Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Is grumbling and mumbling*
DarkFoxKit: Come on, Onyx, it wasn't that bad. *Has the kangaroo costume off*
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Says you! I was fearing for my actual life! Stupid prank set up by Andy… stupid kangaroo… stupid everything… *Continues mumble ranting at nothing in particular*
Andy: You and Kit always prank me with something, why is it so bad if I decided to prank you back?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Because we make the prank obvious! This was… I thought I was going to be subject 5 in a plushy version of a zombie apocalypse!
Danny: Now here's a question… how do you know that after being captured, you're not, and all this is just your mind trying to cope?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Danny… let me remind you I am a dragoness… I will hurt you.
Danny: *Raises his hands up in surrender* Hey, it's a legitimate question! I've had that happen to me before with N-
DarkFoxKit: Ah-ah-ah! Spoilers!
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Looks at the boys* For the sake of my sanity… take that plushy and go home, boys. I'm trying very very hard right now to not tear everyone in this room apart limb from limb.
Andy: Fine, looks like you need some time to cool off… *Looks back at where the plushy was* … Where's the plushy?
Danny: I thought you had it.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': NOPE! *Starts walking off camera* I'm burning this house and we're getting a new one!
DarkFoxKit: SAVE THE STORIES!
Andy: Onyx! You don't need to- *A jet of flames shot past Andy and hit the camera, melting it*
Chapter 111: Meeting Anna
It was the next day at Casper High, Danny, Tucker, and I just finished with our gym class for today. We were in the boy's locker room to change. Danny opened his locker to get his clothes out, when Elliot approached Danny.
"Hey, Danny? I'd like to talk to you," Elliot requested.
Danny blinked as he looked at the white haired boy. "What is it?"
"Should we leave?" Tucker asked. "Is this supposed to be a private conversation?"
"Nah, it's fine if you two are here," Elliot replied. "This does involve all of you to an extent."
Now I was really curious about what Elliot had to say. Danny still had yet to find the courage to talk to Sam alone about how he felt.
"Danny, I'm not blind, I can tell you don't like me," Elliot began, looking at my brother. "And I hope to clear the air between us. After all, I would really like to be able to spend time with Sam without angering you."
Danny looked hesitant at that. "Well, I…"
"It's alright, I understand that you act a little hostile because you want to protect your friend," Elliot stated. "But… do you like her more than just a friend?"
"It…" Danny hesitated again, he really wasn't expecting to be asked these questions. "It's a bit… complicated…"
"You seem to be unsure right now," Elliot remarked. "But I'm not unsure. In fact, I plan on asking Sam out, and I wanted to let you know."
Danny's eyes went wide. Tucker and I stared, not sure what to say.
"I know this probably comes as a shock to you, but it's something that's been on my mind for a little while now," Elliot explained. "Up until now I have never met someone I truly get along with, and I was starting to believe I never would. And then I met Sam. As her friends, I thought it was only right to inform you of my decision before I went through with it. I don't want to create a divide between you all and her."
I looked at Tucker for a moment, and he looked at me. Both of us wanted to say something, but we also wanted to hear what Danny had to say. We looked at Danny, who was looking hesitant, and seemed to be thinking about something.
"Well…" Danny began. "If… if Sam says yes… and is truly happy to be your girlfriend… then… who am I to stand in the way of that? If Sam is happy to be with you… then maybe it's for the best. I'll do my best to support the two of you for as long as she is happy. But… I will be clear about this, Elliot."
Danny took a step forward and locked eyes with Elliot.
"If you hurt her or upset her at all, then you will answer to me," Danny warned. "And if you break her heart, I will… I honestly don't know what I'd do but I'd be really really mad. Sam is one of my greatest friends and I won't tolerate anyone hurting her."
Elliot gave a nervous smile. "I understand, I will do my best to take good care of her. I thank you for this chance, Danny."
Elliot then turned to me and Tucker. "Are you two are okay with this as well?"
"Uh… well, if Danny says he's okay with it, then I am too," Tucker answered.
I was a little more hesitant, but since Danny already gave his answer, I decided to go along with it. "Just be sure Sam is safe and happy." I… should probably go talk to Juliette after school today. Because I still think Danny should be the one to be with Sam.
"Thank you for giving me this chance." Elliot smiled. "I'll go see if I can catch Sam before the next bell rings."
