Lyrics by Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

The sound of her parents screaming had Sam cowering in the corner. She could hear the rustling of fabric and items falling to the ground.

"Please stop," she begged quietly to herself, holding her knees to her chest as if that could keep her from falling apart.

~And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am~

"Have you seen Danny?" Sam asked Maddie as she tied her combat boots by the door. She glanced at the watch on her wrist, her backpack in her other hand.

Maddie walked into the living room with Sam's lunch in hand. "I think he's still with Vlad. He should be in class though." She handed Sam the paper bag.

"You mean they spent the night somewhere? Where did they go?"

"Vlad usually takes Danny out for several hours at a time."

"And you haven't called or heard from them since?"

Maddie avoided Sam's eyes. "You should get going, Sam, or you'll be late."

"But-"

"Please, Sam." Maddie stared at the goth and sighed. "You shouldn't be late."

Sam entered her study period, hyperaware that the so called delinquent wasn't anywhere in the room. She did spot a red beret in the computer lab and took a seat beside him.

"Hey."

"Hey," Tucker said back without taking his eyes off the screen. Instead of studying though, he was playing a co-op game.

Sam signed into the computer in front of her before turning back to Tucker. "What do you know about Vlad?"

"Didn't I tell you to stop asking questions?" Tucker asked, without taking his eyes off the game.

"You mean the vague threat you gave me the other day? Must have slipped my mind." Sam looked back at the computer. "Try going in the field."

"What?" Tucker asked. Sam pointed at his screen. "You're kidding, right? I'll be completely exposed."

"Just do it."

Tucker shook his head, but moved his character away from shelter and into the field. An item popped up and suddenly the character was invisible. "Whoa. I didn't know about this." He glanced at Sam. "How did you-?"

"Will you listen to me now?" Sam demanded, leaning back in her chair.

Tucker looked at his game and back at Sam. He sighed. "He's Danny's step father. His mom remarried soon after his dad died."

Sam frowned, not satisfied by this information. "Danny doesn't seem to like him very much."

"Danny doesn't like a lot of people."

"Vlad's kind of strange though, don't you think? Even Danny's mom acts differently around him-"

"I thought we agreed you'd stay out of Danny's business."

"I never agreed to that," Sam pointed out. She learned forward to whisper, "I'm worried, Tucker. Danny didn't return home after he left with Vlad last night and he isn't here now. And Maddie was completely fine with it. I don't know why she let Vlad take her son somewhere without even questioning him."

"Ever think you're being paranoid?"

Sam's mouth snapped in annoyance. "I'm too deep in this to look the other way, Tucker. I know there's something you're all hiding from me. Whatever it is, I can handle it."

Tucker wiped at the skin beneath his glasses, chuckling. "That's exactly what she said."

"Best friends already, huh?" Danny's voice made Sam jump. She glanced up to see him take the empty seat beside her.

"Danny," Sam said awkwardly, pulling away from Tucker, who she had been huddling close to for their private conversation. "You're here."

"Did you expect me to be somewhere else?"

"Well, you did take off in a pretty bad mood yesterday." And he was with creepy Vlad the entire time. "Where did you go?"

"Sam, remember what I said?" Tucker raised an eyebrow.

"I don't mind." Danny leaned forward with a smile. "I like when Sam asks questions. It means she's thinking about me."

Sam smacked his face with her folder. "Seriously, you're doing this here?"

"What? Would you prefer a more intimiate spot to talk about this?"

Sam was about to smack him again when something dawned on her. She slowly lowered his hands, until the folder was sitting on the desk. "I get it. You're trying to redirect this conversation. This is just a distraction." Sam crossed her arms. "You can't make me forget what this is really about."

"Sam," Tucker warned.

Danny smiled warmly at her. "That's just the thing. I'm not trying to make you forget. I know there's no way you would let this go. I just want you to know that I have no intention of telling you."

Sam frowned, looking between the two boys. What was this horrible secret everyone was trying so desperately to keep from her? Sam was currently living with Danny. If this secret was so terrible, didn't she have the right to know? "I'm not a child. You two have to stop treating me like I need to be protected from the truth." She glanced back at Tucker, who had been staring at his shoes. "I'll see you later." Sam stood up, putting her arms through the straps of her backpack before walking out the door.

