TW: mention of sexual assault.
Danny was heading toward the bowling alley part of the yacht, and as he passed by a hallway, he was grabbed by someone.
"ACK!" Danny exclaimed.
Being pulled into the hallway and slammed against a wall, Danny looked to see who pulled him in.
...It was Dash. And he looked...frustrated?
"...Uh, hey Dash," Danny said, blinking at his past, but in some way still is, bully.
"Don't 'hey' me," Dash grumbled, "What was that all about?"
"...Huh?" Danny uttered, puzzled. "Uh...what was 'what' all about?"
"You and Sa-Manson! What were you and Manson doing, you idiot?" Dash clarified.
"Me and Sam? Um...we were just talking. Like for real, we were just chatting in there."
"In a closet?" Dash raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"...Okay, one would say that would be a little odd-"
"It is!"
"Wha-okay, look, really, what's the deal?" Danny asked, seriously confused and a little annoyed. "I was just talking to Sam about something private! I didn't want to say it out loud where anyone could hear, so Sam and I went to a closet! Okay? Is that all you need to know?"
"...What was it about?" Dash asked.
Danny blinked. "Um...I said it was private."
"Yeah, well..." Dash sighed in exasperation, putting a hand to his face and rubbing it.
"...Dash? I...don't know if this is my place to ask this, but...are you, uh...okay?" asked Danny, almost half regretting he even did so.
"...Man, I don't know..." Dash grumbled as he rubbed his forehead.
"..." Danny looked to his right and left and back at Dash, "Um...do you want to...I don't know, talk about it?"
Dash looked back to Danny, a little surprised and a bit wary. "Talk about it? What are we, women?"
Danny looked at him blankly and sighed, "Look, I grew up with a sister who wants to be a child psychiatrist when she graduates. Call it her maybe rubbing off on me, but talking it out can really help."
"..." Dash looked to his left and right...and looked back at Danny saying, "Nothing is really going on between you and...Manson?"
Now raising an eyebrow himself, Danny answered, "Uh, yeah. Nothing's going on. We're just friends now, man."
"..." Dash just continued to glare at Danny...until he released a sigh. "Alright then..."
Danny felt like that should be the end of that conversation there...but curiosity was still nagging at him.
"...Is...there a reason why you want to know if me and Sam still have a thing? W-Which I don't?" asked Danny a little cautiously.
Dash looked back at him with a glare that wasn't as intense. "No! ...I mean..." he grunted, "I-It's none of your business, okay, Fenton!" The blonde then turned to walk off and away from Danny. "I-I'm going to the bathroom now! Like I was doing before!"
And with that, he left...
"...Okay then," Danny said with a confused shrug.
Yeah, so I stand corrected on Dash acting really weird lately...
"...I'll...worry about that later," Danny said to himself. He went in the direction of where the bowling alley area was.
Once Danny reached the bowling alley area, he saw Tucker and Kwan conversing near the lanes.
"Yeah, I agree. Iron Man was just an excellent movie, dude." Kwan said to Tucker.
"Totally! I wonder how the next Batman movie will top it." Tucker wondered.
"Yeah. I mean, Heath Ledger passing away might get in a lot of numbers, but we have to see what his performance for the Joker is."
"Yeah...man, it's sad to know that Heath Ledger passed away. From what I heard, he was really committed to the role."
"Yeah...the man was a great actor also, and a good human being too," Kwan nodded solemnly.
"Uh, hey guys. I'm back," Danny came up to them.
Kwan turned his head to Danny, "Oh hey Danny! Everything okay with Sam?"
"Oh yeah, just, you know, telling her something is all," Danny said with a shrug.
"Okay, cool!" Kwan nodded, "Hey, when Dash comes in, me and Tuck want to like, have a little competition with you guys! Tuck says you can bowl a little bit, right?"
Danny smirked, "I'm known to be kind of good at it."
"Sweet! Okay then, once Dash comes in, we'll play!" Kwan says.
"Um, yeah, uh, speaking of Dash, Kwan, is he kind of...I mean, I'm only asking since he's your friend, but is he kind of not acting...like himself, I guess?" Danny asked with a wince and a shrug.
"Huh? What do you mean? Did he do something?" Kwan wondered.
