"Mother?" Sam questions face twisting up slightly. She stares at the being that is supposed to be Kelly in amazement. "You are...," she tilts her head slightly to the right, "a creation that has found life." Her voice was technical, as if she were reporting the outcome of a science experiment.
Fantasy's face crumbles, "You forgot me?"
Shade can't help but chuckle at the interaction, "Sorry, Fantasy it would appear that I was right," he laughs, "again."
"Shut up!" Fantasy hisses tossing the journal at his head. "Mother, you created me out of love and...," it startles at the raised hand of Sam.
"I have no idea who you are or why you are. What I do know is that you are the reason I'm here, the reason all of my classmates are here."
"Not all of them are here!" Fantasy jumps to assure her. "I could only manage a few, the Guardian trapped on the island only allowed me a few true humans."
"A few," Sam raised a brow, "did you choose the few?"
Fantasy nods rapidly, "Yes, yes. It was not necessarily a true choice rather than they had yet to be placed in their proper dreams."
"Nocturne?"
"No," Fantasy denies huffily, "someone new. He wishes to restore his place; he is but a pawn of someone greater."
Shade watches the interaction taking it in for what it truly was. Sam wanted information and Fantasy was too gullible to not give their 'Mother' what she wanted. "Sam." He calls sternly only to be ignored.
"A dream, as in none of this that is currently happening is taking place in real life."
"It is a mirror of the happenings that are truly supposed to occur to you and the other humans that are here, the audience is only here in," they trail off brows furrowed, "the audience is not truly experiencing this the way that they experienced the others."
"Where is Tucker?"
Fantasy blinks slowly.
"Where," Sam changes, "is Tucker?"
"I am...Tuck...ker?" Fantasy tries the name, "Is he the...I am confused. I have...knowledge of...Tucker but I am not sure what you mean."
Sam sighs, "My best friend, he's black, yay high, wears glasses; is any of this familiar?"
"Gaia."
"No," Sam denies, "Sam. Gaia is someone completely different than what you think. She and who you think I am- are very similar but not quite, they are not one in the same nor interchangeable."
"Mother?"
"No," Sam shakes her head, "I am not who you think I am."
"Yes, you are! You feel the same, you scent the same, you look the same!"
Sam takes a step back bumping into Shade as he lounged against the closed door. She turns her head to look into his red eyes expression unreadable, "I thought I was wrong," her voice was low, "I thought that I was brought here for a different purpose but yet again I here because I was mistaken as someone else. AGAIN!"
Fantasy's frame shook expression clouding over. The air in the room thickened, the light flickering as Fantasy spiraled. "WHO! ARE! YOU!"
"I am Sam Manson, and I am not who you wish I was nor who you want me to be."
"No," Fantasy denies, "You are her, maybe if you stay here, you will realize that I am Fantasy, the Fantasy that you created." Their eyes were wild and crazed.
"Fantasy," Sam breathed softly trying to make them understand, "I cannot stay here. You cannot keep me here."
"He wants the same!" Fantasy rushes to say gesturing to the being behind Sam with crazed eyes. "He wishes to keep you this was his idea!"
Shade sighs tiredly placing his hands on Sam's shoulders shaking his head at Fantasy, "You're doing it all wrong, Fantasy," his thoughts behind his actions were clear to anyone that looked in his eyes. He gazed sadly at Fantasy who continued to spiral. "I told you not to do things this way." He laughed coldly gazing down at the girl leaning against him with sadness, "I told you she could never know."
"It's...but your...how...," Sam stutters spinning to face the boy eyes wide. Fantasy stops short, calming themself. "What is this? Who are you!"
"No!" Fantasy grabs Sam taking the girl with them as they transport into a different location. "You must leave," they say eyes filling with tears, "I thought he was better but he lied to me! He was untruthful!" Fantasy cradles their face in their palms sadly. "I should have known, he is only a part of him, but you knew that. I am sorry Sam," they bow their head shamefully arms falling to their side, "I was selfish. You must leave, I will gather the others and you will be free." Fantasy assures her grabbing her hands in theirs. Nodding, they leave to grab the true classmates from their various locations and depositing them with Sam on the hill entrance of the compound.
