Chapter 3: An Archer's Heart

Danny woke up sometime the next morning to his alarm blaring on his bedside table. He stuck his hand out, trying to turn off the alarm when he noticed it said 11:17 a.m.

Whoa, how long ago did I pass out? He thought, literally falling out of bed. Luckily for him, it was Saturday morning and he didn't have to go to school that day. He thought back to last night and tried to remember the details, but they were fleeting and sketchy.

He remembered that the ghost girl was Wisp and her dog-wolf-whatever-it-was was named Shimmera. Now that he looked back on what Wisp looked like, she looked like someone he knew, but who it was was a total mystery.

Maybe it was just a weird dream. Danny thought to himself. As he pulled on his clothes, he saw a medium sized gash on his arm and the memory flooded back to him.

When Shimmera had gotten closer in the midsts of Amity Park, the behemoth told him to get off because where Wisp lived was a private matter. He wouldn't leave because he didn't want Wisp to get hurt, but Shimmera insisted. Unfortunately for Danny, so did he. They got into a small scuffle, in which she had managed to get a fair chunk of his skin in her claw. As he looked stunned at the wound, she knocked him unconsious and must have took him home.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and pulled on his tee-shirt and pants and headed down stairs. He was about to leave when his mother called him into the living room.

"Danny, these are our neighbors, the Kranes," Maddie introduced happily, "This is Trevor and Leslie, their son, Guy, and their daughter Lia,"

"Hi," Danny said weakly, showing a small smile and waving slightly.

"Hello, Danny," Mr. and Mrs. Krane said in unison.

"Hi," Guy said, the little beagle pulling at her halter, wanting to get to Danny.

"What is it, Shimm?" Lia asked, looking at the little dog.

"Wait, what's the dog's name?" Danny asked Lia.

"Shimmer, after a dragon from a book Guy read."

"Was the book good?" Jazz asked, entering the room.

"You bet. It was really good, though I think it would have been cooler to actually see the text."

"You mean you're blind?" asked Danny, wondering why he didn't think of that before.

"Yup. Blind as a bat, but I don't care. I'm still a good shot," Guy said with pride.

"A good shot at what, Guy?" Maddie asked kindly.

"Archery, of course. What else would I be good at? Football?" Guy answered crisply.

Maddie laughed quietly and Jazz shifted uncomfortably, the thought of a blind kid shooting deadly arrows not providing a pretty image.

"Uh, yeah, well..." Danny said, "I better go meet Sam and Tuck down at the mall." He got up to leave.

"Can I go with you, Danny?" asked Lia, standing up beside him.

"Uh, sure," he said with no confidence whatsoever. Sam was probably jelous and Tuck wanted her as a girlfriend.

"Thanks, Danny," she said, smiling.

Later in the Time Stream...

"Uh, Danny," Sam hissed at Danny.

"Yeah?" Danny asked.

"Is there any reason why that girl is with us?"

"Um, because she asked to go?" Danny said, more than a little nervous.

"And why does that matter?" Sam demanded.

"She didn't want to get stuck in the middle of an akward situation, like me," Danny replied nervously.

"Fine, but I won't like it one bit," Sam said sullenly.

The four teens messed around at the mall for a while, then headed over to Danny's place to play some video games. When they got in they found that every one was gone. They crossed the street to Lia's house to see if they were over there. No sign of them there, either. They were just about to leave Lia's house when Sam saw a note. She handed it to Lia, who read it then passed it to Danny.

The note read:

To the young Lia Krane and Daniel Fenton. I have taken your families hostage. Do you think you will be able to recover them? I highly doubt you will, even with your little talents.

Vlad Plasmius

"Not this creep again!" Lia cried angrily, "I thought I was rid of him after I helped D. This is not good."

"Who's D?" asked Danny, Tucker and Sam in unison.

"An old friend." Lia obviously wasn't going to divuldge any more information about her 'old friend'. "So how do we get to Vlad?" She asked Danny, her eyes narrowing at the thought of a challenge.

"How do you know Vlad?" Danny asked.

"Does that matter at the moment, or our families' lives?" Lia retorted.

"Fine, but later I want to know," Danny said determindly.

"Well, now, aren't you quite the charmer?" Lia said sarcastically. "Well, what are you going to arm yourselves with?" Lia asked, turning to Danny, Sam and Tucker.

"Some of the stuff in my basement. C'mon, let's do this," Danny said.

Lia stood where she was.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Danny asked. Tucker looked horrified at the thought. Sam looked glad.

"I can meet you at your house, but first, I need my... toy," she said, walking away.

"Okay, come to my house in half an hour," Danny called to her. She nodded as she walked away.

Even Later in the Time Stream...

"Where is she?" Danny asked impatiently. It had been fourty-five minutes since they and Lia had split up.

"Hey, Danny. Sorry I'm late. So, how are we getting to Wisconson? Last time I checked, it was pretty far away." Lia said, a little annoyed.

"Why are you so edgy all of a sudden?" Sam said defensivly.

"Why are you even coming?" Lia said, snorteing comtemptly.

"Sorry, sheesh." Sam said.

"I'm edgy 'cause my little brother just got kidnapped by some freak of nature. Wouldn't you be?" Lia said, looking down.

"It looks like he didn't take Shimmer," Danny comented, seeing the little beagle run up.

"Shimmmer! Come here, girl," Lia said, getting down on her knees and picking up the up the little dog.

"Hey, is that a quiver on you hip?" Tucker asked.

"Yes, it is," Lia said, standing up.

"Then where's the bow?" Danny asked.

"On my back. Where did you think it was?" Lia said, grinning. "Well, then. Let's head out."

Yet Even Later in the Time Stream...

As the Specter Speeder flashed through the Ghost Zone, the four teens sat in silence. Tucker and Danny were up front, with Sam and Lia in the back.

It was Sam who broke the silence, asking Lia a question. "Lia, how do you know Vlad?"

"Uh, is it okay that I don't tell you that... for a while? It kinda hurts to remember," Lia said, her eyes filled with pain.

Sam sensed she hit a raw nerve, so she just nodded and looked out the window at the swirling mists of the Ghost Zone.

"I will tell you one thing though: my necklace was a gift from someone dear to me."

"What necklace?" Sam asked.

"This one," Lia said, taking out a chain that was tucked under her shirt, and showing it to Sam.

"A key heart thing and an archer? Why's that so special?" Sam asked skeptically.

"Yeah. The archer is supposed to bring true aim to one with a pure heart, and the heart key is supposed to be magic, but that's just a myth,"

"Pretty neat myth. Do you believe in it?" Danny asked.

Lia looked down, then back at her friends with a nervous smile on her face, "Yes, I do. It's part of who I am."

End of Chapter 3: An Archer's Heart

Author's Note: Sorry for the bad grammar, but I didn't do part of it, m'kay? Wanna mess with me punk? Huh? Huh? Nah, just kidden. Thanks for putting up with my bad humor.

Author's Quiz: The heart key is based off a special weapon from a video game. Try and guess what game and what the weapon is. I'll tell you later. Until then, keep reading.