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Chapter 10: Guys in the Void
Juliette yawned a little when she reached school the next morning. She felt like she didn't get nearly enough sleep last night. She headed towards homeroom, and nearly bumped into Dash.
"Oh, hey, uh…" Dash hesitated a little. "Girl's first, you know, rule of the gentleman."
"Thanks, Dash." Juliette smiled kindly before she walked into the room. "Sorry for nearly running into you, didn't get as much sleep as I would've liked last night."
"You should probably get some better sleep tonight then," Dash stated. "It would make it harder for you to concentrate without proper rest, at least that's what the coach is always telling us."
Juliette gave a nod before a thought came to her. Echo isn't around, and neither is Danny… so… "Hey Dash… do you remember a kid that used to go to this school that had the name Andy?"
Dash blinked at the name. "Andy…?"
Juliette gave another nod. "Someone told me his name was Andy Fenton, but the only Fentons that go or have gone here are Jazz and Danny."
"I… think there was…" Dash frowned, scratching his head. "I think… I feel like I knew this kid… and I really…"
Juliette wondered if she would get any better results from Dash, though it wasn't likely if Dash just bullied him like Danny, and only saw 'Andy Fenton' as just Danny's twin he bullied.
"I think I really liked him, we might've been friends…" Dash finally said, which took Juliette off guard.
"You… and Andy were friends?" Juliette repeated, wanting to make sure her somewhat sleeping mind didn't imagine Dash's words.
"I… uh… I think so…?" Dash frowned even more. "Whatever happened to him? Did… did he move away? I don't think we even ever said goodbye…"
Dash looked sad. "I… I need some time alone…"
Dash walked away, not even going into the homeroom classroom.
Juliette frowned herself. Wow… Dash… must've been close to Andy if that is how he reacted… I feel like I need to try it on three more people before I can be sure. A teacher, most likely Mr. Lancer. Either Sam or Tucker. And… perhaps one of Danny's parents… nope… not his parents. Jazz. Then after I try it with all of them I can move onto Danny.
Juliette headed into the homeroom and took her seat. It was still a little early, so Juliette decided to relax a little while she waited for Danny, Tucker, and Sam to show up.
Juliette groaned when she realized she fell asleep, because she suddenly woke up to someone nudging her.
"Hey, Juliette, wake up," Danny's voice said. "You don't want to get in trouble, do you? I should know, I get in trouble sleeping in class all the time, even in homeroom."
"N-no…" Juliette blushed. "Thanks for waking me…"
"Late night?" Danny questioned.
"Yeah… I think I got to bed around 1?" Juliette guessed.
"Heh… about as late as I did. Well I woke up around 4 because of some stupid ghost deciding it wanted a snack in my fridge for some unholy reason," Danny groaned. "But I'm used to late nights."
"I for one had a great night." Sam smiled. "I got a new favorite pet to play with in KinkQuest."
"Of course you just love to brag about that," Tucker grumbled. "It's been all over the news in KinkQuest."
"What happened now?" Juliette asked, knowing what they were probably talking about. "What about Sam getting a new favorite pet?"
"A new player logged into KinkQuest last night, and their avatar is an arctic kitsune with some dragon DNA," Sam answered. "That's one of the rarest kind of species in the whole game. And I managed to buy her from an auction, though they didn't know about the dragon DNA, so I kind of got a bargain out of it."
"And she's your new favorite how?" Juliette questioned.
"She's very fiery, and fun to break." Sam smirked. "She was also fun to put all the kink clothes I managed to gather up while grinding for XP and money."
"You like someone who's fiery?" Juliette raised a brow despite already knowing the answer.
"Oh definitely. Of course I would never do that to someone, feral or otherwise, in real life," Sam admitted. "But in the game, it's what most Submissives would want."
"I'm not sure about the Submissive player in your case," Danny muttered.
"Did you buy Danny again, Sam?" Tucker asked.
"No, Ken did," Sam answered. "Danny isn't exactly Submissive player material."
"I don't know whether to be offended or not," Danny sighed.
"Well… sounds like you guys had an… interesting night," Juliette commented. "Meanwhile I logged on for the first time and mostly played minigames."
Danny, Tucker, and Sam all looked at Juliette.
"You logged in?" All three of them asked at the same time.
"I… was essentially blackmailed into it," Juliette explained. "Mom said I couldn't keep working if I skipped my homework."
Before they could ask her anymore questions, the bell rang.
"Okay everyone, settle down!" Mrs. Heart called. "It's time to take attendance."
When Juliette sat down at her usual table at lunch, along with Danny, Tucker, and Sam, they started chatting.
"Have any of you noticed how weird Dash and Paulina have been acting lately?" Sam spoke up.
"How have they been acting weird?" Juliette inquired.
"Weird?" Echo spoke up as he sat on the floor, watching the four of them eat in fascination.
"I did notice that Dash seemed a lot more distracted lately," Danny admitted. "I bumped into him in the hallway on my way to 3rd period, and usually that gets me a locker sentence at the very least, but he hardly even reacted. He seemed… really sad about something."
"Did he lose a football game?" Tucker asked.
"No, it's more like he lost something or someone precious to him kind of sad…" Danny frowned.
"Paulina's been acting kind of somber too. Not sad like Dash, but, kind of like she's a bit sad that her cat ran away or something," Sam remarked.
Woops… I… didn't think Paulina would still be reacting like that… Juliette guiltily remarked to herself. Dash… I didn't think would be sad.
"The other A-List kids are noticing it," Tucker observed. "They've been asking what's wrong with them, but they keep saying they're not sure, just that someone they once knew moved away without saying goodbye."
"Who?" Sam asked.
Danny shrugged. "Probably another A-List kid who was on top of the food chain or something."
"That's weird, I don't remember seeing any of Dash's friends leaving, they're all here with him right now," Echo commented.
Maybe it was that forgettable guy that you never really noticed. Juliette said to Echo, reopening the little hole in her mind so she could talk to him.
"No, I wouldn't have forgotten anyone in this school," Echo spoke up. "I've listened to their thoughts, heard their hopes and dreams, listened to their life story. It's pretty hard to forget people like that."
Juliette gave a concerned frown, closing off her mind for just a second. Hopefully Echo doesn't try to listen in to their thoughts and hear his own name…
"Maybe we should ask them?" Sam suggested.
"Do you want to get involved in all that drama?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"To be honest, no," Sam grumbled. "I just can't help but be a little curious though."
Juliette's eyes widened a little as Echo started to look over at the A-List table, starting to look curious himself.
Whatcha doing, Echo? Juliette asked.
"I'm just wondering what Dash and Paulina are upset about," Echo answered. "Maybe I can find out."
This might be one of those things they would want to keep to themselves. Juliette pointed out.
"When has that ever stopped me?" Echo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Before Juliette could answer, Danny's ghost sense went off.
"Wha-" Was all the time Danny had to say before something pounced him to the floor. "Oof!"
"GHOST!"
"Everyone run!"
"I was right, that ghost dog did lead me to you, welp!" A cybernetic ghost said with a smirk, floating above the cafeteria.
Juliette noticed that a small green ghost puppy was on stop of Danny, licking his cheeks.
Juliette then looked up to the ghost.
"Now I, Skulker, shall have your head in my trophy room!" The high tech ghost, who claimed himself as 'Skulker' announced as he prepared his guns coming out of his metallic arms.
All the other students were running around in a panicked frenzy, some tipped over tables to hide, others spilled food all over the place. A lot of people ran out of the cafeteria.
Danny managed to stand up while holding the affectionate ghost puppy in his arms. "Great… did we have to do this now?"
"Umm… go find somewhere to hide, Danny, we'll go hide with Juliette!" Tucker quickly said.
"Skulker?" Juliette whispered questioningly to Tucker as Danny ran off, taking the puppy with him.
