A/N: Sorry for the later than expected chapter. I was having a hard time finding time and inspiration. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Gwen tapped her foot impatiently. Her neon green eyes darted to where Robin floated. She wanted to say something to break the silence; it wasn't awkward, but Gwen knew if she tried to speak now she would end up rambling. "There he is," Robin's level voice said.
"Good, I was getting tired of waiting. You'll think that he would have gotten hungry right now. I am hungry all the time. Uh, no I'm not. I mean that's not a pretty sight. Me stuffing my face with food all the time. But I don't do that," Gwen rambled trying not to seem awkward around the older slightly attractive. "Not that I care how I look like," she added brashly.
"I need you to follow my lead," Robin said as if he ignored the entire spill.
"Me listen to you. No, I lead," Gwen said putting her hands on her hips, "I'm a better fighter than you."
Robin sighed, "Fine, I'll follow your lead." Gwen gave him a confident grin before flying toward the misery-parasitical ghost. She blasted the ghost from behind knocking the ghost to the ground. Another pair of ecto-blasts dug the ghost into a nice crater.
Gwen landed on the ground out of reach of the ghost, her hands were glowing green ready to attack.
Robin landed on the other side of the crater. "You might as well give up; there's no way you can beat us," Gwen shouted to the ghost who was slowly getting to his feet. "Just go back to the Ghost Zone where you belong."
The ghost turned to Gwen with a frown, "Where are your manners?"
"I don't need them," Gwen said before shooting two ecto-blasts at the ghost. Robin blocked a stray attack before also attacking the ghost. Sober took off from the ground and floated in front of the two halfas.
The ghost put up his hands, "I surrender."
"Just like that?" Gwen said disbelievingly. "Like I believe that," the girl said sarcastically before shooting the ghost again.
Somber blocked them and stared directly at Gwen, "You clearly out match me. Why bother?"
"Wow, you're a wimp," the girl said with a huff. "I was expecting a decent fight."
"I apologize, but I will be taking my leave now," the ghost tipped his hat before flying away.
"That was weird. I thought you always had trouble with him. He didn't seem that big of an issue," Gwen said turning human again.
"Somber normally doesn't take on a bigger threat than he can handle," Robin answered.
"We should get something to eat," Gwen said, "You know like friends. Not a date. I don't even know you and that would be really weird. Unless you aren't hungry. I can eat by myself. Not like it's going to be really lonely." The girl tried to stop her rambling, but her mouth kept running.
"Sure, why not. I'll pay," the older halfa said changing to his human form as well. "What do you want to eat?" Gwen would deny it later, but that single sentence was touching.
DP~DP~DP
Abigail tried to calm her nerves as she flew through the wreckage of Amity. The princess couldn't imagine that all this damage was done by one ghost. Her heightened caught faint cries for help. Without thinking she dove to the source of the sound.
The teenage girl focused on a large pile of rubble from which the cries were coming from. "Don't worry, I'm here to help." Abigail grabbed a piece of rubble and tossed it aside. The sound of her campions landing behind her. She looked over her shoulder. "Help me," she called out to the two halfas.
"We can't waste time," Catalina said looking up at the sky.
"When is saving people wasting time," Abigail shouted at the woman. Thalen had a smug look at clearly told the two female halfas that he agreed with the younger one. Catalina sighed turning her hands intangible before burying them into the pile.
"Why didn't you think of that?" Thalen asked with a chuckle as Catalina pulled out a small child. Abigail was slightly embarrassed that she had forgotten about her ability to turn intangible.
"Well, isn't that sweet?" a sarcastic male voice said. All three halfas faced the large full ghost that floated closer to the ground. He grinned baring his fangs. "When I was human I would have actually cared," Dan said before shooting an ecto-blast hitting the child squarely in the chest.
Abigail gaped at the cruel action before settling into a combat position. She glanced quickly at her fellow halfas who also narrowed their gaze. The teenage girl charged the ghost with ecto-plasm filled fist. Dan caught the attack easily while simultaneously blocking a volley of ecto-knives and a pair of blue ecto-blasts. Abigail could feel her core pulsate quicker in fear as she stared straight into the ghost's cold eyes. She couldn't see a scrap of humanity; the red orbs told her that the ghost wouldn't feel anything when he killed her.
