Holy cow! There really were a lot of positive reviews out there! Along with a few uneasy ones… but that's okay, that's exactly what I want to hear. :3 Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!
Oh, and guess what? I might be spewing out yet another project other than Remordere soon. Although with two college courses, ACT prep class, high school, and my microscopic immune system, you all might be seeing ChibiSamiSala doing more of the editing than me. xD
So without further ado, here's chapter two! (Heehee, that rhymed)
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Chapter Two
Carnival
The teenage boy messed with his hair for a few seconds, then shoved his hands in his pockets and followed out the overly eager teen, suddenly feeling a little scared. The only time Sam is ever this happy is usually when she has a plan... and her 'plans' always seem to get him in trouble. After a quick trip through the kitchen, he grabbed his keys and walked outside, the happy Goth girl (wow, there's a paradox) following close after. "Hop in, and hope to god the heater still works." He said before opening the door and sliding in, flipping in the keys as the ignition hummed to life.
She shivered as she pulled her hood over her head, cat ears sitting haphazardly as she scrambled to the door, hugging herself as she waited for him to unlock the door. "Danny, hurry!"
He ignored her for the time being, closing his own door and turning the heat all the way up, before slowly looking towards the poor girl who was still standing out in the cold, an amused grin spread across his face. "What's that?" He called in a sing-song voice.
"Danny!" She cried out, frustrated as she banged her little gloved hands on the window. "Don't be a jerk! Let me in! It's freezing!" To emphasize her point, she started to shiver, whimpering sadly. She knew exactly how to play her brother.
The moment she started the pity act, he sighed and reached over, pulling the lock on the door and motioning for her to come in. "Are you sure we can't go to the carnival another day? It's freezing out..."
"Once we get moving we'll be fine." She said softly as she closed the door, huddling her knees to her chest, blowing on her hands as she looked over at him with her wide violet eyes ringed in thick black lashes, her cheeks rosy and looking almost like porcelain against her hair. "And I really want to go on that ride. I've been waiting forever..."
"Alright, alright, we'll do it." He sighed, then put the car in reverse, backing it out of the driveway while muttering something about ghosts and frostbite.
She didn't quite listen, buckling up as she kept her knees to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees as she hugged them lightly, sneaking little looks over at her brother once and a while, feeling her stomach sink with butterflies before she buried her face in between them, shaking her head back and forth. What was wrong with her? She needed to stop obsessing over him, she really did. It just wasn't right...It wasn't at all. And even worse, it would never happen, she couldn't ever tell him that she did like him, no, love him. She loved him more then she should, ever, love him. It almost made her sick.
The ride was short and quiet, which was unusual for the two siblings, since they got along fairly well, and would easily get caught up in a conversation about the most random things. But as of late, Sam started to become particularly quiet around him. 'Maybe it's a phase.' He thought to himself, before turning into the parking lot at the pier. Surprisingly enough, it was bustling with people, despite the freezing temperature. "We're here." He announced in a nonchalant tone, before he turned off the car and stepped out, waiting for Sam to follow suit.
She didn't move for a moment, but then sighed and stretched out her legs, releasing her seatbelt and climbed out, tucking her jacket closer and closed the door after her. "Awesome. Let's get some cocoa." She said with a small smile, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she made her way around the car and into the crowd of people, looking for the closest place to get some.
"I'm assuming it's my treat?" He asked, sounding more like he got stuck with a babysitting job than he was having fun. He looked around a bit too, before reaching out and tugging one of the car ears on her hood, and without a word, began dragging her across the crowd.
"Hey, I have money!" She said indignantly, stumbling as she trotted a bit to keep up with him, one of her boots catching on a slick spot and she screamed, toppling right on her face luckly into more snow then cement. "Oh...ouch..." She whimpered, half climbing to her knees, quite a few people stopping and staring at her. Great way to start this off.
