Sam: (While Danny is trying to fight Desiree) Danny, use your ghost ray. You can shoot a ghost ray out of your hand!
Danny: (Concentrating) Okay, ghost ray, ghost ray... (Butt begins to glow green) Well, that can't be right!
Stand Up
"I don't get you, Danny," I heard Sam whisper next to me, "Where do you go all the time?" I smiled wryly at the question as all the places I'd been in the last week alone, Ghost Zone included, came to mind.
"Here and there," I said.
"No talking!" Mr. Barrens snapped at us, glaring accusingly. He wasn't what you'd call fond of me ever since the fight with Dash, so it was no big surprise he was going harder on me then his other inmates. Before he could say anything else, though, the door slid open and Nate walked in.
"Hey, Coach!" He grinned. "Guess I'm stuck in there for the day, too!"
"Take a seat, Dobson," Nate wasn't bothered by Barrens' cold shoulder, since they had a hate-hate relationship. Nate was constantly giving the coach a hard time, and he'd retaliate by basically killing Nate with extra laps and exercises.
"Whoa!" Nate's shout drew me out of my thoughts, and I blinked questioningly at his grin, which was directed at Sam, "Your not a face I expected to see here! What's your crime?"
"Breaking curfew," Sam responded. "You?"
"Redecorating the English department." Nate responded solemnly, an evil twinkle in his eyes. "And what did you do this time, Fenton?"
"Skipping class," I sighed. "Lancer did one of his random attendance check things and saw I'd had 17 unexplained absences and 25 tardies." Nate shook his head.
"You've gotta tell me your secret," He said, laughing, "How the heck do you get around those military hall monitors without them seeing you?" I grinned a little that that, deciding to answer him honestly.
"What can I say?" I said with a shrug, "Around here, I'm invisible."
"Yeah, right!" Nate snickered, "What about your fight with Dash? Or the time you and Tucker hijacked that helicopter and crashed it into the old football stadium? I still don't know why Mr. Masters didn't press charges against your guardian for that…" Now why the heck did he have to bring THAT up!
"You did what?" Sam asked, his voice squeaking slightly in shock, "Any by Mr. Master, you don't mean the owner of Master Corps, do you?" I cringed at the question.
"That was an accident," I more or less lied through my teeth. "A ghost chased us inside there and Tucker's foot accidentally hit something."
"Still, you were lucky he didn't sue your butt straight into poverty," Nate chuckled.
"Luck didn't have anything to do with it…" I said dryly. Vlad hadn't wanted to make his guardianship of me and Jazz public at the time, and anyways it was his fault to begin with, trying to steal that suit from the Axion Labs. That was why he didn't want a big deal made about the accident.
"Anyways, did you hear the news? Masters is finally gonna announce his sole heir to Master Corps at a press conference on Thursday, and he's already hinting at who it is!" I felt my face pale at that, fear making my insides cold as ice.
"Hinting how?" I asked Nate, trying to keep from panicking, "What's he saying?"
"Just that he goes to this school," Nate shrugged, "Not that that tells us much, except that he's still a minor." I groaned. That might not have seemed like much to most people, but it was way too much for me. Some people in the area like Valerie already knew my parents used to be friends with Vlad, so it wouldn't be long until someone made the connection…
"He didn't say anything else?" I asked, just to be sure.
"No," Nate shook his head. "Nothing. Why?"
"Just wondering," I said quickly. Sam raised an eyebrow at me, but didn't say anything. He looked puzzled for a second before a look of dawning came over his face and he turned dangerously pale…
"Sam? You okay?" I asked in concern, watching my roommate jump at the question.
"Fine!" Sam said loudly, making Barrens scowl at us again. "Uh, fine. Just… thinking."
"About what?" Nate asked.
"Um… About… a-about…" Nate and I exchanged looks as Sam babbled nervously. What the heck was his problem…? "…About the Masquerade Ball!"
"Keep it quiet over there!" Barrens growled.
"I thought you weren't going?" I asked quietly.
"I'm not," He replied, "but you two are, right? Are your costumes done yet? Do you have dates?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna go with Bree Summers from Wendy," Nate said, grinning proudly "She's making my costume so it'll match up with hers."
"I'm not taking anyone," Danny said, trying to keep my voice casual, "And Liz is making my costume. She says it's a surprise," I rolled my eyes in exasperation before my thoughts turned back to why I was going to the dance alone…
"Danny, you know you shouldn't be doing this!" Jazz said in exasperation.
"What's the big deal?" I asked. "I mean, you already said that you didn't care if I started dating…"
"Yeah, but does it have to be her," Jazz asked, cringing.
"What's wrong with Sam?" I glared at my sister.
"Nothing!" Jazz said quickly. "It's just… Don't you think your life is a little complicated for a girlfriend right now?"
"Okay, what's going on?" I asked, starting to get angry.
"Nothing!" Jazz said in a defensive sort of way, "What makes you think…?"
"Damn it, Jazz, I'm not stupid!" I yelled, "I know you're hiding something from me and I want to know what!"
