We Are Phantoms

by DarkFoxKit

The sequel to My Brother's a Ghost. "My name is Andrew Fenton, but call me Andy. I'm a 14 year old boy, twin brother of Danny Fenton. If I had known what kind of fate awaited me in the future... I probably would've freaked out. My brother and I, we're more than teenagers... we are heroes, we are defenders. We are Phantoms."

89. Chapter 88: Underneath the Stars

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Glances over Fox's shoulder* No way! Did you seriously catch a Golden Trout?!

DarkFoxKit: *Jumps at Onyx's sudden shout* Don't yell like that! I almost dropped my Switch! And yeah, apparently I did. Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be quite the addicting game.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Pouts* I can't believe you caught that! And Andy told me that it only took you like 4 bait to get a Stringfish, is that correct? Cause I went through I think it was like 67 bait trying to get a Stringfish.

DarkFoxKit: Well… apparently my luck was incredibly ridiculous on that day. ^^'

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': And my luck was incredibly trash. I was playing DnD and got 5 critical failures in a row. Specifically 5 crit fails on a D20. The DM was kind enough to let me roll again because the odds of that happening are really small and it seemed like luck was messing with me or my luck got messed with.

DarkFoxKit: Well… aside from the weird luck we had, how is everyone doing today? Considering the whole virus thing, I'm sure that a lot of people are locked up in their houses.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Blinks and looks to where Fox was looking, seeing the camera* Oh… hey everyone. *Sheepishly scratches the back of her head* Hope everyone is alright. While yes, there is a lot of self isolation going on, at least there are some bright sides. You can still go outside and get fresh air, if you are in a climate that supports it. You can stay in your PJs pretty much all day. In some cases you get to watch TV or Youtube for education.

DarkFoxKit: The self isolation thing doesn't really affect us too much. *Is focusing on the Switch now*

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Yeah… both as writers and people we are pretty self isolating. We don't normally leave the house much unless it's required of us or there is something we really want. Speaking of what is wanted, I'm going to let you get to the chapter. Fox seems to be… in the zone now, so she might not even hear me speaking.

Andy: *Sips a cup of tea* At least you two are calm today. So I don't have to worry about some crazy thing happening randomly to me.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Smirks* Maybe not here~

Andy: *Frowns* Why do you say that…?

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Giggles mischievously* Guess you'll have to wait and see!~

---

Chapter 88: Underneath the Stars

I was glad Mom was sitting beside Dad to keep him from driving too recklessly, but Dad was still going absurdly over the speed limit. Thankfully, however, once we left Amity Park, it was mostly open road from there.

"Excuse me… Mr. Fenton… aren't those signs meant to indicate the maximum speed you are supposed to be going…?" Juliette spoke up.

"This is how he drives, it's best not to argue with him," Danny replied.

"Except… isn't it illegal to be disobeying the sign?" Juliette asked. "Or… is the Fenton family an exception to the laws of the country?"

"Considering we're riding in a tank… it's a bit hard to answer that one," I said.

"It looked like a regular RV on the outside," Tucker commented. "Less tank-like."

"Jack, maybe she's right," Mom softly said to Dad. "After all, if you keep this up, we'll surely be pulled over by the highway patrol or state troopers. We wouldn't want to cut the trip short due to your lead foot, would we?"

"Aww," Dad whined. "But Maddie…"

"Mom's right, Dad," Jazz spoke up. "You usually only drove fast to try to get ghosts in the city, but we're out of the city, and we're on vacation. It'd be best to take things slow."

"Fine…" Dad sighed as he finally let up on the gas pedal, letting the RV slow down to a much more reasonable speed.

The rest of us were able to relax now that Dad wasn't driving like a madman.

"Look at the bright side, sweetheart." Mom smiled. "Now we actually get to enjoy the countryside instead of seeing it shoot past the windows."

"Mads, you know I don't like the countryside. Too many bugs, and I remember I had to eat horse meat at one point," Dad shivered.

"That's horrible." Sam frowned, though I wasn't sure if she meant Dad or the horse.

"I simply meant you could enjoy the sights," Mom pointed out. "You don't have to leave the comfort of the RV unless it's to fill up on gas or buy some snacks from a gas station, which I know you'll probably do at least 20 times on the way to Cape Canaveral."

Dad gave a sheepish grin. "Well, gotta have snacks for a long road trip."

Mom chuckled before she looked back at us. "Okay, kids, you can roam around for a bit, maybe dig out some of your stuff if you get bored."

"In that case…" I unbuckled my seatbelt and headed to the back where all our bags were being kept. I began to dig around for one of my suitcases.

I found the suitcase I was looking for and opened it up, taking a certain teddy bear out of it. "Didn't think you'd like to be stuffed in there for the whole trip, Hope."

"Is… it safe to talk…?" Hope asked extremely softly, not moving at all.

"Uh… maybe not freely," I answered, looking back at the others. That reminds me, I don't think Tucker and Sam know about Hope. We never had a reason for them to interact with Hope. "But I did want to at least get you out of the suitcase."

Sam then walked over to me, digging around for her own suitcase. Sam stopped for a moment when she noticed the white and pink teddy bear in my arms.

"Uhhh… Andy…" Sam started. "You're… holding a teddy bear."

I grumbled a little. "Yes, Sam, I am aware of that. This is Hope, she was a gift that Jazz gave me, probably in hopes of getting rid of my fear of teddy bears."

"It looks like it's working then," Sam chuckled.

"Hope is… special, so don't think I won't still be watching out for Bearbert whenever he's around," I hissed.

Sam rolled her eyes before she dragged out her suitcase.

"What are you looking for?" I asked curiously.

"The book Freakshow tried to take," Sam answered as she began to rifle through her suitcase.

I blinked before nodding, realizing that it would be wise to look into that book since Freakshow seemed to have wanted it so much that he tore out a page or two from the book during the fight. I was also hoping to learn more about that crystal ball Freakshow used before to control ghosts.

Sam smirked as she pulled out violet red book. "Here it is."

I noticed that there wasn't anything on the cover, so it was likely that it was meant as some kind of journal, which made sense since Freakshow mentioned it was his grandfather's or great grandfather's journal.

"Come on, let's discuss this with the others," Sam said to me.

"Oh, alright," I said before following the goth girl back to the others.

When we rejoined the others, I noticed that some eyes were on me, likely due to me holding Hope.

"Ahh, good, I was hoping you brought Hope," Jazz commented. "I wanted you to continue your self therapy regarding your teddy bear issue."

"Jaaaaazz…" I couldn't help but whine as I looked at Juliette.

"Oh… woops," Jazz sheepishly chuckled.

"Do not worry, Andy," Juliette assured. "Everyone has issues they deal with on a daily basis. It speaks highly of you and your personality to see you working to rid yourself of your limitations."

"I… never thought I'd see the day Andy would hold a teddy bear willingly," Tucker gaped before he pulled out his phone and took a picture of me. "I'm so keeping this."

"If you're keeping it, you should keep it private," Sam said in a warning tone as she looked at Tucker. "Like Juliette was implying, nobody should be judged because of their issues."

"I totally agree." Jazz nodded sagely.

Danny rolled his eyes a little. "Okay, Andy is holding onto a teddy bear, can we move on now?"

"Right, sorry," Sam chuckled sheepishly before she opened the book she was holding. "What exactly should I be looking for?"

"Maybe anything that looks like that weird glove he had on?" I suggested.

"Actually, maybe you could look for that crystal ball that controlled Danny?" Jazz suggested quietly so our parents wouldn't hear. "I'm… still worried there might be some kind of lingering effect on him."

"Come on, Jazz, I'm fine," Danny groaned.

Though I couldn't help but feel worried myself, while I know I made sure to use that time staff to go back to before Desiree used that mist to fuse with him, I still couldn't help but get this nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, it was possible that Danny may not be completely cured of whatever that mist or crystal ball did to him.

"I think I saw a page on orb like artifacts when I was first looking at this book," Sam remarked as she opened the book and began to flip through the pages. "Perhaps I can find it again."

Sam was flipping through the book for a minute or two before she stopped and looked up.

"I believe I found it," Sam informed.

"Really?" I asked as all of us looked at Sam.

"Yeah," Sam answered before she turned the book over to let us look at the picture. I shivered, recognizing the crystal ball all too well. "It seems the crystal ball that affected Danny is called the Crimson Orb of Control."

Sam turned the book back towards her and began to read out some of the information. "Let's see… oh… what this? Origin of Artifact: Unknown. Notes: 'I've theorized that the crystal orb doesn't originate from this dimension, let alone this world. There are… sensations that come from it that could only be described as magic, and that has not existed in this world for more than a millenia. The mist inside the orb seems to react differently to being touched in different ways, which makes me believe that is sentient or somewhat sentient, which furthers my belief that this is something from a different dimension or reality.'. Wow… this guy must've had a screw loose or something, considering he believed it was an object from another dimension."