"Haha! Geez Fenton... I never knew you'd willingly waltz out in broad daylight." An amused male tone came from behind, followed by a pair of juvenile laughs and the sound of a high-five.
"Maybe she's Goth because she's depressed she can't walk straight."
Sam glowered over her shoulder, pushing back her hood as she stood up, one of her knees bleeding from her rude introduction with the ground. "Honestly, you two need to get better insults. Oh wait, that's right, your brains stopped developing once you turned two."
"What was that?" Dash Baxter growled back, stepping forward to give her another (no doubt witty and intelligent) insult, before a hand from a fellow Freshman on his shoulder stopped him. "Dude, I think we should go." Kwan offered with a nervous smile.
"And why's that?"
"Haven't you heard?" The Asian jock whispered, as a pair of feet trudged through the snow towards them. "Daniel's with her, and he's got a total sister complex. He's very - " Quite suddenly the blond haired boy was pulled upwards, a tight fist holding the front of his football jersey as a pair of threatening blue eyes glared down at him.
"...Overprotective..." Kwan squeaked.
"If I ever see you within 50 yards of my little sister again," Danny uttered, his voice dark and serious. "I'll kick your ass seven ways to Sunday. Is that clear?"
Sam turned scarlet, her mind trying to process what Kwan had said, before she tugged her hood back on her head, allowing Danny to surprisingly deal with the two jocks himself, rather then complaining that she could fight her own battles. No way, That idiot had to be just lying, Danny was protective of her, but that's just what brothers did.
"Y-yes sir! Crystal!" Dash laughed nervously, suddenly looking like a scared puppy. The eldest Fentons were known for their strength and fighting abilities since they take an active part in ghost hunting, and Daniel was no exception - though he used to be pretty scrawny when he was younger, there's no doubt he could easily bust the jock's ass with one hand tied behind his back. With that, Danny let him go, giving the two boys a rather sour glare as they ran off.
"Hey, you alright?" He asked softly, turning around and bent down, inspecting the startled girl for any injuries. "That was a nasty fall..."
"Uh..." She switched feet, her knee throbbing slightly as the purple stocking stained with red. "Just some scrapes, I'm fine..."
He blinked a few times, raising an eyebrow before he reached down, pressing his fingers lightly to the darkened area on her stockings, his indifferent gaze not once leaving hers.
She flinched unconsciously. "It's just a scrape, I'll be fine! I wanna go on the ride!" She said stubbornly, pulling at his fingers.
"No way." He gave her a stern look. "You're going home to make sure that isn't infected. Come on, back in the car."
"I will not!" She met his look with a glare. "If we go home now I'm going to make sure dad tears apart every inch of your room."
"And what makes you think I have anything in there I don't want him to find anyway?"
"Who says I haven't raided your room while you were out?" She said simply, crossing her arms. "Come on Danny, I'll be fine. I'm not made out of porcelain. I'm not going to die from a little scrape. Let's go." She limped slightly as she started walking towards where the cocoa stand stood not a hundred yards away. "I just have to walk it out."
Danny sighed and shook his head, used to her stubborn qualities. A few steps later, he bent down and hoisted the girl into his arms, carrying her bridal style with an annoyed tone in his voice. "Why the Hell are you so insistent?"
She squeaked, looping her arms about his neck so she wouldn't fall over again, her heart beating a million miles an hour. "B-Because! If I wasn't I wouldn't be me!" She said stubbornly, her cheeks warm as she looked to the side. "And I can walk by myself thank you!"
"Alright, alright... sue me for doing you a favor." He rolled his eyes and gently set her back down, before grabbing his wallet in his coat pocket, filtering out a few ones. "One hot cocoa." He told the teen that was working at the stand. A few moments later he was given change, and a styrofoam cup with her drink. "Here you go, my treat since you hurt your leg." He handed her the cup, giving her an apologetic smile.
She opened her mouth to protest, before nodding her thanks, sipping on the cocoa quietly. "Thank you Danny. I know I haven't said it lately..." She said slowly, "But I'm really lucky to have you as a brother."