"Sam, wait!" Danny called, grabbing her wrist, but Sam pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"What is your problem?" Sam yelled in the empty hallway. Danny's face had looked hurt by her rejection as he slowly lowered his outstretched hand. "You keep coming after me after I've clearly made an effort to stay out of your way, but the moment I try to understand you, you shut me out. Why?" Sam took a step closer, making sure no one else could hear her words. "I already know about your condition and how your body reacts to the treatment. I know there's something seriously messed up about Vlad. Everyone is so convinced the world will end if I figure out this secret you're keeping from me." Sam took a breath, staring into his sad eyes. "I haven't done anything to make you think otherwise, so why keep me in the dark?"

Sam was breathing heavy after all the words were out. She was probably being unfair. Sam knew something changed Danny after Valerie went crazy, and she wasn't at liberty to demand anything from him, but something about Danny really bothered her. To be honest, Sam wasn't entirely sure why she was so determined to find out. What did it matter if he had some secret? Sam barely knew him up until a few weeks ago.

Danny had his head down as they stood in the quiet hallway. Sam closed her eyes. "Never mind. I was out of line to ask you something like that. I just hate feeling left out, I guess." She backed away from him. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Sam ran outside the school, leaning against the brick structure. Things were getting really strange now, and she hadn't meant to upset Danny. She just wanted the truth.

A small mew interrupted her thoughts. Sam spotted the cat a few feet away, staring at her. "Danny," Sam called, but the cat ran in the opposite direction, effectively avoiding her.

Sam paced in her new bedroom, weighing her options. She needed to leave the Fenton house. She was going crazy with all the unanswered questions and it was obvious Danny wasn't going to tell her anything. She'd never run from him, but staying this close to him was torture. She threw her bag on the ground, digging into the closet for her clothes.

"That is the last time you do something stupid like this!" Vlad's voice hissed from outside her door. Sam's muscles tensed. She quickly darted inside the closet.

The door to her room opened and footsteps entered the room. "I told you she wasn't here."

Danny? Sam peeked through the crack in the door.

"And how can you be so sure?" Vlad demanded.

"Her shoes weren't by the door."

Sam stared down at her feet, noticing that she was still wearing her boots. She had been so focused on leaving she forgot to take them off.

"Hurry up then," Vlad hissed. "Who knows when that girl will come back."

Danny walked to the door, but suddenly stopped. He was staring down at Sam's bag; the one she began to fill with clothes.

He didn't comment on it. Instead, Danny walked back into the hallway and closed the door.

Sam remained sitting in the dark closet, trying to process what had just happened. She had ran and hid on reflex. Just the sound of Vlad's angry tone had her cowering, and now they wanted to make sure she wasn't here. Why? She slowly walked out of the closet and tip toed to the door. She could still hear Vlad yelling from downstairs.

"This is the last time you do something this reckless. Allowing that girl to stay here was a mistake."

"She had nowhere else to go."

"And you think she would be safer living in the same house as you than outside with that ghost?" Vlad laughed. "Let's not forget about Valerie."

"That's different. I don't plan on telling Sam anything."

"Good, some common sense for once. Lock the front door for now and text that girl. Tell her no one's home."

"Her name's Sam."

"We'll have plenty of time to get better acquainted later, boy. Just come down to the lab."

Sam opened the door and watched Danny lock the front entrance. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket, texting Sam. Danny sighed and glanced up at Sam's room. The goth immediately moved to the side, even though the crack she was looking through was too small for Danny to notice her. She let her heart beat for a few moments before she checked back over the railing. Danny was no longer standing in the living room.

Her cell phone went off in her pocket. Sam pulled out the phone and read the text from Danny.

My moms out right now so the house is locked. U can hang out w/ Tucker.

Sam never gave Danny her number. When did he get it? But Sam didn't have time to worry about that. She walked into the hallway and down the stairs, careful to be quiet.

The lab was in the basement, right by the kitchen. She stopped by the entrance and listened. There was the sound of metal clashing together and other zaps and thuds she wasn't familiar with. Was Vlad treating Danny right now? She squeezed her eyes shut. She shouldn't get involved anymore. It wasn't her business. Sam walked away from the basement, when Danny screamed.

Sam stopped, looking back. He was screaming? Because of a treatment? She couldn't just leave him like that, but Vlad was going to great lengths to keep her out. Would Danny get in trouble if she went inside? Could she somehow sneak in and leave undetected?

Sam pictured his face, remembering the rumors. He was a delinquent to the world, fighting off everybody, but his aggression was simply a side effect from the treatment Maddie and Vlad were giving him. Danny wasn't really a bad guy. He was surprisingly playful and goofy and even sweet at times. Could she honestly ever run away from that?

"I'm sorry, Danny," Sam whispered. Cautiously, she entered the lab, not fully understanding what she was getting herself into.