AHHHHH! Thank you SO SO SO SO MUCH for reviewing! Your words created a warmth in my heart that I will never forget! I just wanna crawl through this screen and give y'all a BIG hug! *hug, never wants to let go, you screaming for air*
This next chapter will introduce some new characters, but if you've seen this show you'll know who they are. This whole story is kind of aimed at its viewers, so sorry if I'm not very character-descriptive.
In all honesty, the story came out differently than I expected and I am a little unsure how good it actually is. Oh well, you'll just have to put up with my messed up muse (whose name I'm still deciding on) – so good luck with that!
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom
Chapter 2: A Few Friendly Faces
As they drew closer to Casper High, Danny's thoughts travelled to his friends.
Despite school starting up again a week ago, the faculty had asked him to resume his studies the following week. Their reasons were to give the students a chance to 'reorient' themselves after all the excitement caused by the asteroid. He had been more than happy to remain at home; he hadn't really felt like putting up with the stares and gossip direction at him anyway.
Of course, that had been before his home address had become public knowledge, effectively trapping him in his own home. The brief moments of freedom he'd caught by going ghost hadn't really done much to relieve his anxiousness.
What he really needed was to see his friends - for more than a few minutes. They could only pop in, with the help of his ghost powers to bypass the mob, of course - to briefly exchange a few words and drop off his workload. The amount of work they needed to complete kept them away and him busy most of the time.
It seemed that not even the end of the world stops school from keeping up with their curriculum.
As if on cue, Casper High came into view. Danny spotted Tucker and Sam waiting by the curb, looking around as if searching for something. Jazz honked the horn and they both jumped. The two turned and broke into relieved smiles as they spotted him. His sister pulled over and parked in an empty parking spot.
As soon as he stepped out, his friends jumped and wrapped him in a tight hug. He yelped and feared he would have to resort to turning intangible, but thankfully, they let him go.
"Welcome back to The Most Boring Place on Earth, dude!" Tucker smiled, sharing a fist bump with him.
Sam rolled her eyes at him and smiled widely at Danny, "It's good to have you with us again. You have no idea how hard it was to refrain from punching Tucker when he did impressions of you."
Tucker frowned, "I thought you liked them, being lonely without your boyfriend around?" This time, Sam did punch Tucker, but it was obvious from his laughter that he didn't mind, and that Sam wasn't totally angry from the mirth in her eyes.
Although Sam and Danny had kissed right before the meteor struck, neither had had the time to take it further and make it official. They had yet to go on a single date or even hold hands. Honestly, it still felt to Danny as if they were just three friends having fun, but he knew he was in love with Sam and that she felt the same.
Danny smiled, "It's good to see you guys too. As much as I like not having to go to school, it's annoying to be cooped up in your own house. I was ready to release a ghost myself just so I would have an excuse to get some action."
The three continued chatting as they slowly made their way up the path to the front entrance. Jazz had already gone inside, so the front grounds were completely deserted - an odd occurrence for Casper High. Danny briefly wondered where all the students were before the doors were pushed open and he suddenly got his answer.
Hundreds of eyes watched the trio as they walked down the hallway. The air was deathly silent, save for their footsteps bouncing off the walls and making it sound like there were more people walking behind him.
Danny kept his head high and shoulders relaxed, a slight smile on his face, trying to pretend he wasn't as nervous as he felt. On the other hand, his friends wore matching expressions of disdain as they flanked him, glaring at anyone who got in their way. A girl clutching a heart-shaped box tied with a red ribbon tried to step towards them.
Sam and Tucker simultaneously snapped around to glare at her, and she shrunk back with a shiver.
Danny sighed, "Guys, I appreciate the thought, but there's no need to be so protective. They're just looking."
"Looking, or plotting how to get close to you?" Tucker muttered suspiciously.
Sam nodded. "As much as I hate to agree with Tuck, these people have the look of a pack of parched wolves who've just spotted an oasis. Thirsty. Desire. Calculating."
