Dreamscape Alternate: My Life Going Ghost
Chapter 11: Spectrum of Despair
"THE PITS OF DESPAIR!! DON'T EVEN THINK—GAHHACKCOUGHCOUGHERGH—don't even think of trying to escape…"
--The Albino
Note: this chapter is an adaptation of one of the episodes.
PART 1
MONDAY
It all started on Monday morning. Naturally some things were more on the simple side. Although the group was a bit concerned over the rising danger of Vlad Plasmius going to take things into his own hands, the school day started as it usually did with Danny having to take a detour from a class period. This current detour lead him into the counselor's office, where a greenish blob of ectoplasm was waiting with its back turned. No sooner had the blob caught sight of Danny, their battle began. Punches were thrown as well as a chair and ghost rays.
At the same time, Jazz Fenton was walking down the hallways of Casper High with Mr. Lancer, voicing her concerns about Danny.
And at a very similar time, Mona was walking from her locker and to the next period trying (yet again) to keep a firm façade. Sadly she was failing as usual.
"Don't panic…" She muttered under her breath, one hand burrowing into the scalp of her long brown hair. "Just pretend you're going through a normal day of school and you'll be fine…yeah right. How am I not supposed to panic? If I so much as slip-up, Danny would either turn evil or—"
CRASH!
Mona turned the next corner and stared wide-eyed at the room relatively close to her, the guidance office.
"Oh no…" The brunette bit her lip as the floor shook from rather loud sound effects. Without so much as listening to common sense screaming "NO, DON'T GO IN THERE YOU IDIOT" (something which happened previously to Timmy Turner), Mona ran towards the room and opened the door just as the blob fled the room, Danny changed back to his human form, and Jazz and Lancer rounded the corner.
The current scene now depicts Mona halfway in-and-out of the room with her hand still on the knob, Jazz and Lancer staring at the state of the room, and Danny standing in the center of the room with a near-blank expression on his face.
"Common sense, feel free to say 'you told me so'…" Mona deadpanned, slowly attempting to slink away.
"Nice going Fenton. You let him get away, you idiot!" Danny grumbled to himself before both teenagers were grabbed by the collars of their shirts.
-Cue Danny Phantom Theme Song-
It was only a few minutes before Penelope Spectra entered the Guidance Office, filled to the brim with joy (which was a bit too much for some), and finding joy in turning the thermostat below zero.
Danny, Jazz, and Mona were sitting down in front of the desk while Mr. Lancer continued standing. The brunette seemed a bit fidgety while Danny and Jazz were caught in an argument.
"Should've stayed out of it but NO…I just had to run towards the noise and now Mr. Lancer thinks I helped Danny destroy the guidance councilor's room. Good job (LASTNAMEEDITEDOUT). You're doing a very good job at being a mess-up!" Mona thought bitterly, sitting in place on the chair, before glancing at the two siblings. "I'm also going to be caught up in this mess…"
"Danny, I'm just trying to help…" Jazz attempted. Danny kept his arms folded while giving his sister the well known I-did-not-ask-for-your-help-and-I'm-not-happy-right-so-please-back-off-and-leave-me-alone expression. "Come on, you and I used to talk all the time!"
"Yeah, when I was eight and you weren't a fink!" Danny retorted.
"I'll keep in mind my sister and I never argued this much…" The brunette commented to herself. "Why am I comparing Danny and Jazz to myself and my sister? I don't know…I'm probably spacing out…again…I've really got to stop doing that"
"Mr. Fenton, Ms. (LASTNAMEEDITEDOUT), both of you can return to your scheduled classes while Ms. Spectra and I decide what your punishments are." Lancer's voice was enough to break the argument and silent musing taking place. Danny shot one last glare at his sister before walking out while Mona uneasily stood up and left the room.
"I can't believe Jazz keeps thinking that I need help…" Danny grumbled once we turned the corner. "…she keeps on butting into things that don't involve her."
"Maybe it's because she doesn't know what you're constantly going through…" Mona shrugged as they walked through the hallway. Upon receiving a half-glance from the halfa, the brunette swiftly added: "I mean she is your sister. Ten to one she'll understand after something drastic happens."
"Something you're not telling me?" The raven-haired teen asked. "You know a whole lot about what's going to happen later on…"
"I can't." The brunette grumbled.
"Why not…?"
