Quick note: I did research and what Briar is about to be diagnosed with is accurate to the symptoms you will see her having at the start of this chapter. Google it if you don't believe me lol. Some later symptoms I have for her, however, I'm not sure of. So, go easy on me with those lol.
Also, this idea was given to me by 1. Thanks for the idea. Though I changed it just a bit, you still gave me the idea. So thank you.
Anyway, enjoy and God bless!
"I think I'm gonna be sick," I said as I let a small cough escape my mouth. I wasn't feeling great, in case you couldn't guess. I was sitting on the bathroom floor by the toilet, wiping my mouth with a tissue. I've been throwing up since I woke up this morning. I wasn't sure what was happening!
"Briar, I already called the school and told them you weren't feeling good," My mom called from the hallway.
"Okay! Thanks, mom!" I yelled back, as I slowly stood up and flushed the toilet. I stood there for just a moment before I finally washed my hands and made it to my bedroom. There, I saw Danny leaning against my opened window in his ghost form. I grinned at him before grabbing a new tissue and coughing into it.
"Whoa, you okay?" He asked as he stepped further into my room.
"Not feeling too well today," I answered as I sat at my desk. "My mom already called me off from school."
"Oh, boy," Danny walked over and felt my forehead. "You're not burning up though."
"I've been throwing up all morning, Danny!" I said. "I don't know what's going on!"
"Morning sickness?" He asked, making me nod and then freeze. Morning sickness...mom mentioned something about that happening when...
I shook my head at the thought. I was just getting myself paranoid over nothing. Besides, Danny and I never did anything but make-out. That's it! So, I doubt I was pregnant. But weird things have happened over the years.
Danny placed his fingers under my chin and lifted up my face to look at him better. He held concern in his eyes, with a hint of worry. "Briar," He began, "are you sure you're okay?"
I grinned as I took his hand and stood up, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I'm fine, babe. Just a small bug. I should be over it by tomorrow." Danny still looked concerned as I said this, but he soon grinned back and kissed my forehead.
"Okay," He said. "I'll call you after school."
"I'd like that," I said in return.
"I love you," He said before pecking my cheek and flying out of the room.
"I love you, too!" I yelled after him before coughing back into the tissue in my hand and looking at it. My eyes widened as I saw a red stain in the spot I coughed in.
Blood. I was coughing up blood?!
"MOM?!"
~DANNY'S POV~
I face-planted into a pumpkin, making me growl as I looked up at the ghost eel before me. It was white with the same icy blue as Briar's ghost form colors. Speaking of, I hope she's okay. I just left her place and got attacked by this ghost eel immediately. This was not fun.
The eel soon went flying off, making me fly after it. I grabbed it's tail and would have dragged it back down with me, but it kept slipping out of my grasp. I kept grabbing it until it just whacked me on the top of my head and flew further up.
"You are one slippery ghost eel," I said. "But I bet you don't know this trick!" I shot ecto-energy at it in the form of a ray, making it hit the ghost eel. But it seemed to have closed its eyes and absorbed the power. Because once it opened its eyes again, they were glowing red.
"Okay, maybe you do," I said as it shot me away with ecto-ray eyes and making me fly back towards the school. Thankfully, I flew through the wall and hit a ladder. It made me change back into my human form as I heard someone growl.
And before I knew it, I was being lifted up by my shirt by Dash. His letter jacket had paint on it, which I bet was on the ladder I just hit.
"Defacing my letter jacket?!" He yelled. "That's a violation punishable by wedgie!"
"Grapes of Wraith, break it up!" Mr. Lancer yelled as we looked up at him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't suspend you both for fighting on school property!"
"Uh," Dash began, letting go of my shirt, "I'm a football star?"
"True," Mr. Lancer said, and if Briar was here, she'd be rolling her eyes at this. "But I at least have to pretend to be fair, and you two need a more creative outlet for your aggression!"
"Like Briar has with her music?" I spoke timidly.
"Precisely, Mr. Fenton!" Lancer yelled before clearing his throat again. "As you know, every year one of the faculty puts on a Haunted House party at the abandoned Townsend Place." He showed us a flyer that had a photo of the Townsend Place and of himself. "This year it's my turn. And I'm bound and determined to decorated better than Miss Tetslaff did last year."
"Fat chance," Miss Tetslaff said with a grimace before showing a photo of some monster. "You'll never out-do my Franken-Gertrude-stein Monster." She then left, revealing Sam and Tucker behind her. Robin and Edwin were with them, too. That wasn't surprising since Edwin was dating Sam and Robin was dating Tucker now.
"Welcome aboard Team Lancer, gentlemen," Lancer said with a smile. "Scariest room avoids detention. Football star or not." He pointed to Dash with that last bit before walking away.
"Scary? Haunted House? This is great!" I yelled with excitement to my friends. "I am totally going to kick his butt!"
"You think so, Fen-tons-of-fun?!" Dash yelled, making me turn to look at him. "How about a side bet?"
"Sure," I said with a smirk. "If I win, you have to run through the school parking lot in your underwear."
"Okay," Dash agreed. "And when you taste defeat, you have to eat these!" He pulled out a pair of dirty underwear from his jacket. They looked old, but somehow still had Dash's name clearly written on them.
I screamed with my friends at the sight of them, though I think Edwin just stayed quiet and rolled his eyes. And I could hear Robin gagging instead of screaming.
"That's gross!" I heard her yell.
"I don't know what's scarier," Tucker began, "the underwear, or the fact that he carries them around in his coat!"
~BRIAR'S POV~
I was throwing up in the doctor's trash bin as my mom rubbed my back. I coughed a few times for good measure, too, and saw more blood come out. I sighed with worry before grabbing a tissue from my mom and wiping my mouth clean. I looked at the once white cloth. Notice how I said, "once white", because there was blood on it now from wiping my mouth.
"Doctor, what is wrong with my daughter?" My mom asked with worry as I set the trash bin down again.
"Well, what has been coming up when you puke like that?" The doctor asked me.
"Just bile," I answered. "And now blood."
"BLOOD?!" Mom yelled with shock.
"Do you cough up blood, too?" The doctor asked while writing down what I said.