"I'm pretty sure the expression with wolves is supposed to go with prey," Danny muttered, wondering if Sam's outlook on life as a vegetarian had somehow influenced the analogy.
"We gotta let the masses know there's no room for others in this friendship group," Tuck concurred, grasping his PDA threatening, as if he planned to swing it at anyone who tried to so much as touch his friend.
Danny shrugged in defeat, and then suddenly noticed the sound of feet clomping towards them. He looked forward to see the most popular girl in school marching towards him, a look of intent on her face.
Tuck glanced at him. "Still want us to stop glaring?"
"No. Glare harder." Danny's voice had instantly become devoid of warmth. Sam hid a smirk.
The long-haired Latino stopped several meters away and gave a bashful grin, "Hi, Danny!" she cooed. Taking their continued approach to be a greeting, Paulina continued chatting to Danny, ignoring the two on either side. "So I was thinking, since you like me and I like the ghost boy, and you're the same person, maybe we could go to the Nasty Burger together and..."
She trailed off as Danny neared her, eyes fixed ahead as he kept walking. He realised that he had grown taller than Paulina in the last few months. He inwardly groaned as she tilted her head up and fluttered her lashes, obviously preparing for a kiss. Anyone would think he was bee lining to kiss her - but his friends knew better.
They were the only two whose jaw didn't drop when Danny used his intangibility to pass right through her, never breaking his stride or pausing to look back. He held back a smirk when he thought of how the popular girl would react to being treated as if she wasn't even there – like she had treated him more than once in the past.
If he had been part of the crowd, he would have seen Paulina gape in shock, reeling at the fact that he had passed right through her. HER! The prettiest and most popular girl in the school!
Then suddenly the sweet facade was gone and in its place was anger at being ignored. The slim girl whirled around, hair swishing in her eyes as she indignantly cried, "Is that it?"
Danny paused. Sam and Tucker gave him questioning glances. He nodded to them and as one, they turned around.
"What were you expecting?" Sam posed smoothly, fixing the girl with a hard, but triumphant stare. Paulina scowled. "Back off, goth-freak! This is between me, and Danny."
"Which became our problem the moment Danny's identity became known," Tucker interjected. "Anything you say to him has to go through us too."
The popular girl scoffed, "As if YOU knew who he was. He'd never tell a bunch of losers like you!"
Instantly the hallway's temperature plummeted. Everyone shivered and hugged their arms for warmth. Clouds of breath hung in the air. Paulina curiously looked around for the source of the sudden change, expecting to see a ghost, until her eyes locked on Danny.
He was the only one not hunched in on themselves for warmth, feeling quite comfortable in the cold produced from his ice core. His bright blue eyes flashed neon green and the girl took a frightened step back.
Danny mentally kicked himself for releasing his ghost powers and quickly pulled the cold back in. To everyone else, it looked as though he'd simply frozen, so when he took a step forward they all flinched.
"My friends are NOT losers," Danny began dangerously. "And if you call them that again I won't just freeze the air around you." Okay, that was a tad too menacing, even for him. His tone sobered a bit, "I can't believe you honestly thought they had no idea who I was."
Hesitantly, Paulina said, "But, it's true…"
Tucker glared at her, "For your information, we were there when it happened. Sam is the one who convinced him to step into his parents' ghost portal - that's what gave him his powers. So you might as well just bow down and worship her." While Sam punched him for telling the girl about the origin of his powers, Danny was too busy admiring the look of simmering irritation mixed with pale distress on Paulina's face.
"You'll regret this," was all she spat, before turning and stalking away, sending kids scurrying out of the way of her wrath.
"Think she gave up?" Danny asked hopefully.
"I don't think so," sighed Sam. She cast a glance at the students standing around. Their earlier awed silence had finally deceased, replaced by excited whispers and glances shot in their hero's direction. The Goth rolled her eyes and dragged the boys to their lockers, eager to get out of the limelight.
