So I know you're wondering when the characters will start bumping into each other properly. The answer is soon. Very soon. But first we need to have a little planning.
There are a lot of scenes in the chapter as things jump around a bit. I kind of have to in order to make sure events line up properly with my planned timeline. It shouldn't be too difficult to follow though. Also, I make a comment on (and make fun of) the limited wardrobe thing that animated characters tend to have.
All deceased do not become ghosts just as not all ghosts are the deceased. Some ghosts are random ectoplasmic manifestations. Only some deaths result in ghosts. While the manner of death can influence the result, what happens to the deceased is determined on an individual basis.
Those who die of natural causes (i.e. sickness, old age) rarely become ghosts and generally move on immediately. Those who die from unnatural causes (i.e. accidents, suicides, murders) are more likely to manifest as ghosts.
Those who commit suicides and become ghosts often become civil servants in the Netherworld, working in administration, as caseworkers, and other assorted tasks. Those that do not commit suicide are not barred from the job if they should request to work as a civil servant, however.
Deaths caused by accidents, murders, and other similar causes often are assigned a haunting territory. The geographic and temporal perimeters vary from manifestation to manifestation.
Poltergeists are less common than other ghosts. They are more likely to be deceased who experienced murder, though suicides and accidents are not unheard of.
Ectoplasm-based ghosts can fall under any of these causes of death or have no cause of death at all.
There are exceptions to all cases and this should not be taken as a guarantee as to an individual's fate.
-Excerpt from "The Living and the Dead"
Sam knew in theory that girls sometimes chatted over the sinks in the bathroom, gossiping while they fixed their makeup. What made the situation weird was that this was the first time she was really involved in such a female bathroom meeting. Gossip and general feminine behavior just wasn't her idea of a good time. Not to mention her theory that all the they used hairspray was seeping into their brains, destroying any and all original thought.
But it did offer an ideal place to talk to Lydia without having to make excuses to Danny, which was what Sam needed. And, after taking the time to check the stalls for any eavesdroppers, it was the perfect place to discuss secrets in general.
"So Tucker is looking for stuff about your aunt and your family," she said without preamble. "And I managed to convince him not to tell Danny."
She could see Lydia visibly relax at the news. Her fellow Goth placed her hands on the sink and her shoulders dropped. The girl had far too much tension in her. It was impossible to realize exactly how much until it started to fade a little.
Lydia didn't seem to share Sam's preference for wearing similar outfits all the time. Rather than the interesting combo of old and recent fashions from before, she was wearing a black skirt that flowed down to her knees, a black shirt with three-quarter sleeves, and a gold locket. In Sam's experience, a person's clothing choices served as a reflection of their identity and those with the greatest security with their self-image tended to wear similar outfits daily. She, Tucker, Danny, Paulina, Dash, and several other residents of Amity Park knew who they were and each possessed a preferred look. After the upheaval in her life recently, it wasn't surprising that Lydia wasn't certain of her place in the world anymore and her varying outfits might reflect that uncertainty with herself.
Or perhaps she was over analyzing things. Maybe Lydia simply liked change and variety. It could happen.
"I have news on my end too," said Lydia, staring hard at her reflection. "My aunt's study has a safe with an electronic lock. I'll bet you anything that she has something important in there we can use."
"Like your journal or that 'The Living and the Dead' book you mentioned?" suggested Sam. "Along with anything else ghost-related she might have?"
Still staring into the mirror, the girl gained a thoughtful expression. Then she spun around and grabbed Sam's shoulders.
"That's it," Lydia said excitedly. "If we can get those two books, I can get him back. I can figure out how to undo what Aunt Melinda did. I can fix everything. We have to get into that safe."
Blinking in surprise at her enthusiasm, Sam pried her hands off and said, "Okay, okay, we'll get into the safe. I'm not sure how yet."
"I have a key for the study," she said quickly, pulling out the small piece of metal. "And they're going to be out of the house some this afternoon."
Sam nodded as she considered the possibilities. Normally getting stuff secretly from secure locations would fall under Danny's specialty. Invisibility and intangibility would make stealing back Lydia's belongings mere child's play. But since they were trying to keep him uninvolved until they knew more, that would mean a key and a distracted pair of guardians would actually be necessary. All that left was handling the safe itself and Sam had a plan for that.