"Well, I mean...he came up to me and asked if...Sam and I were still a thing?"
"...Oh," Kwan just stood there eyes widened in realization. "...Um, yeah...th-that is kind of, uh, strange."
"Really?" Tucker raised a brow at Danny, "Dash asked that a while ago when he said he was going to the restroom."
"For real?" Danny blinked, "Um...wow, that's...interesting..." he turned to Kwan, "Hey Kwan, is...I mean, I know me and Dash had our differences in the past, but...well, you know. Either way, is he doing alright?"
"Uh...well, he...I-I think he...um..." Kwan faltered there for a second.
"You know, I kind of noticed Dash was a little distant whenever we were in our second semester as seniors," Tucker mentioned, "He really mellowed out during that time...he's kind of starting to drink alcohol as of late also...yeah, that's a little...concerning. Yo, Kwan, is Dash doing okay?"
"Um...wow. Okay, uh, first of all, I didn't really know Dash was having any trouble, besides...uh, yeah. Secondly, I really do appreciate you guys showing concern for Dash, even after all the crap that he...and, well, I, sometimes admittedly, had done to you." Kwan said gratefully.
"Oh, hey, water under the bridge, no worries," Danny waved that off, "Once the status quo wore off a little in the second semester of sophomore, we were just trying to survive high school at that point."
"Yeah, man," Tucker agreed, "But, uh, when you said 'besides' after saying that you didn't know Dash was having trouble, what did you mean by that? You also said he had a lot of stuff happening right now before we arrived here...I'm sorry, I'm not like, going too deep into his personal life, am I?"
"Oh, uh...w-well, no, but I mean..." Kwan rubbed the back of his neck, "Well...I'll just say it's...more of a family thing."
"Oh. Um...is he okay?" Danny asked Kwan again.
"Uh, yeah...I mean, I...think he's doing oka-heeeey!" Kwan suddenly perked up and sounded alarmed for a moment as he looked like he saw someone...
...Which was Dash, who was coming into the bowling alley area.
Danny and Tucker turned around to see Dash coming their way. Both teens' eyes widened, thankful that they were cut off before Dash supposedly heard them.
"Oh, uh, Dash! Hey, you're...back from the bathroom!" Danny said nervously.
Dash raised an eyebrow. "...Yeah?"
"Yeah!" Kwan also said, "Hey, Dash, we were thinking about having a two-team bowling competition! Me and Tuck are going to team up though, so, sorry about that! We were thinking you and Danny would...team up?"
Dash blinked and looked at Danny, while Danny looked at Dash, giving him a slight smile and a small wave.
"..." Dash frowned, but sighed, "Yeah, sure."
"Great!" Kwan nodded with a relieved smile, "Okay, let's get started!"
"Yeah! I'm ready to take all you fools down! Uh, no offense, Dash!" Tucker backtracked with a nervous smile.
Dash rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Danny looked at Dash for a second until they went to their bowling lanes.
Huh...I wonder what's going on with Dash? I know I'm kind of not on the best terms with him...I mean, he has mellowed out, thankfully, but he's still kind of...wary against me, I guess? And something about his family...
The sound of bowling pins being knocked over broke out of Danny's thoughts.
"Whoa! That's a perfect strike, Tuck!" Kwan said with a grin.
"Oh yeah! You know it!" Tucker whooped as he and Kwan high-fived each other.
Dash looked at the strike that Tucker made, a little impressed. "Wow...not bad."
"Why thank you, Dash! That's a very nice compliment coming from a bowling expert like you! Heard that you're pretty good yourself from Kwan, by the way!" Tucker said with a smirk.
"...Yeah, I guess I'm a good bowler," Dash mumbled.
"Aw, don't be modest, Dash!" Kwan commented, "You beat me whenever we go out for bowling!"
"That's cause you're...well, not good at it, dude," Dash said with a slight chuckle and a smirk of his own.
"Aww, harsh, man," Kwan made a silly frown.
"Heh. So, who's gonna go next?" Tucker asked either Dash or Danny.
The two teens glanced at each other, Dash looking at Danny a little wary, while Danny just looked at the blonde with a neutral face. Danny then shrugged and said, "I can go first, if that's alright?"