When the trio arrived at first period, the entire school was already buzzing about the clash with Paulina. The girl in question was sitting at her desk stoically, refusing to answer her friends' questions or look at Danny. The students all looked expectantly to see where he would sit, and appeared disappointed when he chose his usual spot, next to Valerie. She was busy writing something, not looking up as he slid in next to her.
"'Morning Huntress," he greeted her.
The African-American jolted in her seat and finally noticed her. The initial shock in her eyes receded and she only sighed softly. "So you knew, huh?" she asked, referring to her secret identity as the ghost hunter, Red Huntress.
Danny nodded, also preferring to focus on his desk. "Yeah. Since the beginning."
Valerie put down her pen, "Somehow, I'm not surprised. I always thought you were hiding something. I guess I won't need this anymore." She crumpled the piece of paper in her hands and sent it flying across the room to the trash can. It hit the rim and bounced off, reflecting exactly how the hunter felt.
With a quick glance to check that nobody was paying them any attention - or really, much attention - Danny reached out his hand and focused his energy. A small wisp of ectoplasmic energy formed in his palm and shot from his fingertips with a flick, flying in lazy swirls over to the paper ball. A thin glow of green enveloped the ball, and Danny concentrated on bringing it closer; using small, sharp hand gestures to roll the along the floor.
As soon as it came within reach, he picked it up and noticed Valerie staring at him.
"That was amazing," she breathed. "How did you do it?"
He shrugged, "Lots of ghosts use telekinesis. I figured I could too, but never took the time to learn. You get pretty good at something when there's only homework to pass the time," he explained.
The girl shook her head in amazement, "I can't begin to imagine what else you might learn to do."
He gave her a small smile before smoothing out the paper she had thrown. She didn't stop him as he scanned its contents. There were parts crossed out so many times it was hard to read, but he managed to get the gist of it.
He turned to her in surprise, "You were going to tell me." About who she was. That she had been hunting him for nearly the past year. That she regretted it.
Valerie avoided eye contact. She slowly nodded, "After you told the world who you were, I thought a lot about all the time we spent together. I thought… if you found out the Red Huntress was actually the girl you considered a close friend, you might never speak to me again. After all, I made it quite clear that I hated you."
"You're right." His answer threw her off and she snapped around to face him. He smiled gently, "I do consider you a close friend." Her shoulders sagged in relief, but he continued. "I don't blame you for having a grudge. It is my fault your life was ruined. If I had handled Cujo better," She raised her eye upon hearing the ghost dog's name. "I wouldn't have got your dad in trouble and made such a mess. Not to mention I never made up for it." He steeled himself and let it out, "I guess what I'm saying is: I'm sorry."
A smile broke out on Valerie's face. "I forgave you days ago. But, if you wanna make up for it you can start right now," she leaned over the gap between their desks. "By letting me help you hunt down ghosts," she smirked.
He found himself smiling. "As long as we don't destroy them, I'd love it if you helped out. Sam, Tuck and Jazz would be grateful for the extra pairs of hands. Just try to keep up with me," he winked playfully. "We'll even take you into the Ghost Zone. After the initial traumatising experience, it really seems to grow on you."
The two continued talking, Valerie questioning how his friends and sister found out about his secret, what the Ghost Zone was like and whether there were any friendly ghosts. Danny beamed at the thought that she was letting go of her hatred for ghosts.
Their excitement and engrossment in their own talk did not go unnoticed by Danny's friends. They shared a smile, happy that the two were getting along without secrets, instead of fighting like usual.
The chatter ceased with the arrival of the teacher, who called the roll and began the lesson - the history of the Medieval Era.
So far, Danny's day had been almost normal. He wholeheartedly hoped it would stay that way, but he knew it couldn't last forever. His hunch was assured during lunch.
So far, none other than Paulina had approached him, which Danny found quite odd but welcomed. He, Tucker and Sam picked up their trays of foods from the cafeteria counter and ignored the pointed fingers and excited whispers. It was starting to get annoying, really, and the three agreed even a fight against Technus or the Box Ghost would be less agonising.
