'Ghost envy can be shown in many facets of life, yet many believe that ghost envy can really only be called as such when in its most extreme state. The majority land in-'
"Maddie! Have you seen the Fenton Bazooka?"
'-the subgroup of this majority is also commonly referred to as-'
"Did you check in the cupboard, Jack?"
'-forwards. The next subgroup is rarely discussed, very few fitting enough of the descriptions to even-'
"Of course I checked the cupboard! And the closet, and the chest!"
'-while most are fascinated with this group because of their innate desire to be-'
"Check in the pantry, dear!"
Slamming her book shut, Jazz glared at her father rummaging through the kitchen, pulling free the utensil drawer and riffling through it. How was it possible for them to always make so much noise? And why didn't the neighbors ever complain?
"I just wanted normal parents, was that so much to ask for?"
She grumbled, her head dropping onto the top of her book.
"Jack, dear, I said to look in the pantry, you know the Fenton Bazooka won't fit in those drawers."
"No, but I found this!"
Tilting her head up to look at her parents standing on the other side of the table, Jazz stared blankly at the Fenton Finder, its radar blinking slowly.
"Oh! How did that get there?"
Maddie grabbed it excitedly, flipping it over in her hands. Jazz propped her elbows on the table with her chin resting in her hands. Danny must've hidden it there a while ago, not a bad spot really, given her parents rarely got in those drawers.
"Let's take it with us!"
Taking the device from his wife, Jack shoved it inside a suitcase already overflowing with various Fenton ghost hunting equipment.
"Do we really need to take all of this with us?"
Jazz complained, staring over at the suitcase with dismay. If they took the Fenton Finder, it would go off constantly with Danny nearby. Maybe she could hide it again when her parents weren't looking, or toss it out the window while they were driving.
"We can't take the chance of any ghosts trying to follow us, dear."
Her mother smiled, as if she should already know that it was a possibility.
"Shouldn't you be packing too, Jazzy pants?"
Jack boomed, a wide grin on his face as the girl rolled her eyes, resting her arms flat on the table and forcing a calm and reasonable tone.
"I can't go on this trip with you guys, I have to work on my thesis about ghost envy for school."
"You can't stay here alone! Not with all the ghosts around!"
Jack exclaimed, his smile fading as she sighed. Getting through to her parents was like trying to get through a brick wall with a plastic spoon; pointless and frustrating.
"But dad, this is really important for my future! I can't give a subpar thesis and blame it on the fact that I went on a family road trip."
"Sorry, sweetie. You're just going to have to work on it on the road."
Her mom pressed a kiss to the top of her head, the teenager slumping back in her chair and folding her arms across her chest with a frown. Great. While Danny and his friends toured around to see the world's largest ball of string, she would be filling out an application for Nasty Burger. Did her parents not care about her future at all?
"Maddie, have you seen the TV remote?"
Jack's voice shouted as her mother pulled away and walked into the next room while calling over her shoulder.
"Check the weapons drawer, dear!"
Scowling, Jazz clamped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. This would be her life the next month and a half. Her parents had no concept of quiet or indoor voices.
"Ghost!"
Jerking her head up, Jazz stared wide eyed at her father, before she followed his gaze to the television set, the grainy picture showing a glowing woman covered in tattoos, her eyes fiery orbs burning with hatred.
"Ghost? Where?"
Maddie yelled, running back into the room, an open bag dangling from her hand.
"Turn it up!"
"You have the remote, Jack."
The volume rose on the TV, a sudden flurry of motion as her mother sat on the table and her father leaned heavily against it, the sudden jostling weight sending her papers fluttering to the floor. Grumbling to herself, Jazz knelt down, gathering her research as the voice from the reporter drifted around the kitchen.
"It's ghost based chaos here at the Casper High school's out concert where notorious ghost kid Danny Phantom is fighting for his after life!"
Jolting, Jazz crawled out on her hands and knees from underneath the table, tilting her head to look up at the TV as a picture of her little brother popped up on the screen, a determined look on his face as he stared at some unseen foe.
