WoM-'jaw drops' 49 REVIEWS IN ONE CHAPTER!'Faints,'Wow! Thank you all! AnywhoYou ever get that feeling like you should be doing or saying something important, but you don't know what? 'makes face' Damn ADD…
"I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap."
-Bob Hope
Voiced Thoughts
Though he was no closer to finding the answer to his recent problems when he awoke, Mr. Lancer was in high spirits as he drove to school. He smiled faintly to himself as he hummed along with the opera he was listening to on the radio, obeying all traffic laws to a fault.
It was only when he left the safety of his car that he started having… problems.
At first he didn't think anything of the slight headache he was getting. They were common enough before he had his first cup of coffee during homeroom, after all. But it puzzled him that the headache got worse the closer he got to the school…
Then he opened the door.
'Aw, man, I can't find those stupid notes anywhere!'
'Where's Tina? I have to tell her about what happened last night at the Nasty Burger!'
'Was that Test in Psych today or Wednesday…?'
'Oh, great, another late night. Ah, well, it won't be the first time I've fallen asleep in Lancer's class…'
'I can't believe my parents took away my cell phone! I totally was gonna clean my room later!'
'Whoa, what's with him…?'
"Mr. Lancer? Mr. Lancer, are you okay?"
The overweight, balding teacher jumped slightly, wheeling around to face a concerned Jazz Fenton, her bleary eyed (but also a little concerned though he didn't want to show it) little brother in tow.
"Ah!" He said, wincing slightly, "Jazz! Danny…!"
"You okay Mr. Lancer?" Danny repeated his sister's question, "You look a little pale…"
'And like you wanna climb up the nearest tree you can find to hide for the next month or so,' The man stared. Danny's lips hadn't moved for the last one, he KNEW they hadn't, so why…?
"Mr. Lancer? Mr. Lancer!" The teacher jumped at Jazz's voice again, wheeling around to face the young scholar.
"Ah, yes!" He said, "Fine, fine! I just… I need to get to my classroom right now…" And without another word, the shaken teacher pushed his way through the crowd, the last thought going through his head his and his alone…
'What on earth is going on here?'
Two cups of strong coffee later, Mr. Lancer felt much better then he had during the first few minutes upon entering Casper. The… voices (Lancer cringed at calling them that, but a better, less crazy-sounding word escaped him.) had stopped and he'd almost convinced himself that it had all been a crazy, half-dazed dream.
After all, Jacob Lancer was a scholar at heart. He didn't believe in things like psychic powers and reading minds…
'Then again, I didn't believe in ghosts either,' He reminded himself bitterly, 'See where that got me?'
The teacher shook his head, trying to dispel thoughts such as that. He didn't need to start doubting logic and reason now, especially since it made no sence that he'd gain the ability to read thought overnight without any grounds that Mr. Lancer could see…
'Urg, it's too early for class…'"Morning, Mr. Lancer." Mr. Lancer tried to turn his wince into a smile before the girl who'd just entered noticed.
"Mira." He said, "You're here early…"
'Yeah, because David and Sandra are both out today doing God knows what and I have no one to talk to,' The only response Mr. Lancer trusted was the casual shrug as the girl took her seat, all the while wondering bitterly what she was going to do for lunch…
One by one, Mr. Lancer's other students began filing in, their thoughts as loud as their spoken words. Sometimes even louder in the case of the three or four kids who never said a word.
Mr. Lancer bit back a groan when he realized he had already lost this battle.
'War of the Worlds,' He moaned to himself, 'Today is going to drag on forever…'
By the time third period rolled around, Mr. Lancer had more then just lost the battle.
The battle had totally kicked his hairy back to the curve.
"Hey Mr.- Whoa!" Mr. Lancer didn't even look up as Sam, Danny and Tucker all faltered in front of his desk. "What happened to you?"
Sam's question was definitely a legitimate one. Mr. Lancer's eyes were red and bloodshot by now, his face pale and his appearance just a general mess instead of the neat, professional look he usually sported.
