Chapter 10: Vlad's Ghost

A large car quickly turned off a busy street and onto a small road. The driver didn't slow down and let the cars in the other lane pass, he just drove without thinking. In fact, the driver sped up when he came to the next road.

"Faster dad or you'll miss him!" Jazz said while watching the Fenton Finder. She sat in the front seat by her father and Danny sat in the back and watched Jack's reckless driving in horror.

"Careful dad or we'll crash." Danny said. He cringed and shut his eyes as Jack narrowly avoided hitting an elderly woman.

"Don't worry boy! I haven't crashed a car yet!" Jack answered enthusiastically.

"Well what can I do?" Danny asked.

"Do you have the thermos?"

"Yeah,"

"Then get ready to fight. The ghosts here are serious business."

"Park here!" Jazz said, interrupting Jack and Danny's conversation. "If we want to attack the ghost by surprise then we should go the rest of the way by foot." Jack obeyed and opened the door to let Danny out.

"You ready?" Jack asked, turning to Danny. "Ghost fighting is serious business. It's alright to be nervous. I was nervous too my first time."

"I'm fine." Danny said.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. "It doesn't bother you at all that if you make one mistake and get yourself killed that Amity Park will be haunted for years to come?"

"Are you trying to scare me?" Danny asked with an eye roll.

"I'm only pointing out the facts, Danny." Jack said; his tone was now oddly serious. "Many ghost hunters have died so it's ok to feel nervous. I'll even fight the ghost myself if you'd like."

"I'm alright." Danny said. "Can we just go now?"

"Alright son," Jack said solemnly and then he looked to Jazz. "Stay here and watch over the car for me. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Wait, I'm older than Danny! Why can't I go with you?" She asked.

"I only have so much ghost gear. I'm working on a weapon for you, but until then I need you to stay safe or else your mother will kill me and she can be far scarier than any ghost."

Jazz sighed, but nodded in understanding. Danny after all had been ghost fighting longer. She probably wouldn't have even come along if it wasn't a good excuse to watch over Danny.

"We promise we'll be back soon." Jack said. He extended his hand to Jazz and she gave him back the Fenton Finder and then he and Danny ran off in the direction of the ghost and Jazz was left alone in the parked car.

To her relief, Jack had left the keys in the ignition. Jazz started the car and scanned through the radio stations for a good song to listen to while she waited. She was still deciding when there was a knock on the window. Jazz turned to see a ghostly figure watching her from outside.

"Ahh! Go away ghost!" She yelled, but the figure behind the window didn't budge.

"I need to talk to you." He mouthed back.

Jazz hesitated and then while breathing heavy, she said, "I'll roll down the window to talk if you promise not to attack."

"You have my word." The ghost replied. At least that's what Jazz thought he said. It was kind of hard to understand him with a glass window separating the two from talking.

Jazz rolled the window down an inch. "What do you want? You better not let my dad catch you."

"Don't worry. I don't think Jack is a problem." The ghost said with a smile.

"How do you know my father's name?"

"Oh Jazz-dear, don't you recognize your father's old college buddy?"

Jazz paused to think this over and then softly asked, "V-Vlad?"

"The one and only," The ghost said, trying his best to muster up a heart-warming smile.

"What are you doing here? Or wait, the better question is: how did this happen to you?"

"I became a ghost through a lab experiment. The details don't matter."

"Does my father know?"

"No. And I'm afraid if I tried to tell him he would attack me before I had a chance to explain. Your brother knows though. Usually I come to him for help with things like this, but he has been hanging out with Jack so much lately that I'm afraid they're becoming one in the same."

"Yeah, Danny's been... different lately to say the least."

"He has been acting funny ever since he was put in a coma from one of your parent's experiments, right?"

"Now that you mention it..." Jazz started, but cut herself off. "I don't know if it means anything to you, but Danny's part ghost too. Could that have something to do with this strange behavior?"

"I think so." Vlad said solemnly. He tried his best to cover a smile which was beginning to purse between his lips. "I've been watching Danny from afar. He has too much pride to ask for help, but I think he lost control of his ghost powers and he really wants them back."

Jazz gasped. So was that why her father didn't notice Danny's ghost half? Did that explain the white hair or why Danny's eyes had somehow turned green for a short time? "Is there any way to help him?"

"I know a remedy, but there are some ingredients that only you can get. If you really want to help your brother, then meet me in the abandon alleyway by your house after school tomorrow."

~ phantom130 5 (November 2013)