As she finished the last few bits she looked around her new room. It was a lavender color with purple accents and had a nice tan, plush carpet. She had moved quite a bit of stuff into it from her lair, whose door was stored safely in her closet. Doubts began to run through her head. Maybe they would be better off without her? Maybe she was better off without them? She sighed "May I should have stayed where I knew where I stood and what was expected." then she rolled off the beanbag and onto the ground, stretching her limbs as far as they would go.
"Is something wrong?" Danny asked in shock. Delilah melted, completely giving up on fighting gravity in anyway, and gave a soft sob. Danny moved to sit on the bed and closed the door behind him.
"Wanna talk?" He asked semi hopeful.
"Not really, but I have a question. Why are people so difficult? I mean, in case you haven't noticed, I don't really like Fleshies; ghost are so much easier, ya know?" she ended in a whine before coughing a bit a talking normal if not a bit tired. "Why is it so hard?"
"It really isn't, just takes practice." He shrugged "It will get easier, trust me?"
"There isn't a real gang." She sighed hoping that telling him the truth would make everything a bit easier"Like a gang, gang. see my life is kind of, complex. I was with you-know-who," she paused expectantly Danny nodded his understanding. "until I was like eight. By then I was half dead and almost immediately after got trapped in the Ghost Zone. From there, well let's say it was a great adventure. I lived in the Far Frozen and was on Council, but you knew that, also I found that me, you, Vlad, we weren't the first Halfa's believe it or not. "
"Or not" Danny deadpanned
"We have are own section in the Ghost Zone, history books on us. What exactly do you know about Halfa's as a whole? How many of us are there? What happens after we die? Can we? Tell me, what do you know for a fact?" Delilah asked sitting up and bouncing in excitement.
"Well, we can die." Danny said thoughtfully.
A cruel smile formed on Delilah's face "False, we are already dead, we can 'die' but only in the sense ghosts can."
"Then how come our human bodies can get hurt."
"I know, for a fact, that after a Halfa 'dies' they still can use their human form." She insisted defiantly, crossing her arms and fuming. " If you don't believe me we can always go talk to some, they are my 'gang'"
"Oh really" Danny challenged
"Yeah, we can go talk to Gran-Gran, she is the oldest Halfa, ever." she said disappearing through the floor into the lab followed closely by Danny. Their parents were at work but they slipped past them with ease and Delilah lead Danny farther into Ghost Zone than he had ever been before.
"This is stupid." Danny sighed
"No it's not! Just stay away from Alexandra, I'm still working on proving she is the actual embodiment of satan. Also there is Lexi, she is a sweetie but don't make her mad. And Jake, he's quiet but very powerful and still growing." She began to ramble, hardly taking a breathe or giving Danny anytime to speak, until they reached one of the many floating islands of the Ghost Zone.
It was big, with a perfectly pedicured lawn. Iron gates in closed the perimeter of the island with no more than foot between it and the edge. Delilah didn't even slow down, she hit the ground transforming and walked straight in. The large building nearly centered on the land was three stories high and its symmetry was only off put by the vines of ivy growing on it. Lights glowed in most of the third floor windows.
"Bedrooms make up most of the third floor." Delilah informed Danny "The second floor is, well, a bit of a mystery, it's where Gran-Gran and the Elder's disappear to. Then there's the first floor. I've never found the end,like there is a back yard for the kids to play in but you have to come out the front and go around because no one can find the back door, which is always locked from the outside." The house was very elegantly designed with windows in every room you saw, the brick walls were well cared for and the front pillars were pure white. "We should go in, they are probably already expecting us."
They walked up the pathway to the front of the building and Drifa pushed the doors open. She skipped in, completely ignoring the elegant design, white staircase and artworks from all over the world. Danny followed her, trying to take in the building, as she took a hallway to their right. They walked down the hallway until they came to a pair of heavy wooden double doors and pushed them open.
