Sorry about the slow updates, it's been kinda rough continuing this story since my focus is lying else where at the moment, but I am still trying to keep this story updated. This is where Reign Storm finally begins, hope you guys enjoy what I have in store for you. ^^'
ZAFT Prime: Heh... although now it's mostly lack of motivation to continue writing this story right now. ^^' Always struggling with the motivation can really put a hamper on your work. Well Reign Storm... Heh... uh, I wouldn't expect anything too spectacular for it.
OMISENSE95: You're pretty much spot on with Dustin, but let's see if you're right. ;)
Linkonpark100: Yeah, Andy would've been, which is why he let himself be captured; he wanted his brother to show some leadership too. Heh, glad to see I'm not the only one who thought it was ridiculous the parents got mad at Danny and grounded him for using the emergency OP Center in an actual emergency. Makes me wonder what they would do to him if he used it in a non-emergency?
Mimi1012: Let's see how will Andy take Reign Storm, shall we? ^^' Thanks for saying Andy's the best OC you know, it's an honor to know I've created an OC people really enjoy.
Captivity: Yes, that ending. X3 And cool, Andy fighting as human again is now nostalgic! XD
PsychicEevee0103: Yup, was foreshadowing to the event with Pariah Dark. ;) I always wondered why Danny didn't simply explained he used the OP Center to rescue everyone, I mean it makes sense to use it then, right? His parents had no reason to be angry with him other than 'oh look, Danny got in trouble again, comedy! XD' no, just no, know when to use comedy like that. Fairly Odd Parents is really bad with that and I'm not even going to bother listening off how unfair Timmy's life is 'just because comedy'. That last scene with Skulker was actually added in last minute since I remember in the beginning of Reign Storm, it was said Danny got Ember and Skulker. ^^'
Acacia: Most of the temporal stuff will be explained around TUE and some of it in Reign Storm. TUE isn't at the end of the season, it's in the middle of it. The one that's near the end of the season would be Reality Trip. As for the voice... heh, you'll find out who that is soon enough.
Blue: Heh, the cartoon trick is what got your attention? ^^'
muney73: I know, right? It was really stupid Jack and Maddie just punished Danny for using the Emergency Ops Center in an actual emergency! I mean it would make sense to punish him for the party, even though that wasn't his fault either, but why the Ops Center? And I'm glad you enjoyed the fight scenes since it was hard trying to come up with how the fight would go with the addition of Andy there.
Heh, alright, let's see how much of your theories are right then. ;)
randomphandom: Well considering how Jazz went wild in Secret Weapons, I'd imagine she's fangirl over being involved with one of her brother's ghost powers. Once again, the main character gets grounded for no real reason at all other than 'just because', I really hate that excuse. Wow, a marathon of reading fanfics, that's gotta be the life, huh? ;) I wonder why people feel the need to make twins almost like clones of each other? Just because they look alike doesn't mean they're the same person in separate bodies... maybe it's a misconception or are most twins like that? ^^' Yeah, original storylines can be fun but difficult to put into the canon storylines, you also have to keep in mind of the changes too and how they'll effect future plots. Yeah, the Christmas episode is what gave me the idea for Andy to fear Bearbert in the first place. Beartbert with a chainsaw gave me nightmares when I first saw it. ^^'
PrincessDragon96: Thank you, hope you enjoy Reign Storm.
Nine-tailed K: Heh... well people can easily make themselves oblivious, even the smart ones. They come up with their own excuse and logic and fail to see the obvious because of it. Like 'there's no way a human can have ghost powers' and thus why Maddie never found out her son was half ghost despite the obvious signs.
boras1c: No, there's no thing between Ember and Andy, the two could just relate with each other due to their loneliness and abandonment from the person they cared about the most. But romantically there's nothing between them.
anjaniread: You're like Andy and me? Is that what you're saying? ^^' The next chapter's already written, it's just a matter of when's a good time to update it.
Chapter 21: An Omnious Feeling
"The Ring of Rage… and the Crown of Fire… Both are powerless on their own, but together they can create infinite power." I heard a familiar voice speaking, but I couldn't see who was talking… everything was dark.
"What a stupid halfa… He claims to be so smart and a mastermind- yet he can't even see he's being used by me to release the Ghost King from a lost past." … That voice… was that… Dustin? "Heh… what a joke. He thinks he's a player, when in reality he's nothing more than a pawn." That can't be Dustin… he's a nice guy… sort of…
"The rise of Pariah Dark is so near I can practically taste it. Wouldn't you agree, Andy?" Wh-what? Is he talking to me? "Heh- of course I am, Andy. After all, I can hear your every thought."
