Chapter 35: Danny, I Wish You Remembered

Danny hesitated. He was fighting it. "I don't know what came over me." For a brief moment, he sounded like himself again.

He thought Danielle would be happy for him. He couldn't figure out why she was so upset. Danielle gasped. There was a long pause of silence. She didn't want to believe what she just heard.

"Well, aren't you going to congratulate me or something?"

Danielle remained silent.

"Danielle…"

"Danny, she isn't the right girl for you. And deep down, I know you know that too. Valerie has been—"

"Valerie!" Danny said suddenly as if he had completely forgotten about her. "But she and I are over now. We're history."

"And you don't think that Sam might be your rebound?"

"Rebound?"

"Well yeah, you're upset about losing Valerie."

"Valerie and I are still friends and that's the way we like it." Danny said. "But lately I've been thinking more about…" Now it was Danny's turn to be quiet. He felt an awful churning guilt in his stomach.

"Danny, if you come back before sunrise, I'll just pretend like all of this never happened and you'll be okay. You'll be happier, I promise."

"But I already am, Danielle." He went back into his trancelike voice.

"Just come home."

"No."

Danielle's face was getting hot. She couldn't believe Danny was being so foolish here. It was as if somebody was controlling him. Sam? No, she didn't have the capability. "Danny! Don't talk to me like that! I'm your sister and you know I love you and I only want what's best for you so please reconsider!" She had to get him to fight whatever spell he was under so that he would come back to being himself.

There was a low buzzing coming from the other end of the line which meant that Danny had hung up on her.

"Ugh!" Danielle said, frustrated. I need to get Tucker and Cecelia to help. But how can we help Danny if we don't know what's happening to him? Danielle sighed.

She calmed down a little more after she got into bed. And she pulled the covers around her body so that she was all cozy. "Things will look better in the morning. They just about have to." She said to herself. And then she closed her eyes and faded into a dream.

It was morning and Jack and Maddie asked Danielle where Danny had spent the night.

"Uh, he's at Sam's." Danielle spoke the truth. And lucky for her, Jack and Maddie did not know Sam was in France.

Since Danielle didn't go to school, she had pretty much the whole day to devise a plan. First, she and her friends would go to Prince Lyon and bargain for him to release Garth—busting Garth out of prison (unfortunately) took top priority over solving the mystery of Danny's weird behavior.

They would have to break into the prison to get Garth out. The only variable left was Danny. They needed him. He was by far the best fighter of them all. Danielle slumped in her chair as she slowly ate her bagel.

She thought, the only other way to get Danny back would be to fly to France just like he had done. But that could take a while. Every day is like a hundred years for poor Garth who is wrongfully locked away in prison.

Danielle cringed when she tried to understand what prison was like. Garth was probably bored too. He could only meditate so long. And he didn't have a cell mate. He didn't have anything to exercise with either. And he was probably only fed two meals a day of disgusting ghost food.

Danielle gagged. She sat down on the large couch in the family room. It was green. And it was one of those you could just sink into.

She pretended to be doing a lesson from her homeschooling. But really she was trying to figure out how to save Garth. A few minutes thereafter, she heard a knock at the front door. She stood up and stretched, then trotted over to the plain wooden front door to answer it. "Hi Tucker. Whatcha doing?" Danielle leaned casually in the doorway.

"I," When Tucker looked at her face; it was as if she took the words right out of his mouth. "You're Danny's sister." He said regretfully. "And speaking of Danny, he called me last night and told me where he is. You're not going to like it."

"He already told me."

"Oh."

There was a silence for a beat and Danielle just stared at him and waited for him to speak again. But he looked away. "Is that all?" She was hoping he'd want to talk about her.

"Yeah, that's all." Tucker said. He walked down the three front steps of the porch. "Gosh do I feel stupid for actually coming here…"

"Oh, don't say that!" She smiled a little.

Tucker whipped around, embarrassed that she heard him.

"Maybe you didn't come here for nothing."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I have hours' worth of video games that have yet to be played. There's only so much fun I can have when playing alone. And with a two-player, I can kick your butt." She smiled broadly.

Tucker came into the house. "Oh really?" He said competitively.

Danielle got out one of her favorite games. This one was called "Attack of the Ghosts". The over-exaggerated graphics made Danielle laugh. And knowing she'll be able to beat Tucker easily made her laugh even more.

For a while, Tucker had more points, but then a hidden ghost jumped out of nowhere and Danielle zapped it. That earned her bonus points.

And by the end of the game, Danielle was far ahead. "Wohoo! I win again!"

"That's no fair! It's only because you play this game no end!" Tucker wasn't being a poor sport. In a way, he was actually glad that she had beat him.

"So what do you think we should do about Danny?" Tucker asked, knowing it would get her to stop gloating and be serious. And that's just what she did. She sat on the couch and faced Tucker.

"I'm..."

"You're what?"

"I'm going to go to France. Yeah. I'm going to talk some sense into him. I was on the phone with him last night and I have reason to believe he's being controlled by some sort of trance or spell."

"WHAT?" Tucker overreacted. "You're leaving NOW?"

"Um…" Danielle said, "…Yeah." She said with increased confidence. Danielle started to walk around the house gathering a few items. Tucker followed her.

Tucker didn't know what to say to her. He just wanted everybody to be happy. "If that's what you think is the right thing to do," He put his hand on her shoulder, "Then I trust you."

