CHAPTER 3

PART I: YOU AND ME

It's just you and me

And all of the people

With nothing to do

Nothing to lose

It you and me and all of the people

And I don't know why

I can't keep my eyes off of you

When the little group entered the dance floor was crowded with masked people. Having just entered they each had to take a mask which were handed out at the door. Many people weren't wearing them but Danny saw nothing wrong with the mask. He put it on and bid his friends farewell. He was then off in search of his dream girl .After several minutes he saw her out on the floor, dancing with Kwan. But at the same moment his ghost sense went off. There dancing with Tucker face close to his almost kissing him was the ghost in his dreams. He growled and looked back to his dream girl. She'd have to wait. Danny ducked under the table and went ghost. Then sent a blast at the ghost, hit her side and she went flying from his grasp.

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Sam watched him go, then put on her mask. She looked around and sighed. Now she'd never get a dance-"Excuse me?" Sam turned to see Kwan looking handsome in a tux the color of a stormy sky. "Maybe I have this dance?" She just nodded, amazed that a football player had spoken to her unmockingly. She let him led her out on the floor. Just before the song ended there were gasps from the other side of the room where Danny floated over a ghost sprawled out on the ground before him and Tucker with wide eyes.

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Tucker led Aurora out onto the floor. She put her arms around his neck and he shyly put his on her hips. It was the first slow song of the night. The music wrapped around them and he was lost in her green eyes. Little did he notice that the rest of her had a greenish-glow. He didn't notice anything else but her. She was absolutely hypnotic. He leaned in close to kiss her but before he could she was blasted from his grasp. He looked up to see Danny floating above her, "What'd you do to her?"

"She's a ghost!"

Aurora scrambled to her feet, "Tucker I-"

"Save it." Danny said punching her; she flew through the crowd and spun around. She managed to stop herself as her necklace lifted from her neck and flew onto the floor, changing her into a pink haired green skinned ghost. The necklace flew and tapped someone's shoe. She picked it up, her eyes fluttered and she fell back into Kwan.

Aurora's eye went wide, "Sam! No!" She looked as if she was being sucked into the necklace that lay in Sam's unmoving hand, she then she disappeared into the depths of the jewel as the necklace itself dissolved into her skin. Danny just flew to Sam and sat by her side. Her mask was laying on the floor in her other hand.

"Sam?" He said giving her a shake, "Sam? Sam! Damn it Sam, wake up!" Sam however wouldn't wake up. "Someone call an ambulance!" he said to the crowd of stunned people, "NOW!" There was a slight ghostly wail to that one that woke up the crowd. Paullina pulled out her cell and called 9-1-1.

PART II: A MAN HOLDING ON…

His heart is telling him

To hang on for dear life

But deep down he knows

She's letting go for good this time

Danny sat next to Sam's hospital bed. Even Tucker and with his fear of hospitals, was there. Danny took her hand and stroked her thumb. It was some time after ten and way past visiting hours. The doctor said she had been placed in a coma and there was nothing else they could do but wait. Her parents left long ago and though they did not approve of him they didn't want Sam to be alone. They had enough money to have the hospital allow him to stay with her. Both boys had not spoken the whole time. Tucker was the first to break the silence. "I can't believe Aurora was a ghost, that this whole thing is her fault. I just can't believe it. I loved her Danny. A sham. I can't believe it, that it was all an act… A sham… I just can't."

"I don't want to either Tucker." He said gazing at Sam's peaceful face. "But we can't deny it. She played us."

"But why? Why would she pretend to be human? Get close to us? What was the point if she didn't mean it?"

Danny didn't have an answer. He just looked at Sam. After a while he looked at the clock. "It's almost tomorrow. Let's try and get some sleep."

"Alright." Tucker said moving to the chair by the wall and leaning back fell right to sleep.

Danny looked back to Sam and sighed, "I'm sorry Sam… I don't know what wrong and that means there's no way I can fix it." She just laid the some more but her fingers made a slight twitch, as if to say it was alright. He gave a weak smile to the lifeless same. He should be angry or devastated or… Something. But at the moment he was numb and unable to feel the lose that he knew he'd feel in the morning. Danny gave her hand one last squeeze then rested his head on the bed, surprised by his own exhaustion, and fell into a deep sleep.

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Danny saw Sam lying on a bed of purple light. She looked the same as she had at the party. "Sam…" He said walking towards her He touched the side of her cheek.

"She won't wake up… I've tried everything." Danny snapped around. There was Aurora floating just above Sam.

"YOU! You did this to her."

"I didn't! Sam's my friend. I would never purposely hurt her…" She looked down at her, "Remember what I said? I'm just a dream, and I can't wake up… I was cursed by a ghost to sleep for eternity, but the curse can be broken if I'm kissed by my true love. For five years I've been stuck in the dream world, the world between yours and the ghost zone, then a week or so ago I found a hole in it. The hole led to a tunnel. One end led to the Ghost Zone, the other to your basement. I found I could go into the dreams of others and I could control their dreams. I used that power to bring happiness to other. I did it for every one which includes you, Sam, Tucker, and even a little for myself." She said with a sigh. "But just as I finally thought the curse would break you flew in and ruined everything and now the best friend I've had in years is cursed too!" She sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm, "Thanks a lot buddy! I was inches from happiness and normality. INCHES!"

Danny couldn't help but feel a little guilty. If what she said was true he'd just caused an unneeded scene and Sam's condition. "How can I undo this?" Danny asked forcefully.

Aurora didn't look surprised. She simply landed in front of him, "You'd have to go into her dreams and find the necklace like the one I had on at the dance. She needs to be wearing it for the spell to break. Then she needs her true love to kiss her."

"How are we supposed to find him?"

"I don't know! I searched forever to find mine-" She then turned red. "Right now we need that necklace. Kiss we'll think about later."

"What is this? Sleeping Beauty?"

"Yeah but if you don't get the necklace there'll be no happy ending for any of us." She said with a glare in his direction. "I can only put you in her dreams. Since she's been cursed as well I can no longer go into them myself. Now go." She said touch Sam's hand then his. She closed her eyes and Danny felt a sensation like he was falling.