Chapter 9 Yay! It's Leap Day! Happy Leap Day everyone! I won't get the chance to update on a February 29th for another four years! That's so crazy! XD
Disclaimer: T'ain't mine.
Enjoy!
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The Soul Sepulcher
-By Sholay
I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I
Chapter 9—Suspended
Danny awoke in a dark place.
Scrambling to his feet, he threw his arms out, pushing away at the air. It was a defensive mechanism, one deeply ingrained in him after so many hours of ghost fighting.
But there was nothing.
Nothing in front of him, nothing behind him and nothing on the sides. Danny spun in a slow circle, sweeping his hands through the air. His eyes—useless—were blind in the boundless dark, though he continued to blink owlishly at nothing, hoping, for a shred of light to appear, to guide him.
When he still felt nothing, he paused: thinking of what best to do next. Deciding, he swept his right foot out in a half circle before him. He felt his shoes grind roughly over a gravelly ground—or was it cement?—But he heard nothing. It disturbed him and with sudden dread he raised his right hand next to his ear, and snapped his fingers.
Silence, whole and profound, filled his head.
His heart clenched and a thrill of fear blossomed in his chest as he snapped again, harder, then stomped his feet, clapped his hands.
Silence, silence and silence deafened him.
"I can't hear! I can't see!" He cried, then gasped and clapped both hands to his throat when no sound escaped. "I can't hear." He said again, an edge of hysteria in his soundless voice. "I can't…" but this time, he'd placed a hand to his mouth as he'd spoken. He froze in surprise as he felt a rush of air move over his fingers. Somehow, this feeling, no matter how slight, anchored him, brought him back to the world. Confirmed his existence. He said a few more things, mindless words, meaningless sounds, only to feel his breath on his hand. He was blind, he was deaf, but he could still speak, still move, still feel.
Still survive.
Holding fiercely onto this small fact, Danny hardened his expression and threw everything else from his mind. He was breathing. That meant he was still alive. As long as he was alive he could get through anything, survive anything. He had to. If he died who would protect Tucker and Sam, or Valerie or Jazz, or his Mom and Dad…
It was a silly pep talk: his 'hero complex' acting up, as Sam would have put it, but it worked. His mind was clear.
He swept another foot out before taking a step forward. Having gained back his determination, he moved faster now, more confidently.
Danny did not know for how long he stumbled through the dark. Every step he took was cautious and his hands mapped a constant perimeter around his body. He kept his mind clean and optimistic, thinking fondly of how Sam and Tucker and him would laugh about this later. Honestly, he was a half-ghost, almost-fifteen-year-old who fought evil spirits on a daily basis. And he was afraid of a little dark? How silly was that?
Distracted, Danny had neglected to sweep the area before his last two steps and quite suddenly his foot snagged on something hard and unrelenting. Caught off-guard, Danny flailed, letting out a soundless cry as he fell through the darkness. His hands caught him though—smacking hard against the ground—and Danny wasted no time in scampering backward on all fours from whatever-it-was that had tripped him, his eyes trying in vain to see his invisible attacker in the dark.
He waited. Seconds? Minutes? Danny had no concept of time.
All was silent.
When still nothing had happened, Danny decided to lean in for a closer look. Curiosity prickled like needles on his mind. He swept his right hand over the ground in front of him. Feeling nothing but hard rock he went further, trying, as best he could, to retrace the panicked steps he'd taken before. Moving onto his hands and knees, Danny crawled forward, searching in wide arcs until finally his knuckles hit something unrelenting.
He traced the object, creating a mental picture as best he could. And when he'd finished, he paused.
That couldn't be right.
Could it?
It was a handle.
'On the ground?' Danny thought to himself. Something nagged at him. There was something fundamentally wrong with having a door on the ground. But a second, louder voice was telling him it didn't matter. Who cared where the door was? As long as it took him out of this place.
Danny tended to agree with the second voice, if only because it presented a nicer outcome.
So he reached out, grasped the handle firmly, and yanked.
A door flew open, eagerly, so fast it nearly threw Danny backward.
And then he drowned.
Sound, foreign and intense, filled him. Light, glowing and intense, poured generously from the deep. Senses overwhelmed, he fell back from the door in shock, throwing his hands up to shield his ears, and squeezing his eyes shut.
For a moment, Danny could do nothing but sit there dazed, his eyes closed.
Then he realized he could hear.
Then he realized he could see.
Leaping forward, a shocked yelp stuck in his throat, he curled his fingers around the edge of the hole and leaned in.
Sound, low and bubbling, bled from the doorway in the ground, echoing deeply, as though from a huge cavern.
He opened his eyes
The relief he felt could not be described in words as the gift of sight was bestowed anew on him. Above and around the threshold was still dark nothingness, but past the threshold was a new world.
He had been right; the sound was coming from a cavern. The hole in the ground opened up to a rocky cave that yawned endlessly into the earth. The stones lining the walls were uncut and jagged, dark crimson light moved in a hypnotic dance flickered up the rocks, creeping up the crevasses in the stone before falling back and trying again. The light came from below Danny's vision, so he leaned closer, right over the hole, to get a closer look.
Danny sucked in a sharp breath.
And he heard himself.
The cavern was very deep, yes, but not endless as he'd first thought. Far, far down into the ground, he could spot the bottom of the cave.
Lava.
There was rock too, in fact, that was what covered most of the ground, but there was no mistaking the thin, softly glowing threads of molten rock that wound and cut their way through the stone. Rumbles from the deep vibrated up the rocks toward him. It was like some massive volcano.
Danny wondered then if he'd be making a mistake by jumping into this strange place. What if he got trapped? What if he couldn't go back?
Then he looked up and around himself. The darkness around him seemed infinitely darker and he didn't think he could stand being lost in nothing again. Danny looked down, into the lava pit and felt a wash of comforting warmth luring him downward. And yet still he hesitated. He looked back up.
But when he uttered a questioning sound to the darkness and felt only the vibrations in his throat, hearing nothing, seeing nothing, he knew without a doubt what he would do.
He jumped.
As Danny fell he felt the soothing heat from below rush over his face, brushing his hair back off his face and neck. The light from beneath him encased him in a comforting crimson glow and Danny watched as the light sparked and played across the rocks around him.
The fall was long, but he wasn't afraid, all his fears from before seemed far away and inconsequential now. He felt remarkably light, without a care in the world as he plummeted ever downward. Freedom was what he felt and Danny let out a short laugh of amazement, and another one of delight when he heard the first.
His feet landed softly on the ground, like a huge, invisible hand had gently laid him down. And as his feet touched on the dark rock, Danny looked up and around.
From this point of view, the cavern was so immense he couldn't even see the hole through which he'd jumped, which suited Danny just fine. Heat rose up from the ground in long, heavy breaths and the air rippled, pulsing around him.
The warm red glow from the rivers of lava—much bigger than threads, he saw now—engulfed his small frame and for a moment Danny relaxed, throwing his head back and enjoying the feeling of completeness that he felt as warmth played pleasantly across his skin.
Then the cave rumbled.