What? How? How are you even talking to me? Where am I? Why can't I see you?
"Tch… So many questions from such a naive halfa who's so full of potential. Sometimes I wonder why I do this…"
You knew I was only half ghost?
"Well, it was pretty obvious from the start. You and your brother still had life in you- and while the other ghosts haven't been around other halfas, you can't fool someone like me so easily."
You still haven't answered my other questions.
"Oh, I know- but it's amusing how you don't even realize your own strength, Andy. As for why you can't see me and where you are… why don't you try and remember what happened before you began hearing my voice in your head? I know you can."
… I was… in bed in my room. Are you talking to me in my sleep? Why and how are you doing that?
Dustin himself appeared in front of me and I stumbled back a bit. He gave me a small smirk, crossing his arms and shrugging. "Our powers similar, Andrew- even if you don't realize it yet…"
"Powers? How are they similar?" I asked him out loud, frowning in confusion. "I mean… shouldn't my powers be similar to Danny's if anything?"
"Heh- not really…" Dustin chuckled, shaking his head. "After all, every ghost, including a halfa, is based off of the experiences they had during their life. Everything about them, from what they can do to what element their core is, is based off of their life before they died. And frankly, you and Danny had very different experiences, even if they were based off of similar events…"
"Danny and I used to do everything together." I said as memories of our lives came back to me. "But, I guess the real diverging roads we took were in our interests and… when he became a halfa the first time, and for six months I was…" I then shook my head, looking up at the ghost in front of me. "But you called me weak before, during the tournament you said I was more of a liability. How can you tell if your powers and mine are similar? I haven't even figured anything out with them yet other than manipulating my ghost ray into a Plasma Rod!"
"Something that I taught you." The full ghost's smirk grew as he began flying around me. "Think about it… you and Danny have very, very different battle styles. He jumps in head-on, trying to outspeed his opponent, while you try to find their weak spot before attacking it… You're smart, even if you don't realize it. I've been watching you fight, Andy… and I can see the similarities between you and me."
"You've been watching me fight? You sound like a stalker. And why are you so interested in me? I can't even fly faster than an average person could run… and that's like walking in place for speed based ghosts." I frowned, crossing my arms.
"It's rather amazing what you can do once you stop trying to fight against yourself…" was all he said, whispering it into my ear.
"I'm not fighting against myself!" I snapped, quickly spinning around and backing away from Dustin. "Stop saying that!"
"Oh? Well, if you know you aren't very fast when you try… why not just go with your instincts?" The ghost shrugged, casually examining his fingernails. "You and I can both tell that you're not built for power- which means you must be a speed type of ghost. So… why can't you go faster than an average human's running speed? Hmm?"
"I don't know! But maybe I just need more practice and-" I started to say sheepishly before Dustin scowled, leaning into my face.
"Your brother could already go faster than a jet plane during his first month- you saw that during his fight with the Lunch Lady, remember?" he snapped, spitting a bit into my face.
I blinked at that before my eyes widened in horror, realizing what that meant. "You LOOKED at my memories!? S-stay out of my head!"
"Heh- and why should I?" In an instant, Dustin's features morphed from furious back to a confident smirk as he leaned back, crossing his arms. "You have plenty of interesting things about you, Andrew… like that little incident that you prevented. You flew pretty quickly when Desiree almost crushed your precious twin brother, and you didn't even have to think about it. You clearly have power when you need it… so why can't you access it normally?"
I gave an annoyed glare at the casual ghost teen and said, "If I knew that I wouldn't be struggling so much with these powers, now would I? I just can't figure out why I'm having so much trouble moving in the air… The aerodynamics shouldn't be a problem since I don't have wings and as a ghost we're either defying gravity or just levitating with our powers or nature… Maybe I should try a running start? Well… whatever the problem is I'll figure it out eventually. But why are you here anyways? Are you just here to mess with my head? I thought we were friends… or at least on good terms…"
"Oh, but we are…" Dustin shrugged, leaning back and forming his legs as he crossed one over the other casually. "That's why I'm telling you about my plan. You're not a bad kid, Andy- heck, you could be powerful if you gained the right training… But right now, you're just not going to make the cut. I could fix your little flight issue if you joined me for a bit of, ah… training, once in a while…"
"Training? Are you serious!? I get enough of that from Danny… and Vlad whenever he inevitably finds out about my powers." I groaned, turning away from him. "Look, I don't want or need training from you, okay? I'll be fine with just Danny…" Then what he said earlier crossed my mind, and I looked back at Dustin. "Wait… what plan are you talking about?"
