Chapter 14: Lying to Me
Vlad winced as he made his way up to his room. He never wanted to wake up again after the day he had. Sadly, the billionaire knew that he probably wouldn't be getting much rest with the state of his ribs.
Breathing deeply, Masters slowly pushed open the golden doors with the huge 'M' on them, the décor glinting slightly as he shut the doors behind him. He smiled graciously as he glanced at the Packers decorations in his room. It was a welcoming sight. His life had changed a lot in the last few weeks, but at least this room had remained the same.
Letting out a tired breath, he tugged off his tie and took his jacket off, folding them and placing it on a nearby green fainting chair. The bachelor then entered his private bathroom. The stone tiling and gold trimming glinted softly as he threw the last of his asphalt and blood-drenched clothing on the marble flooring. Soon, the roar of running water filled the room.
Vlad could only stare at himself in the mirror, mist gathering behind him. As usual, his hair was perfect, but the rest of his body was bruised badly and littered with cuts, but the worst thing was the burn around his neck, the bandage removed. He grimaced at the sight of it, growling to himself, "Wonderful, I'll have to start liking turtle necks."
Tentatively, he ran his hand slowly over the wound careful not to irritate it. It was during this time that the half-ghost met a realization. The burn was in the shape of a hand.
Baring his neck to the mirror, the millionaire asked in a suspicious tone, "Now that's concerning."
Glaring at the blemish for a moment more, the mirror slowly fogging up because of the running shower, the billionaire reluctantly pushed the problem to the back of his mind and decided to wash away all the rest of his problems with a warm shower. If he was lucky, his powers might heal it into nothing.
A few seconds later warm water was soothing the knots in his back and rinsing the dir from his form. Placing his palms on the tiling, the halfa allowed his head to fall into the warm stream. He hummed in appeasement despite the sting of his neck. The sound of the water always helped him clear his mind. Slowly, as predicted, all of his worries sank down the drain. He smiled softly to himself allowing only one thought to remain on his mind: now that he had Daniel what was he going to shape him into?
…
Across the spacious home, Danny curled into his blankets as a ghost of a smile spread across his lips. They were so warm and comfortable. He always loved his bed for the smell of the detergent his mother used and the soft musk that seemed to seep into the sheets from merely being in his room. He also treasured the way his blankets clung to his body on Sunday mornings. Danny took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the blankets only to open his eyes and sit up with a start. These weren't his sheets!
The teenager looked around hurriedly with the help of the faint light showering in through the glass doors that led out to a deck. Where was he? Breath coming in little gasps of growing panic, Danny finally caught sight of his bag pack on a decorative chair, an item of familiarity. And it also brought deep sadness. It was the only thing that had survived the onslaught of the flames because it had been left at school.
Swallowing, feeling sorrow rise in his gut, Danny sat up straight and glance at the shadowed room. It was large and was actually like three rooms, not that he should be surprised. He had stayed in a guest room once in Vlad's castle, the night he had met Plasmius. This room was different though. Despite being bigger than his parent's first apartment, it was surprisingly welcoming, unlike the cold guest room. This room was meant to be lived in. He could even see the dim outline of a bookcase and a large study desk with decorative oddities like a space station replica and a globe. Well, it seemed that Vlad at least knew one of his interests.
Beside himself, Danny chuckled bemusedly to himself, "So, this is my new room, isn't it? Well, at least Cheese Head didn't decorate my room in Packer's memorabilia."
Sighing, praying to God that Vlad wouldn't connect him to the demon and demand answers, Danny fell back into his bed and pulled the sheets up to his neck praying for rest. He would worry about that in the morning. Hopefully, Vlad would merely think that the bridge incident was an accident.
Sighing into his sheets, praying that they would smell like him soon enough, the teenager found himself slowly falling back into his sleep cycle … only to have a soft whisper jolt him from his rest.
"Pist! Danny? Are you awake?"
Danny's eyes snapped open, the teenager praying he was just hearing things. His ghost breath hadn't occurred so it wasn't a spirit. Then again, his powers hadn't been the most reliable. Closing his eyes, the teenager prayed that he was just imagining things and that the castle was just settling or something. He had never been afraid of a spirit before, but now he was helpless. He needed this to be just a creek of wooden floors. He couldn't deal with ghosts right now.
"Danny, Danny, come on. Wake up, I don't have long."
Hands tightening on his sheets, Danny tried his hardest to remain still and appear asleep. It couldn't be real. It was just another sign that he would soon break down and allow Dan to exist. Please … anything, but that.