Danny started, his eyes shooting open, when the ground shook and the rumbling grew even louder. He had to steady his stance, holding his arms out as balance, and as he did a nearby pool of lava hissed and spluttered loudly. Suddenly the lava bulged.
An infectious pustule, the bubble of lava bubbled before breaking and overflowing. Danny yelped and hopped backward to avoid the seething liquid as it reached for him. Eventually it receded, but Danny did not notice how close he had gotten to another fiery pool. The lava behind him gave a shuddering roll before sucking in and exploding outward, spitting drops of fire and molten rock into the air. Shocked, he spun around, but didn't have time to move out of the way as the lava landed on his shoulder.
For a second, Danny's world went white as pain consumed him.
Then it was gone.
He stumbled, barely avoided another spatter of lava and looked down at his chest, raising his hands palm up as though to claw at something.
Danny gasped.
This was no lava. Lava did not do this.
What had previously been a bright, glowing drop of fire and rock now looked dull and dark. The lava had boiled before it had hit him, but it should have stopped. Instead, this thing seemed to be writhing and bubbling even more than before. Somehow it had moved from his to shoulder to a spot on his chest.
The thing turned darker. Now it was nearly black.
Suddenly the pain returned and Danny stifled a scream as he felt a burning, sharp feeling on his left side of his chest, right over his heart. Then he looked down and saw, and understood.
He paled.
This thing was trying to… trying to… enter him!
With a sudden burst of horrified fearlessness, he reached up and clawed at the thing. It hissed and spluttered, burning his hand, and an answering growl sounded from the cavern around him. Danny has to skip and hop to avoid another shower of lava. But he did not forget the thing on his chest and, before it could resume its attack, Danny grasped the entire thing in his hand, ignoring the pain, and how the thing was slimy to the touch, and threw it as far away from him as possible.
A high pitched squeal nearly shattered Danny's eardrums and he answered with a yell of his own, cringing and clapping his hands over his ears.
The next rumble shook the entire cavern hard and Danny nearly fell to the ground. Steadying himself, his attention was drawn momentarily to the ground and he saw, with mounting horror, how the ground was cracking beneath his feet. Thick gouges formed at his feet then angled away in all directions like a spiderweb. Danny was struck senseless for a moment as he watched the cracks dig deep into the ground, then fill and swell with bubbling, deadly lava.
A low rumble shook the cave, lilted, as though the foul place was laughing at him.
The lava surged.
And then Danny moved.
He did it without thinking, a split second reflex that made him jump to the side, leap into the air…
…And stay there.
Danny would have stopped to wonder when exactly he'd remembered that he could fly… Or rather, when he'd forgotten he could fly, but he wasn't given the chance.
The ground below abruptly burst into flames and Danny, floating stagnantly, stared uneasily at the spot where he'd been standing only a few seconds ago… now a pit of fire.
A rush of air blew his hair back from his face, but what he'd felt before as comforting and warm was now stifling, blistering heat. The flames spread like a blanket, covering every inch of the rocky ground. But they were not sated. In sharp bursts, they exploded upward in sparks and Danny soon found himself desperately dodging and weaving around madly to avoid the flames.
"Oie!" He called suddenly as a spurt of fire passed alarmingly close to his face. "Stop with the fireworks already! I happen to like my hair the way it is, thank you very much!"
The fire didn't seem to take too kindly to his sarcasm and grew higher.
Danny fell back with a scowl. He looked all around for any sign of escape but there was none. He could no longer see the hole through which he'd come and fire was surrounding him on all sides. He noticed his breathing getting heavier and forced himself to calm down, closing his eyes. There had to be a way to beat the fire, to stop it, there had to—
That was it!
Danny's eyes shot open, just in time to see a large burst of flame heading right toward him. His eyes widened fractionally, but then narrowed. He grit his teeth, reached inside of himself, concentrated… and pushed.
There was a screech and a hiss, and the sound of chiming. Then the cavern filled with smoke.
Danny, looked up, grimaced.
"I've always said…"
The fire was there, inches away from his face, reaching for him with jagged flames.
"If you can't stand the heat…"
And a thick layer of ice, glimmering and chiming softly in resonance with the cavern, encased the fire in an eternal embrace.
"Get popsicles!" And he grinned. He'd stopped the fire just in time. Fully intending to let out a whoop of happiness, he took a deep breath.
And gagged.
What was that disgusting smell? Danny wrinkled his nose and looked around at the thick mist in the surrounding air. The mist, or smoke as he saw now, hung heavy in the air, gathering around him in a soft whirlwind. He sniffed the air experimentally and nearly gagged again. It smelled acrid and goatish, almost like some kind of a metal, yet not. It was thick and gritty and the taste of the smell stuck in his throat and stung his eyes. He squinted. What was it?
He flew up as far as the cavern would allow, but could not escape the smell.
It was overpowering, it made him nauseated and dizzy, feelings that only got worse as the mist thickened into smog.
With all this smoke and fire it was like Hell had just opened up and swallowed him…
…Hell…?
Something clicked in his mind.
He remembered then, the stories his mother used to tell him of religion, of the passing of souls that did not cling to life… of good and evil. Heaven and hell. Of Fire and brimstone which marked the passing of the devil.
…Brimstone…
When he was small, he had asked his mother, innocently curious as all toddlers are, what Brimstone smelled like.
His mother had paused, then told him it would be a mix of the worst things he'd ever smelled.
He'd pictured his aunt's old goats… and the sulfur his parents kept in the lab…
Just like this. Just like now.
This was how he had imagined Brimstone would smell.
And then the world seemed to twist, jerk and wrench out of his grasp. Danny's cry caught in his throat as he found himself suddenly horizontal on the ground. He shot to his feet instantly and looked around wildly.
The fire was gone. The cavern vanished. There was a slight sulfuric aftertaste on his tongue, but other than that, one would have never been able to guess he'd been in a lava pit only moments before…
He was on a street. An ordinary, regular, normal street. In fact, he knew this street; this was where the Nasty Burger was. He, Sam and Tucker walked by here everyday. Danny intuitively looked up to the sky, but it gave no indication of the time of day, stuck in that strange twilight that occurred at nightfall as well as sunrise.
A sharp shiver ran over Danny's body, chilling him just enough for him to let out a puff of visible air. The misty exhale didn't dissipate immediately though and Danny clearly saw, between his shivers, the crystal blue sheen of the vapour.
His posture immediately shifted: stance widening, and hands coming up in protective fists. He searched the area with his eyes for the ghost.
Danny had expected an attack, yes, an ectoblast or a tackle…
…But what he had not been expecting was the telltale whirring of a ghost hunting weapon firing up. He only just managed to jump aside before the area where he'd been standing was turned into a scorched crater.
"Ghost! I have you now!"
"Valerie?" Danny's mouth fell open, then quickly shut as he dove out of the way of another blast.
"Don't you call me that, ghost! It's Red Hunter to you! Now, stand still so I can blast you into the afterlife!" Valerie hovered above him on her jet board, decked out in full ghost hunting gear complete with shiny black and red armor, fitted with a helmet and visor… and one very large, smoking gun attached to her arm.