"Well, it's not completely impossible," Tucker spoke up. "We've pretty much confirmed there are different realms after all, with the Ghost Zone, not to mention their lairs and domains also lead into different realms themselves. So maybe the guy might not have been too far off the mark to think the artifact came from another dimension."

"Tucker's right, anything could be possible," I agreed. "We don't know that much about the Ghost Zone or the different realms it has. Why not a different reality or dimension as well?" Heck we all thought time travel was impossible, until Clockwork came along.

"The reason I don't trust that it's from a different dimension or reality is because the book was written by Freakshow's great grandfather or something," Sam explained before she pointed at a signature at the bottom 'Frederich Isak Showenhower I'.

"I see where Freakshow got his name from," I mumbled.

"Does the book say anything about how or why it's able to control ghosts, and if there's any side effects or long lasting effects?" Jazz asked in concern.

Sam flipped the page. "Hmmm... well it says here that it's able to control ghosts by… 'injecting your will into the orb, which the orb extends out to susceptible ethereal creatures'. As for side effects… I'm not sure you'd like to actually know…"

That made me feel even more uneasy.

"I think you should tell us, leaving us to our own conclusion after a statement like that is pretty dangerous," I pointed out.

I noticed Danny was frowning more, but he didn't say anything.

Sam let out a sigh. "'There are a wide variety of side effects from what I have observed. With prolonged exposure, some ethereal beings become dependant on the energy of the orb. Some who have been controlled for a long time will experience psychosis or complete vegetation of the mind if they are disconnected from the orb. Over short and long periods of time, depending on the ethereal being, the being will become weak willed, submissive, obedient. Some beings that were simply controlled for a short period of time became obsessed with the energy of the orb and practically begged to be controlled. Depending on the amount of energy sent out from the orb or the amount of will injected into the orb, those controlled by it can become bloodthirsty, savage, violent… essentially the ethereal beings can become corrupted by the energy. Further study will have to take place later, I am off to search for yet another artifact of great power, a pendant that is supposed to make a man as powerful as a god.'. And that's what it says in regards to side effects…"

By the end of the explanation, I was sure I was five shades whiter due to most of my blood leaving my face. That sounded way too similar to Corrupted Danny, so much so that it made too much painful sense. Still… I shouldn't have to worry about it, since that mist never fused with him in this timeline. The journal didn't mention anything about the mist inside the orb fusing with another, so I guess Freakshow's great grandfather couldn't have known what would happen if it did fuse with another being, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Danny is Danny, and he's fine. He doesn't seem to be dependent on that crystal ball's energy or anything.

I glanced over at Danny, who looked troubled himself. I could only guess he was having similar thoughts to the ones I was having, especially due to the fact that we were the only ones, aside from Clockwork, who remembered the Corrupted Danny incident.

"Hmmm… I definitely need to study this book more," Sam said as she flipped through the pages and stopped on one of the entries. "I mean look at this, there's an entry on an actual guide on magic that anyone could use to tap into powers that have been lost for millennia."

"But that's impossible, magic doesn't exist, at least not anymore," Jazz spoke up.

"I'm just glad Juliette and Scarlet weren't here when Freakshow had his crystal ball with him," I sighed. "That would not have been fun, nope."

"I am glad as well," Juliette chimed in. "After all, it sounds like the affects of the orb may have caused Scarlet to end up like… hm… perhaps that is what happened to Vesper."

Tucker, Sam, and Jazz all looked up, confused.

"Who's Vesper?" Jazz asked.

"She's the name of the black knight who was fighting in the colosseum in the… um…" I hesitated, looking at Tucker, knowing he didn't like to be reminded of what happened during the Duul Aman incident. "She's pretty much Scarlet's opposite, she might be just as strong, if not stronger, than Scarlet though."

Juliette gave a small nod. "I do hate to admit it, but I do believe Vesper is in fact stronger than Scarlet, at least when it pertains to brute strength. Scarlet has a wider variety of skills and strategies that she can employ, however."

Danny shivered. "I… fought with her before. I don't think she was even close to using her full strength against me, she seemed like she was… testing me when we fought, and she… liked whatever it is she saw. It's been creeping me out since then."

"If you have gained her interested, then we should all be on guard," Juliette agreed. "After all, Vesper is quite… let us just say that you don't want to see her get serious. Even when she was a holy knight, Vesper was quite terrifying to her enemies."

I frowned, remembering Vesper's challenge to come for Danny, and possibly either Scarlet or Juliette. It was something that I've tried to be on the lookout for, but Vesper had been pretty quiet since then.

"So what did you mean by 'perhaps that's what happened to Vesper'?" I asked, bringing back the topic Juliette started when she mentioned that black knight.

"I am worried that perhaps she was under the control of the orb at one point," Juliette explained. "Due to how strong her will is, it would've taken quite a lot to overwhelm and control her. It is possible that the will that was 'injected into the orb' was enough to cause corruption in Vesper. As for the part about being obsessed with the energy of the orb, perhaps that is why Vesper seeks to gain more and more power, because she wants to feed an obsession that is not being fed as she is no longer getting the energy of the orb. Of course, this is all just a theory."

I noticed Danny looking worried and somber about something, and I noticed he lifted up a hand to his chest, grabbing his shirt a bit. I wanted to know what Danny was thinking about, but he didn't seem like he wanted to share whatever thoughts were going through his head right now.

"Perhaps we should look at what page Freakshow stole," Tucker suggested in concern, seeing Danny's worry and pain.

"Good idea," Sam agreed, likely noticing Danny's worry and pain as well, and she started flipping the pages.

"Are you okay, Danny?" Jazz asked in concern.

I gave Danny a worried look of my own.

"Y… yeah… I was just… thinking about something," Danny softly answered, still holding onto his chest before he looked up at the group. "It… sounded like Freakshow's ancestor had used that orb on a lot of ghosts… and I can't help but feel a bit of pain as I think of how many of them were tortured and experimented on just to get the data that was on that page."

While I agreed with Danny that what he said sounded horrible, I couldn't help but feel like that wasn't quite the truth. From the looks of Jazz's expression, Jazz didn't either, but she just nodded to Danny, knowing it was best not to push it.

"Welp, I found the torn out section," Sam informed as she turned around the book revealing a page with a yellow gemstone picture.

After we all saw the picture, Sam turned the book back to her. "Let's see… If I put together the reference of the next page, which is a gemstone similar to this picture that is called the 'Gem of Fantasy' and the bit of text that is still here, this gem is called the 'Gem of Forr'...? No… that doesn't sound… oh, it's the 'Gem of Form'. There is another page missing before, which may be another gemstone as the description on the next page says the gemstones are a set of 4 that each have different powers. The Gem of Fantasy is apparently supposed to be able to alter anything that comes into contact with the gem. Let's see… 'When using this on a costumed buffoon, the buffoon actually transformed to fit the costume of the scarecrow that they were wearing. Their body shifted to be made of hay and their head became a burlap sack. However, despite the transformation, the being could still move and speak. More research needs to be done.'."

"Wow… it sounds like the… Gem of Fantasy can turn you into anything you want," Tucker commented. "Imagine if I wore a superhero costume, I'd be a real superhero with all of their powers!"

"Considering the name of the gem is 'Fantasy', I'm guessing it's meant to make a person's dreams real or something to that affect. People wearing costumes are often imagining themselves as whatever they're wearing," I theorized before frowning. "That's pretty powerful on its own, but it's apparently a part of a set?"

Sam gave a nod. "It makes mention of how there are 4 gemstones that need to be brought together and activated in a certain order to… oh wow… Apparently if the 4 gems are brought together and activated in a certain sequence, it gives the wielder of the gems complete control over all reality."

All of us stared at Sam after she said this.

"And… the next few pages seem to be notes of attempted sequences that all failed," Sam added as she flipped the pages.

"First of all, what!? Second, who would make an artifact that would make one ruler of all reality?" I frantically questioned.

"It could have been meant to be able to counteract a doomsday scenario," Tucker theorized. "After all, if the world was ending, having control of reality would let one stop the apocalyptic event."

"Considering how many apocalyptic events I've been through, that hasn't turned out so well, and someone could very easily abuse that power!" I hissed.

"You technically haven't been through apocalyptic events as the world still exists," Juliette pointed out. "What you have experienced are near apocalyptic events."

I didn't care for technicalities, I'd seen and experienced the end of the world twice in one lifetime, and I didn't want to go through it again, especially knowing that Freakshow was interested in becoming ruler of all reality. But to make it worse, both of those apcalyspe were caused by Danny...

"Still, if it was meant to counteract some kind of doomsday scenario, with the gems scattered, and nobody knows about the sequence to unlock their full power, then it's kind of useless as a doomsday prevention." Danny frowned.