"Tucker is an expert with anything technologically-based," she said. "I can almost guarantee he could get past an electronic lock."
"So we get him into the study and let him work his magic?"
"That's the idea. Do you know where your aunt and uncle are going or how long they'll be gone?"
Lydia shook her head, "I didn't ask. Sorry."
"Then we're going to need a lookout. We can't risk them coming home while we're going through her stuff," said Sam. "And it would help if the lookout could double as a distraction if necessary. Do you have a cell phone?"
She shook her head and crossed her arms, "Never needed one back in Winter River and I'm definitely not getting one from Aunt Melinda and Uncle Roger."
"Then I'll loan you mine later. Tucker's number is on speed dial. After school, you can follow them and warn us if they start heading back."
Any further planning was interrupted as the door opened. Paulina and Star walked into the restroom, already chatting and laughing. The Goth girls took that as their cue to leave. Sam felt surprisingly relieved to have an excuse to get out. For some reason, she kept having the odd sensation of being watched.
Though mildly confused by Sam and Tucker's odd behavior during the day, Danny was heading towards his final class with nothing major in mind beyond the daily routine. Even with how weird his life was, sometimes he actually managed to have a normal day. So when he opened his locker to drop off some books, he wasn't expecting to be confronted by a ghost face inside.
"Gah!" yelped Danny, dropping his books and jumping back in surprise.
"There's a problem," said Poindexter anxiously.
Trying to slow down his racing heart, the halfa took a closer look inside his locker. The replacement mirror now contained the monochromatic image of Sidney Poindexter. The poor teenage ghost looked frazzled and terrified. And considering what he was supposed to be doing, Danny could guess the cause of Poindexter's upset emotional state.
"You saw him, didn't you?"
Poindexter nodded frantically, "I did. And I think he wigged out on Skulker and won. I saw pieces of his armor and one of Skulker's arms. He must have torn him apart."
Cringing slightly at the idea since he didn't actually want someone to horribly mangle his enemies and hoping that the hunter managed to escape with his life, Danny said, "I'm not surprised that he's encountered Skulker. The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter probably takes the title 'The Ghost With The Most' as a challenge. Did he try to attack you?"
"N-no, but he did tell me to leave or else," he said. "But he let me go. I don't think he cared what I did, really. He was just sitting there on a floating rock."
"Like he's waiting for something?"
"I don't know," admitted Poindexter. "But that's not the worst part. He's sitting right next to the portal."
Danny felt himself growing pale. The Ghost With The Most, the one that was freaking everyone out, was practically lurking right outside a door to his parents' lab. He could have attacked his family or reigned chaos upon Amity Park. He was right there, waiting. It was creepy and nerve-wracking. Danny knew the longer he was left to his own devices, the greater the chance of something bad happening.
A potentially-horrible and very impulsive plan already forming in his mind, Danny said, "Thanks a lot, Poindexter. You don't know how much I appreciate this."
"You're just going to charge right in before he has a chance to do anything, aren't you?" said Poindexter, obviously realizing his simplistic plan. "Be careful. He's supposed to be a real shuckster."
Grinning reassuringly at the ghost who once attacked him at school and was now a semi-ally, Danny simply said, "I always am."
Closing his locker, the boy ran down the halls until he almost literally bumped into Sam. She, Tucker, and Lydia were clumped together, apparently looking for him. There was still a little awkwardness around the new girl, but it wasn't as bad now that they sort out their various ghost-related knowledge and issues. At the moment, Danny was insanely happy to see them. All three of them could be trusted to help him with the simplest and most-likely-to-end-badly part of his vague plan.
"Guys, Poindexter just contacted me and I have to go handle a problem," he said hurriedly. "Can you cover for me with the teachers?"
"So that one ghost showed up?" asked Tucker, turning Lydia's already confused expression into one even more so. "And you're skipping class? I don't know who's more dangerous: him or Mr. Lancer if he finds out you're playing hooky."
"We'll handle your excuses," Sam reassured. "Call us if you need backup." She glanced over at Lydia briefly and said, "Ghost emergency. We'll explain more later."
As the new girl nodded in understanding, Danny gave his friends a thankful nod and dashed back down the hall. His ghost-fighting experiences ensured that he knew several good hiding spots around the school, so it only took a few seconds to slip into a janitor's closet. Out of sight of his classmates, he transformed and flew through the ceiling.