"Uh…" Danny knew he shouldn't, he really knew he shouldn't, but he could help it. He floated up next to the ghost hunter and cocked his head, a small smirk on his lips. "Technically, y'know, I'm already—"
He ducked to avoid losing his head.
"GET BACK HERE!"
The battle was intense, as all battles with Valerie were. He used his ghostly advantage to zip around and through buildings, but she guided her jet sled so smoothly she may as well have been intangible as well. With those new upgrades, the gun and the suit, she was probably more dangerous than half the ghosts in the ghost zone. It didn't help that her aim was still pinpoint-perfect.
Danny's legs were a spectral blur as he zigzagged through the air, doing tight loop-de-loops and nose dives to avoid Valerie's fire. He tried passing through the ground intangibly and disappearing into nothing, but her sensors were flawless. No sooner had he appeared above ground was she inches away, charging her massive gun. She never fell behind. And her weapon was an ecto-energy seeker. He hated those.
After a few minutes of nothing but dodging, Danny realized he would have to do something. Without warning, he took a sharp U-turn and headed straight for Valerie. She didn't have the time to react as his hand came up and snapped out in attack.
Ice formed around her new toy, spreading and covering the gun so quickly she hurriedly detached the weapon and tossed it, for fear that the ice would spread to her arm. Danny would never have let that happen; nonetheless, Valerie had reacted exactly as he'd wanted. Without her little toy, Danny would probably be able to escape before she gathered herself enough for—
Danny's thoughts were cut off abruptly as a sharp, stinging pain blossomed on his arm. He gasped and jerked back, clutching the wound and staring incredulously up at a smirking Valerie.
"Never." She said, putting one long, metal covered boot on the head of her board and bringing the back of her hand up, brandishing the five sharp needles protruding from her fist. "Underestimate me. Got that, punk?"And before Danny knew what was happening, she'd taken a sharp dive, streaking toward him at a frightening pace, throwing needles ready between her nimble fingers.
Danny yelped and jumped to the side, then practically dropped out of the air to avoid the needles she'd flung at his retreating form. Unfortunately, he'd miscalculated the space of his jump and Danny felt his lower back collide hard with the side of a dumpster. Thrown off balance, he toppled backward over the metal top of the canister, rolled over the side and just missed cracking his skull open on the ground as he fell hard.
Danny groaned, rolling to the side and pressing the heel of one hand to his temple as he tried to remember how to stand.
Then there came an ominous click and with cold dread, Danny looked up, slowly, straight into the barrel of a gun.
Valerie sneered.
"Got you."
And the world went dark.
When Danny looked up again, he saw he was in the bright halls of Casper High. For a second, this struck him as odd… hadn't he just been somewhere else just a second ago? But Danny's head felt fuzzy and slow, like it was stuffed with cotton and he couldn't hold on to the thought long enough for it to properly register. Eventually, he stopped bothering and instead focused his attention on his surroundings.
People bustled back and forth, some squeezing by him, some outright elbowing him out of their way. The sound of lockers squeaking on their hinges and people gossiping loudly around him created a noisy buzzing all around. Danny didn't move, just looked around with some confusion. Did he have class? Wasn't he suspended? Or grounded? Where were Sam and Tucker? And Jazz? Or Valerie?
Danny blinked. The crowd in the hall seemed to be thinning, it seemed like everyone was going to their classes. But Danny felt no immediate sense of urgency—that, and he still didn't remember if he had class or not—so he stayed where he was.
When the halls had completely emptied, Danny took his first step forward. Tentatively, he walked to the end of the corner, scouring the lockers and paper strewn floors with his eyes as he went. Something felt distinctly out of place here…
"Hey, fellas, look! Nerd alert!"
Danny cringed as his head jerked up as the obnoxious voice hit his ears. He half-expected to see some large jock towering over him, but was momentarily confused when he saw no one.
"Hey! Dip-wad, yer late for class!" There came the sound of raucous laughter and Danny realized that the voices were coming from around the corner. Walking forward, he peered around the corner.
Dash Baxter, backed by three burly jocks, was jeering at a smaller, scrawnier boy—who Danny recognized as Nathan from third period History class. They were laughing uproariously as though sharing some unspoken joke. Between their bulky frames, Danny saw Nathan cowering around his books. The smaller boy was sending brief, furtive looks at the circle of jocks, as though searching for a way out.
"Hey, why aren't you laughing, nerd? Don't you appreciate a good joke? You don't think Dash's joke was funny?" Kwan leaned in toward Nathan, who cringed away. The threat was quiet, but clear.
Nathan hesitated, then let out a weak laugh. "Ha… ha… yeah… right… funny… good one, uh, Dash…"
"Hey! Are you talking to us?" Dash suddenly stopped laughing and his two lackeys grew serious. "Hey, nerd-turd, you talking to us? You think you're good enough to talk to us?" The blond sneered. And Kwan and the other jock jeered at Dash's cunning.
"Nerd-turd!"
"Ha, ha, good one, Dash!"
The only one not sharing the joke, Nathan, slowly widened his eyes as he began to realize the trap he'd walked into.
"Hey, nerd-turd, ya think yer good enough to talk to us, hm?" Dash smirked. "Want some gum?"
"W-what?" Nathan blinked, stupefied, then blinked again when Dash pulled out a pack of gum and popped a few pieces out, handing them to Kwan and the other dark-haired jock at his side.
"Yeah, gum." Dash held the packet up and waved it back and forth in front of Nathan's eyes. "Am I speaking too fast for you? G-u-m."
Nathan looked unsure, but eventually gave a slow nod, his fuzzy orange curls bobbing. "O-okay." Nervously, he held out his hand.
"Here." With a smirk, Dash held out a piece, and purposely missed Nathan's hand, dropping the gum onto the floor. "Oh, whoops. Quick nerd-turd! Five second rule!"
"Five second rule?" Nathan was befuddled. The other jocks laughed.
"Yeah, don't you know anything? It's good for five seconds! So hurry up! Pick it up!"
"I-I-" Nathan hesitated. The other jocks joined in.
"Pick it up!"
"Hurry up!"
"C'mon! Pick it up!" Nathan fidgeted, clearly not wanting to, but the boys didn't stop.
"Pick it up!"
"Pick it up!"
"Pick it up! Now!"
Finally, unable to handle the pressure of having three jocks yelling in his face, Nathan yielded, and bent to pick up the piece of gum on the ground. In a flash, Dash nodded to Kwan, who eagerly reached out and gave the small boy a vicious wedgie.
Nathan gasped, stumbled and fell, dropping all his books on the ground amidst loud laughter.
"Aww…poor nerd-turd, dropped all his books. Here, lemme help you." With a sadistic grin, Dash wound back and kicked Nathan's books across the hall. Pages scattered as the books skittered over the tiles, overturning into dirty puddles tracked in from the outside by wet feet.
Nathan let out a cry of dismay, but didn't reach for his books. Instead, he twisted backward. Pushing off the ground with his hand, he lurched to his feet—one last desperate attempt to run. But the dark-haired jock caught him by his vest, spinning his small frame around and slamming him into the lockers. Nathan winced as the hard metal handles dug into his back.
