WoM- Was the cliffie on SoS really that bad? In that case, I'd REALLY better find a hiding place after this chapter… Also, to everyone who made comments about this line; poltergeist
"Besides, I'm sure Sam wants Danny to give her the grand tour of the house!"
It. Was. Intentional! I had Jazz make that slip ON PURPOSE! I didn't make and name OR gender slip ups there, okay? I've been very careful about avoiding that, and would appreciate a little more faith for the effort. 'pouts' The slip comes into play again a little later, but for now please stop heckling me about it! Other then that, though, thank you all for the awesome reviews and comments!
Sam: (After Danny calls Sampson to attack Skulker) You learned his language?
Danny: Well, sure, all he does is this. (Scratches butt)
Demon's Domain
Clear skies, a giant private jet with only three other passengers and a mansion full of the latest and greatest gadgets to look forward to…
So why did I still feel like jumping out the window and hauling butt of Egypt or somewhere else Vlad would have a hard time finding me?
Oh yeah, that's right. I answered the question sarcastically in my head. Vlad's an evil, manipulative creep who's trying to use me as a means to get to the end he really wants.
So what? I could fly! What was stopping me from taking off to Europe or Asia or somewhere and hiding out until the break ended?
There's no way I could abandon Sam and the girls like that, though!
Well, Jazz and Liz already know. All I've gotta do is knock Sam out and high tail it outta here.
Oh yeah, that's a great way to treat my friends! My scowl darkened before I realized what I was doing. When it finally hit me, though I drew back in surprise.
Was I having an argument with myself? And losing?
Deciding that I'd leave the questions about my current mental health for another day, I turned back to the window and decided to think about another way that Vlad had ruined my life recently…
"—and if you ever touch my stuff again, I'll pluck you all bald and serve you for Thanksgiving dinner, got it?" I growled to the vulture I was currently shaking in my grip. He was too dizzy to answer, so I threw him over to join his buddies (both of which were already unconscious) before I picked up my sketchbook, tucking it under my arm and taking to the air.
I was still upset that the vultures had interrupted my big confession to Sam like that, especially since I didn't know if I'd get another chance any time soon, with the vacation coming up and all.
A week cooped up with Vlad and his potential hostages. I thought dryly. Some vacation…
Sighing, I turned around to the school grounds, only to find my way blocked by the last ghost I wanted to see right now…
"Plasmius!" I faltered a minute, which was a stupid mistake to make when you're dealing with Vlad, but I managed to catch myself and get back in guard before he took advantage of it.
"Surprised?" Vlad raised an eyebrow at me, looking amused. Scowling, I gave him the best glare I could muster, which didn't even faze him. As usual. "Really, Daniel, how do you ever expect to beat me if you can't even figure out my next move?" And so starts the jabs at my intelligence…
Well, at least he hasn't said anything about my math grade… yet. Pushing this thought to the back of my head, I started to circle Vlad, looking for an opening to attack. And, since silent fights bugged the crap outta me, I decided to ignore the little bit of common sense I had left and rise to the bait he was dangling in front of me.
"And just what's your next move, huh?" I snapped back. "Stealing my sketchbook isn't going to accomplish anything, you know."
"Perhaps, perhaps not." Vlad chuckled in an infuriatingly knowing way. "That's for time to tell, I suppose. But no matter what you say, I think your precious little book was a perfect way to distract you long enough to have a conversation with a fascinating young woman…" What? What the heck was he—?
Oh, no…
"Where's Sam?" I snarled out. "If you touched her, so help me—!"
"Calm yourself, Daniel." Vlad grinned. "I haven't harmed your darling little girlfriend… yet." I narrowed my eyes as the unspoken threat hanged in the air between us.
"Leave her out of this, Vlad!" I said coldly. "This is between you and me!"
"I'm not the one who insists on bringing her into it, my boy." Vlad reminded me with a wry grin. "Remember that next time you start slinging accusations around."
That one made me snap. Screaming out my rage, I charged at Vlad, only to have him blast me through a wall without even flinching, leaving me dazed and winded.
"The second you tell her, that girl becomes fair game." Plasmius called out to me as he turned with a sweep of his cape. "Keep that in mind, Daniel, before you make any… hasty decisions." Then, with a totally clique villain laugh, Vlad faded out of sight, no doubt teleporting back to Wisconsin.