When Danny asked his friends why the students were acting differently from the crowd outside his house, Tucker said, "Maybe it's because nobody at school thinks you're as a hero?"
"Seriously? After all I've done to protect them from ghost attacks?" Danny asked incredulously.
Tucker rolled his eyes, "I meant they don't see Danny Fenton as a hero."
Sam nodded, "It's because you saved the town so many times that they're having a hard time linking the boy who saved the world with the one who got picked on so often. The masses love stereotypes. It's why the future generations are predicted to fail," Sam's individuality spoke out. Then her eyes grew alight, "I say: break that stereotype!"
Break the stereotype? How was Danny going to do that? It turned out, the answer came to him.
As he was passing a table, somebody stuck their foot out at the last second, causing Danny to trip. The entire cafeteria gasped as he nose dived on a collision course for the floor. At the last second, Danny tapped into his ghost powers, defying gravity to pause in mid air.
Careful not to disrupt his meal, he carefully floated up and righted himself. Already guessing whom it was, Danny turned to look at his assailant. The square face of Dash Baxter stared back, eyes narrowed as he studied the ghost boy.
Sam and Tucker drew up on either side of him. Together, the four of them engaged in a silent quarrel. After a few moments, Dash stood up and got right to point, "Why?"
The trio raised eyebrows at the taller boy, wondering just how much of a dimwit he was.
"You mean, why didn't I use my ghost powers against you?"
The jock nodded. His fist was half raised in preparation to punch one of them, as if he had caught his body from doing it instinctually and was mentally debating if he should lower it or not; which explained the lack of speech.
Danny smirked, "Oh, I did. Plenty of times. Remember all the times you fell into your food tray? Or when you tried to ask Paulina to the dance, and suddenly felt like washing you mom's feet?"
Tucker snickered beside him, "Man, that was hilarious." Sam elbowed him, don't piss off the jock, she mouthed. Tucker shrugged.
Dash opened him mouth, "I mean, why didn't you ever let me see it? You could have... easily overpowered me and… made yourself one of the popular kids." He seemed to be struggling to get the words out. "Nobody would have... been able to mess with you."
"You mean 'bully' him," Sam stated. It was not a question, it was a fact. Dash nodded.
Danny glanced around the cafeteria to see everyone was waiting curiously for his answer, the other popular kids and even the lunch ladies. He considered dodging the question and leaving right then and there, finding the attention uncomfortable.
However, he dismissed the thought right away, opting to set it straight immediately like he had with Valerie and Paulina.
"Because that would have been abusing my power," he replied. Dash frowned in confusion.
Danny continued, "It's not enough to just be good when I'm saving the town as Danny Phantom, part of being a hero is to not use my powers against those I want to protect. You may be a bully, Dash, but you're not an evil person. Unlike ghosts, you turn tail and run as soon as someone stronger than you shows up. You're part of the town I've sworn to protect, despite all you've done to me. I refuse to let past experiences dictate how I treat you, which is why I never openly used my powers against you."
Sam smiled, proud of my 'hero' speech. Tucker just nudged me, "Yeah, that and the whole 'secret identity' thing, am I right?" He giggled, silently reprimanding himself for forgetting the most obvious reason.
"So there you have it. Do you have anything to say, Dash?" Sam queried.
The jock looked puzzled at the answer, but nodded and awkwardly rubbed his neck. "Uh, I just wanted to say, thanks for saving me all the time... Even if I, y'know, treated you horribly."
Tucker and Danny were blown away that the bully they were constantly demoralised by was apologising for his terrorising. Sam just frowned, unconvinced.
"Does this mean we're exempt from getting beaten up by you?" Tucker asked hopefully.
Dash gave a snort, "As if! Just because you're worshipped by the whole world now, doesn't meaning I'll let up on torturing you. You're still the same Fen-turd you always were." Danny gulped, not liking how his future was looking. Tucker tried not to smack his forehead at being ignored.