"Hey, nerd." Dash made no pretenses at being nice anymore and he leaned into Nathan, a cruel smirk on his lips. The boy flinched, glasses askew on his face as he trembled openly. "Eat it." And the jock sent a significant look at the soiled piece of gum in Nathan's hand.
Nathan froze. "B-but…"
"EAT IT!" Dash slammed his palm into the lockers by Nathan's head.
Nathan recoiled, and smacked his head hard against the lockers. Closing his eyes in submission, cheeks flushed with humiliation, he raised the dirty gum to his mouth.
Anger, gradually rising like a bird within Danny's chest, finally reached a breaking point.
What was the point of being brave if all he could do was hide?
Of being so strong if he was so weak?
Of being half-human if all he did was fight ghosts?
And Danny lunged, throwing away every barrier, every restriction he had placed on himself, and his powers, for the sole intention of causing harm—to a human—to Dash.
But as he was airborne, the world stopped and darkened around him.
When Danny landed, he was in an entirely different room
Danny paused, looking around in confusion. The room was dark, but on the walls he could make out posters of football stars, there was a shelf, crammed with glimmering awards, a table, overflowing with crumpled papers… and a closet, open, through which Danny could just glimpse the beginning of a large mound of teddy bears.
'Dash's room…?' Danny frowned. 'Why… How am I-…?'
A gust of air blew past him and Danny shifted as he felt the cold draft ruffle his hair. He looked toward the source of the wind, an open window—dark draperies fluttering in the moving air— and in doing so, his eyes fell on the sleeping figure on the bed underneath it.
'Dash…' Danny stepped forward until he was standing over the jock and looked down. Dash's large, barrel chest rose and fell softly beneath the sheets as he breathed and the moonlight streaming in through the window highlighted his pale features. Asleep.
In this light, Dash looked nothing like the strong, indomitable bully he was at school. He looked… just like any other human… fragile, vulnerable… Weak.
It was then that Danny realized the slight weight in his right hand. Looking down curiously, raised the object until he could make out its contours in the moonlight.
There was a flash of silver and Danny gasped, dropping the object which fell with a muffled thud onto the carpeted floor.
Light played across a metal surface, simmering dully on hard wood and flickering dangerously off the tapered edge of a long butcher's knife.
Danny took a few stuttering steps backward, his mind uncomprehending, staring widely.
A knife.
A knife in his hand.
A knife in his hand with him standing over Dash's bed.
What was going on?
Why was he standing over Dash's bed in the middle of the night? Why was he standing there with a knife in his hand? Was he—? Would he—?
Danny looked again at the pale body on the bed. Soft breaths, in, out, in, out… how little in would take… to cease those vital puffs of air… To stop that beating heart, to snuff out the light in fear-stricken eyes… forever.
'NO!' Danny stumbled backward, falling over a box—or a chair, or something—but kept scrambling back on his hands and feet. 'No… I would never… never… never even think of…' He squeezed his eyes shut in denial.
When he looked up again, the bed, the shelf of awards, the table and the closet, had all disappeared. No longer was he in the bedroom of the most popular jock in school holding a kitchen knife. Instead, he was back in the middle of the street. Slowly, Danny pulled himself to his feet, looking around apprehensively. Streetlights shone eerie vermillion beams through the darkness, landing in perfect circles, illuminating the road below. Above, the starless sky was swathed in deep red, a reflection from the lights below.
Danny walked down the road, looking around. The streetlights seemed to stretch forever and mentally he wondered whether he was just going to follow these lights indefinitely or turn into one of the smaller alleys to the side. Danny took a moment then, to look down into the dark abyss that lead into a side alley. The pure darkness disturbed him so deeply that his mind immediately recoiled from that thought and he continued down the copper lit street.
At some point, Danny started to get that paranoid, itchy feeling that someone was following him. He looked back, but no one was there, and when he looked forward he hastened his steps.
Then, a gust of icy air blew over his back, the hairs on the back on his neck standing up.
This time, when Danny turned around there was significantly more dread in his movements.
The streetlights at the end of the road had died and in the darkness, Danny could make out a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Jaundiced eyes.
The eyes grew closer and every time they passed a light it died, flicking out into darkness, there were no dramatic explosions or high pitched squealing. The lights just… went out.
Danny stepped back; some buried alive instinct blaring warning bells in his head. He couldn't face this thing. It was too strong… too strong…!
The eyes grew closer.
Danny turned and ran.
The eyes pursued him soundlessly, relentlessly, with only the growing darkness heralding his presence. Danny's heart was in his throat, blood rushing to his head pounding out their own deadly symphony in his ears. The light just behind Danny flickered out. He sped up.
After awhile, Danny noticed that the darkness seemed to be receding, light becoming more prominent around him. Chancing a look backward, Danny saw that the last few lights behind him were still on. He slowed and frowned, his steps stumbled to a halt. Where were the eyes?
Then a shadow fell over him.
Danny's breath hitched. And slowly, he turned.
Glowing eyes of sickly yellow glimmered in malevolent glee from the shadows not two paces in front of him.
In that second, all conscious thought fled from Danny's mind. Trapped in a haze of fear, desperation alone drove his actions. He might have screamed. Pure instinct forced him to flee from those eyes. Thoughtlessly, he left the safe circle of light around him and plunged headfirst into the darkness.
In Danny's panicked flight through the alleys, he never stopped the think about where he was going. His pace never slowed as he whipped around corners, zigzagging around obstacles, scaling fences. Many times he scraped against corners, tripped on loose stones… but at this point, nothing could have stopped him.
Nothing, that is, except the large brick wall that suddenly obscured his vision.
A wordless sound of dismay left Danny's lips as he skidded to a halt before the wall.
"No… no, no, no!" He whispered, passing his hand over the impenetrable brick, as though his willing it would be enough to open the way before him.
A low, throaty chuckle effused from the darkness behind him.
Danny turned, pressing his back to the brick wall… That voice… He knew that voice! He'd heard it before… but where?
Yellow eyes opened in the darkness before him and Danny shrunk into the wall. The eyes neared, and as they did they seemed to shift, widening, color bleeding away from the irises.
Soon, the eyes staring at Danny were no longer sickly red, but hungry obsidian. Shadows peeled away and slowly, Danny began to make out contours, blurry lines grew, shaping the figure before him.
Another laugh, this time a high, chilling cackle, came from the figure.
A lipless smile stretched over sharp rotted teeth, pasty skin clinging to an emaciated face—a cruel mockery of his own. Raven hair, parted on the side, lay splayed over one sunken eye as his doppelganger tilted its head back and laughed.
A limp arm raised into the air and short, stubby fingers with long, ragged claws pointed lazily at Danny. Then the hand rotated and the creature was offering his hand to Danny.
Danny, clenched his hands into tight fists and bared his teeth. Fully intending to tell the creature to back off, he was taken completely by surprise when the wall he'd been pressed against suddenly just wasn't there anymore.
Danny flailed. Pin-wheeling his arms wildly he forgot the creature completely as he fought to keep from falling. He reached out for anything, anyone.
