Chapter Nine
"A Huntress' Thoughts"
It had been a few days since the Phantoms and that Dracula-like ghost had fought, and Valerie hasn't donned her ghost hunting suit since that day. She was now terrified at what the Phantoms, particularly the Ghost Gal, could do to her. At first she was going to force her into using that screaming attack of hers, but she decided against it since Ghost Gal had sent that ghost towards the horizon and possibly into the stratosphere. Valerie was also enraged that Dracula-like ghost said he had sent her the suit when Mr. Masters had really sent her that suit.
She carefully replays the events on that day in her head. The Ghost Gal had black hair instead of white and she wore the same clothes as Danielle Fenton. It had to be coincidence since humans can't have ghost powers; can they? If what that ghost had said was true, then she was one of the reasons that they came under attack by his creations, and the Ghost Gal could just be a clone created by him. The Phantoms seem to hate the terminology and what did the Ghost Boy mean by thanking that ghost for a clone? Was the Ghost Boy lonely that he had no one else to connect with? She saw how the two look out for each other and the two seem to think alike
Sure Valerie didn't hunt ghost since that day but that didn't stop her from spying on them. She had seen Skulker capture Danielle for some reason thinking that she was the Ghost Gal, but the Ghost Boy came in and said that it was a mistake in identity. The two also fought against some ghost that seemed to have control over machines. When he spied the two, he started complaining that his CPU had malfunctioned since he was seeing double. He couldn't comprehend that he was just seeing two different individuals instead of mirrored images of the Ghost Boy.
Valerie swore that the next time that Dracula-ghost came by; she's going to get the truth out of him by force and to get him back for using her. Sure, the ghost hunting was an adrenaline for her and to exert her hatred for ghosts; however, she didn't trust the Phantoms yet, but she now shared their hatred for that ghost. She did run into Mr. Masters again just before he left for Wisconsin, but his face was severely disfigured. He told her that he was mugged and he fought back but at a severe cost.
She also seen him with the "twin" Fenton cousins but the two don't seem to get along. She couldn't place her finger on it but the three seem to act like the Phantoms and that Dracula-ghost did when she last saw them. Valerie also seen how he acts around his old college friend, Mr. Fenton; however, there seemed to be some bad blood going on between Mr. Masters and Mrs. Fenton. Whatever it was, it must be something recent since, from what she was told, they were old college friends.
She was soon snapped out of her thoughts by a demanding voice.
"Hey, Gray!"
It was Dash Baxter and he, along with the rest of the football team, came to the Nasty Burger for their weekly dinner before tomorrow's game. It has always been a tradition at Casper High for the team, plus the cheer squad, to come here to celebrate the next day's victory.
"May I take your order, Dash?" she asks trying to not let his voice bother her.
"You know what I want!"
It has always been the same ever since that incident with that Ghost Boy and his dog. She lost her popularity and had always been treated like trash even after her father regained his job.
"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not a memory bank for your order."
"A Number 4 and upsize everything!"
"A Number 4 with everything upsized comes to $5.95."
This continued until the team had ordered and the only one who was nice to her was the new guy, Chad Thomas. He was different from the other jocks and his actions were getting him ridiculed by the others, especially the cheer squad. The cheer squad soon came up and she spotted Paulina wearing a new shirt that she had seen before. They were black as night and it had the familiar emblem of the Phantoms on the front.
"You like?" Paulina asked as if trying to make her jealous.
"I heard they were sold out," Valerie replies back gritting her teeth.
She didn't like the Phantoms a lot since she hated the Ghost Boy. The art gallery was one thing, but a Phantom line of fashion was taking it a bit too far.
"They were sold out in a matter of days, and why do I even bother talking to you."
"A salad for you, Paulina?" she asked while gritting her teeth.
"What do you think?" as she leans on the counter.
She now hated Paulina and can that girl get any shallower? At first she wasn't bothered by her, but now with her obsession in getting the Ghost Boy's attention; it was getting on her nerves. She can't believe that girl would decorate her locker with his picture pasted inside it. Star on the other hand still kept friendly ties with her since they had been friends since before Jr. High.
"What's with her?" she asked Star after Paulina had left with her salad.