With that said, Elliot walked out of the boy's locker room, having already changed.
"Dude, why'd you give Elliot the okay to ask Sam out?" Tucker asked Danny after Elliot was gone.
"Because… he seems to really like her and shares a lot of interests with her," Danny answered, though he was glancing away a bit.
I wondered if Danny thought that he couldn't compete with someone who knew what he wanted, knowing my brother, that was exactly what he was thinking. "I'm proud that you're not letting your own selfish desires get in the way of letting Sam be happy, but… maybe don't give up on yourself just yet, bro."
Danny just gave a sigh. "If Sam would be happier with Elliot, then I'm not going to stop her. I can't force Sam to love me."
Tucker frowned. "Wait… did you finally figure out your own feelings for Sam?"
"I… think I was starting to… but now I'm… not sure again," Danny admitted.
"What do you mean you're not sure again?" Tucker asked.
"Look… I just need some space… and time to figure things out, alright?" Danny sighed as he started to walk away.
"Is that it?" Tucker frowned as he looked at me.
"Well… it seems that way. But… it just doesn't feel right to me," I replied. "For now, though, all we can do is wait and see what happens." And maybe try to help Danny admit his feelings to Sam. Even if Elliot and Sam are together, I think Sam should at least know how Danny feels. Perhaps she would choose Danny over Elliot.
Danny had been pretty quiet since his talk with Elliot. I didn't see Sam or Elliot during lunch either. If I had to guess, they were probably either having lunch outside, or somewhere secluded so Elliot could ask Sam to be his girlfriend. It was just as well, I don't think Danny would want to see Elliot asking Sam to be his girlfriend.
I noticed Danny didn't get any food in the serving line, so I got an extra tray for him while I was getting mine. I walked over to Danny, and saw Tucker was already there, eating some fried chicken.
"Hey, bro… since you weren't in the serving line, I thought I'd get lunch for you. They have strawberry cake for dessert today, I know you like strawberry cake," I said, hoping to cheer Danny up a little.
"Thanks, bro," Danny softly said as he took the tray from me and began to eat. Danny didn't seem to be paying much attention to me or Tucker, or even what he was eating from what I could tell.
I noticed Tucker looking at Danny, then he put one of his fried chicken on Danny's plate. Danny didn't notice, and just picked up the fried chicken and began eating it as if it had always been there.
"Wow… you are spaced out," Tucker noted. "I bet I could've put a live worm on that plate and you'd eat it without ever noticing it."
"Give him a break, he's… not taking some things too well right now," I grumbled.
"Fair enough," Tucker noted. "But uh, dude, I'd recommend paying a little bit of attention to what you're eating. After all, you are about to eat a spoonful of jello and peas."
Danny glanced down at the food on his spoon and gave a tiny shrug before putting it into his mouth. He chewed a bit before swallowing. "That tasted how I feel… strange and conflicted."
"Danny, maybe you should at least tell Sam how you feel," I finally said. "Forever holding your peace may drive you crazy."
"Besides, it's not like Elliot is proposing to Sam," Tucker added.
"Not yet anyways…" Danny muttered, as he scooped up another spoonful of jello and looked at it with a somewhat zombie-like expression.
"Excuse me."
All of us looked up when we heard a feminine voice. Tucker had to turn around.
"So… let me start off by saying that yes, I know you guys are essentially the outcast group. I don't care about that. I'm not lost, and I was hoping you guys would let me eat with you because everyone else at this school is trying way too hard to impress me," The female, who I was surprised to see was Anna Masters, asked as she stood there with a tray in her hands.
I had seen Anna Masters during that little party Vlad threw, but I never got a chance to talk to her. I was able to talk to her younger sister, Ella, but Anna was too busy talking to a lot of people. I know Vlad mentioned he was sending them to school, but I was still surprised to see Anna here.
"Aren't you… Anna Masters?" Tucker asked, being the first in our group to actually say something to Anna.
"Yes, I am," Anna confirmed. "Though I prefer Anna."
"Uh…" Tucker looked at me and Danny, though I was still trying to figure out why Anna was here, and Danny was likely still half spaced out. "Sure, you can eat with us. We've got plenty of room."
"Thanks." Anna smiled as she sat down at our table.