Dash seemed to think that was enough said, and resumed his talk at the popular kids' table, telling them all about the great epic pass he had made during practice.
"Come on," Danny whispered. "Let's find a table." His friends followed him to an empty table with three seats in the their usual corner of the cafeteria. They busied themselves with their food and tried to forget the fact that people were watching them.
Tucker talked about his newest piece of tech, but his friends only half understood all the specifics of what he was talking about. Sam poked fun at him good-naturedly, calling him 'teckno-geek', to which he responded with "goth-freak".
The two glared at each other until they realised Danny was laughing at them, and smiled again. They shared an evil grin and at the same time said, "whelp," which only served to make him laugh harder, recalling all the times he'd been called that by his ghost adversaries.
When they calmed down, Tuck took a bite of his fried chicken and addressed Danny with a knowing grin, "Y'know, now that you're famous and all, you have to do that."
The ghost boy and goth girl exchanged glances, not knowing what their friend was going on about and almost afraid to ask. Danny relented, "What do you mean?"
Tucker gave then an expression that clearly said 'Duh'. "Autographs! You'll be asked to sign load of things! Therefore, you need to start practicing right now." From his pocket he produced his PDA. He slid out the stylus and poked the screen a few times, then slid both across the table to his friend.
"Use that. If you're stuck on what to do, I made a few examples for you, too."
Sam became excited, looking over Danny's arm to watch him flick through the signatures. "I hadn't thought of that. This is your opportunity to express your individuality compared to the rest of the world! You want something that says 'I support green'," she moved her arms about like she was picturing it in the air.
Danny wrinkled his nose, "Why 'green'?"
"Because it can mean a lot of things – the preservation of the world, vegetarianism, peace with the ghosts."
"Or noxiousness." Tucker added. She glared at him and he shrugged, "What? I was being honest." They continued to debate on the 'message' his signature should convey. Frankly, Danny didn't really think he needed one, so he gave supportive comments to the both of them while he worked on his signature with the corner of his eye.
Once the lunch bell rung, he had decided on a cursive font with a swirl on the end, which reminded him of the way his spectral tail looked as he few. The words 'Danny Phantom' looked up at him proudly.
Their next class was with Mr. Lancer. Danny dreaded what the teacher would do to him, now that he knew the reason behind Danny slacking off on his homework and studying. When the aforementioned person finally arrived at the classroom, he only sent a curious glance at the boy before starting his class. Danny took notes like usual, trying to take in everything the man was saying.
The subject was dull: the different types of languages in the world - until he mentioned artificial languages. He stuck up his hand.
"Mr. Lancer, by 'artificial' do you mean Esperanto?"
Mr. Lancer smiled, looking content that the normally lethargic student was taking part in class. "Why, yes, Mr. Fenton. I take it you've had experience with this language?"
He nodded, "I met a ghost who spoke it." He recalled the time he had met Wulf. Tucker had taught Sam and him a few words in order to communicate. His friend spoke it as a way to speak to other nerds in code.
If the teacher was perturbed in any way by Danny calling a ghost his friend, he didn't show it. Instead, he asked something that surprised Danny.
"Do know if the ghosts have their own language?" The other students leaned closer in their seats, also interested in hearing the answer.
"Uh, yeah," he answered hesitantly. "It sounds a bit like a spitting whisper. You can't tell if they're saying words or just cussing at each other."
A chuckled resounded through the room. Mr. Lancer pressed, "Could you give a demonstration? Do you know any words?"
Danny looked to his friends for reassurance. They shrugged. He turned back and wondered if he should – after all, it was the ghosts' language, not his. Did he have any right to it?
He resolved himself to apologise if needed later, not wanting to let the class down and a bit proud that he could show off to Mr. Lancer. "Ok, it's kinda hard for a human to speak it, since ghosts don't need to breathe but I'll give it a go." He recalled a phrase and let out a string of noises, both fascinating and chilling at the same time.