'Man, Danny wasn't kidding,' Sam thought worriedly. 'A ghost didn't get a hold of him, did it?' Mr. Lancer blinked. Ghosts? Why didn't he think of that sooner! It made perfect sence that a ghost was responsible for his current condition…
…The man flinched at what he'd just thought. God, what was he SAYING? Things like that ONLY made sense in a place like Amity Park. Actually, Amity Park was probably the only place it made sence…
Besides, even if it was a ghost what could he do? Going to Jack and Maddie Fenton was out of the question. There was only the slightest chance they could help, and absolutely no way they'd keep it under wraps…
'Awesome!' Tucker thought gleefully. 'Hey, maybe if we bug him enough, he'll finally snap and we'll get a free day!' Mr. Lancer's eyes hardened as he made a mental note to show no mercy in the Tech Geek's next test, which was this Friday and one of the hardest ones he gave.
'Redemption truly is sweet…'
"I'm fine, Sam," Mr. Lancer sighed, "Thank you for your concern." Hesitating for a moment, the three of them turned to sit.
Nanoseconds later, Danny and Sam's heads were already bent together in a conversation only they could hear. Only Mr. Lancer saw Tucker roll his eyes when he saw them.
'They must be talking about Poluka's lab,' He mused, pulling out his PDA. 'Dunno why, though. I mean, it's not like there's anything we can do about it. It wasn't our fault it was wrecked like that.' Mr. Lancer frowned, disliking the 'Look-After-Number-One-And-Let-The-Rest-Follow' attitude the Tech geek was projecting right now.
Just then Sam groaned good-naturedly at something Danny had said, hitting him on a shoulder. The boy laughed and moved away to avoid another blow and Tucker shook his head.
'And they wonder why people think they're lovebirds…' He thought dryly.
Indeed, Sam and Danny didn't make quite an interesting picture, talking to each other naturally, friends toeing the line of flirting with each other, though they either didn't acknowledge it or didn't know it. The first was probably under which Sam fell, and the second Danny.
'Love is a difficult concept to grasp,' Mr. Lancer thought to himself, 'Especially for a teenage boy who's having difficulties sorting his own feeling out…' As if on cue, the door opened again, this time to the entrance of one of the girls at the center of the controversy on the muddled confusion of young Danny Fenton's feelings.
"Hey, Valerie," Danny said casually with a slight smile with Valerie returned eagerly.
"Hey Danny," She said warmly as she sat, "Did you hear about Mr. Poluka's room?"
'Ten to one says a ghost made that mess,' The girl thought darkly before shoving the thought aside to concentrate on her conversation. 'Ah, well, that's not my problem now, I guess. After all, it's way too late to do anything… might as well catch up with Danny.'
"Isn't it a little early to be gossiping?" Sam asked, her tone a little tense.
'Urg…' She thought darkly, 'As if Danny didn't have enough things to worry about right now… and How much you wanna bet he still goes right back to her after everything that's happened.' Mr. Lancer was almost surprised at the blatant jealousy the girl felt towards her rival, considering that she had ample time and opportunity to confess her feelings.
Mr. Lancer didn't have a problem with Valerie. She was a bright girl, motivated with a lot of potential to go places. But like so many other of his students, she seemed to be having problems as of late.
Mr. Lancer had assumed they'd go away after her father's job was reinstated, but instead it only seemed to intensify, to the point where she even broke off a budding romance with a boy she was clearly still attracted to.
Mr. Lancer rolled his eyes at that thought. The 'break up' Of Danny Fenton and Valerie Grey had been something of a Hot Topic for a while in the school gossiping circles, since no one, not even Valerie's closest friend, Star, had any idea what it was about.
Many people insisted foul play on the part of Sam Manson, threats, bribes, anything of the sort, but Mr. Lancer severely doubted that. Not only was it completely against Sam's character to do such things, but Valerie would never react favorably to either a threat of a bribe. Maybe at one point, before her father had lost his job, but not now that she'd discovered she could still survive without wealth.
She's even learned the value of hard work, something most girls her age never learned. Despite the fact her Father's old paycheck was coming in again, the girl hadn't quit her part time job at the Nasty Burger, preferring to earn what she needed instead of taking it as she once did.
"Ease up, Manson," Valerie said coolly. "We're just talking."