"Unless the beings that created it are still around someone, and they have access to the code," Juliette replied. "Perhaps the creators of the gemstones reside in the far corners of the Ghost Zone. Some stories I've heard say that there are ghosts and beings in the Ghost Zone that make Pariah Dark look like the Box Ghost or… what was that one boy called… Poindexter?"

"I… would not ever want to meet those ghosts," I cringed.

"I would like to add this; we don't know if Freakshow is, in fact, after the gemstones," Juliette remarked as she pointed out there were other pages that were hanging loosely from the book as Sam flipped through it. "There are multiple entries that are missing and damaged. He could've been after any of those."

"I can't find that weird glove Freakshow had on his arm in here… so it's possible he ripped that out too," Sam sighed.

"So we don't know for sure what Freakshow is even after." Danny frowned before he groaned. "Great, for all we know he could be going after a stupid pacasso painting."

"I think you mean Picasso," Jazz corrected. "And I doubt any of those paintings would be a target for someone after artifacts. Paintings don't tend to have any powers to them. Most artifacts that have power are designed to be worn or held."

"I was being sarcastic, Jazz," Danny sighed.

"With the fact that you don't know what Freakshow is after, you'll have to wait to run into him again," Juliette said as she sat back in her chair. "For now, it may be best for you all to focus on your vacation, as you so rarely get them."

"That's true, we've gotten used to having to be on our guard all the time that it's unusual to relax and just have a vacation," I chuckled.

"It looks like we're already reaching our first stop," Sam stated as she closed the book and pointed out the window at a restaurant. "Pay up, Tucker."

"I knew I shouldn't have bet that we'd stop at a gas station first…" Tucker grumbled as he dug his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out a $10 bill, which Sam promptly snatched from Tucker's hand.

"You guys bet on where we would stop first?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Yep~" Sam smirked. "I said restaurant while Tucker said gas station or a small store to buy snacks."

"I always lose these bets," Tucker grumbled.

"If that's the case, then why do you accept the bets in the first place?" Jazz inquired.

"Because Sam always offers way more to me than I have to offer back," Tucker answered. "Had I won, Sam would've given me a grand."

We looked at Sam.

"Hey, what can I say? It's fun to play bets with Tucker." Sam smirked. "And who knows? One of these days, he might just win."

I rolled my eyes before chuckling.

---

I was looking at everyone in disbelief.

"So why are we camping instead of stopping at a motel or something for the night?" I questioned for the uptenth time.

Mom and Dad were fixing up the tents that we were going to sleep in. They made three tents, one for themselves, another for the girls, and another for the boys. The tents were a replica of our house, and they had plenty of room to fit more than three people comfortably.

"Because it's summer vacation and you should be enjoying the fresh air of nature," Mom answered. "Besides, going to hotels and motels all throughout the trip will cost a lot more than simply camping."

"Couldn't we just sleep in the RV?" I asked.

"If you want, you can sleep in the RV," Dad offered. "However, we're not going to come wake you when it's time for breakfast like we will if you're camping out here with us."

"Is there a problem with camping?" Juliette asked, looking confused. "Is this not a common practice when on long journeys between two locations?"

"Andy really doesn't like camping," Danny answered. "We haven't exactly have the best experience with camping in the past."

I frowned. "I don't see how anyone could like camping. You got the annoying bugs, it's hot outside, or cold if you decide to camp in the winter, not to mention the mosquitoes that will feast on you all night long even with bug spray, if you're not careful, you could pick up poison ivy, you might get bitten by a snake, touch poisonous mushrooms or frogs, or fall in a river, or step in something nasty that you can never get rid of, and if you camp during the spring, you'll be bombarded with pollen, and bees, and-"

Juliette began giggling a little, unintentionally interrupting me.

"What's so funny?" I asked, frowning more.

"Those problems are so mundane compared to how camping used to be," Juliette commented. "In the past you had to worry about wolves, bandits, highwaymen, thieves, sickness from not cooking your food correctly, and so much more. This iteration of camping is quite a bit more luxurious and it's truly not something that should be complained about."

"You probably shouldn't have said that," Jazz sighed.

"Danny, maybe I should stay up and take the first watch to make sure there aren't any wolves or thieves in the area," I quickly suggested.

"Andy, bro, relax, alright? There aren't any wolves here, we would've heard them, and thieves… I highly doubt there are any here," Danny assured.

Juliette shook her head. "You have nothing to worry about. Besides, your parents said something about setting up perimeter defenses to prevent wild animals and trespassers from getting close."

"I can't say I like camping either," Tucker grumbled. "There isn't any electricity out here, and there isn't any Wi-Fi out here either. I'm getting no bars for my cell phone."

"I think camping's great." Sam smiled. "It gives us a chance to connect with nature."

"And it's also a great time to view the stars without all the light pollution," Danny added.

"That is one thing I find so strange about the world these days," Juliette commented. "I understand the fear of the dark, but to create so much light that you are actually dimming out the natural light of the world… it's sad, unnatural, and actually unhealthy."

Tucker looked like he wanted to say something to that, but he held back. I noticed that Tucker was still having problems with trying to talk to Juliette directly.

"I have plenty of bug spray if you're still worried about the bugs, Andy," Jazz spoke up.

"I've already drenched myself with bug spray, anymore and I don't think I'll be able to breathe," I grumbled.

"Oh, stop complaining and try to enjoy yourself," Jazz sighed. "Camping's not so bad if you stop focusing on the negative."

"Does anyone need help with anything?" Juliette offered. "I would love to learn the more modern style of camping."

"Sure thing, Juliette, you can help me set up this last tent," Mom spoke up with a smile. "Jack can go get the stuff ready for dinner. It'll take some time to make dinner since we'll be cooking dinner the old fashioned way instead of using any microwave technology."

Juliette smiled as she walked over to Mom. "If you'd like, I could try to assist in getting some fresh fish. I heard a river not too far away when I was out collecting sticks for the fire."

"Funny you should mention fish," Dad spoke up with a grin. "I was thinking about taking a canoe and going out onto the nearby lake to fish."

"Then perhaps we should split up after I help set up this last tent?" Juliette suggested. "You can catch the lake dwelling fish while I go after river fish."

"That sounds like a great idea! You know how to fish?" Dad asked curiously.

Juliette gave a small, solemn smile and nod. "Yes… I learn from both my father and a formerly close guardian a long time ago."

I could tell Mom and Dad were a little somber when Juliette mentioned her father and her former guardian.

"Well, do you want to go fish alone or would you like someone to go with you?" Mom asked.

"Hmmm…" Juliette looked at Mom. "Do you prefer the silent type of fishing? Where there isn't much conversation? As that is what I tend to go with due to the fact that noise can easily scare off fish."

I looked over at Tucker for a moment, wondering if it would be a good idea for him to go with Juliette just so he might feel a little more comfortable around her again.

"That's actually the type of fishing I prefer," Mom stated in response. "Fishing in silence allows one to relax, get their mind off their worries, and simply drift off until there's a bite on the line."

Juliette smiled at that. "Then I would love to have you come with me. I'm sure we can get more than enough fish for tonight and perhaps for the next few days that you can put into the food preservation box."

"You mean the fridge?" Mom asked.

Juliette blushed a little before she nodded. "Yes. I have an occasional habit where I say things or refer to things in a much more complicated manner than necessary."

"Alright, so does anyone want to go fishing with me?" Dad asked, looking at the rest of us, and it surprised me at how fast Dad changed into his fishing gear.

"I'll go!" Danny volunteered. "It'll be a great time to relax out in the lake while fishing with my old man."

Dad gave a big grin at that. "Yes, yes it will, son. What about you, Andy, Jazz?"

I knew Danny only volunteered because going out into the lake around this time was one of the best time for him to go stargazing. The stars would also reflect off the water's reflection, giving the illusion that they were floating in the sky. It was heaven for Danny, but for me it only felt disorientating.

"No thanks, I'll stick around here," I denied.

"I'll be staying as well," Jazz replied.

"Same," Sam chimed in. "I've already nominated myself to be the one to start and tend to the fire. Besides, fishing isn't my thing… I rather not pull them out of the water."

"It's part of nature for them to be pulled out of the water," Tucker pointed out with a small chuckle. "After all, that's how a lot of eagles and hawks and birds of prey get fish."

"That's how they do it, not me," Sam shrugged.

"Maybe we should also get some fruit and edible plants for you," Jazz remarked.

"Oh, I already got that covered," Sam informed. "When Juliette, Danny, and I were getting sticks and logs, I made sure to harvest some edible, non-poisonous berries and plants."

I was already finding myself scratching my arms. Stupid mosquitoes...

"I take it you'll be holed up inside the RV, Andy?" Dad asked as he watched me scratch at my arms.

"For now. If you need me, I'll be in the RV, drowning myself," I grumbled as I went towards the RV.

"That means you get to help with the gutting and deboning of the fish when we get back," Mom informed.

I wanted to scream. I really hated gutting and deboning the fish. I hated camping in general.