"Oh, it's nothing too special. And seeing as you don't want my help… I don't see why I should tell you." The ghost shrugged, still laying down in the air as he grinned at me. "Still… it might be a good test of your skills, so I'll give you a teeny tiny hint. Have you heard of the Ring of Rage, or the Crown of Fire before?"
"I heard you saying something about them earlier. You said that separate they're powerless, but together they give you… unlimited power?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at the boy in front of me cautiously. "You'd think if they could do that together, they should do SOMETHING separately… After all, if you're gonna have powerful ghost artifacts that'd make sense- uh… Sorry, guess I'm rambling, please continue."
He rolled his eyes, but shrugged. "Heh- well, they do give a small speed or strength boost, but it's nothing compared to their combined power… Still, there's a very, very good reason nobody goes searching for the artifacts… or at least, for the Crown of Fire." Suddenly, Dustin began to fade away, as if he hadn't been there in the first place. What the heck is he doing? "Since you know nothing about it yourself… why not use that little ghost helper you caught recently to learn more about it?"
"Wait! Where are you going? I still have so many questions! And we already released Skulker back into the Ghost Zone- I don't know where he is now!" I reached out to grab him, but by the time I tried, he was already intangible.
"In which case… you're in a lotta trouble, aren't you?" Dustin laughed darkly, giving me a mocking wave as he disappeared, saying one last thing. "Just prepare for Pariah Dark when he awakens… After all, it's going to be the fight of your life."
And with that, he was gone. I looked up again and saw my reflection, the same one with the war torn and sadden eyes. I reached out to this miserable reflection of mine and said, frowning in confusion, "Who are you…?"
To my surprise, my reflection actually spoke back to me, opening his mouth and speaking with an age that betrayed his youth. "You must talk to Danny… please… you two need to discuss this."
"What? But why?" I asked, frowning as I brought my hand back away from him.
"Just… listen. Trust me… this will make things easier down the road if you try to get closer to Danny." My reflection said before he whispered in my ear. "Because if you don't… you won't be able to save him."
"W-what? H-hey!" He disappeared, then everything became bright.
"Come on bro, wake up! We have to get to school." I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut as I felt someone shaking me out of bed… again.
"I don't wanna go to school right now…" I mumbled, turning away from Danny and curling up into a ball.
"Wha- c'mon Andy, we have to get up!" Danny began shaking me harder, clearly not going to let up anytime soon. "I already did the morning patrol, so I let you sleep in, but you gotta get into the shower before we can go!"
"I don't wanna!" I grumbled, looking at him with bleary eyes. "Besides… I had to stay up all night to help you finish Mr. Lancer's book report. I deserve to sleep in a little…" I honestly don't know how Danny does it… how is he able to do a night patrol and a morning patrol and not get sleepy?
"I… w-well yeah, but…" Danny glanced to the side, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "D-don't forget, you've got that big science test today!"
I just sat up and grumbled, not really caring about that test… mostly because I forgot to study for it, but Danny won't stop pestering me until I either get up or he gets Bearbert. "Fine, fine, I'm up…"
How long has it been since the pirate ghost incident? … It's only been a day… Wow, it felt much longer somehow. It's the first time I had to fight ghosts as a human again since the second accident, and strangely it felt nostalgic to me. But then I thought back on that dream… about Dustin and that reflection of mine. Pariah Dark… I only remember hearing about him or seeing him in that alternate timeline, but otherwise I only know he's some powerful ghost king. I don't know why he isn't awake though…
Mom and Dad weren't at the breakfast table today, and the reason is because they're working on a new invention. They called it the… uh… what was it? Ecto-Suit? I wasn't really listening, but Dad said it's made to combat powerful ghosts. Just keep that thing away from me and my brother… And Jazz was just reading her book while eating cereal.
I just grabbed some toast and put butter on it, looking at my brother. "Seriously Danny, I don't know why you hate toast so much. I think it's pretty good and it goes well with macaroni and cheese!"
Danny grumbled, shrugging as he grabbed some Pop Tarts and slid them into the microwave. "Well, excuse me, but I just don't like how crunchy it can be…" When they were warm enough, he pulled them out, beginning to munch on them and grinning. "But hey, either way today's started out pretty well!"
"Yeah, if you can consider dragging me out of bed a good thing." I grumbled as I munched on my toast, sitting across from Jazz.
My sister chuckled, glancing up from her book as she looked at me in amusement. "Well, sometimes you do take your sweet time, Andy… And I'm the one who asked Danny to wake you up, so don't get too upset with him, okay?"
