Time To Spy On Trinity
After that little show earlier this morning, Danny's suspicions regarding Trinity and her intentions flared up again. Confidence or not, Sam wasn't the kind of girl to just take her shirt off in public. Mind you, she never used to wear anything that wasn't black either. Something was definitely up, and while he certainly enjoyed seeing more of her, it didn't feel right happening this way.
Perhaps surrounded by feminine delusions that if he ever saw her breasts – bra or no bra – it would be in the privacy of her (or even his) bedroom, wherein it would ignite their souls and thrust them into a night of unparalleled lust. Passionate sounds of the two bodies becoming one as years of pent up emotions would be released in one long surge of energy and sensual pleasure…
Dear God! Why was he thinking this way? Just last night he went red in the face at the thought of being in the same bed as Sam, now suddenly he could picture the inferred event with such clarity that it felt more like a memory than a daydream. His mind descended further into depravity as he imagined her soft, supple skin pressed against him, her delicate fingers touching him in ways he'd never been touched before. His arms wrapped protectively around her naked form…
"Mr. Fenton!" A coarse female voice tore through the pleasant image he was just watching.
"Um, sorry, I just-"
"Sorry? After what you've done, that's all you can say?" Ms. Denyer's tone was unreadable, but Danny stared at the floor, sensing that he was in trouble. "Why are you apologizing for this absolute mastery of acrylic paint?"
"Huh?" His head looked up so quickly that a small snap was heard in the back of his neck.
The entire class had moved to see the easel Danny was working at. Many gasps and awe-filled cries went up. Even Danny himself couldn't believe what he was seeing. Last time he saw that sheet of paper nearly an hour ago it was empty, but now it contained the most astonishing painting he'd ever created.
A girl with unnaturally pale skin and extremely long black hair was staring back at him with cold, grey eyes. Both of her hands were held up in front of her chest and cradled a green human heart. The positioning of the hands allowed perfect censorship to the more fragile part of her bosom while the core of jade offered a partial glow on the textured skin surrounding it. It was highly stylised, and the detailed yet numb expression of the girl pierced his very soul.
"This is beautiful, Mr. Fenton, simply magnificent! I've never seen this quality of work from you before! See class, this is what I meant by use of colour," She patted Danny's shoulder. "The strangely green heart in this imaginary world of black and grey catches the viewer eye and entices them to examine the piece further."
"Wow, Danny, that's gorgeous!" Sam couldn't get enough of the painting; just looking at it gave her chills.
"Thanks Sam," He smiled. It reminds me of you…
He always got warm fuzzies all over when she spoke to him in that tone, but somehow, it felt better when she was still a Goth. When a girl with an outlook on life that's darker than her clothes suddenly says something so irregular – so genuinely happy – it fills one with the feeling that you're breaking through the hard outer shell of Goth indifference, to find a creamy warm centre capable of boundless love.
But right now, she was acting just like every other girl in school. It was this reminder that made Danny frown. The students returned to their own artwork, somewhat more inspired now than they were 10 minutes ago. He watched Sam's expression twist in a menagerie of different emotions while she struggled with whatever she seemed to be painting. Here he had been presented with two options.
Option One – to do something so uncharacteristically cheesy and romantic and offer his artistic help to her, perhaps requiring him at one point to slide his arms around her, rest his hand on hers and guide the paintbrush whilst whispering things in her ear.
Or option Two – Be excused from class to find Trinity and get some answers by means of sneaking around after her. Unlike Sam, Trinity wouldn't know that the temperature drops when a ghost was nearby, so he had the upper hand in keeping an invisible eye on her.
Like any red-blooded teenager, he truly longed to go with option One; it would bring them one step closer to a whole new level in their friendship. But ultimately, he didn't want to get too close to this new Sam until he knew why she was behaving this way.
"Uh, Ms. Denyer, I don't feel so good, may I be excused?"
"Of course, Daniel, just don't be too long," She smiled and handed over a hall pass.
He caught a glimpse of Sam's bright lilac eyes watching him leave the classroom. He felt so strongly for that girl it was almost unreal. The wild raging fires that burned his stomach whenever he saw her shining face, the loud thump, thump, thump of his heart which echoed so ferociously he knew his eardrums would soon burst, and the feral urge running rampant in his masculine hands to touch her, to hold her close in his embrace and never let go.
Buried in his thoughts, he never noticed that he had turned invisible without his knowledge. He drifted through the corridors with a broody attitude, still in his see-through state, and sighed dejectedly. Trinity had to be somewhere, but he didn't know if she was in class or not. He doubted it though, there were three art labs and the only one being used was room 21 – where he had just come from. Loud dirty laughter rang out from the general direction of the Teacher's lounge.
No way, she wouldn't be allowed in there… would she?
Technically she wasn't a teacher, but conversely, she wasn't a real student either. This little jaunt of hers could easily be classified as work experience he imagined. Mr. Lancer had taken quite a liking to her, possibly because he was an English teacher, and she was genuinely English. Although, he had anticipated Lancer having a talk with her regarding her personal dress code. As a girl, Trinity wore a lot of short skirts and flirty tops, but she was cautioned that if she was serious about helping with the sophomore art class, she'd have to behave and dress slightly more modestly than what she was used to.
Speak of the devils, there they were. Trinity was sitting on the coffee table with a cup in her hand, regaling Mr. Lancer of her 21 years know-how living in the United Kingdom. Danny stood at the doorway and decided to listen in. He knew that eavesdropping was rude, but he was curious to hear about Trinity's life up until the six-month period when Sam was staying with her.
"… Of course, Ryan never liked talking about the accident; it's as if he felt responsible for their death."
