2. Unstable
A cruel laughter came from seemingly everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Vlad's sadistic smile emerged from the darkness. His cold, midnight blue eyes burned into her, occasionally flickering to a glowing scarlet.
A cold hand wrapped around her throat. A knife gleamed overhead, and then it rushed at her.
Danielle screamed at the top of her lungs, thrashing and kicking, even as she was thrown out of unconsciousness.
"Hey, stop! Stop!"
The frantic, unfamiliar voice yanked the girl back into reality. Her eyes snapped open, and she leapt into a sitting position.
She was in a house, which she immediately recognized as 'not Vlad's but not Danny's.'
Danielle's focused shifted to an older, balding, slightly overweight man looming over her.
Fear immediately took over and she shrank back, pulling the blanket up to her chin.
"Oh, I'm sorry I startled you." He replied. His teal eyes seemed to radiate with genuine apology. "My name is Jonathon Lancer. I found you out in the middle of the road. You were hurt, and I wasn't sure what to do with you, so I just brought you here." He paused, offering her an uncertain smile. "To my humble abode."
Danielle narrowed her eyes cynically. He appeared to be a kind enough man that posed no threat to her.
Then again, she thought, experience had taught her that she was a terrible judge of character.
"So, miss, uh-" Lancer paused. "What should I call you?"
Danielle straightened up, feeling slightly less intimidated.
"Dani," she replied in a soft but audible voice. "Dani with an 'i.'"
"Interesting." Lancer muttered, with a sigh of relief. A friendly smile stretched across his face. "I suppose you must be a relative of Danny Phantom?"
Danielle said nothing, so he continued. "I, uh, I made some cinnamon tea. Would you like some?"
The girl's hesitation lasted a few minutes. Finally, she nodded slowly. Her muscles slowly relaxed. "Yes, please."
The man strode back into the kitchen and grabbed two mugs.
Meanwhile, Danielle let her gaze wander.
There were no pictures on the walls. Only three paintings: one of a valley, one of the setting sun, and one of a rose.
Danielle blinked in awe.
The paintings were simple but extremely detailed and lovelier than anything she had seen.
At a glance, anyone could have easily mistaken the portraits for photographs.
Her attention wandered to the rest of the room. There was a brown and beige loveseat across from her, near the kitchen.
There were two couches—one leaning against the wall and the one she was sitting on.
In the center of the room, there was a miniature wooden table with two remotes on it, likely one for the television and the other for stereo, which were set up in the front of the living room, beside the door.
The sound of raindrops tapping against the window came from behind her.
A peek through the curtains revealed a light storm outside; however, the day seemed to have already brightened significantly, and it wasn't pouring, as it had been earlier.
The dark clouds were already scattering away, allowing the brilliant sun to smile down at Amity Park.
The parking lot was empty except for an old, blue dilapidated car. Lush greenery surrounded the house, leading Danielle to guess that they were somewhere out of the city and in the country.
"Well, here's the tea. I brought some honey, in case you wanted to put some in it." Lancer placed a tray in front of her and set down their teas in it. Her mug was white with the words "A little bit of joy for your day" printed across it, in colorful letters.
Lancer's was a simple blue mug.
He pulled up a chair and took a seat beside her.
"I know you," she realized.
"You do?" Lancer blinked, surprised.
"You're a teacher at Casper High, right?" Danielle took a tentative sip of her drink, relieved that she wasn't staying in the house of a complete stranger.
"Teacher and vice principal." Lancer confirmed. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Have you been to Caper High before, Miss Dani?"
Danielle shrugged, taking another sip of her tea before answering. "I've only been there once or twice, but I remember seeing you there."
"Hm," Lancer nodded, pensive. He focused on her again. "I'm assuming Dani is short for something?"
Dani nodded. "Danielle. Some people call me Ellie, but I prefer Dani."
"Right," Lancer cleared his throat. "Listen, Danielle. Would you like to explain to me what exactly happened to you?"
Danielle shifted uncomfortably. A cold feeling rose up from her core.
Relaying all the events of the last few hours—or was it days?—was the last thing she wanted to do.
"Danielle," Lacer began, softly, "I saw you fall from the sky. You were scared and shaking. You were badly wounded; although, it seems like most of your injuries are gone now."
Lancer paused. Danielle began shivering. The cold was spreading throughout the rest of her body. The temperature rapidly dropped.
"I understand why you may not want to speak with me. It's okay if you don't."
It was then a thought struck Danielle with so much force it left her stupefied.
Lancer wrinkled his nose, concerned. "Danielle? Are-are you alright? You're lips are looking a little blue."
"It's cold," she exhaled, eyes widening in realization.
"What?" Lancer queried, tilting his head to the side. "But I put the heater-"
Without warning, Danielle leapt off the couch and tossed the blanket aside. "It's cold!"
She ran past Lancer and curled her fingers around the knob.
She paused for a few seconds, noticing frost spread over the golden handle.
Before she left, she heard the educator clamor out in bewilderment. "What?!"
A warm wind hit her the moment she stepped out. The sun was shining brightly, sending its heat down to the Earth.