As soon as the eye contact was made, the ghost broke it to toss the girl halfa into Thalen and Catalina. The two stopped her easily so they didn't tumble. Abigail floated so she was upright just in time to watch as green disks flew straight at the trio. The girl braced herself for the attack, but could only hear the sounds of solid thunks. A solid shimmering blue shield shook slightly as the green disks collided.
Abigail watched as Thalen slipped from behind the shield flying toward Dan shooting ecto-knives. The full ghost shot an ectoblast at the teen which he barely dodged. Abigail charged the ghost next shooting a couple of ectoblast which Dan avoided by turning intangible.
The full ghost retaliated by sending another two large green ectoblasts at Abigail and Thalen. Two blue shields formed in front of the teen halfas. "Don't worry I got you," Catalina said with a grin her hands were holding the shield in place. "I got your backs," the older halfa continued. The plural form confused Abigail until she looked up to see a duplicate of Catalina next to Thalen as well.
Abigail squared her shoulders as she took advantage of a pause in the attacks to try and attack Dan. The teenage girl didn't have time to react when she saw Thalen barreling toward her. The teenage boy had tried to attack Dan with a sword formed from ecto-plasm. Thalen tried his best to stop his momentum but collided with the younger halfa. Both halfas hit the ground hard.
Dan sped forward to the down halfas. Catalina dropped from the sky landing Dan roughly before the ghost turned tossing the woman onto the teen halfas who had just got to their feet. Thalen and Catalina got off of Abigail quickly for which the girl was grateful. The three watched as Dan landed on the ground putting his feet shoulder width apart before taking a deep breath.
The ghost opened his mouth to let loose sound waves of green of ectoplasm. Catalina tried to stop the attack with an ecto-shield. The barrier didn't stand a chance against the strong attack. Abigail shut her eyes at the waves hit throwing her back. The princess could feel herself being slammed through whatever structures that remained standing.
Once the dust settled, Abigail opened her heavy eyes. Her whole body ached as she tried to get to her feet. She fell back to her knees looking up to see Dan standing above her a large ball of ectoplasm in his hand.
Three green swords landed between her and the ghost. "Get away from them," Thalen's voice called out from behind Dan. The ghost turned to face the barely standing halfa. More swords formed around the pair of combatants. There were dozens of swords circling the pair forming walls ten feet high.
Abigail stared in wonder as she watched the blades revolve around the pair becoming a blur. She held her breath as she lost sight of Thalen. "That's pretty impressive," came a very tired voice. Abigail spared the bruised and cut Catalina a glance. The woman knelt beside her in human form a proud smile on her face. "But he is going to need us as soon as he's done," Catalina got to her feet pulling Abigail up as well. Abigail turned to her ghost form as one of the blades flew into Thalen's hand. The halfa raced forward past Dan sword outstretched. The full ghost dodged the tip of the blade. The sword in Thalen's hand dissipated as another flew into his empty hand. This pattern continued, Thalen would be armed by one of the floating swords to dash past Dan. Dan would dodge or if the attack was too close from landing turned intangible. The halfa was able to land a couple of hit when Dan didn't react quickly enough.
Thalen fell to his knees suddenly; his energy finally giving out. The former thief returned to his human form. Abigail darted to Thalen's side as Catalina drew the ghost's attention with a couple of ecto-blasts to the back. A green ecto-blast knocked her off course sending into a pile of rubble. The princess didn't deter; she narrowed her eyes and got to her feet slowly. Abigail flew to Thalen who laid on the ground. "That was pretty spectacular," the former thief said with a chuckle.
"It sure was," the girl responded with a smile as she picked him up from the ground. The teenage boy leaned heavily on her sore shoulder.
A loud shout of pain drew both halfas attention to see Catalina take a large ectoblast to the stomach sending her skidding on the ground. Dan turned his red gaze to the two teens before releasing a loud wail.