Suddenly there was a yank on his sheets, the teenager yelping in surprise as he sat up and slammed his back again his headboard, his eyes wandering the room as he choked, "Who's there? I-if this is a joke. It isn't funny."
"Tch … don't be a scary cat. It's me," whispered the voice obviously now originating from under the teenager's bed. If one dared call it a bed since it was the size of a small yacht.
Frowning at the voice's mocking, the halfa finally recognized the voice, "Tucker?"
Thankful that it was at least a friendly hallucination, the teenager leaned over the side of the bed and peeked under to see none other than his dead friend. Tucker still looked a bit charred, but he was less misty and more corporeal like normal ghosts. "What are you doing here? And why are you hiding under my bed?"
Tucker ignored the comment.
"I came to check on you. I wanted to make sure that thing didn't hurt you when it attacked you on the bridge," stated Tucker as he climbed from under the bed and sat on the quality sheets.
Danny pulled himself from under his covers and sat beside his friend, glad for someone familiar, and yet one question rang in his head, "Tucker, how did you know about the bridge incident?"
Tucker seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before he shrugged and stated, "I'm a ghost … so yeah. We see things that people don't think we see."
The teenager rose an eyebrow. That didn't seem right at all. In fact, it had to be a lie. Tucker had always been a horrible liar, but he didn't really want to dwell on it too much. After all, if Tucker was a figment of a traumatized mind?
Swallowing, feeling sick, Danny asked the one thing he didn't want to know, "Tucker, are you really a ghost or just a figment of my imagination?"
Tucker twitched at the question, taking his glasses off as he pretended to try and clean them off, his words odd and heavy, "Listen, Danny, I wish I could tell you everything but … I'd be put back into the box. I hate the box. Please, don't make me go back in there. What I am isn't important. I'm only here for you."
"The box?" questioned Danny as looked down at his pajamas, it was the stupid panda set. Hey, wait? When had he put these on? Ughhh, someone had undressed him again!
Tucker watched his friend's face turn into a horrified snarl as he pulled at his pajamas. Wait, were those pandas? The dead teenager restrained a laugh as he stared at the cute bears. They were something that Jazz would wear (not Danny). Tucker tried to ignore the pandas and concentrate so he could get what he'd been told him to. Getting out of the box, for whatever reason, was worth it!
Clearing his throat, the techno-geek tried to catch Danny's attention.
Danny, finally looking up at his friend, grumbled, "He undressed me and put me in these girly clothes! Really? Doesn't he have anything better to do than humiliate me?"
Tucker rolled his eyes. Drama queen ... though it was funny. "Oh come on, Danny. Vlad's probably dead to the world right now with the beating he took. It was probably one of the ghost servants that wander around at night."
"That doesn't make me feel any better. It's not like I can fight my own battles right now," grumbled Danny, glancing at the door across the room.
Waving off his friend's worry, Tucker continued, "There aren't that many of them. Must have been some house cleaning."
"Still not making me feel better," muttered Danny, part of him resisting the urge to cross the room and press a chair against the door. Not that it would help any.
"Enough Danny, just let the ghost servants be. The castle is huge and so is your room, and honestly, I gotta ask: did Cheese Head adopt you?"
Danny sighed and answered in a dejected manner, "Yes … he officially did."
Gaining a snide smirk, Tucker couldn't help but float around his friend, chuckling, "Does that mean I can call you Danny Masters now?"
Then, rubbing it in, Tucker stuck his nose up in the air and gained a nasally voice, "Master Danny Masters would you like some crumpets, tea, maybe a side of evil with your afternoon tea? We can even beat up this orphan boy we found for sport."
Danny could only roll his eyes, grumbling, "T-that is the worst impersonation ever. And for your information, I haven't seen one butler or crumpet since I got here. All I've seen is this room. And what do you mean by Master Danny Masters? That's a terrible name!"
"Those were adoption papers he signed so technically you are his son. So your last name is probably Masters now," mocked Tucker coyly before he jabbed the point home. "So do you have to call him dad or papa or father dearest?"
Danny looked flabbergasted. "What? No! Never! I'd rather die a thousand deaths before I call him father dearest! Besides, father dearest sounds like something a girl from a civil war movie would say, and I don't have the proper dress for that role. So, now if you are done humiliating me, can we get back on track about why you are here and this box thing? I just know Vlad is going to make my life miserable in one way or another and I'd rather not dwell on that right now."
Tucker twitched at the box comment again. It was obviously bothering him.
"Soo…" continued Danny as looked over his dead friend who now seemed upset, his words prying, "I know you obviously don't want to talk about it, but Tucker, if you are not a delusion… Why are you here? Are you here to haunt me for being a bad friend or do you have some unfinished business?"
