School was suspended. They called in FentonWorks, again. Once more, nothing more than residual ectoplasma could be found. It was all over the news.
The school was being rebuilt, but it was back in session. Honestly, Danny was amazed the school wasn't being shut down. Must be some kind of external factor. Or something. He didn't know. All he knew was that he was in English first period.
Mr. Lancer slapped a ruler on his desk.
"You are to do a report on an animal. Pick any."
"Are you serious?!" Someone shouted from the middle row.
"I know some of you might be wary of returning to school after what happened at the dance," Lancer said, "And I don't blame you one bit. However, you are back at school, so you will be doing work."
Students were openly glaring at him. Danny was in too much disbelief to be one of them.
"If you don't finish it today, it will be homework, to be turned in tomorrow."
A rat nibbled on some crumbs. It scurried away when a clattering sounded, as an invisible form crashed into a stack of boxes in the empty warehouse. Cries of disorientation rang out.
Danny phased through the wall, peering semi-curiously at his opponent, who wasn't much of an opponent. Teeth bared, hands in fists, he listened to the offending ghost's apparent mantra, "Beware! I am the Box Ghost, I have power over all containers cardboard and square!"
Danny crossed his arms over his chest. "Can we get this over with, I got a test to study for."
The Box Ghost seemed perplexed for a second. He pointed a stubby finger in Danny's direction, "'Study'? There will be no time to study, when you find yourself crushed underneath the weight of the forgotten possessions of—" he checked the address on one of the boxes which he was lifting via telekinesis, "Elliot Kravitz, of Arlington Heights, Illinois!" He grinned wickedly, levitating all the boxes at a dangerous speed toward Danny, who merely turned intangible, letting them go right through him and hit the wall behind.
"I don't have time for this. Sam, Tucker, let's go!"
The boy and girl emerged from around a corner where they'd been hiding in wait. Tucker had the Fenton Thermos, which Danny had given him to show him how to use it. After telling them about the first dragon attack Tuck' had expressed a desire to accompany Danny on whatever ghost fighting escapades he was going to have. Sam wanted to help him. Danny was hesitant to include them, but so far, it had been going well. After Sam had been possessed by the ghost dragon amulet—which Danny had sucked back into the Fenton Portal—she had been shaken but even more determined to be involved. It baffled Danny. They were putting themselves in real danger...for him?
What was he doing? Ghost hunting? He wasn't the sharpest pen in the box, either.
Tucker uncorked the Thermos and pointed it at the Box Ghost. It worked like a charm. Danny grabbed the Box Ghost by the straps of his overalls and hauled him in to the line of fire.
"Noooo—!" Danny was reminded of the Lunch Lady's defeat as the self-titled Box Ghost was sealed away.
"Perimeter secure." Said Tucker proudly.
"'Perimeter secure'? What are you, a Navy Seal?" Sam mocked.
"Guys, you don't know what could be watching us," Danny interrupted them, he had a feeling he wasn't one to reprimand them, but he felt he needed to say something, "If you're gonna be superhero sidekicks, or whatever Tuck' thinks you are, you're gonna have to be a little more focused—don't drop that!"
Too late. Tucker, who'd been twirling the Thermos carelessly, did indeed drop it, it clanged on the floor noisily. To Danny's horror, the eject button had been pressed, and out flew numerous ghosts, mostly green blobs, which they'd been tracking down all night. It was before nine at night, but it would be well past twelve midnight before they caught them all again.
"Ha, ha!" Cried the newly freed Box Ghost, "I am the Box Ghost! You cannot hold me within the confines of a cylindrical container!" He fled through the wall.
Danny held his head in his hands.
"Dude," Tucker was speechless, "I'm so sorry."
Danny inhaled and exhaled. Counted to ten. There was no way they were getting those ghosts back where they belonged tonight.
A skulking figure watched through a glass window from a distance, in the same warehouse.
"Half-human, half-ghost." Whispered the figure. "He'll make a fine addition to my collection."
A cage sat behind him, overflowing with rare ghostly specimens.
The Box Ghost materialized—
"Touch that box and I'll have your pelt adorned on my wall."
Box frowned. "Beware!" And disappeared.
Maddie, Jack, and Danny sat at the dining table in the kitchen. Danny just wanted company after what happened earlier.
"What's that you're working on, Mom?" Danny inquired.
Maddie looked up from the device she was manipulating. "Oh, this is supposed to translate the sounds a ghost makes into recognizable concepts."
"In English, maybe?"
"It's a thing that translates what ghosts are 'saying,' quote unquote."
"Oh. Cool."
It seemed to him that the ghosts he'd met were perfectly capable of speaking plain English, but, hey. What did he know?
Jazz bounced into the room, "Oh my gosh! They said 'yes'!"
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
"Who said 'yes'?" Danny asked, "The person you asked if you were a conceited snob?" He added.
Jack coughed.
"No," Jazz emphasized, "Genius Magazine said yes, they got my letter, and wanna put Mom on the cover!"
Everyone's eyes went very wide.
"What?" Madeline said, "Jasmine, you never told me you sent a letter!"