The sun starts to rise on the island as Fantasy speaks again.
"The history of this island has changed from what it once was with many being trapped here. I made this place to protect the ones that required the space, I filled it with the things that Mother spoke of in her tales, I protected it the best I could, but it still managed to be corrupted." A sob sounds from Fantasy's chest, "Do not blame him," they beg Sam, "he has been corrupted as many other things here have been, due to outsiders. This is all I am allowed to aide you; I am afraid. I apologize for the misunderstanding and my," they hesitate looking down at their feet, "selfishness. Please do not think ill of me!"
"Can the corruption be cured?" Sam questions ignoring the confusion of the others.
"We are merely a space, a prison for the White Being, he calls this place home, and he sees all from his temple. Go to his temple and you will," a gasp leaves their mouth, "be..., they slump forward, "free." They fall to the floor outstretching a hand to Sam who reaches for them just as they are transported somewhere different.
"What the hell was that!" Kira yells horrified.
"Danny killed Kelly!" Nathan cries dramatically, falling to the floor.
"Manson, explain." Star demanded rounding on the silent girl, "What the hell just happened! Where are we and more importantly why was she begging you," she snarls, "for forgiveness."
"We have to move," Sam speaks turning to go in the direction of the temple looming in the background over the trees. "The temple is how we leave, lets go."
"Leave!" Valerie demands shoving a quiet April out of the way, "Who told you that!"
"Kelly." the lilac eyed girl rolls her eyes moving forward. "I'm going there with or without you. Which will it be." She doesn't stop, stomping her way through the underbrush in annoyance.
"SAM!" Danny calls mockingly from behind the group. She spins around eyes wide, "Where are you going! Won't you stay here with me! What about you Val, up to stay here with me!"
"I'm leaving," April says to no one in particular as she runs towards the temple, "the temple's the way out right, Sam!"
"Yes!" The two girls take off, quickly followed by the others.
They run ignoring the calls of Danny begging them to wait for him, pushing Nathan to run slowing to a jog as the distance between them and the temple grows smaller. They reached the entrance of the temple pausing to take it in. It was white, with the sun glinting off the stone making it seem as though it was not real. The stairs were high and plentiful, taunting them. Whispering, 'if you want to make it out you have to climb me.' Valerie paused if only to take a breath before making her way up the daunting staircase. The group rushed up the staircase that seemed to reach no end not stopping once reaching the entrance to catch their breath. The inside of the temple was more lively than the outside with green vines crawling across the white stone, with purple flowers that acted as lamps lighting the pathway for them to walk on. The floor was made of glass revealing a green and black swirling abyss that seemed to pulsate an energy.
Taking a hesitant step to bridge the gap between white flooring and glass flooring, Sam sighs in relief upon finding that it was not an illusion. She gestures for the group to follow her as they make their way down the entrance hall coming to a stop upon finding the white figure in front of them.
"Oh?" It greets them warmly, "what a surprise. You made it, how...unexpected." It chuckles pupil-less eyes flitting back and forth observing the group. "So I am not the only one to highjack the game I see. Who was it? The miserable excuse or the failed experiment?" It hummed ginning at their stern expressions, "No matter, I'm sure all you want to know how to do is get out."
"We know how to leave," April hisses voice laced with venom.
The being raises a daunting brow, "Tell me," it invites, "which room do you use to leave?" He glances at each of them in turn, "No answer?"
Star huffs annoyed, "Look we already have one person chasing us we don't need another, so back off!" The sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor, slowly tauntingly. "Of course."
Danny walks into the room at a leisurely pace, a smile on his face, hands behind his head. "You made it to the temple congrats! Hello," he sneers face twisting into a snarl, "White."
"Ah," the being chuckles hollowly, "I see. You're the hijacker! What fun! I was expecting it to be that sad excuse of a-."
"That would be enough from you," the beings haughty expression freezes in terror, "you thought I was someone else, didn't you? Sorry to disappoint." Danny chuckles lowly his arms falling to his side revealing his blood covered hands and torso. "Had to get my full strength back you see, sorry about your classmates," he offhandedly comments to the shocked teens.
Upon being addressed Nathan promptly bursts into tears annoying Star who glares at the boy heatedly. "Now is not the time for you to be a wuss."
