Whew! Finished! Sorry that took a while to finish; Paulina's POV was surprisingly hard to write...
That was really cool! I posted it, went to bed, and woke up later to find I had nine reviews already! So flippin' awesome! Thanks so much! Unfortunetly, I can't reply to you all right now. I'm sorry, but I don't have the time. All I can do right now is post this, because I have to babysit in a few. I promise to reply as soon as I get back (or tomorrow, since the little rascals will probably wear me out by the time I get back). I figure, though, that you would all like this chapter to be posted as soon as I could get it up and wait for replies than to have to wait for both.
So yeah, replies to reviews will come later. In the mean time: enjoy the newest chapter in GZE!
Edit: It's later! ... *Hides behind couch* Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorr-ehem. You get the idea. However, I've finished chapter 7. It's in the editing process and it shoud be posted very soon.
*Still hiding behind couch* To the reviewers of chapter 5!
xxBakaAkki: lol, I didn't realize it until my word processor corrected the spelling. I searched and I my jaw actually dropped :P Unfortunatey, no, but I guess you know that now, huh? *sweatdrops* Well, chapter seven has something to swoon over ;) I'm thinking the same thing. I even have a song in mind.
Bubblely-Chan: Dang it. I'm actually considering it! Ah well, the best plans are the ones that change...or something like that ;D lol Cool, thanks.
stick fight3: Lol, Thanks! Yeah, poor Dash. Losing to an inanimate object ;D I love those canines...*Hmms secretly*
DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: If you did, I love hearing it again :D I came up with the idea when I was supposed to be sleeping XP I wasn't sure how well I did Dash, but I'm glad I did good! I'm having a lot of fun with the audience, but I've been focusing a little too much on them and it's been slowing the plot down. You knew about the language? You've been holding out on me! Shame, shame, shame, lol, just joking. Yeah, I think those are my favorite moments to write ;D Trust me, Shrine, I have big plans, big plans!
Kiomori: Dash can be a lot of fun. I kind of feel bad for what I did, too, but lol. It definetly helps me out...hey, how'd you know? Er, I mean...Yeah, Amity Park ishaving one busy day! :D
E350: Thanks! He's not one of my favorites-although I still like him-so I'm glad I have him down :D
Trinity Fenton-Phantom: Getting interesting? Psh. It was alway interesting ;D jk. lol, that'd kill him! ...Again! I haven't decided what to do with Pariah. I'm sure he'll stay in the sarcophagus, though. I'll probably have him wake up though...
Little Juniper: lol, probably not, but I haven't gotten that far, so we'll see. The link didn't show up...but thanks for your help anyway :D thanks!
hawkflyer667: Yeah, irony. You got to love when it's on your side ;) lol, I'll keep the suggestion in mind. I love rock (hate rap and most hip hop songs anyway) so if he does sing, that will most likely be the genre. I don't know, I like the DP sign idea...
Imawesome: Thanks! The humors a little spoiled for me since I already know what's going to happen, so I always get a big, silly grin when I hear about people's reaction. It really made you fall out of the chair though? :D
deadlydaisy808: Thanks! (Love the avatar btw)
PinkPanther123: *Bows* Thank you. Dash was easy in comparison to Paulina. *Groans* Thanks again!
inuyashaxkagome321: Thanks! Updating!
Echoheart: I'm leaning that way. I don't want this to be another story where his secret gets revealed. It would be redundant since it would be at the end. lol, I'm planning on it, actually. lol, a lot of people agree, but no one has suggested Ember yet. Huh.
peppymint: Paulina will get another 'poor Paulina' after this chapter is over *snickers too*
Donteatcowman: Yeah, you catch a lot of things and have a way of looking at them. It's very helpful, especially when I have writer's block. Yeah, I feel a little bad for him. I don't like bashing characters, so I'm glad he is a fan, otherwise that'd just be real harsh. I wasn't sure how I was going to get the viewer's perspective at first, but I like how it turned out. It slows the plot down a bit, though, so I'll have to focus a little less on their POVs. Nah, I like using the cast's perspectives. They're already connected to the world, so it's all the more satisfyig. Glad you do! I was smiling like an idiot when I wrote that (I remember because my brother took a picture). I love it when that happens to translations! Green tie, huh? I'll keep that in mind. I can only imagine Skulker in a uniform if anything...Thanks! And thank you for the review :D
Thunderstorm101: Like icying on the cake, huh XD That happened to me once. I was in heaven...no really, I was dreaming by that point...
acosta perez jose ramiro: The POVs are a lot of fun. I can't wait for the others to come...Thanks. I will (but beware the long hiates that randomly occur).