Too bad his words couldn't leave just as easily…
"Yo, Spaceman!" I jumped slightly, twisting around and charging up my fists with ectoplasm, my eyes glowing green in warning before Liz hooked a finger into the collar of my shirt and yanked, making me yelp in surprise. "Easy Spookfest, I come in peace. Anyways, do you really want to pull a ghost stunt with your little buddy around?" Wincing, I rubbed my neck and sighed.
"Sorry, Liz." I murmured. "I'm just…"
"Insane?" Liz offered, grinning at me innocently when I glared.
"Stressed." I corrected her in a dry tone. "I mean, I know Vlad's got a new scheme in the works, but I still haven't figured it out yet. Not to mention the whole thing with Sam, and my parents…"
"Easy, kid." Liz chuckled. "One thing at a time. Sam is a fixable problem, your parents are a little out of your hands now and as for Vlad… well, considering that you've got all these superpowers, I really don't see why you're so scared of him."
"Because he's got all the same powers and then some, plus twenty more years of experience." I replied bitterly. Liz blinked at me for a minute after that.
"…Oh." She said, looking a little stunned. "That complicates things a bit…" Before I could say anything else, though, the intercom above us screeched to life, drawing our attention away.
"Attention, Passengers!" Vlad's ghost pilot said in a pleasant tone. "We're now approaching the landing strip for The Masters Vacation Home in the Colorado Rockies. We ask that you please return all trays to their upright positions and ask you to buckle up for safety. Thank you for your patience, we hope you enjoyed the flight!" I scowled at that as I buckled on my seatbelt.
Great…
"Guess this is it…" Jazz said with a gusty sigh up front. I rolled my eyes at that, knowing she was probably looking forward to this as much as I was.
"At least he's not making us jump this time…" I mumbled to myself as I sunk back in my seat and savored the last Vlad-free moments I'd get until this vacation was over…
"Jasmine, Daniel!" Vlad gushed out with fake enthusiasm as he hugged me and my sister. "So wonderful to have you back home for the holidays!"
Do you think anyone would notice if I blasted him right now?
"Mr. Masters." Jazz said politely as she tried to put some space between her and Vlad. "It's… um… nice to see you, too." I didn't bother with the fake pleasantries, and just kept up with a steady death glare aimed at my archenemy.
"And these are your little friends, I presume?" Vlad feigned ignorance as he turned to Liz and Sam, finally freeing us from his hug. I didn't buy it for a second, though. Vlad probably knew everything about both of them, from their names to their social security numbers.
"Yes!" Jazz said, sounding happy Vlad finally let us go. She was probably just glad I didn't try to blast Plasmius' head off… "You already know Liz from last Easter—" I grinned at Liz when I saw Vlad twitch a little at the reminder of the last time she came to visit. "—but this is Danny's roommate, Sam."
"A pleasure, my boy." Vlad purred out with another of his oily smiles. "I do hope your ride here was comfortable?"
"Yes, Mr. Masters." Sam answered, looking a little uncomfortable. I didn't blame him though. And I didn't like how Vlad was paying so much attention to him. That was never a good sign with the billionaire, believe me…
"Anyways." Jazz said as she started to push Sam towards the mansion. "We should all really start unpacking and all. Besides, I'm sure Sam wants Danny to give her the grand tour of the house!"
…Her?
"Oh yes." Vlad replied lightly, with a knowing smirk on his face. "I'm sure he does…" that reaction made me forget about Jazz's faulty wording for the time being.
Note to self; Don't leave Vlad and Sam alone in the same room for any period of time. At all. Ever.
Jazz must have had the same idea, since she didn't even bother to hide her hurry to get Sam away from Vlad. I scowled a little as I followed her, still trying to figure out Vlad's latest plot and see how Sam might end up playing a role in it…
"You can let go now, you know." Sam told my sister pointedly, raising his eyebrow.
"Sorry." Jazz sighed out as she let go of my roomie's arm. "It's just…"
"Vlad's an insane fruitloop trying to take over the world." I finished for her, still a little ticked that Vlad screwed up my big confession to my potential girlfriend.
"Danny!" Jazz scowled at my in annoyance, but anything else she could've added to that was cut off by Liz's laugh.
"Ain't that the truth!" Liz drawled out, grinning widely at me.
"Don't encourage him, Liz!" Jazz said, finding a new victim to rant and rave at. "You know how impressionable younger children are!"
"They're fifteen, Jazz." Liz sighed out in exasperation. "I think they're getting to a point where they can make up their own minds about junk like that."
"That doesn't give you an excuse to go around and act… well…"
"Lizish?" hey, you gotta admit it's true…
Yelping, I dived away as Liz swiped at me for that comment, running off as fast as I could.