I noticed quickly that there were a bunch of gasps and murmurs from all the other cliques. People were shocked that someone as high class as Anna would choose to sit down with 'the outcasts'. I didn't care for popularity all that much, and while Danny used to, he preferred not having a lot of attention on him as less attention made it easier for him to go ghost during a ghost crisis. But having one of Vlad Masters' daughters sitting in front of me was making me feel pretty anxious for more than one reason.
I didn't know Anna very well, I didn't know how much she knew about Vlad, or if Vlad's story of adopting them was even true. Even if Anna was innocent of Vlad's scheme, the fact she was his daughter meant a lot of attention, especially if she was a prodigy child. I could see why she felt the need to get away from the other students since they were trying too hard to impress her. However, her coming over to our table would just shine the spotlight on us. I guess she couldn't eat alone because that would mean she was inviting other people to go sit with her.
I blinked when I realized Anna had been talking to me for a while, and I just now realized it.
"You alright?" Anna asked, her brow raised.
"Uh… yeah, I'm fine," I answered, trying not to seem as awkward as I felt. "I was just… worried, for my twin brother over here. He's going through a rough time right now."
Anna glanced over at Danny. "You're Danny, right?"
"Yes, I'm Danny," Danny answered.
Thankfully, with Anna here, Danny seemed to have snapped out of his trance for the time being. He was probably trying to figure her out like I was. When it came to Vlad, we knew we had to be on high alert.
"Well it's nice to properly meet you." Anna smiled. "I'm Anna."
"It's nice to meet you too, Anna," Danny replied.
"So you're one of Vlad Masters's daughters, right?" Tucker asked.
"Yeah." Anna nodded. "The only one that is old enough to attend high school. Ella is attending a private middle school."
"Not to sound rude, but why are you attending high school here? Casper High isn't exactly a fancy school for… people of your standards," I inquired.
"Not to mention this place is somewhat of a hotspot for ghosts," Danny added.
"Father wants us to experience public high school in order for us to not become greedy, spoiled businessmen," Anna explained. "Father doesn't want heiresses who don't understand the needs of the people as he doesn't want us to focus solely on making money. He also wants to lower the chance that we'll mistreat the workers of the companies that make it prosper. As for ghosts, father explained that us going here with the risk of ghosts would prepare us for unexpected surprises that may pop up later in our lives."
It sounded like a pretty good excuse, Vlad definitely came prepared for these questions. Anna also sounded professional while she was explaining Vlad's 'reasons' to us that it was easy to believe her. I suppose she really could be a child prodigy.
"Sounds like he has some pretty good reasons," Tucker noted. "Even if they are a little… uh… harsh?"
"When did you start coming to this school?" Danny asked.
"Not too long ago," Anna answered.
I couldn't help but notice we were getting more eyes staring at us, and louder whispers. It was then I remembered that crowd of students in the hallway a couple of days back. Could that have been Anna?
"Well, it's always good to have a new fellow student to attend this school." Tucker grinned. "Especially a cute girl like you."
"Tucker, don't start hitting on her now," I grumbled.
"I don't mind." Anna smiled. "Though I'm sadly not looking to be in a relationship right now."
"Don't mind him, he likes to think he's a ladies man," I chuckled. "I hope Casper High hasn't been too overwhelming for you."
"Do you mean by the students or the ghosts?" Anna asked.
"Both," I answered.
"The students have been a bit of a handful," Anna remarked. "In fact… a few seniors even tried asking me to be their girlfriend. And one went so far as to propose."
"Well you are beautiful, and smart, that's a really good combination." Tucker grinned.
"Looks like Paulina may have some competition then," I snickered.
Danny raised an eyebrow before he looked at Anna. I could tell Danny was thinking about something, but I wasn't sure what was going through his head right now.
"Do I have something on my face?" Anna chuckled before looking at me. "Paulina has already mentioned that she considers me a new rival."
"That sounds like her. She's probably not too happy that a new girl is rising on the popularity scale faster than she could blink," I remarked. "Paulina is the most popular girl in school, mostly because she looks beautiful, and I guess she has a way of speaking that lures in a lot of boys. She can be smart, but she usually prefers using nerds to do her homework like most of the A-Lists."
"In case you didn't know, since you're new, A-Lists are the top of the food chain popular kids," Tucker explained. "They have a system that benefits their group, including having their own smart kids, or as they call them, nerds, to do their assignments for them."