"It's more like I don't have a choice," whispered Tucker to himself before he turned to Danny and asked, "Actually, I'm here because I had to ask you a question. Tell me … did the demon say or do anything weird?"
"By weird, you mean trying to kill me without any real purpose?" answered Danny flatly. "And what does it matter? He's dead, right?"
Tucker couldn't look Danny in the eye.
Swallowing, catching the hint, Danny murmured, "You don't think he's dead, do you?"
Taking off his glasses, trying to clean off the charcoal again, Tucker whispered, "It doesn't matter what I think. I … just wanted to make sure to ask you to keep your guard up. So, tell me, do you know what the demon looks like? His earthly form that is?"
Raising a brow, wondering if Tucker was going to go check the riverbed himself, Danny muttered, "How could I forget? I dreamed about him stealing it from Joed at a KFC parking lot. I don't think I'll ever eat fried chicken again … or become a fry cook."
Danny swallowed at the thought. The poor fry cook.
"You saw it in a dream?" whispered Tucker as he swallowed slightly, gritting his teeth. That was a bad sign. A sign of a curse.
"Yes, it was terrible. The poor guy didn't even know what hit him," said Danny softly as he placed a hand over his eyes. He really didn't need to think about that right now.
Sighing, not knowing what else to ask, Danny added, "Tucker? What exactly does this demon want from me? Does he just want to kill me or is there something more?"
Tucker turned away from his friend's gaze, unable to answer.
…
Elsewhere in the household, Skulker exited the Ghost Zone with a grimace. He had no idea what was going on in there. Yes, Joed did give him some odd information, but what did it even mean? It could be the ramblings of a half-formed ghost core for all he knew. Skulker sighed heavily as he thought of Joed's words: tell someone. Well, he could inquire if there was a functioning Ghost Council, but Skulker didn't play well with ghosts of authority like that Walker character. Then again, there was always Vlad.
Shrugging, mind made up, the hunter floated up through the ceiling having decided to let Plasmius deal with this mess.
…
"Tucker … Tucker? Where did you go? Tucker?" growled Danny as he carefully made his way around the corner, hating himself for admitting he was hungry. And this, Tucker decided that they had to find the kitchens. Too bad he lost Tucker in the search, but Danny suspected that his friend just needed an excuse to wander off. Apparently, Tucker now had secrets to keep and as much as that bothered Danny, at least he had one of his friends back. Kind of ... if Tucker wasn't just a figment of madness.
Pushing that thought away, because he didn't like it one bit, the youth nearly yipped when he opened a door and his foot slapped on linoleum. Huh ... at least he found the kitchen?
Blinding feeling around the wall for a minute to find the lights, the teenager decided he was too hungry to care. Fridges had lightbulbs for a reason. So, instead, the half-ghost slid over to the huge silver fridge and threw it open happily. It was beautiful in there. He almost cried because it was actually full. Vlad had struck him as the type of person who couldn't make a green bean casserole for that matter a ham sandwich. Not that Danny was the greatest cook ever but Vlad probably burned water. Most likely a maid or chef probably cooked and kept the fridge full.
After rifling around like a picky mouse, Danny decided on a cheese and mayonnaise sandwich. A midnight classic in his house. He even left the fridge door open for light, just like Jazz hated. Danny smiled softly at the thought of his sister as he cut a slice of cheese. It hurt to think of her. It really did, but at the same time, he liked the memories he had. He'd recall her for a little while. Just a little ... until it hurt too much.
His midnight recollections and sandwich prepping were interrupted though when he heard the squeak of the kitchen door. Danny stalled ... Tucker had warned him about possible ghosts in the house. Ghosts he couldn't put a fight up against.
Quickly, trying to be quiet as possible, he shut the refrigerator door, knelt down, and grabbed his sandwich and umbrella (which he brought for defense thanks to Tucker's warning) as well as a spork. If it was a ghost or the demon bastard, they were going to get a spork to the eye if he felt threatened. Personally, he hoped it wasn't someone alive like a poor maid. That would be a terrible introduction.
...
Opening the kitchen door, Skulker stepped into the room and stalled. He could have sworn he had just seen a light on in here.
Frowning, he shrugged his shoulders and reached for the light switch. Oh right ... it was on the other side of the room. Rolling his eyes, needing to put in a memo or something to have that updated because this bloody kitchen was the size of Texas, the hunter shook his head as he walked towards the opposite side, his metal shoes clanking heavily.