"Nathan," Kira steps in, "Valerie needs your protection," she ignores the heated scoff from the black girl, "you need to be brave for her." April rushes to agree pulling on Sam's arm to stop the girl from starting forward. "So let's stop crying now!" Kira hisses backing away from the altercation between the two things.
"We have to find the center," Sam informs the group lowly, "if we find the center of the temple then we can get out." 'And I can do what needs to be done.'
Danny and the White Being continue to argue either not noticing or ignoring the group of teens fleeing.
Instead of splitting up they run as a group through the temple trying to find the very center where a way to leave could be found. They ran through the corridors, glancing inside rooms to be sure that they weren't leading anywhere else. After getting lost they stopped, panting in a hallway that they had ran through multiple times.
"How are we still lost!" Valerie hisses annoyed panting in exertion.
"I have no clue, but at this point we bust down a wall and call it a day," April snarks glaring ahead of her.
"The building," Star starts, "is a square. We go up a level and see if that takes us to the center. Maybe there's not an entrance on the ground floor."
"That's smart." Kira nods preparing herself to move again.
"But what about-."
"Me?" Danny question walking up to the group with his hands in his pockets. "Well, now you don't have to worry."
"Danny," Sam speaks placatingly, emphasizing his name, "this is not who you are."
"Oh?" He raises a brow, intrigued.
"You're kind, and caring, and helpful, and-."
"Wrong. That's how you want me to be. But that's not me Sam! Look around you, all of this here in this domain belongs to me! Me! I have everything I need here and the one thing that's not here, is you." He points to her with a smirk. "So I guess that mean that," he pauses tapping a finger to his chin, "I don't need you."
Taken aback Sam's eyes widen.
"See she wanted you to stay here," he stalks forward slowly, "but I want you gone. You can join our classmates or...stay with me?"
"Let's stay here!" Nathan hurriedly agrees tugging on April's arm.
"Did he not just say he didn't want her here?" April ponders eyebrow raised. "Why is he asking us to stay?" Her question goes unheard.
"Shut the hell up Nathan. Don't agree with him!" Kira hisses.
"He killed Mikey," April deadpans unimpressed, "yet you want to stay with him." Sam agrees, nodding her head silently.
"Unbelievable," Star scoffs.
"Quiet Peanut Gallery."
Star huffs, "Is he talking about us? I think he's talking about us. Can we kill him? Just for disrespecting me? No? Okay."
"Violent much?"
"What did I just say!" Danny looks each of them in the eye, red bleeding through blue, "None of you have nothing of value to add, so shut your mouth!"
"Danny-."
"Sam, let's not pretend anymore. But in the spirit of our old friendship, I'll help you. Star was, surprisingly-."
"What do you mean surprisingly!"
"-right. If you find the center, I'll let you go free of hassle."
"You're lying." Valerie scoffs. "We're going to find the center no matter what, that's how we leave. What's the real catch?"
"I'll tell you the other requirement to leave, if you get to the center before me." He smiles, blood covered hands and all.
"Deal."
"Wait-."
"You can't just-."
Star sighs moving toward the nearest stairs not pausing to wait. Kira huffs stalking after the girl with April on her heels. Valerie had agreed to the deal, much to the rest of the groups chagrin, so she was already halfway up the staircase waiting impatiently for them to climb the stairs. Nathan looked back at Sam who had yet to move looking between her and the stairs unsurely.
"But before you go," he calls uncaringly, "Nathan."
The boy stops short pausing. He sees Sam glance at him fleetingly before all but abandoning him.
"Yes Danny?" He whimpers.
"You wanted to stay right," he narrows his eyes at the teen, "so why are you leaving?" His voice comes out as a hiss. Stalking closer to the boy he grabs his arm jerking him toward his body, whispering into his ear, "Whatever game you're playing stops now. You may have fooled Fantasy, but you will never fool me. Get. Out." He watches uncaringly as the boy continues to whimper and whine, glaring at the group of teens to keep them in place. He makes eye contact with Sam watching the interaction but not getting too close. "I'll find you and kill you. And it'll be the last thing I ever do. You can't run, you can't hide, there is no escape from me." He hears Sam tell the group to keep moving and to not worry about Nathan. "I know who you are, you're weak, pathetic, and simple," Sam glances between the pair one last time before disappearing, "so I'm going to do her one last favor." He squeezes Nathan's shoulder ignoring the cries from the heavyset teen, "Leave and never come back." He doesn't know what the purple eyed girl said to convince the group to leave without Nathan, but he's glad it worked.
