Amity Park Museum, Amity Park
A yellow school bus parked at one of the designated areas where school vehicles were meant to be in. From there, a Caucasian woman stepped out of the bus. She wore a blue sweater with a white shirt with a collar underneath and pink sunglasses atop her head, a golden headband, and golden earrings with a dark blue skirt.
This woman was named Ms. Jennifer Carol, a fourth-grade teacher from Michigan.
She turned to the opened door and said, "Alright class, line up with your partners! Single file!"
With that, a group of at least twenty fourth-grade kids came out of the vehicle. Four boys in the group were pudgy, with one of them having curly brown hair wearing a pair of glasses while the other was similar but had short red hair and a rounder face, one more that looked the same but had black neck length hair, and another was a blue eyed blond boy with long straight hair and freckles.
Three of the skinnier boys varied in looks. One had auburn hair with dark brown eyes, another had short black hair and tanner skin with dark brown eyes, and finally, a pale skin boy with green eyes and neck-length brown hair.
There are seven girls in total out of the group of twenty. Three of them were notable, with one being of Japanese descent, having small pigtails tied by small pink scrunchies, a shorter skinner pale skinned girl with her neck length hair dyed violet, freckles, and red clip, and a red-haired girl with green eyes, freckles, and a blue hair clip.
These kids were Jason "JT" Terrance, Arnold Simmons, Jamie Drake, Cooper Derek, Peterson Powell, Cash Murray, Benjamin Tennyson, Yamamoto "Julie" Jyuria, Madison Grace and Gwendolyn Tennyson.
The pairs were Gwen and Madison, Peterson and Arnold, Jamie and Cooper, JT and Cash, and Ben and Julie.
"This is Amity Park?" Madison asked, looking around the city streets.
"It seems kind of…dull." Peterson commented.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like it's haunted at all!" JT said like a whiny brat.
"Boo!" Cash added.
"Finally," Ben muttered quietly while holding his backpack. "We've been stuck in that joyless ride for ages."
"It wasn't that bad, Benji," Julie said, skipping by his side. "At least we made it on time."
"Yeah," Ben nodded. "Now we can get to the mummy and the treasure!"
The teacher took the children by the front of the museum and said, "Alright children. Before we head inside, we will be having a chaperone tagging along with us while touring the museum."
The children murmured amongst themselves, wondering who was joining them. Gwen raised her hand, prompting the teacher to call on the ginger.
"Yes, Gwen?"
Gwen questioned, "Who's the chaperone, Ms. Carol?"
Suddenly, a car horn familiar to Julie, Ben, and Gwen's ears caused them to turn in its direction. The teacher did so as well with a smile on her face.
"Oh, he's here!" She said excitedly.
"Hey kids!" A man's voice spoke, making the rest of the fourth Madison Elementary School kids look as well. "Surprise!"
As it turned out, the person chaperoning the class bore a remarkable resemblance to Benjamin and some resemblance to Gwendolyn. In essence, the middle-aged man had fair skin, green eyes, a few subtle wrinkles on his face, a green collared shirt, a brown belt, a pair of gray khakis, and a pair of brown dress shoes.
"Dad!?/Uncle Carl?" Ben and Gwen shouted and spoke respectively.
"Uh oh, helicopter Papa incoming!" JT jeered, getting a round of laughter from most of the nameless students, Peterson, Arnold, and Cash.
"You're kidding me," Ben sighed. "This can't get any worse…"
"Don't say that." Julie said with an optimistic smile. "I have a feeling that this will be an extra special day."
"Settle down, class!" Ms. Carol said before turning to Ben's father. "I can't thank you enough for coming with us."
"No need to thank me, ma'am. I'm just happy that I can help out for a change," Carl said with a smile. "It's a good thing this is on my day off."
As the teacher got the class signed in through their tickets, the group was met greeted by the tour guide, who was a beautiful pale skinned woman with blonde colored hair and teal eyes.
"Good afternoon, Madison Elementary! My name is Tracey and I will be your docent for today's tour." Tracy said before turning around. "If you all could follow me, we can get started on the tour of the Amity Park Museum!"
