Chapter 17
The only lights Sam had down the marble stair way was the candles on the wall. Giving a dim lighting to the not so quiet foot steps of her combat boots. Spotting the bathroom up ahead she looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. Good, no one was.
Lifting up her dress some, she began to run down the stairs. Stopping only to see a locked door up ahead. "Oh great, a locked door." she said sarcastically, as she took a pin out of her hair. This lock, when she was younger; she picked with curiosity and opened the door.
Bending down she picked at the lock, hearing a small clicking noise she pushed open the door. The door was heavier then she thought, so she stared around the basement like place.
Cob-webs were all over the place, it looked like no one had come down there in a while. It was so quiet down there, the dust had settled down on the wall cell area.
"Where is that portal...It was down here." she thought aloud, gazing around the dark dungeon of a basement.
A dull-light and a burned out candle laid on an table. "That's weird...maybe someone was down here?" she thought to herself, as she picked up the candle and the light.
She walked farther into the dungeon, and held the light up the the up coming wall. "A dead end?" she said in a disbelieving tone. "That can't be.." she put the light down for a second, and groped around the wall. "Maybe there is a switch around here."
After minutes of feeling the wall, she found a switch. "There we go!" she said pushing it in as best as she could. The walls pulled to the side and gave away a dark stair case.
"Here goes nothing.." she whispered going to the stairs. As soon as she got through, the wall closed. "Automatic walls, even more weird." As she got lower down the stairs, she noticed half way down there were pictures up on the wall. "Wait a minute..." she whispered softly lifting up the light to her face, so she could see. "Danny's parents?" Sam couldn't believe it. "Why is there a picture hanging up on the wall of them?"
"Sam, is that you?" a female voice asked, touching Sam gently on the shoulder.
Sam flinched and looked over her shoulder. "Who are...you?"
"I know it's been a long time sweetie, but come on...You'd think you would recognize your boyfriends mother." The woman said coming into the light.
"Mrs. Fenton?" Sam asked with a disbelieving look on her face. "You're alive?"
"A matter of speaking, Sam." she said softly. Her hair was no longer the short hair Sam remembered, it was long and had gray streaks going all through it.
"What happened to you, Mrs. Fenton?" She asked touching her on the shoulder.
"Come down, I'll fix you some tea." she said walking down. Maddie, was wearing a long bright blue dress.
"This keeps getting weirder and weirder.." Sam said following Maddie to the lower lab. "Does Danny know you're alive?"
"No. No one knows I'm alive." Maddie said as she began to pour the tea into two cups. "Vlad decided to not tell anyone.."
"Vlad...did this to you?" Sam asked sitting down in a chair.
"Yes." Maddie said looking up at Sam, smiling lightly. "Is Jasmine alright?"
"She's...doing fine, one heck of a teacher at my school." Sam said looking up at Maddie. "What happened to Mr. Fenton?"
"Jack..." Maddie whispered quietly. "Was killed, sweetie."
"Killed...why didn't you try to stop Vlad! I know you have some sort of power." Sam said standing up slightly.
"I used to have one. But, Vlad used something on me. Causing me to loose them." Maddie stated drinking some of her tea. "He used to be so kind before."
"Used to is a past tense Mrs. Fenton.." Sam said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Now his some crazy loon who is going to do something tonight." Sam closed her eyes. "He's calling Danny his son, and I don't know why the heck...Danny is letting him."
"Vlad wants Danny to think of him as his father." Maddie spoke and then rubbed her head. "It's my fault Danny is the way he is."
"How so?" Sam asked curiously.
"Danny...was never supposed to have any powers."
Sam's heart stopped for a second. "So, you mean...he's supposed to be normal?"
"Yes, but...Danny was punished when he was younger..." Maddies voice died out as her grip on the mug tightened.
"What happened?"
"After Vlad forced Jack to far, he was going to quit." Maddie continued. "Jack wanted to get out before the king went over board. But, Vlad got to Jack first and...killed him on the spot."
"That's not right." Sam said softly.
"I'm not through." Maddie said looking up at Sam. "After that, Vlad forced Danny, Jasmine, and I to live in the castle. But, when Danny showed rebellion by not calling him, daddy, father...or anything."
"What happened?" Sam asked in a mono tone.
"Vlad forced Danny, to fuse with a ghosts DNA. He was testing the machine Jack didn't want anything to do with.."
"Danny was tampered with...what were the side effects?" Sam asked looking at Maddie.
"Side effects: Slowly losing his sanity. If only Vlad gave in a stabilizer..." Maddie's eyes teared up slightly. "Danny would be okay."
"He's snapped before, Mrs. Fenton.." Sam said softly.
"He..has?" Maddie's eyes widened. "That's not good."
"Vlad can control it some how, I came down here to look for the ghost portal.." Sam said standing up.
"The portal has been missing since Jack died."
"Are you serious?" Sam asked in disbelief. "The ghost portal, has something that can stabilize Danny."
"I haven't seen it." Maddie said slowly standing from her seat.
"Mrs. Fenton...do you have a map of the castle?" Sam asked determined now.
"Yes, I do." Maddie said going to the counter, pushing things out of the way. She pulled out the map. "Here."
The title of the castle was on the right hand side.
"The Notnefa Castle " Sam said with a look of thinking. "Wait..." she said sitting down. "Pencil, please."
"Um..." Maddie ran over to the desk next to her bed. "Here.."
"Notnefa...F at the beginning..Fenton N.." Sami said softly. "The N has got to be just put there." Sam stood up. "Mrs. Fenton, is it possible. You're the true heir to the throne?"
A cliff hanger. Oh snap! I UPDATED?!! 8D Woot
Anyway...hope you enjoy this chapter!
-Karen Kano