Lexie: I had a laughing fit after I read tha XD Thanks! Sorry to disappoint, good thing you have this chapter to read now, right? ;D
TweenisodeOrange: Yes, gettin into Paulina's head was very scary. And difficult! Man that girl kills. lol. Thanks for the help! I cleared it up. I hate redundany and then I go and do it myself.
Spectral Ninja: I know! I even searched, but this is the only time. Strange. He has a lot of potential, too...Why thank you! I aim to please. Dash is a football player. He'll bounce back ;D
PhantomMouse1115: Really? Thanks! My writing style isn't the best, but I'm glad you like it anyway :D Yay, fav!
Nimrod the Writer: Yeah, it'll be awesome. Or at least, I'm hoping it will be. I've never done Vlad before, but I'm excited! He'll play a key role later on. I'm glad I have Danny's characte down, but the real test will come later, I think. I'll have to revisit Dash later, too. He was a lot of fun to write. Thanks for the review!
anon: lol, thanks!
Lokoforsonic9559: Thanks. I'll never stop writing this fic until it is finished! Though it will sometimes tak me a few months to update...The tree and the speeder. yeah, I miss them already...no really, they were my favorite scenes to write ;D
ToiletFacility: Thanks so much! I'm having a lot of fun with the different angles, but I have to focus a bit more on the plot. It seems to have slowed down...:D they are in character? It doesn't feel so much like they are to me when I write them. Nah, interesting is one of my favorite words XD Thanks for the review again!
JapaneseAnimeFreak16: Thank you so much! Really, your kind words were really appreciated. I even reread your review to help me get rid of writer's block :D *Chuckles* YEAH he is. lol. Thank you again, so much :D
Ella: Yup. ;)
MetaliHead2x4: It's maybe a day away. Chapter 7 is finished.
Thanks again guys! And I'm sorry about not replying when I said I would...
I don't own DP. Send a thanks to dragondancer123 for all her help too!
Chapter 6
Pariah's Castle
Paulina let out another loud, unattractive sob and then buried her face deeper in the pillow she had cradled against her chest. To get the sense of how crushed she was, she was hugging Dash's pillow…and it was disgusting.
"Come on, Paulina," Starr complained, exasperation in her voice. "We're missing out on what's happening!" Laughter came up from downstairs and Starr looked out the door wistfully.
"I don't care!" Paulina shouted, her grief-filled voice muffled by the pillow. "I don't want to watch anymore!"
"Paulina, you're being silly." Starr stamped her small foot in emphasis, but it didn't seem to capture Paulina's attention.
"You don't understand!"
"Then why don't you tell me?" Starr demanded, sounding more exasperated than concerned.
Because you'll blab it to the whole school and then say it was an accident, just like you did last week,Paulina thought venomously. "Just go watch it by yourself, Starr!" she yelled instead.
"You know I wouldn't do that." Despite the supportive words, Starr's voice was dull. She sighed and began inspecting her nails with bored disinterest.
Paulina was about to snap at her again, when a picture of Danny Phantom popped into her mind, but not in a way she appreciated. He was holding some mystery girl in his arms as he looked down at her, blushing adorably as he smiled at the girl. Paulina began crying with renewed vigor.
Starr winced and looked up from her nails. She…really isn't taking this well, is she? Slowly, and with great hesitation, the blonde gingerly sat on the edge of dirty bed. She paused before she placed a hand against the distressed girl's back and began rubbing it in smooth, comforting circles. "Hey," she began tentatively, "it'll be alright, Paulina…"
Paulina snorted unattractively. "H-how? The ghost b-boy's in love with some other g-g-girl who makes him b-blush and st-stammer so c-c-cutely a-and—," She began hiccupping between loud sobs.