"Yeah, you better run!" Liz growled out as she matched my pace. "When I get my hands on you, my costumes are gonna be the least of your worries!"
I laughed in response to that, ducking and dodging to try and shake the older girl from my tail without going ghost.
For someone who hates sports, Liz could give any guy a run for his money with the proper motivation…
"Have I mentioned how creepy that Packer's display is?" I snickered a little at the face Sam was making as we left the elevator for our floor, more at ease then I'd ever felt at Vlad's place before.
"Only about twelve times." I answered him, amused at his reaction to seeing the true meaning of obsession. Then again, his experience with the whole ghost thing was pretty minimal, so it kinda made sense that he'd think something like that…
"You don't think Mr. Masters is going to be too upset about the chandelier I broke, do you?" My grin took on a more devious edge after Sam asked this question.
Hehe…
"Relax." I reassured my roomie. "It was only a million dollar chandelier. Vlad could probably get another one installed before dinner." Wasn't the first time someone had broken something like that, after all.
"Still, maybe throwing around that football was a bad idea?" Sam joked sheepishly. I laughed a little at his expression, barely stopping myself from telling him that the only thing that could've made the accident any better in my eyes was if the autographed football that was the center of Vlad's collection.
"Don't sweat it, Sam." I told him casually, stopping as we finally reached my room. "This is where I sleep, Jazz is about four doors down and to the right, and you're taking the room right next door. I've gotta shower and stuff before dinner, so feel free to do what you want in your room until then, okay? Or if you want to explore a little more…"
"Pass." Sam replied, making a face. I couldn't say I was too upset about it, since Sam had less of a chance of running into Vlad if he stuck to his room.
"Suit yourself." I told him, shrugging before I made my way into the overly elaborate room Vlad had stuck me in during my first visit to this particular vacation home. It wasn't as excessive as the house he had in Maui, but it was still a little much for me.
Seeing that all my stuff was already unpacked (By Jazz or Liz, I hoped) I sighed and made my way to the connecting bathroom I'd be sharing with Sam, shedding my shirt as I went.
After a quick shower and a quicker towel drying, I felt a little better with the whole situation. After all, we'd already been there for a full five hours without anything blowing up, trapping me or sucking away my powers…
I stopped short after that thought, when I could've sworn I heard a giggle coming from somewhere. I listened closely to see if the sound came again, and after a while I shrugged it off as Liz or Jazz having another one of their 'girl talks' (cringe.).
Ignoring the feeling that something was off about that conclusion, I made my way over to my closet to grab some clothes…
Unfortunately, a head popped right through the closet door just as my hand touched the knob.
"BOO!"
Yelping loudly, I lost my balance and fell back on my butt, making the little girl giggle like mad as the rest of her fazed through the door.
"Hook, line and sinker!" She said gleefully through her laugher. "Oh man, Danny, you should've seen the look on your face!" Blushing, I scowled at her as I got back on my feet.
"Haha." I growled out sarcastically. "Real cute, Dani." And after throwing one last glare at the younger girl, I made my way back to my closet as she made herself comfortable on my bed.
"Ain't I just?" Dani replied to with feigned innocence. Rolling my eyes, I threw one of my extra shirts at her, making her shriek and bat it away with her hand.
Even though she'd donned the alias of my cousin when we first meant, Dani was actually a clone created by Vlad in an attempt to make of me so he could have the perfect half ghost son for himself.
Yeah, I thought it was creepy at first, too.
Unfortunately her molecular structure was so unstable that she risked ending up a puddle of ecto-goo every time she used her powers. And since Vlad considered her a 'failed experiment,' he had no problem trying to use her to get the son that he wanted, trying to force her to risk her own existence for the sake of the 'perfect' clone he was trying to create.
Luckily, though, Dani had realized what a jerk Vlad was before it went down like that, and helped me escape and beat Vlad. After that, she took off to try and make it on her own. Sometimes she showed up to give me a hand when I needed it or bug me when she was bored, but she kept to herself more or less.
Speaking of which…
"I do I even want to know why you're here?" I asked my cousin pointedly, folding my arms over my chest and fixing her with an even look.
"Just felt like checking in on my favorite half ghost cousin, Danny!" Dani said innocently, blinking up at me with wide blue eyes. I made a mental note to kill Tucker for telling Dani about my weakness for the wounded puppy look before I glared even more pointedly at the younger girl.
"In Vlad's house, Dani?" I responded dryly. "I don't think so. I know you've been avoiding him like the plague ever since you helped me get away from him." Dani fidgeted, looking uncomfortable talking about this particular subject.