"Well I'm starting to have second thoughts about you." He replied with humor lining his voice, as he patted her head and lead her away from the crowd. "...You sure you're leg's okay?"
She smiled slightly, sticking her tongue out at him. "You're not carrying me bridal style again, don't even think about it." She was quiet for a while, still limping as they walked side by side. "Though..." She started, "I'm partial to a piggyback ride. Like when we were younger..."
He turned to her and raised his hand, a grin on his face. "Say no more. Just... be careful not so spill that drink on me... I'm sure it's scalding." He turned around and knelt on the pavement, motioning for her to crawl on his back.
She laughed, looping her arms about his neck first so that the cocoa sat beneath his chin, and she held on with the other arm about his collarbone, hopping on his back, supporting herself with her knees on his sides until he could grab hold of them.
He quickly grabbed her, hoisting her up farther on his back so that she wasn't trying to hold onto him for dear life. "Where to, princess?" He asked with a smile. "Your haunted house?"
"Of course!" She said with a huff/laugh, waving the cocoa under his nose. "Want a sip?"
"Don't mind it I do." He leaned forward, taking a sip as she held it in front of him since his arms were currently occupied with keeping her up. Times like these were so scarce ever since Sam became a teenager - physical contact was like a sin for her, since she had this whole gothic exterior to uphold, not to mention a much busier school life. When they were younger, they would go to all kinds of places with Jazz, do so much together... he really missed it, especially now that he's starting to get the feeling every once and a while, Sam's trying to avoid him. "It's good," He replied back softly.
She flushed warmly, and thanked god that he couldn't see her warm cheeks, and shifted the cup, hugging onto him tighter with one arm as she took a sip herself. "Yeah, it is." If her heart could dance anymore then it was already, it would have burst out of her chest.
Danny kept her up on his back the duration of their walk, all the while looking around to see where the haunted house was built. "Y'know," He said with a smile, though he knew she couldn't see it. "I'm actually kind of glad we came here. We really haven't spent a lot of time together since you started high school."
She blinked at that, her arms tightening a little around his neck, Kwan's words coming back to her as she gave a wry smile. "Well, I can always be your shadow big brother." She teased in his ear. "I'm growing up you know." unfortunately.
"Y-yeah... I know that." He mumbled back, his voice blatantly showing his disappointment, much like a father would. "That's why I'm not being your shadow in high school, like I did ever since kindergarten." He laughed lightly. "Guess it's hard to grip the fact that you don't need your big brother around anymore."
"Yeah." She said a little sourly, burying her chin into his neck as she let him carry her unhappily. He was right though, She shouldn't need him. "Anyway, I wouldn't want to cramp your style. Having your little Goth sister begging for your attention." She teased him. "Might hurt your social persona."
"Nahh. Don't have much of a social life anyway... The only people I ever hang around are Tucker and Gregor. And you know them." He grinned, looking up and finally seeing the line for the haunted house. 'Ghost-O-Rama'? The media really does like to squeeze Amity for all it's worth... "Ooh, look Sammy." He grinned wider. "Ghosts! You like ghosts, don't you?" Though she may not be anywhere near the mental state of what she was ten years ago, he knew for a fact ghosts terrified her more than anything when she was small... he wondered if that wasn't part of the reason why she didn't like ghost hunting.
She flinched slightly, but put up a brave face, trying to make her voice sound completely at ease. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" She squirmed on his back as the stepped into the line. "Plus, you're here." She added hastily.
"Yeah, I'll keep the big bad sheets and painted cardboard cutouts at bay for you." He replied in a baby-tone.
"Ok that's it." She kicked him violently in the side. "Put me down jerkface."
"Ow! Hey, I've still got a bruise there from the last time Jazz roundhoused her foot into my ribs!" He groaned, but carefully bent back to set her down, making sure she had a steady footing before letting her go. "I'm beginning to wonder if all female Fentons are genetically this destructive..."