"Alright, alright! MERCY!" The act gets dropped quickly, "Geeze man you are intense! Not at all," he whistles, "like I was told you were. It's kinda cool actually." The boys voice takes on a deeper, laidback tone. "I'm just here because like Whitey said, we got highjacked, I'm here to monitor the one and only," he smiles deviously, "just. Like. You." He pokes Danny in the chest, "But I have to give you props, you make it really difficult for a fella to do their job. Fantasy, was just an annoyance but you," he barks a laugh throwing his head back, "you take the cake. What's the deal man?"
"Get out."
"But I have a job," the boys eyes turn crazed, from shifting to reveal tinted green skin and purple eyes, "you will not stop me from completing my job!"
Shade yawns grabbing the slightly smaller being and snapping their neck, "and now you'll never complete your job." He chuckles, "Whoopdie doo. Gosh his pawns are always so annoying!" He hums walking toward the closets stairs to go up a level, "They found the center and they've started the process+ to get home." He smiles softly, "Good, they can listen. Now," he sighs heavily running a hand through his hair, "time to go be the bad guy."
The Center of the Temple
Teens
Valerie and Star were working together to look and see what starts the process for the portal. April and Kira were steadfast in tying vines together to make a rope to get into the portal. Sam was pacing far off from the group biting her thumb anxiously.
"What the hell is her problem?" Star says lowly to the group gesturing with her eyes to a pacing Sam.
"Who knows?" Valerie shrugs uncaringly.
"There's something she isn't telling us," April states, "there's more to this then just starting the portal and leaving."
"I bet someone has to die," Kira whispers heatedly.
"If anyone is dying," Valerie scoffs, "its Nathan."
"That wasn't Nathan, so...back to the drawing board," April shrugs.
"We could always kill her for stressing me out!" Star hisses furiously, "I have stress bumps!"
"I don't think it's one of us." April denies staring at the pacing girl. "I think it's..."
"We're not killing Danny!" Valerie yells.
Sam snaps her head over to the group, violet eyes wide. "What are you talking about?" She questions slowly.
"You keeping secrets, as always," Star mumbles. "Gothica, level with me, what are you hiding. You know where we are? You know how we got here? You know remotely anything that is happening right now? Spill."
"We are in a temple, we literally ran half the way here, and we are putting vines together to make a rope so that we won't lose each other when we go through the portal."
"Oh you smart bitch."
Unknown to the group of arguing teen girls, the white granite portal that stood on a raised marble platform comes to life. Briefly Tucker is seen standing at the other side gazing into the portal, shouting. The rest of the class rush over pounding on the portal as well, but no sound is heard. Paulina's pink tipped fingernails come through, but nothing else. She pulls her hand back trying again only to meet a hard surface. They watch as Sam glances at the portal seeing them fully, before the portal turns solid green.
"Get ready," Sam says shortly tying her hair up, "we're going somewhere but it sure as hell ain't home. Not, yet."
"What the hell does that mean!" Star demands tying the rope around her waist, "I'll take the front, Manson is taking rear, obviously." Upon seeing the black-haired girl not reach fro the rope she rolls her eyes and tosses the end to Valerie, "Val is taking rear. Manson is gonna do whatever the hell she's been not telling us that she has to do. Questions?"
"The portal is green." Kira supplies unhelpfully, "Should we go up to it?"
"You won't get through but go ahead and push on." Sam comments over her should stalking down the steps of the platform. "It's solid right now, but it won't be forever. No matter what you hear, don't turn around. Keep. Pushing. Forward."
Valerie opened her mouth to argue but decided better, nodding at the violet-eyed girl. April nods not looking at the girl, Kira smiles thinly vaguely nodding as she finishes tying the rope passing the rope end back to Valerie. "Do whatever it is you need to do Sam."
Sam smiles at them brightly just as Danny comes to the top of the staircase that leads to the center.
