Chapter 8

No Time For Training

The next morning I got up and opened my closet, to see the box of equipment and my jumpsuit was gone!

"Rachel," I thought angrily as I ran to her room. I swung open the door, but she wasn't there. Suddenly I heard someone shouting outside. I looked out Rachel's window into the yard, and saw my 14 year old sister messing with all kinds of stuff in my equipment box! "Oh great", I thought as I ran outside. Once I reached the yard, Rachel spotted me and her eyes widened.

"Oh, h-hey sis", Rachel greeted me nervously, stuffing the ray gun she was holding, back In the box.

"Don't you hey sis me! Where'd you get that box!" She knew that I had found out, so she took off running. I sighed, annoyed, and checked to see if everything was in it. It was. I sighed again and closed the lid, carrying it back inside. Once that was done, my cell phone started ringing. I answered it.

"Hey Heather, It's Sarah, you okay, I haven't heard from you."

"Sarah, it's only been like two days."

"So, what've you been doin'?"

"A school project okay!"

"Uh Heather, it's summer break." I smacked a hand on my forehead.

"Duh", I thought. "Uh, did I say school, assignment? I meant, uh, I've been, uh, reading this really long book", I lied.

"Ooookay. Listen, I wanted to know if you wanted to see a movie and go shopping. Ya know, get your mind off the other night."

"Sure. When?"

"About lunchtime maybe", Sarah said.

"Sure, bye." I hung up and mentally thanked Sarah for being such a good friend. I took out my wristband and clicked the tracking button. The ghosts were close to the mall. "Perfect, I can get them when I'm shopping with Sarah", I thought out loud. About an hour later I was at the mall in Aeropastdale with Sarah, picking out jeans. I heard a shriek behind me, outside the store. I turned to see a trio of ghost vultures, twice the size of regular ones. "That's them."

"Huh", Sarah asked.

"Uh, I said, I've gotta go to the bathroom, be right back", I said nervously, running off. I hid behind a plant and took out my jumpsuit, pulling it over my regular clothes. Then I activated my jet sled, pulling the ski mask on, and flying at the ghost vultures. "Hey ghosts, heads up", I exclaimed, taking a ray gun out (even though I had no training with Vlad yet) and shot it at one of them. I missed and the ray hit a sign for GOT MILK. The vulture smirked.

"Hey kid, first day", he asked. Before I could fire again, one of the others flew up to me. He pulled out a picture of me in a jumpsuit.

"Yep, this is her", the vulture said, comparing me to the picture. I glared at them.

"What do you freaks want with me", I demanded.

"It's not them child, It's me", a deep voice said from behind me. I turned and saw a muscular and mechanical ghost with flaming green hair. He shot a green ghost ray at me, which made contact with my leg. I groaned in pain and fell on my jet sled. I saw the vultures come over and pull my mask off. Sarah was nearby and gasped.

"Heather, what the heck are you doing! And besides that nice jumpsuit, very stylish, who's it from", Sarah asked. I calmed down a little and smiled, flattered.

"Really? Oh thanks, billionaire ghost hunter", I replied. Then the ghost grabbed the collar of my jumpsuit, pulling me up to face him.

"Hush child, Skulker did not come to hunt you. That's one of my employer's job, I was assigned to fetch you." Skulker? What kind of a weird name was Skulker! Suddenly, a whirl of black and white tackled the ghost. I landed back on my sled and saw, Danny!

"Da-", I was about to exclaim, but he motioned for me not to, seeing as how he was in his ghost form. I shut my mouth as Danny and Skulker fought.

"Aw, how touching. Protecting your little girlfriend whelp", Skulker asked Danny.

"She's taken, Sucker", I heard a voice behind me exclaim angrily. I turned and saw a boy in a black jumpsuit, ski mask and matching jet sled. I didn't know who this was, but he seemed to know me.

"That's Skulker, whelp! And I'm not planning on killing your precious Heather, I'll deliver her to my employer and she won't be harmed." I seriously doubted that, and apparently so did the boy, because he hopped on his sled and pulled out two ray guns, firing relentlessly at the ghost. Once Skulker was off guard he flew over to me, offering his hand.

"Hop on", he told me. I know I shouldn't have, but I did anyway, then returned my sled into the wristband. I turned and saw Danny had resumed his fight with Skulker.

"Go, I'll hold him off", Danny yelled to us. The boy flew off with me.