And then, just as his foot slipped, something cold and fleshy wrapped around his wrist enclosing it completely before tightening viciously and lifting up. Danny's hand was lifted above his head. A sudden jerk threw Danny's balance off and he fell back, his toes scrambled at the edge of the ground but soon couldn't reach far enough to touch it. His entire weight was held in his evil copy's hand as he swayed in the air, suspended over nothing.
The creature's grin widened as it raised Danny bodily with just one hand. Danny looked up, avoiding its eyes, fixating instead on the hand around his right wrist. With his dominant hand so effectively incapacitated, Danny felt unpleasantly helpless. But nonetheless, he reached up with his left hand to try and pry those cold, dead fingers from his wrist.
The doppelganger laughed, a high pitched squeal of nails on a chalkboard, and tightened its grip savagely. Danny cried out as the sharp claws dug into his skin. Inadvertently, his eyes met those of the creature; and Danny couldn't look away. As pools of obsidian drew him into their dark depths all hints of struggle fell away from him. Danny's left hand fell limp to his side and he hung from the thing's hand like a fish on a hook.
A black tongue passed over sharp, rotted teeth and the creature leaned in. Keeping Danny above the dark hole, the creature lowered him just enough so they were eye to eye, nearly nose to nose. Then, like a vampire, the creature tilted its head to the side, opening its mouth wide and poised its teeth over Danny's throat.
Like an outsider, Danny watched this, repulsed and horrified at the monster's actions, yet unable to make himself move away.
His copy let out a deep breath, exhaling hot air onto Danny's neck. Danny's body reacted for him, flinching away.
With a soundless laugh, the creature moved its head back, still too close for comfort, but far enough away not to cause panic. It looked into Danny's eyes for a second, then curled its lipless mouth over its teeth in a sneer.
'Look down, little Casper'
Slowly, with the distinct feeling that he wasn't going to like this, Danny obeyed. Dragging his eyes away from the doppelganger's and looking down.
The dark abyss stretched endlessly beneath him, but somewhere within the depths, Danny could make out a glimmer of color.
Bright, sickly yellow made a sharp contrast to the darkness surrounding the Hound as it paced like a hungry predator beneath him.
Danny yelped, jerked and kicked out his feet, but somehow, impossibly, the creature was unaffected by Danny's flailing limbs, it just stood there, grinning, waiting. Eventually, Danny calmed, and, though it disgusted him, he reached up and grasped the hand holding his wrist.
'What is the matter?' The doppelganger cooed with Danny's voice.
'Don't…' Danny choked on his words. 'Don't drop me.'
'Ohh… So sorry, little Casper.' It purred. And with its other hand, it reached over Danny's head and slipped something long and rough around Danny's throat.
'What is this?' Danny cried, with mounting panic, he saw the long rope around his neck. With one hand, the creature tightened the noose. Danny's left hand flew from the creature's claws to the rope around his neck. 'What are you doing?'
Then the creature met his eyes and raised its hand. With an almost loving gesture, it caressed Danny's cheek with its bony knuckles.
'Your soul will be a welcome addition to the Legion.'
And without warning, the creature let Danny go.
Danny's vision blurred, his senses leaving him for base terror. His mouth opened in a silent scream. His body moved on autopilot. He clawed desperately at the creature's hand, trying to get any grip, but the flesh wormed through his fingers like cold water.
And Danny fell.
The rope around his neck stretched up into the darkness, whipping the air loosely as he plunged through the air.
The Hound pacing beneath him had stopped and it opened its maw eagerly, ready to accept him with rows of gleaming fangs into a black pit of madness.
Danny thrashed in the air, trying to slow his descent but failing. The Hound's mouth enveloped him and Danny's ears were suddenly viciously assaulted by wailing cries. The call of the dead. The voices screamed, begging and pleading anyone to save them from their eternal damnation. But though they yearned to be free, they longed also to drag innocent souls down to share their Hell.
Danny felt cold fingers trail across his neck and arms. He recoiled but there was nowhere to go. He fell, and the hands of the dead enveloped him in their eternal embrace…
And he saw: the rope— flapping wildly—suddenly snapped taunt. The shock went straight to Danny's bones as both the rope and his body pulled him in two different directions. The rope won. Danny's neck arced as the rope yanked him bodily upward—
Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il
Danny came awake with a strangled cry.
Sheets and blackest suffocated him and he ripped them away in blind terror. Panicking, he flung his body backward, and ended up throwing himself off his bed. He fell to the ground with a loud thud that shook the floor. Kicking the sheets away, Danny clambered to his feet, his heart a permanent resident in his throat, he stood there: staring blankly at the sheets, panting loudly, clutching his pyjama shirt with one hand like a lifeline. Unconsciously, his other hand went to his neck, stroking it softly, before wrapping around it protectively.
"Danny! Hey, you okay in there?"
Danny looked up as though seeing the world from the first time. Realizing his hand was still on his neck, he quickly withdrew it.
"Dan-ny-y" The voice dragged his name out with obvious exasperation.
"I…" His throat closed and Danny coughed, swallowing deeply before trying again. "I'm fine… Jazz." His voice was very soft, not anywhere the annoyed holler it would have normally been and Danny didn't need to see Jazz's reaction to hear the concern in her next words.
"Danny are you—"
"I'm fin-e!" He drew the word out in an effort to sound exasperated. "Geez Jazz, can't a guy fall off his bed from time to time without getting twenty questions?" He paused, hesitating, he opened his mouth to add more, but closed it before saying anything.
"That's what you did? Oh honestly, Danny you can be so clumsy sometimes!" He heard the relieved smile in his older sister's voice, and he mentally relaxed, though his hand remained fisted in his nightshirt.
"Jazz… why are you waking me up anyway? I'm suspended." A rope flashed in his vision, a noose tightening around his neck. Danny shuddered and threw the image from his mind. "Sounds like as good a time as any to sleep in."
"No dice, lil' bro', Mom and Dad want you up and ready to slave around the house pronto."
"Oh no…" Danny groaned. "Do NOT tell me they want me to clean out the ecto-converter again." He was still brushing the goo from his hair from the last time he'd had the pleasure of encountering THAT particular invention.
"Nope! Better." She said. He heard a small laugh and he knew this was not going to be good. "After you went to sleep last night they tried to revamp the oven again."
"Aw man." Danny moaned. Feeling the last dregs of terror flaking off him like shedded skin, his hand fell from his nightshirt. Striding to the door, he threw it open, meeting Jazz's grinning face with his own horrified one. "Please tell me you're kidding…"
"Nope!" His sister's grin widened. She had come a long way from the ghost-phobic girl she'd been not a year ago. Just the mention of their parents' 'abnormal' experiments used to send her into a sulk for hours. But now that she'd gotten more involved in Danny's ghost fighting adventures, she found the whole thing vastly amusing, much to her little brother's chagrin. "You missed a great show, there were little evil ghost fish chasing Dad all around the Kitchen. Then Mom got out the Fenton Smacker—"
"You mean the frying pan." Danny interposed dryly.
"If you say so. And she started to chase the fish around. But every time she tried to whack at them, they'd swerve out of the way and she'd hit Dad instead."