"...Eh, let's see what you got," Dash said as he looked away at Danny.
"Okay then," Danny went to his bowling ball, picked it up, and went to the beginning of his lane. Positioning himself and the ball in his fingers, he lowered the ball and tossed it onto the lane.
...The ball went forward...and hit some of the pins, letting only three stand.
Dash looked on...and nodded in approval. "Not bad."
"Heh, yeah, was kind of rusty there," Danny rotated his bowling arm.
"...Nah, you did okay," Dash shrugged.
Danny turned to the blonde in surprise. "Really?"
"I mean, you could do a different technique to try to get all the pins down, but so far, you got the whole balance right," Dash informed.
"...Wow. Thanks," Danny said, genuinely meaning it.
"Eh, you're getting there," Dash said with crossed arms and another shrug.
"Okay, let's see what I can do here then," Kwan got a bowling ball and played the game.
While that happened, Danny thought one thing that kind of nagged him in the back of his head.
...Still, why was Dash wondering about me and Sam? ...I probably should ask him about that...I don't know how he'll react, but I'm just curious...
And with that, the game continued on...
"Aaah...this is nice," Star said, wearing sunglasses as she was lounging on her back against a beach chair, wearing an orange bikini.
"Yeah. I could get lost in relaxation here," Valerie said with her eyes closed as she was also wearing a blue bikini and lying on her back against a beach chair.
"...It's not too bad," Paulina admitted, as she lay on her stomach on her beach chair in a pink bikini, her eyes closed as she let the sun's rays do the rest.
Valerie opened her eyes and glanced at Paulina. She turned her attention to Star, who in turn glanced at her while lying on their beach chairs. Valerie, who was next to Paulina on her left, asked her, "Hey, Paulina?"
"Hm? Yeah?" Paulina raised her head to look at Valerie.
"Um...can I ask you something about...Sam?" Valerie cautiously asked her.
"...What's it about?" Paulina questioned, her tone sounding monotone.
"Well, it's just...did...Sam do something to you to make you get all upset?" Valerie asked her as best as she could.
Star propped on her elbows on the chair to see how this would unfold.
Paulina blinked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean...you said you think she acts like she's better than you or something, which, from my time with Sam, she doesn't really have that in her. So...did like...something happen, like say, a month ago, or...?"
"...I..." Paulina looked a little timid, "...I-I don't know. I just..." she sighed, "Look, Valerie, I'm just...not...ready to talk about something like this right now."
Valerie and Star blinked at that answer, but the former said, "Uh, o-okay, I understand."
"Yeah. But Paulina, you can tell us anything if something is bothering you, you know? Or if something happened or-"
"I-I will! I mean...yeah, I will," Paulina glanced down, a solemn frown on her face. "I mean...it's nothing, really but-"
"Oh, uh, h-hi Sam," Valerie said to someone behind Paulina's lying form with a forced smile.
Paulina turned her body to look at the person...which was Sam, who was wearing a black bikini, as well as having sunglasses on.
"Uh...hey, girls," Sam said with a wave. "I just..." she glanced at Paulina and back at Valerie and Star, "Well, I just decided to sunbathe with you all."
Raising a brow, Paulina asked skeptically, "You? Sunbathing?"
"Um, yeah, I know, shocking, but...well, I sunbathe," Sam shrugged, not knowing what else to say.
"...Okay then," Paulina said a little dully, not really carrying any malice in her tone. She turned her head away from Sam.
"Uh, yeah..." Sam just sat on her beach chair next to Paulina and relaxed on her back against it.
Valerie and Star took glances at each other and looked back at the Latina and the Goth.
...After a few seconds of silence, they all resume their sunbathing, with Star and Valerie going back to lounging (albeit they are a little wary of the tension between Paulina and Sam), Paulina just resting on the chair, and Sam lying on her back...
...It went quiet for a moment...
...That is until Sam spoke out, "Um...Paulina?"
Paulina didn't move, but she hummed a reply. "Hm?"
"..." Sam sighed as she sat up on her chair and turned her attention to Paulina, "Look, I'm...I'm sorry I called you...the...you know, th-the word...that I said back at the rec room."
"...You mean when you called me a 'bitch'?" Paulina said as she turned to look at Sam with a narrowed-eyed skeptical glare.