DP~DP~DP
Leon flew through the ruins of the city he considered his home. Having just arrived, he had no idea what had happened, but he knew Amity wasn't meant to be this broken. The halfa clenched his fists as he searched for the culprit. A loud echoing wail caused the halfa to zero in on the enemy.
Increasing his speed he came upon a scene of immense destruction. The teen took only a moment to recognize three of the beings in combat. A teenage girl was shaking a teenage boy desperately as a large ghost in a black and white hazmat suit floated closer.
Though Leon didn't care for the halfas, it was clear that this ghost was the one who destroyed his home town. The halfa hurried in his fist full of energy colliding with the ghost's face. The ghost grinned a fanged smile. Leon raised his fist undeterred by the unearthly smile.
A/N: Wow that's a little intense. Here's a couple of extras to break this rather dark mood. Hopefully part two of the fight will come soon.
Sylvia looked up at Abigail who was looking through the artist's sketchbook. "Do you miss your home?" Sylvia asked before realizing that the question could be awkward for the other girl.
Abigail's blue eyes met hers. "I do, but I know that I can't just leave others to die. Besides I'll be home before I know it."
"That's very brave of you," Sylvia said, "I wish I could take on problems like you do. You're so optimistic about everything."
Abigail shrugged before giving a wide smile, " It's easy to be optimistic. We're a great team and Dan sure can't destroy that."
Sylvia bit her lip nervously. She thought about what could happen if and when the group encountered Dan. "But what if one of us dies?"
The other girl lowered the sketchbook in her hands. She frowned clearly not knowing what to say. " I guess that's a possibility," the girl slumped her shoulders. "But Dan will sure have a hard time getting to any of us. We're more than a team, we're family." The princess gave the girl another bright smile and Sylvia gave a small one back.
…
Alex sighed frustrated at the halfa in front of him. "We're not pranking the girls," Alex said crossing his arms.
"It would be tons of fun…and mostly harmless," Thalen replied.
"Mostly?" Alex asked.
"Yup mostly. Besides after that fight with the other halfa, everyone has been so serious. A harmless prank will lighten things up," Thalen said trying to look innocent.
Alex frowned, but couldn't disagree. The girls had retreated to Abigail's room clearly distraught. Vlad had taken the unconscious Catalina to the infirmary. All the halfas seemed pretty down. "Fine, everyone does need a little pick me up. What do you have in mind?"
Thalen gave a wicked grin. "Look at what I bought at the store the other day," the halfa said opening a drawer to show off a can of silly string, an airhorn, and duct tape.
"What are going to is …"
Alex crawled behind Thalen through the tight vents. "Do you know where you're going?"
"Yes, I like climbing through the vents," Thalen answered.
"That's rather concerning," Alex replied mentally reminding himself to cover the vent in his room. Thalen slowed a little as he passed an opening . Alex passed over it looking down into the infirmary. Vlad was sitting beside a still unconscious Catalina reading a book.
"Over here, are you ready?" Thalen asked from ahead. Alex hurried his crawl to look down the grate where Thalen was. He took out his can of silly string and shook it. Thalen had his own can in his hand. With a nod, Alex sprayed the silly string on the two girl's. The blue and green material coated both girls' hair. "Retreat," Thalen shouted turning invisible and intangible. Alex followed suit as the two teenage boy flew through the walls to Thalen's room.
"Are you sure they're going to go through the door?" Alex asked pointing to the bobby-trapped door.
"Absolutely, Abigail doesn't use her powers unless she has to," Thalen answered confidently. The doorknob and the two boys covered their ears. The airhorn that was perfectly position blared loudly and the two angry teenage girls jumped.
Alex and Thalen laughed at the girl's reactions before both female halfas gave them a death glare. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all," Alex said softly backing slowly from the seething halfas.
DP~DP~DP
Thalen woke up with a loud yawn. He stretched before jumping to his feet. The halfa looked at the calendar; January 28. The date startled him; he didn't realize he had been gone so long. The halfa sighed thinking about the new years festival that must be underway. The bright lanterns and the food.
