The Jewels The Guardian and The Ghost.
By Kellie Fay
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom and all related characters belong to Butch Hartman. And...well you know the rest.
Chapter 4 Discovery
Danny felt supercharged. Speeding back to Fentonworks Danny could tell that he was breaking his old speed records. Looking down at his hands he could still see that they were twice as luminescent as normal. Man I wonder how long this will last? Danny thought excitedly. He wasn't tired at all anymore. He felt like he could go all day now. He quickly phased into his room and changed back into his human form just as his alarm clock went off.
"Whew! Talk about cutting it close," Danny muttered to himself. He got into some clean clothes and raced down stairs. He saw Jazz in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Morning Danny," Jazz said. Danny looked up and faced his sister the moment she spoke. Her voice sounded casual enough but there was an odd tone to it that made him a bit worried.
"Sleep well?" Jazz asked as if there was nothing wrong.
"Yep slept great!" Danny was able to reply easily enough. He could still feel the full charge Miss Daily gave to him that morning.
If his answer bothered Jazz she didn't let it show. "What do you want for breakfast? She asked.
"Not hungry," Danny answered checking his book bag.
"Danny honey you have to eat something," His mother said coming into the kitchen.
Danny really wasn't hungry. He actually felt as if he already ate. Was this because of that spell? To please his mom he grabbed an apple from a bowl on the kitchen table. "I'll eat on the way to school. Bye!"
"Wait Danny! I'll drive you!" Jazz said. Now worry was clearly in her voice.
I can't let her know what happened. Between her and Sam they'll kill me. Hurriedly he said, "Thanks Jazz gonna walk with Sam and Tucker! Bye!" Before either Jazz or his mother could say anything Danny was out the door and halfway down the block. He felt like flying to school he felt so good, but hew knew that flying would just invite Valerie to chase him. Not that I couldn't outfly Valerie today. Danny thought with a grin. Today he felt like he could do anything.
"Hey Danny!" Tucker said cheerfully. Danny looked to his right, and saw his two best friends coming towards him.
"Hi Sam, hi Tucker," Danny replied with a smile.
"Morning Danny," Sam said. She then looked him up and down. "Are you feeling okay?" She asked.
Uh oh, does it show? Even if it does it's not bad, I hope. Out loud Danny said, "Yep feeling great today. Goes to show you what happens when I get a full night sleep."
Sam's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she didn't say anything else.
During first period Danny wondered if Miss Daily knew that he was the same person that visited her early that morning. Nahhh there's no way she could possible know is there?
She does magic his practical suspicious side reminded him. Maybe that's why she was so nice to Danny Phantom this morning. I mean why else does she do that sleep thing for me when I've been out all night?
The lesson went on with Miss Daily not giving any indication of giving Danny any special treatment. In fact since he was awake and alert for once she seemed to be pushing him a little bit harder than normal. Magic or not Miss Daily knew her math, and she was a great teacher. Since she started teaching at Casper High not only had his math scores improved, but it seemed that everybody who had her class was doing better in math, even Dash and the football team. Even if she was a sorcerous or something Danny wasn't sure he wanted to get rid of her.
All during the day Danny caught Sam giving him odd looks when she thought he couldn't see. Tucker didn't seem to notice anything so Danny was hoping he would get away with not explaining how he was so energetic today. When gym rolled around, Danny gave up that hope. Tesslaff made everybody do foot races today, and while he didn't do anything ghostly, he did run faster than he ever did before. He even beat Kwan in the races, though he couldn't quite catch up to Dash. When he crossed the finish line second he couldn't stop the shocked smile that fell over his face. He only lost it when he saw Sam scowling at him.
When school finished Sam wanted answers. "What is up with you today, Danny?" Sam demanded. "You've been cheerful and hyper all day."
"Okay so I'm feeling good today, and that's a bad thing?" Danny shot back defensively.
Sam frowned. "That's not the point Danny!"
Even since gym Tucker looked worried too. "Danny you beat Kwan in a race. The only person you ever beat in a race before that was me!"
"Jazz called me this morning," Sam added. "She told me you slipped back into your room right after sunrise, and you looked like you stuck your hand in a ghosts version of a battery charger."
Oops, Danny didn't know that Jazz caught him slipping in this morning.
Sam wasn't finished either. "Danny you didn't sleep all night, you've hardly eaten all day, and you're as hyper as a squirrel on a sugar high. You're not telling us something."
Oh man, Danny thought. He knew Sam would be angry with him that he allowed Miss Daily to use magic on him. Suddenly he felt a shiver, and a blue mist escaped from his mouth. "Uh oh, ghost sense, gotta go!" He said quickly. Yes! Finally one of them shows up when I need a distraction!