"...Y-Yeah. I mean, your attitude was...well, it was still...I mean...you didn't really know...about..." Sam faltered for a moment as she looked away.
Paulina looked at Sam, puzzled as she listened to the Goth girl.
"...Okay, Paulina, I know...we haven't gotten along ever since..." Sam looked back at Paulina and said, "You know, ever since your dad was elected to be a judge."
"...What are you getting at, Sam?" Paulina asked her, a little confused, but also a little frustrated.
Sam sighed again, "Look, Paulina, I'm really trying here, okay?"
Paulina raised a brow, "Trying what, exactly?"
"...Look, my parents...kind of set this whole thing up so we...can make amends," Sam revealed.
Now Paulina's eyes widened and she propped herself up with her hands on the chair, "Make amends?"
"Yeah...you know, since we were..." Sam muttered the next part, "friends one time back in elementary school."
Valerie and Star, who were overhearing Sam and Paulina's talk, sat up from their chairs, Valerie looking on a little in surprise, while Star lowered her sunglasses in interest.
"...So your folks just paid a bunch of tickets for me and my family as well as Star's and Kwan's? Which Star and Kwan each brought Valerie and Dash with them?" Paulina asked with a monotone.
"Uh...yeah, for the record, they told me all of this on the way to the yacht. I was kind of...in the dark about it." Sam admitted.
"...Wow...I almost got to respect your parents for going this far to let us 'catch up'." Paulina said, her face neutral.
"...Yeah...it's almost kind of diabolical, isn't it?" Sam half-joked with a small forced smile.
"...Yeah..." Paulina got up from her chair and turned on her back to sit up. "So what, you want to make amends now?"
"...I…" Sam rubbed the back of her head in anxiousness. "I mean...if...you want to?"
"...No. I don't," Paulina said with a hint of annoyance.
Star and Valerie grimaced.
Sam blinked, "Uh...o-okay, I-I can understand that. I did some stupid things back then, so-"
"Oh, you did more than do something stupid. In fact, you have no idea what I had to go through, do you?" Paulina said in a venomous tone.
Oh shit. Okay, just...don't mention Paulina's...almost assault.
"...Um, n-no, but-"
"Well, you know what? Whether you do know, or you don't know, back at Star's graduation party, where you told Lester that I was 'into him' - which I wasn't! - I never felt so humiliated! But you know what else happened!?" Paulina said, her voice raising a bit.
"U-Uh, w-well...no?" Sam said meekly, feigning ignorance, unless she really wanted to get herself into more trouble if she said something now.
"..." Paulina turned to Valerie and Star, who were watching their argument. "..." She turned back to Sam and said, "At least Lester didn't follow me and tried to..." Paulina shut her eyes as she cringed at the horrid memory...
"P-Paulina?" Sam raised a hand to try and maybe console her, but once her hand made contact with Paulina's shoulder, she backhanded it away.
"Don't touch me! And why would you care now!? Aren't Goths supposed to not care about people!?"
"W-Well, now I care, okay!? I-I don't really know what happened, but whatever happened, I didn't mean for it to let it go that way!"
"Well, it did! It happened!" Paulina exclaimed in anger.
...Sam looked at Paulina with guilt and shame.
Meanwhile, Valerie and Star looked on, mouth dropped in shock at this development.
"...Paulina...did someone...did..." Valerie thought who would be at the party at that time.
...Darin was there...and Dash said he was a pervert...
"...Did Darin...take 'advantage' of you?" Valerie said as gently as she could.
"..." Paulina got up from her seat, "I'm going to the restroom." she walked around Sam and went inside the interior of the yacht.
Sam got up, though, after it took a second to process everything. "Wait, Paulina!" she followed after her.
Star got up as well, but Valerie stopped her, "Wait Star! Maybe...Maybe we need to let Sam and Paulina talk this out."
"What? But...it sounded like Paulina was almost-"
"Yes, almost. I mean...I think," Valerie lowered her head to think about it. "...Paulina would be a lot more...I mean, she didn't mention it when we saw her at the hotel, and she didn't look...you know, like she's been through it. In fact, if Sam's parents made arrangements beforehand, she and her family would've canceled it."