"Yeah," I answered, worry seeping through my words.
"I see," The doctor pondered for a moment as he wrote down something else. The nurse came in with a folder, which I assumed held the x-rays I took earlier. My mom was a bit skeptical about me taking x-rays because it might show I'm partially "dead", but I'm sure once she sees them, she won't be so worried.
"Here's her x-rays, doctor," The nurse said as the doctor took the folder from her.
"Thanks, Jenny," He said as the nurse smiled and walked out. He opened the folder and took one out, holding it up to the light to get a better look at it. I held my breath, hoping that he didn't see my ghost half or something on it. But from what I saw, I kept my ghost powers hidden from the black photo.
"Tell me, Briar," The doctor began, as he put the x-ray back in the folder, "did you have any kind of illness when you were a kid?"
"Absolutely no-!" Mom began to say when I interrupted her.
"Yeah, I did," I said, making her look at me surprised. "My father was the only one who knew though."
"What was it?" The doctor asked again.
"Acute Bronchitis."
"And how long did it last?"
"About two weeks," I answered. "Why is that important now?" The doctor sighed as he turned on a back-light and placed the x-ray on it, showing it to us.
"It seems to have returned," He said as he pointed to a point on my chest x-ray. "But I don't think it's acute anymore."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Chronic," I froze, surprise clearly painted on my face.
"Aren't they the same thing?" Mom asked. For a scientist, she sure didn't know the human body very well.
"Afraid not," The doctor spoke. "Acute Bronchitis lasts for only a week or two, and that's what you just said, Briar. But Chronic Bronchitis...it lasts longer and is a more serious condition that develops over time."
"Will it ever go away?" I asked with a shaky breath.
"Symptoms may get better, though they won't completely go away," The doctor said. "But there's also a chance that they'll get worse."
"And what will that cause?" Mom asked.
"God forbid anything bad," The doctor grinned.
"What about my music?" I asked. "I'm a singer and songwriter! Can I still sing?"
"Oh, of course! But, don't go too far when you sing. Try to rest your voice from time-to-time." I nodded and held my head low.
Chronic Bronchitis. I don't know how this happened! I was never around anyone who smoked or next to chemical fumes (unless you count Axion Labs, but I was in my ghost form then! Nothing should have hurt me!). It could be air pollution, but I don't know! All I can think of right now is...how was I going to tell Danny?
I checked my phone for the tenth time that day. School ended a few hours ago and Danny still hadn't called me. He said he would but never did. So, I grabbed a little pack of tissues and walked out of my house with my phone. I walked across the street and knocked on the front door. Jazz answered instantly and smiled.
"Hey, Briar! What's up?" She asked.
"Not much. Just tired. Is Danny home?" I asked with a grin. "There's something I need to tell him." Jazz's face fell with worry as I saw her subtly eye my stomach. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "I'm not pregnant," I said. "As I said, I'm waiting until marriage and the doctor just confirmed that I'm not. Can I come in now?"
"Oh, uh, sure," Jazz said as she stepped aside and let me walk past her. "But what is it that you have to tell him?"
"I wasn't feeling good this morning," I answered. "And before you ask, I'm feeling better now. But, the doctor just-" I sighed with defeat and looked at Jazz again. "He diagnosed me with Chronic Bronchitis and there's a chance it'll turn into something worse."
"Oh, Briar," Jazz seemed genuinely concerned as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry to hear that! You know Danny will freak if he hears this!"
"I know," I sighed. "But, if I don't exacerbate it, it shouldn't become life-threatening. Meaning no going down into the basement here anymore."
Jazz grinned and pulled me in, hugging me for comfort. I returned the embrace, smiling in the process before pulling us apart.
"He's up in his room," She said. "Go on up."
"Thanks," I returned the smile she gave me before heading up the stairs and to Danny's room.
"What if we did something with skeletons?" I heard Danny say. "See? How scary is that?" I opened the door just in time to see a drawing of Dash being choked by a skeleton in Danny's hands.
"On a scale from not to ten," Tucker began, "it's a not." I giggled as Danny tore the page off and threw it to an overflowing trash bin.
"But the drawing was good," I retorted, making the boys look at me. Danny lit up when he saw I was there, but it soon faded once he realized the time.
"Briar! I'm so sorry! I totally for-!"
"It's fine, babe," I returned with a grin. "Sam texted me what happened today."
"How are you feeling?" Tucker asked, concerned.
"A little better," I sighed. "But let's focus on this contest Danny has with Dash."
"Good idea," Danny said, seeming to have his eyes light up as he stood on his bed. "How about this?" He turned into his ghost form, went intangible and floated through his bed. I looked at Tucker, seeing the same confusion as me, until the sheet flew up, most likely with Danny underneath it.
Sam had walked in just at that moment, bored out of her mind as she walked right past me. "Lame," She said, making Danny stop, whatever noise he was doing. He went back to tangible and threw the sheet off his head.
"Ah, man," He said, changing back to his human form. "Halloween's a week away, I still don't have a clue on what I'm going to do for my Haunted House room!" I gave him a sympathetic grin as I walked up and sat beside him on his bed.
"I'm sure you'll think of something," I said.
"Yeah! Which is why I picked this up from the old bookshop where I like to skulk and lurk," Sam said, pulling out a book from her book bag and handed it over to Danny. He took it and looked it over for a bit.
"Chronicles of the Fright Night?" He asked as he opened the book.
"He's the age-old spirit of Halloween," Sam stated. "Legend has it, that if his sword, the Soul Shredder, cuts through you, you get teleported to a dimension where you live out your worst fear." I stared at the photo Danny had turned to. It was of a knight ghost, riding on top of a skeletal horse while holding a sword. The photo was black and white, but somehow, I saw green flames coming out of his suit.
After a moment, Danny turned the page again, showing a floating island with a castle on it, and the banner that was for sure added into the photo that said 'Fright Night's Lair'.
"What a minute," Danny said, seeming to recognize this photo. "I've seen this before." He reached into his nightstand, the one by me, and pulled out a map of the Ghost Zone. He set it by the book and my eyes widened. The map looked identical to the photo! Meaning...
"What?"
"Look familiar?" Danny asked with a smirk.
