I woke up to yells that weren't my name. I wasn't sure if that was a 'Thank god,' or an 'Oh god.'
Sadly, it was the latter. As I peeled my eyes open from what was ironically the best sleep I'd had in weeks, the blurry lights turned into a familiar ceiling: Walker's Prison.
The ceiling didn't look like it belonged to a prison cell. The echoes made the place feel much too spacious for one, as well. Against my back, I could feel wood. There was a wall next to me, which meant I was near the edge of the room: the perfect place to be to not draw attention to yourself.
Adapted to waking up not knowing where I was, I searched the yells for any familiar voices before getting up. Among them were Skulker's and Ember's. The two ghosts seemed to be rallying, meaning neither of the two voices went over the other. Lover's quarrel? They seemed too preoccupied to have noticed my presence, which was probably good for me, so I saved the disgust for later. The Box Ghost was also among the mob.
That's when I heard the two words I dreaded the most.
"Ghost Child."
I hadn't heard the entire sentence, but Technus had noticed my presence. Judging by the volume and echo of the voice, I'd say he was around where Skulker and Ember were.
I was able to decode all of this as calm as I did because my mom had taught me basic skills of spies when I was ten years old.
Wait. Where's… I did the single crunch we'd all been waiting for. "Zak!"
And my incognito status went down the drain. I might as well have yelled 'Look at me! I'm Danny Phantom!'
"Relax, dude. I'm right here," said a voice to the far left of my bench.
Sure enough, the joker with skunk hair was just sitting there his usual self, cocky grin and all. Virginia was with him, as well, admiring his Claw.
Although every ghost in the mess hall did turn their heads towards me, none of them started attacking me. I've learned not to question the good things in life, so moving on. "Why am I not surprised that you get along swimmingly with the criminally insane?"
"You're hilarious. Well, look who else I get along with? Her jumpsuit looks like yours, so I'm guessing this is that cousin you were talking about," Zak said as he stepped aside. Sure enough, my 15-year old cousin stood wide smiled, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
There was another guy with her. The same one that was supposed to have been blown up in Elmerton. I was too overjoyed at the sight of Danielle to care, though.
"Danielle!" I ran up to her and gave her a hug that probably would've killed her, had she not already been half-ghost. "I'm so glad you're safe." Apparently tears of joy are contagious.
We told each other what had happened in our time apart. Dani doesn't remember how she got to Walker's Prison, let alone the Ghost Zone. "One minute I was in Amity Park and the next I was dreaming about some cyan ghost with a clock for a chest, and woke up here."
"Hey, check this out!" Zak stuck his hand into the wall. "We can walk through these walls! This isn't a very good prison."
An obnoxious, deep, cowboy-esque voice interrupted my thought process. "You did not just wake up in this prison. No prisoner of mine wakes up here without knowing why. That's against the rules."
Walker slammed the double doors to the mess hall open, which scared Virginia so much he leaped across the room and onto Skulker.
"Well, here's your wakeup call you stubborn towel of filth," yelled a woman from out in the hallway.
I know that voice. "Mom?!" I was fully prepared for it to have been someone else, and look like an idiot.
Right on cue, my mom stabbed Walker in the back with a dark gray hoverboard shaped kinda like Valerie's.
When did she get that?
"Oh hi, Danny! I'll get back to you in a minute." She lost no momentum after hit-and-running the ghost warden, and continued on her path to Skulker and Technus.
I looked down at me body yet again to make sure I was still Danny Phantom. I was.
By the time Mom reached them, Walker had really gotten up. "Why is it that every time you make an appearance, ghost boy, my prison turns into a war zone?"
Virginia felt threatened by my mom speeding towards him, jumped off of Skulker, and pinned Walker to the ground.
"It's called being a party animal. A must-have for any party," I spat back, firing my ghost ray at him and knocking him unconscious.
"Thank you, Maddie," praised Skulker after recomposing himself.
I remembered who I was standing next to and turned to my mom. "What's going on? How are you here? How do you know Skulker?" I couldn't believe my eyes, ears, or anything. I figured I must've been in one of Nocturn's dreams.
"Zak, pinch me."
Mom placed her hands on my shoulders. "Now Danny, I know you're confused, and you've been through so much, but right now, we just need to get out of here."
She wasn't surprised to see me in the least. Did she know I was here, too? Or did I do something to upset the Ghost of Wow Factor?
In unison, Zak and Danielle yelled "We're with Danny, too!"
My mom glanced at the two with a smile, then turned back to me as I started talking again.
"I'm sorry I never told you about my involvement with ghosts. I thought you'd hate me if you ever found out, having dedicated your life to hunting ghosts, and all."
"Oh, sweetie! True, you may be part ghost, but you're also part human, and more importantly, you're 100% my son. I could never hate you. That goes for your father, too. Besides, from what I've heard from Clockwork, you've been a pain in the butt for ghosts in your own unique way!"
Clockwork?
I heard Danielle think the same thing.
He's the one who locked me in this prison.
I glanced over to her.
Wanna give Clockwork a visit?
A small smile formed at the edge of her lips.
Nothing would make me happier.
Zak hopped onto Mom's hoverboard. Dani and I each took one of Virginia's arms, and flew off the same way mom broke in. Mom had handed Skulker a hoverboard, and the ghost hunter and his girlfriend followed us.
"Do I still get to pinch him?"
"You won't lay a finger on him." Mom's tone was threateningly cheerful.
"Hey, mom? Can we go see Clockwork? I need to tell him something."