---

Despite my hatred of gutting and deboning the fish, I still stayed holed up in the RV until Mom, Dad, Danny, and Juliette got back from fishing. I was surprised at the large hull Mom and Juliette brought back, it was enough to feed ten families or so.

"You know you don't have to help," I said as I stood beside Juliette who was helping me to gut and debone the fish.

"I don't have to, but I want to," Juliette responded. "I know that I've already done a bit of work tonight, but I really don't like sitting around doing nothing. I did way too much of that in the past."

I noticed that Sam was focusing on the campfire, not that I blame her, she really didn't want to watch us gutting and deboning the fish, I wouldn't watch it if I didn't have to do it. Tucker was talking to Danny about something. Jazz was helping Mom with cooking some of the fish and other side dishes for the dinner we were having tonight.

"One good thing about you and Mom catching all these fish is that Andy won't have to do any more gutting or deboning after this," Danny noted as he walked over, finishing his conversation with Tucker. "With all this fish, we should be good for the rest of the summer."

"Except for Sam, who refuses to eat any fish," I pointed out.

"Before we leave tomorrow, I'll probably go out and gather some more berries and perhaps some wild fruit for her," Juliette informed. "Heh… maybe even tonight considering I don't actually need to sleep all that much."

"You can be on the lookout for anything dangerous or suspicious," I suggested.

"That isn't necessary, bro," Danny sighed. "Nothing is going to sneak up on us in the middle of the night. Mom and Dad set up alarms around the campsite to wake us up if any wild animals get close and they have some of their weapons in the tent with them."

"That's just great, that totally makes me feel better," I grumbled as I felt another sense of itchiness on the back of my neck. One of these days I'm going to destroy all these mosquitoes with fire!

---

When I was finally done with gutting and deboning all the fish, most of which was done by Juliette, I started to relax for a bit while dinner was cooking. The first thing I did was wash my hands thoroughly, twice, and then I went back inside to escape the swarm of mosquitoes that decided to target me and only me. When I got inside the RV, I pulled out a small handheld game system I had brought with me and booted it up.

"You're not going to join the rest of your friends and family?" Hope asked me from her spot on one of the seats where I had put her, since I didn't want her to get dirty outside.

"Not right now. I'm not much of an outdoor person," I answered with a huff. "I might just sleep in here tonight instead… the stupid mosquitoes seem to have it out for me."

"Perhaps the fact that you dislike them so much is what brings them in," Hope chuckled. "Though, more likely, the fact that you dislike them is what makes you notice when they bite you more easily."

"Maybe, but I really can't stand them, nor do I like camping," I stated. "It's just not something I like. I'm surprised Tucker is able to stay out there like that. But I think he's mostly trying to figure out how to talk to Juliette again. Ever since that pharaoh incident, the two of them have been… kind of quiet with each other."

"Well, he did chain her up and essentially forced her to be his queen from what you told me," Hope pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," I sighed. "But I don't want them to be like that forever around each other. I'm hoping maybe they'll work things out during this trip."

"It might not happen during this trip, but they won't stay like this forever," Hope assured. "This is one of those wounds that time can heal. It'll only be counterproductive to try and force them to speak to one another."

"Yeah, that's why I haven't been trying to get them to talk, but I still can't help but worry a little, especially for Tucker. He probably took what had happened the hardest out of all of us, even if he tries to hide it," I replied softly before giving a small chuckle. "I think all of us are a bit of a mess."

Hope gave a soft chuckle of her own as I started to focus on the game I was playing.

After a while, someone came into the RV. I paused the game and looked up to see it was my sister.

"Is dinner ready already?" I asked, a bit surprised since I thought it would take longer to cook dinner with the campfire.

"Not yet, no," Jazz answered. "Juliette is showing Mom how to cook the fish besides simply throwing it in a pan and spicing it."

I couldn't help but give a chuckle. "I guess with old fashion camping, Juliette's the expert."

"Well considering Juliette is quite literally a walking encyclopedia on 'old fashioned', it makes sense," Jazz pointedly replied with a small laugh.

"I won't argue with you there," I said back, before frowning a little. "So then… why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk with you and see how you're doing," Jazz explained as she sat down on the couch near Hope. "I wanted to see how A, your teddy bear issue is coming along. And B, I wanted to try and really get to the root of your problem with camping."

I gave a sigh. "I like Hope, she's like a friend I can talk to in bed during the night, but I still wouldn't touch Bearbert with a ten foot pole. As for 'B', I already gave you a big list to my problems with camping, what more do you want? That I have some kind of childhood trauma from camping? Well, I don't, I just don't like camping, so don't bother with trying to analyze me for something as stupid as that."

"You might have some childhood trauma," Jazz pointed out. "After all, Fenton family camping trips were anything but normal."

"You're right, Jazz, maybe it was due to being swarmed by blood suckers, almost drowning in a lake, getting lost in the woods when it was raining, and crying my eyes out when I thought I heard wolves howling but it turned out to be the neighbor's dog," I scowled in annoyance.

"One thing that would help with mosquitoes is if you don't have candies before going outside," Jazz stated as she pointed at the small bag of fruit flavored candy next to me. "Some studies have shown that mosquitoes go after people who have 'sweeter blood'."

I eyed the small bag of candy for a moment. "What can I say? Danny and I have a sweet tooth, though I don't see the mosquitoes bothering him as much. I'm also a little concerned about the mosquitoes sucking our blood, considering that our blood also has bits of ectoplasm in them. I'm not sure what that would do to mosquitoes, I'd rather not have to deal with another swarm of ghost mosquitoes, you know how fun that was when ghost mosquitoes invaded the school and turned everyone into- … you know… you were pretty much just a head at the time."

Jazz rolled her eyes a little at that. "Considering I've seen quite a few mosquitoes on the ground, enough where it's noticeable with how many are on the ground, near where you and Danny were, my guess is that the mosquitoes can't handle the combination of blood and ectoplasm and it kills them."

"Really? There were dead mosquitoes on the ground around us?" I asked, surprised by this information. I didn't notice, I was just annoyed to keep getting bitten by them.

"Yep," Jazz confirmed. "Enough that I think a lot of the remaining mosquitoes flew away because their self preservation instincts told them that they were in a dangerous area."

I couldn't help but give a smirk of triumph there. Those mosquitoes totally deserved that.

"But I'm sure it's not just the mosquitoes that's keeping you from leaving the RV," Jazz spoke up, sounding a bit somber. "I know you wouldn't just let some annoying blood suckers keep you from spending time with your friends and family on this once in a lifetime trip with all of us together."

"It's just camping, I'll have plenty of time to spend with them once we're back on the road, and actually stay indoors like sane people." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, indoors, where exciting things rarely happen," Jazz countered before she stood up. "Look, I think that if you come out, you'll enjoy yourself. However, you're free to stay in here. Though if you do, don't come complaining to me if you regret not joining us later on."

"Even if I do leave the comforts of the RV, what am I going to do out there other than wait for dinner to finish cooking?" I asked.

"You could talk with your friends and Danny, you could tell stories around the campfire, maybe enjoy the sounds of nature, or just enjoy nature in general. I know you're not anti-nature, Andy, you used to love being around nature," Jazz pointed out. "Danny loves stargazing, but you used to enjoy sitting beside him and watching the stars yourself. You shouldn't let a few bad camping experiences keep you away from enjoying what you used to love."

"It was several bad experiences," I grumbled before I saved my game and turned off the system. "But I can already tell that you'll guilt me a lot about this later, even if it's not directly. I'll go back out, but don't expect me to enjoy it."

"If you're going to go back out, don't go out with the mindset of 'oh, this is crud, I'm not going to enjoy it'," Jazz firmly remarked as she walked over to the RV door. "Because if you go out with that mindset, you definitely won't be able to enjoy yourself."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, still annoyed that I was going back outside.

---

While I was sitting near the campfire with everyone else, Dad started telling us a campfire story, which was surprisingly a true story. Dad told us how he and Mom saw a real ghost during their college days, back when Vlad was still their friend. He told us how much it scared them, yet fascinated them to know that ghosts were real after all, making them even more determined than ever to create a portal into the Ghost Zone.

Once Dad was finished telling us the story, it was Mom's turn to tell us a story. Mom's story was about a legend of the 'wolf man', half man, half wolf, that lived in these woods. Some campers would disappear mysteriously at night, never to be seen again, but they would always hear a wolf's howl just before the campers disappear.

"Have you been to these woods before, Mrs. Fenton?" Juliette inquired at the end of the story.

"No, I can't say that I have," Mom answered. "I rarely ever get to go camping these days."

"Then how did you learn about the story of the wolf man?" Juliette asked.

"It's actually a common campfire story," Danny spoke up. "The storyteller will always talk about some kind of legendary monster or creature that's roaming in the very same place they're camping in to make it scarier, it also helps with the immersion."

"Ahh, I see," Juliette acknowledged. "So scary stories are a way to enrich the camping experience?"