Danny ducked behind some bushes, and transformed into Danny Phantom. He shot up looking for whoever set off his ghost sense. Movement behind him caught his attention and he dodged just as Skulker's ecto-missile flew past him. "Skulker!"
"Hello ghost child," Skulker said with grin. "Today is the day I put your pelt on my wall,"
Danny still felt completely charged from this morning. He let loose a full barrage of ecto-ray attacks on Skulker. "Today? I don't think so!"
To Danny's own surprise his own ecto-rays seemed to be stronger than before. He blasted Skulker back through a wooden billboard. Even Skulker was surprised.
"That's funny, I don't recall the ghost child's blasts being so powerful," The ghost hunter muttered to himself.
Neither do I, Danny thought looking at his own hand in shock. I wonder if this is permanent?
Skulker flew back over to Danny charging up his weapons. At the same time Danny had the strangest feeling that he was in danger. A small but persistent voice in the back of his mind was telling him to move NOW!
Danny shot straight up into the sky while Skulker prepared to fire. "Lucky shot whelp, and now -" He was cut off by the blast that missed Danny, and struck the ghost hunter square in the chest throwing him back through the billboard.
Far above where he once floated Danny looked where the shot came from, and saw Valerie in her ghost hunting outfit aboard her hover sled. With a sigh he tried to ignore the fact that the shot had been meant for him. "Hey," He called below to her, "Thanks for the help."
Valerie didn't take the hint. She used her hover sled to reach his altitude, and aimed for him with her entire arsenal. "You're not getting away this time ghost kid," She growled.
At first Danny thought about disarming her with an ectoplasmic blast, but considering what happened to Skulker he decided against that. I don't want to hurt her. Maybe I can take this up higher where nobody will get hurt. Maybe I can still outfly her and she'll run out of gas on that thing.
Suddenly Valerie dropped her weapon to her side, and seemed to be teetering on the hoversled. She shook her head and brought one hand up as if she were in pain.
"You okay?" Danny asked worried.
Valerie shook her head again like she was trying to clear her vision. "Wha...what's going on? What are you doing to me?"
"Nothing I swear!" Danny insisted. Oddly enough he felt a tingle along his skin. Somebody was doing something to Valerie, but it wasn't him. Danny looked back down at the school. Sure enough the whole school was watching them, but it was one pair of storm grey eyes that instantly caught Danny's attention.
It's Miss Daily! She's doing it, but how? Danny asked himself. Unbidden his conscious shot back with How does she keep making you blank out during math class and still get the lesson genius?
Valerie tried to lift her gun again, but she couldn't keep her eyes open. "S...Stop it you!" Valerie shouted. "Stay out of my he..." Valerie's voice trailed away as she fell unconscious. Her feet slipped from her hover sled, and she began that long fall to the ground.
"NO!" Danny shouted. Faster than he thought he could fly, Danny zipped down under Valerie, and caught her. The hover sled was still zipping around with no one controlling it, so Danny still carrying Valerie landed on it and guided the sled back to the ground.
A crowd of students began to form where he landed only to be held off by Mr Lancer, Principal Ishiyama, and his own parents.
"Let her go ghost kid!" Jack said with his Jack-o-nine-tails out and spinning. "Or I'll rip you apart molecule by molecule!"
Hold your ground, Danny A voice suddenly said in his head. If you let go of Valerie they might decide to shoot you. Make them promise not too.
Unlike his conscious, this voice wasn't his own thoughts in conflict. It didn't even sound like the voice from his mental arguments. It did sound like someone he knew. This voice came from outside his mind, but it was still good advice so Danny glared at his parents. "And the moment I'm clear of her you both blast me? I don't think so. Look I'll put her down and leave peacefully, but you two have got to promise not to trap me or shoot me in the back as I leave."
Mr Lancer and the Principal glared at the Fentons. Jack still looked like he wanted to shoot. Maddie actually looked thoughtful. Guessing that Maddie was the key to this, Danny locked eyes with her and said, "You know you're really not giving me much incentive to leave."
Maddie gave out an exasperated sigh and placed a restraining hand on her husband's shoulder. "All right go," she said highly annoyed. "You have our word. We won't come after you."
"Maddie!" Jack protested.
"It's the only way he's going to release his hostage dear," Maddie said gently.
Danny glared at them indignantly. Hostage? I saved her from falling and breaking her neck and now she's my hostage?
Again the steady even voice that was definitely not his conscious answered. For crying out loud Danny don't argue with them! Just back away and vanish! Leave the arguments for your defenders!