"She thinks that she can get the attention of the Ghost Boy with that shirt."
"Figures," Valerie huffs.
"I'm worried about her since he might turn her down and she's still hoping that he talks to her since he promised that he would."
"What do you mean?" she asked before thinking in thought. "Why would he want to talk to shallow Paulina?"
"When his sister first came here, Paulina thought that she was his girlfriend and that she was too good for her. After Paulina was saved by the Ghost Boy from a ghost, he said that he needed to tend to his sister's wounds before he would talk to her. Ever since then, Paulina's been trying to find her and find out if he likes her."
Valerie rolls her eyes at the comment, "The usual?"
Star just nodded before she paid for her meal and left to sit with Paulina. She was glad that her shift was over since she can't stand it when she was teased. Sure she did her fair share of teasing the less popular, but now she doesn't care for them. She was still glad that Star still talks to her even though she risks loosing her popularity if she gets caught talking to her for too long. Valerie still had time to stop by the mall since there were a few sales that she needed to see before it ends tonight.
There wasn't much to offer and she needed to get home since her dad still didn't like her risking her life hunting ghosts. She was just about to leave when a devastating voice echoed through the mall.
"What do you mean you are out of tees!"
A body was soon thrown through a nearby shop window followed by a ghost dressed to kill. Her hair was in a beehive fashion, she had elegant jewelry on (including in her hair), and her teeth were fang-like. Valerie was unsure what to do. Sure she wanted to help, but the events earlier in the week still plague in her head.
"How dare you sell tees of that Ghost Boy!"
The ghost towers over the cowering clerk with her nails becoming long daggers just before she was hit in the back of the head knocking her hair out of its hold.
"Hey, fashion creep!" it was Dani Phantom and she lands not too far from the ghost giving the clerk enough time to flee.
Valerie hides behind the fountain so that she could watch and see if the Ghost Gal uses that attack on the ghost.
"You're back, beautiful?" the ghost cackles clicking her nails together.
"The beehive style went out in the '60's and you should try something new," Dani snaps back.
"I see that you have your hair back in that ponytail, Ghost Boy's shadow."
"It's going to take another two weeks for my hair to get the length it was before you cut it, and," her eyes were now glowing a darker green, "I think it's time that I paid you back for those insults."
"Very well, beautiful."
She charges at Dani with daggers extended only to have her dodge the attack and launch an ecto-blast to her head. The only thing left of the ghost's hair were a few strands and her jewelry had been scattered around the floor.
"You will pay for what you did to my hair!" the ghost roared.
"We're even," was all Dani said.
The ghost charges again only to be knocked backwards by Dani with an ecto-blast that sends her towards the wall. She then peels herself off the wall collapsing to the ground. She looks at her hands only to find that her nails had been damaged. She lets out a powerful wail that shatters the shop windows.
"You will pay for what you did to my nails, and I just had a manicure!"
She charges again only to be encased in an ecto-web by Dani before she dodged the attack and launches an ecto-blast out of her free hand knocking her towards the opposite wall.
"What's your name?" Dani asked as she held her Thermos at the struggling ghost.
"I am the Queen of Fashion! I am known as the Trendy Ghost!"
"I thought that you would be some cheap knockoff of a famous movie starlet!"
"You dare make fun of my name!"
The Trendy Ghost tries to get up only to end up getting sucked into the Thermos. Valerie had her eyes transfixed on the scene as the Ghost Gal left. She wanted to fight her, but the events earlier in the week still plagued her. She finally made up her mind; she was going after her no matter the consequences. Valerie dons her suit and chases after the Ghost Gal just as she had left the mall.
"I got you now!" she yells as she fires her weapon only to miss.
The Ghost Gal launches a counterattack as Valerie dodges it only to have it explode near her blinding her. Her vision clears and her ghost detector detected two ghosts heading in separate directions. She takes a risks and follows one of them just to loose it near Fenton Works. Valerie curses to herself as she takes off towards home hoping that Mr. Masters can get her something that will help her when they duplicate themselves. She heads towards home only to have her ghost detector to go off not too far from Fenton Works followed by a deep cold voice.