"That's the ghost's self proclaimed name, didn't you hear him?" Sam replied.
"Yeah, but I know nothing else besides that," Juliette explained as she, Tucker, and Sam ducked under the table. When they were under the table, Juliette's ears twitched as she heard the telltale 'I'm going ghost' in the distance.
"We don't know much either, just that he likes to show up and attack Danny… Phantom," Tucker said, adding 'Phantom' at the last minute. "Apparently something about hunting him or whatever."
"Though nowadays it almost seems like a game between the two than a serious hunt," Sam rolled his eyes.
"Heh, like a KQ Hunt?" Tucker smirked.
"Why are we talking about KinkQuest during a ghost attack?" Sam questioned. "Has it gotten that normal to us?"
"Yeah." Tucker nodded. "Besides, we never heard from Juliette earlier, just that she logged onto KinkQuest."
Danny shot a ghost ray at Skulker, causing him to crash into a wall.
"Dang it, Skulker, take this outside. I don't want to cause anymore collateral damage to the school!" Danny snapped.
"You want to go outside?" Skulker questioned with a smirk. "Fine, let me accommodate you~"
Skulker shot out a grappling claw with a rope, the grappler grabbed onto Danny and Skulker flung him through the window, causing it to break. Danny hit a tree outside, since the school was near a flew out after Danny.
Everyone who was still in the cafeteria rushed over to a non-broken window to see what would happen next. Danny ended up using his ice powers to freeze the bottom half of Skulker, then he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. A huge green ghost down appeared behind Danny.
"Sic him, boy," Danny commanded.
The huge dog pounced Skulker, all but tearing into the robotic body.
"Is… that the same little pup that was just licking Danny?" Juliette raised a brow.
"Yup. That dog loves coming to visit Danny, even during school," Sam chuckled.
"And it serves Phantom?" Juliette questioned.
"No, well… not usually. Cujo, the dog's name, often just plays with Danny until it's satisfied," Tucker answered, looking confused. "This is the first time I'm seeing Phantom actually using him to attack."
"Huh, wonder what could've happened, hmmmm?" Echo asked, who was suddenly right next to Juliette.
If you were trying to jumpscare me, you'll have to try a bit harder. Juliette rolled her eyes a little. But my guess is that Danny has been training and working with Cujo and managed to tame him.
"Jumpscare? You think too much of me," Echo chuckled. "I've been here the whole time."
Eventually, Skulker's robotic body was in pieces, Danny took out a small green ghost from the helmet. Danny was saying something to the small ghost, but nobody could hear him. Danny then took out his Fenton Thermos and sucked the little green ghost into it.
"Now, Cujo, you need to get back to the Ghost Zone. I'll play with you later," Danny said to the larger dog. "Just be glad Valerie's not here today."
Cujo barked before it ran off.
Where is Valerie…? Juliette questioned.
"She doesn't always come to school. There are days where she has to work an extra shift in the Nasty Burger or help her dad out with something at home," Echo answered. "Sometimes she's trying too hard to look for ghosts in the city and ends up exhausting herself."
Sounds like she could use someone to help convince her to relax a little. Juliette thought.
"Yeah, she's calmed down a little more since she met Danielle, but she feels like she doesn't have any real friends to help her or back her up, so she's mostly going at it alone," Echo sighed. "I think she's been feeling that way since she found out the person she worked for was an evil, manipulative half ghost. And I'm talking about Vlad, not Danny."
And here I thought you were saying Danny was an evil, manipulative ghost… Juliette sarcastically commented.
Echo frowned a little. "Somehow… that's not too hard to imagine either… What would happen if Danny suddenly went rogue…?"
Nothing good. Juliette stated simply.
After the chaos was over, the students had to leave the cafeteria so the teachers could call someone to get the windows and walls fixed up. Danny came back as his human self.
"Hey, is everyone alright?" Danny asked in concern.
"Yeah," Juliette answered. "Phantom beat Skulker using a giant version of the ghost dog that was licking you."
"Heh… uh, yeah, that ghost dog sure likes to get around," Danny chuckled.
"Come on, we better head to our next class," Sam stated.
"Sorry to inform you all," Anise stated. "But apparently KinkQuest will be undergoing maintenance for the next week. Apparently they're going to be adding in a lot of new kinks, dungeons, adventures, quests, and other content. But the biggest thing their touting is that they will be going offline for a week in order to implement and test an all new AI system which should make all the NPCs feel more lifelike."
A lot of the students started groaning at this.
"A whole week?" Sam grumbled.
"With all that content, you should be grateful they're only taking a week off instead of a month," Tucker commented. "That amount of content in one week is… honestly amazing. There will probably be a lot of bugs after the week, but knowing how big the game is, there will probably be constant hotfixes until all the bugs are gone."
Juliette inwardly gave a small frown. Sorry, Aurora, but I guess I have to break my promise.
Danny frowned a little as well, but didn't say anything.
"Seems like you and Danny both are a little troubled about not being able to go back, how interesting," Echo commented. "Just yesterday, both of you dreaded at the idea of going there at all."
The one minigame I tried was actually pretty interesting and I want to try more of it. Juliette explained. As for Danny… he might actually have enjoyed being a Dominant, which is one of the roles in the game.
Echo sighed, looking a little annoyed. "I know how the game works. I've seen it in everyone's minds. A place they can go where I can't follow. Pity, it sounds like it would be a lot of fun, at least for me to watch."
Heh, perhaps that's something to look forward to for when I bring you back to the living world~ Juliette smiled.
"Oh I'm sure," Echo rolled his eyes.
"Oh, Juliette," Danny suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah?" Juliette asked.
"We never did ask you how your first experience with KinkQuest went," Danny remembered.
"O-oh… like I said, I mostly just played the mini-games for two hours," Juliette responded.
"Mini-games? Did your character just nap as soon as you logged on?" Tucker asked. "That doesn't seem possible."
"My uh… fairy guide told me there was a way to access mini-games without sleeping," Juliette explained. "So that's what I did."
"There is a way to access mini-games without napping in-game, but they're usually in places like a lobby or a church," Sam remarked. "They're not usually in starting areas."
Juliette gave a nod. "I guess I got lucky and got to start off in a city with a nice big church."
"Cool! So what's your character?" Danny asked.
Juliette gave a thoughtful look coming up with a random character. "I'm a Dominant chienthrope dragon, specifically green. Named my character Aquamarine."
"Dragon? You can't pick a dragon as your character, you have to earn dragon DNA in the game," Sam pointed out.
"I should know, I tried to hack my avatar to being a dragon," Tucker muttered.
"You… do?" Juliette tilted her head. "Then how was I able to start as a chienthrope dragon?"
"You can't, not unless you already have dragon DNA in real life," Sam stated. "The VR helmet takes the person's DNA into account to make as close to their real life selves counterpart as possible if that's what the player wants."
Juliette glanced down a little at that. Crap… should've chosen something more standard like a dog… "Then… perhaps one of my distant ancestors was a dragon or something and the helmet picked up enough of it to give me the possibility?"
"This is why you shouldn't lie," Echo shrugged. "Your lie gets built up more and more."
"Though… I wouldn't know…" Juliette continued. "I… don't even know who my birth parents are… or any of their lineage."
"That's pretty sad…" Danny frowned, before he tilted his head. "But you know, that is also kind of cool in a way. You might have dragon DNA, you might've come from a dragon and a kitsune parent. And… you… sound a lot like a new player I met in the game…"
"If my parents were a dragon and a kitsune, most likely I would have some kind of dragon characteristic or aspect… but I don't…" Juliette softly noted. "I'm a short, two tailed kitsune with no horns or wings or scales of any kind."
Danny was still in thought, most likely not hearing what Juliette just said.
"Maybe your parents are kitsune, but you had a dragon ancestor or something," Tucker shrugged.