"Danny…" Jazz sighed, cringing, "You have to understand that I want to tell you, but other things make it impossible."
"What does all of this have to do with Sam?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because it's her secret," Jazz told me, "Look, Danny, If you really like Sam, then I have no problem with you two getting together, but please, please just wait until I tell you that it's okay to see her,"
"What's the big deal?" I asked, frustrated.
"Just trust me, okay?" Jazz said, frowning at me in worry, "I don't want you two to end up hurting each other, and if you rush into a relationship, I know both of you will get hurt."
"Why?" I asked. How the heck would Sam hurt me?
"Because it means you'll have to lie to her," Jazz glared, "Danny, Sam is very confused thanks to that Phantom/Fenton stunt you're pulling! When she finds out you two are the same person, she'll get angry with you for lying to her straight to her face like that! Not to mention how much danger you're putting her into with all the ghosts and everything."
"I can protect her!" I protested angrily.
"Not all the time," Jazz reminded me. Then she sighed. "Danny, please don't be difficult about this." She pleaded. "I like Sam, I really do, but it just isn't the right time for you to get involved with her." I glared at my sister, and she sighed again, "Look, what are you gonna do if Vlad finds out how much you like her, huh?" Jazz asked, "You know that jerk wouldn't hesitate to use her against you if he thought it would be beneficial to him!"
I froze at that thought, the images of the horrible things Vlad could and would do to Sam if he found her flashing through my head…
"Fine," I muttered, "I won't ask Sam out," Jazz looked relieved.
"Promise?" She begged me, "Promise me, Danny, swear you won't make a move until I tell you it's okay."
"Alright!" I groaned, "I promise, okay?"
"Thanks, Danny," Jazz said, hugging me affectionately, "This makes things a lot easier on everyone."
"Yeah…" I said, unenthusiastically. Frowning a little, I turned away, trying to forget the fiery Goth…
'No luck there,' I thought dryly. The more I learned about Sam, the more I liked her. 'Still, it's like Jazz said, it's for her own good…' Sighing, I took out some papers and my CD player, turning it on and flipping forward a few tracks to the song I was looking for before I settled into sketching to try and forget about the girl.
'Why don't you let me be, leave me alone?
You start a fire inside that I could never control
You want to see a reaction? (See a Reaction?)'
'Come on and cut me down, I've gone as far as I'll go
Now you're crossing the line and I am letting you know
Well here's your reaction (Here's your reaction)'
I smiled slightly as I let the music play, the lyrics really hitting home for me. After all, that was the kind of relationship I had with Vlad recently, wasn't it? He kept pushing at me, pressing my buttons, hoping that I'd get mad enough to someday throw away everything I care about and become just like him.
'Like I'd ever want that,' I thought bitterly. He had money, yes, and almost everything most people dreamed about, but he didn't have what he really wanted, and he never would. There was no way I'd sell my soul to anybody, especially not someone like Vlad.
As much as I hated the man, I had to admit I was a little scared of him, too. He was the only enemy so far I haven't been able to overcome. I even managed to fight off an evil older version of myself and win, but no matter what I did here Vlad was always three steps ahead of me, always laughing as I tried to keep up, taunting me, trying to get me to stop holding back the way I do when I don't want to hurt people…
'Stand up I have had enough,'
'Walk away before I finish what you started
Face to face
I will put you in your place
End this game
Before I finish what you started
Face to face
Everything will change,'
There were days I did want to hurt Vlad. Hurt him badly. There were sometimes I just wanted to snap and hit everyone who was always kicking me when I was down, everyone I knew would treat me like a freak the second they found out that geeky Danny Fenton was a half ghost.
It wouldn't matter to them that I'd risked everything to save them, gave up so much of what I wanted to keep them alive. Sometimes, a part of me wondered why I bothered, but I always forced those thoughts back as soon as they came.
It was like my mom had told me when I was a kid, 'it's our compassion for other people that makes us human,' That meant so long as I didn't get selfish and abuse my powers, It didn't matter if I was half ghost or not. Because if I kept a human attitude, I was still human.
'You've planted this seed, how my anger has grown
I've got a feeling inside that I can't seem to control
You want to see a reaction? (See a reaction?)'
'Come on and cut me down, You've gone as far as I'll go
Now you're crossing the line and I am letting you know
Well here's your reaction (Here's your reaction)'
Still, That didn't erase the hatred I had towards Vlad for trying to control me. What made him think he'd ever take my dad's place? Who was he to tell me that he could fulfill my every wish? I was never gonna buy any of that, I wasn't born yesterday.
The thought of ever accepting Vlad into my life like that horrified me, but no matter which way I turned, the older half ghost blocked my exit, keeping me and Jazz trapped in his twisted maze. I wasn't even really sure why he wanted me anymore. Was it just because of my powers? Or was there something else…?
'That doesn't matter,' I told myself. 'Vlad's not someone you could ever trust, no matter what his intentions are. He's insane, dangerous, and you can't take a chance of ending up like that, too…'
'Stand up I have had enough,'
'Walk away before I finish what you started
Face to face
I will put you in your place
End this game
Before I finish what you started
Face to face
Everything will change,'
After all, it was because of Vlad and the rest of my enemies that I couldn't have to life I wanted. I couldn't just hang out with my friends and spend afternoons doing nothing. Ever since the ghost portal activated, I can't even remember what it's like to be bored.
