Greetings!
School is currently back on and I might not find the time to update as often as before - as you can see this chapter took me two weeks because school sucked all the energy out of me. What do you think Jade?
Jade: *weak from hunger, collapses* Give me foooooood...
Me: My, whatever could be wrong with her? *shares knowing wink with the audience* I guess I'll just have to do the disclaimer myself. You just chill out on the floor, 'kay?
Jade: *weak groan*
Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom
Chapter 5: A Net Full Of Goodies
If any other person told Danny their life sucked, he would seriously punch them in the face. Nothing - and he meant nothing - could be worse than this right now. Let's break it down:
1. Wake up to a screaming crowd of fans.
2. Be chased on his way to school.
3. Evade the news crews.
4. Endure the stares and random requests for autographs and photos.
5. Try to focus on class with everyone staring at you.
6. Try not to panic when his lunch table is swarmed.
7. Somehow make it through the rest of the day.
8. Meet up with friends to escape school.
9. Steer clear of the even bigger mob outside his house.
10. Read fan mail, do homework, repeat.
The worst part was that Danny couldn't even use his ghost powers to bail out of uncomfortable situations. The gossip about him was already bad enough - people thought he might be tempted to cheat or peek into the girls' locker room (why would he ever?) He didn't need people saying he took his powers for granted and used them for every petty thing as well. On the plus side, he had the best bodyguards a guy could ask for.
Sam and Tucker made sure nobody got too close or too comfortable with Danny. If someone even brushed their toe over the line, the two would be onto them in a matter of moments, like a pair of rabid dogs chasing away a squirrel. Not to mention... Dash was being nice to him now. It still confused Danny that only a few weeks prior the bully had been teasing him nonstop. Now, the jock was actively standing up for him and sitting at the next lunch table over, almost like he was keeping a protective eye over him.
When a news crew had managed to grab Danny and bombard him with questions, Dash had been the one to pull him free and tell them off. Sam and Tucker had quietly led him away while the jock argued with the reporters and journalists. It made Danny feel happy that he no longer had to put up with Dash's bullying - that he might even be able to rely on Dash for help. His friends were not as hopeful.
"He just feels bad for unknowingly beating up the town hero," Sam said over her salad lunch. "He probably just wants to earn your trust so he can boast about being pals with you." Not the most encouraging comment she's ever made.
Danny sighed as he signed yet another school diary, "It'd be nice if there were more people like you to keep the crowds off my back. Like a police escort or something. Maybe if someone was still the mayor."
Tucker blanched at his glare, choking on his juice. He coughed and retorted, "You try being elected for an adult's job when you're only a kid. See how long it takes them to replace you." He hunched over and deteriorated into annoyed grumbles. After the asteroid incident, Tucker had been elected Mayor of Amity Park, a position which only lasted for a few days before he was sacked and replaced with a 'competent adult', who just so happened to be the Mayor before Vlad had taken the position for himself.
Tucker wasn't so fussed since he knew the job would only invite the opportunity to take advantage of his power. He already had an entire high school thinking he was lame and nerdy; he claimed he didn't want the rest of the town disliking the way he ran the council. "I don't like all the attention. It's surprising you haven't snapped under your pressure yet," he had said to Danny.
Except Tucker was a lot farther from the truth than he was aware. Danny was feeling really fed up with the celebrity lifestyle. He couldn't even eat his lunch without being stared at - talk about creepy. The press and his 'fan club' were driving him up the wall.
His stress had led him to keeping the curtains closed and staying away from his balcony, particularly after the fiasco a few days ago where some of his fans had tried to reach his bedroom window on the second floor by forming a human ladder. The four had only backed off after his dad had knocked them down with the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick. Danny could feel the tension gathering at the base of his neck, like a string being pulled taught with each twist. He was close to snapping - he knew he was - and yet he refused to drop the upstanding hero persona while in public.
