Hey everyone. Lord Pugsy here. Sorry about it leaving it later than I normally do to update, but work has been manic as of late. Subsequent chapters may also take slightly longer to be uploaded leading up to Christmas, but I shall endeavour to put at least one chapter up a week. Without further ado, here is the next instalment of A Phantom Marooned.
Your time is up, Danny. It's been up for 10 years.
Danny awoke in a cold sweat and breathing heavily, the nightmare still fresh in his mind. He had only been asleep for a few hours until the nightmare woke him up. He looked around, the sun only just beginning to rise, and checked on the group around the now burned out fire; he had stayed where he was by the lifeboat for the night for reasons he couldn't quite explain. He just didn't feel right sleeping next to people he had shouted at the previous night. A shiver suddenly ran down Danny's spine, but not due to the cool Atlantic air, but from the after effects of his dream.
Maybe a swim will help clear my head thought Danny, as he made his way down to the surf. He used his Sense quickly just to make sure there weren't any surprises in the water; finding nothing, he removed his top, rolled up his jeans and waded in until the water was chest high. Instead of swimming, Danny crossed his legs and sat on the bottom, the calm morning water making it serene for the troubled teen. As Danny was half ghost, he could comfortably stay like that for around fifteen minutes before needing to come up for air, but he wasn't in any rush. This was the first time since the sinking of their ship that Danny felt at peace.
By the time he needed oxygen, Danny was feeling much better. He stood and turned to make his way back up to where he left his shirt, when he saw Valerie standing there holding it, waiting for him. Danny exited the water and headed for where she was stood, wiping most of the water off and shaking off the excess from his hair, before gratefully accepting the outstretched shirt.
"Thanks Val." Said Danny, putting it over his head.
"No problem." She replied. "I saw you go in. I was about to dive in after you when I didn't see you come up for a while." This caused Danny to laugh.
"Thoughtful, but unnecessary." Smiled Danny, attempting to get sea water out of his ears. "I don't need to breathe as often as humans do."
"'Humans'." Copied Valerie. "Still going to take some time for me to get used to that."
"I'm just glad you are taking the time to get used to it." Said Danny, giving Valerie a warm smile, which she returned.
"So you going to tell me what you're doing taking a dip at the crack of dawn?" Valerie finally asked, causing Danny's face to drop.
"Just needed to clear my head."
"Bad dreams?" Asked Valerie; Danny nodded.
"They've been happening for a while haven't they?" Danny gave her an impossible look, causing her to shrug. "I know that face Danny. I had bad dreams for weeks after everything that happened to my dad and me. Speaking of which, don't even think about apologising anymore. I know you're not to blame." She said quickly, as Danny was about to do just that. A long pause occurred whilst Danny inwardly struggled whether to share with Valerie.
"The difference though Val," Danny started. "Is that my dreams can actually happen."
"What do you mean?" Asked Valerie, causing Danny to sigh.
"Are you sure you want to know this Val? When you hear it, you may wish you had destroyed me when you had the chance." Valerie was about to object when she looked into Danny's eyes; his usual bright blue eyes held nothing but pain and sorrow. Valerie gulped before nodding slowly.
"Ok. Do you remember when we took the C.A.T's last month?"
"Yeah, they were awful." Said Valerie, chuckling. Then she remembered something else. "Wait, that was when you cheated wasn't it?" Danny physically recoiled at the word 'cheat'.
"I did not cheat." Danny said, his voice becoming as dangerous as it had been the night before. He looked over and saw Valerie's scared face.
"I'm sorry Val, but I didn't cheat. However, in an alternate timeline I did." Valerie was about to ask a question, before Danny raised his hand. "Please. This will go much easier if you save your questions for the end." Valerie nodded her acceptance, motioning Danny to continue.
"In an alternate timeline, I did cheat on the C.A.T's. This one simple act set off a chain of events which ended up in the deaths of everyone I cared about. I was alone, and the only person I could go to was Vlad."
"You went to Vlad?" Valerie asked incredulously, Danny nodded.
"As a Halfa, he was the only person I could turn to. I just wanted the pain to go away, so I asked him to rip out my ghost half." Valerie gasped.
"It can be ripped out?"
"Yes, by using the Ghost Gauntlets. What neither of us could have possibly predicted was that my ghost half was in just as much emotional turmoil as my human half. When he got ripped out, he snapped. He took the Gauntlets from Vlad, ripped out his ghost half and merged with it; his evil half overwhelmed me and within ten years, I became the most evil and ruthless ghost on the planet."
"I'm sure you weren't that bad." Said Valerie, trying to make Danny feel better.
"I was. The only city left standing was Amity Park. I had razed the Earth to the ground." Danny paused. "And loved every minute of it." He spat as he remembered how much his future-self enjoyed destroying things.
"It was only through the help of the Ghost of Time that I saved everyone, barely. From that day on, my obsession intensified as I know that He can still happen if anything happens to the people I care about." Danny finally finished, waiting for Valerie as she looked deep in thought.