"Suppose you told one of your favorite characters that they're just a part of a cartoon series and then proceeded to tell what's going to happen next with a heck of a lot of detail." Mona replied, leaving out the "53 episode" part.
"Oh…and there's a ruining-the-timeline bit, right?" The halfa asked, smiling humorlessly.
"Yep…" The brunette nodded before looking at him. "But I'll give you ONE hint about your future girlfriend."
This had Danny do a complete U-turn and grab her shoulders. "I have a future girlfriend? Who…?"
"Alright Fenton…" Mona sighed although her voice had a trace of humor to it. ("Gee, Danny-boy, that desperate?") "The hint is: CLUELESS."
Danny's hands dropped to his sides as his features became blank. "Wha…?"
"Sorry, that's the hint! I can't say anything else unless you want to suffer a paradox or something along those lines!" Mona held her hands up and backed up in the direction of her second period class since the bell had started ringing.
"That's not a hint! It could be anybody!" Danny all but shouted after the initial shock.
"There now, you see! No time-space glitches!"
"Oh come on!"
"Not saying anymore!"
"Give me a break!"
"You're clueless! That's all I'm going to say!"
"I'm not clueless!"
"Wanna bet? Sides, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me!"
"Then who…?"
"Not saying!"
"ARGH!!"
The amazing thing was that nobody else in the hallway even tuned into the conversation.
1st Person POV—Mona
Alright, so the conversation lightened up the mood and temporarily had Danny forget about the incoming session with Spectra…with whom I had to have a session with as well on the same day. Truth told I wasn't pleased about the news either. Okay, so I was a new student in the building and I was having some self-esteem issues (something Jazz noticed from my sitting posture) (Yes, sometimes I hunch when I sit!), something that I would probably grow out of in the future.
It made me wonder if dramatic irony was involved in that situation.
I knew Spectra and Bertrand were both ghosts and they feed off misery…and as much as I wanted to warn Danny and his friends, I couldn't, it would mean ruining the timeline. Danny and Jazz wouldn't understand each other better and…you get the point.
Naturally my appointment took place after Danny's. No sooner did I reach the open room, with the Happy Chair right next to it, I caught sight of Danny walking in a slumped stance. He didn't look at all well and—
"Watch out for that—"
S-BANG!
"—wall."
Spectra's "Spirit Week of Draining Joy" was definitely beginning…and I was going to be next.
Danny staggered past me, obviously in a lot of pain, while I noticed this scene was a lot funnier on TV…
"Ah, Miss (LASTNAMEEDITEDOUT)," Spectra startled me into looking directly at her. The therapist had that sly smile on her face while she checked her wristwatch. "You came, right on time."
"Crud…" I thought inwardly before stepping into her office, feeling a cold chill from both the freezing air and the unnerving situation. The best I could do then was try to grin and bear it…and that was easier said than done.
Spectra wasted no time in ushering me into the room before closing the door.
"Ahh…do you think you could turn on the heater?" I asked; my teeth were chattering as I walked towards the chair. "It's almost sixty degrees outside while it's…below zero in here…"
I could almost see my breath just like Danny's ghost sense while I sat down. The metal chair did not help the current temperature since I almost leapt right out of it no sooner had I sat down. Spectra must have had a field day…
"Ah, but a cold room makes minds icy-sharp, as I have said before." Spectra smiled as she sat at her desk.
"Am I being pun-ished?" I almost asked aloud. "Look, as much as I don't want to sound insulting: I really don't need counseling. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!"
"That's what they usually say." She smiled, standing up and walking over until she was at least two feet away. "But most of the students in Casper High have a lot of things to get off their chest. I'm sure you're not the only one."
Run…make an excuse…don't let her drain you…keep a happy face! "I'm sure I can handle my problems Ms. Spectra. As long as I have friends around, I'll be fine." I hope; there's an evil halfa on my tail.
"I'm not so sure…" She replied as I got out of the ice-cold chair and tried to make a hasty exit. "You know a whole lot about what is going on…and so do I."
This made me freeze in my tracks. News sure travels fast…especially if every ghost knows your origin.
"I'm pretty sure keeping a lot of secrets from them will make your friends trust you even less. One day you will have to tell them everything in order to prevent something horrible from happening, if I am not mistaken. And when that day comes, they will take whatever you say for granted." I could sense the pure enthusiasm rising from her voice. "Then what would you do…?"
I walked out the door just as the bell rang.