"It matches the map that we've been making of the Ghost Zone!" Tucker yelled.
"I repeat...what?!" I yelled, making Sam snort at my surprise.
"This is great!" Danny yelled. "He's a ghost and he's the Spirit of Halloween?! That means I can take the best ideas from this guy and fuse them into my Haunted House Room!"
At the mention of that, I felt a tickle enter my throat, making me grab a tissue from my pocket quickly and start coughing into it. I'm sure this got my friends and boyfriend's attention, but I was kind of busy coughing up more blood to care.
"Whoa!" I heard Tucker yell. "Still not feeling good?" I'm glad I had stopped coughing at that moment. I looked at the tissue and sighed. Yep...blood.
"No, I'm fine," I said, sighing as I remembered I still need to tell my friends about my disease. Though, I'm afraid of what might happen when I do. Knowing Danny, he'll tell me that Stardust needs to rest a bit. "It's just-" I trailed off, not knowing how I'd tell my friends about this.
"What's wrong, Briar?" Danny asked, sitting next to me and putting a hand on my back. "You can tell us."
I looked into Danny's blue eyes, seeing the calm and concern, as well as the love, that was aimed right for me. He cared, and I know that if I don't tell him about my Chronic Bronchitis, then who knows what will happen.
So I took a deep breath and showed the bloodstain on the tissue to my friends.
"Whoa!" Sam yelled. "You're coughing up blood?!"
"Briar, what's going on?" Danny asked shocked.
"I went to the doctor after you left this morning, and it turns out the Acute Bronchitis I had when I was younger came back, only-" I sighed. "It's turned to Chronic."
"What?" My friends yelled in unison.
"What does this mean for your life?" Tucker asked concerned.
"I don't know," I said, grinning at my friends. "What I do know, is that Chronic Bronchitis lasts for about three months...but the symptoms stay pretty much forever."
"Can you still sing?" Sam asked.
"Oh, that was the first thing I asked the doctor," I smirked, making them snort...but Danny seemed oddly quiet. "And he said yes, as long as I don't go overboard with it."
"You're going to be okay though, right?" I looked at Danny, seeing the worry in his eyes (I even heard it in his voice). I grinned at him, placing a hand on his cheek and rubbing my thumb against it.
"Of course, love," I said. "I'll be just fine."
"We'll be here if you ever need help, Briar," Sam said, making me look at her as Danny took my hand from his cheek and held it. I grinned at her, as she was grinning at me. "Whatever you need...we'll help."
"Thanks, guys," I said. "Now there's only two other people to tell. Though, I'm not sure how Robin and Edwin are going to take this news."
"YOU WHAT?!" Robin screamed as we were walking down the sidewalk to the old abandoned Townsend Place. I had just told the twins about my diagnosis, which was a week ago by this point. Boy, time flew. I hadn't had the chance to tell them since I got the word because they were busy with family stuff and I was busy with songwriting (as well as ghost hunting with Danny). Today was the only other day I could.
On Halloween.
"Please don't freak out," I said. "I know, it's surprising. But I'm fine." I smiled at them.
"But I heard that you could die from Chronic Bronchitis!" Robin yelled.
"Keyword being 'could'," I retorted. "Meaning, I have a one in a million chance of that happening to me. But it won't...because I'm a half-ghost."
"This is true," Edwin returned. "But, are you sure you're fine?"
"I'm sure, Eddie," I smiled at him. "And I promise, if it somehow takes a turn for the worst, I'll tell you guys...ALL of you guys."
"Well," Robin looked apprehensive about it, but just shook it off and grinned right back at him. "Okay. But, you stay safe! And don't go near any dust!"
"Robin," I said, pointing to the abandoned Townsend Place behind me now.
"You're not allowed in there," Edwin retorted, making me snort at his remark as I pulled out a face mask. You know those masks doctors wear when in surgery? It looked like that, but it was black and cloth, not paper and/or blue. And it fit my costume perfectly. Well, not really, but the black part of it did. I was wearing a black medieval gown, with brown ankle boots, and a pair of black dragon horns on the top of my head. I even had a black cloak over the dress.
So, the black went good with this costume.
"I'll be fine. My mom made me this mask last night and we washed it by hand." I said. "As long as I keep it on while I'm in the Townsend Place, I should be fine." I quickly put on the mask and posed to my friends, smiling under it. Robin giggled while Edwin just rolled his eyes. But he had a grin on his face. "Now let's go! Danny might need our help."
Robin and Edwin agreed and we soon walked through the broken gate. We walked up to the Townsend Place and entered the front door. I was so glad this mask was extra thick because there was dust EVERYWHERE!
…
And Danny's Haunted House Room was apparently "finished". Though also very sad.
"Oh, boy," I sighed as I walked over to him, staring at the knight made up of some buckets and twigs. "Danny, what did you do?"
"He ripped off the book," Sam retorted, making Danny glare at her for a moment before coming back to me.
"How you feeling today?" He asked me.
"Okay," I returned, smiling. "The sad thing about this mask is you can't see my smile."
"Or kiss you," I heard him mumble under his breath, making me giggle in response.
"Now, if you'll excuse us," Tucker began, making us all look at him. Robin was standing next to him, putting up the hood of her Little Red Riding Hood costume. She looked adorable! And Edwin...he was a vampire.
After my "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale last month, I was told that Tucker and Robin were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. As well as Sam and Edwin! I was so glad to see both sides of my friend group happy.
"I'm a little late to start scamming some free candy," Tucker added as he picked up a jack-o-lantern candy pale. Robin was holding her basket. I would have gone out with her and Tucker, but after finding out they were a couple, I think some alone time would be perfect for them.
"Got our route mapped out for the OCP," He showed us a map on his PDA of Amity Park. There was a section of red in the corner though.
"Optimum Chocolate Pay-Load!" Robin yelled. "You want to steer clear of the red zone, though."
"Yeah, nothing but fresh fruit and granola bars in the red zone," Tucker added.
"So, where's your costume?" Sam asked as Edwin walked up to her, as well as Tucker pulled out a pair of glasses with a big nose in the center of them. I sighed as Robin giggled.