Right now, he was sitting with his friends at lunch, routinely signing the items put on the table from the que that stretched out the doors and down the hall. He had no idea how the line kept growing. There was a constant amount of things to sign, he'd have thought everyone now owned at least three things with his autograph on it.
Tucker informed him of the reason. Apparently, the cool kids had started the craze of making Danny sign his (still unapproved) merchandise and then selling it online or to the mob at Danny's house. It felt wrong that he was simply being taken advantage of to make money, but that was how the cool kids worked. They only cared about improving their already impressive collections - Dumpty Humpty, Ember McLain and now Danny Phantom.
"And have you sold anything, Tucker?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. When his friend averted his eyes, Danny knew he had. Tucker never could resist the opportunity to make money. It was another reason he would have made a terrible mayor, even if that power would be extremely useful in his current predicament.
Sam placed a hand on his arm, "Look, it doesn't matter what people do with their stuff. All that's important is people look up to you. Even your former bullies kind of respect you now." Her smile was enough to dull the sharp edge of stress Danny had felt pressed against his throat the past week. He put down his marker and asked the que if they could leave them alone for a while.
Grumbling, the crowd walked off, though he noticed some were tightly clutching their items and had their eyes fixed on him, ready to spring closer when the moment presented itself again. He smiled at his friends, "Let's go somewhere after school. I feel like it's been forever since we went out and did something."
Their expressions lit up instantly, almost as if they had been waiting for those exact words to leave his lips. "How about the movies?" Tucker suggested. "There's a new 'Empress She-Wolf Rises' film." As the three talked it over none were expecting the PA announcement to drown out their words.
"Daniel Fenton to the Principal's office. Daniel Fenton to the Principal's office."
"What do you think it could be about?" Danny wondered aloud. His friends rolled their eyes at him. He thought back over the past week and sighed, "Right, stupid question."
"Have fun in hell," Sam joked. Danny was too nervous to laugh so he just nodded. He stood up and made his way to the exit. His fans weren't about to let him go though, they cut him off and surrounded him. By this time, Danny was too irritated to care as he used his powers to vanish from sight and pass through their bodies, without transforming.
They knew where he was going; they had heard the announcement too, so after the first few shouts of alarm they set off down the hallway after him. Knowing he might regret this, Danny summoned a mist of cold into his hand and spread it onto the floor with a swish of his hand, coating it with ice. Students slipped and skidded, crying out as they crashed into each other. In only a few moments there was a barricade of human bodies and Danny laughed as he watched them scramble to get up, only to be pulled back down by the tangle of arms and legs.
He rounded the corner and let his powers fade. The hallways were empty, save for the occasional classroom full of lunchtime clubs he passed. Danny stopped outside the Principal's office. The doors were big and imposing. The large plaque card screwed onto the wood read: 'Principal Ishiyama'. He knocked.
"Come in," a woman called from inside. He slipped through the doors and surveyed the room. It was spacious and lined with tall bookcases on one side and certificates on the other. Two sofas and a coffee table sat in the centre of the room, and the opposite wall held a large window. In front of the window, the Principal sat behind her desk. It was neat and only held a stack of documents, a cup full of pens and her computer.
"Ah, Danny! Do sit down," she motioned to the chair in front of her desk, her trademark 'too bright' smile on her face. Once Danny had sat down, she steeped her fingers together and fixed him with an authoritative stare. "I suppose you know why you are here?" she asked, though somehow she kept her tone cheerful.
Danny nodded. He knew it must have something to do with all the activity caused by his identity reveal. His suspicions were confirmed when the principal began to list off various points, "Fewer students attending class, increase in detentions, excessive attention from the media, poorer attention spans towards lectures -" She raised an eyebrow at him, "Need I go on?"
Danny shook his head. He knew it was bad, but he'd rather keep this meeting as brief as possible. Ishiyama sighed, "I hate to lose even one student but frankly, your presence is a disturbance this school can no longer tolerate." Danny's shoulders dropped. He had suspected something like this might happen. The school board couldn't have known how disastrous his attendance at school would have become, and now that a week had passed they knew it couldn't continue.
