Guess I should say that this takes place outside of the official continuity. Here "Flirting with Disaster" hasn't happened buteverything before it has happened.

Chapter 2: He isn't playing the most dangerous game

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Danny waved good bye to Tucker and Sam as they left the building. His eyes followed Sam closely as she slipped through the doors to freedom. She had not made many of her usual remarks that day. "I wish I could ask her what wrong right now." He looked at the library door, where detention was being held that week, and gave a long-suffering sigh. "After today, I'll have only three more detentions. Wonder how long it will be before I get more?" he asked himself as he pushed the door open and walked towards Mr. Lancer to report in.

Detention flew by as Danny worked on some homework and thought about what had happened at lunch. I didn't even have to do anything to get her to ask me out. It's kind of amusing to be the one asked out. It's embarrassing to realize that I didn't know she was asking me out. Is that why Sam is unhappy? What bugs her so much about Valerie and why does Sam harbor such dislike? He smiled wryly to himself, Besides the whole ghost hunting thing. Danny blushed slightly, I wonder if it has anything to do with the fake-out make-out?

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, Why are girls so complicated? He snorted slightly, earning a glare from a passing librarian. It's not as if I can ask Jazz and, especially, Sam, why they are so complicated. I would like to continue living.

"Well, that will be all for today, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer said, standing up. He gave Danny a slightly malicious smile, "I'll see you for detention tomorrow. Let's hope that you can stay out of enough trouble to not have to be here next week."

Oh goody, he thought sarcastically, Just what I want and need, more quality time with Lancer. "It I had it my way, I wouldn't be here ever again," Danny said.

"I'm sure," Mr. Lancer said dryly, putting another red mark on the paper he was grading. After the last student in detention left, Lancer looked around and slipped onto one of the computers in the library. Opening a special folder, he logged onto the internet and began to play.

Danny left the library and headed home. At home, he logged onto his computer and began to play Doomed, joining Sam and Tucker in the quest for the seven silver keys to control the internet. Hours later, the trio gave up after being blasted by a guy with an 'L' on his chest four separate times.

"Man, that guy is tough. He's like the best player out there," Danny typed.

"I know. The guy practically owns Doomed. What does he do all day? Play it?" asked Tucker.

"Who knows?" typed Sam, "For all we know, he could be one of our teachers.

"Not possible," Danny and Tucker typed.

Sam asked, "And why does it have to be a he? You guys thought I was a 'he' before I showed you."

A minute slipped by in embarrassed 'silence' for the boys before Tucker switched back to the earlier topic.

Tucker replied, "Teachers are too out of touch to play a cool game like this."

"Got to go. It looks like the Box Ghost is back," said Danny, watching the ghost circle his room yelling 'Beware!'

"Again!" Sam and Tucker typed simultaneously.

"See ya guys later," said Danny logging off and changing into Danny Phantom. "Aw, drat, I forgot to ask Sam what was wrong. Even her playing seemed a little different. Definitely more aggressive." He smacked his forehead, "Awww, Why didn't I think of that before?" He shuddered, "It must be 'that time of the month.'" With a clearer mind he focused his attention on the irritating ghost.

"Beware! For I am the Box Ghost, master of all things square and corrugated," the ghost said, holding his arms above his head in a menacing fashion.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill." Danny smiled, "How about we skip the usual dance and you just let me capture you in the thermos right now?"

"I cannot be contained by any cylindrical container!" the Box Ghost yelled, flying around the room and summoning all the boxes in the room.

"You say that every time," said Danny as he flew at the ghost and proceeded to defeat him- again. He landed on the ground and changed back as he heard the pounding of feet up the stairs. Seconds later, his parents burst into his room. He dropped the thermos to the floor and kicked it gently under the bed.

"The sensors said there was a ghost in here!" said Jack, wildly swinging around the Fenton Bazooka.

"What happened to you room, Danny?" asked his mother, eyeing the boxes and clothes strewn all over the place.

"Was it a ghost?" asked Jack excitedly. "I'll get him!"

"Um," Danny looked around nervously, "I didn't see any ghost. And, uh, I was trying to find something. I don't know what set off the sensors."

"Hmmm, I guess we have to calibrate the equipment again," Maddie said. She held up the Fenton Ghost Detector and played around with the instrument. "It still is reading the presence of a ghost."

Jack leaned over and looked at the screen. "Again! I thought we fixed that darn thing," Jack grumbled. He snatched the ghost detector from his wife and shook it around.

"Jack! Don't do that!" She took the equipment from him and looked it over. Now the screen displayed twenty ghosts. "Just great, Jack. Now it has to be completely recalibrated." Jack's face feel under his wife's remonstrance.

"Umm, if you guys don't mind, I'd like to start picking up," Danny said.

"Okay, dear," Maddie replied. His parents left his room. He could hear them arguing about what might have caused the (original) equipment malfunction again.

Danny let out the breath he was holding, "Whoa. That was another close one." A blue wisp from his mouth alerted him to the presence of another ghost. He turned around and saw the departing glow of ghost through his window.

His eyes narrowed as he watched the ghost fly away. He reached under his bed fro the thermos and discovered that it was gone. Putting two and two together, Danny realized that the ghost probably took the thermos.

For the second time in almost as many minutes, Danny was flying after another ghost. One question kept circling through his mind as he chased the ghost. Why would it want to steal the thermos? Only the Box Ghost is in there and he's an annoyance, not a threat.

"The Most Dangerous Game" is the title of a short story by Richard Connell. It's a story about a hunter becoming the hunted by another man.

I'll be updating on Fridays because it is more convenient for me.

Posted: 11-20-06