"I guess that'll do," Robin said. "But I thought you were going to be the Big Bad Wolf, Tuck!"
"Oh, sorry, babe," He said. "I lost track of the days once we decided that and didn't have time to make it. I would have, honest!"
"I believe you," She smiled. "But, the sad thing about that...we decided this last month." He gave her a nervous grin, which made Robin giggle once more before kissing his cheek. "I'll forgive you...if you share some of your candy with me."
"Deal!" He yelled, making me look in shock. Tucker never shared his candy with anyone. I guess he really liked Robin that much.
"Now, come on! Let's go get hit with something sweet!" He took Robin's hand and they went over to the door, opening it, and...
...Tucker got blasted with one of the Fenton inventions, while Robin ducked from the attack. Man, she has some quick reflexes.
"HAHA! Look at that, baby! The Fenton Foamer works like a charm!" Mr. Fenton yelled as Mrs. Fenton walked in.
"I know!" She yelled. "There was a ghost reading in this very room a second ago and now the room...is clean!"
"Speak for yourself," Tucker said, walking over to them, covered in green foam. "If you need me, or Robin, we'll be at a different doorway every 38 seconds." And with that, they were out of the room.
"Isn't he a little old to be walking around in a stupid costume?" Mr. Fenton asked, making me sigh as I crossed my arms.
"Mom? Dad? What are you doing?" Danny asked.
"Decontaminating the area, son," Mrs. Fenton exclaimed.
"You know how ecto-storms always flare up around Halloween, Danny," Mr. Fenton added on.
"Actually, that's news to me!" I yelled as I raised my hand, and made both Edwin and Sam snort at the comment.
"This is all very riveting," Danny began, "and by "riveting" I mean dull with a capital D," I snorted at that. "But you need to leave before Lancer thinks your helping me."
"Lancer? Hey, this isn't some sort of anti-detention project, is it?" Mr. Fenton asked, making me sigh as I walked over to the set Danny made. It wasn't that bad...can you tell I'm being polite?
"No! No!" I heard Danny say as I turned back around, seeing him pushing his parents out of the room. "Um, I'm just starting to get into ghosts like my old man." The look on Mr. Fenton's face was that of pride and joy. Oh, if he only knew that was a lie. Though, I'm sure part of it is true since Danny is half-ghost.
"Finally!" Mr. Fenton yelled. "If I didn't find it a sign of weakness, I'd weep with joy." And Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were gone. But my head started to feel fuzzy.
Once Danny's parents left, I watched as my boyfriend changed into his ghost form and took to floating in the sky.
"Decorated room, faked out parents," He listed. "Only thing left to do is check out what Dash's lame theme is and then spend the rest of the night gloating." He then flew off to go see Dash's room as he took the balloon sword with him.
I leaned against the table Tucker was at earlier, breathing heavily as I grabbed my head. Something wasn't right. I could feel my chest wheezing as I tried to get enough air. Man, I hate this disease with a burning passion.
"Briar?" I looked up at my friends, seeing Sam rushing up to me with Edwin. "Briar, what's wrong?"
"Can't...breathe. Feel...dizzy," I returned, at least tried to, before I felt myself fall to the ground and was met with darkness.
~Robin's POV~
Tucker for sure knew how to gather candy. His bucket was almost full! I offered to help him carry it, but he refused. Said it would prove to me that he was strong like all the other boys. Though, he didn't have to prove anything to me.
"Tuck, I can carry that if you need a break," I giggled out as he grunted to carry the bucket.
"No thanks...I got it..." He forced out, making me giggle again, before grabbing his other hand and making him look at me.
"You don't have to prove anything with me, Tucker," I smiled. "You've already won me." I saw a small blush form on his cheeks as he grinned at me. I giggled as I kissed his cheek and took the bucket from him. "Now, let's continue on this adventure."
"Let's," He smiled as we walked further down the road to a different house.
We got some more candy as time went on and decided that it could be a good time to head back to the Townsend Place to see what was going on. We could always go back to getting candy later.
"Hey, Ro?" I looked at Tucker, seeing a small bit of red painting his cheeks. "Thanks for being such a cool girl."
"Hey, no big!" I returned. "I don't like it when people make themselves uncomfortable when they have the help around them. I was once that person." I giggled. "Then I met Briar and I changed for the better. It was-" I got cut off as I felt Tucker pull me close to him and close the gap between us. He was kissing me. Our first kiss. I grinned into it as I closed my eyes, returning the kiss as I felt him wrap his arm around my torso.
After a moment, we pulled apart. A blush was on his face, as well as a grin, and a giddy smile was on mine.
"Well, that happened," He said, making me giggle in response as we hugged. But, eventually, I thought I saw someone walking down the sidewalk to one of the alleyways. It almost looked like Briar. I pulled away from Tucker and handed him the bucket of candy. "Hey, I'll catch up. I think I saw Briar go down that alleyway over there."
"Really? What would she be doing out here when Danny's still at the Townsend Place most likely?" He asked confused, but still taking the bucket of candy from me.
"I'm not sure. But I'm going to go ask. I'll be back in a bit," I returned, pecking his lips real quick and racing after my best friend. "Hey, Briar!" I turned the corner, making her stop in her tracks. "What are you doing out here? Danny's still fixing his Haunted House Room. I thought you-"
She turned around to me, making me stop in my sentence. This wasn't Briar, but she looked EXACTLY like her. Brown hair and all. The only thing different was that her brown hair was curlier than Briar's and she had Briar's ghost form eye color of icy blue instead of brown.
Oh, and the fact that she had a silver tiara and was wearing a white gown should have told me this wasn't Briar. Briar was dressed as a half-dragon maiden, not a princess.
"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am," I said. "I thought you were my friend, Briar Winthrope." The girl's eyes widened at the mention of Briar's name. "You look just like her."
"Robin Carr," She spoke, an echo in her voice. I looked at her more closely now, seeing the white-ish glow emanating from around her frame. Oh, crap...she's a ghost.
Also...
"How do you know my name?" I asked, concerned, and scared.
"You're Princess Briar's best friend," She said, turning completely to get a better look at me.