'You're not the boss of Danny, you can't tell him who he can and can't be friends with, and I already said I wasn't interested in anything more then friendship, so what's the big deal?'
"I can see that," Sam said just as coolly.
'You honestly expect me to trust you just because of that? You hurt Danny enough already as far as I'm concerned. Why don't you just leave him alone?'
"So what's the problem?" Valerie asked, glaring slightly.
'It's better he get hurt a little bit now by me then a lot later by one of my enemies. Would it really kill you to admit someone else is worried about Danny's safety just as much as you are?'
"I don't have a problem," Sam said, "Do you have a problem?"
'No it wouldn't, but I'm not about to put Danny's life in someone's hands if I don't think I can trust them, and I know I can't trust you. Not with your history…'
"Why would I have a problem?" Valerie asked.
'What, you don't like me because I was popular before? Please, that ancient history, Little-Miss-Sally, and I'm a different person now. Besides, you expect me to believe you don't have skeletons in your closet?'
"I dunno, you tell me," Sam said, crossing her arms.
'Yeah I do, wanna join them?'
"You two done?" Danny asked, looking between the girls with a slightly confused look on his face.
'Why do I feel like I'm missing something…?' Mr. Lancer shook his head, amused both by the boy's bewilderment and the show he was just treated to.
'The female race truly is a fascinating species…' He thought in dry humor as Sam and Valerie broke off their conversation. (Both verbal and non)
"Yes," Sam said, turning and starting away, her posture more unapproachable then ever. "I think we've said all that needs to be said." This was punctuated with one last thought from the girl on the subject;
'AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!'
'Danny seriously needs to consider getting that girl a leash or something,' Valerie said dryly in her head, 'She's gonna hurt someone one of these days, for no reason at all.'
"Anyways, about the science lab? Yeah, we heard about it," Danny said, shooting Sam a look when she opened her mouth to add something. Sam looked annoyed for a moment before she reluctantly turned back away to let the two converse.
'I really don't get what she and Tucker have against me,' Valerie thought, annoyance and a touch of hurt working it's way into her mental tone, 'I mean, why on earth would I want to hurt Danny any more then they do…?'
'Can I call them or what…?' She asked bitterly in her head as she glared at a wall. Mr. Lancer shook his head. Women…
"Good morning Mr. Lancer," Star chirped as she entered the room with her usual clique just as the final bell rang to get to class.
''Good's' not exactly how I'd describe it…' A bored looking Paulina thought bitterly.
"Right there with you…" Mr. Lancer muttered.
"Huh?" Mr. Lancer blinked, considering the irony of the subject when he realized he'd accidentally spoken his thought out loud.
"Nothing," Mr. Lancer sighed, "Please take your seats, we have a lot to do today…"
'Aw, man… even as a basket case the guy's still a freakin' dictator,'
"Mr. Foley!" Mr. Lancer yelled, making the whole class jump as he glowered at the boy.
"What?" Tucker asked, bewildered. "I didn't say anything!"
"You sure you're okay, Mr. Lancer?" Sam asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, Sam." Mr. Lancer sighed, "And just forget that outburst. Now then, if you'll hand in your assignment from yesterday…" Mr. Lancer jumped when he heard screams in the halls.
"GHOSTS!" Mr. Poluka yelled, ushering his class to the exits. The whole class tensed up as one, and there was a flurry of thoughts coming so fast and jumbling together so much Mr. Lancer couldn't differentiate one from another. He even thought he heard one about 'Going Ghost,' for a second, but dismissed that as confusing one student's thoughts with another's.
"Settle down!" The teacher yelled over both the verbal and unspoken worries. The verbal one's faded, but the unspoken ones only got louder in turn, giving Mr. Lancer another splitting headache. "Now then everyone head outside in an orderly fashion, running as fast as your legs can carry you,"
Mr. Lancer needn't have added anything else, most of the students were already halfway to the door as soon as the word 'outside' was heard.
'But the weather's going to mess up my make-up!' Paulina whined in her head as Star dragged her past Mr. Lancer. The teacher rolled his eyes and caught sight of one student who hadn't evacuated. In fact, he almost seemed to be hiding, waiting for the room to clear…
"You too, Danny," He said firmly. The boy winced
'Oh, man,' He groaned mentally, 'I knew I should've gone invisible when I had the chance.' Mr. Lancer jerked to a stop.
