(I know I know...it's about time! But here it is...chapter two...after how many months? lol. Well here you go. Ch.3 will be up soon! Enjoy!)
"So you're telling me there's an even more powerful ghost hunter out there?" Danny asked perplexed.
"That's what I'm saying." Skulker answered. "Why else would I be here?"
"But how powerful could this guy actually be? I mean I beat you didn't I?" Danny answered a bit cocky.
Skulker glared at him. He seriously wanted to hurt him now but he had to put his anger aside. "Listen…ghost boy. This guy would give even you a run for your money. Why do you think the ghosts haven't been around lately? It isn't because of you."
"Wait…the ghost hunter is here?" Danny asked.
"Yes. And of course he isn't just a ghost hunter." Skulker added.
"He isn't?"
"No. He absorbs ghost energy, or so I've heard. I just barely made it out with mine." Skulker was clenching his fists. He looked angry, very angry. Luckily this time it wasn't Danny he was after.
"So what do you want me to do?" Danny asked, crossing his arms in defiance.
"You know what I want!" Skulker yelled.
"Yeah…but you have to say it first." Danny said while flashing a cocky grin.
Skulker growled and glared at him. "Fine…I…need you to help me."
"Say please."
"Please…" Skulker said through gritting teeth.
"Alright, since you asked so nicely I'll help." Danny said still full of arrogance.
"Good. We need to find out his identity. I don't think he's human."
Danny gave Skulker a funny look. "So then he's a ghost?"
Skulker shook his head. "No."
"So then he's human."
"No." Skulker hollard.
"Then what is he!" Danny yelled. "If he's not a ghost and not a human what could he possibly be?"
"We're not sure. Some sort of halfa like you. Or maybe something completely different." Skulker explained.
"Well whatever he wants he's no match for me."
Skulker laughed. "We'll see about that."
Just then Danny heard the loud holler of his father's voice calling his name.
"Danny! You're new friend is here!" There was a moments pause then he heard something a little disconcerting. "Ooh! Come check out the fenton thermos. Or the spectral speeder!"
Danny's eyes widened. "Sorry Skulker but I have something more important to deal with right now."
Skulker glared at him. "Fine. But don't forget our arrangement."
"Right right." Danny said walking out of his room.
He was running down the stares now. He did not want his family to scare off Eri, Especially since he had just met her.
He got into the kitchen where his Dad was shoving different inventions into the young girls face.
"Uh Dad. I'm sure she's very interested in all this stuff but uh…I think you're scaring her." Danny said as he got between Eri and his over zealous father.
Danny dragged the young girl away still making excuses to his Dad.
"It was um…very nice speaking with you again Mr. Fenton." Eri said as Danny pulled her away.
Danny finally got her away from him and now had time to be completely embarrassed. "I'm so sorry." He said.
"No it's alright. You're family is…interesting. I've never met a family so interested in ghosts." She said through a slight giggle.
The giggle, and the smoothness of Eri's voice made Danny want to melt. But he quickly snapped out of it for he didn't want to embarrass himself any further.
"Oh well. I'm sorry I came back. I know you're busy and all. But I told my parents that I made new friends and they were so happy they wanted me to invite you over." Eri explained.
"Over?" Danny asked, not knowing how to respond.
"You know…to our house. For dinner maybe. I've already asked Tucker and Sam." Eri said smiling.
Danny's eyes lit up and a smile shot across his face. This was exactly what he always wanted. A beautiful, flawless girl wanted to be his friend.
"Of course I'll come. It would be my pleasure." Danny answered excitedly.
Eri smiled big at him. "Fantastique! Just come over anytime before six. I know you have work to do."
Danny looked at her funny then remembered the excuse he had made. "Oh…oh right work. Well I'm all done so you mind if I come over right now?"
"Of course not. You can come over now if you like."
'Score!' Danny thought. "Let me just tell my parents and then I'll go with you."
Eri nodded and smiled at him once again. "Ok go ahead."
Danny yelled out to his parents. "Mom Dad! I'm going next door for dinner!"