Roger waited in the car as Melinda stepped out to meet them. The jumpsuit-wearing couple seemed eccentric, but harmless overall. He knew his wife could handle the exchange on her own. He was present simply to drive the vehicle and maybe carry the object. He knew what his role in this was.
Some people might believe that Melinda took advantage of him. They might say that she used him. They might point out that she married him because he always did as she asked. They might claim she saw him as a resource rather than a spouse. He'd heard it all before.
What people didn't understand was he knew their relationship was uneven. He loved Melinda and would do anything for her. And he knew her family didn't give her the attention and devotion that she deserved growing up. She, Cathy, and even little Freddy were secondary to their parents. Roger refused to ever let her feel like that again. She was a treasure. Anything she wanted him to do, he would do it without question or hesitation. He would do it because he loved her.
She had a plan, one that would make most people assume she was crazy. Melinda had it in mind long before Lydia joined their household, ever since she considered the possibilities the green gem from her family's collection truly offered. She'd read her family's records and gathered paranormal research journals, searching for all the information she could. She'd worked out almost all the necessary components to her plan. The Deetz family's copy of "The Living and the Dead" was merely the final piece she needed to research. Her plan was picking up speed as they moved closer to their goal, collecting the Fenton Ghost Shield device and making final preparations. The test with the powerful poltergeist suggested the gem was strong enough for it to work. They were almost ready.
"Roger, can you help me carry this?" Melinda called, her voice carrying through the open car window.
"Of course, my sweet," he answered.
Climbing out of the vehicle, Roger took a moment to look over the invention waiting next to Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. It was about the size of a footstool, cylindrical, white with glowing green lights that ran up the sides, a large switch and a red emergency cut-off button near the top, and seemed to have a picture of Mr. Fenton's face next to the controls. He knew they streamlined and adjusted the design compared to what they installed in their home. Of course, he also knew their original version was capable of, on one occasion, extending to cover the entire city. That was what Melinda was hoping their model would be capable of matching someday.
After all, if the barrier could keep ghosts out, then it should be able to keep them trapped inside too.
While heavier than he expected, Roger managed to lift it into their car trunk. Melinda gave him a brief nod of satisfaction, which left him feeling happy that she was pleased with developments. They were one step closer to achieving his wife's plan.
Danny didn't know why his parents weren't in the basement when he phased into his house, but he was extremely glad they weren't there. It was always easier to deal with the portal when there was no one in the lab. Not to mention it meant they weren't in target range if the poltergeist came out swinging.
"Hopefully they aren't at a meeting with Mr. Lancer to discuss my skipping and missing classes," he muttered to himself.
Bracing himself for whatever he might face on the other side, Danny dove through the portal. The instant he was surrounded by strange swirling shadows and green glow, he expected to be attacked. A large number of his enemies preferred to strike with minimal warning, though a few liked to dramatically announce their presence first. He was prepared for either option when it came to the powerful poltergeist.
What he wasn't prepared for, however, was nothing. Absolutely nothing happened to him when he entered the Ghost Zone. No screams, no shouts, and no instant attacks. Considering that Poindexter said the ghost was supposedly right outside the portal, Danny expected an instant reaction.
Nervously, Danny looked around for signs of his opponent. He only saw the shadow, green glow, and random floating doors at first. Then he spotted one of the small chunks of rock floating not too far away. And even at a distance, he could make out a shape on the tiny island. The figure didn't move, but Danny knew who it must be.
"Lydia, my darling, welcome home," greeted Melinda as the girl entered the house. "I'm sorry we can't stay long, but Roger and I have to pick up some rather expensive equipment. Some of the experimental batteries from Axion Labs. An old friend of Roger's pulled some strings."
Wondering what in the world they needed high-tech batteries for and adding it to the list of information she'd share with Sam and Tucker later, Lydia shrugged, "Don't let me stop you."
The girl managed to somehow adopt a darker mood than usual, dragging her feet towards the stairs while scowling. Every movement she made was intended to give off the impression of a sullen teenager. Lydia knew exactly how to do it properly. She'd done it plenty before she met the Maitlands. She practically gained a dark cloud over her head as she slowly climbed the stairs.