"Danny always wakes me up, Jazz." I pouted, rolling my eyes. "Whatever, let's just get to school and get it over with." I looked over at Danny, who seemed to be in a very good mood. "Why are you in so cheerful this morning?"
"Oh, just various things- like stopping that ship and getting Mom and Dad home!" He grinned at me, popping the last of his food into his mouth. "Plus I'm all caught up on homework, that's a good thing too."
"And the fact that you managed to catch Ember and Skulker last night had nothing to do with it?" I grumbled, forgetting that Danny didn't know Jazz knows about us.
"A-Andy!" Danny quickly said, looking at our sister and chuckling nervously. "H-he's talking about a video game!"
I blinked before sighing and rubbing the back of my neck. "Right… video game. Well, we better go now."
"You want me to drive you to school?" Jazz asked.
"Nah, I think we'll walk." Danny said before smiling at me… uh-oh… is this going to be another flying lesson? He grabbed my arm and dragged me outside before I could protest.
"Danny, what are you planning now?" I groaned after we left the house.
"Ooooh, nothing~" He chuckled, pulling me into some nearby bushes. "Just thought we could get some training in on the way to school, no big deal!"
"... And what is it?" I asked, crossing my arms. "More flying? If you have me fly we'll be late!"
"Actually, it's pretty early." Danny said with a shrug. "We've got a good hour before school."
"What!? You told me we were going to be late!" I snapped at him.
"I maaaay have lied to get you up…" My brother chuckled, glancing at me sheepishly.
I glared at him, beginning to mutter under my breath. "You sneaky little- fine, what is it this time? Flying again?"
Danny smirked as he transformed into his ghost form. "Yup- but this time I'm going to help give you a little push… Or pull, in this case."
"Wh-what?" I really didn't like that look in his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Maybe you'll learn how to fly faster once you learn how to get to certain speed, bro. First, transform into a ghost!" Danny said to me, smiling.
I frowned, but decided I better do it or he'd overshadow me and force me to transform. I reached into the cold spot of my core and transformed into my own ghost form, giving my brother a cautious look. "Okay… now what?"
"Now… it's time to fly." Danny smiled as he grabbed my arm suddenly and began flying in the sky.
"W-wah!? Danny, what are you doing!?" I yelled as he began going faster and faster, his legs were fused into that ghostly tail again.
"Can you feel the winds, bro? Come on, you can fly this fast too- you just have to do it!" Danny said to me.
"B-but I don't-!" I began to argue.
"Don't think about it, bro! You just got to DO it!" Danny yelled at me. "Now let your instincts take over and go for it!" He suddenly threw me across the air! All I could do was scream and try to stop in the air but I couldn't! Danny threw me too hard!
"WAAAAAAAAAH!" HOW DO I STOOOOOP!? Before I knew it there was a tree in front of me and I didn't even have time to think about turning intangible before I smashed right into it! … Ow… ow…. oh, the pain… There'd better not be splinters in my face! I suddenly felt the warmth in my chest taking over and I had transformed back to human before I fell off the tree I smashed into… and…
"OW!" I landed on Tucker… that's gotta suck for him… but on the plus side I don't think he broke anything this time.
"Andy!? Where did you come from?" I heard Sam asking in shock.
I groaned as she helped me up. "Let's just say my brother thought it was a good idea to throw me across the street for flying lessons…"
"He THREW you?" Sam blinked in shock, crossing her arms. "What the heck was he thinking?"
"Ow…" Tucker groaned as he slowly stood up himself. "What is it with you two and using me as a landing cushion?"
"Hey, it's not like I wanted to land on you!" I grumbled.
"Well, it sorta worked…" Danny chuckled sheepishly as he landed beside us, transforming back into a human. "I think your tail formed for a moment before you hit the tree!"
"Are you crazy!? I could've lost my face back there!" I snapped at him before rubbing my abused face, thankful there weren't any splinters. "What do you mean my tail formed? You THREW me! I wasn't flying!"
"Yeah, but it looked like your tail formed for a moment- I'm telling you, I saw it! You just can't think about it, it's something you should just do." Danny sweatdropped before he glanced behind me and froze for a moment. "...Er… hey, Dash…" My brother frowned, subtly slipping into a defensive stance.
Dash and Kwan were passing us by, Kwan was holding a football and was looking between Dash and Danny nervously. I waved to Dash and he gave me a small smile before looking at my brother again. I'm surprised Tucker and Sam were quiet.
