Hello! Back with freshly edited chapter two!

Thanks to chapter one's reviewers!

Show And Tell

Chapter Two – Valerie

Great. This was absolutely perfect. And to think, this day had actually started out fairly good for me. My dad had received a promotion at his job, I'd brought up my math and health grades at last, and I'd settled down with real friends…and maybe even a real boyfriend.

And now – what a frickin mess I'd stumbled into. I was stuck with two of my ex-friends, stuck inside the Ghost Zone, and horribly lost.

"Do you really know where you're going? I'm not wearing the right shoes to be walking around circles," Paulina said.

"Step off me chica, I'm working on it," I snapped. I so didn't have time or patience for her drama right now. As if I didn't have enough problems. I loaded up the gun in my hand. "We're heading this way. Follow me and stay close."

The direction I'd chosen, south, was a thicker pathway that inclined half-way through and then spiraled out into the distance. The Ghost Zone seemed creepier when I didn't know where I was. Doors hung, suspended, everywhere and there were eerie screams randomly, echoing throughout the zone. It was freezing cold and I was trying to keep moving in order to stop shivering.

"I want Danny Phantom," Paulina whined.

I saw Sam's eyes narrow with an overprotective glare. I wished Sam would figure out that Danny (Phantom and Fenton) wasn't into Paulina anymore. He didn't seem to be at least. I knew darn well Danny was lovesick over Sam and if she didn't see that, maybe Sam had taken over the clueless role.

"Do you know where we are?" I asked Tucker, slowing my pace to fall back beside him.

He glanced around and said, "It looks familiar. I think we passed by this area in the Specter Speeder."

"The what?" I had to ask.

"It's this vehicle that we use to drive around this place. We've used it a lot, but most of the time, we get lost."

"I say we follow the yellow brick road," I suggested, looking at the widening path ahead. "If we don't get anywhere familiar…or anywhere…within the next hour, we'll take a different route."

He nodded. "Sounds kosher."

Sam also shook her head, but looked preoccupied. I knew why. She was worried about Danny. I was too, but I had to get us out of here. If Danny knew the way out, he could do it again like he'd done with me before.

"Follow me," I yelled back to Dash and Paulina as they started to drop behind.

The next five minutes went by in a steady silence. Personally, I'd never thought it was possible for Tucker to shut up for so long, but his lips were shut. Then again, I probably shouldn't have jinxed it.

"Marco," Tucker sprouted off.

"What are you doing?" Dash said, seeming annoyed.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not a big fan of the whole uncomfortable silence," he replied. He was smiling. He was either trying to be funny or annoying. Either way, I couldn't help but smile back.

"We could play truth or dare," Paulina suggested.

"No," came three replies; including me. Tucker and Dash had also answered.

"I was just kidding. Tucker and Danny were the only fun ones anyway," she said.

"How was Fenton funny?" Dash wondered, disgusted. He almost sounded jealous. But then again, hearing a pretty girl you used to be crushed out on woo over an unpopular weirdo had to be hard. (Literally.)

She pulled her hands together in front of her. "He broke into Lancer's car. He's such a daredevil," she replied dreamily.

I don't think Paulina realized how close she was to getting her face punched in. Sam looked pretty homicidal. I didn't think Paulina really liked Danny, I just think she was after him because Sam had him. It was an old game my old friend used to play all the time.

I was glad I got out of that.

"Hey, I'm the one who ran naked through the school," Tucker reminded, grinning.

"That is one visual I really do not need to visualize again," I said.

"Hey!" he said in a mock-defensive voice.

I thought of something as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "Do you have your PDA with you?"

"What? You mean, you actually want me to use it?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah, do you have it?"

"I have four."

"Still in your pants?" Dash asked.

I couldn't resist bursting into laughter, remembering quite clearly the time we'd been stuck in the elevator together.

"That's not the only thing I have in-"

"Whoa, whoa, over sharing," I said.

"If you would have finished that, I would have hurled," Sam muttered.

"Too true," Tucker responded, raising his eyebrows up and down.

"Where did you get that?" Dash said.

It took a second before I realized he was speaking to me. "What?"

"That gun." He pointed to the weapon in my hand.

"It came with the job," I replied vaguely.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

I jumped, then groaned. "You have got to be kidding me." However, even though the voice had sounded very close, I saw nothing. He was either invisible or had completed a very random drive by.

"What was that?" Dash asked.