"I wanted it to be a surprise!"
"Well, you've certainly surprised me!" Maddie sighed, "I'd love to, honey, but your father and I are a team. If I'm going to be featured in a magazine, I want it to be with my husband. Behind every genius woman is a genius man."
Jazz deflated.
"Yeah!" Said Jack in his orotund voice, "The world needs to know that the Fentons are a family of geniuses!"
I got a D?!
Danny was resigned. His test hadn't gone well. He hadn't had the time to study at all. If this were a month ago, before the portal accident, he'd have aced it for sure.
The next day had a handful more students attending than the first day back had.
Danny fiddled with his pencil absentmindedly. One flip, should I tell my parents, another flip, should I not tell my parents...
He was hungry. Again. Dumb. Why hadn't he eaten breakfast?
The rare purple back gorilla...He kept writing. He didn't get all that far. He should have completed it at home the night before. It irked him to have uncompleted homework. He'd always been stellar at finishing it in the past. It was no use: Lancer beckoned everyone's work to the front of the desk rows where he could collect them stack by stack. Danny passed his up like everybody else.
The purple back gorilla, or rather the silver gorilla, was actually Sam's idea to use in his report. He had to remember to thank her for that on top of everything else she was doing for him.
About twenty minutes in to Lancer looking over the papers while students conversed among themselves Danny heard his name called.
"Mr. Fenton," said Mr. Lancer, "Come to my desk."
Danny wondered what he'd done wrong. Obviously he'd done something. He got out of his seat and walked over to the teacher.
Lancer indicated Danny's paper which he held in his hand, "What is this?" He flapped the paper once.
"...My report?"
"It's gibberish." Lancer said, handing the boy the work.
Danny squinted at his homework, expecting to see plain English, but all he found was incomprehensible.
The rare purple back gorilla is a misnomer for the senet asaus nolmasce mamayum mas etats soh chus, gnol a cekdi hodnery toh edilig aur nuood meeturef streabe. Lamef sovel aveh she tlic dael yebh eht elmma. Seh sih apabacap soh uming irvs ahl ermnt gurind lora cekia Yek mahc sevlary enit tor eht elmma anh derne scambh ruh...
He was confounded. What the hell was this? It was in his handwriting. He didn't write this!
The longer he stared at it the more he thought he could understand it.
Food hungry confusion frightened don't-know anything but why, maybe if someone told me anything nobody to answer lost alone. Stupid trespassers they don't get any my sympathy. Box was attacking but removed don't want have fight anymore please I hate everything this-is mine and sympathy is weak wait no...
"I..."
"I don't know why you look so confused," Lancer shook his head, "You wrote this."
"I didn't!" Danny said with a little more force than intended.
Lancer looked at him, "If you say so. It doesn't matter to me whatever is on that page. Just rewrite it."
The repercussions of disrespecting a popular girl were painful. Paulina's stint with Danny made him the target of much pointed looks and knowing smirks, especially from footballers. No one had confronted him yet, and he hoped it stayed that way. He didn't have time for it. He needed to get through the school day so that he could go out hunting those ghosts down again in the evening. He told his parents he was spending time with his friends until it was time to come home before curfew. They believed him, why shouldn't they? He wasn't the perfect picture of responsibility, but he was trusted. He wondered how much longer that would last. With any luck, things wouldn't change so much and it would stay the same.
When the last school bell of the day rang, he rushed to the bus area and loaded it, finding Tucker already there. "You ready for tonight?"
"Yes," Tucker said, "I won't make that mistake again, man."
"I know you won't. And, just...thanks. For helping me."
"Hey, no problem."
They were close, genuine moments between the two of them weren't uncommon. Danny thought he saw some guys glancing at them mockingly, but he ignored them. They probably thought they were gay or something. Whatever. Jerks were jerks. Not worth the time and effort.
Danny had the Thermos this time. Once they stopped at Danny's drop-off, they walked to the Nasty Burger to wait for Sam's arrival. They were talking about which streets they should travel when she appeared through the doors, decked out in steel-toed combat boots like usual, but there was something different about her stride. Out of the two of Danny's friends she was the most unwavering so far in wanting to help her friend. He was impressed by her. Not that he didn't appreciate Tuck' as well.
"Hey." She greeted.
"Great, so we're all here," Danny stood up from his seat, "Wanna start now?"
"Sure." Tucker said.
"I've got no problem with that." Sam echoed.
"They might still be around the warehouses." Danny thought aloud.
"Good idea." Said Sam, for good measure, none of them really knew what they were doing, but they'd caught the ghosts before, hadn't they? It had really been a stroke of luck. Danny's ghost sense had went off and he followed the feeling of ghosts nearby, in turn, Sam and Tuck' followed him. He felt none of that now.
Hours passed, the sun was beginning to set, and they were growing bored.
"Uh..."
Sam and Danny looked at Tucker.
"This isn't really...productive, is it?"
Danny hid a scowl. "I guess not." He wasn't mad at them, of course not. Just...it dug at him on an uncanny level to find nothing.