"Oh… good grief… save me." Danny put his forehead in his palm.
"Anyway, the fish were unstable, so eventually Mom and Dad managed to corner them in the F-TEC—"
"You mean the oven."
"—where they exploded… So now…" She didn't have to finish.
"They thought it would be a good character building experience for me to clean it out." Danny said sullenly.
"Well, I tried to tell them about the psychological damage that being exposed to such violence could do to such a young impressionable mind—" There were too many smart comments Danny could have made to that, so he decided to stay silent. "But Dad said that getting you to focus your anger on a more positive outlet—"
"They still want me to be a ghost hunter?" Danny raised an eyebrow, his ineptness anywhere near his parents' equipment was notorious. "I thought they would have given up on that by now."
"Well, I'll be going off to University in a couple of years, so they've practically already lost me. You're the fall back." Jazz smirked.
"Gre-eat, nice to know they wanted me for my skill and dexterity." He said wryly.
"Says the boy who trips over his own feet." She teased.
"Oh, just get outta my room!"
"I'm not in your room, little brother."
"Then go to school already! Don't you have some super, athletic slash brainy keener meeting to go to?"
"I don't have anything before school today. And you don't end sentences with a preposition."
Danny closed the door.
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A few hours later, Danny emerged from the F-TEC. Gasping the fresh air, he wiped his sweaty forehead with the only part of his arm that wasn't covered by long elbow-length heavy duty rubber gloves.
"Right then, the oven's clean." He looked at the metal box with a critical eye. Nodding to himself, he stood and swung the door shut, patting the top fondly. "I now pronounce you recovered from yet another Fenton disaster. And officially ready to experience another. Good luck with that."
Tugging the orange gloves, they came free with a wet slap and Danny tossed them into the sink, along with a few sponges and half a dozen rags. They were stained pretty badly from the burned ectoplasm that had been in the oven, he'd have to scrub them clean. But Danny didn't much feel like doing that now. Instead he awarded himself a break for his hard work: grabbing a soda from the fridge before heading into the family room.
Jazz was gone to school and both his parents had left to deal with some ghost related dilemma (though not before giving him strict instructions to clean the oven, study, attach the handle on the inside of the weapons vault (he'd raised an eyebrow at this one, how exactly was he supposed to DO that anyway?) and, most importantly, to stay away from the computer, TV, any video systems, all phones and any other potentially fun pastime.)
But Danny was a teenager. And as a teenager he felt that he was ethically, morally and socially obligated to disobey his parents. So Danny plopped down in front of the TV and flicked it on. Stretching luxuriously on the couch, he tugged down the rolled up sleeves of the old spare sweater he was wearing and propped his legs up on a footstool, bare knees poking through the holes of the equally old, faded pair of jeans he had on.
"Hmm… Now, what do we have here?" He cracked open the soda, chugging half of it in two gulps. The cold, fizzy liquid slid pleasantly down his parched throat. Cleaning the F-TEC had been hard work. Letting out a sigh of satisfaction, Danny cocked the remote.
"News, news, soap opera, sitcom… Fairly OddParents? What's that?" Danny stopped for a second on the colorful cartoon. "Odd name for a cartoon." He muttered, then changed the channel. A picture of Casper High flashed onto the screen and he immediately stopped.
"And along with the strange rash of dangerous activity ravaging the city at night, last evening was particularly eventful. Several stores were broken into, though again, as usual, nothing was stolen and no alarms were tripped. The would-be thief only broke the glass of the stores and tore the place to shreds before leaving. This strange lack of motivation has become the criminal's signature and police are currently stumped as to the burglar's true intentions. The Amity Bureau of Investigation (ABI) has ruled out the possibility of ghostly activity and is now conducting a thorough investigation to discover this person's identity. Until that time, it has been revealed that they will be referring to this mysterious character as Will-o'-the-Wisp, or simply Willo for short."
Danny restrained a snort.
"But the break-ins weren't the only strange events ongoing last night. At about 3AM this morning, Amity experienced an unusual shift in weather as snow fell throughout the city."
"Snow?" Danny muttered. "It's April…"
"And then, probably the most traumatic of them all was the event at local school, Casper High. Though the students were clearly affected, the principal decided it would be best to continue classes, giving the student structure in a time of chaos. If any of you viewers have an opinion on this decision, or even on the event itself feel free to call us here at the station, we will be taking calls all day."
But the announcer's request fell on deaf ears as Danny had long gone, abandoning the TV and his drink as he flew up through the ceiling, heading in the direction of one Casper High.
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Danny flew straight into the school, not pausing until he was right outside of Mr. Lancer's classroom—where he knew Sam and Tucker would be—and then he stopped, still invisible and intangible, his hand hovered before the door.
What if they'd gotten hurt? What had happened? Why hadn't he been there to help?
These questions and more swam through Danny's panicking mind. The dream, like all dreams, had long slipped to the back of his consciousness, but it provided a sense of urgency and danger that hadn't been there before.
If Sam and Tucker were okay… then what? Would he talk to them? Ignore them? Would ignoring them keep them safe? Would involving them?
Danny ran a hand through his hair, snow-white bangs flopped back into his face and he brushed them away with irritation. This was too much thinking. He didn't usually plan things this much. That job was for Sam… and Tucker sometimes. Planning things confused him. He liked to just do what he felt was right, free his conscience of guilt. If he thought about things too much he usually ended up making the wrong choice.
So what was the right thing to do?
Danny didn't know. But when he thought about facing this monster… this storm he knew was coming… alone… It frightened him like nothing else.
He needed Sam. He needed Tucker. They were his handle on reality, his voice of reason, his confidence, his belief. Without his two best friends he felt hopelessly lost. Confused. It pained him further that he was the one causing the separation between them. The look on Sam and Tucker's faces when he'd spurned their concern… Danny had thought he could live with their anger. But now he wasn't so sure…
His decision made, Danny reached through the door, his hand passing easily through the wood, before following with his torso and head.
His first reaction was relief. Sam and Tucker were there, safe, apparently unharmed, and ignoring Mr. Lancer's slow drone as they always did. But when Danny looked closer, he noticed the undercurrent of tension. His empty seat between them sat like a gaping hole. He'd always assumed that either Sam or Tucker would take his seat, were he ever absent. This physical manifestation of the division in their friendship made Danny sad. For the first time, he wondered how close Sam and Tucker really were to each other when he wasn't around.
His thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Lancer's voice suddenly rose.
"In light of the day's events, I think we have all had enough excitement for one day. As such, I will not be assigning any homework—" The teacher had to pause as loud whoops rang through the classroom. Mr. Lancer offered the class a small, rare smile. "Yes, well, don't get used to it. I will also be ending class early for the day but—" The rest of Mr. Lancer's sentence was buried by the scraping of chairs and chattering of students as they eagerly rose to leave.
Danny stood to the side. Though the students would have simply passed through him with them none the wiser, he always felt oddly uncomfortable when someone walked through him. For a brief moment he always perceived this strange sensation pushing against him, not a physical force and yet not exactly a mental one. It was more like the person's very core being brushed him for just that single second in which they passed his heart. The closest way he could get to describing the feeling would be the sensation he got whenever he overshadowed someone else, the bodiless entity he gently displaced to gain control.