The ground was puddled with water left behind by the rain.
The rain had completely dissipated; it was well over eighty degrees outside.
That didn't seem to stop the icy cold from escaping Danielle's body.
Ice frosted beneath her footsteps, and the more she ran, the more ice spread across Lancer's still wet parking lot.
The last of the cold finally escaped Danielle and settled on the surrounding vegetation.
Ice crawled across trees and settled on the moist grass, giving Lancer's country home a crystalline look.
Danielle skid to a stop, struggling not to slip on the ice she had created.
A cry erupted from somewhere behind. She spun to see Lancer sliding across the frozen floor before falling facedown on the ground a few steps away from Danielle.
The sight would've normally earned a roaring laughter from Danielle, but her guilt drowned out all the humor.
"Mr. Lancer! Are you okay?"
"Jack Frost!" Lancer cried out, getting up on all fours. "What on earth is it with this sudden temperature change?"
Danielle bent down to help the man straighten up. "I'm sorry. That's my fault. My powers...I couldn't keep the cold in." She ran a hand through her bangs, exasperated.
Tears of frustration sprang into her eyes. She angrily wiped them, feeling pathetic for crying in front of someone she barely knew.
"My powers are totally out of control," Danielle hiccupped. "And I ruined your front lawn."
She held out her hand and helped Lancer to his feet.
He rested his hands on his knees and took a breath. "Don't worry," he replied, straightening up. "It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone with my yard."
He chuckled and pat her head. "Besides, the ice'll melt eventually."
"Actually, there's a 50-50 chance it'll melt." Danielle admitted, sheepishly. "Sometimes my ice doesn't melt unless I will it to. And I'm not sure if I can do that right now."
"What?" Lancer blinked. He wiped his forehead. "Oh, well. We can worry about that later." Teal eyes swiveled to her. "How about we go back inside?"
"I can't."
Her response surprised him. "Why not?"
"Didn't you hear me? My powers are out of control."
Lancer seemed genuinely befuddled. "So?"
"So, I could seriously hurt you! Or worse." She bit her lip.
She hadn't killed anyone yet, and she had no intention of starting now.
"You can't leave." Lancer pointed out. "Where will you go?"
"I'll go to-" she paused.
She already knew exactly where she would go. There was only one person in the whole world she trusted with all her heart.
She knew the professor was a smart man. One mistake and he'd easily uncover the truth.
"I'll think of some place to go." She replied, vaguely.
"Danielle, you cannot leave without having some sort of premeditated plan."
"I do have a prementitate plan," Danielle replied. "I'm going to Fentonworks."
"Premeditated," Lancer corrected. "And the Fentons are ghost hunters."
"So?" Danielle countered. "They're ghost hunters with a gajillion gadgets. Like I said, my powers are on the fritz. They'll probably have something that'll fix me."
"You can't trust them! They're ghost hunters. As in, they hunt ghosts."
"But they're the only ones who have the stuff to help me. I don't actually have to talk to them. Just...you know, borrow some stuff."
Lancer's jaw ticked. His eyes hardened. "Are you actually suggesting theft? No. Absolutely not."
When he spoke, it was with an authority and conviction that made Danielle hesitant to disobey.
"You can't make me," Danielle retaliated.
Lancer opened his mouth then closed it. His eyes widened, and she could see he was struggling to find a response.
But she was right, and they both knew it.
In an attempt to prove her point, the youngest hybrid turned her back to him. She took a running start then jumped.
She steadily began to ascend. Weightlessness kept her afloat and, for a moment, Danielle thought she was free of the teacher.
She had gotten as far as several feet away from Lancer when gravity returned and yanked her back to the ground.
She stumbled and rolled across the ground, earning several cuts and bruises in the process.
Her gaze landed on the sky the moment she stopped rolling.
This wasn't good.
Even if she did somehow manage to regain flight, how far would she get before falling to the ground again?
If she flew too high, there was the chance that she'd fall out of the sky and break something or worse.
If she floated close to the ground, she'd risk being seen by a human or one of Vlad's goonies.
She huffed and grit her teeth in annoyance. "Why can't my powers just work when I want them to?"
The girl pushed her elbows against the dirt and rose to her feet.
Lancer studied her quietly.
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
Danielle felt her heart sink in despair. She was desperate to see Danny.
Fear had been plaguing her since she escaped Vlad's lab.
Safety had seemed like an impossible fantasy just two days ago.
Even now that she was free from the fruitloop's grasp, she still had a lot to travel before reaching Danny and no way of getting there, meanwhile Vlad was likely hunting for her.
Disappointment and melancholy crashed through her as the hopelessness of the situation sank in.
Her emotions must've been written across her face because Lancer gave her a sympathetic gaze.
"I'm sorry, Danielle. I truly am."
Danielle followed Lancer as he led them back to his quaint abode.
"Mr. Lancer?" Danielle began after a long moment of silence.
The teacher raised his brow questioningly.
She cleared her throat. "I'm hungry."
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A/N: My apologies for the late update. New semester is just around the corner and I figured I should update before then.
Feedback is always appreciated!