"The Box Ghost," Sam and I said together.

"What do we do? We don't have a ghost hunter here." Paulina huddled close to Dash, seeming very small and fragile.

"I'm a ghost hunter," I said. "But even if we do react, it won't matter. He will still come back. The Box Ghost always comes back," I said with emphasis, quoting something Danny had once said.

"Even if you are a ghost hunter, I don't feel safe," Paulina snapped. "You're like seventeen, you can't be as good as Danny Phantom."

I thought this statement was pretty funny, considering Danny was only like a month older than I was. "Just so you know-" I began.

Tucker stepped between us, obviously sensing danger. "Not now, we're not going to get out of here by arguing. Can you please, just relax?"

I sighed. "For once, Tucker's right. We need to work together."

"For once?"

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!!"

"What the-" I spun around and finally caught sight of him. Paulina and Dash gasped in unison. We were all turned to see the round, short ghost sporting blue suspenders. He was floating near one of the doors, trying to shove something inside. Glancing closer, I realized it was a glowing-green, cardboard box.

"I say we just leave him," I said, almost in a whisper. "Obviously, he's not here to torment us."

"If you're a ghost hunter, why don't you take care of him? Isn't that what ghost hunters do?" Dash asked.

"It won't make any difference," I said again. "Besides, even if I do confront him, what am I going to do with him? I still haven't figured out how to work those stupid thermoses."

"Someone taught me," Sam said. "I'll do it if he decides to mess with us."

"Thanks." I smiled encouragingly and got a fractional smile back.

Another shriek echoed behind me and I turned around, only to get a face full of ectoplasm. I felt myself fly through the air and land on hard stone. My weapon fell out of my hand, teetering on the edge.

I turned around, wincing, to see a ghost hovering above me. He looked vaguely familiar and I had a sudden flash of déjà vu, like I'd seen him before. But where? For some reason, I understood when Sam and Tucker gasped loudly. It was the same ghost that had trapped us in here!

"No, you can't be real!" Sam shouted, backing away.

"It's not possible," Tucker said hoarsely.

I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was seriously ticked off. I grabbed another gun and fired in his direction. It flew towards him rapidly – then went straight through him.

"Valerie, so nice to see you again."

It was my turn to be surprised. "Who are you?"

But instead of answering my question, he suddenly turned invisible. I kicked up another weapon from my leg holster and double-wielded them, turning to watch from every side.

Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing for nearly five minutes. I turned, sighing. "Who the heck was that?" I asked Sam and Tucker, rubbing my sore ribs. I'd feel that in the morning.

Tucker for once, seemed speechless. Whoever it was, it was big and bad. Sam was the one who answered the question.

"Someone we thought we'd never see again," Sam said. She turned to Tucker, speaking in low tones. "What does this mean?"

"It means we need to find Danny now," Tucker said, his eyes wide.

"We need to get out of here before we all die," Dash said.

"Do you not eve care about Danny?" Paulina argued. "We're not leaving until we find him and he gets us out of here. So if things like that come back, we're protected."

"What did that ghost want?" Dash said.

They were asking too many questions. "I don't know." Danny's best friends exchanged glances, but didn't say a word. I sighed again, getting frustrated. They could let me in on something. "Let's move."

"Wait, what about Danny?" Paulina begged.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "What about him?" She was really giving me a headache. Being trapped in the Ghost Zone wasn't helping either.

"We can't just leave him. Don't you care?"

"Of course I do. Danny's a big boy, he can find his way out."

"How do you know that?"

"Because she knows him better than you do," Sam said.

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" Paulina shouted.

"Stop it!" I yelled, making them both jump. "We're going, because we're getting nowhere standing around here and doing nothing."

"Valerie and Tucker are right," Dash suddenly said, even though Tucker hadn't said anything this time. "Can we just get out of here please?" I flashed him a thankful smile and to my surprise, he returned it.

"Everyone ready?" I asked. "Stay behind me. The faster we get out of here, the better off we'll be."

I turned around and had barely taken a step forward when something dropped down in front of me, landing catlike on the stone that I'd been planning to walk on.

I pointed my weapon towards the figure, locked and loaded. It looked up, flashing bright green eyes and I gasped, frozen in terror.

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Ha ha, nice little cliffhanger there. It's about to get chilly. And funnier. The next chapter is very funny. Read and review please!

Next chapter – Chapter Three: Dash

Lateraina Wolf