Okay you're beginning to get on my nerves now, Danny thought to the voice in his head. Still he knew that the voice was making sense. Danny rested Valerie on the grass, then keeping one eye on his parents, Danny floated up and backwards for fifty yards before turning invisible.
Once out of sight he flew back to the bushes and transformed back into his human mode. He went to look for Sam and Tucker, and found them looking back at the busted billboard slightly shocked. "Danny, you're not going to believe what we just saw," Sam said, her voice shaking slightly. Sam seemed unusually nervous.
Usually Danny could count on Sam to be calm and collected during a crisis. To see her this rattled worried him. "Sam, what's wrong?" He asked
"While you were dealing with your parents Skulker came back," Sam said visibly agitated. "Tucker and I thought he was going to make a bad situation worse, but then Miss Daily looked at him, and he took off."
Miss Daily again? "Wait let me get this straight. Miss Daily just looked at Skulker and he went away?"
"More like he backed off," Tucker said with a nod. "He wasn't happy about it either, but he looked kind of scared of her too, as if she was something he didn't want to deal with."
"I don't blame him," Danny said uneasily. "While I was up with Valerie I saw Miss Daily look at her, and I...I think I felt something. I think she's the one who made Valerie faint."
"How could she make Valerie faint?" Tucker asked.
"How does she put me to sleep in class all the time?" Danny snapped back. He was getting scared. Who was this teacher that could scare a ghost? Just then out of the corner of his eye he saw Miss Daily leaving the school grounds. "I'm going to get some answers," Danny said.
"Danny?" Sam asked puzzled. When she saw where Danny was going she shouted out. "No!"
Ignoring Sam, Danny marched over to Miss Daily. "Miss Daily?" He began.
The young woman turned and waited for the trio to catch up to her. "Yes Danny?" She said, adjusting her glasses.
"Danny swallowed nervously but plowed ahead anyway. "Why'd you do it?"
"Do what?" Miss Daily asked innocently.
Danny was undaunted. "I saw you from the crowed," he fibbed. "You looked right up at Valerie just before she got dizzy and fell. You made her fall! She could have gotten hurt! Maybe even killed!"
Miss Daily shrugged and gave the three a gentle smile. "I wasn't worried. I knew you would catch her, and I figured if you couldn't negociate with your parents I could always jinx their weapons. I'm just not going to let anyone hurt you. Believe it or not Danny I'm on your side" With that she moved past them and away from the group.
"Lets try not," Sam said with a glower. She folded her arms across her chest
"At least now we know she wasn't trying to hurt Valerie." Tucker said relieved. He turned to see Danny staring out into space after Miss Daily. "Danny? Danny what's wrong?"
"Did you hear what she said?" Danny asked in a small panicked voice.
"Yeah she said she thought you would catch her," Tucker said confused.
"Tuck, I did catch her but that wasn't what just tipped me off. She also said the she would have jinxed my parents weapons if I couldn't negociate with them. She wasn't going to let anyone hurt me!"
"Yeah," Sam agreed, "but why-"
Danny cut Sam off. They both missed the clues. "Guys, Danny Fenton didn't negociate anything. Danny Phantom did."
Now both Sam and Tucker had the same horrified look on their face. "Danny?" Sam asked worried.
Danny sighed and closed his eyes in a wince. "Guys, I think she knows."
Coming Soon Chapter 5 Confessions
"What exactly did she do?" Jazz asked.
Danny closed his eyes and tried to remember. To his surprise some of the warm safe feelings he had during the spell welled back up inside of him. He couldn't help but smile. "She took some herbs from her garden then made them into a bundle. She lit the end and used that to light some candles around the circle. Then she sang something about the wind, the stars and the Sun." Something made him stop and open his eyes. When he saw the three pairs of eyes staring at him he sighed and said, "It felt good okay? It felt really good. You saw how much energy it gave me. It made me faster stronger, more powerful."
"Do you still feel that way now?" Tucker asked warily.
"Not really," Danny admitted. "It's been wearing off a little at a time during the day. I lost most of it after fighting with Skulker, but I still remember how good it felt after she was done. There was no way I could have said no to her when she asked me for that favor."
Again he had all three of them staring at him.
"What favor?" Tucker asked.
"You mean you talked to her?" Sam asked equally amazed.
Jazz's expression turned furious. She jumped up and grabbed him by his jumpsuit and pulled him down to eye level. "Daniel Fenton you are going to tell us right now exactly what happened at Miss Daily's house from start to finish and don't even THINK about leaving anything out!"