3rd Person POV
"That little discussion went splendidly," Bertrand commented sarcastically as he closed the door after appearing behind it. "Why are you wasting your time on messed up kids when we have a big to-do planned for Wednesday?"
"Ah but Wednesday is a couple of days away." Spectra smiled as she opened a compact mirror. "And that gives me time to feed on Teen Misery, and misery is the nectar that keeps me looking fabulous. Not only is that Fenton kid a walking spa-treatment, that (lastnameeditedout) girl will not be getting the way as long as there is enough guilt bringing her down."
Bertrand abruptly shifted into his greenish-blob state before he tapped his chin while a devious thought came to mind. "Then maybe I should up the ante…" The blob grinned, his jagged teeth set together, before hunching over and shape-shifting into a giant hornet that hovered just inches above the ground.
At around the same time; Danny, Evelyn, Sam, and Tucker were walking down the hallway. Danny's composure was a cross between being infuriated and miserable, much to the current trio's worry.
"Dude, you okay?" Tucker was the first to ask.
"I'm fine." Danny replied, his tone-of-voice saying otherwise. "I just can't believe Jazz told that shrink that I'm a loser!"
"Jazz said that?" Evelyn asked as she and Sam gained incredulous expressions.
"Are you really sure Jazz said that? That doesn't sound like Jazz to me." Sam pointed out as said Jazz showed up in front of the four.
"Hey guys, what doesn't sound like Jazz to you?" The strawberry-blonde inquired. Danny, himself, shot a dark glare at his sister while his three friends cast strange expressions at him. Jazz, noticing her brother's irritable mood, asked: "Still mad?"
"Wow," Sarcasm dripped from Danny's next sentence as he glared daggers at her. "You are the smart one."
"Danny, I know you're angry, but I'm worried about you." Jazz tried to get through to her younger sibling. "I mean, ever since the accident you've—"
"Jazz," Danny interrupted, crossing his arms defiantly. "I know you think you're helping me, and I'm sure I'll appreciate it when I'm older. But right now, I don't."
In the next hallway, Mona continued walking forwards with an even more downcast mood.
"Everything Spectra said is true…if I don't tell Danny those two will create an entire world full of misery, and if I do they'll do the opposite and everyone will think I'm crying wolf…and who knows what would happen? Danny's future would change and it would be my fault! This is just—" The brunette abruptly turned her attention towards the loud buzzing of a gigantic insect and ducked as Bertrand flew over her and startled several students into running for cover. Mona got back up, noticing that the surroundings had turned a dark shade. "Ah great…more bad news…and I can't do anything about it."
"Well, maybe this is me now!" Danny exclaimed, completely irked from his sister's attempts to get through to him. "Not everyone is pumped up full of spirit all the time, you know—" The halfa's eyes widened as the faintly visible Ghost Sense went off. Evelyn darted her attention towards Danny's ghost sense before speaking up.
"I've got to go; I forgot I had soccer practice." The pink-haired teen excused herself before running into another hallway.
Danny felt a sudden chill rush up his spine as he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep himself warm. "Ghost Sense…? I don't see anything." He muttered under his breath as Jazz put her hand on his shoulder. Danny almost cringed at the touch.
"Danny? You're shivering. Are you—?"
"Leave me alone!" Danny tore his shoulder from Jazz's hand and ran from the main hallway. Sam and Tucker chased after him, leaving his sister standing in place.
"It's worse than I thought!" Jazz kept her eyes on where Danny had fled to before her arm was grabbed.
"There's a freakishly large hornet!!" The blonde yelled, releasing her am before jumping into the nearest locker…and slamming it on his leg, which has gotten locked outside. "OW! MY LEG…!"
She turned at the sound of students screaming and caught sight of said large hornet flying into view. Bertrand slowly looked at her, Jazz letting out a scream once their eyes locked and the hornet flew at her, grabbing the teenager in its insect limbs. Jazz continued staring wide eyed as ectoplasm dripped from the hornet's black tongue.
"HEY! NONE OF THAT ON THE FIRST DATE!!" Evelyn Stryker shouted, delivering an uppercut to Bertrand which threw him upwards and had the hornet release Jazz from his grip.
"BUG OFF…!" Danny Phantom jump kicked the stunned hornet, sending them both through the wall with Evelyn giving chase.
