A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone! And, really, we're supposed to celebrate Christmas for twelve days (which is WHAT the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' really means—They're the twelve days AFTER Christmas, NOT the twelve 'commercial' days before Christmas). So, Happy FIRST day of Christmas, even if my true love didn't send me anything but, well, love! Just some more interesting blather for ya just the same! And I still DNOAC except, of course, the ghost animals and the new human couple! SO, without much ado, here is Chapter 15 coming at ya! Enjoy!
TrueHeart—Chapter 15—Changing Course
The fiery, red blank eyes of the lynx finally ebbed, slowly revealing the brown, dazed eyes of the black wildcat. Derek drowsily lifted his head and looked around, instantly realizing that he was now in a cage. He looked down and his memory cleared at the sight. He saw not hands, but paws... Then he glanced upward and saw Spectra. He jumped up and hissed, upset that he had let his wife and him be tricked once again.
"Oh, I see you're now awake, little kitty," the shadow ghost cooed. "And I'm sure you miss your little birdie!"
"Where is she?" he growled, exposing his fangs and claws.
"My, she does touch a nerve, doesn't she? That's good! And she's safe—for now—that is, as long as you cooperate!"
"How do you expect us to do that? You lied to us!" he snarled accusingly.
Spectra chuckled, not at all bothered by his anger. "Well, of course, I did! You should have listened to yourself and not agreed to go along for the ride at your wife's insistence. Oh, well, that's what you get for being so trusting with anybody, huh?"
This time, the wildcat struck at the cage with his claws. He then hissed, "And you spied on us!"
"That's what I do best!" she answered with a wicked smile. "And I must say that Bertrand said that you and Sarah put on a good show! Even though you didn't succeed in breaking up the Foley kid and his girl or the Ghost Boy and his, it was still very enlightening and entertaining! And, since you probably don't know, Bertrand said you were so good with your last show at the school that you should put on an encore performance."
Derek had a vague recollection of what he had done. But it wasn't enough to really know what the evil ghost was talking about. Still, Derek snarled and struck at the bars more violently this time. "You are deplorable!" he seethed, his ghostly breathing increasing with his ire.
But she wasn't in the least miffed by his reaction. Instead, she coolly shot back, "You know, you really should watch your temper. Losing control like that might be detrimental to the well-being of your tender wife."
The lynx immediately retracted his claws and, slowing his ghostly breathing, said with more control in his voice. "All right. I understand. Where is she?"
"Now, that is more like it!" she said, unconsciously licking her lips at her victory. "Oh, Bertrand!" she said in a 'sing-song' kind of voice.
Her assistant came in, toting the bird cage. Sarah was still rolled up in a little ball in the corner of the cage. Bertrand placed the cage on the table, near enough for the lynx to see into it.
"Sarah?" Derek cautiously called.
"Derek?" she answered, slowly raising her head up.
"Did they hurt you?" he anxiously asked.
"No, they did not," she sadly assured him and dropped her head again in depression.
"Well, not yet," Spectra piped in. "And we won't as long as you cooperate."
Derek grew angry again and seethed, "What do you want of us now? Have we not done all that you asked? And still you keep us here against our will? Why can you not just leave us be? I fear that you have already used us for such evil purposes. In heaven's name, what more evil would you have us do? Was not the humiliation of it for us enough for you?"
Spectra cackled, "Oh, my, such histrionics! I would have expected that from your wife!"
The lynx growled threateningly and Sarah buried her head more deeply into her bosom with her shame.
"You leave her out of this!" the lynx warned.
Spectra smiled once more, but it was not a sincere one. "Brave words, especially when both of you are in such an optimal position to threaten us!" Then she leaned toward Derek's cage so that she was looking straight into the wildcat's eyes. Her human teeth then morphed into fangs. She bared them threateningly, and narrowing her eyes with anger, growled, "But I haven't the slightest intention to leave her out of this. In fact, she is now the key to my newest plans!"
She nodded to Bertrand and he morphed back into the large green wolf. Spectra then quickly opened the bird cage and reached for the dove.
But Sarah reacted as soon as she heard the creaking door of her cage open. She immediately gave the ghostly human hand reaching for her a hard peck, instantly drawing ectoplasm.
The shadow ghost recoiled at the sting, and Sarah quickly took advantage of the situation. She soared out of the cage. She avoided Bertrand's snapping jaws and headed straight toward the cage containing her husband.
"No, Sarah, get out of here!" Derek desperately yelled as his wife flew closer.
Though she didn't want to leave him, she obeyed him and veered away from his cage at the last second. And just as she began to climb upward, she was suddenly engulfed within a large purple ectoplasmic ray.
Screaming in pain, the dove quickly dropped out of the air from Spectra's assault.
"Sarah!" the lynx cried in horror as he watched his beloved fall right into the waiting jaws of the green ghost wolf.
The wolf snarled in delight with his catch. But the dove was unaware of her dilemma, as she had been knocked unconscious by the shadow ghost's blow.
"All right!" Derek desperately cried, frantically keeping his eyes on the green wolf. "I will do whatever you say! Just do not harm her any more, please!" Suddenly feeling the weight of his disgrace, he let his head fall.
"Now, I'm glad you finally listened to reason," Spectra cooed with a triumphant smile, just before floating over to Bertrand.