"If you wanted, you could be an A-List yourself. Though I guess that would go against the reason why Vlad sent you here in the first place," Danny noted.
"I'm not interested in being an 'A-List'," Anna informed. "Not just because that would go against father's desires, but also because I've grown sick of a pampered and spoiled lifestyle. When I got in the lunch line, one of the lunch ladies tried to hand me a tray with a lobster on it. I immediately declined because I saw only the super popular kids having those really fancy dishes."
Anna then looked at Tucker. "Wait… if I remember right, aren't you the student council president or vice president? Perhaps you could enact a change that'll stop the spoiling of the popular kids."
"It's a tough one to change, since it's been integrated in this school for 50 or so years since Casper High was founded," Tucker answered.
"But it's still possible, isn't it?" Anna questioned. "And wouldn't it be good to get rid of the 'class' system? I mean what is this? An ancient civilization on the road to anarchy?"
"Oh, don't worry, I do plan to do something to change the whole 'class system', but I need to make sure we prioritize the safety of the school. The Fentons already installed a Ghost Shield in the school. I'm also trying to get more budget for the school to replace their old computers for the newer models. Changing the class system is definitely going to take time, but it is definitely possible," Tucker informed.
"You have to wonder though, why are we still considered outcasts?" I questioned. "I mean look at our 'status'. I'm friends with Dash Baxter, the star quarterback of the football team. Tucker is the student council president. Sam has led more than a few protests with our school. And Danny had been up and down the social ladder so many times, it feels nauseating just looking at his 'status'."
"Probably because we want to be 'outcasts'?" Danny shrugged.
I got what Danny was getting at. We purposefully stayed away from the popularity by keeping to the 'status quo' so we could keep being ignored and hide somewhere to transform so people wouldn't see us. But it was still pretty funny when one stopped to think about it.
"So… I have to ask," Anna spoke up as she looked at Danny. "Why aren't you with the other groups?" Anna then looked at me. "Both of you. From what father explained, the Fenton family is filled with geniuses. Or is your outcast group the 'genius' group?"
That was surprisingly something that was both ridiculous, yet somewhat surprisingly accurate. Tucker was definitely a genius when it came to technology. Sam was a genius when it came to leading groups of people. Danny and I… well, we didn't consider ourselves geniuses, though I guess you could say we might have the genes of genius people, even if they were dormant.
"Well, we're outcasts because of our parents," Danny answered. "It's more of a 'back then' thing, but people viewed them as crazy people because they kept talking about ghosts before ghosts started coming to Amity Park."
Anna shook her head and sighed. "The idea that our parents directly affect our status at school is ridiculous. It should be our own merits that dictate whether we do good or bad. Speaking of good or bad, how are your grades?"
"They're… uh…" Danny hesitated.
"It's ah… heh, not that important," I remarked sheepishly.
Anna crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Oh really? Cause my father informed me that you-" Anna pointed at Danny. "want to become an astronaut. Or was that an incorrect piece of info?"
Danny frowned. "How did Vlad know about that? I never told him I wanted to become an astronaut."
"You'd be surprised how much he knows about you…" I muttered, remembering the bedroom Vlad had for me when Jazz and I went to his house.
"Well did you know that most people who want to become an astronaut have to try their hardest at school?" Anna inquired. "Only the best of the best are chosen to become astronauts, and they're judged in many areas."
"Most astronauts dream about going to the ISS, which is manned by a multinational crew. I know… I know…" Danny sighed.
Anna nodded as she continued. "My sister has gone on and on about the requirements; like getting good grades, a healthy physique, goals and specialities, and even other languages known. With the multinational crew, it's essential to be able to speak other languages. She, like you, wants to become an astronaut. But she's already working on her qualifications despite only being in middle school."
"Wow, she sounds like a hard worker," Tucker complimented.
I could tell this did sting Danny a little, he didn't look directly at Anna as she was talking about her sister. Danny had wanted to be an astronaut since we were 7 years old. But unlike Jazz, neither of us were naturally gifted with school smarts and photographic memory. So Danny was a C student at average, and a B+ student at best. I was pretty much the same.
"What's going on in your heads right now?" Anna asked.
"It's nothing," Danny said.
"It doesn't look or seem like nothing," Anna remarked before she looked at me. "Andy, that question was for you too."
"Me?" I tilted my head. "What do I have to do with this conversation?"
"You had an expression like you were thinking about something important," Anna explained.
