Melinoe frowned at Danny leaning in her bedroom doorway. Rusty had decided to lay down by his feet while she ran around her room stuffing clothes and essentials into her schoolbag, dumping her books in a heap on her unmade bed. Her room hadn't changed much since she was a kid. The floor had thick black carpet, like most of the upstairs rooms had. She had a desk in a corner which she rarely used, preferring the breakfast table in the kitchen, a messy bedside cabinet littered with hand cream, some jewellery and some change, her mother had treated Melinoe to a big double bed when she turned twelve, saying a teenager needed a bigger bed, while one of her walls was covered by a massive wardrobe Sam bought for her when she started high school. All her furniture was painted white with green furnishings bringing colour to the otherwise monochrome room, such as the cushion on her desk chair, the bed spread, and a massive painting Sam found while the girl was still a baby. Melinoe had no idea why her mother loved the black and white colour scheme which dominated the house but Melinoe had always liked her room. It felt true to her. Not that she was a depressed person or gothic like she knew her mother had been at her age. The black and white colours just felt like home.
However, she could not understand her dog's behaviour at all. First greeting a ghost, he didn't know like an old friend and then this man she had only met once before. For as long as she could remember, and she did remember when he turned up under the Christmas tree when she was nine, he had been terrified of strangers. It took a few days for the puppy to even feel comfortable around Melinoe and Sam. And she also knew having been on a walk with the dog in the past and coming across ghost fights, that the dog was scared to death of ghosts. She didn't know where the fear started. As far as she knew, he had never had any experiences with ghosts, not anything to traumatise the dog as he seemed to be.
Danny turned his vigilant gaze away from the landing to the girl, feeling her gaze.
"Done yet?" he asked. Melinoe shook her head and grabbed her phone charger, ripping the plug out of the wall socket.
"Just worried about my dog is all," Melinoe muttered. Danny frowned at the canine beside him.
"Why? Is he unwell?" Danny prompted. Melinoe shook her head again.
"He's just acting strange today. That's all. He's pretty true to his breed and they can be nervous of strangers. But he seems to really like you. Then there was the whole thing with Danny Phantom. Rusty's scared of ghosts. But he was jumping all over Danny Phantom," Melinoe explained with a shrug. Danny blinked at her before glancing down at the relaxed dog. He offered the teen a smile and a shrug.
"I was once told I have a gift with animals, especially dogs," Danny admitted.
"Huh?" Melinoe hummed in confusion. Danny chuckled.
"A few years ago, I worked in an animal shelter across town. My boss there noticed that even the most frightened and aggressive dogs were calm around me. Cats, not so much. I remember this one cat that got me sent to the ER. Vicious thing. But because I could keep even the most troublesome dogs under control, they kept me on for a long time. I think I was there for six months," Danny recalled.
"Six months is a long time?" Melinoe questioned with a raised eyebrow. Danny shrugged.
"For me it is. Usually I can keep a job for a few weeks, if I'm lucky a couple of months," Danny confirmed. Melinoe glanced at her pet before nodding.
"Well whatever your gift is, it's working miracles with Rusty. He's never this friendly to people. He's not even like this with Tucker and he knows Tucker pretty well," Melinoe remarked. Danny smirked as he turned back to the landing.
Melinoe stuffed her hairbrush and a couple of hairbands into her bag before slinging it on her shoulder. Danny pushed away from the door jamb and wordlessly led the way out of the house. Melinoe locked the front door and Danny handed her Rusty's leash. They started walking down the street with Danny leading the way to his sister's house.
"How come you never came to visit?" Melinoe wondered, she hadn't needed to direct Danny at all on the way to her house. He knew the way, which begged the question why she hadn't seen this man since she was seven years old, especially since he and her mother seemed to get along well. Danny glanced at her before shrugging.
"Was never a good time," he offered. Melinoe frowned.
"When would be?" she challenged.
"Things between me and your mother… it's complicated okay? We were friends a long time ago and we grew apart. She had you to worry about. She didn't need me around," Danny added.
"What makes you think that?" Melinoe pressed with a frown, tugging Rusty away from a piece of trash on the pavement.
"I'm always between jobs Mel. I have my sister, parents and Tucker running around trying to make sure I'm okay. I didn't want your mother distracted from looking after you trying to look after me. She always looked out for me when we were kids," Danny replied with a shrug. Melinoe nodded in understanding, she did remember how worried her mother had been about the man on that stormy night years ago. She had been worried about him too and she was only a child and he a stranger.