"Well… I, uh, guess it's another day in school, huh?" Dash said to Danny, though he had an uneasy tone in his voice.
"Yep. Just another day at school…" Danny replied, clearly still ready to bolt in case Dash or Kwan decided to throw the football at him. "Soooo, uh… you finish your book report for Mr. Lancer?"
"Yeah- it wasn't so hard to pick a book he would like for me to report." Dash said with a shrug.
"I told you those tips would work. You don't have to choose a really long book with complicated old English words. Even a modern book works too, as long as it's a book." I told him and he gave me a smile before giving me the thumbs up.
"Yup- it really made Mr. Lancer's classes a lot easier!" Dash chuckled before looking at Danny again and giving a slightly more natural smile. "Well… good luck in your classes. Let's go Kwan, we have to practice before the coach gets angry for not throwing it 'hard enough'."
"I think I've been getting good at kicking the ball, Dash." Kwan said as the two continued on, leaving us alone.
"How are you able to get along with Dash?" Sam asked me, sounding exasperated.
"I'm seeing it- I've even recorded it- but I still can't believe it." Tucker said with wide eyes as he looked at his PDA.
"Dash isn't such a bad guy once you get to know him." I shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. Although I didn't say it out loud I was still pretty bitter at my brother for throwing me like that. There is nothing natural throwing a person at 112 miles per hour and expecting them to just pick up and fly on their own!
"If you say so…" Danny frowned, rubbing the back of his neck, before he grinned, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. "Still, things have been going pretty well today- let's hope it stays that way!"
"We better get to class before we're late." Sam said, giving a small nod.
Before we could move, Paulina and her friend Star began walking past us. Both of them looked over at us and seemed hesitant about something.
Then Paulina approached me and said quietly, glancing around, "Hey listen… I was wondering if you'd like to… talk… or tutor me some time. I've heard you've been helping Dash and his grades have been improving lately, so…"
"Wait… what?" Did my ears get shot when Danny threw me? There's no way Paulina would ever step foot in my house without very good reason. "Why would you care if I 'tutored' you or not? Couldn't your Dad just buy you a tutor or something?"
"W-well, yeah, but…" Paulina hesitated before leaning in, whispering by this point. "Papa's… kind of mad at me… He wants me to cut down my spending, so I figured I… well… might as well ask you- you shouldn't be too expensive, right?"
I sighed before I said to her, crossing my arms, "I don't get paid you know. I only helped Dash because he's my friend."
Star then gave a smile before she said cheerfully, "Then how about you help her or I'll break your hands in half?"
… Star is pretty scary when she gets angry. "... W-well I'll uh… have to think about it then! But we have to get to class now, so bye!" I quickly ran away from view, hearing Danny's voice saying something. Huh… I wonder what his reaction was?
It wasn't until later after a few classes in school did I find out. We were in the hallways getting stuff out of our lockers when he came over to me with a big, proud smile. "... Danny… you're scaring me. Why are you smiling like that?"
"Well, I could tell you were too nervous to give Paulina or Star an answer, so I figured I may as well tell her you were up for it!" He grinned, shrugging.
"What!?" I glared at him before getting up in his face. "Danny! I didn't want to tutor Paulina! She's just going to take advantage of everyone and make our lives miserable! Besides I'm not that good at tutoring people, Jazz had to help Dash with the majority of things, I mostly helped him stay focus and on book related stuff."
"W-well yeah, but… you two might as well become friends!" My brother blinked, backing up a bit before he began examining his fingernails. "Besides, I was… er… kinda hoping that with you tutoring her, she could get to know me more…"
I gave my brother a deadpanned look, of course he would say yes to her- heck, any guy here except me would say yes to her! "Couldn't you have been satisfied with her obsessing over your ghost form? I don't want to have anything to do with her or her friend the hand crusher."
"But bro, if you can make friends with someone like Dash then surely you can make friends with Paulina!" Danny smiled at me, shrugging and putting his hands behind his head.
"No." I snapped, glaring at my brother in annoyance. "Nothing you do or say will get me to 'tutor' little miss 'I'm too good for everyone but the ghost boy', Danny!" I wonder how she'll react to 'Inviso-Bill's' twin brother… does she even know about him yet? "And don't think I've forgotten this morning's little 'flying' lesson incident either!"
"T-that was an accident, Andy!" Danny winced, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't exactly mean to hurt you with that… Still, I don't think you can say no anymore- not with both of them believing you're going to do it!"
"And whose fault is that?" I growled at him. "Jeez bro, and here I thought it was Vlad's thing to manipulate someone to get the girl he wants."
