Please make sure you read the author's note at the bottom of this chapter after you read it.
We arrived at the reunion later that day. I wasn't surprised to learn that Jack (he wasn't my dad anymore so I didn't have to call him Dad) lived in the Wisconsin mansion once occupied by Vlad. Another no surprise; Jack had white hair and an obviously expensive suit.
"Well how nice to see you could all come! Welcome to my humble abode. Maddie I would like to congratulate you on looking so lovely today." He looked at Jazz with interest and then looked at me. As soon as he did I saw sudden anger in his eyes. It disappeared instantly and a creepy smile stretched across his face. "These must be your two children. How would you two like a tour?" we agreed politly.
Jack greeted Vlad coldly and led us inside the mansion. Then he took us all on an extremely boring tour exactly like the one Vlad had given us before I messed with time. This time however I noticed several passages that Jack didn't take us down and didn't talk about.
Only one more difference caught my eye. Where there had once been Packers memorabilia, there was ghost hunting equipment. Apparently Jack was obsessed with ghosts whether he was my dad or not. Suddenly a random thought entered my head and at first I didn't connect it with anything. If Jack was so ghost obsessed, he must have a ghost portal.
Shortly after random thought number one came random thought number two. Clockwork is in the Ghost Zone. I resisted the urge to slap my hand to my face because it would attract too much attention. If Jack had a ghost portal then I could find Clockwork and he could help me with the time belt problem. Sometimes I amaze myself with how stupid I could be.
When the tour ended I asked Jack a question. If he was anything like he was when he was my dad, then he would be very excited at the mention of ghosts. "Um, Mister Fenton?" I said.
"Please Daniel call me Jack." I wanted to reply sarcastically 'Please Jack, call me Danny' but thought better of it. The fact that Vlad had always called me Daniel had irritated me to no end, and now Jack called me that.
"Jack, where do ghosts come from?" My mom and Vlad looked at me in shock and Jazz looked pleased. Jack looked suspicious. He hesitated before speaking.
"They come from the Ghost Zone of course." He blinked and didn't say anymore. Before I could ask another question he led us to the dining room and had a very boring conversation with Jazz about something. There was still another night before the reunion and I decided I would sneak around looking for the ghost portal.
After dinner it was very late and Jack told us he was going to bed. My mom and Vlad decided to go to bed and told us that we had to too. Typical parents. Soon after everyone was in bed I got up and left my huge room. Ghost powers or not I was going to find that ghost portal.
As I walked down the hallways I could have sworn that someone was following me. I felt this most when I walked down a particularly dark hallway. "This place in the dark is very creepy." I whispered to myself.
"I'm quite surprised that you're not sleepy." A voice behind me suddenly said. I jumped about three feet in the air and managed to somehow spin in the air. Behind me stood the Ghost Writer. I tried to go ghost and remembered for about the billionth time today that I couldn't.
Instead of running I glared at him. "What the heck are you doing here?"
He frowned and said,
"In the immortal words of Shakespeare,
'Something wicked this way comes,'
And I can only sit and twiddle my thumbs.
So mortal I have a warning for you,
Before a terrible fate befalls you too.
For in this mansion there is a ghost,
One that is very different than most.
He steals the soul of mortal men,
Rids them of their body and then,
Traps them all to be his slaves,
And cause the destruction he so craves.
You are the Ghost Zone's only hope,
Clockwork said and he's no dope.
I must leave, goodbye farewell,
But in this passage do not dwell.
This is where the evil takes place,
Unholy spirits reside in this space."
Ghost Writer vanished and I realized I was shaking. Why would he bother warning me? Who was the ghost he was talking about? One thing was certain I was not going to stand here another second longer. I left the hallway and continued walking until I found Jack's private study.
No one was in there so I walked in. it was a large room with a surprising amount of books. Apparently Jack smartened up after his accident ruined his own life. I walked around and looked for anything that could possibly lead to a secret lab. A bright object flashed in the corner of my eye and I noticed a little ghost statue on the fireplace.
It reflected light and I reached up to grab it. As soon as my fingers brushed it the little thing fell over. The fireplace split in two and opened revealing a long winding passageway. I descended the stairs down into Jack's secret lab.
I gave a little triumphant cheer in my head. Maybe I could get through this without my ghost powers… suddenly I was trapped in a glowing green net and decided I had spoke too soon. A terrifying figure became visible and floated over too me. I could tell instantly that it was Jack.
His ghost form was a very strange mixture of Vlad's and my ghost forms, with some Jack Fenton genes thrown in the mix. He looked nothing like Evil Dan, who was also a mix of me and Vlad, but he was almost as frightening.
Jack now had black bushy hair that was the same style as mine. His ears were pointed and his skin was a sickly pale blue. There was one sharp tooth sticking out over his top lip, and his eyes had no pupils. Jack's costume was the same as Vlad's was, (Although Jack's was several times larger) but it was mostly black like mine was.
Those blank eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at me. "Welcome to my lab Daniel Masters." He mocked. "May I ask what brings you down here in the dead of night?" I shivered when he said dead. He made sure that it sounded like dead was what I would soon be.
When he answered he sneered and continued talking. "What is the matter Daniel, are you afraid of the big evil ghost?"
To be quite honest I was terrified, but I wasn't planning on letting him know that. "Actually it was your ugly face that is scaring me." Jack flinched and blasted me with an ectobeam. Since I was already on the floor because of the net I scrunched up into a ball as pain flooded through my body. Clinging to consciousness, I struggled to free myself from the net.
Jack glared down at me in disgust. "That accident that ruined my life was all your fault. And I am going to make you pay with your life." He blasted me again and blackness consumed my thoughts.
When I awoke I was strapped to a table in a room I did not recognize. Jack stood over me with a very evil look on his blue face. He sat down in a corner of the room. I noticed that the whole room was engraved with strange symbols and pictures. Jack started mumbling foreign words. I felt a terrible power enter the room. Jack started chanting.
"Ab ovo, ad infinitum postmortem vade mecum et factotum pour ipse dixit!"
My whole body was vibrating and I felt something sucking my life away. I could feel life fading from my limbs and my legs were already dead. I tried to hang on to life but it was becoming increasingly hard. The lack of life must have been causing me to imagine things. I watched as I saw myself being sucked out of myself. With the last of my dwindling strength I let out a piercing scream.
Everything suddenly stopped. Jack cursed and ran from the room as if he had been burned. I sighed in relief and looked up. Green eyes looked back in sympathy. The eyes disappeared and I felt something enter my body. My breath slowed and calmed down and I fell into a dreamless sleep.
I suppose you have questions. Unfortunately for you I am only answering one that isn't even important. It is a random fact. When Jack is chanting the curse in a foreign language, he is chanting in Latin. The words are real and it actually means "From the beginning, to infinity after death go with me and do everything I say for the master has spoken." If you have more questions just send a review and I will answer it there.