Chapter 13: Hints and Clues.

During math Miss Daily acted as if nothing was wrong. Danny envied her ability to just go on with day to day things, and not worry about all the secretes she was holding. In fact Danny suspected that their magical teacher might have used a spell to distract him because he didn't start stewing about what he heard until after her class.

At the end of the day Danny finally voiced his concerns. "Tucker what were you and Sam talking about to Miss Daily this morning?"

Tucker sighed knowing that Danny approached him first because he was the weakest link. "Danny, it's nothing bad. It's just that Sam and I did some research on that bracelet last night and we found out a couple of things we needed to ask Miss Daily about."

"What did you find out?" Danny asked.

Tucker pressed a few buttons on his PDA, and began to read. The Showenhowers were a gypsy family. In fact they're the same family from that book Miss Daily gave Sam. They seem to have telepathic powers. They used to work with other people like Miss Daily to keep objects of power out of the wrong hands like the bracelet."

"So what happened to them?" Danny asked.

"The head of the family died in 1997 of cancer. His wife died two years before that. They only had two children. The oldest died at age two in a car accident. The only surviving member of the Showenhowers ran away from the family when he was sixteen. That's probably why Miss Daily has anything of power that belonged to them."

Danny couldn't shake the feeling that Tucker just gave him a heavily edited report on the family. Before he could ask Tucker anything else though, Sam came over.

"Hey guys, she said gently. She then looked down at the PDA in Tucker's hands and glared.

"I didn't say anything!" Tucker protested.

Danny sighed. They were still keeping secretes from him. "Anything about what?" Danny asked.

Sam's scowl at Tucker became more pronounced. "Way to go Tucker," she muttered.

Danny sighed. "You don't want to tell me anything because of what Miss Daily said." Danny said tiredly.

"Danny, we're afraid of triggering another nightmare or worse," Sam explained. I'm not sure what I should be doing, and I'm scared."

From Sam's tone Danny knew that it meant that Sam was afraid for Danny. She's afraid that something is going to happen to me, something horrible. For one brief moment a terrifying and disturbing memory surfaced.

Sam?

What is that? Is that -- is that free will? Obey me, minion!

You're controlling him!

Get her

For a second he was somewhere else, somewhere he didn't want to be and something was touching him inside of his mind.

Something horrible.

Obey me

"NO!" Danny shouted recoiling away.

Suddenly he was back in the school yard with Sam and Tucker holding on to him. "Danny snap out of it!" Sam shouted frantically shaking Danny hard.

"Huh?" Danny pulled away from Sam's frantic shaking and shook his own head out. He blinked and looked around. The school yard hadn't changed at all, but Danny felt like the whole school had just seen him naked. "What...what happened?" He asked.

"That's what I was about to ask you." Sam answered. Her voice was trembling slightly.

"A minute ago you were fine then you spaced out, and nearly ran away from us for no reason." Tucker explained.

"No," Danny said trying to remember. "I...I was somewhere else, and something...something was inside my head."

"Do you remember where you were?" Asked Sam.

Danny shook his head no. "No, but wherever I was something was wrong with me." Looking down at his hands Danny realized he was shaking. He was afraid, but he didn't know why.

Sam reached out and patted Danny on his arm. "It's all right now Danny." She said

Tucker took a deep breath and said, "Seriously Danny you need to stop thinking about this. You need a distraction. Lets go to the arcade or something."

"I've got a better idea," Sam said. "Lets go watch a movie at my place."

Reluctantly Danny agreed. He followed Sam and Tucker to Sam's house, but he didn't really pay attention to the movie. The flashback had bothered him more than he wanted the others to know.

Miss Daily and Jazz both said this was a memory of something, but of what? What could have happened to me that I don't remember that could have affected me this badly?

Danny dropped into such a deep thought he didn't notice himself becoming restless. He felt like he needed to go somewhere.

Come to me ye restless ones

who's spirit wanders past their time.

Danger threatens come to me

all ghosts who hear this rhyme.

The movie was forgotten as this odd poem thrummed alone inside of Danny's mind. He was aware of where he was and what was going on around him, but all the same something was pushing him distracting him, making him want to move to get out to go.

He didn't know why he had to go, but he knew he did. Danny got up from his seat startling both Sam and Tucker.

"Danny?" Asked Tucker.

Sam grabbed a hold of Danny preventing him from leaving. "Danny what's wrong. Where are you going?"

"I...I have to go," Danny said waking partially at Sam's touch. "There's...there's this song in my head and I have to follow it. Danger's coming."

"Danny, wake up!" Sam said. "You're just having another dream."

For some reason Danny knew Sam was wrong. "No, Sam," Danny said shaking his head. "This isn't another flashback. I'd know if it were. They...they feel different. This is real. I can feel her calling us."

"Her? Us? Danny what are you hearing?" Tucker asked.

Danny repeated the call he heard in his head. "Come to me ye restless ones

who's spirit wanders past their time. Danger threatens come to me all ghosts who hear this rhyme." As he spoke the singing seemed to grow clearer to him. "Guys, I...I think it's Miss Daily."

"Miss Daily?" Tucker echoed confused. Then to Sam he asked. "Sam do you think –"

"She's not using the bracelet, Tucker. I'd know if she was," Sam said thoughtfully. "I think she's trying to summon other ghosts, and didn't know it would affect Danny even when he's human."

Meanwhile it was getting harder and harder to stay put. Hearing Sam and Tucker talk was helping him control the impulse, but all the same something was pulling his mind and body to leave. If they tried to stop him Danny was afraid that he would lose it and hurt them. "Tuck...Sam I know it is Miss Daily. Don't ask me how I just do. I...I can't stay it's driving me crazy. You know she won't hurt me. Guys I have to go."

Reluctantly Sam nodded, and she and Tucker both released Danny. "If you go ghost," Sam warned, "You'll just feel the effects of what she's doing more."

"I know," Danny said still trying to concentrate past the spell in his head. "But I have to. I'm going ghost."

Coming Soon: Chapter 14 A meeting of the Minds.

Sam was right, Miss Daily was summoning other ghosts. It wasn't about me at all, but still I wonder what she's up too. Danny watched as Miss Daily stopped her chanting then said. "Circle hold and circle bind, keep the spirits all inside." Then she waited for the three to come to their senses.

Ember was the first to speak. "Hey what gives?"

Skullker whipped around, eying the binding circle on the ground around them. "We are ensnared! Caught, like prey!"

"Well, who in the-?" Walker cut himself off when he spied Miss Daily; his white, bony face going hard as he focused on her. "I should have guessed," he said. " A Guardian!"

Ember glared at Walker, her turquoise hair flaring. "What! You knew that one of those stuffed shirt Guardians was in Amity Park, and you didn't tell anyone?"

A Guardian? Danny shook his head. What the heck is a Guardian?