"Well, sounds like you two are having a brotherly bicker." I sighed when I heard Sam, who was chuckling in amusement.
Sam and Tucker approached us as they were putting stuff away in their own lockers too.
"Sorry, I'm just a little sour that I hit my face on a tree at 112 miles per hour AND the fact my brother just invited Paulina the Witch into our house!" I jabbed a finger at my brother, growling in annoyance.
"Well, who WOULDN'T want to tutor a hot babe like Paulina? I know I'd do it, given the chance!" Tucker grinned before he saw me glare at him, and he quickly backtracked. "I-I mean yeah, uh… shame on you, Danny!"
"Smooth, Tucker. Real smooth…" Danny dryly said, rolling his eyes, before looking back at me. "C'mon, Andy, it won't be too long- just three or four tutoring sessions, long enough for Paulina to really get to know me and be our friend!"
"That girl wouldn't want to be friends with people like us." I sighed, crossing my arms.
"I can't stand Paulina either." Sam frowned, reluctantly shrugging. "But I couldn't stand Dash before and yet you became his friend. So why don't you try to get along with Paulina and see how well that goes? Maybe she'll be more tolerable for all of us."
"Dash is… Well, he's a different case…" I hesitated, rubbing the back of my neck.
"How? He used to be the biggest bully in this school- heck, he once LEAD the bullies in this school!" Sam raised her arms to emphasize her point. "And now look at him! You and him are joking around with each other like you've been friends all your life!"
"She's gotcha there, Andy." Tucker shrugged, giving me a look as he nudged my shoulder. "Just try it, maybe you're wrong about her!"
I sighed before pinching the bridge on my nose in annoyance. "No, no, no! I refuse to let her anywhere near our family! One look at the Fentons and she's going to have all the blackmail she needs to keep us in her puddy little delicate hands for the rest of the school year- maybe even until we're seniors!"
Danny sighed, giving me a pleading look. "Bro, please? Look, she's walking down the hall right now- you can decide when you're available to tutor her and let her know right now!"
My eyes went wide when I looked in the direction Danny pointed and noticed she was smiling as she was coming towards us… Uh-oh… Paulina's going to be nice… it's a TRAP! I was about to bolt it before I remembered my brother made things worse the last time I left him alone with her, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him with me before bolting down the hall.
"Wha- hey! A-Andy, what're you doing? Lemme go!" Danny protested, beginning to squirm and try to break free, but I was NOT going to let him go with Paulina in the area! "C'mon, you're causing a scene right now! We have to get to class!"
"Screw class when you have an emergency!" I snapped before running into the cafeteria, looking for a place to hide… Hmm… I see Mikey and a band member playing… uh… poker? There's a big tuba that's blocking a view under the table… that'll be the perfect hiding spot. Paulina wouldn't dare come near nerds! I dragged my brother under the table before he could stop me.
"H-hey- MMPH!" I clasped a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet, and he glared at me, trying to squirm away.
"Aaaandy!" I cringed when I heard Paulina calling for me, especially in that sing-song tone. "Has anyone seen Andy? I need to ask him something!"
Danny tried squirming even more, but I refused to let him go as I thought of something. Wait a minute… I have ghost powers… why didn't I just go invisible?
"Andy? Danny?" I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard another voice beside us, and I turned to see one of my other friends hiding there too.
"V-Valerie? You scared me!" I almost shouted, but quickly lowered my voice so Paulina wouldn't hear me. "What are you doing under the table?"
"Let's just say you're not the only one who has to hide…" She shrugged before cringing as we all heard a nasally voice calling out.
"More importantly, where's Valerie gone? Like, I wanna ask her to the senior prom!" …Was that Nathan? Geez- doesn't he realize the senior prom's three years away? Gotta give the guy some credit, though… at least he's trying to wear her out early.
Danny finally managed to get my hand off of his mouth, rolling his eyes. "Sheesh… I get that you don't wanna date Nathan, but at least you have an actual reason to hide right now…"
"What do you mean?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at me.
"I'm hiding from Paulina because Mr. Love Sick here wants me to tutor here. There is no way in he- … Ghost Zone would I ever do that!" I grumbled, stopping myself from saying a curse word. This is rated K people, let's try to keep it that way.
"Hey, I'm not love sick! I-I just think it'd be nice if you and her became friends, that's all." Danny quickly denied, trying to hide the blush he wore. Sorry bro, you've been caught.
"Paulina? Becoming friends with Andy?" Valerie raised an eyebrow at that, scoffing slightly. "Sorry, but I don't think that's exactly going to be a reality anytime soon…"
"H-hey! It could still happen." Danny grumbled, crossing his arms. "He became friends with Dash after all."