Starr flinched and her expression became distressed when she realized her friend would need some serious cheering...and despite Starr being co-captain of the cheer squad, she knew next to nothing about how to cheer up her usually self-assured friend.
"She's pr-probably g-gorgeous t-too," Paulina continued to stammer pitifully. "Prettier than m-m-me!"
Starr frowned and shifted uncomfortably. What am I supposed to do when my friend has a breakdown? Why can't those chick flicks ever have useful information? Can't they make a movie about a dead boy? If only there was a movie out there that told you what to do when your friend's dead crush falls for another living girl!
Starr sighed and looked around the room thoughtfully. Her eyes landed on a Dead Love poster on Dash's wall. It was a fairly old romance movie that Starr and Paulina had once watched out of pure boredom. It was pretty cheesy, but not a bad romance all around. But why does Dash have a romance poster about ghosts falling in love—Oh! Duh!
Starr stood up and placed her fisted hands on her hips. Paulina sniffled and looked up from the pillow in surprise. Her mascara ran freely from the tears sliding down her face, and because she had had her face pressed against the pillow, the messy makeup had all smeared together. Starr dutifully ignored her friend's ghastly appearance and gave her a stern look, causing the Latina girl to blink dazedly.
"That's enough, Paulina," Starr said. It was hard to make her shrill voice sound firm and serious, which was necessary if she was to imitate the movie. She tried to deepen her voice. "How dare you do this to yourself!"
"What?" Paulina asked quietly, too shattered to attempt to speak louder or pay attention to Starr's vocal issues.
"You're a mess! How are you supposed to win Phantom back like this?"
"What?" Paulina repeated more alertly, and with the beginnings of hope shining in her eyes.
"You're the most beautiful girl in the whole school, Paulina! You could have any boy you wanted!"
The hope dimmed a bit in the Latina girl's eyes. "Except the Ghost Boy..."
Starr made a rude noise and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "So he has someone he likes already. Big deal. You could still get him. Remember Tony Shortz? He had a girlfriend too, but you had him following you like a lost puppy just by winking at him! Surely you can steal the ghost boy away from some trampy girl he still thinks of as a friend."
"But you saw how he acted, Starr," Paulina protested. "He clearly has d-deep fe-fee-ee-"
"Feelings for her? Maybe. But he denies it," Starr pointed out.
"I kn-know and it's c-cute how he's so n-naive about his f-fe—" Paulina stammered until she buried her face in the pillow again with another loud cry.
"Look." Starr sat back on the bed and snatched the dirty pillow out of Paulina's grip. She sneered at the disgusting thing before she tossed it across the room where it landed next to the closet. Paulina whined in protest, but quieted when Starr pointed a perfectly manicured finger in her face. "You want the Ghost Boy, don't you?"
Paulina blinked up at her dazedly, clearly confused by Starr's behavior. "Well, yeah..."
"Yeah? That's a weak yeah! Let me ask you again: do you want the Ghost Boy?"
"Yes," Paulina said with an eyebrow raised questioningly.
Starr put her hands on her hips and leaned towards Paulina dramatically. "You've got to do better than that if you want to win your Ghost Boy back! Is the Ghost Boy your dream boy, Paulina?"
"Yes!"
"Are you his biggest phan?"
"Yes!"
"Were you his first phan?"
"Yes!"
"Do you deserve his love?"
"Yes!"
"Do you want to share him with some tramp that doesn't deserve his love?"
"No!"
"Do you think this mystery girl is better than you?"
"NO!"
"And do you, Paulina Sanchez, believe yourself to be the Ghost Boy's soul mate?"
Paulina's eyes brightened. "YES!"
"Then are you going to let this nobody steal your soul mate's heart, or are you going to fight her for it?"
"FIGH—but I might break a nail..."
"Not that kind of fight," Star said with an appalled grimace. "That's messy and barbaric... SO WILL YOU FIGHT FOR YOUR LOVE?"
"YES!"
"WILL YOU COME OUT THE WINNER?"
"OF COURSE! No one can beat the power of our love!"
"That's the spirit! Now let's go get yours!"
An awkward silence overcame the girls as they stared at each other, unsure of what to do after you were pumped up. Below them, their peers laughed at what was happening on the hottest special of the year.