Derek lifted his head once more and watched as the female Spectre approached her assistant. His eyes widened in terror at first. Bertrand hadn't wanted to surrender the unconscious ghost bird. But Derek relaxed slightly when Spectra quickly gave his green muzzle a firm smack, and he promptly dropped the dove with an "Ow!"
Penelope, however, was ready, and caught the senseless enchanted girl in her hand just as she fell out of Bertrand's jaws. The shadow ghost promptly deposited the hapless dove back into her cage.
After securing the cage's door, she twisted violently back toward the lynx. The glare on her face was so evil that the wildcat unconsciously recoiled back further into his cage. She then seethed through her intimidating fangs, "Now that we understand each other, you will do exactly as I say or I will let whatever 'accident' that might befall your wife happen. I am sure you know that Bertrand would be delighted to do the deed. Do I make that absolutely clear?"
"Yes," the male ghost animal barely uttered. Then lowering his eyes, he hoarsely added, "I understand."
She smiled wickedly and said with a slight whine in her voice. "Perfect!" But suddenly, her voice became menacing. "And make no mistake that I never bluff." Then, just as sudden, she calmed, but her tone still had an underlying, threatening ring to it. "Now, Bertrand will fill you in on what needs to be done. And be sure to make it good! We will start tomorrow. But I warn you. Bertrand will be nearby the entire time, so don't think you can get away with anything, or else, Sarah will pay for your—how I shall I say it?—indiscretion."
The lynx nodded in submission and dropped his head in defeat.
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The next day started as a drab, cold one. The forecast, for once, had been right and called for snow most of the day. The sun should have come out at least an hour earlier, but couldn't because of the heavy, dark overcast. Eventually—-if only for a little while—- the sun managed to pummel the clouds enough to lessen the blackness, opening its dull eye through puffy grey eyelids as the uninviting day began.
Danny and Sam and Tucker and Valerie met up on their way to school. The conversation among the foursome was not as awkward as the day before, but it was not running smoothly, either.
"Uhm, you guys, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Valerie said, with a self-conscious chuckle. "I know that I should have sent out invitations by now, but I've just been too busy. I have more stuff to do at my job. You just don't know how much extra work I have now since that stupid Ghost Kid loused everything up."
Sam and Tucker tensed up because Valerie had made that last comment with sudden hatred in her voice.
But Danny tried to remain calm. He knew that it wouldn't do any good for them to object to what she had just said. They were still already having difficulty having any sort of 'normal' conversation among the four and arguing with her now would only make matters worst—and suspicious.
"We're sorry to hear about that," Danny finally said. "Must make it hard for you to have any free time."
"You don't know the half of it!" she said, thinking that he was encouraging her. "If only…"
But hoping not to go into all that right now, Sam rudely interrupted her, "Uhm, you were talking about invitations, right?"
Valerie blinked a little in surprise at Sam's insistence, but said with a nervous laugh, "Oh, right! Right! Heh-heh. Got a little sidetracked! Besides, we really don't have that much time to go into all that."
Tucker quietly sighed in relief. He could tell that Valerie was trying to get along, because she normally would have breathed right down anyone's neck for interrupting her like Sam had just done.
Valerie continued with a weak, hopeful smile, "Anyhow, I know this is sorta last minute and all, but I would like you two to come to my party a week from Friday. Tucker's already coming."
Danny and Sam glanced at each other briefly, before Danny returned a smile to the dark-skinned girl. Sam, however, kept poker-faced.
"We'd love to," Danny finally answered for the two of them.
"Good. Then, it's settled," Valerie said with a relieved smile, just as the same noise that had escaped her the last time she was with Tucker suddenly sounded out from her again.
But this time, since he was just as near the ghost as Valerie, Danny's ice blue ghost sense also escaped from his mouth at the same moment.
"Oh, no!" Valerie suddenly cried in alarm and all three of the friends jumped in response. She didn't change the excitement in her voice as she continued, "I forgot Lancer's paper at home! Gotta go!"
Before anyone could say any more to her, she had dashed off, yelling, "See you at school!"
"Looks like it's time for me to go, too, guys!" Danny hurriedly said to his two best friends. "My ghost sense just went off and looks like that noise that came from Valerie must have been her 'ghost alarm'! There's got to be a ghost nearby! Meet you at school, too?"
"Well, how about we hang around in case you need help?" Tucker insisted, pulling out his futuristic PDA, the one he had 'inherited' from Skultech shortly before the Poisoned Ghost War and Danny's fight with his evil self.
Danny turned to Sam and she already had her Fenton wrist ray gun—the one she always kept in her boot—-on and ready. And both of his friends were grinning wryly.
Danny returned his own wry smile and said to them both, "Hey, I really think that it's great that being this prepared would put the scouts to shame, but since Valerie's involved, maybe it would be best if I handle it alone, OK?"
Sam and Tucker looked at each other, but didn't change their smiles. Tucker said, "OK, buddy, but if you don't mind, we'll stick around-—just in case."
"Yeah, you know how stubborn we can be," Sam dryly added.
Danny smiled slightly, showing them that he was pleased at their loyalty; but he didn't answer them. He quickly jumped into the bushes, morphed into his alter ego, and rocketed upward.
"We'll be close behind. But be careful," he heard Sam mentally say. "Especially with Valerie on the loose."
"I will," he quickly replied to her mind, just as he turned invisible and continued to climb higher.