"What does that mean?" He asked sharply. "How would you turn invisible?" Danny stared at him.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, sounding confused and a little scared, "No one said anything about becoming invisible, Mr. Lancer."
"But you just…" Mr. Lancer stopped, sighing, "I'm not even sure I want to know any more. Between Paulina claiming to destroy Poluka's lab and your strange behavior, it's a wonder I get any sleep as it is…"
"Uhh, sorry?" Danny said, sounding uncertain.
'It's not like I'm trying to involve him…' He added mentally as Mr. Lancer started to drag the boy down the halls again. 'I'm not trying to involve anyone else. Four people knowing is way more then enough in my opinion…' Then a look passed his face, 'Wait a second…'
"PAULINA said she trashed Poluka's class?" Danny repeated, his eyes wide.
"That's right," Mr. Lancer nodded. "She was in here last night, and claimed she was the one who destroyed the science lab."
'That doesn't sound like Paulina…' Danny mused dryly.
"What were you guys talking about before that?" Danny asked.
"Why so nosey, Mr. Fenton?" Mr. Lancer asked pointedly.
"I'm not!" Danny defended himself quickly, "I'm not being nosey!'
'I'm just trying to keep innocent people from getting hurt…' Sighing, Mr. Lancer relented, the sincerity of that thought winning him over. Who would've thought young Danny had a hero inside of him burning to get out…?
"We were talking about ghosts, actually," He admitted, "And a new Ghost Shield the city is considering installing."
"Ghost Shield?" Danny repeated with a frown, "What Ghost Shield?"
"Nothing your parents don't know about I'm sure," Mr. Lancer sighed. "Now if you're done, we need to get to safety before-!" Mr. Lancer stopped when his student seemed to melt out of his grasp. Wheeling around, he scanned the halls for Danny, only to find them completely barren. Mr. Lancer frowned suspiciously.
'Perhaps I'd do well to keep this power for a while after all,' He thought, 'It just may come in handy with finding out what's going on around here…'
WoM- Well this one was a tad longer… 'sweatdrops' It's obvious I had fun with the… 'conversation,' Between Valerie and Sam, isn't it? Ah, well, I did the same thing in Speech yesterday with this one girl, 'suddenly remembers Speech project she hasn't started,' AHHHHH! Gottagoseeyanextweek! 'runs off'
Thanks to;
epobbp
ShiroandFubuki
misaoshiru
Laughing Hyena
Truth91920
Fanficaholic
conan98002
dramaqueen07
PP. Bunny
Ghost Writer's Assistant
4everrandom
Jenelf
Happy Orc
Darth Frodo
ChaoticShadows
Inumaru12
My Eternal Facade
Firehedgehog
ur1crazedupfruitloop
dArkliTe-sPirit
the sleep warrior
fan
Light Dragon SunsSong
Anasumi
Paul Powell
I Brake For Ghosts
Missmeliss4251
SilverstarsEbonyskies
IwuvMyKenshyPoo
Insomniac Jaki
Petitio Principii
HarryGryffinGirl
JayJayde
AirGirl Phantom
Next update; February 3rd
See you then!
ATTENTION!
As I'm sure most of you are already aware, Nick is threatening to cancel Danny Phantom after just three seasons (for the official statement from Butch, go here http/ butchhartman. com/ forumIII/ index. php? act ST&f 2&t 7072&st 0# entry170905 without the spaces)
Naturally, I'm one of the people fighting to keep Danny Phantom running, so I beg you to send in letters with my own to the following address;
http/ butchhartman. com/ forumIII/ index. php? act ST&f 2&t 7072&st 0# entry170905Cyma Zharghami or Marjorie Cohn
Nickelodeon
1515 Broadway
New York, New York
10036
USA
Attention: Programming.
And to sign the petitions below (Again, without the spaces);
http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ SaveDannyplease
http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ fightfordanny
http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ DannyPhantom
And don't forget to spread the word! With your help, we can save Danny!