The moment she hear front door close, however, Lydia discarded the act and sprinted back down the stairs. The girl then pulled out Sam's cell phone and hit the speed dial.
"This is Tucker," chirped the voice over the speakers almost the instant it started ringing.
"Aunt Melinda and Uncle Roger just left," she said, opening the door. "I'll leave the key for the front door under the mat. Sam has the other key already."
"Thanks. We're a block away," he said. "We'll get started immediately."
"And I'll follow them. Good luck,' said Lydia right before hanging up and slipping outside.
Taking a second to leave the key behind, the girl grabbed her bike. She hadn't touched it since moving, but she used it all the time in Winter River. She actually had pretty good endurance and speed when she started pedaling. Following after her guardians' vehicle, especially since there would be plenty of traffic lights to slow them down, was certainly within her capabilities.
Danny watched the poltergeist for quite some time, waiting for him to react. But he never did. He just stayed there, sitting still and hunched over something that held his focus. Danny didn't know if he simply didn't notice the halfa's presence or was ignoring it. The Ghost With The Most probably wasn't worried either way about someone trying to bother him.
Knowing he couldn't just float there all night, Danny cautiously started his approach. Even as he flew closer, the teenager remained on edge. At the first hint of trouble, he would be ready to react.
Drawing closer allowed him to get a better view of the mysterious Ghost With The Most. He was completely humanoid, unlike some ghosts Danny faced. Age didn't really work well when it came to ghosts and Danny was horrible at judging ages anyway, but he looked vaguely like he could be in thirties. He was wearing an outfit that looked like a weird hybrid of a striped prison jumpsuit and a fairly nice suit. He also looked a lot like a corpse. His hair was a wispy, frazzled, pale blond with hints of green that almost looked like algae stained it. His skin was an unhealthy pale shade with mold growing across his face and neck. There were dark circles around his eyes, like he was severely low on sleep or someone hit him in the face hard enough to bruise. It didn't seem to bother him though. He just sat there with a pile of metal next to him, staring intently at a shiny chunk of it in his hands.
"I'd suggest taking a picture, but that wouldn't really work," the poltergeist said abruptly, not even bothering to look up. "You're starting to annoy me with the staring though."
Crossing his arms, Danny said, "Why wouldn't I stare at someone with your reputation? Though I honestly expected a more impressive show."
"Well, I'm a little busy with something more important right now," he replied dryly before glancing up finally.
For all he looked like something that crawled out of a coffin, the poltergeist's eyes were animated and lively. They didn't glow like most ghosts, but they did capture a lot personality. He met Danny's gaze with an annoyed expression that quickly shifted to curious confusion. The poltergeist set aside the piece of reflective metal and climbed to his feet, his eyes never leaving Danny.
"What are you?" he asked. "Way too much ectoplasm not to be a ghost, but too solid not to be alive. I've seen a lot of freaky things over the centuries, but you're a new one. Seriously, what are you?"
"I'm both," answered Danny bluntly. "What exactly are you doing here? Other than freaking out the locals?"
"Both? Heh, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that if something like you happened to exist, you'd end up in the Ghost Zone. It's the lint trap of the universe," he muttered. "I guess you're pretty new or else the rumors about you would've reached the Netherworld already."
"I'm not that young," grumbled Danny.
The poltergeist shrugged, "Not your fault. And that doesn't really mean anything. Just because you're a kid doesn't mean you have to be a dumb kid or a weak one." He tilted his head and peered at Danny with a thoughtful expression. "You look familiar. Have we met before? Maybe I did a little bio-exorcism work for you? Or to you?"
The teenager wasn't sure what to make of the ghost. The guy wasn't what Danny expected. He wasn't quite as intimidating as Danny imagined initially. There was something about him that seemed more like a used car salesman than a terrifying ghost. A hint of something untrustworthy, but not overly aggressive. But the ghost boy didn't lower his guard completely. There was still something wrong about the poltergeist, something dangerous lurking below the surface.
Snapping his fingers, the Ghost With The Most said, "I remember now. You had black hair when I saw you."
"When did you see me like that?" asked Danny cautiously.