That's where the scene ended in Dead Love... Starr thought miserably. Darn it, now what?
"How am I supposed to fight for him, Starr?" Paulina asked mournfully. She hugged her legs against her chest since Starr had taken the pillow away. She rested her chin on her knees, a pout on her face that probably would have made the boys start howling. "He seems to really like her."
"We don't know that," Starr dismissed with a flippant wave of her hand.
"The bad ghosts seem to think so."
"So? They're the ghosts the ghost boy beats all the time. Why should we listen to what they say when Phantom says that he and his 'friend' are only friends?"
Paulina's eyes began to burn with a new fire. "That's true. They think those two like each other because they've known each other for so long. Like what we do with Danny and Manson."
Starr grimaced. "Yeah, but let's not compare them to those losers."
"Right." Paulina tapped a manicured nail against her chin thoughtfully. "So how can I prove to Phantom I'm a better choice for him than some girl that he's known most of his life?"
Starr was about to comment that he was a ghost and may not have actually known the girl in his life, but let it drop. Paulina seemed to be pulling herself back together; no use distracting her with technicalities. "She probably knows more about the ghost boy than you," Starr said instead. "Like how he died and what his favorite color is. Maybe you should find out more about him…"
Paulina rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Boys don't care about that stuff, Starr."
"This isn't just any boy, though," Star pointed out, all too used to her friend's patronizing ways to take offense. "This is the Ghost Boy. Danny Phantom. The hero of Amity Park!"
"Yeah," Paulina said dismissively, "I know that. He's a lot more sensitive than other guys, but he's still a teenage boy, right?"
Starr pouted.
"Right, so what I need to do is find out more about this girl so I can crush her…"
Starr was still upset about her idea being rejected, but she wasn't about to give up yet. It was her only way to get downstairs and back to watching the show. So instead, she twirled her blonde hair with a finger and said thoughtfully, "Yeah, you could go that way. But while you try to find out more about the mystery girl, the other girls will be learning all about the Ghost Boy. I bet they'll learn more than you even."
Paulina straightened and her eyes widened. "What?"
Starr smothered a smirk. Yes! Gotcha! "I'm just saying. We're missing out on a lot, you know. I saw Ashley taking notes when we ran up here. I wouldn't be surprised if she already knows how the ghost boy died and what his favorite color is. The mystery girl may have even been brought up again. It's a shame we're up here instead of down there," Starr continued to say, falsely mournful. She sighed and rested her hand against her cheek. "Now Ashley will probably get the Ghost Boy instead of you…"
"As if!" Paulina shouted and stood up hastily. Her legs weren't ready for such a fast action after sitting for so long and she wobbled a little, almost falling back on the bed. Starr quickly caught her flailing arms and steadied her. Paulina giggled deceptively to cover up her awkwardness. "Uh, whoops." She looked back at the bed she had been sitting on and gagged, placing a hand over her mouth, a horrified expression on her face. "I can't believe I sat on that! Why'd you let me sit on Dash's bed, Starr? Eww!"
Paulina wrenched her arm out of Starr's grip and began stomping out the door, her head held high and her shoulders thrown back confidently. She stopped at the doorway and looked over her shoulder with a scowl. "What are you waiting for, Starr? We have to go protect my Ghost Boy from all those worthless bakas!"
Starr grinned triumphantly. She's back! Yes! I am such a good friend! Now we can finish the show and—Oh shoot…
"Wait, Paulina! Your make-up!"
Lance nervously watched the ghosts enter the King of all Ghostkind's Keep, his instincts yelling at him to turn around and run back to the Fenton's vehicle and high tail it right out of the spooky ghost world. I'm a weatherman, for Pete's sake! What am I doing here? Inside that castle areall kinds of ghosts waiting for us. Some of those ghosts hate humans and will probably try to offer me up to the wedded pair as a—Ah, no! Don't think about it, Lance!
Danny Phantom paused in the entryway, looking about as uneasy as Lance felt. The ghostly hero licked his lips and rubbed his neck as he shifted from foot to foot.
"Hey, dipstick," Ember called from inside the castle. "What's the hold up?"
Danny grimaced. He looked over his shoulder at Lance, who was still frozen in place, and called back, "Just give me a minute, Ember. I've…got to take care of something."