Danielle nodded. She left a note on her parents' bathroom mirror so she knew they would read it. The note explained everything: about Danny leaving and Danielle coming after him. "For now, I'll have to trust you to round up Cecelia and Valerie and save Garth together."

Tucker saluted her out of respect. And she saluted him back. "You can count on me." He said with a braveness that surprised them both.

"I just wish Lyon would be a better ruler. I wish he wouldn't ever imprison people like Garth who didn't do anything wrong." Danielle said wistfully. Tucker helped her gather the last of her things.

Danielle put on her coat and put on her backpack and like that she was gone. Next, Tucker headed to Cecelia's house to explain everything.

Outside the Fenton house was intangible Desiree. She had been spying on Danielle for a long time. "Well it's about time you made a wish." Desiree spoke as though Danielle could hear her, but Desiree knew very well that she could not. "And so you have wished it, so it shall be." She whispered. "And now that Danny's gone, Team Phantom is splitting at the seams and Danielle's about to leave too, which means there will be nobody left to protect the town!" And then Desiree laughed diabolically. Her plan was turning out better than anyone could have predicted, even her.

Tucker knocked at Cecelia's door. She let him inside. "Is your father home?" He asked her quietly.

"No. He's on a business trip actually."

"I've heard some news about Danny. I don't know if—"

"Yeah he called me." She interrupted. She looked down glumly.

Tucker didn't notice her mood.

"Yeah, Danielle kinda went over to France to try and get him to come back." He tried to tone it down as if he expected her to panic. He always did that, when he himself was usually the first one to panic.

"Good." Cecelia looked relieved. "Danny shouldn't have just dropped everything and gone over there. It kinda freaked me out a little when I heard. I didn't think he even liked her that way."

"He doesn't. Danielle and I know something's wrong. Did he tell Valerie?"

"Danny told me he wasn't going to tell her." Cecelia replied warily.

Tucker sighed. "I'm really tired of all these secrets. But we'll need to focus on going to Lyon and pleading for Garth's release."

"Right."

"And if that doesn't work…"

"…We'll break him out. You're not afraid, are you?"

"Who, me? No. Never." Tucker said proudly.

"Then tomorrow, let's go get Valerie and make our plans because we're going to win this thing!" Cecelia determined.

Cecelia, Tucker and Valerie gazed into the open portal to the eerie green world of ghosts. Here they had bravely come, and now it was their chance to prove their bravery. The two bravest members of their team were gone. And now the less bold would have to step up and save the day.

Tucker looked at Cecelia as if to say, "Do I have to?"

She already knew what he was thinking because she was thinking the very same thing. She nodded to him.

Valerie clicked her heels and her hovering metallic board appeared. Cecelia and Tucker both hopped on. "Okay this is not going to work." Valerie said with a disagreeable attitude.

"It's the only way." Cecelia said.

"Unless we steal the Specter Speeder." Tucker added.

"Danny does it all the time. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Fenton won't mind, since they are asleep." Tucker opened the door and Cecelia and Valerie followed him. "I'll drive." He suggested. "So hold onto your seatbelts."

It was Sam who usually drove. And now they knew why. Tucker was worse than a reckless driver with rabies and a two-liter of Red Bull.

Valerie and Cecelia, terrified, clung to the seat of the car with their eyes closed. Tucker was probably going sixty miles per hour.

"Look yonder, it's the medieval realm!" Tucker said with unsurity in his voice. The girls opened their eyes to a flowery land with a fairytale castle as opposed to the gloomy castle that it used to be.

"Is it?" Cecelia asked.

The three of them slowly exited the Specter Speeder. They walked around cautiously until they happened to wander in the castle.

"Maybe we should ask for directions." Valerie said.

"No. This is the place. I know because I've been here before." Tucker said defiantly.

Valerie sighed, annoyed.

A servant man greeted the three travellers. "May I assist you?"

"Yes, could you give us directions to Prince Lyon's castle?" Valerie asked before the other two could speak up.

"You're in it." The servant almost chuckled.

The three friends exchanged confused glances.

"Prince Lyon had a sudden change of heart and is now a benevolent ruler and friend to all people."

"Could we see him?" asked Cecelia.

"Surely. He enjoys talking to commoners such as yourself. Right this way." The servant waved his hand and the three friends followed close behind.

"If this is a trick, I'm prepared." Valerie told Cecelia and Tucker.

"So am I." Cecelia said. She braced her fists.

"And I've got…nothing." Tucker said since he didn't have any powers. All he had was his PDA and the Fenton thermos.

The servant opened the doors to a large, open, grandeur room that appeared as though it belonged to an English monarch. And there in the center of the room, a young man sat on top of the throne. He looked like he was in his twenties. His skin was pale green and his hair was flaming orange and his eyes glowed blue. He was very muscular. And he had a smile on his face.

The servant instructed Cecelia, Tucker and Valerie to bow before Lyon, the prince of the medieval realm.

"Rise. And pray tell why you have come such a long way to talk to me. You are all humans and you probably have your own lives to attend to." He was still smiling.

Creepy.

But it was more of an amused smile that a smile that hinted he was hiding something.

"We've come to request that you release our friend Garth." Tucker asked boldly. And he didn't even stutter.

Cecelia and Valerie raised their eyebrows. Their respect for Tucker increased.