As he wallowed in silence, the principal's expression turned almost motherly. "I'm sorry Danny. If there was anything I could do to change the school board's mind, believe me, I would. But unless you and your family figure out a way to deal with this problem you might have to start considering home-schooling."
That was the end. He hadn't spoken a word but his silence told her everything. Danny was dismissed, by then the bell had rung and the halls were full of students on their way to class. He didn't feel like being pestered, so he used his powers to avoid their attention. He ended up sitting on the roof, having his own pity-party.
A buzz in his pocket told him he had received a text. Danny pulled it out and saw it was from Sam, no doubt worried as to why he hadn't shown up at their English class.
Is P still chewing u out?
Danny typed a response, eager to ease her worries.
on the roof, dont feel like being around people right now.
The reply came a minute later, probably slowed by Sam's effort to keep her phone hidden from Lancer.
How come? U alright?
yea. p says i might have 2 stop school. home schooling instead.
Even though his texting grammar was terrible, it was easy enough to understand. Sam's next text was sympathetic.
2 bad. Is there any way 2 change her mind?
only to suddenly not attract so much attention. my "presence is a disturbance"
A pause.
Hmph! She knows that's next to impossible. Tuck says hi.
Danny smiled, he could clearly imagine Sam's cross expression becoming annoyed as Tucker leaned over the aisle to whisper to her. He felt himself calming down. Talking to his friends always helped to ease his mind and put things into perspective, even though they weren't physically there with him.
im gonna go home. need time to think. will visit ghost zone.
Gotcha. We'll get your things. Tell them hi from us!
Danny flipped his phone shut and stood up to stretch. He felt like transforming today. Being Danny Fenton all week had been exhausting. He called up that familiar feeling and summoned the bright hoop around his waist. It split and replaced his clothes with cool-to-the-touch spandex, finishing off with his trademark white hair and neon green eyes.
Danny Phantom merged his legs into a spectral tail and took off, racing back to his house. He enjoyed the sensation of zipping through the sky unnoticed, thanks to his invisibility. Traffic was mild and many people were out and about, busily walking to their next destination. Some talked into phones while others held bags of shopping. To anyone unfamiliar with Amity Park, it would appear that life was the same as anywhere.
However, only a true citizen could notice the small green tubes always within arm's reach, and the wary glances they would make over their shoulder as if prepared for something to jump out and attack them. The green objects were actually small canisters of Fenton Anti-Ghost Foam, a licenced product created by his parents that ordinary people could use if attacked by a ghost.
Danny zoned out, sensing his mood relaxing. Before he knew it, he was nearing FentonWorks. He merged through the wall and landed in the basement. He looked around at the mountains of mail and parcels backed up against the walls that he, Jazz and his friends hadn't sorted through yet. It was a lot, originating from all over the globe, though he'd noticed that a majority had return addresses in Amity Park.
He turned his eyes to the section his sister had designated as the 'perishables' pile. This was where all the boxes of sweets, chocolates, cookies and other foods were. Most of it would go bad before his family even got to it - the pile was almost brushing the ceiling! However, Danny knew a few ectoplasmic pals who might appreciate a thank you gift or two. He set to work, using a net primarily used for catching ghosts to haul all the gifts through the Ghost Zone, making sure to leave out anything his father might enjoy.
Just as he was about to dive through the portal, he heard footsteps on the staircase and panicked. He didn't want his parents to know he had left school early, he felt embarrassed that he hadn't tried harder to make it through the week. It was Friday, he'd only had a couple of classes left to go. In addition, there was the matter of avoiding any more ghost experiments. Danny had seen the pair casting longing glances in his direction as their thirst for knowledge built up. It wouldn't be too long before their dam burst, just like his string.