The teenager, meanwhile, nearly choked on his sandwich as he listened to the loud clank of footsteps coming his way. Knowing all too well that a maid wouldn't be wearing cement slabs for feet, Danny got down lower and readied himself for an attack. It had to be a ghost. Who else would wander around in the dark?
The hunter walked forward paying little attention to anything as he thought about the glorious kitchen, running a hand idly over the stainless steel oven in the middle of the room. Yes, it was overly large for a single man that rarely hosted parties, but any chef would love to grace this kitchen. It was well stocked and had every cooking device one could need. Skulker would know because … he had another hobby besides hunting. He always had a soft spot for cooking and though he was no world-renowned chef, he didn't consider himself half bad. As a ghost did he need the nutrition, but most ghosts could still taste.
Deciding that the traveling spirit's warning could wait until the morning, Skulker decided that perhaps practicing a favorite pastime was in order. Heading over to the fridge to see what fresh ingredients were available, the next thing Skulker knew a sharp pain jabbed through his foot. He yipped and jumped back immediately staring at a spork embedded in his boot. Before he could even question how that happened, the hunter noted the glint of eyes in front of him. The killer-intent was obvious, and it wouldn't be the first time a ghost assassin had snuck into Vlad's castle trying to off the halfa and claim his territory.
Cursing his luck, the hunter jumped over the oven in the middle of the room as a swarm of pointy silverware came his way. It would seem he had fallen into a trap and if he didn't do something a spoon was probably going to off him. Fortunately, for Skulker, the onslaught of silverware quickly ended as the culprit ran out of the metal death tools. Skulker, knowing better than to waste an opportunity, gave a war cry, pointed his plasma blaster over the counter, and started shooting in random directions because his enemy apparently was cunningly camouflaged.
...
Danny nearly choked on his second bite as something that certainly wasn't human started shooting at him! The teenager ducked and pulled open his umbrella as pieces of china started showering all over. Cursing the intruder, Danny growled when he noticed … he had run out of silverware.
Looking desperately around his corner for some kind of ammo, the teenager finally noticed that he was still eating his sandwich through the onslaught. He might have been surprised but considering how often he had to eat and run as Danny Phantom, he really wasn't surprised. It did give him an idea though. The fridge was bound to have something that could at least be distracting.
Plus, he was still hungry.
Creeping over to the door as the intruder continued to destroy the china to his left, Danny pulled open the fridge only to have his enemy suddenly notice the light and shoot at the fridge. Not that that was all too surprising but it was quite a shock to have a jug of milk explode all over him, splatter milk down his head along with what looked like kung pao chicken. The teenager gasped from the cold milk while patting himself down for gunshot wounds. Then, perhaps far too used to fighting, the half-ghost gave a roaring cry of his own and reached into the fridge. He threw a package of celery which was quickly followed by a jar of jam, a half-frozen duck, an opened bottle of wine, a six-pack of Gatorade, tofu, a package of cheese (wait, I'll keep that), leftover lasagna, a container of pig's feet (eww, what does Vlad eat?), a jar of pickles, and a lot of other stuff. Danny kind of lost track after the pig's feet because he didn't really want to know what else the batty billionaire kept in his refrigerator of horrors.
The hunter was at first surprised when a stalk of celery hit him in the head. A moment later he gave a bark of surprise as a frozen duck nearly slammed into his face along with some other disgusting things he'd rather forget. A few moments later, his vents full of cottage cheese, Skulker sat on the floor watching the food fly over the stove. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to get in a shot with all that food flying his way. He sighed and started to clean the sauerkraut out of his gun until something slid against his foot. At first, he cringed away thinking it was something disagreeable only to be pleasantly surprised when he noticed what it really was.
"Great, a beer. Just want I need," grumbled Skulker as he opened the can and took a sip, quickly deciding to wash something down with it. "Is that a pig's foot? Always knew Vlad had good taste."
…
Elsewhere, up the stairs, Vlad yawned into his pillow as he tried to fall back asleep. Something had woke him, but his tired mind honestly didn't care. That is until the sounds became loud crashing and gunfire. Snapping awake in surprise, Vlad sat up and listened to the noise coming from what was presumably the kitchen. He had placed his room strategically so he could just ghost through the floor and get a snack whenever he wanted. Now it just seemed like a horrible idea because the kitchen was the Dairy King's favorite place to haunt and Skulker was undoubtedly trying to catch him.
It wasn't that Vladimir minded having spirits in his castle (generally, most were his lackeys), but with Daniel injured only the most trusted were allowed to wander the corridors. And that number was very few at the moment. He also wanted to let the boy settle before reintroducing all of the castle's ghost staff.