Ember's sigh echoed out the doors. "Fine. But make it quick. And no funny business!"
Danny scoffed and turned around, walking back down the stairs. "Funny business?" he muttered to himself. "This whole wedding is a joke."
Lance shifted uncomfortably as Danny approached him. "Is there a p-problem, Mr. Phantom?"
Danny stopped a few feet from him and rubbed his neck. "Well, to be honest, I don't really want to go in there, Mr. Thunder. It's full of my enemies, after all. Not to mention they're going to march me off to my doom…But I'm guessing you have more of an issue going in there than I do?"
Lance gulped. "You can smell my fear right now?" he asked him in a shaky whisper.
For some reason, Danny began to laugh, as if Lance's question was funny. "Oh," he gasped, "no, Mr. Thunder. I can't. You look scared, though. Your body's shaking, you're as pale as a ghost—which is kind of ironic, considering, and if I didn't know any better, I'd swear you thought you were about to be eaten."
Lance just stared at him.
"Oh." Danny shifted on his feet again. His hand reached up to rub his neck once more in what Lance was starting to see as a nervous habit. "Well, you know, Mr. Thunder, they aren't going to hurt you because of the—"
"The truce?" Lance interrupted him harshly, surprising the hero into dropping his arm. "Yeah, I've heard you say so before." Danny looked up at him with a confused frown, but something had occurred to Lance, and he wasn't going to take one step further towards the hellhole until he received his answers. "But may I ask you, Mr. Phantom, what exactly does that mean for me? I, as you can plainly see, am not a ghost. I am a human. Does the truce extend to humans?"
"…No."
"It's only for ghosts?"
"…I think so, yeah."
"Then how is this truce supposed to keep the ghosts inside that castle from serving me as the main course for their special wedding?"
Danny lowered his head a little so that his bangs covered his eyes. "…It's not."
Lance tensed and his body started shaking like he was in the middle of a hurricane—and he would know. "Oh. I s-see." He was ready to break down right then and there, in front of Amity Park itself and the hero that protected it. Why did I even ask?
Danny raised his head again. He looked Lance straight in the eyes, and like the eye contact had done back in the Specter Speeder, Lance felt himself calming down and listening to the firm voice without question. "No, the truce doesn't protect you, Mr. Thunder, but I do. The ghosts are aware that I protect Amity Park and all its citizens, and in some weird ways, they recognize that I won't tolerate them hurting you. Truce or no truce, they know that if they threaten you, they'll have me to deal with, and trust me, I can pack a punch." He smiled a half smile and shrugged. "If they threaten you, I'll attack them. Both the ghost and I will be in direct violation of the truce and Walker will take action."
"You'll risk getting thrown in ghost jail to help me?" Lance asked in awe.
Danny blushed and laughed in embarrassment. "Ah, geez, don't say it like that. It's not a big deal really. I owe Walker a thousand years in jail—well, actually, I think it's more than that now. But until he figures out how to detain me, I have got a get out of jail free card!" He hooked his hands behind his head and smiled goofily at Lance. "So you see: nothing to worry about! Just stay close to me and I promise I'll keep the ghosts from doing unthinkable things to you."
Lance did actually feel better after Danny's reassurance. He still didn't feel relaxed or chipper about going inside a place filled to the brim with ghosts, but he didn't feel doomed either. He returned a smaller smile to Danny, which made the teen grin wider. "Uh, thank you, Mr. Phantom."
"No problem, Mr. Thunder, but I'd appreciate it if you'd start calling me Danny."
"I'll try, Mr. Phantom."
"Great job, Lance! That was amazing! I got chills! How'd you ever think of bringing out Phantom's hero side like that?"
Leave me alone, woman, Lance thought miserably. He was about to open his mouth to ask Danny something, when loud barking came from inside the castle.
"AHH!" Ember yelled from inside. "Phantom! Get your butt back in here and control your stupid mutt!"
Loud growling that steadily deepened reached Lance's and Danny's ears.
"PHANTOM!" all the ghosts shouted.
Danny laughed. "Ah, I love that dog." He turned around and walked calmly up the steps once more. "Cujo," he called lazily, smiling widely. "Here boy. Don't eat those ghosts or they'll give you indigestion. Cu-jo, here boy."