Juliette gave a nod. "That's probably the most likely option. It might explain the 'massive magical power' that I don't actually have but is apparently still part of my aura."
"You know, there was one other player I knew who had dragon DNA already," Sam chuckled. "Maybe you two could meet up with each other."
Danny looked at Sam, then looked at Juliette.
"Maybe at some point." Juliette shrugged a little. "Right now I'd like to see the other mini-games and perhaps explore some of the world."
Danny narrowed his eyes a little, but didn't say anything. Echo was chuckling.
What's he thinking? Juliette hesitantly asked.
"Oh, nothing~" Echo answered with a playful smirk.
Echo, tell me now or I'll trap you in a Void Barrier box. Juliette threatened.
Echo rolled his eyes. "Let's just say as someone who's used to keeping a secret identity, he can spot a lie a mile away."
Fucking great… Juliette sighed. I guess we both know each other's secret identities now.
For the rest of the week, Juliette's gotten used to her daily life in Amity Park. She woke up, went to Casper High, chatted with Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Echo, sometimes talk to other students along the way, getting to know them and working her way up the 'list', take her classes, then go to PetSmart for her work shift, then come back home, do homework, have dinner, and do it all again.
There hadn't been any Void Creatures bothering her for the rest of the week. Though what Juliette didn't know was that Echo had been fighting off the Void Creatures before she could see them, using his visions to predict where and when they would be. With Juliette being in a good mood, and less worried, the Void Creatures hadn't been as hectic as they were before. And since Juliette rarely stepped into the Void, it made things easier for Echo to fend off the Void Creatures that did come. Though he still had yet to see anymore Void Creatures wearing iron masks.
Despite the ghost attacks and the Void Creatures, it had been a pretty peaceful week. But Juliette had noticed that something had been bothering Echo lately. She found Echo standing on the school's roof, looking out to the city. If the wind could blow Void Beings, she was sure Echo's hair and hoodie would've been blown back by it. Echo had this worried look on his face, and he wasn't speaking out loud like he usually would. Juliette wondered if Echo was seeing a future that he didn't like.
Echo! Come down here! Juliette mentally called out with a sigh as she saw Echo on the roof.
Echo looked down, seeing Juliette waving a little to him. Echo shrugged before he jumped.
Show off… Juliette commented as Echo did a full on superhero landing.
"Hey, I am a fan of a superhero," Echo chuckled.
Does Danny do that stupid superhero landing? Juliette questioned.
"Sometimes when he thinks nobody's looking, he can be so modest," Echo laughed. "So why did you call out to me?"
I wanted to know what you were thinking. Juliette explained. You seemed to be thinking about something.
"Just… a little worried about what's ahead of us," Echo sighed. "There's going to be more of those iron masked Void Creatures soon, and I don't think I can take them all on by myself. You would get captured pretty quickly if you tried to help. A Void Barrier wouldn't stop them for long…"
Perhaps we can talk while I go home, drop my stuff off, and head for work. Juliette suggested.
Echo looked around before shaking his head. "You go ahead and head for work. I'll talk to you when you're done. There's a lot more we need to discuss."
Why can't we talk about it on the way there? Juliette questioned.
"Because there's something I need to do right now," Echo answered vaguely.
Juliette sighed. Alright… you just be vague.
"Yes, me and my frustrating vagueness," Echo stated. "I'll see you after work."
See you then. Juliette responded before she began to walk away.
When Juliette arrived in PetSmart, she had dog duty today. She was supposed to clean up the area where the dogs ran around, though she had trouble sleeping the other night, so she was feeling tired right now. Juliette went to go put on her uniform, which still only said 'Pet In Training' on the back.
"Hey, Hannah?" Juliette spoke up as she stopped by Hannah's office before she went to the canine area.
"What is it, my adorable kitty?" Hannah asked.
"Just wanted to let you know that I'm feeling pretty tired today," Juliette started. "I also wanted to ask when you were going to sew the word 'Pro' back onto my uniform… Right now it just says Pet In Training…"
Hannah looked amused by that. "Perhaps some time after I finish fixing the costume, and get a metallic zipper so it won't melt shut again."
"How long do you think that will take…?" Juliette asked with a small whine.
"Not sure yet, could take a few days to a few weeks," Hannah replied. "So I guess you'll just have to get used to 'Pet In Training' for now. It's the only uniform we have in your size."
"Fine…" Juliette sighed before she gave a small yawn. "I guess I'll go get to work now…"
"Perhaps you should get some soda after you finish with the dog area," Hannah suggested. "And get better sleep tonight. I'll also check in on you during your break, if you don't look like you can make it the rest of the night, I'll send you home early without docking your pay."
Juliette gave a nod to that. "Perhaps we should invest in a new drink machine in the break room, one that we insert coins in to operate instead of just having a free coffee maker for everyone to use."
"I'll be sure to look into that," Hannah agreed.
Juliette walked to the dog running area and started cleaning. The dogs that were there all wanted Juliette's attention and affection. One dog in particular, which was a black and white chihuahua was jumping up on her leg, whining for some love.
"Let me finish cleaning first guys," Juliette chuckled. "I can play with you guys for a little bit after I finish that."
When the dogs finally settled down, Juliette could focus on cleaning, though the black and white chihuahua was still sticking with her, watching her clean. Eventually, Juliette decided to sit down to take a break. The chihuahua climbed up onto her lap when she sat down.
"Well hello there," Juliette chuckled as she began to pet the chihuahua.
The chihuahua wagged its tail as it looked up at Juliette.
"You're a cute one," Juliette observed.
The chihuahua started to lick Juliette's hand despite it being furry.
Other dogs approached Juliette, the bigger dogs laid around her, keeping her nice and warm. One of the dogs playfully nudged her, pushing harder and harder until Juliette was laying on her side. The chihuahua squished its way through Juliette's arms, making sure Juliette was cuddling it.
"Come on, guys…' Juliette yawned. "I still got work I gotta do…"
Juliette decided it couldn't hurt to just relax a little bit, and close her eyes.
When Juliette opened her eyes again, she saw she was surrounded by dogs, and some people were giggling, taking pictures of her in the dog area.
Juliette felt her face going warm as she blushed heavily. "I-it's not what it looks like!"
"Awww, how adorable, a fox sleeping with hounds." A mother smiled.
"Mommy, can I have one of those dogs?"
"Yeah, I want one too!"
"I want one to sleep with me too!"
Juliette raised a brow as she started trying to sit up. Did… I just get a few dogs new homes by making a mistake and falling asleep on the job?
The kids were let into the dog's area so they could interact with the dogs. The dogs were all very happy for the love and attention.
Thankfully this gave Juliette the opportunity to sit up. She was about to stand up when she saw the black and white chihuahua was sitting on her lap once more.
"Don't you want to go see all the new people, little one?" Juliette asked as she looked at the chihuahua in her lap.
The chihuahua looked at her for a moment before laying its head back down.
"I won't be able to get back to work if you just lay there, cutie," Juliette chuckled.
Eventually, Juliette did have to pick the little dog up and put it down. The little chihuahua looked at her before one of the kids walked over and started petting it. The chihuahua began to bark playfully, wanting to play with the kid.
Heh, at least she won't be lonely while I'm working. Juliette thought with a smile before she went began to finish what she had left to clean in the dog pen. When she was done with that, she left the pen and started making her way back to Hannah's office to get her next task.
Juliette was on her break now. She got some soda at the vending machine, wanting it to wake her up so she wouldn't accidentally fall asleep again. Especially as she had been hearing comments spreading around the store that people were interested in 'buying the kitsune pet in training'. Juliette just knew if Echo was there, he would've been laughing his butt off at that moment.
Juliette sighed before she noticed someone walking a fair distance from her. She was going to ignore it since people walked in Amity Park all the time, until she noticed the person went right through a vehicle on the street, as if they were a ghost, or…
A Void Walker? Juliette blinked, surprised.