"Yup, most of the time anyways," Sam answered. "It doesn't have to be a scary story, though personally I prefer scary campfire stories."

The was a sudden ding from around Mom.

"Oh, that's the dinner timer," Mom said as she reached back and grabbed a small ghost shaped cooking timer. "Alrighty everyone, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner."

"Are we still going to tell stories while we eat?" Tucker asked. "Because I've got a good one to share."

"If you want, go ahead," Dad responded as he stood up and walked over to the RV.

When Dad got to the RV, he hit a button on the side and a small sink basin and soap dispenser popped out of the wall.

Juliette looked rather shocked when she saw that. "How…?"

"It's Fenton technology, it's probably best not to question it," Jazz chuckled sheepishly.

---

I had to admit, the cooked fish, berries, and nuts that we were having for dinner were a lot tastier than I expected. I just hoped I wouldn't find out I'm allergic to one of them later on.

Tucker began to tell his story about robots taking over the Earth. I wasn't surprised when Tucker told that story, it was always one of his favorites. After Tucker was Jazz, who told a story that was actually true, but she claimed was only a story from her imagination. The fact that the school psychologist was actually an emotion sucking ghost who was planning to kill the most positive kid in the school, and make everyone else as miserable as possible. I guess Jazz told that story because it was the day Jazz and I discovered Danny's secret of being half ghost. I noticed Danny was a bit nervous when Jazz told that story, but Mom and Dad seemed to enjoy the story since it went with their mindset of all ghosts being evil.

Next, it was Sam's turn. Sam's story really creeped me out, but being that she was goth, that shouldn't surprise me. She talked about a dark mansion that would eat people once they entered inside, nobody would ever hear from the people that go into the mansion again. But some say that the mansion will keep a few people alive, and those people will become the mansion's puppet, doing all of its bidding, and inviting unsuspecting people into the mansion as its next meal. I was a little more wary with mansions after that.

Then it was Juliette's turn. However, instead of telling a cliche scary campfire story like the ones that were told all the time in this day and age, Juliette told a story of an ancient creature known as a lich. She explained that a lich was a creature of darkness, but in order to get to its victims easier, the specific lich acted as a being of kindness and generosity. The lich gave gifts and granted miracles with its power, however each gift and miracle that was granted was eventually doomed to go horribly wrong. After a whole bunch of miracles turned tragedies, a nearby kingdom hunted down the lich. A fight ensued, and the lich was all but defeated. Then the lich said something that made all the warriors freeze in their tracks. The lich then suddenly vanished after saying its last words, a promise that it would one day return and wreak havoc and get its vengeance. Juliette explained how once every year in a certain spot where the lich's home was said to be, an apparition of unholy purple fire would float on top of a hill, surveying the area nearby, giving the lich the proper information they would need for when they would strike once more.

I couldn't help but notice a similarity between the lich and Desiree, though the lich sounded like it was ten times worse than Desiree was. I also wondered what the apparition of unholy purple fire would look like, I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before. Probably for the best, since I'd rather this 'lich' didn't come back in this day and age if the story turned out to be true.

After Juliette's story, it was Danny's turn. Though Danny was trying to think of a story. I found myself listening to the crickets chirping, and the sounds of the river that wasn't too far away, it was actually soothing.

Danny finally got a story, and he began telling it. The story was about a group of campers telling scary stories, but as they were telling the stories, the creatures from those stories were coming to life. By the time the final story was told, the campers found themselves surrounded by the monsters from their stories. There was no escape from them. This actually got Dad, Tucker, myself, and Juliette to look around us to make sure that monsters from our stories didn't suddenly come into existence. Danny was chuckling.

Then it was my turn. I hesitated, not sure what kind of story I should tell. Then an idea came to me when I saw some of the dead mosquitoes around me. I told them the story of a giant mosquito that flew from city to city, searching for its victims. However, one day, the military managed to use specialized missiles to destroy the giant mosquito once and for all, or so they thought. The missiles caused the mosquito to explode, but instead of that being the end, it exploded into millions of smaller mosquitoes, swarms that were intelligent, and coordinated. There wasn't much the military could do as they weren't equipped to deal with swarms of intelligent mosquitoes. The mosquitoes then began to spread into the nearest city, infecting people with a mutating virus. The virus will turn people into horrified creatures, unable to control themselves. Of course, this only created chaos, the mosquitoes knew that these people needed a leader, so they made one. They didn't create a leader out of thin air, however, they infected a boy. But they didn't just give the boy a regular mutating virus, they instead, went inside the boy themselves. Turning the boy into a powerful, intelligent being, who now had the power to rule over those infected with the virus to do his bidding. The boy then had the rest of the mosquito swarms infect the rest of the world.

I looked up to see the reactions of how the story was going so far and stopped on Juliette when I saw that there were no mosquitoes flying around her. I also noticed Danny was looking a little uneasy.

I continued the story, explaining that the boy knew that in order for the species to survive there needed to be a queen. The boy had chosen to spare a girl, who happened to be a close friend of the boy before the mosquitoes changed him. The boy, seeing that there were no other options besides her, went to the girl and asked her to be the queen of their species. The girl was hesitant at first, but noticed that she was the only one of her kind left, that she was all alone. Not wanting to be alone, the girl accepted the boy's offer. The mosquitoes flew into the girl, much like how they did with the boy, and she became the queen of the species. The Earth was completely different now, ruled by mosquitoes and the mutated people.

By the time I got to the end of the story, everyone had quite the reaction. Tucker shivered at the idea of the world being ruled by mosquitoes instead of robots, Sam seemed to be okay with the idea though, which disturbed me a little, Jazz looked like she was looking for the nearest bug spray. Mom was feeling itchy, and Dad was looking out for mosquitoes now.

Juliette, however, seemed a bit intrigued and not at all scared or itchy. I could only guess that was because she was all ghost and she knew the mosquitoes had no interest in her.

Danny's reaction was the most interesting and concerning as he looked quite pale and nervous. I could only guess Danny was easily drawing the parallels between my story and the time he became corrupted. I couldn't help but frown to myself, only now realizing that the story I told may have been heavily influenced by Corrupted Danny. Maybe I shouldn't have told that story. I might have just dug up some painful memories for Danny...

"Well… as that was the last story of the night, we should all start getting ready to turn in," Dad said as he stood up from his comfy folding chair.

"Yeah, it is getting late," Mom agreed. "Now remember, kids, the tent on the right is our's. You'll have to choose among yourselves who gets the tent in the middle and the tent to the left. Remember, girls and boys have their own tents."

All of us nodded to Mom and Dad.

"Where do you girls want to sleep? It's only fair that we be the gentlemen and let you girls pick," Tucker suggested, though not making eye contact with Juliette.

"I'd prefer the one on the left," Jazz spoke up. "I'd prefer to be a good distance from Dad and his snoring."

"Good call, I'd never get any sleep if we slept right next to Mr. Fenton's earthquake of a snoring," Sam agreed.

"I'll actually probably sleep out under the stars," Juliette informed. "There's not going to be any rain and I like to fall asleep while looking up at the stars."

Most of us figured Juliette was probably not going to sleep as she didn't need to sleep as much as did. Despite that, from what I could tell, Juliette could still sleep if she wanted to.

"Alright, you sleep wherever you're most comfortable, just don't go too far from the campsite," Mom stated.

"Then I guess the middle tent is our's," Tucker chuckled.

"Yeah," Danny agreed, though he sounded distracted.

I frowned a little, really wishing I didn't tell that story. But I could only sigh, this wasn't the best time to talk to Danny about it right now.

"Alright, we'll see you guys in the morning then," Sam said with a yawn.

Everyone said their goodnights before we each headed into our tents.

---

I couldn't help but laugh as Danny refused to stop flying in the night sky.

"Come on, bro, we can't stay out here all night, even we have to sleep at some point," I chuckled as I flew beside him.

"But the stars as so beautiful out here!" Danny whined a little. "I mean, back home we rarely get to see the stars due to all the light pollution. I want to take every second I can to fly in such a beautiful sky."

"You can fly in the beautiful night sky again later, after all, we're likely going to be camping a lot on this trip," I pointed out before yawning. "We've been out here for a while though, if we stay out too long, everyone will worry."

Danny let out a loud sigh before he stopped and turned to me. "Alright, we can go back. You're getting tired and it probably wouldn't be a smart idea to worry everyone."

I nodded to Danny, relieved that we were going back to the campsite to get some sleep. I had to admit that I loved flying out here with him, but I was getting tired, and as much as I loved the beauty of the night sky, I wasn't as passionate about it as Danny was. Both of us headed back, going towards our campsite, and landed near our tent.

"Do you think Tucker woke up at all while we were away?" I whispered in curiosity.

"Knowing Tuck, he's probably out like a light," Danny responded quietly.

"Yeah, Tuck is quite a heavy sleeper," I agreed.