"Wha-...hmm..." Star thought about that, "...Yeah, you're right. Which means...Paulina escaped from...being assaulted?"
"...Hmm..." Valerie mused on it a little more, "...You know, I think someone saved her from that happening."
Star looked a little confused for a second, but then her eyes widened in realization. "Oooh...you mean like Phantom?" Star wondered.
"...Yeah...hm..." Valerie looked down at her lap, "...Maybe Phantom is not as bad as I originally thought he was if he had helped Paulina out with...that."
"...Well..." Star looked at where Sam and Paulina exited with a frown. "...I just hope whatever happens on this cruise, it will be resolved...like, you know, soon."
"Yeah...me too," Valerie agreed as she looked at where the two young women exited as well.
...Meanwhile…
...They're coming...
Oooooh...thanks to that delectable aura, I can use my power on them...
I couldn't before when humans usually sail near my home...they don't have...the scent that this half-DEAD boy has.
Ooooh-ho-hooo...yes! His aura makes my power strong!
He...they are in my vicinity now.
Now, it's time to pull my prey to my own hunting ground…
My home.
I have the amount of power to do so thanks to this rarity, this anomaly...this boy.
He-he-heeee...the boy named Danny...Daaa~anny...Fenton...
Danny...Phantom.
Oooooh-ho-ho-hoooo...
Now...it begins...
Sleep tight.
Because next time, when you all wake up...you'll be in my territory...
He-he-he-he-he-he-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAA!
At the Captain's Quarters
Tom sat on his captain seat as he drove the yacht, looking out at the sea as he went on the cruise's route.
I sure hope Sam will survive this whole cruise with Paulina here...
He kept his eyes on the sea...
...Sam's basically like a daughter to me now...
...
...I lost my Stephanie...first I lost my wife, Melissa...and now my daughter...Stephanie...
...
...No. Don't...Don't dwell on it. It's unhealthy...like...like drinking too much...
...Tom glanced at his water bottle on his cupholder.
"..." He reached for it, and grabbed the bottle, drinking it from the nozzle. When he finished, he placed it back in his cupholder and stared out at the sea again.
...It wasn't my fault...I had a few drinks...it wasn't much...the driver was the one who was drunk...conveniently enough...
...
...I didn't...I really didn't...cause my daughter to...no. Not because of me...
...Tom sighed.
...I'm so sorry Melissa...I hope you'll be able to see how wonderful our daughter is up there.
He looked up at the sky for a moment.
The feeling of calm washed over him as he stared at the clouds and blue sky. Seeing the blue sky was almost reminiscent of the water that he was navigating, and the clouds almost looked like...waves...
Tom would like to think that out there in the sky, the spirits of his wife and his daughter are flying through those waves of clouds...
His mind was now at ease, the negativity drifting off, piece by piece when he stared out at the sky...out into the Heavens...
...He smiled...
...But then, his eyes...started to grow heavy.
Shaking his head, Tom tried to get the sleep out of his head...
But for some reason...the feeling of sleep was getting stronger.
What? But I...I had a good rest last night...why am I...?
Tom tried to stay awake...but soon, he succumbed to sleep, resting in his seat...
...He rested while the yacht was sailing...
...and while it was being pulled...to a different location.
Back with Sam and Paulina
"Paulina!" Sam called out to her as the Latina was getting further away from her. "Paulina, please, stop!"
Amazingly enough, she did, Paulina turning around to face her with a fierce glare.
"You know, I told Darin to stop, but he kept going!" Paulina seethed.
Oh shit, this is not going too well. Sam thought.
"L-Look, Paulina, I would never have predicted that! I-I'm so sorry it happened! Darin didn't, I mean, h-he didn't...happen to do that to you, did he?"
I know the answer to that, but still, I need to hear it from her.
Paulina kept her glare on Sam. "For your disappointment, no. Danny Phantom saved me at the last minute!"
"Paulina! I would not want that to happen to any woman or anyone for that matter! Not even to you! I'm not a monster! We may have our differences, but I wouldn't wish anything horrible like that on you!"
"..." Paulina then just...started to choke up. She whimpered, and then, she started to sob, placing her hands on her closed eyes as she tried not to shed even a single tear.
