Here I am with the next chapter! I'm hoping to update at least twice or three timesa week, but I do have school lurking over my head, so I'm not really sure how that's going to work out.

Disclaimer: If you hadn't heard me the first seven times I've said this then I'll say it again…I haven't, I don't, and I probably will never own Danny Phantom. If I did I wouldn't let the show get canceled…

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Death's Castle

Ch.8

She was expecting a blinding light; it's what we all expect as a result to all of the TV shows and movies that promote this. So naturally, she was surprised to see the opposite. (She inwardly rejoiced, seeing as she rebelled against the constraints of the media and all those who conform) It was dark, but that couldn't completely describe it. It was thick, almost to the point where you could feel it if you tried, and it was comforting, yet ominous at the same time. You knew that it was dark, but it almost seemed bright. It in itself was a paradox. It was seemingly so simple, yet it boggled the mind. It was entrancing.

Danny took in her awed expression and smirked. "You haven't seen anything yet." With that, he walked into the darkness. Sam stared into it for awhile, than stepped in herself.

It was an overload of the senses. Hot and cold, light and dark, loud and soft. She was feeling a million emotions at once, and at least twice the sensations. Fleeting glimpses of images passed before her eyes and vanished before she could make any sense of it. It was chaos, and when she felt like she couldn't take it any more and she would rip to shreds and tip into insanity, it abruptly stopped. Sam gratefully crumpled onto the awaiting, cold floor.

She felt arms wrapping around her, lifting her off of the ground, and a voice saying softly, "I forgot how much it takes out of you the first time."

Sam leaned heavily upon him once he set her back on her feet.

"What was that?" She asked shakily.

"The Guardian," He replied, "His job is to keep all unwanted visitors out of the castle. What you felt was him going through your memories. It makes it much easier for him to discern loyalty and character."

"I never want to do that again." She shivered.

"It's not as bad if you don't stay away too long. The longer you're away, the more new memories to sort through." He shot her a grin. "Once I was gone for a century and a half. That did not feel good."

"Well that was smart." She pointed out teasingly.

He shot her a weak glare before ignoring the statement and asking, "Are you okay now?"

She nodded.

"Do you have enough energy to fly?" He pointed above them. "Because we need to go up there."

Sam looked up. High in the ceiling, a circular opening led to another floor above.

"I think so…" She answered.

After floating to the next floor, with Danny assisting Sam, they started walking down the hall. The red marble made Sam's footsteps echo eerily, bouncing off of the high ceilings and back down to their ears. The walls were a lighter shade of red, with antique silver candleholders in which slender candles were set. The candles created odd shapes and shadows with their unnaturally red light. All in all, it created a disturbing and uncomfortable feeling.

There was a set of double doors at the end of the hall, made of black stone that seemed to suck all of the light, warmth and cheer out of everything. There was a carving of a skull set into it.

Danny grasped the large handle and pulled. It swung open noiselessly. Once again, a pool of darkness greeted them, but it was different this time…it almost felt sinister. Sam hesitantly followed Danny to stand just outside the door. She jumped slightly when a voice sounded.

"Come in." It sounded cold, emotionless.

Sam stepped closer to Danny, who smiled comfortingly at her before obeying the voice. Sam followed cautiously after. She gasped lightly when the doors swung shut heavily behind her.

"Sam. You have come."

Her insides were icy and her warning sense prickled warningly at her. This could not bode well.

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The nurse walked into the room. It was a bit larger than their standard rooms, but there were two people in there. One Samantha Manson and her mother. Ever since that strange incident last night, Sam had been in a coma. There was simply no reasonable explanation for it. The nurse had come to the conclusion that what she had seen that night was not a delusion. How else could a perfectly healthy young woman drop into a sudden coma? There wasn't any physical trauma that could have caused it!

What was even stranger was that her mother had been healing in an alarmingly rapid speed ever since then. They had taken the bandages and casts off of her; there was no need for them any more. There was no plausible explanation for that either. It was unnerving to have so much strangeness happen in less that a day.

The nurse walked over to the mother. She was almost an exact replica of Sam, just older. The nurse watched, shocked and entranced as the mother opened her eyes slowly. They were the clearest blue she had ever seen.

"Sam…" She whispered before her eyes closed once again.

When the nurse had regained her wits, she ran haphazardly out of the room and down the hallway.

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So? How was it? Anything that needs to be explained? Any issues you have with it? Please tell me anything you have to say.

READ THIS: You people still haven't told me yet whether or not you want me to re-do the story. I would really like to know what to do. Is it fine the way it is?

This is the part where I beg you to review. I adore reviewers, you guys make my day happy. I would also like to get criticism…I want to get better, but I need to know what's wrong with my writing first.