"Is that why you're sleeping on your sister's couch?" Melinoe recalled. Danny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"She has offered the spare bedroom, but I don't want to put her out any more than I already have. I'm trying to save up enough to get my own place but usually by the time I get enough to put a deposit on an apartment, I lose my job," Danny confessed. Melinoe frowned.
"Why is it so hard for you to keep a job?" she wondered. Danny grimaced.
"I… get distracted," he muttered. Melinoe's frown deepened.
"Distracted?" she repeated doubtfully.
"How's school?" Danny asked instead. Melinoe opened her mouth to argue before shaking her head in defeat. She didn't know this man; he didn't have to explain himself to her.
"School's school," Melinoe retorted with a shrug.
"Your mother told me once that you did well," Danny commented, glancing at her. Melinoe shrugged.
"I do okay. I'm not exactly a nerd but I'm not in danger of flunking anything," Melinoe clarified. Danny smirked at her and gave her a slight nod. They walked a couple of blocks in silence.
"Is Lancer still teaching there?" Danny wondered suddenly. Melinoe blinked before nodding.
"Yeah he's still in the school. He's vice principal now. But he substitutes if a teacher is out sick unexpectedly," Melinoe answered.
"Do you like him?" Danny inquired. Melinoe shrugged.
"He's okay. Pretty strict and he turns a blind eye whenever the football players or cheerleaders break the rules or forget homework. But I tend to do well so he doesn't really bother me," Melinoe admitted. Danny smiled.
"Same old Lancer then," Danny remarked.
"Did he teach you then?" Melinoe realised.
"Yeah. He was my English teacher, but he did a few science classes too. Always on my back since I… well I guess I was a slacker in school. He tended to keep an eye on all of us actually. Tucker got in trouble a couple of times for loitering around the girls' locker room, Sam started I don't know how many protests, we got caught starting a few food fights, which I don't think we actually started, and I went through a really clumsy stage around your age and kept dropping things, especially lab glassware. Got a lifetime ban," Danny recalled with a chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck with a shrug.
"Sounds like you kept Lancer busy," Melinoe commented with a smirk. Danny shrugged.
"Yeah we did. But despite everything, I did like the guy. He always tried to help me out when my grades slipped, even when it became a lost cause. All my other teachers gave up on me, but I guess Lancer was stubborn. I did best in English and science because of him. Still not enough to get into college, but I still appreciate that he tried," Danny added. Melinoe blinked in surprise.
"I didn't think Lancer cared about his students," Melinoe confessed.
"He doesn't show it often. And even when he does, it can be hidden with a detention. But I know if it hadn't been for Lancer I wouldn't have even graduated from high school," Danny elaborated.
Melinoe frowned at the man beside her but before she could figure out a response, Danny turned to a house. She hadn't noticed how far they had walked but they had moved out of the centre of town and into the suburban neighbourhoods. The house was a two-storey detached painted light yellow with a varnished wooden door. The front garden was modest with a small lawn either side of a cracked paved path to the front door. The front door was framed by a covered over inlet with a couple of terracotta pots beside it filled with blooming flowers. To one side there was a garage with an empty driveway.
"Wow, nice house," Melinoe gasped.
"Yeah, my sister and her husband have pretty good jobs. Although they've only been here about a year," Danny confirmed with a smile before leading the way up the path.
Melinoe glanced around herself at the numerous similar houses in the cul-de-sac before tugging Rusty on to follow Danny. He reached the door first and shoved a hand in his pocket before blinking in surprise. He shoved his other hand in his other jeans pocket before groaning and patted his back pockets.
"Dammit," he muttered before he knocked on the door. Melinoe raised an eyebrow at the man.
"Coming!" a woman's voice called cheerfully a few moments before the door opened to reveal a smirking red-headed woman.
"Forget your keys again Danny?" she remarked. Danny chuckled nervously and nodded.
"Yeah," he confirmed. The woman peered around Danny at Melinoe with a warm smile.
"This must be Mel," she assumed. Melinoe smiled uncertainly.
"Right. Introductions. Jazz, Sam's daughter Melinoe. Mel, my sister Jasmine," Danny interjected.
"Lovely to meet you Melin-o-e," Jazz greeted, pulling her hand away from her swollen stomach and held it out to the teen. Melinoe smirked and took the woman's hand.
"Just call me Mel. Everyone does. Melinoe is a mouthful. I dunno why my mom chose it," Melinoe replied.
"Sam was always into mythology. It sounds Greek or roman or something," Jazz commented with a shrug.
Jazz stepped out of the way and let Danny and Melinoe into the house, Rusty trailing along behind them.