"Princess? Briar's not a princess!" I returned. "She's just a normal girl...who happens to have ghost powers." I thought for a moment. "I guess she isn't that normal anymore."
"Please!" The woman yelled, rushing up to me. "You must warn her!"
"Warn her? Of what?"
"There's an evil far greater than Vlad Plasmius and Queen Dior," She returned. "An evil that will take her breath away." I froze. An evil that will take her breath away. Briar was just diagnosed with Chronic Bronchitis, and that is said to take your breath away. At least I thought it did. I was suddenly getting the feeling that something bad was about to happen to my best friend...and I wish I knew what.
"Who are you?" I asked, curious as she gripped my wrist.
"You'll know in due time, Lady Robin," She said, smiling at me. Wait...that was Briar's smile.
"Why do you look just like Briar?!"
"Here," She spoke as she opened up my hand and placed a necklace in the center of my palm. It was an icy blue jewel with a silver crown and chain. It was actually very pretty. "Make sure Princess Briar gets this. It should help her."
"Help her? What are you talking-?" I looked up from the necklace, only to see the woman was gone. "-about?" I sighed, looking back at the necklace. It sparkled and shined in the moonlight as I heard Tucker calling for me.
"Robin, you okay?"
"I'm fine!" I called back. "Just fine." I looked up to the moon, seeing it to be a crescent tonight. So, I guess I was being dragged into this journey now, whether I wanted to be or not. I mean, I was already in the journey of Briar getting her powers, but now as a messenger for a ghost princess? And why was this girl calling Briar a princess? That makes no sense! Briar couldn't be a princess.
Or...maybe in the Ghost Zone...she is.
I looked back down at the necklace, hearing Tucker call for me again.
"Robin, let's go!"
"Coming!" I called as I placed the necklace into my basket and raced on over to my boyfriend. I'll give the necklace to Briar the next time I saw her.
~Danny's POV~
I tapped on Sam's ankle, hearing her scream as I heard (who I think was Edwin) come rushing over. I phased through the floor, smiling at her.
"You think that's scary?" I began, seeing that it was Edwin who came over. "Get a load of this!" I pulled out the sword from behind my back. It was green and glowing like any ghost I've faced before.
To fill you all in, I went into the Ghost Zone, found Fright Night's castle, snuck in as my human self, and took the sword for myself. I saw Dash's theme and it was way cooler than mine! I had to do something to make mine even cooler than his! I'm sure Briar would have agreed with me. Then again...maybe not.
Speaking of, where was she? I thought I left her behind with Sam and Edwin.
"You went into the Ghost Zone and stole the Fright Night's sword?!" Sam yelled with surprise.
"Stole, borrowed, semantics," I said. "You worry too much."
"Well, you should-" Before Edwin could finish his statement, I placed the sword into the wooden floor. It glowed with a bright green glow, making me back away with surprise. Sam and Edwin were looking on in shock as well.
A beam soon shot out of the sword's handle and went through the roof. I looked up through the hole it made, seeing it cover the sky in an eerie green fog. Lightning shot out of it and most likely hit one of the windows in this old place.
"AH! ZOMBIES!" I heard Dash scream. Oh, I guess that beam hit Dash's room.
"Maybe I should take this thing back," I said, getting a sideways glare from Edwin.
"Mr. Fenton," I heard Lancer, making me tense up as I saw him come in with his eyes closed. "It's time."
Sam and Edwin hopped in front of me, letting me change back to my human form. "Right after Lancer judges my room!" I exclaimed, watching as Edwin slapped his forehead. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" I then looked around again.
"Also...where's Briar?"
"She's outside," Sam said. "She passed out earlier but woke up almost immediately after. We sent her outside to get some fresh air. And no surprise, she wishes to be left alone for a moment."
"What? Is she okay?" I wish I was here when that happened. I would have taken her home!
"She's fine, dude," Edwin spoke. "Just, let her breathe for a moment. She's having a rough go with this new Chronic Bronchitis she has."
"Alright," I sighed. I was kind of hoping to impress her with this room. I mean, yeah, she's already my girlfriend, but at the same time, I kind of wanted to show her that I could do scary things as well. Being part ghost didn't count since she was one, too.
"Uh, Mr. Lancer," Sam began, getting my attention. Zombies were spilling into my room now. Great. "I don't know if it's safe in here."
"That's right, Sam," I said, acting quickly as I pushed the zombies out of the room and closed the door. "Nothing is safe inside, Danny Fenton's Room of Doom! Enter if you dare." I turned on this tape deck, playing thunder sound FX. I did a few other things like flickering on a light and having a bunch of plastic fake spiders drop from the ceiling.
Though Lancer wasn't phased.
"I'll have you know I don't fall for cheap theatrics," He said. "And I don't scare easily." I looked over at him, seeing this giant spider behind my teacher. He looked, too, and smiled as he wrote something on his clipboard.
"But you're off to a promising start," He said, making me smile nervously at him.
"All part of the show," I returned, nervously.
~Briar's POV~
I'm glad that blackout didn't last most of the night and only came and went quickly. But I couldn't go back inside. The dust got to me even through the mask. Maybe I need a stronger one.
But regardless, I stayed outside this time. The mask was in my bag at my side. I wished I could go help Danny more with his room, but what else was I supposed to do? I had this disease that stopped me from going down into my lab and his parents, as well as this abandoned place behind me! I couldn't help!
"Maybe," I sighed, sitting on the curb and resting my elbows on my knees. "Maybe I should hang up the hero life. Maybe Stardust...needs a vacation."
"What light doth I see before me?" I look up to see...oh, what did Danny do?! "A fair maiden of such beauty shouldn't hold a frown upon her face." I blushed at the comment, but I remembered this guy from Sam's book. Either Danny ripped of the Fright Night's look as well...or he stole the guy's sword.
I'm going with the stupid answer and say that he stole the guy's sword.
"Tell me, young rose, what do people call you?" I looked at him again, fear coursing through my veins as I stood up from the curb.
"They call me Briar," I said, hearing a sigh come from the guy's lips. "And I'm afraid I'm already taken."
"Yes," He returned, making me unaware of what was about to happen. "By me."