Indeed, the person appeared to be gray, like Echo. There was another person, wearing the same gray coat as the other one, and they also walked through a building's wall.
If they come over here, it might be best to ignore them. Juliette thought to herself. They… look a bit dangerous.
These Void Walkers looked like people Juliette would see from the government, or one of those dangerous spy organizations in a movie. They had sunglasses on and looked nearly identical with shaved heads, and the same coats.
They just seemed to be roaming aimlessly however, like they were just looking around, but didn't have any goals in mind. It wasn't like with Echo, who always seemed to have a clear goal in mind in what he was doing. These people just walked from one place to another, without much rhyme or reason, it was almost kind of pitiable.
I wonder what their story is… Juliette frowned as she looked at them walking further and further away.
Juliette decided it would be in her best interest to talk to Echo about these Void Walkers later, he might know what was up with them.
When Juliette was finished with work for the day, she headed home to the opera house. She took a nice, warm shower, then went to make some dinner. She decided on some grilled cheese tonight.
"Hey, did you have fun with the dogs today?" Echo's voice spoke up.
Juliette froze, her face getting warm from embarrassment. "You found out about that…?"
"I saw it in a vision," Echo shrugged. "I thought it was adorable, and it certainly boosted up the sales for those dogs. I knew if I told you, you wouldn't do it."
Juliette grumbled before she took a bite of her grilled cheese. "Well that's just great… Did your visions also show you a couple shaven head, suit wearing Void Walkers?"
"Hmm? What?" Echo blinked. "There are other Void Walkers around here?"
"Oh? So the all-seeing ghost boy of time didn't know about them?~" Juliette asked with a smirk.
"First of all, I'm not 'all-seeing', I mostly see what I'm looking for. I certainly wasn't looking for more Void Walkers. And second, just because I can imitate Danny's ghost form doesn't mean I am a ghost boy. Third, 'of time'? Come on, that's a lame title," Echo pouted.
"Yeah… whatever." Juliette shrugged. "You want to hear about the Void Walkers I saw, or what?"
"Fine, fine, what and who are these Void Walkers?" Echo questioned.
Juliette described the Void Walkers in as much detail as she remembered. "And they were just… meandering around. They looked a little lost."
Echo gave it some thought as Juliette munched on her grilled cheese sandwiches. "They sound like people from the Guys in White organization…"
"Guys in White?" Juliette inquired. "I think you mentioned them once but I honestly don't remember."
"The Guys in White are these people who work for a secret… well, supposed secret organization somewhere in the world. They have tough training regimens there, from what I've heard in some of their minds whenever they come to Amity Park to try and capture or hunt down Danny. They are ghost hunters, provided by the government. They are to track and hunt down ghosts, whether it is to capture and experiment on them, or just outright destroy a ghost altogether. They don't care, they do what they want. Even if they're paid to keep a ghost alive, they'll obliterate it if it's easier and just say 'it was an unfortunate accident'. I wouldn't be surprised if one day they say the same about abandoning or shooting a child just to get to a ghost, and claim it to be an 'unfortunate accident'," Echo grumbled. "These are the type of people who would go to extremes, who had been brainwashed to hate ghosts and think them less than feral animals, even more so than the adult Fentons."
Echo heard cracking from Juliette's direction.
"Sorry… do you really think they would kill a child…?" Juliette asked, a soft continuous growling coming from her.
Echo frowned a little. "I don't think all of them would, no, some of them still have a decent amount of humanity left in them. But a few individuals… their thoughts were really scary. I'd rather listen to Vlad's twisted morals all night over a minute of those disturbing individuals any day."
Juliette growled a little louder at that. "If I ever see one of those ones that would kill a child to complete their mission… I will end them."
Echo sighed, remaining quiet to give Juliette some time to cool off from that. Echo wanted to reassure her, but he didn't want to lie either. There really were some very disturbing and callous people in the Guys in White who would do anything to get to a ghost, even if it means sacrificing innocent people. Echo hated that, he hated that these people turned themselves into heartless, cold monsters, and blamed everything on ghosts.
Juliette took a deep breath and let it out. "Sorry…" Juliette finished her grilled cheese sandwich. "I should go to bed now…"
Echo looked up at her. "Wait, before you go… I think that those Void Walkers you saw might-"
Juliette stood up and put her dish away in the dishwasher.
"You can keep going," Juliette stated.
"I think they might be able to help us," Echo finished.
"Sorry… come again?" Juliette raised a brow. "Did I hear you right? You think they could help us?"
"Yes," Echo answered. "They might've once been in the Guys in White, but if they are Void Walkers now, then they're like me. Nobody knows who they are, and nobody can see or hear them. It's possible they might be new to the Void, so that's why they're walking around aimlessly like they are."
"I… don't know," Juliette hesitated. "They didn't feel like you or other Void Walkers I've met. There was something… off about them."
"How so?" Echo asked.
"They just didn't feel like… how should I put this…? Natural Void Walkers like you and other Void Walkers," Juliette replied. "They felt kind of… fake…? No, more like… uh…"
"Artificial?" Echo provided.
"Yeah," Juliette confirmed.
Echo gave a thoughtful look. "Since they could've been a part of the Guys in White, it's possible they ended up in the Void through some freak accident during an experiment. I'm not too sure how one could exactly naturally fall into the Void without being born in it, but I suppose that might not be a natural way to get into the Void."
"Before we think of having them help us, we need to do some surveillance," Juliette stated before she yawned. "We can figure the plan out tomorrow… since tomorrow is Saturday, my day off."
"Should I go investigate them in the meantime?" Echo asked.
"Sure… just don't get seen and do not approach them," Juliette responded.
"Of course not. I can already see they wouldn't take me too seriously if I approached them anyways. They still have that 'adult knows better than children' mentality," Echo chuckled. "Be sure you get enough sleep tonight. If all goes well, you're going to have quite a handful tomorrow."
"Yeah…" Juliette waved as she walked out of the kitchen and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
While Juliette was in the bathroom, she picked up a familiar scent. "What do you want, Anise? I can smell you sitting near my bed."
"To make sure you get some decent sleep tonight~" Anise answered.
"Yuh huh… what do you actually want?" Juliette questioned as she finished brushing her teeth, spitting the foamy toothpaste into her mouth.
"I can't just come to check in on my daughter?~" Anise asked with a chuckle as Juliette rinsed out her mouth.
"I'm not actually your daughter," Juliette reminded before she wiped her mouth and walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom. "You feeling bored or something?"
"I like checking on my 'pretend' daughter, I don't always have to be up to something," Anise remarked.
"Why'd you use air quotes on pretend?" Juliette raised a brow. "You going to actually try to adopt me again?"
"Nah, at least not right now," Anise stated. "I've just been hearing you've been having some trouble sleeping lately. Any reason as to why? Feelings of unease? Void Creatures bothering you? Bad dreams?"
"I… honestly am not sure why I've been having such bad dreams lately," Juliette admitted as she sat down on her bed. "I don't remember any of my dreams lately, besides that one I mentioned last week. Perhaps I am a little concerned that either you will strike in the night or… that I'll wake up and find out this has all been a really vivid dream."
Anise gave Juliette a look of intrigue. "Oh? You're worried that your time in Amity Park might've just been a dream?"
"Yeah… or perhaps a fantasy right before I'm about to die," Juliette answered. "Before I ended up in Amity Park, I was jumping off a cliff to get away from Void Creatures. My mind could simply be imagining a paradise where I don't have to worry about being hunted as much. Where I can get food and socialization and all those things that I have… rarely gotten until now."
"You know, that does bring up an interesting question. What is it about being in Amity Park that made it so special? What is it in this little town of haunting dead gives you so much more than anywhere else you've been to in the world?" Anise questioned.