"I hope your dog is housebroken. My husband isn't a dog person really so if your dog isn't, he might have to stay in the backyard," Jazz remarked over her shoulder.
"Rusty's housebroken. But uh, he likes to sit with me on the couch, but I can try and keep him off," Melinoe assured. Jazz pursed her lips worriedly.
"It's only for a short while Jazz. Hopefully only tonight. I can help Mel make sure Rusty behaves himself," Danny interjected. Jazz sighed and nodded, leading the way through the house towards wafting smells of delicious food cooking.
"Dinner's nearly ready. Why don't you show Mel to the spare room Danny?" Jazz suggested as she returned to the stove and a simmering pot.
"Sure Jazz," Danny agreed. Melinoe turned to follow Danny before Jazz called her back.
"Sorry Mel, it just occurred to me. I know Sam used to be vegan, are you?" Jazz inquired.
"Oh no, I eat meat. As long as it's well cooked, I'm okay with it," Melinoe informed the woman. Jazz smiled in relief.
"Oh good, I don't have any vegan or vegetarian food for you," Jazz admitted.
Melinoe and Rusty followed Danny upstairs and down the hall. Danny opened a door on the right to reveal a spacious bathroom with a large bathtub and power shower and cluttered shelving unit in the corner filled with towels and various bottles.
"Obviously, the bathroom. Jazz keeps plenty of clean towels in here and I doubt she'd mind you using her stuff if you want a shower," Danny explained with a wave of his hand to the shelves. Danny then turned around and headed a little further down the hallway to the next door on the left. He opened the door and allowed Melinoe into the room before himself.
"And your bed for the night is here. If you get cold, bottom drawer of the dresser has a ton of blankets. I doubt Richard will like Rusty up here so I'll take him down with me and you can get settled," Danny explained, pulling out a blanket from the drawer he told her about. Melinoe bit back a protest as Danny took the leash and pulled Rusty out of the bedroom. The dog glanced at her before trotting after Danny.
"Traitor," Melinoe grumbled before dropping her backpack on the white bed sheets. She glanced around the blue bedroom, taking in the pale wooden floor covered by a thick blue shag rug. The pine dresser Danny pulled the blanket out of had a large mirror on it. There was a bedside cabinet on each side of the double bed, each holding a small lamp with a blue shade. A tall pine wardrobe stood in the corner which when she investigated held a few hangers and winter coats. She closed the wardrobe doors softly before perching on the bed and digging out her hairbrush and phone charger and put them on one of the bedside cabinets. She then pulled out her phone and tapped into her pictures. Melinoe sighed sadly as she found a picture of her mother laughing at something off to the side. She remembered taking the photo. They had gone to the beach for the day with Rusty and the dog had run into the sea and fell over before running back and jumped on Melinoe. Melinoe pushed the dog off before throwing his ball off across the beach which the retriever gladly chased.
Melinoe shuffled further back on the bed to lean against the wooden headboard and flicked through another few pictures before stopping on a picture with her and Sam posing at a dinner table. It had been for Sam's birthday a couple of years ago. Tucker had treated them to a dinner out in a nearby restaurant. There had been times while she was younger that she wondered what it would be like if Tucker was her father, but she knew things had only ever been platonic between her mother and Tucker.
Melinoe missed her mother. It was strange since the teen had seen Sam that morning before school. But before school seemed a long time ago. She had hoped that Phantom would be back by now with her mother in tow, safe and sound, or at least a progress report. Part of her feared that the ghost had forgotten about her and her missing mother. He seemed to be pretty busy catching wayward ghosts throughout Amity Park, for all she knew the ghost was busy chasing down numerous ghosts causing trouble and didn't have time for her and Sam. Melinoe flicked through her phone's gallery, pausing to gaze sadly at numerous pictures of her mother. She lingered on a picture her mother didn't know she took. Sam was holding an old mug, Melinoe didn't know when her mother got the mug, but it had always been around. The mug wasn't impressive, it wasn't large or an unusual shape. But the outside was painted black with specks of white all over. Melinoe knew it lived in the back of the cupboard, reserved for whenever Sam felt a little down. She didn't know why but the mug always helped her mother feel better. In this particular picture, Sam was gazing out a rainy window, clutching the steaming mug. Melinoe had once asked her mother about the mug but all Sam would ever say is that it reminded her of simpler, happier times.
And we meet Jazz and see how life has treated her. Maybe not a perfect life, but nice.
We'll get to meet Jazz's husband soon enough but first another special chapter from someone else's perspective.
Until the next chapter.