"Jack, if this is a ghost, we're in over our heads," Maddie told her husband. "I don't even know where to start."
His next words were drowned out by a loud, low rumbling, like the sound of a large beast's growl. A flash of pale blue energy darted out of the angry cloud, striking the rapidly churning sea and being absorbed into its surface. The two bewildered ghost hunters watched fearfully as the water seemed to stop moving, thin webs of light freezing it in place.
"What is that?" Jack whispered, his voice far softer than Maddie had ever heard it. She shook her head; she didn't know either.
With another near-blinding blaze of energy, the water began to move. Slowly, at first, but it quickly began to get more purposeful, as if it were alive. The water surged upwards powerfully, defying all laws of gravity as it took on a wet, luminescent form. With a roar like the screams of the drowning, it took on what Maddie assumed to be it's final shape, and paused again. The surface of its enormous body- at least the size of the Fenton Works building- flowed constantly, like miniature waterfalls. Chills ran down Maddie's back as she realized what had made the creature pause.
It had seen them.
DPDPDPDP
Danny drifted down from Sam's bedroom with a giddy expression on his face. He felt light, lighter than he had since… whatever had happened the night before. The fire that continually burned inside of him because of his new power had subsided. He guessed that this was because of Sam, but… there was a strange feeling of foreboding that he couldn't seem to shake. It was the only thing that seemed to tie him to the earth- if he didn't have that weight, Danny felt as if he could just float away from sheer happiness. He had finally shown Sam how he felt, and, though he hadn't seen her reaction, it made him feel amazing.
"Dude!" Tucker exclaimed furiously, breaking the ghost boy out of his blissful stupor. "You said that I could hear it too!
Danny, his face still flushed, landed beside his angry friend and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Tuck, that was private."
The techno-geek smirked. "Private? Did I miss something?"
"What? No!" Phantom protested, but his expression betrayed him. "We just… talked."
Tucker's grin grew. "Talked?"
"Drop it, Tuck!"
"Whatever," the techno-geek waved his hand dismissively, looking slightly annoyed. "Are you still going to tell me what you promised?"
"What did I promise?"
"Stop it!" Tucker yelled. His frustration was now plainly obvious. "You're doing this on purpose! Tell me what happened, or I won't be able to help you."
Danny hesitated, recognizing the truth in his friend's words. He was avoiding the question, because he wasn't sure how to explain what he had gone through. But that wasn't any reason to exclude Tucker from something that could be important.
"I…" he started, gazing vacantly at the sky. 'Has the sky always been that dark?' he wondered, before giving his attention back to Tucker. "I got a new power. Fire, I think."
"Yes," the boy sighed. "You already said that, but why do you think your fire is blue?"
"It's the same colour as the ice power," Danny frowned. "And that might become a problem."
Tucker paused with his mouth partly open, staring at the ghost boy as if he had grown another head… again.
"You said before," he began in a low voice. "That this new power might kill you. Does this have anything to do with fire and ice being… incompatible?"
"Yeah," Danny sighed, averting his gaze from Tucker's. "It was like I was burning and freezing at the same time. I thought I was melting."
"Was?"
Their eyes met again. "It's better now," the ghost boy murmured. "And I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing. I mean, where did the energy go?"
Tucker stepped forward and placed a consoling hand on his friend's shoulder. "We'll figure this out. I won't let you burn, and neither will Sam."
"Yeah," Danny exhaled quietly, looking back to the ground, wishing he could just sink into it and forget all abut this new skill. "She was just so angry, though. And then…"
A loud, ominous growl interrupted Tucker's next question, causing the pair to look quickly towards the horizon. Far off in the distance, strange lightning illuminated the sky and made the already-fragile town shake.
Danny and Tucker turned to face each other, both speaking at the same time.
"Stay here," Danny ordered.
Tucker looked determined. "I'm coming with you."
They glared for a few seconds, each waiting for the other to back down first.
"Let me solve this," another voice interjected. "We're all going."
"S-Sam?" Danny stammered. The memory of when they had last met was imprinted to his mind, but despite that, he was caught off-guard.
"Yep," Sam said unwaveringly, grabbing first Danny's, then Tucker's hands in her own. She smiled at Danny, who couldn't help but grin back. "Let's go, Phantom."
All three of them took to the air, ready for the upcoming battle.
DPDPDPDP
We're in trouble now, Maddie thought. But she was oddly calm, despite the initial chill she had gotten from the water-based ghost, and she couldn't help but distantly wonder if her sudden lack of concern was due to the creature's piercing gaze. It seemed to stare into her, seeing all of her thoughts, her dreams, and Maddie willingly presented the information it wanted. Jack was standing rigidly beside her, also entranced by the ghost's threatening beauty.
"Jack! Maddie!" The familiar, irritating voice broke through the spell, allowing both ghost hunters to whirl around and face their prey.
"Phantom," hissed the water ghost. It seemed to talk in several voices at once, each morphing into the next like some sort of eerie song. "How nice to see you again."
Maddie flinched when the ghost boy spoke. "Again?" he asked, completely confused. "When have we met before?"
The being laughed, water flying away from it in small waves, and spinning through the air like glowing ribbons. "You do not remember me?" it wheezed incredulously. "But I am you!"
The expression on Phantom's face was priceless, and Maddie found herself secretly wishing for a camera to capture that moment forever.
"Me?" The ghost boy asked, pointing to himself to clarify.
"Yes, you," the water ghost laughed. "I am your thoughts, your memories, your wishes, your dreams. I know everyone you do," Somehow, the water seemed to form a face. Maddie shuddered when it grinned at her. "I know all your names."
AN:
Hey! pale-blue11 here!
Deborahpflover and I had a strange 3-5 conversations last night… at the same time… email after email! It was so fun! :D Anyway, we decided that I should somehow incorporate the words "I know all your names" into this chapter because of one of the more… interesting… emails :P
And guess what she found in one of the Danny Phantom episodes?! There's a background character called Sarah! She has orangeish hair! :D MY name is Sarah and I have orange hair! No kidding- her name is Sarah! AH! It's so exciting! :D Thank you, thank you, thank you Deborah!
So… huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and/or followed this story! Only two reviews for that last chapter… :( So a BIG thank you to those people! ataylor8 and Deborahpflover
I'm not forgetting everyone who reviewed before then, so there'll be a big thank you at the very end of this story :)
And please review, favourite and/or follow this chapter! I'd really like to hear what you think-especially since it's getting to the end :)
Have a nice week!
pale-blue11