"Seriously, if he slept any deeper, he'd be getting close to being comatose," Danny softly joked.

Danny and I then reverted back to our human selves with a flash of light. I've always wondered why we both have such bright rings of light to change us between our forms, yet Vlad has a much darker black ring whenever he changed.

But something alarmed me when I heard a sudden gasp of shock coming from our right. I looked over, and felt my blood leaving my face when I saw Mom was looking right at us. Oh… no…

"Danny, Andy!? What… you two just…!?" Mom was at a loss for words as she ran over to us and started to look us over. "How… you were…?"

"M-Mom, calm down, w-we can explain!" Danny quickly said.

"Then explain," Mom demanded as she continued looking us over.

I should've figured this day would come, but not like this. We had gotten too careless.

"Um… well… we're half ghost, Mom," Danny said after some hesitation. "The portal accident, it-"

"Danny, you can't be half ghost, it's scientifically impossible!" Mom interrupted, frowning.

"You saw us transform, didn't you?" I asked. "We didn't shapeshift or anything, we are still human, but we are also ghost. What else could we be other than half human and half ghost? And it's only scientifically impossible in the defined rules of science that exist in the world right now. Just because it doesn't match what is scientifically known, doesn't mean it can't be possible."

"Fine, let's say you are half ghosts, when did you become half ghosts? Why haven't you told us about this? And what kind of affect is being half ghosts having on your bodies?" Mom questioned, keeping her tone just soft enough to not risk waking anyone else up.

"The portal accident," Danny spoke up. "It… did something to us. It caused us to become half ghost. I can't really explain how or why it happened, but I can only guess that the ghost energy or something fused with our bodies. And we're both fine, we've been half ghosts for over a year now and nothing other than having ghost powers has happened to us."

Or it half killed us somehow. But I think Danny's explanation is less of a red flag. I frowned to myself, still not sure how the process worked myself, just that it did.

"But that's impossible." Mom pointed out. "Your brother was never in the accident, Danny. So how could he be half ghost as well?"

That's… right, Mom and Dad never knew about the recreated accident Sam did after Desiree erased everyone's memories. I realized.

"Well…" Danny hesitated. "You see… something happened when we were fighting that one ghost that looks like a genie, her name is Desiree. Well… Sam made a wish, which is something Desiree is powerful enough to grant, and that kind of turned me back to normal. But in order to stop a really bad future from becoming our future, I had to become a ghost again. So… we kinda… sorta…"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Mom asked, wondering what Danny had mumbled at the end.

"We recreated the portal accident and Andy was involved the second time around," Danny answered more clearly this time.

"What!? Why would you recreate such a dangerous accident!?" Mom demanded loudly.

"Maddie… sweetie, is everything alright out there…?" Dad tiredly asked from the tent he was sharing with Mom.

Mom looked over at the tent Dad was in, before she looked back at us. She seemed to be thinking about something.

"Because it was the only way to stop ghosts from taking over the world," Danny explained. "Without me there to stop the ghosts, they would've easily overwhelmed you, Dad, and all the other ghost hunters of the world. I didn't want that to happen, so I decided to take a risk and become half ghost again. The reason Andy got involved this time was because of a skateboard… which I'm not even entirely sure why it was in the lab in the first place."

Mom sighed before she stood up. "I'm… going to talk to your father about this."

"Mom, please don't," Danny quickly begged. "The reason we didn't tell you is because we were justifiably worried about how you and Dad would react."

Mom then suddenly gave Danny a suspicious look. "How do I even know you're telling the truth? Or that you're really my son, Danny?"

"Because if we weren't telling the truth, why would we stay here and try to convince you, hm?" Danny countered, seemingly like he had thought about this scenario before. "I am willing to take a sample of my own blood and give it to you to prove to you that we are in fact your sons. And I do mean that I will take my own blood sample, in front of you if you wish, because I feel you might take advantage and try to tranquilize me."

"Mads?" Dad came out of the tent, wearing his huge pajamas. "What's going on out here? You didn't respond before."

Dad approached us, looking at us and Mom.

"Jack…" Mom started, looking hesitant and worried about something.

Danny looked at Mom with a begging expression.

I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt like everything was surreal, and like I couldn't move or speak. I felt scared, like something bad was going to happen.

Mom suddenly gave us a cold look. "Jack, get into the RV and turn the weapons online. Two ghosts are overshadowing our sons."

Danny's expression turned to a look of hurt and betrayal. Danny then looked over at me and spoke softly. "Bro… we need to go."

I wanted to say something, but it was as if something really had overshadowed me, instead of arguing, I suddenly grabbed Danny's arm and started running without wanting to. I heard Mom and Dad shouting something, but I couldn't understand what they said.

"We need to go ghost and get away!" Danny shouted. "They're not going to listen to us right now!"

"I know," I said, though I wasn't sure if it was me or whatever force was possessing me.

Both Danny and I summoned our rings of light before transforming into our ghost forms and we started to fly away.

"Maybe it's not too late. Maybe we could still convince Mom and Dad, we just have to wake up Jazz and the others, they could explain the situation," I managed to say myself.

"We need to give them some time to cool their heads," Danny stated. "When they wake up in the morning, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam will talk to them and explain everything to them. Jazz already came up with a plan for if this happened."

"But what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" I questioned.

Suddenly a beam of ecto energy flew past us, almost grazing our sides.

"Fly faster, higher, and find a spot to hole up that Mom and Dad can't find!" Danny answered.

Both of us flew as fast as we could. I could hear the RV, which was now the Fenton Assault Vehicle, chasing after us. Despite being a ground bound vehicle, they were still able to catch up to use quickly and fire more weapons at us. I heard ecto missiles being launched, and they were ecto seeking missiles. Danny and I turned around to hit the missiles with our ghost rays.

"Higher!" Danny yelled.

We started flying higher, but, despite being so high, somehow I was able to hear Mom's voice as though she was right next to me.

"Use the Fenton Dissolver, Jack! That should get rid of the ghosts in them!"

"They'll fall if we do that, Mads!" Dad responded.

"We'll catch them, Jack, but we can't let them get away with our sons!" Mom snapped, sounding desperate.

"Come on, bro, we just need to get above the clouds! They won't be able to target us up that high!" Danny guided as he continued going higher.

"Are you sure, Mads? The Fenton Dissolver has only one charge in it right now, meaning we can only fire it once," Dad double checked.

"Just let me aim it, Jack," Mom hissed.

I gasped when I looked up, seeing dark clouds approaching us. "We can't go into those clouds, Danny! We'll get struck by lightning if we do!"

Danny frowned, and stopped for a moment.

Then all of a sudden, I heard something firing from directly below us. On instinct, I moved, but Danny was right above me, and a purple beam of light struck him. I gasped in fear and worry. Danny's eyes widened as he had no visible wound, but he was bleeding, a lot. I had never seen Danny nor myself bleed that much during our battles, so it horrified me to see a mix of ectoplasm and blood coming out of him. Danny struggled to remain ghost, but he was quickly weakening by the Fenton Dissolver.

I quickly grabbed onto Danny and flew as fast as my body would let me. I could feel my tail flapping hard against the wind as I flew through the sky, hanging onto my bleeding brother.

"Don't turn back to human, Danny, whatever you do, stay awake and stay as a ghost!" I begged my brother.

I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I needed to get some help and fast. If I remembered right, Dad told us that the Fenton Dissolver was supposed to cause a ghost to start degenerating, or melt into goop. He went on and on about how it caused their bodies to become unstable and lose cohesion. I wasn't sure what kind of effects it would have on halfas, but considering Danny was losing blood as well as ectoplasm, it wasn't anything good.

I was just following my instincts as I kept flying in a certain direction, still holding onto Danny, begging him to stay awake and in ghost form. I also had to get away from our parents before they made things worse. I found myself flying into the storm clouds despite the dangers. I turned us intangible, trying to get somewhere for help.

When I looked down, coming out of the storm clouds, I realized where I had taken us. I was looking at a familiar castle, in Wisconsin. Vlad… Vlad can help us… or would he? The last time I saw him, Danny punched him away, and…

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed when I felt sudden hot pain from my back, and it caused my entire body to go numb. I began falling, still holding onto Danny.

Danny closed his eyes, a ring of light appearing on his torso.

"No! No! NO! DANNY! WAKE UP!" I screamed as I was falling. "DANNY! STAY WITH ME! DANNY!"

---

Everything was dark, and I was struggling to push away the veil of darkness. I grabbed onto whatever was on me and yanked it off, only to find myself inside the tent I was supposed to be sleeping in. I looked around in confusion, feeling myself covered in sweat. I quickly reached behind me, not feeling any nasty wounds that I likely got from a bolt of lightning. I also saw Tucker was sleeping in his own sleeping bag. I looked down at the thing in my hand, seeing it was a blanket.

Did… did everything that happened just now was only a dream? Or… a vision? It felt so real… I wanted to curl up and hug Hope, but I left Hope in the RV.