"How about we find out how destructive we can be." She threatened him with her fist, only to pause when the operator of the ride opened his hand. "Five bucks a ride lady."
Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head, ignoring her threat for the most part as he fished out his wallet again. "Here," He handed the man a ten, before patting Sam on the back to get her moving. "C'mon... better hope this is worth ten bucks."
"I was going to pay." She hissed, swatting at him as she climbed into the cart, sitting down and scooting over for her brother. "Geeze, I'm not completely broke." That was a complete lie.
"Mmh-hm." He replied with barely a mumble, as if he really wasn't paying attention as he slid in beside her, watching as more people pooled in the small carts. "Well, think of it as my treat."
She didn't yell at him again, instead, she tucked her knees to her chest in front of the bar, half jumping as the cart began to move, making its way down the pathway. She half-consciously scooted closer to her brother, the creepy music starting up as they moved into the darkness. "This isn't going to be too bad." She whispered, not knowing why she was being so quiet.
It was always a little frustrating to be the only Fenton that was truly afraid of ghosts.
"Well these haunted houses are never that reali-OH MY GOD!" if she could have climbed into his lap she would have, hugging him about the neck when the most realistic ghost she had ever seen burst out in front of her.
The action in itself earned a startled yell from the raven-haired boy, as his neck was pulled into a painful hold by the terrified girl. Screams echoed inside the ride (a mix of fear and excitement), giving the poor boy a headache right at the start. 'Oh for chrissakes, that's not even plausible.' He thought to himself, before he rolled his eyes and scooted closer to Sam, wrapping one arm around her back as she continued to cling to him. Seems she never changed... Oh well. "It's okay Sammy," He laughed lightly in her ear, getting more and more amused by the second.
She was to frightened to blush over his arm about her, and she crunched her eyes closed as another one burst out, this one decapitated, and people screamed as well, some giggling as they rode past it, into a spider web filled area, before suddenly a blue ghost popped out, waving his free hand as he carried...a Box labeled 'stage parts' under one arm. "I am the box ghost! BEWARE!"
'So far, this entire ride has proven itself as one of the cheapest imitation-' Danny suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as a blue-colored mist seeped from his lips, spying the familiar blue-skinned specter "...Or not." He groaned, shoulders slumping. Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes he's been out of the house. "I need a vacation." He mumbled before slipping away from Sam, somehow escaping her grasp. "Sam, stay here! I see a faulty power cable... I'll be right back!"
"Danny!" She gasped, clutching the bar as she looked up at the ghost in front of her. Oh god.
Not moments later, a rather loud 'oops' rang through the tunnel, as the power cable 'accidentally' tripped, completely knocking out the lights and halted the cars in an abrupt stop. Several people screamed, the majority of them still thinking the show was still part of the ride - but it wasn't too bad since some afternoon light still filtered into the otherwise pitch black tunnels. "Look, can we make this quick? I'm kind of busy right now." A white-haired teen flew up beside the Box Ghost, arms crossed and plainly giving him an annoyed expression as his emerald eyes flared dangerously.
"You cannot defeat me!" The box ghost declared, shaking his box at him. "For I have a box of uh...stage stuff! BEWARE!" And with that, he threw the box at him and promptly fled for it. Damn that Ghost kid.
Sam squirmed her way out of the seat, stumbling out of the cart just in time to see a rather large box heading her way. "Oh cripes."
And just mere moments before the box came crashing down on the metal rails, Sam was whisked upwards, suddenly carried by a pair of cold, strong arms. "We must stop meeting like this." Came a flirtatious voice as light pooled around them, revealing that they were already flying above the haunted ride, the afternoon sun momentarily blinding her.
"You!" She gasped.
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Ohoho, plot device! Sammy doesn't like ghosts! Teehee, wonder how that'll affect her relationship with a certain ghost boy. ;D Oh, the irony. And cliffhangers. We love you.
Until next time, y'all!
Zoey
