Notes:
Thank you very much for all your comments! Here's a new chapter so you can start trying to guess what's up with Phantom.
Chapter 5: Slipping Away
"Danny, what's going on?"
"What?" Danny replied startled as he snapped out of his thoughts while looking for a book in his locker. He quickly turned around to see none other than Tucker, who was standing by his side.
"I asked what's going on," his friend replied. He seemed concerned.
"What do you mean?" the black-haired boy asked nervously. He didn't really want to talk about what had happened earlier that day.
"You know what I mean. You've been acting weird. You didn't even react when you hit your knee on your way out of the classroom. Not to mention how harsh you acted with Sam. She only wanted to know if something's wrong".
Danny sighed. His thoughts were a mess. He couldn't cope with all the theories, doubts, and ideas that collided with each other in his brain. "I was just… thinking."
Tucker raised an eyebrow. "No kidding," he said sarcastically.
"Listen, I have to go. Jazz is probably waiting for me at the parking lot. We'll talk about this later, ok?" Danny said, trying to avoid a conversation in which he revealed everything about his encounter with Phantom.
"Alright, Danny. I'll see ya tomorrow. But try to keep in mind that we're friends. We're supposed to tell each other everything," Tucker said somberly and then walked away.
Danny stared at his friend for a second, and then turned to walk in the opposite direction, which didn't exactly lead to the parking lot.
Amity Park's park was practically deserted even though it was a beautiful afternoon. A rock rolled along the path to a small bridge. A foot kept kicking the stone every time it reached it. But the foot remained motionless as a very grim boy stopped for a second, not moving his hands from his pockets or his gaze from the ground.
"He can't be real, right?" he whispered to himself.
Almost as soon as Danny finished saying this, he shook his head and kept kicking the small rock.
He didn't go to his home with Jazz after school like he was supposed to. His parents were probably worried by now, but the blue-eyed teenager didn't really care. It's not like anything in the 'real world' mattered right now. His concept of 'reality' had been completely altered several times during the past weeks. The last change, however, was the worse. He found someone who shouldn't even exist. He found the ghost he once was.
"If he wasn't an illusion, what did he mean? Warn me about what?" He groaned as the mystery kept haunting his mind.
In his frustration, he kicked the rock harder this time and sent it flying towards a bush. "Ow!" a female voice exclaimed from behind the shrub. A girl came out of her hideout and Danny realized who she was: Sam.
"What are you doing here?" Danny asked unsure.
"I'm just… you know… trying to see if I could talk to you alone…" she replied, glancing at her feet.
"I thought you were mad at me." Danny said softly, not wanting to meet her eyes either.
"Well, I was. But then I realized that you had been through a lot lately and that you probably didn't mean to snap like that at me." She paused for a second, daring at last to look at him. "I'm not mad, but I am worried. What happened?"
Danny sighed heavily and, after a brief silence, he decided to tell his friend about what happened. "I saw something today. Actually, someone," he began to explain, still uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"Who?" Sam asked intrigued. Danny only eyed her curiously. "C'mon. I said I wouldn't laugh!" the Goth girl exclaimed.
"I saw a ghost," he blurted out.
"A ghost? Anyone you remember from your dreams?" she questioned.
Danny nodded slowly. And remained silent for a second before replying. "It was Danny Phantom," he finally said.
Sam froze. Her eyes were bigger than Danny's when he met his alter ego. "You said… Danny… Phantom?" she asked astonished. Her friend nodded once again. This time, he was intrigued by her reaction. "How is that possible?" she asked.
"I don't know. But I think he was real. I bumped into him. I felt him," Danny said while rubbing the back of his neck.
Sam froze once again. "Did he talk to you?" she pressed, grabbing the boy from the shoulders and shaking him for answers.
Danny eyed her curiously. Her nails were almost digging into his skin. "Ok, Sam. You're really freaking me out. Are you ok?"
The girl softened her grip and relaxed a little. "Oh, sure. Sorry. I was just impressed, that's all," she replied while laughing nervously.
"Are you sure? You almost reacted worse than I did…" Danny said.
"Why? How did you react?"
"I kinda told him to back off."
"So, you spoke with him?" Sam asked once again.
"Yeah, well… if you call that a conversation, sure."
"Did he stay for long?"
The boy shook his head. "No, he said he couldn't or something like that. I was too busy trying to vanish him from my thoughts to even remember what he said exactly". Danny was unsure, but he could've sworn he saw Sam smirk. He shrugged it off his mind. "Anyway, what do you think?"
"Seriously? That you hallucinated." Sam replied and Danny was taken aback. "It's common to think you could feel or even smell your own delusions. That's why most people think they're real," she continued as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, it's probably a side effect. After all, you were a whole year in a coma".
Danny was confused. He certainly didn't expect that response. Actually, Sam was somehow different from what he remembered.
You're being paranoid. She's the same old Sam. Besides, she's right: you probably imagined everything.
"Come on, Danny. Let's get you home. It has been a long day," Sam said, grabbing his arm.
Danny sighed and allowed his friend to lead the way to FentonWorks.
Nothing but darkness could be seen. Nothing but numbness could be felt. Still, he knew the reason behind his insane situation: he was trapped.
It was not an ordinary prison, like the ones designed by his previous enemies. This one consisted in a very twisted mind game. He knew it from the beginning, though he couldn't do a thing until today.
Somehow his warden was weak and distracted. Maybe he had been using too much energy at the same time. Upon realizing this, the prisoner took the opportunity to escape so he could warn his human half about everything that was going on.
He risked being noticed by his guardian, but it was worth it if it meant he could save the both of them: Fenton and Phantom.
So, the Phantom sneaked in the empty hall of the school he used to attend, noticing that the boy he was looking for was standing right in front of him. He was even impressed when he felt the human teenager bump into him. A clear sign that his warden was indeed absent at that moment.
However, he had to make sure first. He scanned his surroundings when the boy saw him. Phantom tried to warn him, but the other didn't listen. He didn't want to listen. The ghost knew he was already late. Someone had messed with Fenton's mind.
Even when he tried to convince the dark-haired teenager that he was real, nothing seemed to work. He couldn't even touch him anymore. The warden was probably on his way as Fenton stubbornly walked away from his ghost half. Phantom promised not to give up on his human counterpart even though Fenton was clearly trying to give up on him.
The ghost returned to his prison trying to think of other ways to alert the human. That's when he noticed that the place he was in was no longer dark and he didn't feel as numb. He could almost see a silver lining and he could almost feel he was recovering his free will.
That's until his warden arrived.
"You thought you could sneak out? That you could somehow stop me from toying with the boy's mind? He's mine now. Mark my words, Danny Phantom. You're going to be destroyed".
The voice echoed in his head. Phantom realized he was once again surrounded by shadows and unable to feel. It was up to Fenton, now.
Notes:
Confused by the last bit? Don't worry… it will be explained. I promise. And why were Danny's thoughts missing for a big portion of this chapter? Stay tuned. (Sorry if this one was short)