HSR 12
I sat on the couch in my home that I had lived in so long. It suddenly looked strange. Welcoming again. My parents were going to be here tomorrow. I would leave. I sighed looking up at the ceiling. Laid back on the couch my suit jacket abandoned on the floor my tie loose as I reclined. Things were… new!
Things were new, for the first time in a long time I wondered what could come next, I was scared of the future of what it might bring, but I wanted to move forward. Walk my path as Clockwork said. Keep walking, never stop walking.
"Danny?" Sam peeked in the front door, everyone had gone to their respective houses to change clothes after the reunion. Sam walked in wearing black jeans with black flats and surprise, surprise a black shirt. I blinked.
"Yeah?" I asked. Sam sat down on the couch.
"I'm sorry… you know about earlier, I wasn't thinking." She said. I nodded.
"I know." I commented.
"Yeah." Sam replied, the awkwardness between us grew. Just think a couple hours ago we'd been kissing. I blushed. Sam looked away.
"Danny!" Kwan said coming into the room. I stood up abruptly.
"Wha-" I started, Tucker was right behind Kwan panting.
"Sorry, I tried to stop him but… well there wasn't any stopping him." Tucker said flustered. I nodded.
"Why are you here?" I asked my former tormentor. Kwan blinked.
"Well I guess… I wanted to apologize… that and I wanted to ask… are you... human?" Kwan blushed. I smirked.
"No I'm a cyborg." I held my hands out and marched around the room like a robot. Then I turned to him, "Why?"
"Well… humans age… and I can't come up with a reason why…"
"Why I'm still alive, but still fourteen?" I asked. Kwan nodded, I looked up at him.
"I am mostly human… but…"
"Also a ghost?" another voice joined in, I looked at the door, it was Star. I cocked my head.
"That's what a halfa is isn't it?" Star said quietly. I said nothing.
"The ectoplasm would have kept you from ageing right? Made you practically immortal?" Star pressed. I just looked at her, "I've been thinking about it… and… I want to be like you." Star said. My eyes narrowed.
"No." I turned on my heel to walk away, Sam put a hand on my shoulder. I looked back at her.
"What?" I asked. Sam looked to the crowd of people at the door. Mikey, Dash, Paulina, Spike, Raven, and Lester. Dash's wife and his son too. Dash's son let go of his mommy's hand and walked up to me.
"Hey…" he said. I looked down at him then squatted.
"Hey." I answered he smiled then beckoned me to him, I leaned in close.
"I know you're secret." I drew back shocked he smiled then whispered.
"I won't tell. I'll get mommy and daddy out." He said. I stared at him unsure what to think. The little boy looked at the ground.
"Thanks for saving me." He said then he smiled brilliantly up at me. I blinked.
"Uh… no problem." I said. The boy smiled then spontaneously hugged me. After second I patted his back.
"Ok now, go see your mom." The boy nodded then rejoined him mom at the door who looked like she was having a heart attack. I stood up once more. All of a sudden the boy screamed and ran out of the house yelling ghost. Dash and his wife were soon to follow. I smiled. That little boy was a genius.
"Ghost!" people were looking around scared. Youngblood just happened to float up through the floor.
"Hey Danny, do you- whoa! What are all these humans doing here?" Youngblood asked. I smiled.
"Getting scared." I winked at him, he grinned evilly.
"I never thought there'd come a day when you'd say that!" Youngblood squealed. I smiled.
"Just no hurting any of them, just scaring." I whispered then cracked my knuckles. I then sighed tapping into my powers.
"Fine I'll tell you the truth." I said closing my eyes and hanging my head for dramatic effect, Sam and Tucker tensed. Valerie just walked in the door. I smiled and whipped my head up my eyes glowing red I pulled off my best evil laugh.
"THE BOY YOU KNEW AS DANNY FENTON IS NO MORE!" I caused the words to echo around the house. Dark tendrils of energy spreading out from me. I saw Youngblood give a wicked chuckle. He began pulling hair tripping people whatever he could do. Valerie looked shocked I gave her a wink then she smiled.
"You fiend!" she yelled. I waved my hand knocking them back into a spontaneous portal to the basement where they'd land out onto a giant air matteress. I advanced on the other party goers and I wrapped the illusion around the house and around myself. I grew tall my hair flowing around like some demented anime character, I added fangs for effect and long scary nails. I looked like a demented vampire.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the crowd yelled. I chased them not enjoying it but at the same time laughing my ass off which added to the demented crazy vampire image. I chased them out of the house.
I got to the front door and smiled as they ran as fast as they could away. I then smiled and shut the door expelling the illusions around the house. I turned back to the kitchen area where my friends were coming up the door the illusion around me fading.
"I've always been a terrible actor. Its all in the theatrics I tell you." I smiled only imagining what they'd seen. They all laughed with me. I was back to normal and I joined in.