"I got you now, whelp!" she knew that voice belonged to Skulker and she also knew who else was present.
"Didn't getting sent first class to Wisconsin teach you a lesson that you can't have my pelt, Skulker?" it was the Ghost Boy standing off against the ghost hunter.
Skulker didn't answer since he had fired a net at the Ghost Boy only to have him dodge the net and launch an ecto-web entangling the hunter.
"What's this?" Skulker questioned.
"I think the hunter just became the hunted," the Ghost Boy smirks only to enrage Skulker some more.
The Ghost Boy pulls out his Thermos and captures Skulker just as Valerie came into range of him.
"Hold it right there, Ghost Boy!" she open fires catching him by surprise hitting him in the chest.
He soon recovers looking at her annoyed, "When are you going to realize that it wasn't my dog?"
"Don't lie to me!" Valerie snaps opening fire again only to miss and get entangled in one of his webs.
She starts to struggle trying to get out before he attacks her again but it just made it worst. Her ghost detector soon went off again and she also saw the remnants of some kind of blue breath from the Ghost Boy. They both heard barking and they saw a small puppy. Valerie knew who it was, it was that Ghost Boy's dog and one of the reasons that her dad had lost his job before.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked the puppy in an annoyed tone as it barked playfully and leaned on his leg. "Why don't you go on back home?"
The more Valerie saw them the more she became enraged and she finally used her weapons to free her just as her ghost detector went off again. She looked past the Ghost Boy and his dog to see what appeared to be twins dressed as Indians. She was sure that they were the ones from school since they had their Gemini zodiac painted on them. They wore war paint, had a few feathers in their hair, a quiver full of arrows and bow, and they were riding on stick horses.
"Cujo!" one of the twins called out and the dog ran towards them.
"So," Valerie called out getting their attention, "it's your dog!"
"Back off meanie!" the twins shouted drawing back their bow with their suction cup arrows.
"You two are going to attack me with those arrows?"
They open fire on her and the hit her in her shoulders.
"Ow," she sarcastically said, "that hurt."
She then receives an electric shock from the arrows as she screamed in pain while the twins just laughed at her. It didn't last long and she soon became enraged at them as she drawn out her hidden blasters from both of her hands.
"You're going to pay for that!" she charges up and the next second she was no longer in her suit. "What?"
A small giggle was heard from above and she looks up to see her suit floating in midair. Then the next second, the Ghost Gal appears holding her suit.
"Did you loose something?" she asked in a humorous tone that only enrages Valerie as she tried to grab her suit but failed when it was pulled out of range. "Can I destroy this, please?" she plead as if she was a young child while her eyes were the puppy-dog look.
"Lets see here," the Ghost Boy began as he began to think as a smile creeps on his face. "Vlad sent her first suit in which I destroyed when Technus took it over. I believe that Technus gave her the current suit. So I think," he paused longed enough to eye Valerie, "destroy it."
"With pleasure," Ghost Gal replied with a playful coldness in her voice.
She throws the suit into the air despite Valerie's protests before she destroys it with a charged ecto-blast leaving nothing behind.
"You're going to pay for that, ghost!" Valerie snaps at her out of anger.
"Valerie," the Ghost Boy protested as he joined his sister, "I'm not the enemy and I didn't mean to ruin your life."
"Yes, you did ghost! Each and everyone like you have terrorized our town for the last time! Once I destroy both of you, these attack will stop!"
"Or Skulker'll have your head, and we're protecting your life," the Ghost Gal countered.
Valerie growls with anger as they fly off and as the young twins and their dog take off in the opposite direction whooping and hollering as they galloped away waving their tomahawks in the air. She heads back home and was able to get back there before her curfew. She heads straight to her room just to let her anger spew since she had lost her suit to the Phantoms. She would also need to contact Mr. Masters to get a replacement suit.
Post Author's Note:I had to give a name to the 'fashion-crazed' ghost; so I gave it a name that sounds just as corny as the Box Ghost. Just one more chapter left and this one is complete! If you don't know; the ghost dog is usually given the name Cujo.
Copyright Notice: The Trendy Ghost belongs to me and can be used with my permission.