He left his room feeling a little drained. Thalen went to the kitchen and sat down quietly. Vlad who was cooking today looked over his shoulder at the halfa. The older man gave the teen a strange look before giving Catalina who was sitting on the counter a questioning one.
The woman shrugged her shoulders before launching herself off the counter to sit by the teen. "Hey, did you stay up too late again?" the woman asked her tone just as cheery as it always was.
"Yup, but I finished my game," Thalen lied. He didn't need the woman being noisy in his life.
The woman narrowed her brown eyes, but didn't push the issue. Alex and Abigail walked in next taking seats around the table as well. Thalen was in his own little world even when breakfast was served. He picked at the omelet, his appetite was completely gone. "You sick?" Alex asked.
"No," Thalen answered pushing his plate away from himself. "May I be excused?" he asked.
"Of course," Vlad answered his tone suspicious. Thalen got up from the table tossing his leftover food in the trash before putting his plate in the dishwasher. The former thief dragged his feet to the game room figuring he would try to just pass the day. He enjoyed all his games and maybe they would help him feel better. The teenage boy put in a CD and tried to play the game for a little, but it was just so boring.
After an unmeasurable amount of time, Thalen decided none of his games or movies were helping. With a tired sigh, the teen left the room. He walked down the hall, trying to figure out what to do. The halfa decided to retreat to his room.
Standing with her hands proudly on her hips was Abigail. Thalen followed the girl's gaze to what was his door. On either side of the door were red paper banners that Thalen knew were called couplets. Sensing his presence, Abigail turned startled. "Thalen, you were supposed to be distracted for a little while longer," the princess said.
"Why?" Thalen asked as the girl as she stepped in front of the door blocking the halfa.
"You can't go in yet," Abigail said spreading her arms to cover the entire doorway. Thalen rose an eyebrow before walking intangibly through the girl and the door.
The former thief paused in shock. Alex was floating in ghost form hanging up Chinese knots and pasting the "Fu" while Sylvia sat crosslegged on the floor making more "Fu". Thalen had to wonder how the halfas researched and made the decorations so quickly.
"I told Abigail to keep you out until we were done," Alex said in his annoyed tone as he landed on the ground.
Thalen crossed his arms around his chest trying to put on his cocky persona; he couldn't have the others know that he found their decorations touching. "These look okay for a couple of foreigners."
"That's a relief; I thought I did everything wrong. I'm glad you enjoy them," Sylvia said softly giving the halfa a smile.
The door to the halfa's room slammed open and Catalina bounded in. Grabbing Thalen by his wrist, she pulled the former thief away from the other two halfas. "Come on, I got to show you something," the woman said pulling the teen through the halls before going into the dining room.
The table was filled with traditional foods. Dumplings, fish, rice dumpling, spring rolls, laba congee, and New Year Cake all adorned the table. "It was a lot of work to get this all together but it was worth it," Catalina said releasing his wrist to hug the teen. The woman let go of the teen to hop to Vlad who was balancing two platters. Thalen would normally remark on the man's pink apron, but he was amazed that everyone would go through so much trouble for him. He never had anyone do anything for him.
The other three teens gathered to the table to eat dinner. Thalen looked from one to the other. A sudden thought struck him; they were his family. As much as he teased and poked at Catalina, the hyper cheery woman was the mom he never had. Vlad might be strict and prim and sometimes boring, but the man cared for Thalen and the other halfas. Alex was definitely like an older brother with his obedient attitude and grumpy mannerism, but the teen also had a good sense of humor. Sylvia was like a younger sister who Thalen liked to tease, but she was sweet and Thalen would protect her with everything he had. And lastly was Abigail, the girl was definitely special. She didn't see him negatively, she understood him even though they had pretty different lives. He knew then that he would do anything to protect them even if he had to give up his own life.
But Thalen is proud so instead of admitting anything just said, "You should have told me you were doing this. I could have make it a thousand times better."