"A safe home, friends," Juliette started before she looked down. "Someone who… I can actually save. Some way I can actually do something good and useful with my life for once…"
"So this town is what gave you a clear goal," Anise pointed out. "And with that goal, you've become determined to fulfill it. This lead you to meeting new people, and making friends, finding a safe haven from Void Creatures. I suppose, in a way, Echo is also saving you without realizing it."
Juliette thought about how her life was like when she didn't have a purpose. She just wandered aimlessly, going from place to place to get away from Void Creatures. The new Void Walkers she saw reminded her of herself back then.
Juliette remembered how she had to scavenge and beg for the essentials wherever she went as she always tried to hold off on consuming energy from Wisps. She remembered all those who had kind faces that she either had to push away to keep safe or those she ended up killing or corrupting by getting too emotional which summoned hordes of Void Creatures.
"I suppose it's good to have help," Anise continued when Juliette had remained silent. "You don't feel like you have to keep taking on this burden by yourself anymore. That would make it scary if all that turned out to just be a fantasy in your head."
"Is it though…?" Juliette questioned softly.
Anise chuckled. "Well, I can honestly say it's real. But that depends on if you believe me, or if you think I'm just an Anise from your own imagination."
"Considering you're currently trying to pull out what is probably some kind of goddess enchanted sleep mask, I'm gonna guess you're the real Anise," Juliette chuckled. "So I guess all this is real too… which is good."
"Of course it's real," Anise laughed. "I'm too genuine to be an Anise from your imagination!"
"So…" Juliette looked over at Anise and the pink sleep mask she had in her hand that had the word 'Princess' on it in white writing. "What does the sleep mask do?"
"It helps you sleep, and gives you good dreams," Anise answered. "I got the good dreams part from the God of Dreams, or the God of Sleep, he can never decide between those two titles."
"A God of Dreams enchanted it to give me good dreams?" Juliette raised a brow.
"Yeah, he loves giving mortals good dreams, it helps power him up since people with nice dreams subconsciously worship him," Anise chuckled. "He doesn't need loyal worshippers to be strong, he just needs their good dreams."
"I guess I can wear it for one night," Juliette yawned, laying down in bed. "It'd be nice to have a great night's sleep."
"Great choice~" Anise smiled before she put the mask over Juliette's eyes. "Sweet dreams, Juliette~"
"Night, Anise," Juliette replied before she drifted off to sleep.
Echo was looking around Amity Park for any signs of the Void Walkers Juliette had told him about. It didn't take long for him to find a few of them at the park. Echo focused a little, using a power that he rarely, if at all, used, which was invisibility. Echo looked down at his body, seeing that he was completely invisible, before he walked forward to get a closer look at these Void Walkers.
When Echo got a close enough look, he could see they were indeed members of the Guys in White with their white, now gray, coats, their shaved heads, and sunglasses. However, unlike the Guys in White, these people looked softer and more lost. Echo understood that feeling, he had felt incredibly lost when he first woke up in the Void until he found Danny.
"Is this our life now? Just endless wandering in limbo?" One of them asked, sounding tired and angry.
"We shouldn't have volunteered…" Another of them remarked.
"My family… thinks I'm dead…" A third softly cried. "Why did they test it on us if it wasn't ready?!"
"We volunteered to be tested, which was a big mistake on our part," The angry one replied.
"'You'll be paid well' they said," The second grumbled. "'We've tested this before and it's entirely safe' they assured. Fucking liars!"
"I have to get back home to my daughter, she's only 6 years old!" The third one shouted in desperation. "My husband will be all that's left to look after her…"
"We can't do anything about it now, we've looked for a way out, we've tried getting our co-workers' attention, nobody can see, hear, or even touch us!" The first angry one snapped. "We're stuck here!"
"Are you sure a ghost didn't do this to us?" The third one asked.
"A ghost couldn't have trapped us in this weird limbo state, they'd take us to the Ghost Zone or their lair," The second one pointed out.
I frowned when I sensed Void Creatures coming towards them. Their negativity was drawing these Void Creatures towards them.
"Guys!" A fourth ran up behind them. "Those things are coming this way again! The ones that got Wilhelm!"
The three of them let out loud curses that Echo was sure would make even Juliette blush.
"Our weapons can't do anything here, start running!" The first one shouted.
Echo wanted to help, but he promised Juliette not to reveal himself. The Void Creatures started chasing them. Echo quickly followed, trying to figure out what he could do to help.
There were more of the former Guys in White, they too were running from Void Creatures. One of the Guys in White was tall and looked really toned, it was likely he was a long time member.
"Calm down, we are only making it worse," The tall Guy in White said calmly.
The others were shouting and panicking. Echo gave it some thought before he snapped his fingers, summoning fiery skulls of Foxfire. Echo made several flaming fox skulls that flew towards the Void Creatures and began firing beams of heat. The Guys in White all yelped in shock at the sudden appearance of the fox skulls, shooting at the Void Creatures.
"W-what are those things!?"
"Whatever they are, they're currently helping us, so don't look a gift horse in the mouth." The tall Guy in White pointed out.
The Void Creatures were either stunned or dissolved into mist if the fox skulls managed to destroy their heart. The Guys in White started to move again when there were less Void Creatures. Echo followed after them.
Echo had to keep summoning flaming fox skulls to make sure the Guys in White were safe from the Void Creatures, until they reached a large warehouse.
"Inside, everyone!" The tall Guy in White instructed. "When you get inside, start calming yourself! These things seem to only appear when we start getting emotional! Use what you were taught and calm down!"
The Guys in White went through the walls of the warehouse, though some of them used the door, likely still in the mentality of being part of the living world. Echo stopped as he poked his head through the wall to see there were a lot more members of the Guys in White in here, almost enough to make a few army squads.
This many Guys in White ended up in the Void? Echo frowned.
The Guys in White all started to calm down, turning their faces into the emotionless face Echo had seen in all Guys in White. The tall one, whom Echo believes might be their leader, stood in front of the group.
"I know that you are all going through a hard time ever since we ended up in this gray limbo state," The assumed leader spoke up. "But you have to keep your emotions in check. We are defenseless against those creatures out there. We've already lost 4 other members to those creatures the other day, we do not need to lose more."
"But what are we going to do now? We can't eat, we can't interact with anyone," One of them asked the leader.
"We'll figure out something," The assumed leader responded. "So far none of us has needed food, water, or rest. While we can't interact with anyone, we can apparently hear the thoughts of people. Perhaps we can develop a way to reverse that and send thoughts into the minds of people. I believe we should also try a prayer to a god to see if they can tell us if there is any way for us to escape this world."
"What god would help us in limbo? Isn't this where gods send people to be punished?" A female Guy in White questioned.
"I don't believe this is the actual limbo," The leader remarked. "A god did not send us here, and I very much doubt gods would make it so beings could just end up in limbo on their own. And, if by some chance this is limbo, we can ask the gods to get us out of here as we don't actually belong."
"Yeah, if they'll answer us."
"I still can't believe we ended up here. I hope the higher ups gets fired for this."
"Everyone, breath!" The leader raised his voice. "Don't get yourselves riled up, don't allow yourself to feel down, try to keep that level headed attitude we're all trained to have. The more emotional we get, the more of those things come at us. When we started, there were 50 of us. Because we panicked, screamed, ran, and didn't keep calm, 15 of us were taken. Let's try to make sure our number doesn't decrease any more!"
The Guys in White were quiet for a minute, before one of them, another female, spoke up. "It seems… the longer we're here, the more I'm beginning to question… have we been fighting for the wrong cause?"
"What makes you say that?" The leader asked.
"The thoughts I've been hearing… these people all have a life, a family, hopes and dreams… then there are the ghosts. We can't fight them as we are now, so I've just been hearing their thoughts too, and… while they do seem more aggressive than living people, they still seem to have human-like intelligence, emotions, lives, even motivations. Have we been going after sentient beings?" One of the group asked.