"Look, I'm all for staying here until the school day is over, but we should probably get going now. I think the coast is clear." I said as I cautiously poked my head out from under the table.
"Really? You think they're gone?" Valerie frowned, cautiously poking her head out as well, before her eyes widened as she spotted Nathan nearby. "Oh crud- one of them isn't!"
I frowned, quickly noticing Paulina, and she managed to notice me as well as the nerds. She frowned in disgust at this, beginning to inch her way towards me while trying to stay away from them as much as possible. "Star! Star, I found him!"
"GET OVER HERE FENTON!" I heard Star's voice yelling in the distance.
"Time to go!" I grabbed Danny's arm and began dragging him while I ran as fast as I could.
"Where are we going?" I heard Valerie asked as she scrambled out from under the table and began running beside me.
"Anywhere but here!" I said back to her. "Danny! If you don't help me run, I'm going to get Dash to remind you why he bullied you before!"
THAT made my brother begin to run, as he quickly began outpacing us. Sheesh… even as a human he's a bit faster than normal, what the heck. "C'mon- we can hide in the dumpster!"
"Outside!? The school doesn't have a dumpster!" I yelled as he ran out of the school.
"Then we'll go to an alleyway or something!" Danny yelled back. "Point is, RUN!"
All three of us ran out down the street, though I'm surprised nobody's stopping students from running off campus before the school day ends… They probably think we saw a ghost or something, that isn't uncommon nowadays.
I felt like such a slowpoke… Danny's pacing is really fast and Valerie isn't having too much trouble keeping up, probably because of her daily ghost hunting and the fact that she's a ninth degree black belt probably helps. I really need to get some exercise… But anyways, we ran into an alleyway and hurried behind the dumpster… and… Well to be honest, I was really surprised to see Sam sitting there. She didn't even say anything, she just pointed to us.
"Hiding from Paulina and her violent friend Star." I answered before she pointed at Danny.
"Helping him hide so he doesn't sic Dash on me." Danny answered before she pointed at Valerie.
"Hiding from Nathan… what about you?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sam just pointed outside the dumpster and then we heard her Mom. "Sammykins?" I took that cue to dive behind the dumpster along with Danny and Valerie. "AT LEAST TRY IT ON!" I can't see her, but I'm assuming Mrs. Manson was holding a very bright and frilly dress.
"Ugh… sometimes I hate my Mom." Sam groaned, mumbling to herself, before she quickly shook her head. "What am I saying? I always hate her and her stupid dresses! Sheesh…" She then glanced at Valerie, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, why are you hiding from Nathan?"
"He really wants me to go to Senior Prom with him." Valerie grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he's not someone I want to go on a date with, let alone the big Senior Prom! And what if he isn't even there!? Ugh…"
"...Okay yeah, good enough reason." Sam sweatdropped, rolling her eyes. "Still, I don't think we'll be able to hide here for much longer… Any idea of where else we could hide?"
I was looking over out of the alleyway to make sure the coast is clear… and to my surprise I could see my house just down the street… Wow, we ran all the way from Casper High to Fenton Works? "Well… our house is right there, so we might as well just go there and lay low for a while. I just hope we don't get in trouble for skipping the rest of the school day… Any objections?"
"At this point? Your house would be a safe haven." Sam sighed, nodding.
Valerie looked a little hesitant… I don't think she's ever been in our house before has she? But she just gave a nod, sighing as well. "Yeah, it might be our safest option…"
With that said, all three of us began hurrying down the street to get to Fenton Works. Sam was looking back at Valerie before frowning in disbelief. "Why are you two helping her? And why are you inviting her to your house?"
"Well, I'm kind of just following both of them because if I don't, Andy's gonna sic Dash on me- like I said." Danny sweatdropped, shrugging. "Still, she isn't terrible- she's kinda nice!"
"And she's also a friend of mine." I grumbled, still lagging a bit behind as Sam was a really good, in-shape athletic runner. Why am I the weakling here?
"Well you really should be careful… The last thing you two should do is invite your own arch-enemy into your own house." Sam whispered to us so Val wouldn't hear.
"She's not my arch-enemy." I grumbled as we walked up the stairs and Danny opened the door… only for him to gasp. I can't see over his head, so I don't know why he's gasping.
"Too late." Sam said, blinking in shock herself.
"Hey, what's going on?" I asked, frowning as I poked my head around Danny… and blinked.