Now feeling like their past history didn't matter anymore, Sam slowly tried to approach Paulina, "Paulina...I really am sorry that happened to you. I...I never wanted you to be hurt, not physically, and definitely not...I-I..." she tried to inch even closer to her. "...I'm so sorry..."
Now crying, Paulina just sniffled...and then she went to her knees, feeling a little heavy-headed as her sobbing softened into whimpers.
Sam was about to comfort her when she too was getting heavy-eyed.
"Pau-...Paulina...?" Sam muttered, her tone sounding soft as well as this unknown feeling of sleep had entered her senses. She tumbled on the floor and landed on her rear, letting her whole body rest.
Paulina also landed on her side on the floor, knocked out as well.
...The girls slept on the floor of the yacht...
Back with Valerie and Star
Star and Valerie were lying on their backs on their beach chairs...
"...Mmh..." Valerie murmured, her eyes opened just a crack, "Wow...I'm...kind of tired..."
"Yeah...me too..." Star mumbled, her whole body feeling weighted for some reason.
Valerie was also feeling heavy-headed, as her eyes were closing...
...They were out like a light.
Back with Danny, Tucker, Dash, and Kwan
"Wooo! Yeah! Up top!" Danny said with a hand up in the air for a high-five.
Dash chuckled and surprisingly enough, gave it in return.
"Wow, Fenton, you actually got it going on here!" Dash complimented.
"Thanks! That little lesson you gave me actually worked wonders!" Danny also complimented.
"Heh. Yeah, I can see you as bowler potential!" Dash said to him.
"Wow. That's actually a compliment coming from you," Danny smiled.
"Hey, you got what it takes," Dash shrugged with a smile. "We just got to make sure Kwan and Tuck over there don't get above our score, though."
Kwan got his bowling ball and readied it to toss it onto the lane.
"Okay, Kwan, you can do this," Tucker assured him.
"Yeah...okay, yeah. No more choking up..." Kwan said to himself.
But then...
Tucker's eyes were getting heavy, his balance faltering as he tumbled over to the bowling lane seat. Dash was also feeling a little bedridden, as his balance was off, sitting down on the seat of their lane as well. Even Danny was getting tired, shaking his head to get the sleep out of his eyes.
"Ugh...is...is anyone...feeling kind of...strange?" Danny asked anyone.
"Yeah, I...feel...tired..." Tucker mumbled as he relaxed in his seat.
"Erk...y-yeah...I'm a little...sluggish..." Dash also mumbled as he too was relaxed in his seat.
Kwan tossed the bowling ball down the lane...and it made a perfect strike!
"Whoa! I did it, Tuck! I...I did...I did it..." Kwan then collapsed onto the floor.
"What...What's...going...?" Danny was getting more sleepy-eyed, his whole body felt like it was shutting down. He tried to support himself on the console of the bowling lane, but soon his knees gave away and they landed on the floor, with Danny putting his hands on it to support himself.
What's...What's going on here?
Danny tried to get right back on his feet...but this feeling that was washing over him was too strong...
And just like that, Danny collapsed on the floor.
...They were all knocked out…
Every passenger on the yacht...was knocked out.
The yacht began to change course...like something was pulling the boat to its new location.
The pull felt like the grasp of a supernatural hand that was holding onto the bottom of the boat...like a child playing with their toy in a vast body of water.
The yacht may as well be a toy to this being.
As for the passengers...they'll be considered as its prey.
Prey that this being is ready to hunt down.
It won't hunt them naturally...it will feed into their darkest fears and deepest desires.
And then...it will drag them deeper into its lair...
Deeper...into the abyss...
...Where it lives...
Somewhere...beyond the sea...some...WHERE…
WAITING...FOR ME.
Come to me, morsels…and come to me...Danny...
Come to me, little PHANTOM BOY!
Haaaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!
Okay, I hope this was worth the wait! Sorry this was short, but now that the build-up to the island is complete, we can get to the creepy horror bits! No worries, I'll get back to this and the next chapter will be all of them on the island! I hope you'll all stick around for that! :)
But yeah, I would love to know how I did! :D Please tell me with a review, and maybe give me a fave and a follow! :)
Until then, thank you all for reading, and keep on rocking everybody! :D
-TSP