OK, sorry about the delayed update, you know how bad writer's block can be. Anyway, sorry to say that my chapters are going to be a bit shorter at some points. I know that I'm draggin this out, but I swear things will start to move faster after the climax that will occur very soon. I can also promise that he will have an actual confrontation next chapter. OK, here's chapter 9.
Danny watched wide eyed as Sam took a deep breath and looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear what she was about to say. He knew what would happen now; she was going to tell Tucker what she'd seen this morning. Half of him wanted to run and not hear the conversation that was about to ensue, while the other half wanted to stay and hope for the best. The latter half won out, and Danny inched closer so he would be able to hear better.
Satisfied that no one was listening to them, Sam began, "OK Tuck, I have to tell you something, but you have to hear me out and not make any comments until I'm finished"
"That's never a very good way to start a story Sam," Tucker joked.
"Tucker! I'm serious. I-I think I saw Danny yesterday," at this, Tucker opened his mouth to speak, but Sam held up her hand to silence him and said, "No Tuck, I know what you're going to say, but I swear, it's really him this time! Last night I was in a fight with a ghost I met on my way home. I don't know exactly what happened, but I remember being hit with something and blacking out. When I woke up, I found myself in my bed and…he was standing right next to me. I sat up, but he took off before I could do anything else"
At this Tucker could no longer keep silent, "Sam, you were probably just dreaming. You miss him, so you're making yourself believe it was real"
"No Tuck, that's what I thought at first too! I just brushed it off and told myself it hadn't happened. Then, this morning in English, I was staring into space and I saw him. He was there for just a second but I know it was him! I swear Tuck, I know it is!" at this point Sam's voice had begun to crack, as if tears were threatening to spill from her eyes at any moment. Danny could tell from her face that she was trying very hard not to cry.
"Sam, I know how you feel, but it just doesn't make sense. Why would Danny just start randomly showing up wherever you are? I thought you stopped doing this last year. I mean you can't start believing it's him whenever a room is cold or you hear a noise when no one's around Sam. He left two years ago Sam, and chances are that he's never coming back. I know you're upset, I am too. I'm upset and angry at him for doing this to us, but we're just going to have to accept it"
Sam looked extremely hurt by Tucker's words, and it appeared she was about to say something else when the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Not saying another word, Sam stood up and practically ran from the table, leaving an upset Tucker and guilty Danny in her wake.
A bit more slowly, Tucker also stood, threw out the remains of his lunch, and began walking away. Now Danny was the only one left at the table, and he felt a bit nauseous. He hadn't realized that he'd done that to Sam and Tucker. He didn't think he'd put that much stress on them. As foolish as he now saw it was, he'd thought they wouldn't mind his leaving at all. He felt guiltier now than he'd ever felt in his life.
It suddenly dawned on him that he'd probably done the same thing to his parents. The thought of his mother picking up that shattered remains of Jazz's photo came rushing back to him. Perhaps his mother really had been talking about him.
Danny finally stood a few minutes later and flew up and out of the school again. Sometimes just flying could help him clear his mind. However, he forgot that he was not in his ghost form, and he soon found himself exhausted. Landing on a nearby roof, he tucked his knees up to his chin and became visible once again. Rocking slowly back and forth, he tried to sort out the many different thoughts racing through his mind.
Even though he now knew that the people he loved missed him, it didn't make his situation any less difficult. How would they react if he returned? He couldn't possibly hope that things could return to the way they once were, at least not right away. He'd caused them too much pain, he'd left them all behind without a second thought, and he knew forgiveness would probably not be an easy thing for them. As he found himself doing frequently lately, he began to curse himself silently for ever making his choice in the first place.
It was strange. Before he'd begun looking through those photographs, he'd never doubted his choice at all. He'd thought he was perfectly happy with his life in the other town. Even though he'd missed them, he'd never had second thoughts about what he'd done. Then…then he'd seen those smiling faces staring up at him from the photographs, and he'd realized he hadn't smiled like that in a long time. He hadn't only come back to see if they missed him, he'd come back because he was missing a part of himself. The part that would always remain with his family and friends. With these thoughts still in his head, Danny found himself drifting off to sleep.
Soon, he found himself immersed in a strange dream. His parents and friends were all standing around him in a circle, each of them holding an ectoblaster. They were all talking at once, so that he couldn't understand anything they were saying, and yet he somehow knew they were yelling at him. They were closing in, the guns were almost upon him; he saw them simultaneously pull the trigger and…
Danny didn't see what happened next, because he was suddenly awakened by a blast of energy shooting into him. Shaking himself out of his daze, he wondered what on earth was going on. Turning, he saw someone he'd hoped he'd never have to deal with again pointing a gun at his forehead. Skulker, the 'ghost zone's greatest hunter', was upon him.
"Ah, so what Technus says is true," exclaimed Skulker, cocking his gun, "The ghost boy has returned to Amity"
Skulker took another shot, but by this time Danny was alert enough to dodge the blast, vaguely wondering how word could travel through the ghost zone so quickly. Not even wasting a second, he quickly changed into his ghost form, knowing full well that Valerie would probably be with them shortly. Taking off from the roof he'd been floating on, he shot a blast over his shoulder at the other ghost, making sure not to slow his momentum in the slightest. He didn't bother turning invisible, no one would recognize him from this high up.
From somewhere behind him he heard Skulker's voice shout, "You always have to ruin everything don't you ghost child? At the peak of our planning you just had to show your face again. Well, we won't have to worry about your face when it's mounted on my wall now will we?"
Rolling his eyes at the hunter's familiar line, he soon found himself flying toward Casper High. Deciding that wasn't safe, he changed course and headed the other way so fast he nearly crashed into the other ghost. Skulker, who took this chance to make an easy shot, sent Danny spiraling down. Danny stopped himself from falling halfway to the ground and shot back up, only to be met with another blast. This time, he felt his back collide with the hard cement.
Danny heard shrieks as he lay on the sidewalk, and he knew that Skulker would come to meet him any second. However, the throbbing pain in his skull would not allow him to open his eyes. Soon he heard strange sounds of struggle, and he wondered what was going on. Finally, after the pain seceded a bit, he was able to force one eye open.
At first, his vision was blurred by the bright sunshine and the pain still pulsing through his body. Blinking the stars out of his eyes, he waited for his vision to swim into focus What he saw made his breath catch in his chest. There, standing over him with looks of shock on their faces, where none other than Sam and Tuck.
K, once again, sorry about the size, I know it's sort of short. Hope you didn't think this chapter was too bad, I know it was pretty uneventful, but like I said it'll speed up in just a couple of chapters, so please bear with me. Oh, by the way, the bad news is that the never ending chain of cliffhangers will be continuing on for about two or three more chapters before it is broken.
Well anyway, please leave a review if you have the time! I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner than I did this one! See you next time!