Sighing, wondering if he could just suffocate himself in his pillow and get some sleep the long term way, Vlad threw off his sheets grunting as he pulled at his ribs. Enough of this, he needed his rest so he could heal. So, pillow in hand, he turned into Plasmuis and slowly started to sink down through the floor.
That frog had better not put a scratch on any of his Packers china or there would be hell to pay.
…
The battlefield was brutal. He had thrown a dozen pots and few butcher knives yet the intruder had not fallen! Danny curled into a ball as a dozen sporks pierced his thin shield of an umbrella. He had to survive. He had to keep fighting! Danny grabbed a spork that had pierced his umbrella and rose to his feet. He was going to go down like a man and not a child curled up in a ball!
Skulker threw his gun to the floor. It was too clogged with food to be of any use. He had to win this battle with hand-to-hand combat. Generally, he'd grab one of his combat knives but they were all currently impaled elsewhere in the kitchen. So, instead, Skulker grabbed the frying pan which had dented his armor earlier and rose to his feet. He'd show that assassin punk why he was Plasmius's second in command. This territory was his!
Danny peered across the prepping table with fear as the shadowy figure rose to its feet as well. Danny swallowed. He was so going to die. Regardless, the teenager screamed out with rage as the shadow did the same. It was time for mortal combat!
"What do you think you two are doing?!" suddenly interrupted a voice, Plasmius switching on the kitchen light to see the once beautiful room in chaos. He nearly fainted when he saw that his Packers china had been blown to smithereens. A spork sticking out of the last one that was still in intact.
"Plasmius! A demon is trying to kill me! It's ... oh ... it's Skulker?" finished Danny dumbly after he realized who he had been fighting. It was just a rather food-splattered Skulker. Great, so he was here.
Swallowing, hiding the spork behind his back, Danny offered a fake smile as he choked out, "Oh hey, it's you. Just you … Soooo … What are you doing here?"
"I should ask the same thing ghost child. I thought it would be a few more days until I had the displeasure of seeing you, whelp," grumbled the hunter as he leaned down to pick up one of his food-splattered guns.
Vlad stared mournfully at his Packer's dishes for a moment more before he took a deep breath and tried to speak calmly, "What have you two ... done to my kitchen?! Danny why are you even out of bed, and Skulker why are you shooting at my godson?"
Danny and Skulker gave each a side glance before they both started to talk as quickly as possible, trying to pawn the blame on the other.
"You see, I had just come back from –"
"I woke up and –"
"The Ghost Zone and I had important news, but –"
"I had no idea where I was and then I noticed –"
"When I came up through the flooring–"
"that I was starving. So I found the kitchen and –"
"I noticed there was a light in the kitchen. The ghost child –"
"was attacked by Skulker! The –"
"attacked me when I walked past the fridge and –"
"Idiot didn't even check who he was fighting, and then he –"
"Enough!" suddenly interrupted Plasmius, pink energy erupting from his hands. Both Skulker and Danny froze in place as the billionaire flared above them, his words a threat. "I don't care which one of you started it, but I want to know why you two continued to destroy my kitchen without even checking who your opponent was?! You have until the count of three to give me a decent answer!"
The ghost and teenager both shared a wary look and then Skulker coughed into his hand, 'I'll shoot you' as casually as he could. Danny, mouth open, was about to whine to Vlad about being threatened by the help, but Plasmius' face still had a no-nonsense glare to it. So, giving in, Danny decided to do something stupid.
"What do you even need a fancy kitchen for? It's not as if you know how to cook," grumbled Danny as he gave Plasmius an irritated glare. He just wanted a sandwich. Not all this drama!
Vlad, eyes narrowing, suddenly grabbed Danny by his pajama collar, his words almost a hiss, "It's three in the morning, Daniel. Now is not the time to test my patience or charity. Why are you even out of bed and out here with the crazed hunter?"
"Hey," Skulker defended.
Shuffling, part of him still skeptical if Tucker was a delusion or not, Danny rubbed his arm and murmured, "I was looking for Tucker. He came down here, and I really was hungry. You were in the hospital all day getting patched up and all I had was some vending food."
Plasmius instantaneously let go of Danny's shirt as if he had just been burned, the older half-ghost looking horrified. Danny hated that look. Vlad had given him that same pitying look last time he had mentioned seeing Tucker. He knew it was crazy, but Tucker just seemed so real.
Coughing into his hand, ignoring the confused look from Skulker, the older half-ghost transformed back and put a heavy hand on each of Danny's shoulders. He then gave a tired smile as he stated, "I understand, Daniel. I promise that I'll find you a good psychologist that you can ... talk to about Tucker, but I can't have you wandering around at night. I haven't told all of the staff yet that you are here."