The room was looked like it could house a football game and a long dark oak table took up most of the space. There had to be at least two hundred chairs on the long side of the table. At the ends of the table were two big plush chairs covered in red satin with gold thread accents that matched the clothe running down the table. The two hundred chairs had matching cushions and the deep red walls had drape looping crossed them that matched as well.. The hardwood floor matched the dark oak table and chairs.
"You know Francis claims that he cut all the wood in the room from a single tree. Of course no one believed him until he showed us the stump." Delilah mused not paying any real attention to what was going on. Instead she looked up at the wooden beams holding drapes and the chandeliers. Danny looked at her carefully, she was far more relaxed here than she was at home. Delilah looked over everything with a small smile and sad eyes. Her hands ran over the edge of the table avoiding the shining old silverware and delicate china plates that had been seated at almost every seat. Golden gauntlets embroidered with small jewels sat empty by the china bowls and side plates on top of the dinner plates. The clothe running down the middle lay empty except a large glass bowl of fruit.
She sighed "We should go to the library, that's where the Elders usually are this time of the day." Danny nodded. They exited out another double door and went down a hallway that looked a lot like the dining room, Small podiums held valuables in between the many doorways. The walk was much longer than the one last one random doors of different styles appeared but none seemed to be the right one and Delilah kept going straight despite all the hallways that showed up along the way. Danny was about to complain when they came to a sudden stop at the end of the hallway where they turned to go up a staircase.
"Don't worry we are almost there the library is the only room on the second floor that I've ever see first hand, the rest I've only heard stories of. It could be worse you know." She said smiling back at him "The Elders get to decorate the different parts of the house and I don't feel comfortable walking down in Grams part of the building. It's all gold and jewels and I feel like I'd break something."
"So who decorated this part of the building?"
"Oh that would be Francis, the guy who decorated the dining room, the red satin and oak will stop when we reach the second floor. That's when Remus' area begins, he's a roman, grew up in Rome in the early years, but he was still born there." She rambled on about the architecture and the different lessons he taught her when she had first found her way there. As soon as they reached the top they were greeted with the big white pillars to the library and a beautiful mosaic above it.
"Hiya" Delilah chirped waving from the top on the stairs, two lead down into the pit of the library another two up into the bookcases.
"Delilah" an old weathered lady smiled cheerfully "I see you brought a friend."
"Yes" she smiled respectfully "He's name is Daniel, he is the Halfa from Amity park, and he is my brother." Her smile becoming a bit forced as she waited worriedly for the reply.
"Oh, well isn't that lovely. Daniel, you go by Danny right? You may call me Gran-Gran. How would you like to stay for dinner?" Gran-Gran's sweet, cheery smile never left her face. Her features were ancient and her eyes barely seemed open. Long silver hair was put up in a nice half bun with an old ancient pin in it, that sat on the back of the top of her head. She wore colorful silk robes that was too long and flowed gently behind her. Threads sewn into the robes formed majestic creatures that moved around the robe as if they were alive.
"Um, that would be great." He managed respectfully.
"Well, that is just wonderful. Dinner should almost be ready." Gran-Gran turned back to Delilah "Would you mind going up to the third floor a ringing the dinner bell darling."
Delilah responded with her usual cheeky smile. "Of course not."
Delilah ran up the white stone staircase, leaving Danny to eat her dust. She grabbed the stick and hit the gong as she could. It left her whole body shaking, her ears ringing and her teeth vibrating. People of every kind came spilling out of every room into the main hall.
"Who did it" A young childish voice rang through the crowd of familiar faces. "It was my turn today" It whined and a little girl in a white lacy frock elbowed her way to the front.
"Well Gran-Gran said I could." Delilah said in a smug sing-song voice.
A gasp went through the crowd and Delilah found herself being tackled by a group of small children. Delilah laughed and helped a few of them up.
"So, I brought back a friend, he's staying for dinner." she smiled. Most of the group had already gone down the stairs, the kids smiled and ran downstairs.
