The Scarlet Ibis
Camp Trip
Part one

"Okay, remind me again... why we're going on this trip?" Melissa's annoyed voice echoed through Danny's ear, once again. He groaned and glanced over at her. They were both currently seated together on a bus with Sam in front of them. Sitting directly in the front of the bus, he was actually quite nervous himself. Danny felt kind of bad because his younger sister didn't even want to go on the trip but after he'd told their parents, they thought it'd be good if she got out more, despite her problems.

"To have fun." He replied simply and crossed his arms, sliding slowly down the seat, though not quite sounding as enthusiastic as the statement required. He was exhausted; waking up at nearly five in the morning on Saturday wasn't something he was used to. The bus they were seated on was not the most perfect of transportation vehicles. It smelled of rotten vomit, and there wasn't even an air conditioner. Danny had made the mistake of wearing shorts, and his legs kept sticking to the leather. Sweat pooled on his brow and he lazily wiped it away. Deciding to get some sleep before they arrived, he closed his eyes briefly before he felt a finger poking his forehead. Creasing his brow, he opened one eye slightly and noticed Sam leaning over the back of her seat. Danny groaned softly and sat up straighter.

"Aren't you excited? I mean, I am! This is the first time someone went with me to Camp Regan!" Sam's grin was annoyingly ecstatic, and despite what she said, he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why's it called Regan? That's kind of a weird name for a camp." Danny asked, giving Sam an inquisitive look. She shrugged and glanced at Missy.

"Is she going to be okay?" Curious, Danny cocked his head slightly to look at his younger sister and saw she actually looked nervous. Looking back at Sam, he shrugged.

"She's never been to camp before." He mumbled to Sam and scooted closer to Melissa, putting his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to himself. "Hey, Missy, you gonna be okay?" The girl in question turned her head slowly and gulped. She suppressed a shudder and put her hand on the window.

"Dwanny? Are there... going to be... wolves or... bears at the camp?" Danny blinked in confusion and realization dawned on him. He tightened his hold and gave her a reassuring shake.

"No, oh no, Missy. There's not. This camp is surrounded by a fence unseen by campers. No animal is getting in that camp unless it's a bird, rat or a snake." He finished, smiling at his little sister. Melissa blinked and nodded, turning her gaze to Sam's cat-like grin.

"Besides, there's a bunch of fun activities to do!" Sam exclaimed, leaning over toward the two Fenton siblings. "There's arts and crafts, horseback riding, swimming, fishing, canoeing... The list goes on." Danny blinked and caught his sister's confused stare. Breaking the gaze she had with her brother, she turned her head and glanced at the scenery.

The deep trees cast a shadow inside the bus as they entered the deeper part of the woodland area. As they had entered the bus two hours earlier, she'd seen a bunch of kids she didn't know, and some she saw around her neighborhood. But one thing that irked her slightly was that she was in fact, again the smallest one on the bus. Everyone was at the least two inches taller than her. Growling under her breath, she tuned into Danny and Sam's conversation as the bus made a sudden turn.

"Oh come on, Danny, you can't tell me you've never ridden a horse before." Sam teased, enjoying every moment as a slight blush made its way onto his face. Missy rolled her golden eyes and sighed, leaning back in the seat.

"Lovebirds…" She grumbled under her breath.

"Well... no, I haven't. But I don't think I'd want to. They're huge! How can any human possibly ride those?" Danny confessed and rubbed the back of his head. Well, maybe not those huge horses, but the smaller ones would be in his area. Sam rolled her eyes and grinned, sliding down in her seat as the driver pulled the bus to a stop. The older man turned around and snatched his microphone, turning it on as he brought it up to his mouth.

"We've arrived at Camp Regan. Please exit the bus in an orderly fashion and someone from camp staff will be there to greet you and help you get settled in. Thank you for coming this summer. May you have the time of your life." Monotone with a bored expression on his face, it seemed he'd done that speech more than he'd like in his lifetime. The driver was a heavyset man with white hair. He had a mustache and huge glasses. He also seemed to have allergy problems, for he kept a bottle of pills next to his seat and was sniffling.

'More like snorting.' Missy thought disgustedly. The youngest Fenton raised an eyebrow at the driver and glanced at her brother, who did the same. Sam laughed at their expressions and grabbed her belongings.

"Don't worry guys. Mr. Webfoot is perfectly harmless. He's just sick of this job." Jumping from her seat gracefully, she began to head off the bus as the others started to stand up. "Have a safe trip back, Mr. Webfoot!" She yelled as she hopped down the bus stairs one-by-one. He grunted in reply and turned around in his seat, waiting for every one of the kids to exit. Danny and Missy looked at each other and quickly grabbed their bags to catch up to Sam before they got lost in the crowd of kids emptying the bus. Stopping when they stepped off the last step, they stared in awe at the scenery around them.