…Not including the times Tucker starts rambling about his PDA.
Because of all the ghost attacks, I have to lie to my roommate and stop seeing the girl I like. Why did this whole hero thing have to turn out so much harder then everyone made it sound…?
'Maybe because your not a hero,' I told myself bitterly, 'No one in this town or anywhere else will ever see you as a hero. Here, you'll always be a trouble-causing freak…'
'Insult after insult
After insult after insult
After insult after insult
After insult after insult
After insult after insult''Stand up I have had enough,'
'Walk away before I finish what you started
Face to face
I will put you in your place
End this game
Before I finish what you started
Face to face
Everything will change,'
Then again, I was a hero to the people who mattered most. Tucker and Jazz were always there to support me, to give me whatever help I needed, and Sam saw me as her hero. She even said something like that when we talked.
I couldn't understand how a girl like that could ever see anything on a loser like Danny Fenton. Especially when you put both Dannys side by side. Most girls chose Phantom in a heartbeat, but Sam didn't. Everything she said confused me, but I desperately wanted to know everything about her, to tell her everything I was…
'Walk away
Everything will Change
End this game
You wanna see a reaction?
You wanna see a reaction?'
"What's that, Fenton?" Barrens sharp question made me jump as he tore my headphones away, "No music! I'll confiscate these…" I started to protest, but Barrens ignored me, taking my CD player anyways. Then his eyes turned to my paper. "And how about you save daydreaming about your girlfriend for your own time, Fenton, this is punishment!"
I looked down at that, my face heating up when I saw the pictures I'd drawn while I was thinking, especially when Sam and Nate leaned over to see them, too.
'Wow, all of Jazz's subconscious babble is true…' I thought wryly, my eyes skimming over one of Sam's faces after another. I hadn't even realized I'd been drawing her until just now…
Forgetting her seemed to be the last thing my mind was capable of, but I had to if I wanted her to stay safe. I liked Sam way too much to let her stick her neck out for me, especially with dear old Uncle Vladdy waiting around the corner with an Axe…
'That's a scary mental image,' I told myself in amusement.
"Nice," Nate said, drawing me away from the psycho, axe-wielding Vlad. "She's cute."
"It's just a girl I met recently." I muttered, not wanting to talk about Sam in front of anyone else when my relationship with her was still such a sensitive topic.
"Is she the one you can't stop thinking about?" Sam asked. My felt my face go even darker at that question, feeling suddenly like there was a spotlight on me…
"It's nothing, alright guys?" I sighed, "It'll be better off for her if we stop it before either of us gets too attached." Too late for that…
"Detention's over," Barrens grunted, "Fenton, get your CD player from me this evening, before lights out and don't lemme catch you with it again."
"Yes sir," I said, grabbing my stuff and making a beeline for the door. The sooner I was away from the guys and their questions, the better. I frowned slightly when I thought of Sam again. It wasn't fair that we couldn't even take a chance at dating just because of a bunch of stupid ghosts…
I sighed, then glared in front of me.
'One problem then the other,' I told myself. 'I can't do anything for me and Sam right now, so I'll try stop the Vlad problem before it gets out of hand…'
'Stand up,'"Vlad Masters speaking," I scowled at the smooth voice of my guardian.
"What are you up to now?" I demanded harshly. I never saw a need to be nice to Vlad, not after everything he'd done.
"Ah, Daniel," Vlad said pleasantly. "I was hoping you'd call…"
"What's with the press conference, huh?" I asked. "What are you planning?"
"Just introducing my family to the public eye, Daniel," Vlad said. I could almost see his smirk. "You'll have to step up and take responsibility for my company someday, after all, and then you'll be in the public eye all the time."
"I've already said-!"
"Now now, Daniel, you may want to think carefully before you make any hasty decisions," Vlad responded. "After all, there are enough complexities in our condition that you can't even honestly say I'll leave you with the death of my human body," I scowled, knowing that Vlad had a point there.
"What can you gain by putting me in a spotlight?" I demanded.
"Right now?" Vlad chuckled, "More then you could ever know…" And, before I could ask any more questions, Vlad hung up on me. I scowled at the phone as the dial tone buzzed in my ear, trying to piece together Vlad's latest plot…
WoM- 'still doing her happy dance,' I never thought I could be so happy without actually completing a story! I can finally get started on Moments of Clarity, and even finished that poem I'm planning on putting up for Erato's Abode! YAY! 'giggles' Anywho, please leave a review on your way out!
Thanks to;
Galateagirl
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Me The Anon One
I Brake For Ghosts
avearia
Light Dragon SunsSong
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wilted petal
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Tetsukon
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YumiwithUlrichalways
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Petitio Principii
The Sole Survivor
Samantha-Girl Scout
darkmoonwriter13
silente faerie64
Fey Phantom
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conan98002
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Next update; January 25th
See you then!