The leader took a deep breath and let it out. "I know you want those questions answered, but right now we have to keep calm, which means putting emotional questions like that on the back burner."
"It's hard to stay calm when we're stuck in some kind of limbo state…" Another person sighed, sounding tired, in a mental sort of way. "I just wish there was some way to defend ourselves from those creatures."
"While we don't know it right now, I have a feeling there is a way for us to defend ourselves," The leader remarked. "If there wasn't, those fox skulls back there would've had no effect on those creatures. I also think if there were no way to fight, Amity Park would be filled with those things, but from what the scouts said, Amity Park is pretty clear. I would like to propose a plan, but I want you all to give feedback on it when I do. And that is, if you would all still be willing to follow me and listen to my ideas."
"We will follow you to the ends of the Earth and back, Captain Cobra sir!" All the group said unanimously.
"I propose that tomorrow we split up into squads and search for whoever might be the cause of this town being safe," The leader, who was apparently named Cobra and had the rank of Captain, suggested. "If we can find them, we need to ask them to teach us how we can defend ourselves."
"You think it might be someone like us?"
"They could be someone really powerful if they were able to fend off those creatures."
Echo felt embarrassed that they were talking about him.
While the Guys in White were discussing the plan, Echo decided to leave them to themselves. The Guys in White will be safe for the time being.
Echo started walking down the street, and looked up to see Danny flying through the night sky. Echo gave a small smile.
"I keep Amity Park safe just as you would, Danny," Echo said quietly. "Now… time to go check on the Fruit Loop."
Echo headed to Vlad's mansion, easily going through any security Vlad may have set up, or any invisible ghost and human shields. As long as it wasn't a Void Barrier, none of it would stop a Void Being. Echo looked around the mansion, trying to find where Vlad was. Echo didn't see Vlad in his lab, so he looked for Vlad in his bedroom, but Vlad wasn't there either. Echo finally found Vlad in his study room, which looked like a library.
"Something on your mind, honeybun?" Holo Maddie asked before she appeared on a nearby chair. "You were asleep not too long ago. I am a bit surprised that you're up this late."
"I had been hoping that kitsune girl would've come back to visit, but it's been two weeks already, and she still hadn't returned," Vlad grumbled. "Not to mention all the ruckus Daniel made when he and Ember had a faceoff near my mansion. I'm about 90% sure Daniel did that on purpose."
"Do you think you Juliette possibly noticed you had spiked her drinks and food?" Holo Maddie offered. "After all, she did leave immediately after she was about to eat a biscuit."
"I suppose that is quite possible. Kitsunes are known to be intelligent and wise creatures after all. It was pretty foolish of me to try to spike her food and drinks," Vlad sighed. "Perhaps I could send an invitation… no, she could easily turn it down if she knew I was trying to drug her. Maybe this needs a little more planning… Maddie, didn't you say that she's getting along with Daniel in Casper High?"
"Yes, from what I have seen, Juliette has been hanging out with Daniel and his friends," Holo Maddie confirmed.
"I see… then this might be a good opportunity to… how do the kids say? 'Kill two birds with one stone'," Vlad remarked.
"What are you proposing to do then, sweetie?" Holo Maddie questioned.
"This might take some time, but once I finish the phases of my plans, I should be able to get the kitsune and the half ghost son I had always wanted." Vlad smirked.
Echo frowned, trying to hear Vlad's thoughts. Vlad's thoughts were complicated for Echo, the man mostly thought in calculating ways, and he never stays on one thought for very long.
"Just for clarification, sweetie, did you mean you'll be able to get Juliette as well as getting the half ghost son you always wanted?" Holo Maddie questioned. "Or will you both get the half ghost son you wanted as well as Juliette as a daughter?"
"I have no plans on making Juliette my daughter, but she may be of use to me if I could get her on my side," Vlad responded.
"Oh? Are you planning on turning her into some kind of trained assassin?" Holo Maddie asked.
"No, I do not need an assassin, Maddie. But she would be useful as a powerful magical ally," Vlad answered. "So why did you ask me if I would want Juliette as my daughter?"
"The reason I asked about her as a daughter was simply because Daniel would need a sister figure to replace Jasmine if he lived with us," Holo Maddie explained. "Juliette could be that sister figure to Daniel."
"I did program you to think like a true maternal parent," Vlad observed as he thought about what Holo Maddie suggested. "It's true that Daniel would need a sister or brother figure to talk to him about his feelings. After all, he'll be quite uneasy with me for the first few months living here. I will see if Juliette fits that bill, but as of right now, she only seems like the kind of friend Daniel talks to at school and nothing more. He hadn't even told her his half ghost identity."
"But they have been growing closer," Holo Maddie pointed out. "After all, Juliette went over to Daniel's house after school last week as well as on Saturday to get some tutoring help from him. I believe that over time, Juliette will earn Daniel's trust and perhaps even be allowed by Daniel to know his secret."
"Then we will keep an eye on them and see how their relationship will progress," Vlad stated. "If they do become close enough for Daniel to tell her his secret, then we will put the plan into action."
Echo glared, before he looked ahead into the future where that would happen. Echo could see Danny and Juliette getting close, close enough to visit each other. Danny would be invited to Juliette's opera house by next week, then Juliette will go back to Danny's house, she will do an activity with the Fentons to help her bond with Jack and Maddie after they scared her on her first visit. Juliette will really like spending time with Jazz, they're both bookworms, and love talking about psychology and other things. It will take about two months, a month at the least, before Danny either tells Juliette his secret, or he just transforms in front of her. Echo could see that in a few days following that, Vlad will strike. But there were several different paths.
Vlad would ambush Danny, knocking him out, then use him to bait Juliette. Or Vlad would do the opposite, and knock Juliette out and use her to bait Danny instead. There were paths were Vlad would inject Danny with something, causing him to get sick. There were paths where Juliette and Danny would be visiting Vlad's mansion because their class got invited to the Mayor's mansion. There were paths where Vlad tricked them with an illusion, and they ended up trapped in his lab.
Echo came out of the visions, frowning. He couldn't tell which ones would happen, and that bothered him. "This is why I hate trying to outwit Vlad. Even with the ability to read his mind or see into the future, he's one hard man to predict. He's always got several different plans, and he could use any one of them! If he wasn't a twisted guy, I'd probably admire him for his cunning and intelligence."
"For now though, I think it's time I turned in for the night," Vlad said before he stood up. "Be sure to turn out the lights when I leave the room, Maddie."
"Of course, sweetums~" Holo Maddie smiled. "Sleep well, dear."
Echo sighed before he left Vlad's mansion, deciding he wouldn't be getting anything useful from Vlad for the rest of the night, and Echo certainly didn't need to stick around to listen to the man's thoughts about his twisted morality, and what he possibly plans to do once he got his hands on Danny and Juliette.
"I swear, it's like anyone I'm interested in ends up becoming a magnet for trouble," Echo grumbled to himself. "Why couldn't the people I like have mundane stuff happen to them? Like 'oh-no, Danny forgot to do the laundry, he better hurry up before his parents get home' or 'oh-no, Juliette forgot to do her homework, better hurry and finish it before class starts'."
Echo stuck with Danny for the rest of the night, watching him sleep, and possibly dream. Echo wouldn't know, since he couldn't see what Danny was dreaming about. Echo was just glad there hadn't been Void Creatures that night, allowing him to just lazily relax next to Danny's bed. Then, when the morning sun began to rise in the sky, Echo stood up and jumped out the window. After Echo landed, he made his way to the opera house.
When Echo entered the opera house, he noticed some steam coming from the kitchen. While Echo couldn't smell, he did know that steam in a kitchen usually meant someone was cooking food or boiling water. Echo began to approach the kitchen.
"You don't need to cook for me, Anise… I would've been fine cooking for myself…" Echo heard Juliette groan.