Before the person could reach the basement and discover him Danny kicked off from the floor and bulldozed through the portal, using all his might to pull the bulky mass of the net through the portal. He only just managed it in time and disappeared through the swirling green vortex.
A few seconds later, Jack Fenton plodded through the lab and glanced over his shoulder warily, a huge grin on his face. He sneaked over to the snack pile and picked up a box of 'Apple Fizzle Choco-roo's. Once again, he surveyed the room carefully before ripping the box open and gorging on the sugary contents. Once he had finished, Jack gave a satisfied belch and shot a guilty look at the stairs as if expecting his wife to appear and scold him. When nothing happened, he threw the box into a corner to join the medium-sized pile of empty packages and stomped back up the stairs. He never once noticed how much the snack pile had dwindled in only half an hour.
The Ghost Zone was unlike any place on earth. For one, it had no boundaries. The swirling neon green expanse stretched for as far as the eye could see in every direction, even up and down. Large plots of land floated around, each home to its own ghost. Purple doors drifted in and out of view, leading to different parts of the Ghost Zone, other ghosts' domains and sometimes portals back to the real world.
Danny sucked in a deep breath and pulled with all his might, finally feeling the net pop free. He spun out of control for a few moments until he managed to right himself. He shook his head to clear it then jumped as a voice said, "Phantom?"
He turned to the source of the voice and discovered it came from a pair of ghosts dressed as security guards. He recognised them as Walker's lackeys and nodded, "Yes. Did Walker send you?"
The two nodded and the one on the right spoke, the same who had spoken before, "Skulker alerted us that you would be entering the Ghost Zone with real world items, so he dispatched us to escort you to his office. We'll hold onto those for you." The ghost on the left moved forward to take the net from him in a non-threatening way. Since it didn't seem like he was in trouble just yet, Danny handed it over then took off as the first ghost motioned for him to follow.
As they drifted through the Ghost Zone, many ghosts caught sight of Danny and waved cheerfully, though stayed back since they didn't want to be persecuted for obstructing the law. He waved back as a sign of friendliness. He was happy that the ghosts seemed more accepting of him, and he wasn't going to do anything that might jeopardise that.
The first ghost noticed him waving and explained, "The ghosts have been talking about you a lot the past few weeks. They all feel grateful to you for saving the Ghost Zone along with your world. Many have been waiting impatiently to see you again.'
"Really?" Danny exclaimed. It was one thing to guess the truth, but quite another to hear a ghost admit it. It almost felt like they were getting along. He glanced back at the second ghost and was met with a comforting smile. He had a lot to tell tucker and Sam when he got back.
"We're almost there," the ghost said. Danny scanned ahead and his eyes fell upon Walker's prison. He hoped he wasn't about to be thrown in jail. No, he had to believe that Skuker had fulfilled his promise. Otherwise, he might never see his friends - or the human world - ever again.
That wasn't too much to ask for, right?
YEEEESSSS! Finally done with this chapter! Since it was taking me so long, I finally decided to rely on my muse and unlocked the pantry for Jade. She emptied it so fast I thought she'd turned into 'Upchuck' for a second there (no, I won't explain where that name came from - go find out for yourself!).
So now my kitchen is completely empty once again *sad, demoralised sigh*
Jade: *munching on 'Apple fizzle Choco-roo's* When can we go shopping? I still don't feel completely full.
Me: *hair falls in front of face, speaks in a dangerous whisper* What did you say...? You want more...?
Jade: *frowns in confusion* Well, yea...
Me: *pulls out Fenton Anti-Creep Stick* I know where we can get more... *advances*
Jade: *freezes, glances at snack in her hand, looks up in panic, runs away screaming*
Me: GIVE ME THOSE COOKIES YOU INGRATE! *chases her*
*imaginary cat walks past and sees two girls running and screaming, shakes head at them, then pulls out a sign, writes on it and shows it to the audience*
Sign reads: "See ya next time!"