"That's why you walked off last night, wasn't it?" Said Valerie, as pieces were starting to fit together. "You thought He was happening?" Danny just nodded, and then was pleasantly surprised when Valerie brought him in for a hug.
"Boy, you really are clueless." She laughed, confusing the ghost teen even further. "I see how much you care about people, whether you're Fenton or Phantom. That and the fact you fear becoming evil means that you won't become evil." Danny just smiled as he took in Valerie's words.
"Now get your butt in gear before I kick it like I used to. We've got a very scared and annoyed class to deal with."
Truer words were never spoken as Danny realised the class' fear and annoyance wasn't aimed at their predicament, but aimed at him. The rest of the morning, the class would avoid making eye contact and give him a wide berth whenever he approached them. But what hurt Danny the most was that Sam was one of them. He could've handled the class ignoring him, as he had to put up with that for the past four years, but Sam had always been with him, along with Tucker. Now she spent her time with Alice and Bradley and would make a point of ignoring Danny's very existence. Danny's only salvation was that Tucker, Valerie and Mr Lancer were talking to him, but Danny had a suspicious feeling that Tucker was only talking to him because he was still mourning the loss of 'Cheryl' and was kept busy when Danny asked him to take a look at the Emergency Beacon. Danny then began to notice over the next couple of days the gravitation towards Mr Lancer, and to a lesser extent Dash, as their leader. This feeling was reinforced on the day they ran out of clean water. The fruit they had acquired from the trees would only get them so far. Danny, knowing that no one would listen to him, voiced his concerns to Mr Lancer and told him what they should do.
"Right class," announced Mr Lancer once he gathered everyone around him, Danny staying in the background. "It has come to my attention that our supply of water has dwindled to a dangerous level. Therefore, we must find a new source, which means delving deeper into the jungle." Immediately, the class erupted into a frantic panic at the idea of going into the jungle; they had only ventured about fifty metres in at the most.
"Lord of the Flies!" Exclaimed Mr Lancer, silencing the class. "This is no time to panic. We will not be going in alone; we will be together at all times. If we stick together, there will be nothing to fear. Dash will be taking lead, and I will bring up the rear." He said, gesturing to the blonde jock, a flash of fear crossing his face, before instantly dispelling it.
"Now," Mr Lancer started. "Tucker, Mikey and Chelsea will remain at the beach and work on fixing the beacon; the rest us leave in ten minutes. Prepare yourselves." As the rest of the class got themselves ready, Danny made a beeline for Sam, who had yet to start speaking to him again, when Mr Lancer called him over.
"Yes sir?" Asked Danny.
"I want you at the back with me. I want you to point anything out and I will act as the messenger between yourself and Dash. I am sure he will be distrustful if he hears the information coming directly from you." Danny looked down at this.
"I understand."
"Good man." He said, clapping Danny on the back. "Now, let's get going."
Danny was on edge the entire time they were walking; his eyes darting in every direction as his hearing picked up even the quietest of sounds. They had been walking for almost half an hour when they finally stumbled across a game trail. They followed it for a few more moments before they came to a running stream where they could refill their water bottles. Not realising that it was Danny's idea to get more water, or that it was his idea to find a game trail to follow, everyone but Sam and Mr Lancer went and congratulated Dash for getting them here. No one gave him a second glance but these two, who saw Danny look down with a sad look on his face. Sam was about to walk over to him, but then Dash's voice cut through the air.
"I reckon we should head back now Mr Lancer." He said, a hint of nervousness creeping into his voice as he worriedly looked around the trees.
"I think that would be wise." Confirmed Mr Lancer, as he too looked at the ominous trees around him. "Alright everyone, same order as we were before, then we'll set off." Mr Lancer was counting off everyone who passed him until he realised they were one short. He looked back over to the stream and saw Danny stood there, looking intently at it.
"Danny?" He asked the teen. "We are heading back now." When there was no reply, he walked over, thinking he knew what was troubling the boy.
"Look," he started. "If it is about Dash claiming all the credit, you should not feel disheartened. Myself and, if I am not mistaken, Sam know the truth."
"It's not that." Danny finally muttered. "I'm used to Dash taking credit for something he didn't do. I'm even used to the fact that people will always choose to follow him over a nobody like me; I know I'm no leader."
"Then what it is the problem?" Asked Mr Lancer, feeling guilty that one of his students was being so hard on himself, when he knew exactly how much potential he had.
"This place." Danny said. "Everything about this place is wrong. First there was the freaky current that brought us here. Then there's the unexplainable energy field surrounding this island that fried all of our phones. Finally, there's the fact that we're in the Atlantic Ocean, but somehow there's a tropical jungle in the middle of it." There was a pause before Mr Lancer spoke again.
"It is a shame."
"What is?" Asked Danny, looking at his teacher confused.