"He does that often," Tucker whispered to her, though I could still hear him.
"Be quiet," I grumbled.
"I know you've only known me for a little bit, but I would like to know what you're thinking about," Anna stated. "If it's something along the lines of 'oh, we can't get good grades' or 'perhaps I'm not worthy of my goal' then you need to stop thinking that."
"It's not that simple… I haven't had the time nor the energy to study much these days," Danny sighed.
"Have you ever tried?" Anna raised a brow. "Have you actually ever tried to take time to study? And may I ask, what were you too busy with that wasted all your time? Was it playing games? Watching TV or movies? Daydreaming about being an astronaut?"
Danny looked pretty annoyed now. "Did it occur to you that maybe I have other responsibilities than just playing video games or watching TV?"
Anna smiled a bit at that, almost smirking. "That wasn't my question. Responsibilities are a good use of time, not a waste of time."
Anna then shook her head and stood up, having finished her lunch. "Perhaps you should take a look at the time you're spending on recreation and ask yourself if you can devote some of that time to studying. Who knows, you might be just as smart, if not smarter, than the rest of your family members. And again, that goes to both of you."
Danny and I watched as Anna picked up her tray and started walking towards the tray return.
"She's gotta be delusional if she thinks we could be smarter than any of our family members," Danny grumbled.
"What if she isn't?" Tucker softly spoke up.
"Come on, compare our grades to Jazz, we're about as smart as the average Joe in school, if not a bit dumber." I rolled my eyes. "At least I was able to organize our schedule enough to be able to do our homework, so we don't miss those anymore, even with the ghost attacks."
"You guys…" Tucker frowned before looking up at us. "You guys totally have the ability to get better grades if you want, be smarter than even the mega-nerds. I've seen you guys have moments of intelligence that made me pause. They've just usually been in things you consider mundane. I mean… Danny, you got the highest score in the world on that one arcade machine. And Andy, you were able to beat Sam at a one-to-one combat in Doomed, the same Sam who was kicking our butts in that game! The same Sam who had the strongest character in the game until you started playing the game. You beat a bunch of in game records with how fast you grew because you used your mind to take the 'most optimal route'."
While Tucker was talking about our achievements in video games, something occurred to me. I did remember when Danny became so intelligent it made even the smartest teachers and students blush. That time when Desiree fused that blood mist into Danny. I thought that the mist itself was making Danny smarter, but maybe that was the wrong assumption. Maybe Danny had always been that smart, and it just seemed he was smarter because he grew confident. Maybe that was what Danny needed. Both of us grew up in the shadow of our sister when it came to school and grades, so that took a big blow to Danny's confidence in his intelligence. So what if I helped give him a confidence boost? Would that make a difference? I guess I could try it and see.
"You know, Tucker's right, Danny," I said.
"I am?" Tucker blinked, surprised at how fast I agreed with him.
"He is?" Danny blinked as well, asking at almost the same time as Tucker.
"Of course. You know you're a lot more intelligent than you give yourself credit for…" I paused for a moment, realizing I would need to add myself into the mix or Danny would just keep arguing with me about how 'I should be smart too' and all that. "We both are. I mean we couldn't have possibly come this far and protected the city if we were stupid after all. It takes more than brawns to keep this town safe from ghosts, especially the stronger and bigger threats like Pariah Dark or your evil future self. Besides, you were also able to keep your ghost half a secret from even me, your twin brother, for a while."
"There's also the fact that you both, on your own, learned how to use and control your ghost powers," Tucker added, though a lot softer so nobody would overhear. "It takes a genius to learn how to control something there is no guide for. It's like… you were placed in the driver seat of a tank and you figured out how to operate it single-handedly after just an hour or two."
"It took me longer than an hour or two to learn the basics," Danny pointed out.
"But you did learn them eventually, and then you taught me. I also don't think Tucker was making a 1 to 1 comparison," I countered. "We've been able to set up schedules on when to do our homework, so we don't fall behind. Now we just need to set up study times as well, work around the ghost attacks instead of letting the ghost attacks eat up our time. There's two of us now, and we've gotten pretty strong over the months. Not only that, we also have Scarlet for back-up. You don't need to keep holding the weight of the world on your shoulders alone, bro."