It was still strange to her, seeing his face with those glowing eyes and pale white hair, but it wasn't as if he were vastly different. How her parents had yet to connect the dots was still amazing to her. He still acted the same, and he had the same voice and body type as his human half. Their parents were beyond dense though it seemed.
Standing up and snatching her phone from off the table, Jazz checked her messages only to have an empty inbox stare back at her. Punching in a number, she pressed the phone to her ear and listened as it rattled off to voicemail before she tried another. Neither Tucker nor Sam was picking up, that wasn't a good sign.
The sound of the television turned up, and she looked over to see her little brother flying backwards into the crowd before he pushed himself up and glared angrily at an enemy she still hadn't been able to see.
"Not very good, is he?"
Maddie scoffed, crossing her arms as she watched it with no more care than a pointless soap opera. Would she feel differently if she knew that was her own son being beaten up out there?
"I could do better with my hands tied behind my back!"
Jack boasted, and Jazz had to work to keep her laugh silent. Her father couldn't even catch the ghost that was living with him; or the one he claimed was his best friend. Had he even captured a single ghost in his entire life? She doubted it.
"Well, that's certainly something new."
Maddie mused, and Jazz turned back to the screen. The drum set had been transformed into some type of strange spiderlike creature, its legs twisting towards the ghost boy at a rapid speed. Clutching her phone to her chest, she forced a calming breath. He would be fine. He did this all the time. He always came home in one piece. He'd be fine. Right?
Biting down on her lip, she exhaled through her nose, glancing uselessly at her phone again. No doubt Sam and Tucker were too busy to call her; they might even be in the midst of it all. Not that it really mattered, she could see what was happening to Danny in real time, only here she was of no help.
But no way were her parents letting her go there when ghosts were around. But that was her little brother out there, fighting who knew what. She was proud of him, beyond proud actually. Everything he did, he really was so selfless. But he also felt the weight of the world on his shoulders and didn't know when to back down from a fight he couldn't win.
She still remembered all those afternoons when he was younger and first learning how to ride a bike. He was so determined; he wouldn't give up even with as many times as he fell and scraped his knees. She'd spent countless days cleaning blood off his scratched up knees and elbows. She'd always ask if he wanted to do something else, but out he would go, back on that bike.
He learned eventually, but he'd paid a price for it. She was fairly certain he still had a scar on his knee. But he was still the same. Fighting again and again, refusing to give up even when he was outmatched. Only now more was at stake than just a couple of scrapes and bruises. These ghosts, some of them actually wanted to kill him. They wanted to destroy him, no care at all about the fact that he was still just a kid who was trying to save the people and the town that he cared about.
She knew Danny tried to hide the worst of it from her, but she wasn't stupid. She saw the way he walked sometimes, limping or favoring his side. She noticed the depleting first aid items, and the way they always seemed to be out of pain medication. Jazz didn't blame him, how could she? But she wished he would try to be more careful, and not be quite so stubborn. She wasn't sure what she would do if-
"Yes! Get him!"
Jack's cheering dragged the girl back to reality, blue eyes drifting back to the TV, her mouth dropping open at the sight of Danny trapped in a net, struggling to free himself. The camera was zoomed in and she could see the anger in his green eyes, how tense his body was. Something had made him furious, and as the camera turned, she could guess at what it was.
On the stage was a strange looking man, his complexion as pale as a sheet with skin stretched taut over his bones. His eyes were bloodshot; the irises a startling shade of scarlet. He didn't look like one of the traditional ghosts, though. Most of the ghosts they saw were green or blue, an aura of decay surrounding them.
But this man, he looked like he was on the edge of death, barely living yet still alive. He also wore a strange metal sleeve on his arm, with glowing spots going down the length of it, though she couldn't get that great of a view on it.
The camera watched from a distance, glancing briefly over another portion of the fight where a girl she knew had to be Sam jumped onto the metal arm and refused to let go. At least his friends always had his back. Another student did the same, surely Tucker, and the man looked furious.