"What does that mean?" someone breathed.
Danny frowned. "I think I just said 'Your doom will be death by corrugated cardboard belonging to the Swansons Moving Company'." He'd heard the Box Ghost utter it during one of their last fights, and since the ghost said the same thing practically every time, he'd come up with a possible meaning for it.
It occurred to him that he really needed to learn the language. It became way too obvious when ghosts were talking about him, taking advantage of the fact he couldn't understand.
Mr. Lancer thanked him and continued his lesson in further detail.
By the time the class was over, Danny knew everything from slang to jargon to argot- a fact he applauded himself for. As the students packed up their books, Mr. Lancer requested that Danny stay behind.
Knowing it was time for his inevitable chewing out, he gestured for his friends to leave without him and waited until the classroom emptied. Once they were alone, Lancer turned to him. "Mr. Fenton, have you ever thought what it means to be a teacher?" Danny nodded, having heard this line of inquiry many time before.
"Nothing gives me greater joy than watching the youth of today's generation feast on the knowledge I provide, and leave Casper High with a richer learning experience. Do you know why I do this?" Mr. Lancer asked.
Danny gulped. "Uh, a sense of accomplishment? Survival of the fittest?" he guessed.
"No, Mr. Fenton. It is to save the world from the decline of language." Danny involuntarily raised his eyebrow. This was a strange way to start a lecture about his study habits.
"Nowadays," Lancer continued. "All humans speak in slang and abbreviations like we just learnt in class. It will become so widespread that one day in the future, we will think nothing came before it." Internally, Danny frowned. It seemed like such a silly thing to get upset about, though he kept his expression neutral. He was sure Lancer had his reasons for worrying about the language trends of the younger generations.
The adult searched the boy's face for any signs, perhaps looking for criticism. This made him tilt his head and more or less blind Danny with the light reflecting off his baldhead, it looked light he had a halo.
Whatever the teacher saw made him take a breath and continue. "But you… you literally save the world. For one so young, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders. I can't begin to imagine the turmoil derived from the expectations, the dangers - living in a ghost-resentful home as a ghost."
That did not sound like a scolding. Where was Lancer going with this? "You don't know the half of it," Danny whispered with slumped shoulders.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is this: I'm sorry for not understanding the difficulty of your situation. I know I made it hard on you, and I see now why you skipped out on your schoolwork and caused your grades to slip." Lancer placed a hand on his shoulder, "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
Danny stared at his English teacher in a stupor, his brain refusing to compute what he had just heard. After a moment, a squeeze from Lancer jolted him back to himself.
"Ah, no," he held up his hands. "It's okay, Mr. Lancer. I've made it hard on you too. My life became so messed up after I got these powers, and I sort of just… forgot about everything else. Things started to seem less important compared to rounding up the ghosts." He tried for a nervous smile.
It worked. Lancer nodded in relief, "I'm glad we both admitted it. However, 'Jane Eyre' forbid if I ever let your grades slip again. Do you hear me? I won't go easy on you."
Danny smiled, "Wouldn't have it any other way."
The man's expression sobered, "If you ever need help with school or studying, you can always rely on me, Daniel." Danny's chest gave an unusual twang when he heard his first name. It made him realise just how much Lancer meant every word.
His smile grew warm, "Thank you, Sir."
They bid farewell and Danny had to admit, he couldn't hide the spring in his step. Maybe school wasn't going to be so bad after all?
Heck yeah! It feels good to get another chapter out of the way! How did you all like it? (did not expect to write this much, will try to keep it to 3,000 words from now on) _
The interactions between Danny and the other characters were hard to write. I did my best to make them sound like they do in the show. Did you see the novel-swear from Mr. Lancer? Anyone got a better idea for that? *shrugs* Well, it'll do for now. Btw, the 'survival of the fittest' part was referring to helping the students in their academics so they contribute to society.
Next time, we start to see some ghosts, so get ready!