There was some mumbling which sounded like a sarcastic question.
"I would've made eggs, perhaps a toasted bagel with cream cheese, and I would've had some fruit." Juliette stated. "Fine, fine, I'll sit down and let you cook. Please no enchanting or spiking of food, I don't want to have a screwed up day."
When Echo got closer, he peeked his head into the kitchen to see Juliette on the table, and Anise cooking on the stove.
"I know, Juliette, I'm not here to spike your food. I'm here to make sure you eat a healthy breakfast for today," Anise answered. "And I don't want you being hungry for whatever it is you're planning to do today."
Juliette raised a brow. "Do you know something I don't?"
"Let's just say that I did have a small chat with Clockwork before I came here today~" Anise grinned.
Echo shivered, hoping Anise was just chatting and not saying anything she didn't need to say to Clockwork.
Juliette took a deep breath before she let it out. "I take it my day is going to be anything but normal?"
"Oh definitely, but it's not going to be a bad day, so put on a big smile~" Anise smiled.
Echo gave a silent chuckle as he watched Anise give Juliette a pretty big breakfast. Wow, that's the most I ever saw Juliette eat since she got here.
"Perhaps Monday evening you could teach me a little cooking," Juliette suggested as she finished up some of the food, but still had two plates to go. "After school of course."
"Oh I definitely will be doing that, after all, I can't have you not being able to eat a proper meal because you can only cook basic food," Anise replied. "This had been the longest you've been able to stay in one place after all, I better make sure you can cook."
Oh? This had been the longest time Juliette was able to stay somewhere? Echo wondered.
Juliette gave a chuckle and nodded. "Yeah… it's weird to… actually think of this place as my home. At first, I only thought of this place as shelter, but now it's home. You redesigned the backstage dressing rooms into a nice fully functioning kitchen, my bedroom, closet, and bathroom are in the old stage control area above the stage. The stage is still there, and from what you said you simply moved the seating downstairs to storage where you said there was also a ton of props? Perhaps I should go check it out at some point, do some spring cleaning. Perhaps I can sell some of it to get a little extra spending money."
"I'm very glad to hear that it's becoming a home to you now, and that you like my redesigns." Anise smiled as she sat next to Juliette since she was done cooking.
Huh, I just notice that Anise seems to be acting more like a mother to Juliette lately. Has this always been their relationship or is it something that's started to happen since they got here? Echo wondered. It kind of would be nice… for Juliette to have a motherly figure at least. It's nice to be loved and looked after.
Anise then gave a small sigh. "The only complaint I have is that your roommate likes to act like a creeper and stand close enough to where he can hear us but we can't see him."
Well this is embarrassing. Perhaps I should wait for Juliette outside. Echo grumbled before he began walking away from the kitchen, and towards the wall that lead outside.
"Come back here, young man!" Anise called out. "Don't make me drag you over here by your ear!"
Err… can she even do that? Echo frowned before he hesitantly walked back into the kitchen. "Uh… did you… want something, Anise? Ms. Rosescale? … Goddess Anise?"
"Just Anise," Anise chuckled. "How about you give your boyfriend a seat, Juliette?~"
"He's not my boyfriend…" Juliette sighed before she made a few small hand movements at a chair. "Go ahead and take a seat if you want, Echo."
Echo sat down on the chair Juliette put a Void Barrier on. Echo couldn't help but feel nervous around Anise. He had gotten used to Anise's presence at school, but whenever she spoke directly to him, he felt uneasy.
"Tell me, Echo, how was your little scouting mission last night?~" Anise smiled.
"Hah, heh… uh… so you know about that," Echo nervously chuckled. "It uh… was very… informative."
"What'd you find out?" Anise asked.
"Okay, well… there are these Guys in White people who, somehow, got trapped in the Void. They were pretty vague about how they got there, but it sounded like some kind of experiment went wrong or something. There are a lot of them, I'd say about 30 or so. They've been on the run from Void Creatures while also trying to find a way out of the Void," Echo explained. "They gathered in this warehouse, probably feeling safer in a shelter even though that wouldn't stop the Void Creatures without a Void Barrier. They don't know how to defend themselves, they've apparently lost about 15 others to the Void Creatures. I think they're new, because they're just figuring out that they don't need to eat, sleep, or rest. But they are freaking out a little sometimes, and that causes the Void Creatures to go after them. They really sound like they need help."
"Wow… you apparently don't need to breathe either," Anise commented with a chuckle.
"Nope, we don't need to breathe either. Our organs are kind of… 'off' in the Void, I guess you can say," Echo shrugged, still looking a little jittery.
"Echo, calm down," Juliette stated, trying to assure Echo. "Anise isn't going to do anything to you. She's just trying to mess with you."
Echo only gave Juliette a nervous smile. "Um… so uh… what are your opinions on this, Juliette? And uh… Anise?"
"Echo, I know you don't need to breathe, but go ahead and try to take a deep breath and letting it out," Juliette suggested.
"I'm fine!" Echo pouted.
"You're quite literally on the edge of your seat," Juliette pointed out. "And you're also talking like someone who is nervous."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't keep pointing that out, thanks," Echo sarcastically stated. "Now are you going to answer my question or not?"
"I find their circumstance to be quite… interesting," Juliette replied. "As for helping them… besides me taking time to teach them Void Barrier and Void Craft, I'm not sure what I could do. And I don't know if I have the time to teach them that, at least not quickly, considering I have school and a job."
"That's also a lot of people to teach anyways," Echo agreed. "Though wouldn't it be kind of funny if you treated it as some sort of training boot camp to teach all of us at once?"
"That is an idea," Anise remarked. "There is a two week school holiday coming up. I'm sure you could teach them then."
"But until then, they're essentially defenseless," Juliette observed. "The only options in the meantime would be to either make their base safe with some divine barriers or bring them back here, as the opera house is already protected."
"Would that be a good idea? Bring them here, I mean?" Echo asked. "We'd have to introduce ourselves to them. Are you ready to meet them now?"
"I… don't think we can wait, can we?" Juliette said with a small frown. "After all, you said they've already lost 15 members. Waiting even a day or two could reduce that number even more."
"Yeah, that's true," Echo admitted. "If we don't talk to them now, they'll be losing about 10 more people before we get to the holiday. This seems to be the safest option we have for them, even though… I'm going to hate the introduction, a lot."
"They gonna confuse you for Danny?" Juliette guessed.
"Everyone does," Echo grumbled. "Andrea did, heck, you did when we first met."
"What would happen if I introduce myself alone or first before I introduced you?" Juliette questioned.
"No, no, no, you should let me go first and introduce you. They'll think you're a Void Creature and start running away screaming before you can say anything," Echo quickly said. "They can't tell the difference between a Void Walker and a Void Creature yet. They think any animal-like person who approaches them are Void Creatures right now."
"Ah." Juliette nodded as she finished the last plate of food. "Let's get going then. Anise, would you mind cleaning up the dishes for me?"
Echo blinked, having forgotten the cat goddess was still there because she had went silent for a while.
"Yeah, sure, but you owe me a small favor for this~" Anise replied in a teasing tone.
"Remember the word small, because that means it has to be small from my point of view," Juliette chuckled as she stood up.
Echo followed Juliette out of the opera house. Echo had to lead Juliette where the Guys in White were staying. It was a large warehouse.
"Most of them are in there right now, but they did send out a few scouts earlier," Echo explained. "The scouts will probably get called back or informed after we introduce ourselves."
"Should I step into the Void or stay as I am right now?" Juliette inquired.
"You should step into the Void. The warehouse isn't abandoned, so there are going to be people going in and out of it," Echo answered.
Juliette gave a nod before she entered the Void.
Once Juliette was in the Void, Echo gave her a small smile. "Okay, I'll go in first. I'll gesture you to come in when I introduce you."
Juliette nodded again before Echo took a deep breath and let it out, then he stepped through the door.