Danny went stiff as if he had just been slapped. Vlad really thought he was unbalanced, didn't he? Luckily, Skulker was an idiot and was always good for a distraction.
"Why does the whelp need a head doctor? Did he finally snap?" asked Skulker as he picked one of his hunting knives, tugging it out of the wall. Vlad hadn't said anything about the brat being a head-case, but it kind of made sense. The kid couldn't even mark his own territory properly so there had to be something wrong with him.
The teenager's jaw dropped, unable to speak for a moment. Head case?! He wasn't crazy! Unable to stop himself, he shook off Vlad's hands and started shouting at the hunter, "Come over here and say that to my face, bolt for brains! I am not a head case! I'll show you-"
"Daniel," chided Vlad in a no-nonsense tone. "It's the middle of the night and everyone's tired. So I need you to calm down and go back to your room while I speak with Skulker. You know the doctors said to try and ignore stress while on your medications. Now, head back to bed."
The teenager stalled as if slapped, "But … but, he ... And I don't –"
"Daniel, please, not tonight. It's been a long day," groused his godfather in a demanding voice as he lightly turned the teenager towards the door.
Danny, feeling a bit betrayed that Vlad hadn't taken his side, stumbled a few steps before he stalled and whispered over his shoulder, "But … I don't really know how to get to my room yet."
Skulker rolled his eyes, "Always had bad directional awareness, whelp. You barely could fly half the time."
"What! No! I'm a great-"
Vlad folded his arms over his chest, his burn mark on his neck showing as his nightshirt shifted. Besides himself, Danny's mouth snapped shut as he looked at the burn. It was so much smaller than his and already healing rapidly. But it was still his fault ... everything was his fault.
Swallowing, suddenly feeling exhausted and sick with guilt, Danny muttered, "Fine, I'll wait out in the hall."
Nodding, Vlad still looked exhausted as he muttered, "There is a room with a television down the hall where you can wait. You can't miss it. Rest on the couch, watch some television, play a game, or something. I will be done in a moment."
Growling something about Vlad only having Packer's reruns, Danny reluctantly exited the kitchen wishing his ghost powers worked enough so he could listen in unnoticed.
Vlad sighed slightly as he turned back to his Second. He was going to need therapy by the end of the month just because of that boy, but Skulker wasn't helping.
"What? The whelp started it. Don' tell me that surprises you?" asked Skulker as he headed to the staff's table which was located at the far corner of the room. He was half glad that the boy and he hadn't taken their battle to this side of the room. After all, most of the liquor was located on this side. And he might be dead, but he could still taste and his suit could use it as a form of fuel. So he didn't waste a moment more before pouring two glasses of vodka, offering one to the billionaire. Vlad looked like he needed it.
"You really didn't have to mock him like that Skulker," said Vlad flatly as he took a seat beside the ghost, "And isn't it a bit early for hard liquor?"
"Looks like you need it," said the hunter as Vlad reluctantly took the glass, the ghost adding, "And he's awfully lippy for a tool."
"All well-made tools take time to craft, Skulker. You know that," murmured Vlad as he leaned heavily on the table, hair falling wildly over his shoulders. "It took me a few years just to get you to take a direct command."
"And yet it seems like yesterday," chuckled the ghost, vaguely recalling a younger acme-covered Plasmius challenging him. "But that's not what I needed to talk about. I was in the Ghost Zone earlier and something … odd … has happened."
Vlad gave him a tired look obviously not in the mood for this, "Odd? How so? You are going to have to be more specific. Miscreants like the Box Ghost and Walker live there so it never exactly been normal."
"Still pissed about that bounty he put on your head, huh?" chuckled Skulker.
The bachelor gave him a bored look, "I'm going back to bed if you can't think of anything interesting to say."
"Tch, don't get your boxers in a bunch," grinned Skulker. "Or are you a briefs man?"
"… I'm going to bed," suddenly said Vlad, bored of this game.
"Okay, okay. I was trying to build suspense," said Skulker as he turned back to his drink, "but like I was saying, the place is foul like there's some kind of pollutant spreading over the plane. My ghost core was actually unsettled. The most disturbing thing though was the traveling spirit I ran into."
Vlad lost interest in his drink and turned all his attention to the hunter, curiosity bubbling to the surface. He had only read of the things. They were too brief, a glimmer in the Ghost Zone's landscape and then they passed on or became a ghost. He, himself, had never had the opportunity to see one. Most felt like they were a sign of things to come.