"Who knows, perhaps you can start talking to the ghosts to ask them to… maybe not attack as often?" Tucker offered. "Just throwing that out there as a possibility. I mean they're not mindless ghosts that attack just to haunt, there is motive and intelligence behind their actions. Perhaps some of them can be reasoned with. Though… probably don't ask them to stop attacking altogether. Maybe you can just work out a schedule with them? Or ask them to attack less often? Or maybe even give you guys guaranteed days off?"
"I don't know if they'll listen…" Danny frowned. "But… well, I guess I could try that. Andy was able to talk a few ghosts down without having to fight them, like with Youngblood. The kid actually opened up a Saloon!"
I blushed as I did remember talking to Youngblood about not fighting us anymore since just fighting out of vengeance would only create a vicious cycle. It was good to know Youngblood was doing well since we last saw him.
We heard the bell ringing, indicating lunch was over.
"Did… Anna not come back?" Tucker asked when we realized Anna didn't actually come back to our table after she threw away her trash. "Hmmm… perhaps she felt she wouldn't be welcomed with us or upset us."
"We'll worry about her later, we have the rest of the school day to deal with," I remarked.
As it turned out, my guess on Anna being a child prodigy wasn't inaccurate. Over the course of the week, I heard the teachers giving praise to Anna for having perfect scores in all of her assignments and tests, and asking why the rest of the class couldn't be as hard working as her. Anna was really smart, she was able to give advice to some of the popular kids on how they could do better on their own tests without needing another student's 'help'.
Sam was hanging out with Elliot more. We didn't get to see much of her lately because she kept showing Elliot around her favorite places, like that 'Dark and Skulk' place goth people hung out at. Danny would look at Sam and Elliot a little sadly, but he tried to distract himself with actually studying.
It was kind of surreal to see Danny studying like this. At home, if there were no ghost attacks, I would help Danny focus on studying for the next test. I would quiz him on some of the harder questions. Though both of us would need Jazz's help for math, since both of us struggled with the numbers. Jazz came up with an interesting solution with math, like instead of using numbers, we tried using our favorite things. I was still struggling, but Danny seemed to be able to figure out math quicker.
When it was test day at school, which was usually on Friday, Danny was surprised when he was able to write through the test paper quickly. I could see Danny's pencil just wouldn't stop as he was writing out all the answers. I couldn't help but smile a little, feeling proud to see that the confidence boost appeared to be working. It was actually super surprising when Danny was the first one to stand up and bring his test forward. Anna got up a few minutes after and turned in her test paper, but I noticed she was giving Danny a small smile as she walked back to her desk.
I could see Danny blushed a little when Anna was smiling at him before she sat back down at her desk. I looked back at my own test paper and decided I would stop paying attention to Danny. I didn't realize how quickly I was doing my work, but by the time I finished, I saw that almost everyone else was still working. The only exceptions were the other smart kids in the class, who were actively turning in their homework right now. I grabbed my paper, quickly scanned over it, double checking all my answers were correct, before I stood up and went to turn it in.
It was rather a relief to finish the test and not be one of the last ones to be done. It gave me some time to come up with new ideas for my ghost powers. Since I could manipulate my own ecto energy, I could create more effective weapons than rods and small handguns. I knew that after I developed those new ecto weapons, I would have to start training with them before I could really use them in battle. I figured I would also try working on my diplomatic skills, so we could potentially talk down more ghosts instead of fighting them. This way we only fought the ones that solely wanted to fight for one reason or another, like Skulker. I wrote down notes on what to work on later.
After realizing that anyone who saw these notes might discover my secret, I decided that I would start writing notes in a code that only I could decipher. After giving it a few minutes thought, I crumpled up the page of notes and put it into my backpack before I started to rewrite them with my code. It took a bit longer to rewrite them, but I was happy with the code I had come up with and I figured I would share the deciphering process with Danny later.
Besides class, things were going relatively well, ignoring the situation with Sam. However, that only lasted until the end of the school day, when we saw a few things that practically ruined the weekend for us before it even began.
"I'll catch up with you guys later," Tucker said as he turned back towards the school. "Valerie and I have some student council stuff we gotta do."
"Good luck with that," I replied.
"Yeah, have fun," Danny chuckled slightly.
When Tucker went back into the school, Danny and I were starting to walk towards the sidewalk that led home. We stopped in our tracks when we noticed Sam walking with Elliot, holding his hand. Sam looked back for a moment, looking like she had something in her mind. Then Sam noticed us, and looked melancholic, before she turned around.