~Robin's POV~
Tucker and I were walking down the road, heading for the Townsend Place, when I stopped us and gasped, seeing this knight on a flying horse grabbing at Briar. She was pushing him away and trying to run, but he was too strong for her.
"Briar!" I yelled, going to race on over to her when the knight grabbed her and put her on the horse. Magically she got tied up there and was then flown to the Townsend Place that now had this eerie green fog around it.
"What did Danny do this time?!" I yelled with aggravation.
"Seems like he really wanted to win," Tucker returned.
"Worst of all, he put Briar in danger...again!"
"Make sure Princess Briar gets this. It should help her." That ghost from before came back to my brain, making me look down at my basket. The necklace was still sitting in there, waiting to be given to Briar.
I thought for a moment, thinking of the jewel on the ghost woman's crown. It was the same star symbol as Briar's ghost form! Even Cotton (yes, I've seen the ghost dog Briar now has) said that the star on Briar's suit was similar to an old ghostly kingdom in the Ghost Zone.
Then came the shocking news that the woman looked EXACTLY LIKE BRIAR!
Maybe it was the ghost of Briar's grandmother or maybe it was Stardust leaving Briar's body (though I've never seen that happen before). All I know is that Briar was in trouble now, couldn't transform for reasons I don't know, and was now probably going to used as bait for Danny. Now, more than anything was probably a good time to give this necklace to my friend.
"Come on," I said. "We have to help our friends."
~Danny's POV~
"See? I told you I've had everything under control," I said to Sam as she walked over to me with the Fenton Foamer. She had just used some of it on a trio of skeletons, turning them back into their plush forms.
"We've got enough Fenton Foamers to keep Lancer safe, and as soon as he says the words: 'Danny wins'," I stated as I took the Fenton Foamer from Sam and shot it at a giant rat that was growling at Lancer (who was tied up in a web). The rat turned back into a chair as Edwin raced to go free Lancer. "I'll toss the sword back into the Ghost Zone."
A crash from above made us look up, seeing a giant hole in the Townsend Place's roof. And coming in from that hole, was the Fright Night himself, carrying...
"Briar!" I yelled in fear, seeing her struggle against the ghostly chains that were wrapped around her slim frame.
"Hmm. That's one fancy, flaming, robot," I heard Lancer say.
"Danny!" Briar yelled to me, coughing a bit. Oh, crap! The dust! "Whatever you do, don't let him get the sword!"
"Silence, fair maiden!" Fright Night yelled. "A woman of such beauty shall be seen...not heard!"
"Excuse me?!" Briar yelled as I could see her eyes glowing a bright icy blue. He hit a chord with that statement. "I'm not a Medieval Maiden, you jackhole! I'm a human girl from this time period!"
"I said, SILENCE!" He then threw her off the horse and made her land on the web, still tied up by the ghostly chains. She then looked over at Lancer and grinned nervously.
"Briar!" I yelled, aiming the Fenton Foamer at Fright Night before he shot it out of my hands with a pink laser coming from his eyes. I looked at the sword, seeing it glowing as it was still stuck inside the floor.
"My sword," I heard Fright Night say. "At last!" He dove for it as I raced over to it. We both grabbed it at the same time as I heard Tucker and Robin race in. Fright Night swung around, trying to get me off the sword as we fought for who was to hold it.
But I wasn't paying attention to where it was swinging. It sliced through Lancer, making him disappear.
"Lancer?! Where'd he go?!" I yelled with worry as I was tossed off the sword.
"Danny!" I heard Briar cough out my name. I looked at her, still worried. I was about to go after Fright Night, but instead, I stood up and raced over to my girlfriend. I undid the ghostly chains with a touch of my ghost magic and she fell into my arms. How she didn't stay stuck on the web is beyond me. But I didn't make note of it. She was safe with me, and that's all that mattered.
"Guys!" I called over to my friends. "Get Briar out of here!"
Robin quickly raced up to us and grabbed Briar's hand, making it so that she was leaning on her now instead of me. Good thing, too, because I think Phantom might be needed.
"Briar, are you okay?" Robin asked.
"I'm fine. Just feel like my lungs are on fire," She returned, coughing up some blood.
"What did you do Mr. Lancer and Briar?!"
"I did nothing to the fair maiden," Fright Night said. "But as for the man, I sent him to a place where all who feel the sting of my blade is sent. To a dimension where his worst fears come to life."
"YES! This contest is so mine!" I yelled with excitement.
"Danny!" Briar yelled, coughing again.
"Uh...I mean," I began, changing into my ghost form, "bring him back, you fiend!" I raced up to him and went to kick him in the face when he smacked out of the air. I ended up falling through a hole in the wall.
"Danny!" I heard Briar cough out again.
~Briar's POV~
"Listen to the sound of your doom," Fright Night yelled. "Soon, my storm shall consume this planet. The world will be forever transformed, and no one can stop me."
"Not if I can help it!" Danny yelled as he flew in to fight Fright Night himself, only to bang into his chest and fall onto his back from the impact. "Which, apparently, I can't."
I fell to the floor, coughing up more blood as I felt Robin, Edwin, Sam, and Tucker all beside me. I can't leave now. Knowing that Danny was fighting a ghost without me keeps me from doing so. Also, if he got hurt in this battle and I could have prevented that, I don't think I'd forgive myself.
"Briar," Robin spoke, kneeling beside me as I watched her reach into her Red Riding Hood basket. I don't know what she was getting or what she carried with her for a disease like this, but I just didn't say anything.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked.
"No! I feel like I'm dying!" I yelled, coughing up more blood. Crap. This can't be good.
"Here," I looked at Robin, seeing her hold up this icy blue jewel on a silver chain. "I promised someone that I'd give this to you when I saw you next. And that time is now."
"Will it keep me from dying?" I asked, sarcastically with the roll of my eyes.
"She said it should help you!" She yelled, taking the chain and clasping it around my neck. Once clasped, it shined with a light I didn't know existed. My friends braced themselves as I felt my lungs get filled with refreshed air. My blood boiled to life with a new purpose. What was happening?
"Robin," I spoke as the light dimmed. She looked at me as I did with her, a grin on my face. "Thanks for listening to whoever gave you this." I stood up slowly and stood my ground. I don't know what happened, but this necklace...I think healed me. I was breathing in the dust and wasn't coughing. I was standing up straight without feeling winded or dizzy.
