Author's Note: I own nothing.
14 Motherly
Maddie Fenton was not a fool. She knew something was different with her youngest daughter these days. She just wasn't sure what it was. It had started shortly after Dani's minor accident in the lab, when Dani had asked her to teach her some martial arts. Ever since every Tuesday after Dani was finished at school they spent an hour or so training together. Dani's improvement was rapid, if Maddie had been awarding her belts she would likely have already moved up to at least an orange belt in just their few months of practice. But these days that was all the time she spent with Dani. After practice she would vanish into her room or off to Tanya or Sam's house. She'd managed to press a Fenton Thermos on Dani during one of their longer sparring sessions but it was only about an hour a week that Dani was even in the house. She would usually make an appearance at the dinner table, but not always. Maddie was growing worried. She knew well enough that teenagers needed their space, that they tended to pull away from their parents. She couldn't remember the last time she had a conversation with Jazz about something other than Dani or college, and even their conversations about Dani had dropped off these days. She sighed as she stared at a photo of her and Dani from years ago. Jack was playing with a few of the action figures he'd created. He really was so creative when allowed to be. Dani was too, she and her friends were down in the lab working on some project or another. It was just nice to have her in the house for once. She sighed again and Jack frowned putting down his toys.
"What's wrong Mads?" She shook her head at his question.
"I'm just feeling a little blue. I mean maybe it's just me but has Dani been getting more distant lately?" Maddie asked and Jack frowned.
"Maybe a bit, Jazz was the same way a few years ago." He pointed out. Maddie nodded, but as much as she hated to admit it Maddie had never really been close to Jazz. They had never really shared interests. Jazz had never been one for chemistry or ghosts, which were Maddie's main interests. Dani had been interested in chemistry and mechanics since the beginning. Maddie had many fond memories of putting together models with Dani. She shook her head.
"We used to be so close. We shared everything, and now… I don't know I just feel like she doesn't talk to me at all anymore." Maddie lamented and Jack frowned offering her a snack, it was his way of showing concern and more often than not Maddie appreciated it. She'd never been a whiz in the kitchen, with the exception of her cookie recipes. Jack though was much better in the kitchen, with the exception of the few times that something had become ecto-contaminated and reanimated. The doorbell rang and Jack stood to get it while Maddie went back to her brooding.
"Maddie, it's for you." Jack handed her en envelope. She frowned, it was personally addressed to her but she didn't recognize the return address tearing open the envelope she pulled out a sheaf of paper and frowned as she began to read aloud.
" 'Dear Madeline Fenton, We at the Dalv group would like to extend an invitation to this weekend's Physics symposium in Miami Florida. Included are two VIP tickets, for you and a guest of your choice. The symposium lasts until Sunday afternoon, and all accommodations and transportation are provided. If you choose to attend please email us at Dalvplans at for transportation information.' Jack this is perfect! I can take Dani to this symposium, no drama from school and we can talk about whatever's been bothering her!" Maddie said hopping off the couch and pulling out her phone to email the science group. Jack grinned.
"That's great Mads! And I can spend some quality time with Jazerincess! I feel like we haven't spent any time together in ages." He exclaimed with a grin. Maddie's grin widened as she got a reply email with instructions. She rushed down to the lab.
"Dani!" Pack your bags we're going to a weekend long Physics symposium in Florida!" All three teens looked up at her, Dani rubbing the back of her head, a frown fixed on her face. Much to Maddie's dismay Dani didn't seem interested in going to the symposium at all, though she did agree after some cajoling. Sam and Tanya headed out as Dani trudged upstairs to pack a bag for the weekend.
Angelica Foley was concerned. She sat at her desk in Amity Hospital barely glancing at her phone as she received a text from her daughter stating that Dani was being dragged to Florida for the weekend so Tanya would be home, against the teens original plan. She was looking over the file for Paulina Sanchez who had been admitted to the hospital just last night. Her symptoms had been concurrent with quite a few cases that the doctors were finally admitting to being caused by ghostly possession. And wasn't that a kicker, ghosts were real. No one in Amity could deny that anymore, not after the ghostly invasion, after City Hall had been taken hostage. But had it been? Angelica pinched the bridge of her nose hoping to hold off the headache she was well on the way to having.