"This will end badly."
"Yeah I know" Delilah laughed "So Jamie, how are you?"
"Good" The boy answered. He was tall, almost six foot, and had his blonde hair mussed up. Delilah reached up and ruffed it.
"Let's go." She giggled.
The dining room was far more beautiful than when Danny had left it. Some of the dishes had been moved out and the table was filled mountains of food. Wicker baskets held a variety of breads, glass bowls held fruits and vegetables, and meats sat on silver platters. People of every age came in some were holding books, coloring books, paints guitars, and other hobby related materials.
"Oh, hey." A girl said sweetly "You must be Delilah's guest, I'm Alexandra." Danny looked at her. huh? So satan wears a schoolgirls uniform, weird. he thought.
"I'm Danny."
"Phantom?" She ask curiously
"Yeah." He nodded
"That is so cool!" She gushed "I have heard so much-"
"Go back to hell Alex." Delilah growled plowing into her shoulder.
To say that dinner was hectic would probably get you hit in the head with some sort of flying food and yelled at by someone sitting on the other end of the table. Everyone was talking but only about half of the seats were being used. Music poured into the room, crayons and paints were everywhere.
"So," The room was met with a dead silence as Gran-Gran spoke "How was the real world Delilah?" Her voice was pleasant but worn, like she had began to lose it.
"Oh, it was great. There is so much to do."
"Then why didn't you stay there?" A snippy response came from a little way down the table.
"I don't know Alexandra, why didn't you stay in hell with the rest of the demons?" Delilah asked mimicking Alexandra's normally snooty tone.
She gasped and stuttered "You little" She screeched "Bitch!" Her round, tan face was a bright red and her long brown hair lay flat against her face.
"Tsk, really Alexandra, such language!" Delilah scolded then added sweetly "Besides you really aren't fooling anyone, we know that you are, in fact the biggest bitch to walk the planet."
She fumed "Shut up" Delilah smiled.
"Girls" Gran-Gran warned.
"Sorry" They said in unison then glared at each other.
Danny sat by his sister awkwardly, the whole dynamic was a bit overwhelming. The room was a disaster area. At least now most of the people playing music were playing the same song instead of playing over each other. By the end of dinner Danny as ready to strangle someone. One of the younger kids was throwing a tantrum, Alexandra and Delilah were at each other's throats, the music was at an unbearably loud volume, and Gran-Gran just sat there smiling like this was completely normal. Dinner never seemed to come to an official end either, people just started to leave. By the time Delilah stormed out dragging Danny with there were only ten other people in the room.
"I'm going to grab a book on Halfas for you then we are leaving." She grumbled.
She stomped her way to the library only stopping to grind out a 'stay put' to Danny after making him sit down in the pit. Then she disappeared in the bookshelves leaving Danny all by himself.
"So-" a voice that Danny recognized from dinner started "Your Delilah's brother? Huh, you know if you let anything happen to her, I will have to kill you?" He said dead serious "Name's Gordon, residential big bro, and I've been watching over her since she showed up at the door."
"Um, hi to you too." Danny said rolling his eyes. Gordon wasn't very tall, shorter than Danny was by at least half a foot and he looked like a kid: younger than thirteen without a doubt. Despite this he was a bit muscular and well toned. He had short floppy hair that matched Jazz's in color and unnatural, metallic gray eyes.
"Gordon, you little shit go away; Alexandra left a bad taste in my mouth and if anyone gives me any more bullshit imma shove it down their throat." Delilah growled with ten old, leather books and a leather bag in her arms. "It's time to leave anyway."
She never once looked back to see if Danny followed. Delilah made a beeline for the third floor where there was a second door to her lair and ignored Danny's protests about coming that way to begin with. After shoving Danny out of her room with only three of the ten books no one saw or heard from her the rest of the night and her bitter attitude lasted into the morning. By the time the evening came the next day she still was barely talking.