His mom didn't take long to yell back that it was fine and of course to look out for ghosts.
Danny shook his head, slightly embarrassed and apologized one more time. "Are you ready?" He asked.
The two kids headed out the door and into the building next to it.
Danny followed Eri into her house. He expected it to look like any other house. A living room, a kitchen, maybe some photos. And of course since they were just moving in there ought to be boxes everywhere. But to his surprise everything was unpacked and it looked like something out of an Addams Family movie. The walls were dark and covered in bizarre gothic paintings.
"Wow…it's…interesting." Danny said looking around in awe.
"Yes my parents are…how do you say…eccentric."
Danny continued to look around as they walked through the house. "Yeah…I guess you could put it that way."
Eri seemed a little embarrassed by the whole situation. Of course there was much more to her family then just being a little eccentric.
"Eri is that you?" A man's voice yelled from another room.
"Yes Dad! I brought home a friend." Eri yelled back.
Eri and Danny continued into the kitchen where a man stood putting dishes away. Finally something seemed normal. That is except for the fact that he was dressed in something that Sam might wear.
His shirt was deep red and rather flowing, like something you would see in the colonial times. His pants were all black leather covering up his black boots. His face was rather attractive, with a strong chin and the same jade eyes as Eri.
Eri ran up and hugged her father then introduced him to Danny. "Daddy this is my new friend Danny. Actually he's our neighbor."
The man smiled at Danny then shook his hand. "Nice to meet you young man."
"It's nice to meet you too." Danny said shaking the mans hand.
"You'll be joining us for dinner right?" Her father asked. It was a little strange how he said it. As if he wanted it as much as Eri did.
"Uh yes dad. Him and my other two friends. Try not to embarrass me." Eri answered before Danny could.
Eri's dad gave her a look of dismay. "Why would I embarrass you ma petite Chou?"
"Dad!" Eri yelled out punching her dad in the shoulder. "Stop it!"
Eri's dad laughed and continued on what he was doing.
Danny followed Eri out of the kitchen and into the family room. "Did he just call you a shoe?" He asked confused.
Eri giggled and shook her head. "No no…not like a shoe that you wear. It's sort of a term of endearment. You know how parents here call their kids pumpkin."
Danny shook his head. It made sense. But why a shoe?
"Chou means cabbage in French. I know it's a little weird. But sometimes the French call the ones they love little cabbage." She explained, still walking along.
"Cabbage?" A woman asked from behind them.
Eri turned around smiling. "Oui Mama."
Danny looked at the woman standing behind them. She was just as beautiful as her daughter. The same long ebony hair and flawless figure. Her clothes were dark too, but very elegant just like Eri's. You could tell they were mother and daughter.
"Mama, c'est mon ami, Danny." Eri said gesturing to Danny.
Danny didn't speak French, but he assumed she was introducing him.
"Uh…nice to meet you." Danny said to the elegant woman.
Eri's mother smiled at him, not giving him any other gestures. "Enchanter."
"Il vas rester pour dîner aujourd'hui ?" The woman asked her daughter.
"Oui. Qu'est-ce que nous mangeons ce soir?" Eri asked.
By now Danny was totally lost. He didn't speak French and had no idea what they were talking about. Hopefully it wasn't something bad about him.
"Je ne sais pas. Qu'est-ce que tu veux?" Her mother asked.
Eri stopped to think for a minute then turned to Danny. "What do you like to eat?"
"I'm good for anything really. But I know Sam won't eat meat." Danny answered.
"Ok then. That narrows it down."
Eri turned her attention back to her mother and answered her once again in French. "Il aimes beaucoup des choses. Mais mon autre amie, elle ne mange pas la viande. D'accord ?"
Eri's mother nodded her head giving no verbal answer. She then walked away, saying nothing else.
Danny was totally boggled now. It was always confusing hearing other people speak a different language, but it was seriously nerve racking since he really liked this girl.
"I'm sorry about that." Eri said, breaking Danny from his confused state.