And so, as the group headed inside the building, the tour (otherwise known as Ben's personal hell) began.
-Outside of the Museum-
Walking along the street was a pale chalky-white "anemic" skin, that was bald and had red eyes. He wore red lipstick and black eyeliner, had yellow teeth, and has an abnormally long pointed nose.
For his attire, he wore ringmaster attire consisting of a red unitard, a black vest and bow tie, and black boots with red buckles. He also wore a long dark gray jacket with three red buttons on each cuff and a red stripe near the bottom trim of the jacket. When it came to his accessories, they included a small black bowler hat with a red stripe, a triangular red earring on his right ear, black gloves, and wore a necklace that had a black stone with a strange magenta rune on it.
The pale man saw a ticket hanging from the pocket of a balding chubby man walking in the direction of the museum.
The red eyed pale man smirked as he held the black stone necklace in his hand.
'...My lucky day.' The lean pale man thought before walking up to the chubby individual.
It was here where Freakshow bumped into the fellow, purposely brushing into the random.
"Ack! Hey!" The chubby middle aged balding man said, getting into the pale man's face. "Watch where you are goin'!"
"Oh, I do sincerely apologize," The pale man spoke in a feign concerned manner. "I have made a misstep."
"Whatever. Just get lost, you freak." The man grumbled as he continued walking.
However when the chubby got to the ticket booth, he patted his hands on his pockets. But nothing was there.
"Huh? What the-!?"
Meanwhile, the pale skinned man gave a ticket to the other vendor and was given access to the museum.
"Please enjoy your visit, sir." The vendor said with a smile.
"Oh, I will." The pale skinned man said as he walked toward the entrance.
The chubby man then thought about it, and shouted, "Hey! Stop him! That pale skinned freak stole my ticket!"
The dark cloaked man did not look back as two security officers who were watching the blubbering and irate balding man run toward the taller male and quickly restrained the robust fool.
As the pale man entered the museum, he whispered, "...I will."
He chuckled to himself as the sliding doors closed behind him.
Amity Park Museum, Amity Park
The first thirty minutes of touring was a slog to a couple of fourth grades from Madison High Elementary. This included one Benjamin Kirby Tennyson. None of the nine main exhibits truly intrigued the boy. To him, they were moving from Point A to Point B, listening to seminars about why a sculptor was important, why a painting was so revolutionizing, and so on.
The only reason why he couldn't entertain himself or goof off was because his father, Carl, kept a close eye on him.
And because of him constantly taking pictures with and hovering over him gave Cash and JT the ammunition to make fun of him while the others kids barring Gwen, Julie, and Madison to laugh. Sure, the teacher keeps this to a minimum, but it was still annoying nonetheless.
"...That was bogus," Ben muttered as he walked with a slouch. "Like, seriously, what's so cool about some fake magic guitar?" Ben grumbled.
"Benji, weren't you listening? That was a replica of a mystical item of power native to Miracle City. Legends say that it was wielded by an evil sorceress that can raise the dead." Julie said.
"Do you really believe that garbage, Julie?" Ben questioned with a light smirk. "What's next, are you gonna say that old cat ghost that lives in Mexico is real like the tooth fairy?"
"The tooth fairy is real!" Julie refuted with a pout as she puffed up her cheeks. "And it's called the Ancient Tiger Spirit!"
"Whatever. It if was the real deal, the news would have shown it on TV ages ago." Ben shrugged.
"We can't see the air, Benji." Julie said, calming down. "But it's there, we still breathe it."
"Yeah, well, that's different." Ben tried justifying. "We got science to explain that junk."
"Benji, just because we can't see things doesn't mean nothing is out there. Sometimes, there are things that you gotta believe in." Julie spoke.
Julie walked past Ben while the boy's mind began to wander.
'...Something I believe in? What the heck does that mean?' Ben said as he caught up with his class.
After leaving the Mexico exhibit, the Madison Elementary fourth graders manage to stop at a photo of two important historical figures to the town in black in white.
One was a red-haired man with blue eyes, and the other was a black-haired woman with violet eyes wearing a 19th Century wedding suit and dress respectively.