Trying not to sound too intrigued, Vlad nodded and murmured, "A rare occurrence indeed, but of little importance to me. There is no time to speak with one before it fades, and neither the living nor dead can catch one so I don't see what it has to do with waking me at three in the morning Skulker. Not one bit."
Skulker chuckled at the man's brash tone, obviously tired and oh so human despite all the fear he installed in the dead. Grinning broadly, Skulker got to the punch line that he knew would make the billionaire basically beg for details, "You see, that's the thing. It was stuck and polluting the ground it touched. It also bore a warning."
Vlad, interest returned to his drink, stalled mid-sip before he looked back up, "You had better not be lying to me. You know my thoughts on premonitions and cursed warnings."
Skulker scoffed, his smile slowly disappearing, "Trust me, this wasn't a false claim. It was definitely a warning. One that I would worry about Plasmius because something is scaring ghosts from the Ghost Zone. The very sky is turning red. Whatever is going on in there, it's messing with the powers that be and it's making the dead scared."
…
Vlad somehow resisted the urge to head to the Ghost Zone the second Skulker was done with his report. It was an interesting development to say the least and deserved his attention, but first, he had something else to deal with.
His last piece of Maddie.
Footsteps silent, the older halfa entered the television room without a sound. There was his godson sitting in a fluffy armchair flipping through the channels. The teenager finally stopped on a news channel. Vlad watched silently, observing his godson. On the news was a young woman who was the host of a gossip weekly show, which was a fifteen-minute show dedicated to rumors on the rich and famous. Vlad personally despised her.
"It seems that the rumors of the wealthy businessman, Vlad Masters, might have some truth to them after all," said the perky woman to her smartly dressed male partner.
"Is that so Diana?" asked the young male partner as a picture of Vlad flashed in the corner of the screen. "So it's true that the billionaire's house is haunted even though he is now the top producer of ghost products?"
"Well, I don't know about his castle being haunted Tom, but with the recent increase in ghost sightings all around the world, I wouldn't be surprised. Either way, it's great news for him with."
"I guess that's true, but the real story about this billionaire, since he's just turned forty, is who'll be getting his fortune?" Tom smiled greedily at the thought.
"That's right. Masters has been on the scope of many young actresses, yet not one has managed to get their fingers in his pockets for that matter a ring on their finger. So this news is for those girls of you after this new money … I hope you like kids."
"That's right ladies. It seems that Masters has adopted and now has an heir to his fortune, which is presently growing every day due to the increase in ghost sightings. Now, in later news, the actress Josie Roberts broke up with her –"
Click.
Danny switched off the television and stared at the black screen for a moment, glaring at his and Vlad's reflections in the inky blackness. Tilting his head, not the least bit perturbed by the news, he growled, "I'm not crazy."
Vlad frowned softly and stepped forward, placing his hand on the chair's back, squeezing the fabric as he spoke carefully, "I never said you were. Trauma is to be expected after what happened. And with the car accident today, I'm not surprised-"
The youth quickly rose to his feet and glared at Vlad, his words biting, "I'm not crazy or unstable or nuts! Tucker was there!"
"Is that so? Did your ghost breath go off? Did he have a ghost core, because otherwise, Tucker can't be there. He's gone, Danny. I know that's hard to accept, but you can't do this to yourself," said Vlad remembering the first night Danny had seen Tucker, glass all over the floor as the boy stood there laughing to himself. It had been a disturbing image and a reminder of how fragile the teenager's mind was right now.
The younger half-ghost acted as if he had just been slapped, shocked with Vlad's forwardness, "No, I mean, he doesn't have one ... but he's not a delusion. I know he isn't."
Raising a hand up, pinching his nose bridge as if gathering patience, the older halfa sighed as if defeated, "Of course he isn't, but Danny ... You need to talk about the fire. Keeping it in is messing with your mental state. You need to tell me what happened at the fire."
Danny suddenly felt small, like he was a child lost in a mall. Even his voice came out weak, "Nothing happened. Like the cops said, it was a lab accident."
Vlad's stare didn't falter, his next words like acid, "Is that so? Then what about those dreams of yours and this demon you have repeatedly mentioned?"
" … I-I don't know. I don't remember any of that," choked Danny as a lone tear rolled down his cheek. Fuck. He couldn't break down. Not right now. He needed to stay strong.
"What about the accident with the truck?" Vlad pulled down the top part of his nightshirt and bandage, bearing his burn to Danny. "And what of this? This looks like a hand mark to me? At first, I thought it was a freak accident like everyone else, but now I think that you picked a fight with a ghost that was too strong for you Daniel. You stepped into someone else's territory and it came back to bite you. It killed your family, scarred you for life, and now it tried to kill both of us on the bridge, didn't it? Tell me who it was so I can avenge Maddie!"