Jazz, visibly shaken, stared at the wall where the three ghosts disappeared into. "Wait a minute that was a ghost…that was three ghosts?"
Bertrand was sent flying outside the school building, crashing onto the lawn, as Danny and Evelyn hover in front of the downed hornet.
"Did somebody call for an exterminator?" Danny bantered as both he and Evelyn became tangible. Bertrand righted himself, becoming airborne in the process, before looking straight at the two halfas.
"My, you are the clever one, aren't you?" The currently-a-wasp gave Danny a nonexistent-grin as green eyelids narrowed over his black eyes. "Swat THIS big boy!"
Bertrand flew at the two teenagers, stinger first. Evelyn flew out of the way of the sharpened point while Danny received a painful slash on his shoulder, making him lose balance and crash onto the ground with a painful yell.
"DANNY!" Evelyn about faced in mid-air and flew back towards him.
"I should have gone intangible, IDIOT!" Danny reprimanded himself while gripping his shoulder. "I'm not getting better at this, I'm getting worse!"
"INCOMING!"
Danny turned over on his back, looking upwards as Bertrand dive-bombed with his stinger aimed directly for the halfa. The white-haired teenager extended both hands forwards, the area surrounding him becoming a sturdy green dome which the hornet bounced off of before Evelyn drop-kicked Bertrand into the ground, creating a cloud of dirt that eventually settled to reveal a gaping hole in the ground.
"All right pal, time for you to—" Danny aimed the Fenton Thermos into the mini-crater and halted in mid-sentence. Bertrand had escaped. "Gone…"
"He escaped?" Evelyn looked down into the crater she created.
"Unfortunately, yes." The other halfa switched off the Fenton Thermos and closed it with a depressed sigh. "That's the second time today."
"Don't worry about it," The bluenette shrugged. "We'll be able to catch him again…right?"
"Maybe Jazz was right…" Danny muttered under his breath as Evelyn gained a worried expression. "…maybe I am a loser…" He finished before floating away.
"Hey! Wait!" Evelyn flew after the retreating half-ghost.
Desiree was alerted of the brunette's arrival back home by the opening of the door and Mona's common "I'm home". This time her voice sounded monotone. The wishing-ghost uncharacteristically leaned out from the kitchen, her red eyes on Mona's hunched posture.
"Something wrong…?" Desiree asked floating over as Mona dropped her backpack on the ground.
"…" The brunette's fingers dug into her own scalp. "Desiree…suppose something really bad is going to happen in the future and you knew it was going to happen…but you can't say anything because it would…you know…ruin the timeline." Mona bit her lip.
"That what this is about?"
"Unfortunately…" Mona replied glumly. "…ever heard of Penelope Spectra?"
Desiree face-palmed, "I know her…she's not a true therapist. Just one session with that woman made me feel worse. What's she up to?"
"That's the problem, if I tell anyone…" The brunette gave up searching how to end the sentence before skulking upstairs. "I…I need a rest…that…session with her is really depressing…"
TUESDAY
The morning of the school day went on uneventful; the students returning to school were another story. Almost half of them looked depressed enough to drop dead; this included Danny and Mona.
Danny was glum from his last session while Mona felt guilt pulling her downwards until she was sure the ground was going to swallow her whole.
Needless to say, Bertrand was having a ball with the strap of Danny's backpack. The Mona promptly caught sight of what the strap was hooked to after walking up to the half-ghost and panicked.
"Danny—"
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!
And everyone in the entire building found his/herself drenched by the sprinkler system…
"A month's detention?!" Danny exclaimed as everyone in the entire school, as well as a police unit and a fire truck, stood outside. Obviously the majority of the school was irked. "But I didn't do anything!"
"You don't understand! Danny's backpack…you see…it got stuck to the alarm and—!" Mona stammered, while trying to ignore the cold water that was still on her outfit, before Spectra's hands abruptly landed on both her and Danny's shoulders, almost resulting in both the teenagers jumping out of their skins in surprise. "Eep!"
"Now Mr. Lancer, it was an accident." Spectra smiled before looking down at Mona and Danny. "But we're going to take that accident and make it an acci-don't and learn from it so it never happens again!"
"Shoot me." Mona deadpanned at the therapist's pun.
"But—" Danny started.
"No buts, Mr. Fenton." Lancer interrupted Danny's sentence. "The two of you could learn a little bit about school spirit from Ms. Spectra." Both teenagers looked upwards at Spectra with unnerved expressions while a plotting smile became visible on her features as the teacher continued.
