Melinoe and Phantom searched through the house for any clues but found nothing to point to who took Sam or where they might have taken her. After thirty minutes, Melinoe and Phantom left the house, finding Rusty still cowering on the front step. However once the dog saw Phantom, his trembling nervousness vanished as he barked at the ghost and wagged his tail, even jumping up at the ghost. Phantom chuckled as he petted the animal but Melinoe was shocked. Rusty had always been terrified of ghosts. She didn't know why but whenever he sensed a ghost or, heaven forbid, saw one, he would yelp in fear and run for cover. But here the dog was, happily greeting a strange ghost like he would greet Melinoe or Sam.
"What did you do to my dog?" Melinoe muttered in astonishment.
"Huh?" Phantom intelligently answered as Rusty calmed down and dropped his front paws back to the floor.
"He would never greet a stranger like that. And he's terrified of ghosts. But he's acting like you're his best friend. What did you do?" Melinoe elaborated with a confused frown.
"Dogs must just like me. A ghost dog used to pester me all the time, caused a bit of trouble for me actually, leaving invisible presents on the ground, chasing people, even using furniture as a chew toy, that didn't belong to me I'll add. I dunno why your dog likes me so much," Phantom replied with a shrug, glancing down at the canine as he sat on the ghost's foot.
"Oh. Maybe. But I've never seen him act like that with anyone but me and mom," Melinoe mumbled, dropping the subject reluctantly.
Melinoe scooped up the dog's leash and led the way to the black gate and the pavement beyond.
"Come on. We're not gonna find my mom in the front garden," Melinoe called over her shoulder. Phantom smirked at her before following, easily catching up to the teen.
"How are you gonna find my mom?" Melinoe wondered, turning to the ghost curiously. Phantom turned his attention away from the sky back to the girl with a shrug.
"Not gonna lie. A lot of luck and maybe call in a few favours ghosts owe me," Phantom admitted. Melinoe scowled.
"I feel so much better," she grumbled. Phantom rolled his eyes.
"I'm not gonna tell you all my trade secrets you know. But I have learnt a cool trick that allows me to follow ectoplasm trails," Phantom revealed.
"Ectoplasm trails?" Melinoe repeated. The ghost nodded.
"Ectoplasm is what makes up ghosts. When a ghost uses their powers, they leave a residue. But sometimes if I'm quick and lucky, a ghost might leave a residue by simply being somewhere or passing through. Using my ectoplasm, I can make the trace amounts of ectoplasm left behind glow making a trail," Phantom explained.
"Then why aren't we trying that?" Melinoe pointed out.
"I am. The ghost flew. I'm radiating my ghost energy out to highlight the trail above us. Although, it does leave me open to ghost hunters," Phantom answered, pointing out a faint glowing line in the sky above them. Melinoe gasped in understanding, looking up as well.
The trial began to veer off and Melinoe made to follow only to feel Phantom's firm hand yank her shoulder back. Melinoe blinked in shock before a car sped past on the road. She swallowed her angry protests and smiled at Phantom in thanks.
"Let me follow the trail. You watch the road and your dog," Phantom suggested, pointing at Rusty who had managed to tangle his lead around a light post when he ran away from the car. Melinoe huffed in annoyance as she went to free the animal.
"How do you always manage that?" she muttered in exasperation. Phantom laughed as Rusty chased his owner around the light post.
"Here, let me help," Phantom chuckled and put his hand against the metal pole and turned it intangible. Melinoe flashed the ghost another grateful smile before pulling the lead to the other side and pulled the dog away.
Before long, they were back following the trail, Phantom taking the lead. Melinoe blinked in surprise when they reached the park and the ghost suddenly stopped in a quiet corner.
"Why are we stopping?" Melinoe asked as she lifted her eyes to the sky in search of the faint glowing trail.
"Trail's gone. Either the ghost found a portal, masked its ectoplasm somehow or we weren't fast enough and the ectoplasm we were following has dispersed," Phantom confessed with an apologetic glance.
"How are we gonna find my mom then?" Melinoe pressed.
"I will find her… uh, I don't think you ever told me your name," Phantom realised with an embarrassed chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. Melinoe blinked before blushing. With everything going on, they had forgotten to introduce themselves. While she knew who this ghost was, he didn't know her.
"Melinoe Manson. But most people call me Mel for short," Melinoe answered. Phantom smiled.