I didn't blame her, though. I mean, she was betrayed by the guy who created her, by the person she considered her father. If that doesn't hurt, I don't know what does…
"Anyways, who's the spiky haired guy you were showing around?" Dani asked me, purposely avoiding my question. Sighing, I decided to drop the subject until Dani wanted to talk about it herself. I couldn't make her tell me what was wrong, after all.
"That was Sam, Dani." I said tiredly, finally settling on an outfit. "He's my roommate in Casper."
"Really?" Dani quipped, cocking her head slightly in thought. "Wow, someone who looks as wimpy as him must be a mega bully magnet…" I rolled my eyes at that comment.
"Haven't we talked about the inner voice thing before, Dani?" I asked my cousin absently.
"You mean the think-about-your-words-carefully-before-you-say-something-that-makes-someone-mad lecture?" Dani clarified, not looking all that bothered. "It's come up a couple of times, I think…" I groaned and resisted the urge to pound my head into the door. Why was it that Dani seemed to like learning things the hard way, anyways?
Before I could say anything about it out loud, though, the phone by my bed rang urgently, drawing my attention away from Dani. I kinda didn't want to pick it up, since I had a pretty good idea of who was on the other end, and he was not someone I was ever particularly chatty with…
"I'll get it!" my clone chirped out happily, reaching for the phone as I froze up on fear and horror.
"No!" I shouted, grabbing the phone away from Dani before she could answer it. Ignoring her pouting, I scowled into the device. "What do you want, Vlad?"
"Now, is that any way to address the man who's practically your father, my boy?" Vlad responded conversationally. My scowled darkened as Dani stopped pouting and became dangerously pale.
"You're not my father!" I snapped. The only response I got to that was a light chuckle.
"Anyways, I was merely calling to tell you that the young woman you'll be escorting to Thanksgiving dinner has arrived." Vlad said, ignoring my comment. "I want you to come down and greet her properly."
"Fine." I said shortly. As long as she was human, it probably wasn't anything I couldn't handle… "I'll be down in five minutes." And with that, I hung up the phone, grumbling to myself darkly.
"Easy there, Luke Skywalker." Dani said from her place on my bed. "Your eyes are green." Sighing, I took a couple of deep breaths to calm down before I turned back to my cousin.
"I've gotta go handle something downstairs, Dani." I told her firmly. "Stay here and keep quiet while I'm gone, okay?" I didn't want to take the chance of Vlad finding out she was here…
"Oh, come on, Danny!" Dani exclaimed with an insulted look. "It's me, for crying out loud!" Rolling my eyes, I made my way over to the bathroom to get dressed.
That's what scares me…
WoM- Is that a look of dawning on your faces? 'giggles evilly' Kudos to Lumias, for being the one and only person to figure out this portion of my insane mind without any help over on DeviantArt! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to hide from the wrath of everyone who was excited that Danny had 'finally' found out Sam's secret! 'runs away screaming her head off'
Thanks to;
Snea, epobbp, Esme Kali Phantom, Galateagirl, Miss Selarne, ur1crazedupfruitloop, midnight, Firefury, divinedragon7, Boongdaba, Ghostboy814, Luna Mae, Gmasangel, The Sole Survivor, Anime master Inu, Balkoth, phantomschica, SevenStar, Anomaly25, Fade, Baka Hanyou Rahvin, Phantom of a Rose, xXcrazyidiotXx, blissfulInsomniac, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Lost Demon Soul, pwykersotz, animeobsessed3191, DannysEvilTwin, Shimegami-chan, Leppers, crazyvi, conan98002, Zuzanny, Kirstyn.T, Fantomgirl 1 on 1, BlackDecember, cartoonfreak101, blindyourears, Hakkyou Kuusou, fish n chips n vinegar, xheartkreuzx, Samantha-Girl Scout, SquirrelGirl13, Crossover Fiend, Darkingfire, memoirs of a faded memory, Lumias, Anime Chick009, dPhantoMfreak, The White Rose, SummersSixEcho, WhiteMoonDragon, Trust's Messenger, Nobody is Somebody, phantom, kdm13, Yoshi, BarnOwl93, Karaway, Payne N. Uranus, fullmoonhowler, ForgottenSmile, emotigone crazy, Droodle Phantom, stormrider7, Paxluvfelicitas, Serena, Black January, femaleprongslet, look for the girl with the broken smile, Only Human, Amaya92, Lt. Commander Richie