"Great job captain." I said shaking hands with Youngblood. He laughed.
"Always a pleasure to help my man." Youngblood saluted, Bones came down from the ceiling, I'd wondered where he'd been hiding.
"That was positively dreadful." Bones squawked. I laughed.
"Yes…" I turned back to my friends gathered.
"Now, onto the real business." I said growing serious.
(That face beloved of that child sleeping soundlessly)
We sat around the table drinking hot cocoa. I plopped another marshmallow into my cup and sipped the contents.
"You put anymore marshmallows into there and you're going to turn into a marshmallow." Sam scolded. I smiled.
"I have a very high metabolism." I stated dropping another one of the giant sugary goodness into my cup.
"You could still get flabby." Jazz said drinking tea.
"By now you're probably only drinking melted marshmallow." Valerie commented.
"Pass me another horse hoof." Derek said. I smiled.
"Now he knows how to live." I passed a marshmallow toward him. Angie I think was scared of me. She wouldn't make eye contact with me and clung onto Tucker's arm.
"So… are you really going to leave?" Tucker asked keeping a comforting arm on Angie's hand. I nodded.
"I think it's time to move on, there's nothing left for me here, pity it took ten years for me to realize that." I said looking into my cup. I took a sip.
"So… the scars?" Valerie asked. The room grew quiet. We'd already covered my leaving, Tucker just continually confirmed it. I told them most of what I'd done in the past ten years including putting Ember's hair out with the fire extinguisher when she set off the smoke alarm. We'd even talked about the past, but not about my… weakness.
"I was weak." I said, "I wanted it all to end, wanted to belong to one species or the other, not the halfway limbo I was in. I wanted to feel maybe… wanted an escape… maybe I wanted to see what was on the other side?" I sighed staring intently at my cup, "but most of all I just wanted to die. To fall asleep almost, never wake up… maybe…" I closed my eyes, "I guess I wished maybe if I died, I'd wake up and it would all be a bad dream, Jazz would wake me up an grumpy expression on her face, then I'd get dressed and go downstairs and mom would have breakfast ready. Then I'd rush to school late most likely. Someone would be there trying to take me out again. I'd defeat them of course but I wouldn't defeat the chemistry test or something." I opened my eyes again, "but each time… I didn't die… it would hurt, bleeding that way, taking so many pills, breathing in water, trying to asphyxiate myself… so many different ways but none of them worked." I said.
"I'm still here though," I said looking up at all of them, "with all of you… and" I smiled slightly, "I'm glad I was able to see all of you again." I said.
"Danny?" Jazz asked concerned. I blinked tears out of my eyes.
"Yeah… I'm glad I'm here with all of you." I said. The world suddenly went dark.
(they trickle down steadily to him in thousands)
"DANNY!" the entire table lunged forward to catch the fallen teen. The mug full of hot chocolate fell from the table and broke. The first one there was Derek. He picked up the boy and carried him to the couch. Danny's face was flushed, his eyebrows crinkled together. Sam grabbed his hand as Danny was laid down but immedatly let go.
"He's hot." Sam said. Angie looked down at the boy.
He's not human, he's not human… her mind repeated over and over, she was scared of him, he was different, and weird, and new, but… he was still half human wasn't he. And still a boy. Angie didn't hate him, she didn't like him but she didn't hate him, she didn't want him to die. Especially since she made her husband happy. When Tucker talked of the past now, there wasn't so much sadness, just a wistful remembrance. Angie released Tucker's arm and ran to the kitchen pulling out packs of ice.
"Here to bring the fever down." Angie said. Derek nodded and placed one pack, the smaller one under Danny's neck, then placed the other larger one over his face and eyes.
"What's wrong with him?" Angie asked her voice small as she cringed against her husband.
"I don't know." Jazz said taking Danny's pulse, "Ever since the portal accident it's been hard to tell, his ghost have sometimes messes up his human half too. Its always been a possibility that he would destabilize ." Jazz said concerned, here long orange hair in a professional looking bun.
"Right now we need to treat his human symptoms, then see what his ghost half has to do with this… we might… have to take him to a hospital." Jazz said concerned rolling up her sleeves.
"But is he going to be ok?" Angie asked. Tucker squeezed his wife to him.
"I don't know." Tucker said waiting. Everyone watched the young halfa waiting for what would come next.
(Dreams~ Dreams~)
I stood in front of a door. A large dark wooded door. The area around was white, the light did not cast shadows, just a glowing endless white. I turned to see my reflection. I was in a white suit with a black shirt white tie and black shoes. My reflection multiple around me some almost in negative as I stared around. A figure from the negative mirror, a me with black suit, black shirt and white tie stepped out to greet me.
"Hello Danny." He said. He had white hair and green eyes. I stepped back.
"Phantom?"