When Tucker finally walked by him, Danny reached out and—making his hand tangible—touched his friend's shoulder. Green eyes widened as Tucker froze for a second and Danny made a soft shushing noise. Tucker's head turned to stare straight at Danny, as though he could see him, and he frowned. Danny knew then he was still upset about the argument they'd had the day before. But luckily, Tucker didn't let his anger rule him and he reached back to Sam, tugging her sleeve so that she'd join him.
Sam came up looking at Tucker in mild annoyance as she fixed the short black dress she was wearing. But when Tucker mouthed Danny's name to her, her frown darkened considerably. Danny felt his heart clench at that look, had he really hurt her so much? But he said nothing. Sam made to walk away, but Tucker leaned in and whispered something in her ear. No one passing the small group would have heard Tucker, but Danny's sensitive ears picked it up: "We have to tell him what happened".
Sam looked reluctant, but she agreed. As the last student—Dash oddly, trailing behind Kwan with a sullen look on his face—left the classroom, Mr. Lancer came up behind them.
"Is there something you need, Mr. Foley, Ms. Manson?" He asked calmly while balancing stacks of thick folders, a mug and a briefcase in his hands.
"No sir, we're just… talking." Tucker said lamely. Sam rolled her eyes.
"I see, well, should you end up calling a certain classmate between classes to inform him of the current circumstances, I will not hold it against your record." There was a short silence. "Mr. Fenton has shown an impressive recovery in his marks over the past few weeks I would hate to see that all go to ruin because of some oversight in the disciplinary committee." And with that, Mr. Lancer strode out of the room, leaving Sam and Tucker alone with Danny, the latter of which shimmered into sight with his mouth gaping in shock.
"Did Mr. Lancer just say that… about me?" He didn't know what had gotten into his teacher recently. Or had Mr. Lancer always been like that? First Sam and Tucker, now Mr. Lancer, Danny had always thought of himself as an observant guy, how had he missed so much about this people he thought he knew so well?
"Dude, nice outfit." Tucker scoffed, eyeing Danny's threadbare clothes. The blue-eyed teen flushed, shifting uncomfortably.
"Did you want something, Danny?" Sam's humourless voice was ominous. Danny turned slowly to face her.
"Sam…" He didn't know how to start.
"Danny." She crossed her arms. Obviously she was intent on making this difficult.
"Sam… I'm sorry." He sighed.
"For what?" Very difficult.
"For ignoring you, for pushing you away." Here he looked at both Sam and Tucker, so the other boy would know the apology was directed at him too. "For being short-tempered, for keeping secrets, for everything that's been going on these past days. I know I haven't been the easiest guy to be around."
Sam scoffed. "Understatement of the year."
Danny winced, he deserved that. "But I was going through some things, still am… Some things I needed—need—to figure out on my own. I thought that pushing you away would keep you safer—"
"You what?!" Sam said loudly, and glared at Tucker when he shushed her. "How dare you try to control us like that? We're not little porcelain dolls that can be brought out for your fancy then put back in the closet. Friends are people you're open with, people you can share everything else with, people who are your equals. This… What you're doing… Is something I'd expect from my parents, not my friend!"
Danny's eyes slid shut. From Sam, that was one of the strongest insults he could have been given. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed then opened them determinedly. "You're right, I know. I'm sorry." The lie curled his tongue, but Danny rationalized it. He wasn't sorry that he'd hid things from them, he wasn't sorry that he'd tried to protect them… He was sorry that they'd found out, sorry that they had reacted so strongly. But he could not stop protecting them.
It wasn't a matter of equality, just the simple fact that he could handle getting thrown into a wall repeatedly. They could not.
"I'm sorry, Sam." Danny lowered his eyes, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his baggy jeans.
There was silence for a few moments then an audible sigh, Danny resisted the urge to look up through his hair.
"Oh Danny." He felt an awkward slap-shove on his shoulder, like Sam wasn't sure whether to hug him or hit him. "You know I can't stay angry at you when you're looking so pathetic."
Now Danny did look up, his cheeks pulling his mouth up into a crooked grin. "Does that mean I'm forgiven?"
"Yes-s… For now." Sam returned the smile and Danny knew everything was fine. Next he looked up to Tucker, who had bowed out of the conversation to pursue a game on his PDA.
"Tuck—"
"Chill man, there's enough sap going around. We're cool, don't worry about it." Tucker's nose never rose from the PDA, but Danny could feel the tension fall away from the group. He let out his first real smile in a while.
"Thanks, guys." And this time he did mean it.
There passed a few seconds in silence, then Sam clapped her hand together. "Okay! Now, let's put it behind us. What's done is done and you're not going to do that again, right Danny?" He didn't answer, but luckily Sam didn't seem to need a response, she took it for granted that he acquiesced. "Let's focus on the present."
Danny looked at her. "Yeah, I saw on the news that something had happened here I came right away—"
"You didn't stay long enough to find out what exactly happened, did you." Sam said, exasperated.
Danny flushed pink. "He-y-y, I thought you might be in danger. So… what happened?"
"It was kind of freaky…" Tucker said, fixing his red beret and putting away his PDA. The boy interlaced his fingers, staring at his palms as he remembered what he'd seen. Danny cocked his head at the sudden change in demeanour. The air had gone still. "We were just coming to school like normal, we met up with Jazz and she was telling us—well, me—about how you were stuck cleaning up after your parents again…" It was odd for Danny to find out that they talked about him when he wasn't there. "And then we heard this scream…" Tucker trailed off.
"We thought it was just another shallow cheerleader squealing over some idiotic thing." Sam picked up easily, her confident voice easily sliding over Tucker's hesitant one. "But when we looked around we saw this big group of people gathered around the flagpole, shouting and pointing upward. We went over to see what was going on… and when we looked up we saw… We saw…" Her voice broke off, violet eyes gaining a faraway look. Danny's gaze sharpened; there were few things that could rattle Sam.
"It was Dash's cat." Tucker said lowly.
"It was just hanging there, limbs dangling with big, wide glassy eyes. Its tongue hanging out… Like a morbid flag… It was swaying in the wind." Sam's macabre description made goosebumps rise on Danny's skin.
"I-I don't understand, what are you talking about? What do you mean?" Danny's mind wasn't working; it refused to put the pieces together. He needed them to say it clearly to him.
"Someone hung Dash's cat, Danny." Tucker's grim voice was like a brutal axe. "Someone tied a noose around its neck and strung it up on the flagpole. Suspending it like a piece of meat."
In the silence that followed, Danny could've sworn he heard a chilling cackle echoing in his ears.
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To Be Continued…
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GAH! I was supposed to get farther than that! But the dream ended up being Just Too Long! I think this is the single, longest chapter I have EVER written… And that's saying something…
SO! I have a few questions for all of you! Have you ever had a dream in which you've died? Or one in which you've realized it was a dream? Also, with regard to this chapter's length: was it too long? Did you groan when you saw the tiny scroll bar or were you excited? The response I get for this question will most likely influence the length of future chapters.