"Briar, what are you doing?" Edwin began to ask when I took a few steps forward, passed my friends. Fright Night walked forward towards Danny, getting ready to pierce him with his sword.
"Danny! Look out!" Tucker yelled as he raced into the fight, Robin trying to stop him but couldn't. He stood in front of Danny and got sliced instead, eventually disappearing in front of our eyes.
"Tucker!" "NO!" Danny and Robin yelled in unison.
"Hey, Fright Night!" I called, getting the ghost's attention. Danny looked at me with worry.
"Briar, stay back! I don't want you getting hurt!" He yelled to me. "Besides, you're sick!"
"I feel fine, Danny," I smirked, my eyes glowing blue (I can always feel that power when it activates somehow). "Besides...two half-ghosts are better than none." I let the two white rings form around my waist, letting the travel up and down my body. Once they faded away, my ghost form of Stardust was in Briar Winthrope's place.
"What?!" Fright Night seemed genuinely surprised to see me change into my ghost form. Then again, most ghosts are surprised to see me. I quickly did a one-handed cartwheel and then a handless back-flip before kicking Fright Night in the gut. He stumbled back a bit before glaring at me.
I got into a fighting stance, my hands glowing with icy blue ecto-energy. I was done being the damsel. I was done being treated like every dumb girl out there. It was time that Stardust fought for the ones she loved.
It was time I step up...and be the pop princess I know I can be.
Fright Night came at me, making me shoot my ecto-energy at him quickly. Danny did the same as he stood next to me now. But the evil ghost just used his sword and deflected the attacks, hitting us away and making us fall to the ground. Well, I fell to the ground, Danny fell through the wall...again.
"Doesn't anything work on this guy?" Danny asked annoyed.
"There must be something in this book that could tell us how to beat him," Sam said as she went looking through the book she had about the Fright Night. But Fright Night was in front of her now. I stood up quickly and raced for as he went to slice her away.
"Perhaps, but you will never find it!" He said as I grabbed her and pulled her out of the way as he sliced the book in half.
"Darn it! That bookstore has a no return policy!" Sam said with annoyance.
"I'm so sorry," Danny said as we hid behind the fake throne he made. "I wanted to win so bad. But not this bad."
"Stop beating yourself up over it and start beating him," Sam said, gesturing to the Fright Night. "It's the only we'll be able to get Tucker and Lancer back safe and get everything back to normal!"
Danny soon flew out of hiding while Sam went over to the sliced up book. I followed Sam, thinking back two sets of eyes were better than one. But as I did, I heard Danny yell out in pain, making me look over to see that he was smacked away by the Fright Night.
"Come on, show me a weakness," Sam said, making me look as well. "A vulnerability, anything."
"Here!" I exclaimed, holding up a piece of paper that wasn't too torn up. "To cease the storm, to end the fear, the sword must sheathe a pumpkin near."
"Pumpkin near!" Sam yelled. "Danny! You-"
"Wait, hold on," I stopped her. "There's more here."
"What?"
"It says something about a princess and how only she can stop Fright Night's reign of terror."
"But Danny's a boy!" Edwin yelled as he raced over to us with Robin.
"Yes, I see that, Edwin," I said sarcastically.
"It's you, Briar," I looked at Robin with wonder. "The person who gave me that necklace to give you. She kept calling you a princess."
"Me?" I asked with surprise. "But I'm just a half-ghost human! I'm not of royal descent!"
"But it's worth a shot, Briar," Sam said. "You're our only hope."
I sighed as I thought about this. Me? A princess? I don't see how that is possible. My dad wasn't a king and my mother isn't a queen. So how was I to be a princess? Either way, however, if only a princess can sheathe this sword, then who's to say that princess couldn't be me. Who's to say that I couldn't do this task and save my friend and teacher?
I had to do it.
"I'm on it," I said before taking flight and looking around the room.
"Stardust, what's up!?" Danny called me, making me look at him as he tossed a grandfather clock at Fright Night.
"I need to find a pumpkin and fast," I returned. "I have the sheathe the sword inside a pumpkin!"
"A pumpkin? There's no pumpkins in the room!" He said before it donned on him. "No pumpkins in the room? It's Halloween! What am I, an idiot?"
"Yes. Yes you are," I deadpanned. "But we have to find another pumpkin fast. It's the only thing that can stop the sword's power."
Danny looked around the room, before pointing to a table in the corner. "There!" I looked over to see this rotting pumpkin, which was actually more of a jack-o-lantern now, and I smiled.
"Perfect!" I yelled before hearing Fright Night come up to us. He grabbed Danny and then flew them both out of the roof. I followed quickly and shot an icy blue ecto-beam at him, only to miss entirely. He started swinging the sword around to get Danny and I in our own fear-based dimensions, but we kept dodging each attack.
"Strike 6!" Danny yelled as he aimed a green ecto-beam at Fright Night.
"Way to whiff, Mr. October!" I added in as I shot a bit of my own icy blue ecto-energy into Danny's green orb. They mixed together and shot Fright Night out of the sky. He fell back to the floor below us. We followed him quickly.
"Come on, Stardust!" I heard Robin yell to me.
"You can do it, Danny!" Sam added in.
Danny punched Fright Night in the face, only to get uppercut by the ghost afterward. I went to shoot a piece of my ecto-energy at him again, only to get stopped by Fright Night as he smacked me away. I landed on the floor near the pumpkin.
~Danny's POV~
I kicked the Fright Night in the head, but got grabbed by the throat and was pinned to the floor. I stared up at him in pain, just now waiting to be sliced and taken to a fear-based dimension without Briar. Yeah...a world without Briar is a world I wouldn't want to be in. That's my greatest fear.
I watched as he raised his sword above me. I clenched my eyes tight, waiting for the impact...but it never came. I opened my eyes, seeing that Briar (or Stardust in this case) came rushing in and had caught the sword in her hands.