I looked at Danny, seeing him looking down. "You know… it's still not too late to tell her, bro."
"She already has a boyfriend, bro…" Danny softly muttered.
"Maybe, but we don't know for sure if Sam accepted Elliot to be her boyfriend," I pointed out. "They're holding hands and all, but that doesn't mean he's officially her boyfriend. We haven't really spoken to Sam much all week."
"Why else would they be holding hands?" Danny raised a brow. "Friends don't casually hold hands, especially not in high school."
"Well… maybe they're still trying to be romantic with each other? I mean Elliot did put his hand around Sam's shoulder when we went to the theater…" I remarked.
Before Danny could reply to that, both of us heard familiar voices speaking from not too far away, voices that sounded very formal and professional. Both of our eyes went wide before he hurried to a nearby tree to hide behind before peeking out to see two Guys in White agents talking to Mr. Lancer.
"By law you have to cooperate with us," One of the agents stated.
"The law dictates that I have to cooperate if you have a warrant or some legal documentation that is requiring me to cooperate," Mr. Lancer responded. "Neither of you have that, I have never heard of the 'Guys in White', and because of that I don't know if you actually are government agents or just two people playing an elaborate game of dress up."
"Even though ghosts are a constant threat to your student body?" One of the agents pointed out.
"Oh, while there might be ghosts about, I am not going to let two suspicious characters enter the school grounds to do tests that I know nothing about," Mr. Lancer answered. "If you wish to ask myself and the other faculty questions, as well as gaining entry to the school, then you need to go get proper paperwork from your higher ups, if you are truly part of the government. Now if you aren't going to leave, I will have no choice but to call the police and let them know there are two suspicious adult individuals waiting outside the school."
The two agents were annoyed, or I assumed they were since it was difficult to tell with them wearing sunglasses and frowning all the time. But they did end up leaving Mr. Lancer alone without another word.
"What was that about?" Danny asked after the two agents left.
"They could be looking for clues of us, or maybe just you, or whatever high level ghost they detected," I guessed. "Maybe it would be wise to lay low for a while and see what they're up to as humans rather than ghosts."
"Yeah…" Danny nodded in agreement, seeming a bit tired of the Guys in White. "I'd rather not waste any time I could spend studying or relaxing on those guys if they're just going to be doing research. If they become a threat to the town, I'll step in. But right now they're just asking around and trying to do some tests. And it seems Mr. Lancer isn't having any of it."
"Yeah, Mr. Lancer knows how to handle them at least," I chuckled. "As long as they don't hurt anyone, yeah, we'll just let them be. Also, I'm surprised, bro. I guess what Anna said really inspired you to study harder now. I mean if Jazz said that, you'd probably ignore her."
"Well… it's something that's been at the back of my mind for awhile but I just wanted to ignore it," Danny admitted. "I knew I would have to study hard and get good grades and degrees in order to be on the short list of astronaut applicants later on… I guess I just… for some reason had something against that idea. I don't know why or where it comes from, but I just know that a part of me really loathes studying and getting good grades and being smart in general."
I blinked and tilted my head, thinking about what Danny said. When Tucker was going on about our video game achievements earlier, I was ready to argue with him before I figured giving Danny a boost in confidence would help him do better in school. But after hearing what Danny said made me wonder if maybe, just maybe, he may have been a real genius when we were younger. I wasn't sure though, because Danny and I usually had the same intelligence as far as I could remember. But there was a fuzzy memory where I could've sworn Danny used to have better grades than Jazz did. I was tempted to shake it off as just my imagination or a memory from a dream. But after seeing how well Danny worked today in that test after studying with him, I at least know Danny was capable of being as smart as Jazz when it came to school.
"It could just be because of the media and the school food chain," I finally said after a while of thinking. "Teenagers are usually depicted to hate studying and being smart. And even though we're outcasts, most people despise hanging with the smart kids because it would be difficult to keep up with them in a conversation, and they can be annoying know-it-alls."
"I… don't know if it's that simple," Danny responded before shaking his head. "I'd rather talk about this later."
"Alright, let's head on home. At least with the weekend we can afford to relax more," I replied. I should probably also stay safe so I can keep an eye on Danny. The last time he showed how intelligent he could be was when he was becoming corrupted. Since that mist is still alive inside Danny somewhere, I have to be cautious in case it starts to activate again.