"That's perfectly natural, children will often blame themselves when they lose someone close – it's also common when parents get divorced," Lancer took another gulp of decaf. "if you don't mind me asking, how old were you?"
"I was fifteen, my brother was seventeen," Trinity answered, swirling the black beverage. "It was so weird, I mean, ya hear about that stuff on TV but ya never expect to see it… but like Ryan always says 'that's all in the past, so don't dwell on what you can't change'."
"A very philosophical way of looking at it," He nodded. "you think very highly of your brother, don't you?"
"He's all I've got in the world really, but I hardly ever see him, and it gets proper lonely in that house," She thought for a few minutes. "that's why I was so chuffed when Sam came to stay, in fact, that's when I got my second ink."
"Second what?"
"Y'know, a tattoo, wanna see it?"
Lancer spat out his drink. He certainly wasn't expecting that! Trinity giggled. She unzipped the right knee-length boot to reveal the same Danny Phantom tattoo she'd shown to Sam's best friends just yesterday. The permanent shrine to Amity Park's resident ghost kid literally took up two thirds of her lower leg.
"Lord of the Flies woman!" He was completely shocked and very nearly fell out of his seat. Danny tried not to laugh out loud and give away his position.
"I've got another one in the small of my back, but it's not as big obviously, and I'm planning to get a half sleeve when I go back to the UK," She smiled. "so, have you got any tattoos?"
"Of course not! Are you mad?" Lancer replied with somewhat shifty eyes. Trinity wasn't quite convinced, but let it go anyway.
"Sorry," Trinity chuckled. "I love tattoos; love seeing 'em, love getting 'em, I think I might be addicted."
"Well," He glanced at his wristwatch and downed the last of his coffee. "If you will excuse me, I have to prepare for my lesson on George Orwell. Don't forget, Mr. Gilmore will need you to be in room 20 for 1:30 this afternoon."
"Thanks Mr. Lancer."
"One more thing, Miss Manson,"
"Yeah?"
"Behave yourself." He said as he walked out of the room.
"What is it with authority figures always telling me that?" Trinity asked no one in particular. "Anyone would think I had some sort of neurological disorder."
She stood up and stretched, gave her coffee mug a quick wash in the sink and left it on the side to dry. She meandered into the hallway, and Danny glared at her with a knowing smile as she shivered. The temperature had dropped, but her lack of ghostly familiarity meant that she was clueless as to the reason for the sudden descent in heat. She put both hands on the back of her head – one on top of the other – and drifted through the corridor in a chilled fashion.
After a few minutes, Danny started to feel that following Trinity around wasn't a very productive way of getting information. All she was doing was walking alongside the lockers, one hand outstretched so it was touching the cold storage units as she moved. Suddenly she stopped. He soon recognized the locker that Trinity had stopped in front of.
It was Sam's.
A peculiar smirk appeared upon her lips.
She quickly looked to the left and to the right, stalling for a moment. Danny stiffened. She was looking straight at him, but she couldn't see him… could she? Perhaps she sensed his presence or heard his breathing. Her bright green eyes reduced to slits as she tried to focus. He held in a relieved sigh when she turned back to her cousin's locker and fiddled with the handle. Pierced ear pressed against the small metal door, she continued to fumble with the lock until she heard a click, confirming that she'd got it open.
What the hell is she doing? Danny thought.
Trinity suddenly became nervous, again checking her surroundings to be sure she was alone. Of course, she still couldn't detect the looming ghost boy peering over her shoulder with her human sense of sight. She rummaged through Sam's things, you know, the basic Goth accessories; eyeliner, lipstick, spiked bracelet, spare shirt with something witty yet cynical written on it in white out, and, strangely enough, a bottle of strawberry flavoured water.
"He-llo!" she grasped the bottle and took off the lid.
She retrieved a small foil packet from her bra and opened it, tipping the contents into the once pure fluid. Replacing the cap, Trinity giggled to herself and swished the water until the fizzing dissipated. With the locker slammed shut, she ran her hand through her raven locks – a large beaming grin sewn onto her face. She turned on her heel and bumped right into Danny, knocking them both to the floor and restoring his visibility. A groan erupted from her throat as she rubbed her sore hip.
"Hey, watch where you're goin' arse monkey! I- OMG! It's you!" She leapt up and clapped her hands ecstatically. "AHHH! I can't believe it's really you! My mates from college are gonna freak!"
Jeez, from grumpy to fan girl in 0.2 seconds! That's gotta be a record!
"Can I get a photo? Please?"
"Erm…"
Quick as a flash, Trinity whipped out her smartphone, threw her arm around his neck in a headlock and got in a few snapshots with the camera function. She soon let go and checked out the pictures with a big smile before her phone was returned to her pocket.
"Oh! So totally KEWL! I saw you in Sam's room last night, you bad boy! Come on, what's going on between you two?" Trinity nudged him in the chest.
"Uh, I dunno, I guess I just can't stay away from her - she's like a ghost magnet…" He scratched the back of his neck and floated there innocently while his cheeks filled with blood.
"I'd watch it if I were you mate, or Danny Fenton's gonna be after you for stealin' his bird," She winked at him cheekily and smoothed her skirt. "Listen, I gotta leg it; my cousin comes out of art in a few. See ya later!"
"Um, bye…"
He sighed and tried to contemplate the events of the last two minutes. He couldn't believe this was happening. She was the biggest 'Inviso-bill' fan girl since Paulina and at the same time she reminded him of the evil guy in Wisconsin who was consistently after his mom. While he didn't know exactly what she'd put in that drink, or even why she did it, the simple fact remained…
Trinity was drugging Sam…