She'd watched the news coverage of what had happened, which had been spotty at best. The only thing all the networks seemed to agree on was that the Ghost Girl had taken the Mayor hostage but Angelica wasn't sure that was the case anymore. After all she knew something the news didn't. The mayor had come to the hospital shortly after the incident, with the same symptoms Miss Sanchez had exhibited. They had been much more minor sure but still there and identical. And then there was the ghost girl herself. The video coverage of her had been grainy at best, Angelica figured maybe ghosts were just hard to film since every other figure was clear enough. But she'd gotten a good view of the Ghost Girl, Dani Phantom, last night when she'd dropped off Paulina.
What struck Angelica most was that she was so young. She couldn't have been older than Tanya and that broke her heart. She was just a kid. Sure the news had called her the Ghost Girl, Ghost Teen, but up close she looked much younger than the grainy footage could ever portray. She'd had glowing freckles, that almost seemed to form constellations on her death pale skin. Gravity held no rule over her, but even less so over her hair with floated around in its braid as if of it had its own whim. Her big green eyes had swirled with a power Angelica didn't recognize, alongside guilt and concern when she'd spoken to Paulina directly. Angelica nearly jumped out of her own skin when a knock came at her door.
"Come in!" She called and the door opened to reveal Kyle Krenshaw, one of her best friends here at the hospital. He was holding two plates of food.
"You didn't come down to the cafeteria for lunch, so I figured I'd bring you something. Still working on that random possession case?" He asked setting down a plate of food in front of her. Kyle was short and stocky, with wiry blond hair and large wire rimmed glasses. Angelica shook her head.
"No, not really." She said picking up the fork and regarding the plate with little interest. Kyle frowned, he was the only person in the hospital who knew about how Paulina had come to the hospital in the first place. Angelica hadn't been able to keep it to herself, it had been too weird of an experience. She frowned over her plate.
"Kyle, you haven't seen any teens come over your table recently have you?" She asked hesitantly. Kyle worked in the morgue, if the idea that was picking at the back of her brain was right then he'd know. He shook his head.
"Not in the past year or so, I think the last one was that kid from the six car pile up on the highway last December. Why?" He asked setting down his fork. "What are you thinking Angie?"
"I'm thinking ghosts were people, right? Who were alive and well, aren't anymore."
"You think the Ghost Girl, Phantom, whatever, was alive? In Amity?" Kyle asked blinking at her wide eyed.
"Maybe." Angelica shrugged. "I mean I know it's kind of a long shot but…" She stopped as Kyle looked at her curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
"If she died in or around Amity then the body had to have passed through my morgue." He pointed out. He was right, Amity wasn't quite big enough for a dedicated medical examiners office at the police station. The nearest big city was Peoria which was still an hour an a half drive away. He tapped his chin. "What did you say she looked like again?"
"Short, maybe five two. Definitely young, probably fourteen, maybe sixteen at most. White hair, pale Caucasian, green eyes, freckles. Slim build, like a swimmer, there's muscle there but it's lean." She shook her head burying it in her hands for a moment.
"This is really bugging you isn't it Angie?" Kyle asked and Angelica nodded looking up at him.
"I keep thinking 'what if it was Tanya?' I mean the kid had to have parents at some point right? If it were me I would want to know if my…" she paused trying to choke out the words. "If my dead kid was still around. I don't know it feels like someone should know. Right?"
"I'm not sure." Kyle said shrugging as he picked his fork back up. "I mean what if she died years ago and doesn't have anyone around anymore. There a lot of ways this could go. But if you want I will look through the files, see if I can't find someone who fits enough of those descriptions. But I'll tell you right now I don't think I've ever seen a white haired teen come through." He stated taking a bite of his food. Angelica nodded finally filling her fork with food as well.
Maybe nothing would come of this at all but at the very least finding a few answers might put Angelica's mind at ease.