There was about four cabins in view, each having a number above the door. One cabin, Danny saw in the distance, had no number but a symbol above the door. "Must be for the staff." He muttered to himself as he led Missy out of the way of the bus. Surrounding them were huge oak trees, but providing little shade. As Danny got a better view of some of the trees, he saw that some of the branches have been cut. Turning toward the bus, he glanced around it and had to hold back a gasp. A huge lake was laid out surrounding the camp. A wooden dock was placed smack dab in the middle, and he could see some boats and snorkeling gear in a pile. "It's beautiful here, isn't it?" He asked Missy, turning to look at her as she took in her environment.

"Yeah... it is." She whispered and smiled. As she was about to head to the lake, she heard a familiar voice echoing through the air.

"Guys, over here!" Danny heard Sam's voice and grabbed Missy by her arm, dragging her and himself through the small crowd of campers toward their friend.

"Is it like this every summer?" Danny asked exasperatedly when they reached her, sick of all the kids bumping into him. Sam laughed and dumped her stuff on the ground.

"Come on, Danny, don't be a wuss. Let's go explore before the camp counselors show up." Grabbing Danny by the hand, Sam led him and Missy through a bush to where shade enveloped them quickly. They blinked, trying to get their eyes adjusted to the sudden decrease in light only to have their eyes widen in surprise.

"Wow..." They mumbled together, their heads stretching back to look above them. Sam giggled and pushed Danny slightly.

"This is my favorite spot, because of that reason." Danny did a turn to get a good look at the surroundings. Melissa grinned, spotting a rabbit in the far corner of the trees as it disappeared behind a bush. Gasping, she ran after it, unseen by her brother and Sam. The young girl eyed the boy carefully before walking closer to him.

"So, Danny thanks for coming with me on this trip." She told him, a light blush tainting her cheeks. She wrung her hands behind her back when he turned to face her. He blinked confusedly at her bashfulness, but smiled.

"Yeah, thanks for inviting Missy too. She needed to get out, especially to get away from what happened." His voice had turned to a murmur, and he turned away, sitting on the ground, his black hair hanging in his eyes. Sam frowned and whined. They really needed to have a good time here, but having Danny dwell on the past wasn't helping. Sam walked to him and sat behind him, putting her hand on his back.

"Danny, come on. That was in the past. Missy's okay and that guy doesn't know where she is. So… just be happy and have a good time, okay?" The Fenton boy took a deep breath, as if steadying himself, and then he turned to her with a large grin.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's have a good time, right Missy?" Standing, he looked around. "Missy?"

"Come on, widdle bunny!" Missy whimpered, "Don't get lost!" Ducking behind the bush to where the rabbit hid under, she saw the fence Danny had mentioned earlier on the bus. One problem had her worried. There was a gigantic, gaping hole in the metal wiring of the fence. It looked like it had been bitten through. "But who would… be that eager to get in here?" She whispered breathlessly, scanning the area outside the boundaries of the camp. She didn't see anyone, but she could've sworn she saw something move behind the trees…

"Missy, where'd you go?" Danny's voice echoed throughout the forest, making her jump in surprise. Jumping up carefully, she turned and dashed back to her brother.

"Sorry Dwanny!" Danny raised an eyebrow and grabbed her hand.

"Where were you?" Melissa pointed behind her.

"I saw a bunny and I followed it!" Sam came around in her line of vision, giving her an almost stern look.

"Missy, you can't just go wandering off out here. Something bad could happen to you." Missy lowered her eyes, but nodded.

"Sorry Sam, sorry Dwanny." She mumbled quietly, grabbing her shirt with her free hand. Danny had to smile.

"Come on, Missy. Let's go meet our camp counselors!" Sam nodded and grabbed Melissa's other hand, tugging her toward the campsite. While Danny and Sam chatted, Missy couldn't help but glance behind her toward the fence. She felt a chill run up her spine, and goose bumps crawled over her skin. Something was there—no, someone was there, watching her. She could feel it.

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Author's Note: AHH! OMG I finally updated after how many years?? This is crazy. But I found part of this like a while back and fixed it up. Thought I'd just get this in before this story ideal vanishes. Enjoy the first part of the end! Mwahahaha! –cough- Who's the mysterious person watching our little Missy?? The world will never know! (Until the next update!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, but Melissa is my widdle cutie!