But what exactly were they trying to do? Whatever it was, Danny must've thought it was a good idea, finally having broken free of the net and grabbing on with his friends. Jack grumbled about the ghost boy getting loose and how if they'd had the chance they could've taken him out right then and there.
Rolling her eyes at her parents, the tension eased in Jazz's chest. They appeared to have decent control over the situation, so there was no more need to worry.
Going back to the table and gathering the rest of her papers, she settled down and spread them out, beginning to arrange them back to the way they had been before her parents had so carelessly scattered them about.
"Aren't those Danny's friends?"
Glancing up, the question pulled her attention to the fight happening in the sky. Now closer to the news chopper, they were able to get a better picture, the group of four struggling at quite a height. Shots went off in the air, glows of yellow and red and blue simultaneously gleaming as the trio were thrown about.
"How did they get mixed up in this? And where's Danny if he's not with them?"
The worried tone is clear in the woman's voice as Jazz shook her head to herself, barely able to restrain the scoff. How was she as smart as she was, yet still so oblivious?
Hopefully the upcoming vacation would do them all some good. Some quality time with his parents might make Danny see that they'd still love him even if they knew his secret. Ease the tension and maybe convince him to finally tell them. It was getting old listening to them rattle on about dissecting their own child.
"Maddie!"
The picture on the screen went fuzzy for a moment, the air filling with what looked like dirt, before showing a picture of Sam and Tucker on the stage, both looking confused and dazed.
"I hope they're alright." Her mother murmured, pulling up her goggles to see the screen better. "Why would they get involved with such a thing?"
Abandoning her papers, Jazz inched forwards. Were they losing? Another loud crash showed off the man from earlier, a snarl on his lips as he shouted something unintelligible before the ghost with the tattoos reappeared. A swarming energy surrounded the two and in moments they've vanished entirely. But where was Danny?
"Well, that was-"
Jack began, stopping abruptly as a streak of green flew through the sky and fell in a heap to the stage. The camera was now focused solely on the ghost boy, and Jazz could feel her heart in her throat. He didn't look okay, his body unmoving for several seconds, and he did finally move she could see his unfocused eyes staring at his two friends while blood dripped down his chin.
"Guess that guy was too much for the ghost kid."
Jack laughed, making the knot in the girl's stomach tighten. Danny stood slowly, wavering on his feet. He looked ready to pass out, she had no idea how he could even be standing. The other two kept their distance, not wanting to show their closeness to him with so many people around, though it didn't seem to matter as two rings of light appeared around Danny's midsection.
"No."
Jazz murmured, taking a step closer to the television, unable to look away as the two rings traveled up and down over Danny, changing the halfa back into his human half in front of all of Amity Park.
He looked worse than he had, with red and green blood mixing as it trailed from the cut in his lip while the same mixture trickled down his arm. He was still staring at his friends, but the gasp from the crowd was audible, or maybe that was her own.
The boy's eyes darted from side to side before glancing up and making eye contact with the camera. Her parents are frozen, neither speaking as the boy looked back to his friends, the crowd deathly silent as the words he mumbled out were caught perfectly on camera.
"Uhm, nobody saw that, right?"
Rushing forwards, Jazz blocked the television with her body, her pulse quickened and her heart racing. She faced her parents, though neither seemed able to process that she had even cut off their view.
The whole town knew Danny's secret now, and she wanted to find him. He had to be freaking out, and he had looked hurt. But right now, the two people standing before her needed her attention more. As worried as she was, she knew Tucker and Sam would take care of Danny. So instead she took a step forwards, clasping her hands tightly together and mustering up a weak smile for her parents.
"You didn't see that, right?"
A/N
I know this was pretty much repeating the last chapter, but I enjoyed getting to write Jazz, and her connection with Danny and how she felt about this stuff. Plus, I really wanted a cool set up for the parents later.
It's probably going to be a couple of weeks before I'm able to update the next few chapters, as I've been really neglecting my other fanfictions and my own novel. I promise, I'll hurry with the others and get back to the story just as fast as I can! Your reviews mean the world to me, so any feedback you'd like to give is always appreciated and welcome!