Danny's eyes were wide, tears free-flowing now. Vlad basically knew, didn't he?
"Or," Vlad's words were bitter. "Look me in the eye and tell me it was really a lab accident and everything up to this point has been a freak occurrence. You said you didn't remember what happened when the cops asked about the fire and I have been patient, but given your reaction to Skulker in the kitchen tonight and your nightmares … I feel there is something you are not telling me, that there is an enemy you made."
The teen just shook his head. He couldn't tell Vlad yet. It hurt too much. And ... he wanted to kill the Demon himself! It was his right to do so! Not Vlad's. He just had to keep his secret just a little longer until his powers came back.
Vlad stopped for a moment and looked down at his shaken godchild, his words a whisper, "Tell me, Daniel. I am done being patient about this. I need to know who you started a fight with."
Straightening his shoulders, his refusal written all over his body, the boy lied, "I told you it's nothing. I don't even remember anything. It was a lab accident."
Slap!
At first, Danny wasn't sure what had happened. Vlad used his powers or his fists when angry, but had he just slapped him? Straightening his head, the teen raised his hand to his cheek, hiding the slowly forming red mark there. In the grand scheme of things, he had had worse but this was the first time Vlad had ever struck him since the fire. It was ... he didn't know how to feel about it.
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be crying," Vlad ground out as he grabbed Danny by his shoulders and forced the teenager to look at him. "Now tell me … What happened that day in the fire? I'm trying to help, but I can't do anything about what happened to Maddie or the others until you tell me the truth. Tucker will not go away until you tell me what happened."
Danny weakly tried to draw away from his godfather, but finally gave in and whispered in a shaky voice, "You want the truth?"
"Yes," said the billionaire simply as he searched his godson's face for the answers.
"The truth is … the truth is I couldn't protect them from that thing! I wasn't strong enough. I … I didn't start the fight. It did."
Vlad swallowed, his need for revenge seeming to teeter on the other's words, "And what is it, Daniel? Do you have a name?"
Danny looked up at him with pleading eyes, "Please … I can't. Just stop."
"Stop? But you have –"
Danny pushed away from him violently, a strange electric tinge forcing Vlad to stumble back. It was a power he hadn't felt before from his godson. Then, before he could question the odd energy or his godson's words, the teenager was running out of the room. Vlad, holding his neck wound as the electric charge irritated it, found himself calling after the teenager as he followed the angry youth into the dark halls. Danny, probably because he had no idea where his room was, suddenly disappeared into the first room he could find, which awkwardly enough was a bathroom. The teenager slammed it shut, locked the door, and flopped against the door like a human barrier.
Vlad, stalling in front of the restroom, soon found himself jiggling the handle before he knocked harshly on the wood, "Daniel, open the door. Daniel! We are not done talking yet."
There was a moment of dragging silence until a small sob and whimper escaped the room, "Leave me alone… I-I'm going to the bathroom."
Danny then hid his face in his hands. He was so weak and childish. He couldn't keep his secrets to himself and Vlad was such a persistent bastard that he would soon find out everything, but right now was too soon. He needed more time.
Vlad, lip twitching at the childish excuse, pulled on the door handle once more as he grumbled, "… What did I tell you about lying to me?"
When he got no reply except for a soft sobbing noise, Vlad nervously ran a hand through his hair with another sigh. There was no way in Danny was going to come out of there of his own accord right now, and Vlad didn't really want to phase through the door. The kid was still so broken, and he didn't want to test his mental state anymore tonight.
Deciding to give in to the child's sorrow, he murmured, "… You don't have to tell me anymore tonight, but you will tell me soon. There will be no negotiating on this matter. You can't keep this to yourself anymore. Until then, sleep well little badger. Good night."
Vlad then reluctantly turned away, leaving Danny to his demons.
XXX
Paw07: I can tell that teen me was eccentric and super excitable or something. Don't get me wrong, I love the kitchen scene but at the same time it's so dumb, and yet I still love it. XD
Edits: I swear I had to edit bloody everything! Ugh, this chapter took forever. I had to delete so much OC-ness and stupidity out of it and then almost every other sentence had to be restructured since my writing style has changed. This took forever. Then again, it could have something to do with the 2,600 words I added. Ugh, I even deleted scenes and it ended up that long. Please be easier next chapter. Also, this used to be called Night Terrors, but Lying to Me sounded much more fitting.
(Revisions May 2021)