"Oh…oh no it's alright. Does she not speak English?" He asked.
Eri shook her head. "She's learning, but she's afraid to speak it around people she doesn't know. Learning another language can be intimidating. She's afraid she will mess up or sound stupid. I know it's ridiculous but that's how it is."
Danny laughed at this. Really nothing sounded ridiculous to him anymore. In all honesty, compared to his everyday life, that seemed perfectly normal.
"If she gets to know you a little better she'll start to talk to you." Eri explained with a gentle smile.
"Well maybe I should just learn French." Danny said jokingly.
Eri's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! I'll teach you French! That way my mother won't feel so strange. If she hears you trying to speak French maybe she'll try and speak English."
Danny didn't know what to say. He was just kidding, but Eri seemed rather excited about the idea. "Well I…I mean um…"
"Don't worry, it'll be easy. I'll be your private tutor."
Suddenly Danny was much more open to the idea. It meant spending a lot more time with his new neighbor and having a legitimate reason to do it.
"This will be so much fun. French is a great language. I should know. I speak it." Eri grinned sweetly. She looked absolutely ecstatic.
About then the doorbell rang. It had to be Sam and Tucker coming for dinner. Eri perked up once again and ran to the front door, leaving Danny alone for just a moment.
As soon as Eri left her dad came creeping into the room. Danny thought nothing of it and sat down on the old love seat sitting in the middle of the dark room. He did feel a little awkward sitting there alone, but he figured that was just because he was in an unfamiliar place.
Her dad came up behind the love seat, leaning over the back of it. He looked at over at Danny a little suspiciously.
"So…you're interested in my little girl?" He asked.
Danny didn't know what to say. He hadn't really let on that he liked her in that sense. But of course it was probably just parental instinct. Better to just try and act natural. Yeah right…natural. "She's a nice girl. I think we could be good friends."
"Friends huh?" The man asked him raising one eyebrow.
"Yeah…friends."
The man leaned closer to him, staring straight into his eyes. "You seem…different. Are you hiding something?"
Danny backed up until he couldn't lean any farther over in the chair. "N…no. I'm not hiding anything."
This guy was seriously weird. Maybe he was just over protective, but he was seriously creeping Danny out.
"Dad! Stop!" Eri yelled running into the room.
Her dad snapped a look at her that would scare a small child. But Eri didn't even flinch. She simply stared him down, as if they were talking on some higher level.
"Leave him alone daddy. I don't need you scaring off my new friends." She told him.
Her dad glared at her then got up and left the room.
Eri sat down next to the startled Danny. "I'm so sorry. He's just very protective of me. Just ignore him. He doesn't mean anything by it."
Sam and Tucker trailed into the room. Tucker seemed a little freaked out, but Sam was absolutely loving it.
"This place it so awesome!" Sam yelled out. She was like a kid in a candy store.
Eri smiled. She was glad somebody actually thought her house was interesting and not scary. "Dinner should be ready soon. Until then we can sit and watch TV, or I can give you the grand tour. You decide."
"Sounds great. Why don't you just show us around?" Sam said excitedly.
Eri nodded and agreed. She was happy to show them around.
The whole house was dark, but once they got to her room the scenery changed. It wasn't overly colorful but it certainly wasn't dark like the rest of the house. It looked like any other kids room, A bed, a desk, some random decorations, nothing too out of the ordinary.
"I'm not done unpacking. My parents are speed demons when it comes to things like that, but I like to pace myself." She explained.
"That's cool. It looks great." Tucker said. Then he noticed the great work of technology sitting on the desk. "Is that!" He cried out.
"Oh yes. It's the newest model." She said cheerfully.
Now they were talking geek language, which was even weirder then hearing her speak French.
"Dinner is ready!" Her father cried from downstairs.
Eri snapped out of geek mode and headed down stairs. Tucker didn't want to leave the computer, Sam was looking forward to seeing more of the dark and creepy house, and Danny was definitely happy with his new friend. But still something gave him an eerie sense.