I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!

Well, Relatives is back.

Relatives...are back?

Whatever.

This chapter makes me nervous. I kept glancing over my shoulder while I typed it. Which is funny but pathetic at the same time.

Ah.

Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoy it, because IT'S BACK. (:

I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter. You'll see.

Chapter threeeeeee (:

Relatives

Chapter Three: The Reason

August 11, 2011

"Tucker!" Danny's voice was reproachful.

"What? I was expecting a big house but not...a haunted house."

"It's not haunted..." Sam said slowly, still starting at Kyler. A rather wicked grin had split across his face.

Suddenly, the front door eased open, revealing Zane and Nela. They were watching the three teens make their slow progression down the front walk way. Sam was staring at her aunt and uncle, attempting to identify any differences in their appearences. Based off of what she remembered from that Hanukkah all those years ago, they looked exactly the same. Even the clothes.

"Welcome." Zane murmured when the three were crowded on the porch. Danny and Tucker stood on either side of Sam, glancing back and forth between Sam and her relatives.

"Uh, hi," She mumbled. "Zane, Nela, this is Tucker and Danny. Tuck, Danny, this is my aunt Nela and my uncle Zane." Danny stuck his hand out to shake hands with them, but they merely stared at his outstretched hand.

"Please, come in." Zane stepped away from the doorway, gesturing into the dark house. They entered single-file, hardly daring to glace around. Dust blew up into their lungs as they breathed. The entry room was contiguous with the outside of the house; peeling wallpaper, half-destroyed furniture, dimly-lit lamps, a general coating of grime on everything. Kyler was still standing in the window, but his attention was now on the new arrivals. It was strangely cold in the house, considering how hot it was outside. "Where is your luggage?"

"Oh, um, the limo blew a tire out on the way here. We ended up walking the last mile, but they'll bring it around eventually," Sam said. Oddly, Zane did not appear surprised at the news of the tire blowing out; if anything, he looked relieved.

"I will show you to your rooms." He said, leading them to a rotting staircase. Sam cast a glance over her shoulder at the boys; Tucker was watching Kyler closely, obviously bothered by the boy's staring problem, while Danny was sticking close to Sam. He gave her a reassuring smile as they began climbing the staircase.

"The boys can share this room." Zane murmured, pushing the door to a small bedroom open. There was a single twin-sized bed pushed into the corner, with nothing but a thread-bare matress on it. A grimy couch was pushed against the wall opposite of the bed.

"I call the bed!" Tucker said quickly, running into the room and leaping on the bed. Danny rolled his eyes, even though he knew deep down he would have insisted Tucker take the bed anyways.

"Samantha, you may have this room." Zane said, leading her a bit further down the dim hallway. He pushed the door open to reveal a large bedroom, fully furnished with a queen-sized bed, two armchairs, thick carpet, and a desk.

"Oh, um," Sam stared into the room in disbelief. "First, call me Sam. And I don't need this much furniture, let the boys take this room! I'll be fine in the smaller room, they need -"

"No!" Zane said loudly. "I mean, um...please, take this room. It is imperitive that you have this room."

"Oh...kay," Sam eyed him curiously, stepping into the room. He looked relieved about her acceptance. He had been panicked at the idea of her switching rooms with the boys...but why?

"Lunch will be ready shortly." He said quietly, regaining his regal stature. He disappeared down the hallway, leaving Sam standing in the middle of the bedroom, wondering what was so important about her having this room.

"Hey Sa- whoa!" Tucker's face appeared around the edge of the doorway. "Why do you get the big room?"

"Because this is her family's house and she's the lady," Danny said, appearing behind Tucker and smacking him on the back of the head. "This is a really nice room!"

"I know, I tried to switch with you guys, but Zane won't let me," Sam said. She plopped onto the bed, watching the boys as they looked around the room. "It was weird, he started yelling about how important it was that I had this room."

"I wonder why?" Danny said absently, investigating a small closet he had just found.

"Maybe this is Kyler's room." Tucker said, examining the blankets on the bed. "Hey, can I borrow one of these? My bed doesn't have any."

"Sure." Sam handed him one of the blankets, which he promptly ran out of the room with.

"So...uh," Danny said, rocking back on the heels of his feet. He was watching Sam, a suddenly nervous glint in his eye.

"So...what?" Sam said, amused at the boy's nervousness.

"Your family...seems..."

"Weird."

"I didn't want to say anything..."

"You don't have to."

They laughed.

"Hey, Zane says lunch is ready." Tucker said, poking his head around the doorframe again.

They were sitting around a rather large circular table, much too big for three, even six people to be seated at. They ate in silence, mostly keeping their gazes on the plates full of food before them. Sam's plate, strangely, had already been made for her when they got downstairs; Danny and Tucker helped themselves to the dishes of food on the table before them.

"So, I have to ask." Sam said suddenly, looking up at ther uncle. "You guys have never really paid attention to me before. Why did you suddenly ask me to spend the week with you?"

Zane and Nela glanced nervously at each other. "Your seventeenth birthday has just recently passed, yes?" Zane asked, turning his gaze back to Sam. Sam nodded slowly, wondering what that had to do with anything. "We wanted to celebrate such a becoming of age with you."

"But, legally, I don't come of age until I turn 18."

"Yes, well...in the Johnson family, you are considered an adult when you become 17."

"Just like in Harry Potter." Tucker muttered under his breath, earning himself a swift kick to the shin from Sam.

"So...you guys invited me up here to celebrate my birthday?" Sam asked slowly, placing her fork on her plate.

"Um, yes. Now, won't you finish eating?" Zane gestured to her food; she had barely eaten anything on the plate.

"I'm not really hung-"

"Eat!" Zane said loudly, his voice ringing with urgency. Sam immediately shoveled a large fork-full of tofu into her mouth.

Later that night, Sam was having trouble sleeping. She had forgotten her cell phone in the limo, so she called her parents using Zane and Nela's phone. Her parents had seemed anxious, but relieved to be hearing from her. Her stomach had started hurting about that time; she had left the boys to themselves in their room to attempt to sleep a little in her own room. She was tossing and turning in her bed, pressing her hands against her stomach in an effort to stop the ache. She rolled onto her side and groaned quietly. Her eyelids fluttered open.

A girl Sam had never seen before was standing in front of the closed door to her room.

Oh man.

That gives me the willies!

Whatever that means!

Haha, so, yeah. That was chapter three. You guys should uh...review. And stuff.

Let me know if that was creepy/good/bad/lame/whatever. Heck, just leave a period. Yeah, just a . Because I swear, nothing entertains me more than a .

'Cause it's like a dot. Dot's are cool.

...Okay, I'll stop.

REVIEW.

- Tori