Wait, is that really who I think it is!? "Ah, hello there Daniel, Andrew. Who are your friends?" To my shock, I was greeted by none other than Vlad Masters, in Fenton Works! What the heck!?
Vlad was sitting on the couch, playing chess with Dad, and he has a blanket around his shoulders… Was he sick or something? … Come to think of it… the last time I spoke to Vlad was when he helped me during the corrupted era… but I don't think he remembers it. I had mixed feelings at seeing Vlad here, but my brother on the other hand…
"You!? What are you doing here?" Danny quickly got into a defensive, yet slightly aggressive, position, while Sam did the same, clearly cautious of Vlad.
Mom then suddenly dumped scorching hot tea on his pants, making the poor man yelp in pain. "Totally valid question." she said.
"Still steaming?" Vlad asked her, gently wiping the tea from his pants and giving a painful grimace.
Mom got to his face, still glaring at him. "You have no idea." Before she walked away and leaving Vlad to turn back to us and answering Danny's hostile attitude.
The gray-haired man chuckled weakly despite the tea on his pants, gently raising a hand in a peaceful gesture- although, given his powers, I'm pretty sure Vlad could blast us with that too… "Relax, Daniel- I'm merely here for a visit, especially as I was in the area. However, I was planning to destroy Jack and steal the Ecto Suit he's been working on lately along with Maddie…"
Dad suddenly looked up at him and Vlad just gave him- what appears to be- a friendly smile before the two of them started laughing as if he was joking… but I don't think it was a joke. "Oh how I love to joke around at times!" Vlad chuckled, gently patting Dad's back.
Danny, Sam, Valerie and I walked into the house as I closed the door behind us. I'm glad we managed to get away from our chasers… only to run into another big problem. What am I supposed to do about Vlad? I can't hate the guy… not anymore… but I can't just be nice to him either. Does he even know about me being half ghost too? I've been worried if he figured it out yet or not, especially with all the ruckus of the ghost boy having a twin brother around lately.
Fortunately, I didn't have to think about that for too long, as I noticed Vlad turn his attention to Valerie. "Ah, and of course, Valerie Gray- it's wonderful to finally meet you in person!"
"E-eh?" She blinked, clearly confused, as pretty much everybody else in the room was. "You know who I am?"
"But of course, my dear! And I must say, I hope you've been using my gifts with your little, ah, quest…" His eyes glimmered at her knowingly, and I couldn't help but frown… Does he mean Valerie's gear? Or something else?
Valerie was looking at him, blinking in confusion… I'm pretty sure she's in the same boat I am right now; she doesn't know what to think.
"Uh…" I began speaking up, wanting to say something… though I'm still not sure what. "So, Vlad… did you decide to take a vacation here or something?"
Vlad looked at me and just raised an eyebrow as if curious why I just asked him that. I shuffled uneasily, but he doesn't seem to know I'm half ghost at least…
Suddenly we heard an alarm going off. Mom and Dad frantically ran over to it in the living room. What's going on?
"Great goblins! It's the Ecto Exodus Alarm!" Dad suddenly shouted dramatically, his eyes widening in shock.
"The what now?" All of us asked in confusion- oh hey, Jazz is here!
"The Ecto Exodus Alarm. An alarm that only goes off when we're about to face a massive ghost invasion!" Mom explained as she looked at a screen on the wall, which showed many ghosts coming our way.
Uh… I have to ask… where the heck was this alarm when Walker and his goons invaded Amity Park? Did they build it after that invasion, or was that just not enough? Either way… I've got a bad feeling about this.
Danny was giving me a look, telling me we should go down there and stop them… wait… what!? We're just two kids, how are we going to stop all those ghosts!? But I couldn't ask him that out loud, he just told Sam to 'stall them' before he grabbed my arm and dragging me off to the lab… We are so dead.
Admittedly it was pretty odd replacing Dash with Star chasing down Andy and Danny, but I couldn't think of who else to use and I didn't think some random jock would want to mess with Andy since he's the main football star's friend and all. And unlike Danny and Maddie, Andy doesn't hold a lot of animosity for Vlad, mostly due to the fact he's trying to understand the man and Vlad did help him in his darkest hour even if he doesn't remember it. Though Andy can't just act all buddy-buddy with Vlad, and Danny is still quite hostile to Vlad despite the man helping Andy when he was Corrupted Danny. And uh... I apologize if you guys were expecting more, like I said; I didn't have much in mind for Reign Storm, it's The Ultimate Enemy I have a lot of plans for. But I'll try my best to make it as entertaining as possible with Andy! Anyways, I am DarkFoxKit and I look forward to hearing from you.