As soon as Echo came into the warehouse, the Guys in White seemed to have ignored him at first, thinking he was just a random kid walking into the warehouse.
"Hey, uh, excuse me?" Echo called out. "Hey, can I talk to you…?"
Echo frowned a little before he tapped one of the members on the shoulder, surprising the member when she turned around to see Echo, who was gray, just like the rest of them. "Hey, I would like to talk to all of you." Oh crap, why did I just tap her? That was the one thing I was supposed to avoid!
The woman's eyes narrowed before she grabbed Echo's arm, flipped him over her head, and pinned him to the ground.
"Everyone! We got a… kid?" The person said sounding unsure. "Looks like Danny Fenton…"
The other members all ran up to the woman who had Echo pinned to the ground. Echo gave a sheepish grin at them all.
"Uh, hi, I wanted to-" Echo started to say, but the Guys in White all started to talk over him.
"This can't be the same Danny Fenton, we just saw him at Casper High the other day!"
"Are you sure he's not one of those creatures that's been chasing us?"
"I don't think so, he's talking to us. He has to be Danny Fenton, who else could he be?"
"Uh, if you'd just let me-" Echo tried again, but the talking kept going.
"If it is Danny Fenton, how did he end up in the same place as us? And does he have a way out?"
"That isn't Danny Fenton," Cobra spoke up. "The clothes are all wrong. Danny wears a t-shirt and pants. That kid is obviously wearing a zip-up hoodie."
"I mean Danny Fenton could've just put on a hoodie before coming here…"
"It's summer," Cobra pointed out.
"But then who he is?"
"How about we stop talking and let him explain," Cobra suggested.
"I'd appreciate it if I wasn't pinned down either," Echo stated, seeing how the woman still had him pinned to the floor.
"Tell us who you are first and we'll let you up afterwards," Cobra responded.
"Alright, fine. I'm called Echo, and I'm stuck in the Void just like all of you," Echo answered. "I'm not one of the Void Creatures that were chasing you, I'm more like you guys."
"You are?"
"How can we trust you?"
"Let him up," Cobra commanded.
A few of the members hesitated, but they listened to their leader. The woman let go of Echo, allowing him get on his feet.
"If he was one of those creatures, he wouldn't be talking and most likely he would've simply tried eating us," Cobra reasoned. "So, Echo, why are you here?"
"You'll have to be a little more specific," Echo replied.
"As in, why did you come here into this warehouse. Are you trying to hide from those creatures as well?" Cobra asked.
"Ah, no, this warehouse won't protect you from the Void Creatures. These walls might as well not be here," Echo explained. "As you've probably guessed, the Void Creatures can sense negative emotions, and will seek it out, especially in the Void, which is where all of us are. I came here when I saw some of you running away from the Void Creatures, and wanted to offer you all some help."
"Why do you look like Danny Fenton?"
Echo frowned, he had been expecting that question, but he had grown tired of answering it. "I don't know why, I just do. It's not important anyways."
"What could a kid like you even offer? You're just a kid." Another asked.
"I'm not 'just a kid', you can't really determine my age here," Echo pointed out. "As no beings can age while in the Void. And anyways, I have enough to give you actual shelter from the Void Creatures. I have a friend who can create Void Barriers, which is a technique that puts up a wall that Void Creatures can't go through."
"Who is your friend? And what kind of shelter are you talking about?" Cobra questioned
"My friend is Juliette Rosescale, she's a black and silver kitsune with two tails. Perhaps I should let her explain it," Echo replied. "Don't worry, she's not a Void Creature, she's like us."
Echo walked over to the door and gestured Juliette to come in.
Juliette walked in a few moments after Echo motioned for her.
"Hello," Juliette greeted warmly as she looked around. "My name is Juliette, it's a pleasure to meet you."
All the Guys in White looked at Juliette, trying to decide if she was a threat or not. Cobra was the one who took the initiative.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, you may call me Cobra," Cobra greeted. "So your friend… Echo, correct? Informed us that you might be able to help shelter us from those… Void Creatures?"
"Yes, that is correct," Juliette confirmed before she looked at a few people eyeing her with looks of suspicion and disbelief. "I can also teach you ways to defend yourself against the Void Creatures."
"How are you going to teach us how to defend ourselves?"
"She looks too weak and timid to be much help."
"If we couldn't defend ourselves, no way this pretty little fox girl could."
Juliette gave a smile before she imagined something in her mind. She then made a few hand gestures, feeling energy draining from her. Moments later, there were two small dagger-like blades hovering in front of each of the members of the Guys in White inside the warehouse.
"Have you never heard of the phrases 'don't judge a book by its cover' and 'big things come in small packages'?" Juliette questioned.
The members looked at her, shocked that she was able to create weapons like that
Juliette made a swiping motion with her hand before all the blades disappeared.
"A kitsune that's able to fight against Void Creatures…" Cobra noted, thinking about something. "Then it was you who protected us yesterday, weren't you?"
Juliette glanced at Echo. What do you want me to answer?
Echo gave her a nod, as in tell them 'yes, it was you'.
"Yes, that was me," Juliette confirmed. "I simply did not show myself until now as I didn't want you all to freak out."
"So, if you can use Void Barriers, could you set those up for us to be protected from the Void Creatures?" Cobra asked. "Would you also be willing to teach us how to defend ourselves? We were trained for combat, not to run away. We will train hard to learn and fight."
"I can't set up permanent Void Barriers just yet, right now they would constantly drain me until I dispelled them," Juliette explained. "I do however have a safe place where you can all stay. As for training you all, I can do that, but not right away. First I want to get you settled into a safe place and see what you are capable of."
"Where would this safe place be?" One of the other members asked.
Juliette ended up leading all the members of the Guys in White in the Void, including the few scouts that were sent out, to the opera house. The opera house was thankfully big enough to house them all. It also helped that none of them needed to sleep or eat, and by extension, needed to use the bathroom or get cleaned up.
"This is where I am currently calling home," Juliette informed. "This place thankfully has divine protection which means no Void Creatures can enter. The area above stage is off limits to you guys as that is my personal area."
"You have the protection of a divine being?" A woman asked, shocked.
"I personally don't have protection, no, this building does," Juliette answered.
The Guys in White spread out a little to check the opera house out.
"On behalf of all of us, I thank you for this safe shelter," Cobra said to Juliette.
"You're welcome." Juliette smiled before looking at Cobra. "Are you the leader of this group?"
"I am," Cobra confirmed.
"Then I would like for you to come upstairs with me for a moment," Juliette requested.
"She has a fridge with food?"
"Can she even eat?"
"This place looks really nice."
"I wish I could lay on that couch, it looks really soft…"
Echo looked over at Juliette. "Would you like for me to come along or stay here?"
"Stay here for now," Juliette responded. "Make sure nobody tries to come upstairs while Cobra and I are talking."
"Heh… that's easier said than done…" Echo nervously chuckled. "But I don't think they'll go upstairs to bother you, so go and have your talk."
"Please follow me," Juliette instructed.
Cobra followed Juliette up the stairs.
Echo looked back at the other Guys in White, and frowned when he realized what was coming. Some of the members were still young, just fresh into their 20s young, they still hold that teenage arrogance in their minds. And Echo knew that they will be the toughest ones for him to deal with.
"So…" One of the younger members said as he approached Echo. "Tell me a little more about… you, Danny Fenton."
"I'm not-"
"Don't lie, we know a Fenton when we see one, and you're certainly a Fenton, Danny Fenton," The man snapped.
Echo groaned. This is going to be a long day, and… two weeks.
FuriousDragon15: Darkzdragon: I'm glad you're enjoying it and looking forward to it. Remember this is an M story, so there may be scenes in the future you aren't interested in.
Kat: DarkFoxKit: Thank you. Hopefully we get more reviews soon.