"Danny Phantom, but you knew that right," Phantom reciprocated. Melinoe smiled appreciatively.
"So, what are we gonna do?" Melinoe pressed. Phantom sighed deeply as his glowing green gaze scanned the park.
"This could take a while Mel. I'm sorry but I need to go find some contacts I have and ask around. But I can accompany you to your mother's friend. Tucker wasn't it?" Phantom offered. Melinoe frowned.
"I can walk through town by myself," she groused.
"Maybe. But not when a ghost could be after you," Phantom pointed out. Melinoe's frown deepened.
"Why do you think a ghost is after me?" she challenged. Phantom blinked before rubbing the back of his neck and shrugged.
"I don't know anything right now. But if a ghost took your mother, then they might be targeting your family. Until I find the ghost, I have no idea why they took your mother. So, to be safe, I think we should assume a ghost is after you," Phantom reasoned. Melinoe deflated, she knew the ghost was right. They couldn't assume the ghost that took her mother wouldn't come back.
"Fine. But I doubt you'll want to get close. Tucker beta tests a lot of his new tech around his house. Some of it is pretty cool but some of it can be glitchy and mightn't be able to see the difference between a person and a ghost," Melinoe relented. Phantom nodded and with a hand gesture told her to lead the way.
Tucker lived in a small terraced town house a few blocks over from Melinoe and Sam's house. He lived alone but had been seriously dating a girl he met during a convention through work for a couple of years. Melinoe glanced at the ghost following her before knocking on the door. After a few minutes, they could hear quiet cursing and muffled footsteps before a crash and yell of pain. The door was thrown open by a frazzled Tucker Foley. The man had a beanie on his head, Melinoe had never seen the man without a hat, glasses askew on his nose and grease stains on a yellow shirt.
"Mel? What are you doing here?" Tucker asked. Melinoe frowned at the lack of greeting to the ghost but turned to find that Phantom had disappeared. She huffed in mild annoyance. She couldn't blame the ghost for making a quick and silent exit, Tucker's division in Axion Labs did produce most of the public self-defensive weapons against ghosts, anything from ecto-mace spray to personal shields. But Tucker's division in Axion Labs also made weapons for trained ghost hunters in the town and the police, who often ran into ghosts while responding to emergency calls. Melinoe turned back to the man watching her with a confused frown.
"Mom's missing. Danny Phantom thinks that a ghost took her. He thought I should stay with a friend until he dealt with the ghost in case it came back for me," Melinoe explained with a shrug. Tucker's eyes widened before he ushered the girl inside.
Melinoe cried out in fright as she tripped over a pile of scrap metal right inside the door, understanding what caused the crash.
"Sorry, I'll clear that away in a sec," Tucker muttered with a sheepish grin. Melinoe nodded as she pulled Rusty's nose out of the pile of metal and pulled the dog into the open plan living room and kitchen. She plopped on the couch and pushed Rusty off when he tried to jump up onto her lap. He may be a big dog now, but he still behaved like a little puppy at times. Maybe her mother had been right about not letting the dog on the couch from day one. After a few minutes of clattering metal, Tucker ventured into the room with a worried frown.
"So, you said Sam's missing?" Tucker prompted. Melinoe nodded and launched into what had happened over the last couple of hours or so. Tucker perched on the cluttered coffee table with a deep exhale.
"That's a lot," he muttered. Melinoe nodded.
"But I think Phantom was right to send you my way. It's not safe for you to be in that house alone. Honestly, I don't think it's safe for you to be left on your own at all. It's scary easy for a ghost to sneak up on people, especially if they don't have a sensor on them," Tucker commented with a shake of his head.
"Do you have one I can use then?" Melinoe requested.
"Nothing I haven't worked all the bugs out of yet. I could give it to you, but you'll probably get a ton of false alarms. Also, if Phantom happens to check in, he'll still show up the same as any other ghost. I have been meaning to contact him and ask for an energy sample so I can train my tech not to see him, but I haven't had the opportunity before now," Tucker admitted. Melinoe nodded in understanding before glancing around the room.
"So… what are you working on?" Melinoe asked reluctantly, she had learnt long ago to never ask that question unless she was desperate for something to say. Tucker could talk about his work for hours.
As you have seen, Danny is a little more experienced in ghost hunting like a ghost than he was shown in the show. He has learnt new tricks and has become more confident in his abilities.
The next chapter is one of those special chapters I mentioned at the beginning of the story.
Until the next chapter.