Lance looked one last time at the Specter Speeder before he raced after Danny.
Where Danny walked in without hesitation, Lance paused on the threshold of the ancient building. Inside, there were no lights; it was pitch black in the castle hallway. He could see Danny glowing against the darkness; the Ghost Boy was chuckling softly as he calmed his large dog down. Skulker and Walker were glaring at Cujo while the other ghosts were plastered against a wall. Wulf stood off to the side, looking confused—or as confused as a fuzzy-faced wolf man can look.
Cujo finally reverted to his puppy form and barked up at Danny, wagging his tail. Danny chuckled one last time and bent down to pick the puppy up. He looked over at Lance and raised an arm, beckoning him over.
Lance sighed and walked into the ghost's domain. The ghosts spared him looks ranging from hostile (Walker), annoyed (Skulker), to sympathetic (Dora). Lance smiled timidly at them, but they had already turned away.
"Are we going to have a problem keeping that dog under control?" Walker asked Danny, who was currently being licked in the face by an excited ghost puppy.
Danny pulled his face away from Cujo and rolled his eyes at the warden. "Loosen up, Walker. It's not like he can trash the place singlehandedly…I think."
"You best hope not, Dipstick," Ember stated threateningly.
Danny shrugged. "Eh. Whatever. Let's just get going before we—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the giant iron doors suddenly began to shut, creaking on hinges that hadn't been oiled in who-knows how long. Lance and Danny spun around and watched the doors steadily began to close them in darkness, the small amount of light the Ghost Zone had been providing dissipating. Danny stepped forward, a hand reaching out towards the doors as if he wanted to stop them. The doors ignored him and closed by themselves, a loud boom ringing in their ears with finality.
Lance screamed.
Danny grimaced.
The ghosts laughed.
Paulina fixed her hair one last time. When she was sure it was back up to standard, she squared her shoulders, plastered on a too-good-for-you smile, and walked primly down the stairs. Her shoes made little clip-clop noises as they hit the hardwood, alerting the party-goers below to her presence. Despite them being aware of her coming, only a few boys looked up at her entrance. Paulina wasn't too bothered by their lack of attention, though she wasn't exactly thrilled either. The boys who looked up smiled sweetly at her, hoping to catch her eye and be a rebound guy or some other stupid thing like that.
Paulina turned her nose up at them. There was only one guy good enough for her, and he wasn't in the room at the moment. He currently had a love interest, but like Starr had said, she could easily steal him back. She just had to research and make sure no other girl was making their own moves on him. Her little lapse in self-confidence had left the field wide open for all kinds of unworthy nobodies, and her Ghost Boy deserved better than them.
Paulina spotted Ashley standing behind the couch and glared. The ex-popular girl had a pad of paper she was writing in, just like Starr had said. Judging by the wide, excited grin on her face, she had, apparently, found out a lot about the Ghost Boy. Paulina glanced around the room and realized Ashley wasn't the only one taking notes. Almost everybody was. They knew more about the Ghost Boy than she did! No! How could I have let this happen?
She was about to say something she was sure would garner some attention, but a wonderful voice reached her ears before she could.
"Was that really necessary?"
Paulina barely restrained a squeal at the sound of her Ghost Boy's voice. She lost interest in the people around her and zeroed in on the television…only to be disappointed. The screen was blank.
"Hey," she complained. "What happened?"
"Shh," the crowed whispered. They were all leaning towards the TV, their eyes staring into the blank nothingness intently.
"Must you blame us for everything, Dipstick?" Ember's voice demanded angrily. "We don't have any control over what this creepy place does!"
"I know that, Ember," Danny Phantom's voice said, sounding as annoyed as she was. "It was a rhetorical question."
"Retorcal?" Youngblood asked. "What does that even mean?"
Paulina blushed and looked nervously around her. Youngblood was only visible to people who were kids or who thought they weren't adults. It would be very bad for her image if people found out she could see the kid-like ghost. Although, if Phantom saw him too, was it really so bad…?
"Rhetorical, Youngblood," Phantom corrected, his voice laced with a little exasperation, "and it means it's a question for the sake of a question, or something like that."