"That you do not show this level of inquisitiveness in class." He said, giving Danny a wry smile, causing Danny to laugh.
"I'll be sure to work on that if, when we get back." Silence befell them, before Mr Lancer realised that the rest of the class was getting ahead of them.
"I think it would be best if we went. We do not want to get lost in a place like this."
"You go on ahead; there is something I want to check out first. I won't be long." Mr Lancer was about to rant at how absurd Danny was being, when he looked in Danny's crystal-blue eyes and saw nothing but honesty and determination.
"There you go again."
"What?"
"Why is it that if anyone else had suggested they go off wandering in a jungle to look for something, I would have said point blank that they were foolish, and subsequently dragged them back to the beach myself?" Mr Lancer asked, creases in his forehead appearing as he tried to suss out the teenager in front of him. "But when you ask me, I feel compelled to let you go and I know that you will be alright and that I should not worry." Danny was about to respond when Mr Lancer raised his hand.
"And do not give me an excuse which could rival 'can I go to the bathroom?'," started Mr Lancer again. "I may only be a school teacher, but I am intelligent enough to know when someone is not telling me the truth."
"I'm sorry Mr Lancer, but I can't tell you. Not right now at least." Danny said in a quiet voice.
"I can respect that. All I ask is that, while I can accept you keeping certain truths from the class and me, you do not lie to us?" Said Mr Lancer, holding out his hand. Danny gave a wide smile before shaking his teacher's hand.
"Deal."
"Good. Now, wherever it is you are off to, I want you back before the sun starts to set. Otherwise, I will create a search team, and we will come looking for you. And neither of us want that." This caused both of them to laugh.
"Alright sir," started Danny. "I promise. I'll see you all later." With that, Danny turned around and started heading up to where the source of the stream was, leaving Mr Lancer to his thoughts as he hurried to catch up to his class.
You give a whole new meaning to the word 'mystery' Mr Fenton, he thought to himself. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, that by the time he had caught up to the class, who hadn't noticed his absence, he didn't notice the pair of yellow eyes watching their every move.
Despite the roaring sound, Danny found the sight in front of him beautiful. He had located the source of the stream after about half an hour of walking; it was a colossal waterfall. Using his Sense, Danny found that the where the water collected at its base, before running off, it was teeming with fish. Danny smiled as they would now have a source of meat instead of only eating fruit, which was only of benefit to Sam, Alice and Bradley. Walking back, feeling proud of him that nothing had gone wrong, the nagging feeling that he had become accustomed to over the past few days, began to increase as the jungle became eerily quiet. Just as he positioned himself in a battle stance, he was hit by something from behind, sending him crashing to the ground. Years of ghost training sparked through his head as Danny's reflexes sprang into action. Using the momentum of his fall, he crouched into a ball and rolled into an upright position, to come face to face with his attacker.
Is that a baboon? Thought Danny, as he looked at the monkey perched on a low hanging branch, gazing intently at him. Before he could do anything, the baboon launched itself at the teen, but this time Danny was ready. Just as the baboon was about to make contact, Danny turned himself intangible, only for the attacking animal to crash into him, scratching him down his neck. Panicking, Danny lashed out with his fist, connecting with the side of the animal's head, causing it to scarper off through the trees. Realising that he was alone now, Danny stood up and inspected himself, frightened of what he might discover. He attempted to turn himself intangible, but to no avail. He next tried to turn invisible and fly but nothing was happening. Almost hyperventilating now, Danny tried to light his fist with ecto-energy. What is usually bright, neon green was now just a dull flicker, getting duller by the second until disappeared completely. That was when it dawned on Danny at the familiar feeling when they passed through the energy field. It was the exact feeling when he got zapped by the Plasmius Maximus, just without the pain. In frustration, Danny slammed his fist into the nearest tree, completely uprooting it with his sheer strength. Confused, Danny inspected his hand to see his knuckles in shreds, but the skin slowly knitting itself back together. Relief flooded through Danny's system as his hand glowed blue, as he channelled his ice powers and created a small snowball. Clutching at straws, he inhaled deeply, as if to perform his Ghostly Wail; when he felt the power begin to build, Danny cut it off immediately.
So I have my strength, Wail, ice powers, Sense and healing ability, but lost my basic ghostly abilities thought Danny, as he began to make his way back to the beach, wiping off the blood from his neck. By the time he got back, the sun had begun to set and everyone was laid around the campfire talking, the excitement of their productive day taking its toll on them as they became sleepy. The talking ceased as soon as Danny returned; looks of confusion turned to horror as they noticed the blood on his shirt, but he ignored their whispers as he passed by them and headed straight for the lifeboat. As Danny laid back and looked at the constellations above him, slowly dozing off, he realised he wasn't scared that he had lost half his powers, but he was scared as to how only half had been taken from him. Then a high-pitched scream pierced the night.
I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter, and continue to look forward to reading the rest of it. Until next time.
Lord Pugsy.