"Jazz! Hey, Jazz! Guess what!"
Jasmine Fenton sighed dramatically into a cushion from her position on the couch. "What?"
"In exactly four months, Mom and Dad'll finish the portal!"
She rolled over onto her side and gave her little brother a look. "You're more excited about that phony portal that 'activates' in four months, than your birthday, which is in a few weeks?"
Danny grabbed a pillow from the chair and lightly hit her with it. "I will my birthday was in four months. Then, 'cause it's my birthday, Mom and Dad'll let me go on an adventure in the Ghost Zone."
"You're seven. They wouldn't let you go into the Ghost Zone."
"I'm almost eight!"
"Doesn't make a difference."
Danny made a spectacular whine that sounded like something between a cat's meow and a dog's growl. He crawled onto the couch and sat on Jazz's stomach, making all the breath in her lungs escape with a light oomf.
"Oi," she growled, but didn't shove him off. Yet.
"What do you think it'll be like?" Danny wondered excitedly. "Do you think we'll see ectoplasm-based life forms?"
"Do you even know what that means?"
"Er...kind of."
Jazz sighed. She had warned her parents that investigating the legend of the Ghost Zone would end badly. Now, it was even worse that Danny was so excited about the idea.
"The Ghost Zone is just a theory for where ectoplasm is created, Danny. It's probably just a myth."
"But Jaaaazz," Danny said in that way kids turn a word into six more syllables than it should have. "It's the Ghost Zone! How can you not believe in it?"
"There's no factual proof-"
"You don't know that!"
"Yes, I-"
"Nope."
"Ugh, get off," she pushed Danny off of her stomach and sat up. "Look, I know you're really excited about the portal, but don't keep your hopes up. Remember that story about the prototype? Do you want to end up like Mr. Masters?"
"No...but isn't he really really rich? With bad zits, but it got removed or something?"
"Gah, whatever," Jazz relented. "Be excited. Yeah, sure there might be ectoplasm-based life forms. Hell, there might even be the ghost of Santa living in the Ghost Zone!"
"Mom! Jazz said a bad word! Fifty dollars to the swear jar!"
"Danny, We don't even have a-you brat, that's your piggy bank!"