Brushing off his striped suit and adjusting the tie, the poltergeist commented casually, "I was watching most of the day. Not watching you specifically, but you were there too. In the area." He smirked abruptly, "Actually this could work out perfectly for me. How about I help you out with something and you do me a little favor? I'm sure you have somewhere you'd like properly haunted. Not to brag or anything, but I'm great at scaring just about anyone you can hire me to handle."
"What exactly do you think I'd do for you?" asked Danny, dread starting to creep up his spine. "What do you want?"
Smiling in what was probably meant to be a winning manner, the poltergeist said, "I want what almost all guys want, deep down. I'm looking for a girl. You know how it is. I mean, you've probably done something crazy over someone in a skirt at some point, right?"
Uneasy, the teenager nodded. He remembered the references to the "Mortal Bride." He was looking for her. Supposedly marrying someone alive gave the poltergeist something important, some kind of power. At least, that's what Poindexter made it sound like. He was searching for his missing "Mortal Bride."
And if he saw Danny while looking for her, it might mean he'd met her. A woman that he encountered during the day. Someone new. But that didn't make sense since the only new woman in town Danny was aware of was Lydia's aunt, Melinda. And Danny never actually met the woman. Not to mention she was already married. There was no one who could qualify.
Unless the poltergeist wanted a new Mortal Bride. An unsettling idea crept into Danny's thoughts. If he just needed someone alive to marry and his previous choice was missing, he might decide to pick out a new one. Poindexter didn't mention that there were a lot of requirements, so finding a different future wife might not be too difficult. He'd just have to pick one he'd like and who he could either convince or threaten into accepting. That would mean any woman could have caught his attention. Especially if the poltergeist didn't care about marital status of his Mortal Bride.
Danny desperately hoped he didn't have to deal with another creepy old ghost going after his mom. Vlad was annoying enough.
"What kind of woman are you after?" the teenager asked uneasily.
"A girl, not a woman," said the ghost firmly. "You can't call her a woman yet. She's younger than that. Of course, you know her. You saw her today. She's kind of hard to miss in a crowd." Danny could feel his dread and suspicions rising as the poltergeist continued, "Dresses in black? Black hair she usually puts up? Likes creepy and spooky things, not to mention ghosts? Admittedly rather easy on the eyes?"
The more he talked, the most anger began to bubble up in Danny's chest. He was describing Sam perfectly. It was exactly how anyone else would describe one of his best friends. She was around him most of the day, so that would explain why the ghost spotted Danny while spying on her. The Ghost With The Most was after Sam.
"So you think you can help a guy out?" asked the poltergeist, spreading his hands and giving a half-smile.
Danny responded by throwing a punch towards his face.
Tucker slipped inside the house quietly, following Sam's lead since she'd been there before. He couldn't help worrying that this technically counted as a crime somehow. Yes, Lydia gave them permission and even the keys to get into the house, so it wasn't breaking and entering. And yes, they were taking stuff that at least partially belonged to Lydia and she asked them to pick it up, so it probably wasn't considered theft. But that didn't banish the feeling that this was somehow a crime.
Of course, Tucker was at least a little excited about the situation. How often did someone get the chance to participate in a heist? There weren't any cameras to avoid or a laser alarm system to navigate, but it was still a heist. All that was really missing was some dramatic music, but he wasn't going to pull out one of his gadgets to start playing it.
"This looks like the study," said Sam, looking at the closed door down the hall.
Pulling out a large metal key that looked more old-fashioned than what Tucker normally used around his home, Sam smirked as the door unlocked. The study held a desk, boxes, shelves, and the promised safe. Tucker grinned as he looked at the electronic lock. It wasn't the most recent and most elaborate system on the market, but it wasn't the most ancient version either. It offered just the right level of challenge to make the trip worth it, but not so much that it would take too long.
"Hello, my sweet technology," he grinned. "Let's see what you're hiding."
Prying off the cover of the control panel would have been easier with a flathead screwdriver, but he improvised with a spoon that Sam went to grab from the kitchen. From there, all he needed was some wires and a couple of alligator clamps (which were useful enough to keep stuffed into the bottom of his backpack for emergencies such as Technus encounters) to hook up the system to his PDA. And he didn't have a lot of experience breaking into safes, but now he was essentially just hacking and that he could definitely handle. A few minutes after starting his hacking program, there was a rewarding click.