Then I looked around for Danny, wanting to prove to myself he was okay, and that it was only a nightmare, but my heart started pounding harder against my chest when I didn't see Danny anywhere. No… what if it wasn't a dream after all!?

I quickly scrambled out of the tent. The RV was still there, parked in the exact same spot as it had been earlier.

Still, I couldn't stop the feeling of anxiety and worry until I see that Danny was safe and sound. I got up on my feet, still wearing my blue pajamas, and started looking around.

I began to walk around the campsite, trying to find Danny, and hope that maybe he decided to do some late night stargazing, or wanted to eat a midnight snack in the RV. I looked in the windows of the RV, not seeing Danny anywhere inside. I looked near where the campfire was, but Danny wasn't there either. I started walking towards the lake, but stopped when I sensed a familiar ghost nearby. Looking up, I saw the ghost goat girl sitting on a tree branch.

"Juliette!" I called up. "Have you seen Danny? He wasn't in the tent."

"Danny went on a night hike to that mountain over there," Juliette informed pointing at a small mountain that wasn't too far away. "He said he wanted to set up his telescope somewhere high up. He also mentioned that he was unable to sleep due to how excited he is for the trip and the fact that he actually had a chance to truly see the night's sky."

"Okay, thanks for telling me, Juliette," I said, feeling a little more relieved, but I still needed to see Danny with my own eyes to make sure he was okay.

"I can take you there if you want," Juliette offered as she effortlessly stood up on the branch.

"No, that's okay. I just want to check on him real quick and head back to bed," I replied. "I don't want to bother you over something like this."

"It's no bother," Juliette assured. "I've already gotten all the sleep I need and I could use a little bit of exercise. Besides, I'd rather not leave you alone with your thoughts right now, considering you were crying out in your sleep."

I blinked before blushing. "You… heard me shouting in my sleep?"

"Indeed," Juliette confirmed. "It wasn't loud enough to wake up the others, but it was loud enough for me to hear."

I frowned. "I… had another dream vision… at least I think it was a dream vision. It felt too real to be a normal nightmare."

Juliette hopped to a different tree branch. "How about you tell me as we make our way to Danny?"

"Are you going to be ninja hopping from tree to tree to get there?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps~" Juliette giggled. "It does give me a better eye on the surroundings, meaning I can make sure you aren't walking towards a snake or a wolf den or something. Oh, and you don't need to worry about me setting off the alarms your parents set up around the camp. Jazz told me that Tucker reprogrammed them earlier to make sure I don't set them off."

"Alright then, let's get going then," I chuckled.

I knew it would've been faster to fly to the mountain, but I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks, especially if that was a vision I had instead of just a nightmare. While I was hiking, I was reminded why I didn't like camping. I ended up tripping on a few rocks, landed on mud, at least I hope it was mud. I got a lot of insects crawling up me. I heard the chilling howls of wolves that didn't sound that far away. And the crickets sounded far too loud to be soothing. Maybe it was just my nerves being anxious, but I wanted to get to the top of the mountain as soon as possible.

By the time I finally got to the top, I was a mess. I couldn't believe I went hiking in my pajamas, and I was pretty sure I had twigs and leaves in my hair. Juliette seemed perfectly fine though. Lucky experienced camper ghost goat girl...

"He's just up ahead," Juliette said from beside me.

I gave Juliette an annoyed and grumbling look. "Thanks." I'm crossing hiking off my list.

"Here," Juliette remarked before she reached over and helped clean me up by picking the twigs and leaves out of my hair and running her furry hands through my hair to straighten it out. "There you go, much better."

I blinked at her. "Thanks, but… you really didn't have to do that. I mean I could've gone intangible to get rid of the twigs and leaves."

"I technically did, considering I didn't warn you in time about that small drop that made you fall into that bush," Juliette responded.

"It's the camping curse, don't worry about it," I sighed before I started walking forward.

I was relieved when I saw Danny. Danny was wearing his usual clothes, so he had the smart idea to change before going on a hike, unlike me. Danny was looking through his telescope, not having noticing me or Juliette yet. I didn't see a single hint of ectoplasm or blood on him, so I could safely conclude that it was only a nightmare, or a bad future at the very least. Note to self; get rid of the Fenton Dissolver as soon as possible.

I started to turn around to leave, but Juliette stopped in front of me.

"Where are you going?" Juliette raised a brow, her arms crossed.

"I'm going back to the campsite," I answered. "I did say I was only going to check on Danny, I didn't say I'd talk to him or anything. Besides, he looks like he's having a good time, and I don't want to ruin that for him."

Juliette shook her head. "I really think you should talk to him, let him know about your dream vision. While yes, he is having a good time, it would be a good idea to let him know of your nightmare like experience."

I sighed and grumbled. Though I couldn't argue with Juliette, since she made logical sense, it would be dangerous to not warn Danny about it, especially if it was a dream vision. If Mom wasn't going to accept that we were half ghost, then it would be best if she didn't find out at all, or at least not until we know exactly how to handle the situation.

I stumbled forward, making my way towards Danny. Not for the first time, I wished I had changed out of my pajamas and the bunny slippers I was wearing. It was clear these clothes were not meant for hiking, especially as one of my bunny slippers now had a tear in it that I would need to ask Mom to fix later.

"Could you not sleep either, bro?" Danny asked without moving his head away from the telescope.

"I think the problem is I did sleep," I answered, sounding annoyed before sighing. "You look like you're having fun though. Were you able to spot anything good? Like maybe a planet or two in our solar system?"

"Oh, I spotted Mars earlier," Danny informed before he stood up and stretched out a little. "I did also see a few satellites and the ISS. Question, what did you mean by 'the problem is that you slept'?"

Danny turned to look at me and was shocked to see me, or rather how I looked. I was wearing pajamas after all, and they were muddy and messy, indicating I hiked on foot, rather than fly up here.

"And why are you in your pajamas…?" Danny raised a brow.

"Because I'm an idiot," I scowled. "But I was worried about you, and I wanted… needed to check on you. I didn't want to risk turning into a ghost in case I might… alert Mom and Dad or something. By the way, I'm crossing 'hiking' off my list of things I want to do for this vacation."

"It probably would've been easier if you were wearing proper hiking clothes," Danny noted. "Now, what about my first question? The problem that came from you sleeping."

I sighed at that. "Well… I had a nightmare… but I think that nightmare might've been a dream vision…"

Danny gave me a concerned look. "What was it about?"

"Mom found out we were half ghost, and we tried to explain the situation to her, but she… she thought we were overshadowed or something. She fired the Fenton Dissolver at you, and…" I shivered as I remembered what happened all too vividly. "You were losing… so much blood and ectoplasm… I was terrified for you. I thought you were going to die… I flew us all the way to Wisconsin, because I think that I subconsciously thought Vlad might be able to help, to save you… then I think I was struck down by a bolt of lightning before waking up."

Danny frowned at that. "That's… one heck of a vision…"

"I don't know why I'm getting visions of worst possible scenarios of how our parents would react if we told them or they find out," I sighed. "I'm worried that maybe it's a warning, something that might happen during this trip, and if we're not prepared for it, it could tear our family apart."

"It's possible that you're getting those visions because you're so worried about what the worst possible events could be," Juliette theorized as she took a step closer. "Focusing on worrying about what bad things could happen will only put a heavy strain on your mind. You should try to think of what good things can happen as well."

"Maybe… I don't know how these stupid visions work, they seem to just do whatever they want most of the time," I grumbled.

I felt Danny putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay, bro… sometimes our fears do make things a lot worse than they actually are. I mean I didn't tell you about being half ghost at the time because I was scared you wouldn't accept it. Maybe Mom and Dad would be more understanding than we think… at least… I hope…"

I rubbed my hair a bit before turning to Danny. "Let's… talk about something else. You said you couldn't sleep, right? Why was that? Even I was able to fall asleep out here, and I'm not a big fan of camping."

"I was just doing a lot of… thinking," Danny said quietly, looking away for a bit.

I frowned as I remembered how he reacted to the mosquito story I told. "I… I'm sorry… I guess I might've brought back some painful memories to you when I told that story earlier."

Danny shook his head. "I wasn't thinking only about that."

"What else were you thinking about then?" I asked.

Danny looked back at me, then he looked over at Juliette. "Juliette… if you don't mind, could you give us some privacy? This… is something that only we can discuss ourselves."

Juliette gave a nod of understanding before she walked over to one of the sides of the mountain and began to hop down it.

After a minute of waiting, I heard Danny sighing. I looked back to him, feeling worried now.

"Remember when we were talking about that controlling orb that Freakshow used to control me and other ghosts?" Danny brought up.

I couldn't help but feel nervous when Danny brought up that crystal ball again, it always seemed to find a way to haunt me in some way. "What about it?"

