I guess," she admitted. "My friend told me I wear my emotions on my sleeve once."
"You do," she agreed. "Right now you look like you want to say something but you won't."
Well, maybe Karissa was right about one thing….
"I was just…wondering," she said. She closed her eyes; she had already started something. She couldn't back down from it now. "You're Danny's sister."
"Yes, I knew that."
"I… know this probably sounds crazy, but I saw Danny do the weirdest thing the other day," she said. "And now I can't get it out of my head."
"What, become half ghost? Yeah, he does that."
"You know?"
"Yep," she said.
"He's not….evil…is he?" she asked.
"Probably. Aren't all ghosts evil, no matter what they say?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She pushed back her red hair.
"Oh…" she whispered. Now she was torn even more. His own sister had said that Danny might be evil. But he'd promised he wasn't.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"I've never been more sure," Jazz replied.
"How long have you known?" she asked.
"A few years," she replied. "Danny and I are pretty close. He was always going off to do the field work and I was always the protective one, waiting at home for him."
"I never would have thought he would have told you about his ghost powers," Sam said, sitting back and drinking her coffee. "I wish he would have told me. I wonder why he didn't."
"Because he doesn't love you."
Sam's heart slowed at her words. Jazz was Danny's sister….of course she would know him well enough to figure that out. Did Danny really not love her? She remembered something Karissa had said.
"If Danny really loves you…why isn't he here now?"
She shook herself off. Karissa was just trying to annoy her. And besides that, Danny had been looking for her. And right now, she didn't know where he was, and probably vice versa.
"I see," she muttered.
"Don't take it personal hun," Jazz said.
"I'm not," she stammered. "I didn't, I mean."
"Where did you get that necklace?" she asked.
Sam froze and her hand automatically went up to her the silver chain hanging around her neck. It was a silver metal shaped like a star. In the center of the star, "forever" was engraved.
"A friend gave it to me," she said. "Mark."
"Your boyfriend?" Jazz asked.
Sam shook her head, her eyes wide. "No. No, he's definitely not my boyfriend. We broke up three months ago."
"Why?"
"He got angry…and well….no offense, but I really don't want to talk about it," she said.
"Okay," she said. "So what are--" She stopped and suddenly grabbed Sam's hand extremely tight that it was almost painful. "Sam, please, listen, she's not--" She stopped and closed her eyes, the frantic words disappearing. Shaking her head, she reopened her eyes.
Sam pulled away. "What, she's not, what?"
"Nothing, I'm fine," she answered.
"You just--" she started.
"I'm fine," Jazz insisted. "If you don't mind, I think I'm done here. I have work to do and not a lot of time to do it."
Sam nodded. "Don't worry. I'll take care of this. Do you need a ride somewhere?"
"No, I'm fine." She stood up and walked away without saying another word.
"Bye," Sam said to the empty chair.
……………………………
Walking extra slow, Sam made her way down the hallway of the hotel. She was already on the second floor.
She could do this….Danny wanted to talk, right? She could do that. If he wasn't in the room, then she would wait for him to get back. Surely, he hadn't given up on her already…right? Closing her eyes, all she needed to do was breathe. She could do this. She would get the real truth from him.
She stared at the doorway to her room, leaning up against the wall, trying to make up her mind. Was this a bad idea? Would her heart be broken now…or later?
"Come on, Sammie," she said, talking to herself. "You can do this."
She took a deep breath and pulled her key out from her skirt pocket. But as she got closer…she saw that the door was already open…. It hadn't been closed all the way.
Her lilac eyes narrowed, she pushed the door shortly open all the way and stepped inside the unnaturally cold room.
And her heart lurched as she saw a streak of blood across the wall.
……………………………………………
How's that for a cliffhanger? Just wait until you see the next chapter. Hee hee.
Well, quite honestly I am having a rather large debate. Most of my lovely reviewers that I talk to…all want a sequel to this story. I can create a plot for this, in fact I have one right now…but I don't know if a sequel is good or not. I'm still deciding, but right now the answer is no… But, like I said, I'm still deciding.
This "Mark" will be explained next chapter. The next chapter also only involves Danny, Sam, and a short appearance by Tucker.
But, I can't give away what happens next chapter other than that, so I can't give you sneak peeks for the next two chapters. However, I can give you one for two of my new ones coming soon!
Romance/Suspense: Coming Soon
If You're Not The One (With lyrics from Daniel Beddingfield)
"Danny?" the voice asked.
"Hey Sam," Danny greeted, smiling. He heard an odd noise on the other end that sounded like sniffling. "Sam, are you okay?"
"Danny, can you come over, please?"
"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned at her tone.
"I want to stay here, please, I don't want to go," she said.
"Sam!" he exclaimed. "Sam, what's wrong?"
"My parents told me today."
"Told you what?"
"We're moving."
Humor/Action/Adventure/Suspense: Coming Soon
Of All the People to Be Stuck With: Mini Series
I don't have a plot line right now, it's just a bunch of short one shots based on a few of my stories, The Elevator Game and Freeze Out.
But, they're just min one shots where Danny, Sam, Paulina, Tucker, Valerie, and Dash all get stuck together each time and have to deal with each other each time. See flashbacks from both The Elevator Game and Freeze Out, and new twists that add to the stories.
Including these stories:
Marco PoloPlaying Tag
Truth Or DareClubbing
Spin The BottleSwitch
Once Upon A Time Lancer's Detention
Both of which are coming soon! Please R&R!
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