"Maybe we can watch a movie after we get our homework done," Danny offered.
"Oh, I believe it's my turn to choose the movie." I grinned.
"What do you mean it's your turn?" Danny asked.
"You chose the movie last time, so it's my turn now," I replied.
"No I didn't, that was Sam!" Danny protested.
"I meant between the two of us," I chuckled.
"Then it's definitely my turn to choose," Danny responded. "You chose that movie about those time travelling high schoolers last time. Remember, you even made that comment about 'I wonder if Clockwork keeps an eye on these people to take as potential time agents?'."
"That was after you chose two movies in a row," I reminded.
"Ah no," Danny shook his head. "Before that, I had chosen one movie. And then before that, you had chosen a movie that both of us have chosen to wipe from our memories due to how cringy it was."
Although sometimes Danny and I argue about silly stuff like who got to pick the next movie to watch, I always enjoyed spending time with him when I could, especially when it didn't involve ghost fighting. Having to fight against beings from the afterlife with powers that could easily kill a normal person makes one enjoy the simple things in life. Although, I had no idea how much more complicated things were going to get soon for both of us.
Dp-Marvel94: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Is sitting on the sidewalk in front of a burning house where firefighters were hard at work to put out the flames* Let's see… reviews… I'll get the first one. Hmmm… ah! That definitely was a fun scene to write out and I'm glad it tickled your funny bone. It was important for Danny to tell Sam about how he feels, and despite his strength, he needed a push to get on the right track. Andy's vision was definitely an interesting one, and it'll definitely be fun to write our own unique take of Urban Jungle.
DarkFoxKit: *Is grumbling beside Onyx, but perks up at seeing the reviews pulling up on the tablet Onyx was holding* I've been planning something fun for Urban Jungle for a long time. It'll be awesome once we get to it~
Mana16: DarkFoxKit: So… are you saying this moment was old or not? ^^' And yeah, we didn't think all ghosts could speak modern English, it was something we decided to address at some point, and while we haven't done anything big for it yet, we did at least acknowledge it. Deadspeech was something we came up with for being a universal language for ghosts, since there probably shouldn't be any language barriers between the dead.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Came up with… appropriated from another fanfiction… same difference.
DarkFoxKit: Hush you! *Is still upset at Onyx* You set the house on, you don't get to make comments like that … Anyways, yeah, I was rather surprised by Tucker's behavior in the episode when he was hanging out with Sam and Elliot, so my only conclusion is that he was doing it on purpose. I don't know why he was doing it, but my guess is that maybe he actually didn't want Sam to become Elliot's girlfriend.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I'm honestly glad you are looking forward to the magic, as it is something I've always been interested in as a topic. It kinda makes sense that in a paranormal world with ghosts, there would be magic that was lost and can be recovered.
DarkFoxKit: Yeah, it's a warning vision, Andy will sometimes, though rarely, get those. But since Urban Jungle is a season 3 episode, it's not going to happen for a while. I just thought it'd be nice to show the readers a cameo of Plant Sam. And yeah, we wanted to show Danny that he does, in fact, love Sam, and this was the best way to do it. Pointing it out to him usually causes him to get defensive and deny it, having him see it for himself was a good way to get it through his stubborn teenage skull.
It would be interesting if Sam does end up growing Blood Blossoms in her greenhouse, and uses it for medicine or potions, one that could help the boys rather than hurt them. But that's for later.
Jewel moonstone: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Glad you're excited, it's something that we're definitely looking forward to doing. And Overgrowth is kinda lame, but a lot of villain names are.
DarkFoxKit: Ahem… his name is Undergrowth, not Overgrowth.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Still pretty lame.
Guest: DarkFoxKit: Ah, welcome then, new reader. Always a pleasure to see a new reader dedicated enough to read all of My Brother's a Ghost and this one. Danny remembering stuff from the Reality Gauntlet is more due to that hidden power he showed, it's too powerful to be erased, even by time or by reality itself. Danny doesn't remember everything though, he only remembers watching Andy go through the different dimensions while going after Freakshow, but he doesn't remember the incident with the lab in the Guys in White HQ.
*Just behind DarkFoxKit and Darkzdragon 'Onyx' was a certain purple kangaroo plushy, waving at the camera, before disappearing into the shadows*