"My ghostly jewel...lend me your power...help me in this dire hour." I heard her say, as something was glowing from around her neck. "To cease the storm...to end the fear...the sword must sheathe...a pumpkin near!" A white glow started flowing around her as she grabbed Fright Night's hand and swung him over her shoulder. She had the sword in her hand now.
She quickly flew towards the pumpkin and without a second thought, she sheathed it. It blasted her away with a green beam coming from the sword as everything was starting to go back to normal.
"Trick and treat, bucket head!" I yelled as I stood up. "Told you I'd have it back by midnight."
Soon, the vortex started swirling backward, sucking up everything that was apart of Fright Night's evil scheme.
"Everything's getting sucked up into the Ghost Zone," Sam said. "It's working."
"I will have my vengeance," Fright Night yelled. "Mark my words!" Before we knew it, Fright Night was crumbling and was soon lifted up into the Ghost Zone, which caused the vortex to disappear right after. Even the pumpkin with the sword in it disappeared right before Tucker reappeared to us.
"Yes! Sweet, beautiful technology! You're mine once again!" He yelled as he had his PDA in his hand.
"Tucker!" Robin yelled as she raced over to him and hugged him around his torso. "You have no idea how worried I was." I saw him smile as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm fine, Ro," He said, making me grin as Lancer reappeared now, making me quickly change back into my human form.
"Mr. Fenton, I do have to say that was the most horrifying thing I have ever seen," He said. I stared at him for a moment, thinking he was about to I lost but...surprisingly he didn't. "You win!"
"YES!" I yelled with excitement.
"Take that, Tetslaff!" Lancer eventually started leaving as Sam gave me a quick hug. But something didn't feel right. I felt like I won this by a means that I shouldn't have. So, I raced after Lancer.
"Mr. Lancer, wait up!" I called. "Mr. Lancer, I have to be honest. I cheated."
"Cheated?"
"Well, I borrowed – stole – some of my parents' technology."
"You mean this stuff," I heard Sam say as she and Tucker, with Robin beside him, came over with the Fenton Foamer. "Like the Fenton Foamer that causes a psychosomatic reaction in whomever's exposed to it, causing them to live out their worst fear?"
Now I knew where they were going with this.
"Yeah, that," I retorted.
"Daniel, the good news for you is I don't care. I have two scary rooms and it's midnight. Let the party begin!" He opened the doors and, of course, my parents were outside the door.
"Nobody move!" They shot Lancer with their own Fenton Foamers and I have a feeling that now he knew the truth of this device.
"Nice theme, Lancer," I heard Miss Tetslaff say. "Early oil spill! Come on. Let's get out of here." And then she and the group of kids that were with her left.
"Changed my mind," Lancer said to me. "Dash wins. I'll see you in detention, Fenton." And then he left.
"What? This was some sort of anti-detention scheme!" Dad yelled. "Well, you're in a lot of trouble mister!"
"You don't know the half of it," I sighed out.
"Briar!" I looked over at the sound of Edwin's voice, seeing he was kneeling next to Briar's unconscious form. Wait...UNCONSCIOUS!?
"Oh, no," I quickly raced over and fell to my knees beside her, the green foam from the Fenton Foamer falling off my head. I flipped her over into my arms, making her head land on my shoulder. This couldn't have been good. I was just glad that she was in her human form.
"Briar, can you hear me?!" I called to her, getting no answer in return. "Briar?!"
"Oh, goodness me! Is she okay?!" I heard my mom yell over to me.
"I don't know," I took a deep breath in as I put two fingers on her neck, hoping to find a pulse. And thankfully, I did. I sighed with relief as I put my other arm under her knees and picked her up from the ground. This got me a small groan coming from her.
"Danny?" I grinned, knowing that my girlfriend was alive was all I needed.
"I'm right here, babe," I whispered. "I got you."
"Oh, Jack, look at how sweet they look together!" I heard mom say, making me blush at her words.
"Mom!" I started, but she just waved me off.
"We'll give you your punishment later," She said. "Just get her home." And then they left.
"Danny?" I looked at Briar in my arms, seeing her eyes flutter open partly. I could see the tiredness in them.
"Hey, B," I said gently. "I'm right here. You okay?"
"I think so," She looked at me and grinned. "Promise me you won't steal that sword ever again."
"I promise," I returned, kissing her forehead. "Now, let's get you home."
"Did you lose?" She asked, making me groan with distaste and causing her to giggle in response.
~Briar's POV~
I walked through the halls in school, seeing people looking bummed out and saddened. I just smirked as I made it to Danny's locker, seeing him getting his things ready for detention.
"So," I spoke, still smirking as he looked at me. "How was lunch?"
"Actually...better. I didn't have to eat Dash's dirty underwear," He answered before something clicked. "What did you do?"
"Let's just say," I began, as I showed him inside my bag, "he misplaced the item." He looked in and saw a plastic bag with the underwear in it.
"You thief," He chuckled.
"Hey, there was no way in heck I was going to let you go through with that," I returned. "I'll always have your back."
"As I with you," He returned, pulling me to him and planting his lips on mine. The kiss didn't last long, sadly, but it was still a sweet kiss. But something in his eyes caught my attention.
"What?" I asked.
"I just realized, I don't think I can kiss you as much anymore," He returned. "Your Chronic Bronchitis-"
"Danny," I stopped him, smiling with excitement now. "I had an appointment with a doctor earlier this morning."
"And?" I smiled even more at his worried expression.
"It's gone," I said, gaining shock from Danny. "Somehow, this jewel healed me." I gestured to the necklace I was forever going to wear from here on out. "I don't know what powers it holds, but I'm determined to find out its mysteries."
~THE END – END OF CHAPTER 11~
Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. Got busy. But, I think this is a perfect time to publish this "episode" because it takes place during Halloween and I'm posting it on Halloween. How fun is that! Lol!
Anyway, I hope you liked it. If you did, please leave a review and let me know if you have any ideas of what could happen in future chapters with Briar's story. Also, let me know what you're being for Halloween this year (though it's COVID-19, we should still dress up just for the heck of it lol). I'm being a ghost. And no, not one with a sheet over my head lol. I'm actually putting thought into this ghost costume lol.
Thanks for reading and the support, stay safe, God bless, and have a Happy Halloween!
Au Revoir!