"Remember when Juliette mentioned that the black knight might've gotten a lust for power due to the crystal ball's power?" Danny asked.

I blinked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I… I'm worried that perhaps there is a lust for power that resides within me," Danny softly answered. "I… have been wanting to get stronger lately. And perhaps that lust for power is what intrigued the black knight in the first place."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to get stronger, Danny, especially after seeing so many strong ghosts lately. Besides, you weren't under that crystal ball's control for long, why would you think it would affect you now?" I pointedly inquired. "Whatever the black knight saw in you, I doubt it was because you had a lust for power, you never seemed interested in gaining power in that way."

"I'm worried that the crystal ball will still affect me because I put up a pretty big fight… and Freakshow had to pour a lot of his will into controlling me," Danny explained.

"Well… the crystal ball was shattered when you dropped it into the ravine to save me, right? So it shouldn't be a problem anymore," I assured. "The weird mist that was in the crystal ball should've dissolved by now."

"We don't know if it was shattered though," Danny pointed out. "It could've bounced away or fallen into the river. How do we even know if it can be destroyed?!"

"Because Desiree wouldn't have been able to fuse you with that red mist if the crystal ball remained in tact!" I retorted.

Danny stopped and looked at me before frowning. "I… guess you have a point…"

"Why are you worried about this now? Is it because of what Jazz said about the side effects?" I asked.

Danny gave a nod at that. "I… also can still remember… the addiction, the lust for that orb's, or rather, that mist's power."

Danny raised one of his hands over his chest and gripped onto it. "It felt… so good, so liberating. It was like I couldn't live without it. The mist… gave me a small taste of its power, and after that, I wanted more of it. So the mist granted me my wish and fused with me completely… and I didn't have any regrets until our battle. Even after it gave me such power, I still wanted more. I… I started to…"

Danny looked down, unable to finish that sentence.

"I… know you removed the mist from me…" Danny muttered. "But… I have a really bad feeling that… the mist might still be inside me."

I suddenly felt very uneasy. "What makes you say that? The mist couldn't possibly still be a part of you."

"What if you didn't get all of the mist though? What if you only removed a part of it and there's still a part of it in me?!" Danny shouted as he gripped his chest even more. "I've been having dreams… where I keep seeing the mist out of the corner of my eyes. But whenever I go to look at it, it disappears. And then there was my fight with Vesper… I was suddenly acting as if I was that… corrupted form as you called it, it was only for a moment, but I definitely was acting as if I was using it."

I felt my blood draining from my face when Danny said this. Danny never went into detail about his battle with Vesper, so I didn't know exactly how he handled her, but the fact he brought this up made me feel very uneasy and worried. A memory from the back of my mind came to me. I had a vision before, where Danny started transforming into his corrupted form again. I narrowed my eyes, however, because that vision couldn't have been a real vision, that could've just been my fear.

"Danny, I… I don't know what to tell you. I know I used that time staff to go back to before I even made that wish to Desiree, there was no way any part of that mist should've been left," I finally said. "I don't know what was going on with you when you were battling against Vesper, but it was possible that she might've triggered your buried memories or something that caused such… reflexes to happen. The dreams you had could've just been your fear of being corrupted again. There's nothing about that mist that remains, not here, not in you, and not in this timeline."

"You don't know that for sure though," Danny pointed out. "All of those are things that could or may have happened. You can't be 100% sure there isn't any mist that somehow stayed inside me."

"So what you're saying is that there's a possibility you could become Corrupted Danny again?" I asked, frowning.

Danny frowned. "I'd… rather you didn't call me that, Andy… it hurts when you do. I understand that my… other form scared you, and I didn't exactly help with what I was doing while I was in that form, but…"

"What else were you in that form, Danny?" I questioned. "I wasn't going to call you Evil or Dark Danny."

Danny sighed.

"If you think you might still have that mist inside you somewhere, then…" I hesitated before shaking my head. Then what? If time itself couldn't get rid of it, how would we get rid of it? If we ignore it, then there's a chance Danny could become Corrupted Danny again, and I don't want to live through that hell a second time… I don't even know if I would be able to stop him if it happens again.

I was shaking. I could vividly see Corrupted Danny's smirk in my head. He was taunting us, he knew we could never truly escape him. No, it can't be true, how could he keep coming back!? Was… was that mist also responsible for the creation of Dan? What if something much worse happens if that mist is still indeed inside my brother? Is it in dormant right now? If it is, what could be the trigger to wake it up? I didn't save the world, I only delayed the inevitable!

"Then what?" Danny asked. "Bro…?"

It suddenly felt much harder to breathe. I felt like I was drowning by the very air itself.

"A-Andy! Andy, calm down! You're hyperventilating!" I heard Danny's worried voice shout in concern.

I couldn't stop. He was going to come back eventually, and there was nothing I could do about it. It was all my fault that the mist was fused into him in the first place, and now there was no fixing it. He's going to come back. He's going to take over again. What if that's what Vesper saw? That's what she wanted, isn't it? She wanted Corrupted Danny!

I didn't want to imagine what kind of horrors the world would become if Corrupted Danny became Vesper's apprentice, but I was imagining it anyways. Everything around me started to fade, I heard Danny's voice yelling, but everything kept getting darker, just like our future, until I was in complete darkness.

---

Luna Lillyth: DarkFoxKit: Yup. A lot of changes went through with this special, it's almost like our own original episode at this point.

Shine375: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Yeah, and it's only going to get longer~ *Grins*

Jewel moonstone: DarkFoxKit: Thank you for that. Both of us are fine so far, and we do pray we stay that way, and that all of you are healthy too.

lena smith.106: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Congratulations! We decided to make quite a bit of changes to the episode considering it didn't quite fit right the way it was. *Gets shoved out of the way by an excited fox*

DarkFoxKit: Oh! It's you! I'm glad that you kept reading. I read some of your stories too, and some of them really inspired me for certain future scenes. I look forward to your stories just as you look forward to mine! ^v^

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Moves back in front* As I was saying, we decided to go a different way with the Reality Gauntlet as some of what was in the episode only really made sense with Danny and we didn't want to feel like we were just sticking Andy into it. While we did go a different route with the episode, we really do hope it's one change that's enjoyed.

Mana: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, let's just say Juliette became an important player for this episode.

Sam had that book in the canon episode too, but it was never explained where she got it. It was unlikely she got it from a bookstore since that book contained information about the powerful artifacts. It made less sense that Freakshow himself would publish it. So we figured we would change it to Freakshow's grandfather writing it, and Freakshow wanted it back to find out where the locations of the gems are or have information on what they do.

Heh, it was a nice idea for the gang to be able to enjoy the concert before Freakshow attacked. I'm not really sure why he attacked in canon, since he just kinda put himself out there in front of everyone. I guess it was to get back at Danny and to show off his Reality Gauntlet, but that was incredibly arrogant and stupid. It made more sense for him to do that because he was trying to get the book back from Sam in order to find the gems for the gauntlet. And yeah, it would've been interesting to see what Danny could've done with the Reality Gauntlet other than returning everything back to normal.

Yeah, we're sort of going with that theory that Lydia might've been Freakshow's lover, or Freakshow and Lydia seem to have some sort of relationship with each other as human and ghost. It was never explained really, but hey, that does give the fans a chance to make up their own theories and head canons as to why Lydia was still loyal to Freakshow even without the crystal ball.

Don't get me wrong, I found it enjoyable watching how Danny, Tucker, and Sam would handle things if Danny's secret ever got out to the whole world, but I just find the special to be the weakest in the series, except for Phantom Planet because we do not talk about that mess. I guess after Reign Storm and The Ultimate Enemy, Reality Trip just felt like it had a lot to live up to and fell short. I think it would've been better if Reality Trip was the first DP special, or they had it where Danny's parents remembered that Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton are the same person, then the next episode could revolve around how his secret really affected his parents. Perhaps the biggest flaw and disappointment Reality Trip had was the ending, where everything was just kinda erased in the end, making the entire experience pointless. The Ultimate Enemy's ending was kind of similar to that, but there was one big difference; Danny found out Jazz knew, and Danny learned the Ghostly Wail. The characters grew from it, and there was a chance of Dan coming back as well (even though that sadly never came to be).

Okay, I really should stop ranting so much. ^^' Oh, Onyx, wanna say anything about why Juliette decided to come?

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Juliette does want to experience more of the world, try to find out how different the times are now than they were in her times. I also personally wanted her to go because I felt she could provide a perspective to the situations that are unique. While yes it is a risk due to the fact she's a ghost going with a family of ghost hunters on vacation, it's a risk she is willing to take in order to grow and enrich herself. As a reminder, she is/was a royal so she has that mindset that sometimes risks need to be taken for the better good.

DarkFoxKit: As for Sam liking the original fairy tales, I think she actually knows about those, and yes, she likely does like them. She seems to have books on a lot of dark and magical stuff, so I wouldn't be surprised if she had a few books of the original fairy tales.