"Congratulations, it seems that you made it." He steps down onto the grass causing the portal to become clear. "Say hi to your friends," he laughs waving at the portal happily. "I'll let you go through, on one condition." He raises a finger with a cheeky grin eyes blazing red "Sam stays."
The Unknown
The Real Class
Tucker woke up startled, one minute he was dreaming of being home in Amity for the summer, the next he was in a room that was made of clouds. First thing he noticed was that he wasn't alone. Kelly and Dash were seated as far away from each other as possible.
"What's going on?" His gaze bounces between the two as they avoid each other's eyes.
"We've been kidnapped," Kelly's voice was flat.
"Where's?" He trails off eyes widening as he takes a look around him. Yes, they were in a room that was made of something that looked like clouds but the walls, the walls were riddled with portals that showed all his classmates. He finds Paulina in a journey to reclaim the throne, Mikey and Nathan in a robotics championship, Dylan and Gillian playing basketball against ghosts, Kwan trying to save the dolphins, Sofie and Abby trying to raise money to keep their station afloat, Michelle looking for April. Michelle's portal gave him pause. He scans the portals again. And again. And again. "Where are April, Kira, Valerie, and Star?"
"What," Dash laughs, "you don't care about your own friends?"
"Dash stop," Kelly interrupts, "we know he does because of his portal."
"What was my portal?"
"You were alone."
"What do you mean by alone?"
"Danny was gone and so was Sam, at first you didn't pay much attention even saying out loud that you'd see them later. You asked your parents about them before you went to school." Kelly reveals to him hesitantly.
"You woke up because you didn't have your nerd herd." Dash supplies uncaringly while picking at his nails, "Whatever it was that was needed to get out of your portal you solved it pretty quick."
"You have to solve something to get out of your portal." Dread fills Tucker's face as he spins around scanning the wall of portals again. "Have you seen Danny's portal?"
"There's a black one," Kelly points to it with a grimace, "we're not sure whose it is."
Unlike the rest of the portals this one wasn't see through. Instead of a white cloud border around it, it was black. The background was black, the border was black, the screen was black. Everything around it was black.
Dylan and Gillian tumble out of their portal, landing on the floor in a heap groaning as they lay there. "What the hell is this shit! Has anyone seen Kira," Dylan stood up popping his back.
"No, she doesn't have a portal." Kelly answers only to be ignored as Dylan surveys the screens.
"That's her portal," Tucker announces unknowingly, "their portal has been highjacked. Everyone who is missing must be a group. So, Danny is with Valerie, Star, Kira, and April." Just as he finished his thought the black portal flickered to life. The screen was now white, and Tucker was face to face with someone.
"MOM!"
"Tuck Tuck," her voice was relieved, "we've been trying to make you hear us ever since they woke up," she gestures to Kelly and Dash. "We can see y-." The screen goes out.
"Can see what?" Dash questions scratching at his head in confusion.
"Us." Abby answers him startling the blonde-haired boy. "They can see us, but if that's not April's group then..."
"Where are they?"
Parent Portal
The first thing that Tisha Foley noticed was that she had a bad feeling. That feeling when her boys had gotten into something and didn't tell her or Sam, leaving them in the dark. "Maurice," she called without opening her eyes, tensing when she feels a light graze against her side, "Maurice?" A hum was all the confirmation she received. She opens her eyes noting that every parent in Amity Park was present along with the mayor. She looks around confirming the reason she didn't call out for her children- they weren't there.
"What did I say," a voice calls amusedly from above them all, "forgotten and replaced." The voice never spoke again instead the room was filled with screen depicting the teens as they woke up in the shared space that was outside of their portals.
They tried endlessly to get the first two to appears attention watching amusedly as the two immediately started arguing upon being in the space.
'You kissed me!'
'I had too! Trust me, it was not something either of us wanted.'
'You still kissed me!'
'You kissed my brother!'
'That is...irrelevant to this situation.' The blonde boy averts his gaze a blush coloring his cheeks. 'Where are we?'
'Look,' the brown-haired girl gestures to the screen stepping closer to one of them, 'I think Foley might be here soon.'
'What makes you say that?'
The portal was starting to crack as the black boy asked more and more questions about his situation.