Now, to respond to all you reviewers!
sciencefreak330: Hey! Yeah it's weird huh? I totally feel sorry for Danny and yet I can't stop torturing him! It's a good character building experience! (Or so I keep telling myself) XD
Nylah: I'm glad you liked my Danny and Jazz! Jazz is one of my favorite characters so she'll probably be important in this story. As for Danny's parents, yeah, it is a little much for them to automatically assume the worst, but I always thought that Danny's parents didn't quite make enough effort to get to know their children (they do it in small, sporadic bursts) and they kinda feel that Danny should just speak up and tell them if something is wrong, otherwise they can't help him. Danny though, will never do this, and this causes a frustrating break between them. What I think is that Danny's father believes that a strong hand and some time will straighten out his son. Maddie though, has worried about Danny for a little longer, and she is upset that her son is pulling away from her. By getting angry at him, she sort of hoped to incite some response from him that would help break through to him… But Jack sent Danny away before that could happen… So yeah, it was a combination of all those things along with what you said! Also, as for Sam and Tucker, I always did wonder how they got along without Danny, since he always seemed like a balance for them. But you know, I don't think they abandoned him, rather they're just upset (Sam especially, since she just wants Danny to open up to her). Danny too, probably helped by pushing them away… But again, I think Sam and Tucker know that Danny won't be very forthcoming with any answers unless they push him… ehe he, I know, it's kind of complicated, but that was my thought process when I wrote up their actions and attitudes, I hope it helped clear some thing up!
Anonymous Shadow: Hiya again! Long time no see! Really? This reminds you of another fic? Hmmm, I guess I'll have to work on my originality then! XD I'm glad though that you don't find this story predictable though! That's one of the main points I was trying to achieve when I came up with my plotline. Oh, and since I've actually planned this story to a certain extent, I don't think I will be discontinuing it. I am fairly sure of it in fact, since my stories tend to bug me (and bug, and bug and keep bugging XD) until I've finished, or am satisfied with them. So, even though I may take prolonged breaks, (when evil writer's block of DOOM comes around) I will most certainly eventually continue the story!
MutantLover09: Lol! Ok—Backing away from the scary reviewer with the metal bat…(why DO you have a bat with Dash's name on it ANYWAY?! Looks suspiciously at you)—XD But seriously have fun! Anyway, so you liked it? That's good, it took so long to write I'm glad you enjoyed it! For me though, I'm never happy if I don't have enough detail in my fics… This usually makes things unREASONABLY long, but... ah well… That just means you'll have a longer fic to read, which is good, right?! XD But you know, I don't know WHERE you got the crazy idea about a HOUND influencing Danny's actions! I mean CLEARLY it's the Box Ghost, I mean… It's so OBVIOUS! That whole 'Fear my corrugated cardboard of DOOM!' thing was all a clever ruse to fool Danny! How could we have missed it all this time:3… And no, sorry, I'm not gonna answer your question, I'm evil like that ;P. Anyway, bye for now and thanks for the heads up (dodges green boulder).
Sasia93: Yup, your definition was close. A reliquary is a shrine for keeping sacred objects on display… while a sepulcher is a burial vault or receptacle for relics, especially like an altar. So yeah, definitely pertaining to the grave. Anyway, yes, Jazz is definitely going to play a big role in this fic, actually, I'm going to try to give everyone their little shining moment (Mr. Lancer too!), it might make the fic a little long, but we'll have to see how that goes :3. Also, I'm glad you like Danny's inner dialogue, I dislike making characters too OOC, so it's good that you still think he's stayed realistic! Sam and Tucker, too, will be important (they're too good friends to stay angry… Aww) but it's too bad Danny is so secretive; you can just TELL it's going to come around and hit him in the head at some point! Poor guy, he's asking for trouble and he doesn't even know it XP
zizzy333: HI! Seriously?! You like my fanfiction! That's amazing! And it means a lot to me especially coming from you, I absolutely love your Danny Phantom fics! So thanks! I hope you liked this chapter as well and lemme just say that I've got most of this fic planned, and you'll NEVER guess what's going to happen at the end of this fic! (rubs hands together, laughing evilly) Thanks again for the review!
Thunderstorm101: I think I know what you mean about sharing experiences. I have three older sisters and they've always warned me away from making the same mistakes as them… But I know what you mean about other people inciting anger in you. It happens to me as well, I guess I just usually tune it all out while I'm in their presence and then explode later on when I'm alone… I don't really know what the better reaction is, but really… who can say? Anyway, yes, I almost feel sorry for Danny, he's always so worried about his family and friends… aw, he's just too nice XP Makes me want to huggle him (Danny runs away screaming) Well! Fine then! No chocolate chip cookies for you! (silence)… Ok… I guess he doesn't much like my cookies XD Though after this chapter, who can really blame him? Anyway, bye for now, and I hope you liked the chapter!
Wishes for Wings: Hi! That's great that you got new ID…But wait… you chipped your wrist?! How'd you manage to do that!? XD… Anyway, glad you liked the chapter! Heh heh, I'm only just getting started with poor Danny and as for Sam, Tucker and Jazz helping him… Hmmm, seems like there's a much more pressing issue for them to concentrate on, doesn't it? ;P
pear84: I… wow… seriously, there are no words to convey how great your review was… I think, to best express it, I can say that I was stuck, majorly, right in the middle of this chapter and your review made me want to sit down and write (like there was this huge wall of writer's block and you gave me a hammer ;P). So, thank you very much for your words of encouragement! Now, to respond to your wonderful, long review: Lol, I know, the beginning did kind of jump right into the action, honestly, when I first started this story I'd pictured just that fight scene… and what can I say? I couldn't wait to write it XP I DID wonder if this would later cause problems, with the pace, and development of the story, so I'm glad you said it didn't! And I can guarantee you that all your questions WILL be answered ;P The Hound, the creature, the couple… I've got it all more or less planned… And it's going to be fun (evil grin).
And you like my Danny! Yay! I struggled with his character, still do. Having to find that balance between mature and moody and fun and childish is hard (it doesn't help that I seem to have an incorrigible tendency to writing dark, moody, introspective characters (rolls eyes)…). My story will be significantly darker than the cartoon (as I'm sure you've noticed) but I've always enjoyed Danny's character from the show and I'm doing my best to keep him in character… with a few tweaks (please tell me if I ever throw him too far out of character!) :D.
Regarding the other characters… Funny enough, Mr. Lancer has always been one of my favorites (go figure), along with Jazz and Valerie (and Danny, of course!)… The characters I'm most worried about portraying are actually Sam and Tucker (strange, huh?) and Dash. For Dash, I was worried that I'd make him too… nasty, I guess? But I'm happy you thought they were all in character! Thank you again for all the comments you gave (and the fav!)! I've been trying to expand the amount of description I use in this story (without going overboard) C: Oh! And lemme just say that Vlad is definitely coming… oh yeah :3 he's just –cough–'fashionably late' XD… As though Danny didn't have enough problems! At any rate, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Until next time!
ElusiveVisionary: Hiya! Thanks for the review! I hope you liked all the others chapters too XD… And this one!
Adio!