"W-what a-a-bout the l-l-lights?" Lance's voice questioned.
Just then, what sounded like a rush of wind flowed through the speakers and torches roared to life, illuminating the castle and allowing the teenagers to see the ghosts once again. The specters' audience gasped and stared at the medieval castle in shock and fascination.
The ghosts were located in a relatively wide hallway. On either side of them were empty cases of armor with sharp pointy objects—also called weapons—held close against them. After every other armor, a torch was placed, the supernatural fire burning merrily as if it had been doing so for centuries.
Danny Phantom blinked and spun around in a circle, his mouth in a small 'O' that was very endearing to Paulina. The firelight from the torches lit up his face and caught in his eyes, making his neon irises dance beautifully. An orange halo was created in his snow white hair and Paulina could easily picture him in the sunset, with her, on the beach...
Paulina sighed dreamily and slowly sat down on the arm of the couch a jock hastily vacated.
"Impressed, Ghost Child?" Skulker asked, his voice sounding smug.
Paulina came out of her Phantom-induced stupor and looked at the other ghosts on the screen. Her eyes narrowed competitively on the Ember McClain, the rock star ghost. If there was one ghost who would be a tough rival for Phantom's heart, it was Ember McClain. After all, who could compete with a hot pop star? And if Paulina wasn't mistaken, she had seen some jealousy come from the ghost.
Phantom's mouth closed and he turned to face the ghosts again, an arrogant smirk on his face. "Nah, Skulker. I'm just amazed to see how much this place hasn't changed."
The ghosts gawked at him, causing the Ghost Boy's smirk to grow. Paulina and the other teenagers began to smirk as well, pleased to see their hero stun his enemies.
"You remember it?" Ember asked, sounding surprised. "From the Pariah incident?"
"Well, it was one of my hardest battles, but no." Phantom shrugged. "I remember this place from the 'Fright Knight incident'."
"Fright Knight incident?" Skulker questioned.
"Two Halloweens ago, I came here and I, uh…accidentally released the Fright Knight." Phantom chuckled sheepishly and rubbed his neck.
Most of the ghosts groaned and rolled their eyes. Dora smiled and said teasingly, "You cause a lot of trouble, don't you, Sir Phantom?" Paulina wasn't sure if the princess was a threat to the ghost boy's heart or not. They seemed to be only friends, but she was a princess…
"May-be…" Phantom smiled again. "But I always fix things, don't I?"
The new ghost that looked like a jailor growled and grumbled something to himself, Skulker snorted but had a small grin on his face, Ember and Desiree rolled their eyes, and the…wolfman let his tongue loll out of his mouth.
"Anyway, we should get going to the wedding, right?" the Ghost Boy asked. He didn't wait for an answer and instead spun around and began walking down the hall.
The ghosts followed them calmly, leaving Lance behind. The weatherman-turned-cameraman gasped and hurried to catch up to them.
"Do you even know where you're going, Ghost Child?" Skulker demanded.
"No, not really, but I figure I'll eventually reach the party." He smiled over his shoulder at them and Paulina giggled at how charming her Ghost Boy looked.
"We're not going to the wedding party yet, Dipstick," Ember reminded. "We're going to get you cleaned up."
Phantom grimaced and his shoulders sagged. "I was hoping you had changed your mind about that," he said miserably.
Paulina's lips puckered. Wait. What are they talking about?
"You know," Starr whispered slowly, "we would know what they were talking about if you hadn't ruined your make-up."
Paulina scowled at her. "Well, if you had fixed it faster, we would have been down here sooner!" she retorted quietly.
Starr huffed, but didn't comment.
"With the way you look now, dipstick, I wouldn't count on that," Ember said, a small smirk of her own now on her face. Phantom sulkily continued walking down the hall.
A teenage boy standing behind the couch cleared his throat and leaned over the back towards the two A-list girls. He smiled a smile he probably thought was charming and said, "I could tell you what's been going on, if you want."
Starr made a disgusted noise and was about to tell the teenager off when Paulina suddenly smiled flirtatiously. She leaned towards the boy as well so only a few inches separated them. The boy blushed hotly and his smile turned nervous, evidently new to flirting with popular, hot girls.