"I got the same advice from her when I was in school, and look how I turned out!" Mr. Lancer abruptly posed like in his cheerleading days causing the trio of Danny, Mona, and Spectra to give each other odd looks.
1st Person POV: Mona
Tuesday went a lot worse; even though I managed to avoid the session I was there in time to catch sight of Danny in the "Spirit Baby" costume.
At least he wasn't dressed up as Eliza Doolittle…
Later on, we (as in Danny, Sam, Tucker, Evelyn, and myself) went to Elmer's Pharmacy to get some Ice-Cream from one of the parlors. Danny and Evelyn had already finished theirs while Sam, Tucker, and I continued eating our Tofu, Strawberry, and Blue Raspberry cones (respectively).
"Man, it was brutal making you wear that stupid baby suit. I could barely watch!" Tucker leaned towards Danny after Kwan and Valerie skulked past us, both fretting over their futures and problems. Spectra was definitely having a field day with this…and speaking of which. "But I did get some good digital pics!" He held out his PDA which displayed Danny in said "stupid baby suit".
Danny's eyes widened at the sight of the image before he glared. "Hey! Whose side are you on?!"
"Danny, you know he's just kidding." Sam paused from licking her ice-cream.
"Yeah…I know…" The halfa put his head down on the table. "I don't get it! Why am I feeling—"
"Depressed, angry, and guilt ridden…" I muttered to myself, not meaning to interrupt his sentence.
"What Mona said…except the last one." He pointed out before regaining his melancholy expression. "That shrink, Spectra, was supposed to be helping me! Ever since I started talking to her I've been feeling worse!"
"I think Spirit Week should be renamed: Spectra Week." I grumbled, finishing off my cone and throwing the napkin towards a trash-can, half-heartedly hoping I would make a shot in. Unfortunately for my current mood: the napkin missed the container completely and landed on the sleek linoleum floor. "She's making me question not telling you guys anything about—I just missed the trash can didn't I?!"
"Yep…" Evelyn, Sam, and Tucker chorused.
"Great!!" I got out of my seat, feeling irritable, and went over to the garbage can just as Jazz walked over.
"Hey Danny. How's it going?"
"Like you care." I heard Danny grumble. "Just go away, Jazz."
No sooner had I made a successful toss into the trash-can, I turned in time to spot Danny's ghost-sense, and watch Paulina (of all people) powdering her nose. I didn't know whether to laugh or roll my eyes at her simple-little-mind. Sheesh! She's going to get wrinkles, with or without the use of makeup!
Plus there's that mole…
"If my skin is perfect, I'll be perfect." Paulina could be heard murmuring to herself as one of the older staff-members watched her. She abruptly looked up at the woman and glared. "Do you mind? You're, like, the second old woman to hover over me today and I'm so not in the mood!"
…the typical Paulina in her unnatural habitat…
My sense of humor, although grim, promptly revisited extinction the minute Bertrand's blob-state emerged from the ground. Danny promptly stood up and fake berated us.
"Well if you're going to take her side, then you hang with her too!" He pointed at his sister before forcing Jazz into his previous spot at the table and acting melodramatic with his arm over his eyes. "Here! Take my seat! You've already taken my friends!"
And Danny promptly bolted out the back door with a worried Jazz tailing him.
"Danny, wait!"
"Restroom!" Evelyn bolted for the girls' restroom, already having noticed Bertrand.
"C'mon!" Sam, Tucker, and I promptly ran after Jazz.
"So far so good…nothing major to the storyline has been altered…which means…"
No sooner had we caught up with Jazz in the alley-way behind Elmer's Pharmacy, Danny was already in ghost form and flying away leaving his presently stunned sister standing in place.
"Danny?!"
To Be Continued…
March 27, 2008
Commentary:
Whew, one half done! And please pardon the pun.
(To Walks in the Shadows): I've also been pondering over what would happen if Mona is still around by then. Most of the ideas involve her future self (what she's probably going to be like is a bit abstract) in the final battle against Dark Phantom; some possible storylines are a bit cheesy in my opinion. And the rating would be increased to at least PG-13 if I typed it as an AU/side story fanfiction. I might…I might not. Either way, thanks for bringing up the topic!
Thank You to everyone who's reviewed so far and is still reading the fanfic!
Please Review on this Chapter!