Chapter 23 The Lost

To Sam it seemed like hours but eventually they saw a black and white streak flying across the sky. Danny flew within three feet of Freakshow. He hovered there for a moment glaring at the ringmaster, then pulled out of his shirt the gold and copper band adorned with a single ruby and handed it to him.

Freakshow grinned broadly as he placed the band around his arm. "Finally after all these years my ancestors ancient talisman is back in the family again!" He then reached out and grabbed Danny by the arm.

"Danny!" Sam and Jazz shouted together. Danny struggled in Freakshow's grasp for only a few seconds, but suddenly he stopped and relaxed. Freakshow released Danny who instead of running, stayed at Freakshow's side unafraid and attentive.

"Danny?" Jazz asked puzzled. Sam gave a physical shudder. "Danny turned towards the three, and to Sam's horror his eyes were no longer the phosphoreus emerald green she knew and loved. Now his eyes were crimson.

"Danny no!" Sam felt her heart freeze up inside of her. Danny was back under Freakshow's control. Frantically Sam tried to use her amulet to wake him, but Danny didn't seem to hear her. Unfortunately Freakshow felt the power of the gem instead.

Freakshow grinned down at Sam and the others. "Phantom," Freakshow said still looking at Sam. "Be a good ghost and fetch me that ruby."

"Of course," Danny said with an identical manic smile. He glided over to where Sam, Tucker and Jazz still were being held by Lydia's tattoos.

When Sam saw the dark red in Danny's eyes Sam tried one more time to call to his mind. "Danny, Listen to me! It's Sam! Freakshow is controlling you again! You swore you wouldn't let that happen again. You have to fight it Danny! Fight it!"

Danny floated right over to Sam chucking darkly as he did so. "Why would I want to?" He asked in a snide tone. "I now serve the once and future king!" Sam cringed away from Danny's hand reaching out to grasp the chain around her neck. Suddenly the infinity symbol that held the ruby faired out with a sliver white light that repelled Danny throwing him backwards five feet sending him to the ground.

"What the?" Tucker asked puzzled.

"Damn it!" Danny said now glowering at his sister and his best friends. "The pendant is a ward! I can't touch her!"

"So I guess we'll do this the hard way," Freakshow said. He reached out himself and pulled Jazz from the group. "Give me the gem now girl, or watch your friend be brought down by your dear Phantom."

"No you can't!" Tucker cried out frantically. "That's Danny's - " A glare from Lydia silence Tucker in mid sentence but Sam couldn't help but notice that Lydia didn't look happy either.

Does Lydia remember that Jazz is Danny's sister? All the other ghosts know, is there something about Danny they recognize weather he's ghost or human? Freakshow doesn't remember I don't think. Using Jazz might just snap Danny out of it and Freakshow wouldn't risk that again. Ohhh man I don't want Danny to hurt Jazz!

"Give me the ruby," Freakshow ordered again. "Or watch your friend blast her away."

Sam growled but she removed the pendant from around her neck. "Here!" Sam spat as she threw the pendant at Freakshow. "Wrap it around your neck and choke from it!"

Freakshow chuckled as he picked up the final ruby. "Finally all the gems are back where they belong." He turned to look at Danny who was simply waiting for orders. "So do you think we should leave that guardian and her associates to cause us more trouble, or simply do away with them?"

In answer Danny grinned and his hands began to grow a fiery green.

Sarah looked up and managed to dodge the first three blasts. The fourth knocked her off her feet, but before the fifth blast could land Jazz jabbed Freakshow in the ribs hard and jumped in front of Miss Daily and took the blast for her."

"Jazz!" Tucker called out. Sam wasn't watching Jazz. She had her eyes fixed on Danny.

That the blast hit his sister instead of Sarah Daily didn't even faze Danny. With his hands still glowing, he said, "So you wanna be first? Fine!"

"No!" Sam shouted. "Danny don't! That's Jazz!" Danny didn't even hear Sam. His complete focus was on trying to nail a blast on Jazz, who was proving that she was her mother's daughter by a series of complicated gymnastics.

"If Danny snaps out of this and finds out he blasted his own sister he's never going to forgive himself." Tucker muttered fearfully.

Sam heard the sad sigh next to them she turned to see Lydia watching the proceedings but it was almost as if the Gothic ghost was on the verge of tears.

"You don't want Danny to hurt his sister do you Lydia," Sam asked the ghost. An idea was forming in her head she wasn't positive, but there were a whole bunch of little clues that were adding up to something that Sam wasn't quite sure she believed, but if she was right...

"Lydia you know this is wrong," Sam continued to persuade the spirit. "I think I finally figured you out. Why the rubies and the crystal ball never meant anything to you, why you broke Freak – uh Friedrich out of jail. Why you helped him steal the gems. Why you protect him from Danny. You love him."

"What?" Tucker asked

"Lydia loves him!" Sam insisted. "Just like Jazz loves Danny. Like any big sister should."

Tucker's jaw dropped in shock. "But...but Freakshow said -"

"He said his family was dead. We knew that too. Remember the research we did? Freakshow had a sister but she died when she was a kid. Freakshow told Jazz and our parents back when he had them kidnaped that his parents loved ghosts more than him. What if it wasn't all ghosts. What if it was Lydia because she was the child they lost and she came back to them?" Sam looked up at Lydia who now had her face turned away from Sam, Tucker, and the fight before them. "I'm right aren't I? Friedrich is your brother, but he doesn't know you're his sister. That's why he treats you so horribly and you take it. Because you care about your brother."

Lydia sighed and dropped her head nodding once.

"Well let me tell you something now Lydia," Sam said firmly, but gently. "You let Freakshow treat you badly because you think that's what you're supposed to do because he's your brother, but that's not how it's supposed to work." Sam gauged Lydia's reactions as the ghost turned back to the battle. Danny was getting closer and closer to seriously hurting Jazz. "Jazz tells Danny when he's wrong. She helps him but she doesn't let him do anything he's not supposed to do. Lydia you know what you're brother is doing is wrong, but instead of telling him that, you've been helping him. You've been spoiling your brother all these years, and you have to stop now. Before he tears another family apart."

At that moment a flash of green struck Jazz on her legs, forcing her to go down crying in shock and pain. Danny moved over his sister and chuckled as he powered up for another blast.

"Danny no!" Sam cried out panicked. Please let Danny miss, or let him come out of it. Please I swear I'll never ask for a miracle again!

NO!

Coming Soon: Chapter 24 The Sister

"You're parents didn't favor all the ghosts in the circus over you," Sarah said softly. "Just her. You were jealous but you're parents never explained to you why."

"We know about your family," Tucker said and he and Sam drew closer. "You're sister died when you were both kids."

"Has Lydia changed since you first found her?" Sam asked. "Wasn't she younger, more child like?"

His other three ghost forgotten, the rest of the school forgotten Freakshow looked at the group before him puzzled. "What are you saying? You're saying the Lydia is my dead sister?"

"That's why she helps you even though you don't control her." Sarah said. "She helps you because she cares about you, and she thought that's what would make you understand."

Lydia/Jazz nodded hopefully. "No more fighting Friedrich. No more stealing. Just circus, just fun just together."