"Oh yeah?" Paulina asked softly, openly running her eyes over the boy's body. "Would you please? I would so love to hear what has been happening to the Ghost Boy…"
The boy's blush got redder and he opened his mouth to speak. A squeak came out and he cleared his throat again. "Uh, well, see, Phantom doesn't, uh, look his best so the girl ghosts, uh—"
A large hand suddenly shoved the boy's face, causing him to fall back with a loud cry of surprise.
"Shh!" the crowd hissed.
The girls barely spared the fallen boy a glance and instead looked at Kwan who had been the one to push the teenager over.
He smiled at them and whispered, "His voice was getting on our nerves."
Paulina smirked and Starr asked, "Our?"
"The birthday boy finally showed up," he explained, jerking his thumb behind him.
Paulina blinked and looked around the big jock to the one sitting beside him. Dash was on the edge of his seat, staring at the screen with wide, excited eyes, clearly entranced. "Oh," Paulina said impassively, "I hadn't noticed."
Dash glanced at her before he looked back at the TV. "I barely noticed you too, Paulina."
Paulina huffed.
"Anyway," Kwan said to prevent a fight, "Not much has happened, but right now, Danny Phantom is being marched to his doom, as he put it once before."
Paulina gasped and looked frantically at the TV. "He's what?"
"I'm pretty sure he was just being sarcastic," Kwan assured quickly. "They're really just taking him to get cleaned up and into a tuxedo."
Paulina pictured her Ghost Boy in a tux and smiled dreamily. She studied Phantom again and noticed how messy he looked, but that just gave him a wild appearance that was oddly attractive to her, especially with the tree bark in his hair. Like a ghostly Tarzan…
"…walking for a while," Phantom's voice was saying, sounding tired. "Are we almost there yet?"
"You're not very big on patience, are you, whelp?" Skulker asked.
"Nope," Phantom replied cheekily.
"We're almost there, Sir Phantom," Dora assured calmly.
"How close is 'almost there'?" Phantom asked.
"Five feet," Ember answered.
"What?"
"See that door five feet away?" Ember asked slowly, pronouncing each syllable as if Phantom wasn't smart enough to keep up. She pointed a finger at a door that was designed with green fire. "Go in there and you'll have reached your destination."
Phantom glared at her and Paulina did the same. How dare she treat the Ghost Boy like he's stupid! He's probably the smartest guy around!
"I'm not stupid, Ember," Phantom claimed and Paulina grinned at having the same thoughts as her 'soul mate'. He walked ahead of their small crowd and pushed the door open. "All you had to do was tell me what door was—Holy hell! Danielle?"
Paulina jolted. "Danielle?" she squeaked. "Who the hell is Danielle?"
"Shut up!" her peers yelled.
Paulina gasped and stared around her in shock. She had never been told to shut up before…
Starr scowled at the crowd. She grabbed Paulina's shoulder and pulled it, turning her away from the teenage population. "It's alright, Paulina," she whispered scornfully, still glaring at the teens. "They're just caught up in the moment and want to know who this…Danielle person is, too."
She's probably the ghost boy's 'friend', Paulina thought miserably as she stared at the screen. Lance Thunder seemed to be battling within himself to either push his way through the ghosts to see what was happening or stay where he was and wait for the ghosts to get out of his way. Paulina scowled. Oh just go already, you coward! I have to know who this Danielle person is!
Don't you all just want to kill me now? lol, sorry. I had to! It was just screaming to be a cliffhanger! There's only one person who know what's going to happen, and that's because they gave me the idea ;D
Hopefully, an update will be sooner. However, after I get the next chapter up, this story is going to take a back seat to my other story. That one is coming to a close, so I'm going to need to focus on it more. The good knews is that after I finish it, this one will be my top priority! It won't go on hiatus or anything; the updates will just be slower.
Next chapter we meet Danielle, force Danny to get cleaned up, and get a surprise visit from...
What, you really think I'd spoil it? ;D
...Shoot, now I have to go babysit. I'll be back to reply to the old reviews soon!
Until next time! Thanks for reading and leave a review if you can! Hope this one was as much fun, even if it wasn't as funny as the last few...or was it? Urgh, let me know.