"And yet another skill to add to the list," he remarked as he popped the control panel back on and opened the safe. "Though probably not one I can brag about much."
"Well, there aren't a lot of legal reasons to break into safes," pointed out Sam.
There wasn't a lot in the safe. The first thing they pulled out was a dark purple journal with various spiders, bats, and spirals sketched across the cover. Sam slipped it quickly into her spider-shaped backpack. The next object was a hardback book with a picture of people on the cover that looked like something from the forties or sixties or some older decade. The image was cheerfully bright while the cover declared "The Living and the Dead" while listing the author as simply being the writer of "The Handbook for the Recently Deceased" rather than using a name. That book was also added to the backpack.
Tucker thought the safe was empty and was about to close it, but Sam reached inside abruptly. He frowned briefly as she showed him what she'd spotted. It was tiny, which was probably why he'd missed it among the books. He just couldn't help wondering why there was a ring in the safe.
Granted, it was a clearly old and pretty piece of jewelry. It was one of the simplest designs, merely a circle of gold with a small gem, but it was definitely a wedding ring. That was normally the sort of thing that would be stored in a safe if it wasn't on someone's finger, but this was a household that hid ghost-related stuff in secure locations rather than jewels. It didn't quite match the rest.
"Should we take it with us? I don't think Lydia mentioned a ring," remarked Tucker.
"It was with the rest of her stuff," Sam pointed out. "We probably won't get another chance to grab things for her, so we should take it just in case."
As she slipped the ring into the pocket of her skirt, Tucker finally closed the safe. He gave the safe a final examination with a smug look. No one would be able to tell anything was wrong until they opened it. That was exactly what he was hoping for.
Abruptly Tucker's PDA started beeping. He quickly pulled up the program he'd left running earlier. He'd set up a search for anything dealing with Lydia Deetz, Melinda Livingston, or anyone related to them. He'd have to do more specialized searches if he wanted more in-depth information later on, but it should give him a starting point.
He quickly read the first few articles on screen. The most recent mentioned the car crash that killed Charles and Delia Deetz. There was another listing their marriage, mention Delia Robinson as the bride. There were other newspaper and magazine articles such as one that discussed Delia's sculptures that occurred a couple of years ago, one about another car crash that killed Catherine Deetz, and the announcement of the birth of Lydia Deetz. He scrolled through the news articles, not spotting anything particularly note-worthy. Then he saw the wedding announcements, two of them, and his jaw dropped.
"What is it?" asked Sam.
He read it a second time, certain that he was wrong. But he came to the same conclusion no matter how he looked at it.
"We need to talk to Lydia. Preferably in person," he said, heading towards the door. "Call her to meet us somewhere."
Not sure what he wanted, but trusting him enough to listen, Sam followed him out of the study. The pair took the time to lock the doors behind them, but they were still moving as quickly as possible.
As Sam accepted Tucker's offered phone and started dialing, he was thinking over what he just discovered. He'd found the wedding announcements for Lydia's parents and her aunt and uncle. The maiden name for Catherine and Melinda was what surprised and worried him.
Before their mutual weddings, the women were Catherine and Melinda Showenhower. As in Frederich Isak Showenhower. As in Freakshow.
Lydia and her family were related to Freakshow.
With the foreshadowing with "Little Freddy" as Melinda's brother and her ghost issues, I'm not sure how many people are actually surprised, but maybe someone will be.
Yes, Danny is jumping to conclusions and forgetting that Lydia (who is new in town) looks a lot like Sam. He just kept building off his previous assumptions. If he slowed down and thought about it, he would have figured it out sooner. Of course, this is also the guy who took about three or so fights with Desiree before he figured out he could just wish for her to get stuck in his thermos since she has to always grant any wish she hears. Logical thinking doesn't always happen. Plus, the idea of his best friend (who he actually wants to date, but won't admit even to himself yet) being in danger is enough to shove aside most other thoughts to the back of his head. So it is time for some impulsive behavior.
Also, I have no idea if Tucker's method of safe cracking would work. I don't usually try to break into safes during my spare time. And I certainly wouldn't want to teach my readers how to break into them. So let's just assume his method works in the fictional universe where ghosts tend to run amok and not worry if it would in our reality.
Remember, reviews are always welcome and appreciated. I love feedback.