'Something tells me, that's not the way he's intended to leave!' Kelly yells backing up a few steps and ducking as the portal breaks, leaving Tucker on the ground unconscious. 'I don't think that was right.'
'No shit!'
Tisha breathes a sigh of relief as her son wakes up. He takes in his surroundings immediately with furrowed brows asking the other teens what they knew.
"There are kids missing!" Kira's mom cries out. "Where is my Kira! Where is my baby!"
"Let's not get hysterical." Maddie Fenton comments offhandedly looking around the room in interest, "This has ghost written all over it."
"What about Danny!"
"Who?" Jack says dully, "Oh! Danny-boy, he's fine he probably fought the ghost off and escaped."
"Tisha what are you doing?" April's mom sighs tiredly watching the other black woman stand at the portal anxiously.
"It's a two-way mirror," she supplies, "we can see them, but they can't see us. We're the black portal they keep talking about. And if we're the black portal..."
"Where are the rest of the teens?"
Just as the question was asked the portal came to life showing Tucker gazing back at them.
"MOM!"
The connection died quickly, immediately going back to its two-way mirror form.
"What is happening!" Kelly's dad sighs tiredly as more and more of the teens make it out of their portals. There was one portal left. It was green. A familiar opaque radioactive green,
"That's a-."
'Ghost portal.' Tucker finishes for Mrs. Fenton. 'Why's there a ghost portal?' His question is answered upon seeing himself along with the rest of his classmates with April, Kira, Star, and Valerie. They watch as Danny leaves the group, the portal following him, stopping when he does.
'April, Valerie, Kira, and Star are here. Here is not a place anyone can get to. Watch, and you will see.'
'That's not Danny.'
'Nope.'
Hijacked Teens
Watching the last group go through their journey made for good entertainment, especially when it was revealed that none of them were real. When Sam showed up a heated debate was sparked about how she got to the location followed by an argument about whether that was actually Sam or not. The group had finally realized that Danny wasn't Danny when he kept turning to talk directly to them, looking dead into the portal. Creepy. The group had finally made it to the end much to the relief of the class.
The las group tumbled through the portal landing on the ground roughly. "My bruises have bruises," April gasps out.
"Why the hell was the portal so high up off the ground!"
"I hate everything about this!" Kira hisses tearing the vine from around her waist.
"How do you think I feel, Kira? Stop being such a girl and stand-up loser." Her head snaps up at the sound of a familiar teasing tone.
"DYLAN!" She launches herself at him startling the basketball player.
"That's cute," Kelly comments.
The class continue their reunion filling in the teens on what they missed.
"What about Sam!"
"Sam? Sam was never here." Sofie assures them. Seemingly forgetting that Sam, was in fact, with the last group.
"No, Sam was with us in there. And someone we thought was Danny, but he wasn't Danny."
"He was Shade, a piece of someone that died a long time ago," Sam answers them quietly from the portal startling the group.
"What the hell are you doing! Get out of there!"
Her form changes, revealing a woman that looks far too similar to same with silver shinning eyes and green hair, "I'm going to locate your missing classmates."
"We're only missing one." Abby disagrees completely ignoring the situation. "I'm not even gonna question what is happening."
"Wrong, two, where is Megan."
"Ain't nobody worried about her," Michelle denies checking her nails.
"Michelle." April reprimands. "Why has no one said anything about her till now?"
"Cause I've been here the whole time?" Megans voice calls boredly from a portal. "None of you bothered to check if you could enter a portal, but I did, so here I am."
"Where are you exactly?" "And why didn't you say anything before now?" Gillian mumbles lowly only to be ignored.
"In Amity Park," she shrugs, "not to be confused with the parent portal. This is Amity Park but-."
"That's Danny's portal, Danny's portal is the way home." Tucker breathes relieved.
"But if that's Danny's portal..." April trails off coming to stand beside Tucker.
"Where's Danny?' The two finish together looking at the portal in interest.
I kinda feel bad because oh look yet another twist that makes my brain hurt. Surprise! That wasn't Sam...or at least not in the end. So if that wasn't Sam and that wasn't Danny, which we all already knew, so what has Danny been doing this whole time? Will we get to see?