Tracey walked in front of the class and presented the painting.
"And here, we have a wedding photo of the two founders of Amity Park, Isaac Amity and Eleanor Casper, taken in 1894." The blond docent explained. "Mrs. Amity's family were responsible for the foundation of the town's libraries and academic institutions, including our very own Casper High, in honor of her service. And Mr. Amity eventually became our very first mayor. And while their names are no longer among the families that live here, their descendants are still present under the Manson name."
Carl then asked, "May I take a picture, Miss?"
"Oh, go right ahead." Tracey allowed, prompting Carl to snap nonflashing pictures of the photo. "Don't mind me, the Missus is a history buff."
Cash and the other kids chuckled with the black-haired bully whispering, "A family full of nerds sounds about right, eh Benji?"
Ben growled but said nothing as Julie placed a hand on his shoulder.
Gwen glared at Cash and whispered, "Better to come from a family with brains than to be stuck without one."
The kids giggled at Gwen's comeback as Cash found himself on the other end of the stick. Gwen nodded to Ben, who gave his cousin a grateful nod.
Ms. Carol then asked, "Could you explain how the town came to be?"
"Sure thing, it all started…" Tracey began to speak, immediately causing Ben to tune out of the boring speech.
In the back of the group, Ben drowned and averted his eyes elsewhere while his dad ran off to use the restroom.
Julie could see that her childhood friend's mind was preoccupied with his thoughts. Then, she heard him groan at the sound of the lecture as if he was back in English class.
"...A penny for your thoughts, Benji?" Julie spoke, with her arms behind her back.
"Huh? What's up, Julie?" Ben inquired.
"Nothing~!" The pig-tailed girl said with a smile. "Your dad seems cool,"
Ben raised an eyebrow at this, surprised at the comment.
"...Really?" Ben uttered before looking elsewhere. "Weird, but okay."
"You haven't met my dad. He loves me and all, but he's very strict." Julie revealed. "At least your dad is easygoing."
'...No wonder why she never let me come over to her house.' Ben thought to himself.
"You okay?" Julie asked, voicing her concern. "I know the picture on the wall isn't your version of fun."
"You said it. I signed up to see a real mummy and some treasure like in that one old movie in the 1980s." Ben expressed with his brows furrowed and crossed his arms. "If I had known all of this was gonna happen, I would have stayed at school in Bellwood."
Julie could understand friend's plight. That's when a thought suddenly appeared in her head. One that could at least distract Ben from his current woes of being bullied and bored.
"You know, I heard that a guardian spirit lives here in Amity Park," Julie revealed which caused Ben to roll his eyes in disbelief.
"Again with the spirit stuff?" Ben groaned.
"Look, just hear me out." Julie implored. "My cousin from Japan visited this place last year, and she told me that this place was swarming with yokai."
"Uh…"
"Supernatural beings," Julie explained. "Anyway, she saw that there was one yokai. She described the ghost as looking like a teenage boy with an average but he has white, green eyes, and wears a black and white suit. Apparently, he wards off the evil yokai and protects the town."
"Wait, you're saying there's a ghost out here? Playing dress up?" Ben said, skeptical as ever. "Going hero? Now that's ridicul-"
Before Ben could finish his sentence, Julie placed a finger over his lips and pointed to his father returning to the group, forcing him to keep quiet.
After two minutes of wrapping up the town's history, Tracey asked, "So, are there any questions?"
"If I may," Carl asked, prompting Tracey to look at him. "When my father visited this in the sixties, he would visit the first electronics manufacturer. I believe it was called Paulsen Technology. What happened to it?"
"Ah, that's a great question," Tracey chirped. "While the company has somewhat survived, after an unfortunate accident that took Nicholai Paulsen's life, Paulsen Technology was bought out and revamped into what we now know as Axion Labs."
Carl frowned at this, making a mental note to tell his father what had become of one of his old favorite shops.
"Alright, kids," Tracey said, turning to the fourth-grade class. "Who has questions?"
Madison raised her hand, which Tracey noticed.
"Yes, young lady?"
"...Is Amity Park really h-haunted?" The shy girl asked.
"Personally, I have yet to see a ghost here," Tracey explained in an even tone. "However, the United States government has formally acknowledged the existence of the supernatural, credited by our very own Jack and Maddie Fenton, leaders in the paranormal scientific field."
"Woah…!" A lot of kids said.
Jamie gushed, "Freaky, but cool!"
Cash was called after raising his hand,
"Yes?"
"Yeah, I heard from a story online that this Phantom ghost stays around here." Cash stated with a smirk. "Is it true that he attacked your mayor?"
Ben furrowed his brows and quietly muttered, "What is this town, a tourist trap? Ghosts aren't even real."
JT snorted, then shoved the boy, saying, "What? Are you afraid of ghosts, Benji?"
Ben rolled his eyes, yet again, thinking, 'As if.'
"Am not." Ben hissed. "They're not real."
"Wooo~!" JT teased while dangling his hands and arms above his head, getting close to Ben's face. "I'm the ghost of Eerie Lake~! Fear me~!"
This prompted some of the kids to laugh at Ben's expense, including JT himself. Ben gave the larger kid a stink eye.
Then, Julie stepped forward, she said, "Back off, JT! You're not scaring anybody."
"Anybody except a mirror." Gwen snarked from behind JT, causing the kids to laugh as the boy's face turned red.
"Tch, whatever…" JT muttered s he quickly walked away from them.
Before Tracey could provide an answer that she was not comfortable saying, Ms. Carol intervened on her behalf.
"Alright, class. I believe that's enough ghost-related questions." The teacher said, much to most of the class' chagrin.
The docent gave the other woman a thankful nod, allowing her to proceed with the tour.
"Now that you've seen what most of our exhibits have to offer, next, we will be heading to the Egypt exhibit to explore the remains and the treasures of King Duul Aman."
"Alright!" Some of the kids said.
"Real treasure!" Arnold cheered.
"It's about time…" Ben said with a smirk.
As the kids followed their guide, the pale man followed them at a slower pace.
'...Soon, my dear Lydia…just hang on a little longer,' The man thought.
Food Court, Amity Park Mall, Amity Park
School was awkward for Daniel Fenton and his new friends could notice that something was off about him more than usual. In class, he rarely spoke during Lunch Period and completely ignored Dash, and didn't bother to look at Sam's direction. This obviously angered Sam, but Tucker looked concerned for Danny if anything. But the youngest Fenton passed a slip to Tucker which told him to ask his sister for more information.
Of course, he had to hide the bandages he concealed during P.E., so he gave his teacher, Ms. Tetslaff, a doctor's note. It took Study Period when Mason, Valerie, and Pacifica confronted his lack of communication. When Valerie told him to take off his hoodie, Danny revealed to them the bandages around his arms, torso, and face. Danny asked if they could talk elsewhere, as he wasn't comfortable explaining the situation at school.
So, after school, Pacifica had her private driver take the gang to the local mall as a way to destress and make it easier for Danny to explain himself.
Needless to say, when they found a table and asked Danny what was going on with him, what the halfa revealed to them disturbed and enraged them to their cores.
"...Then he left my house, and I sort of broke down in front of Jazz and my parents." Danny answered awkwardly.
"...Dude, what the fuck?" Mason cursed in bewilderment.
"...I know," Danny groaned as he lowered his head.
"Masters did all of that to you and got away with it?" Pacifica questioned. "What a creep."
"...That low down, no good son of a bitch!" Valerie hissed in anger as he slammed her fist on the tap. "I'm gonna-"
"-Hold your horses, Sparky," Danny said, forming a weak and awkward smile, placing one hand on hand on top of Val's. "I appreciate the concern, really. But I think for a sec. Look what happened to me. If this guy's been spying on me and my family, he must know by now that he can't use you against me like's done before. You're on his shit list, now, Val. So bum rushing Vlad alone guns blazing is a major no-go."
"Dad always told me that Masters was a slimy piece of work, but to stoop this low…" Pacifica muttered. "Maybe attacking him head on isn't the best idea, but Val's got a point. We gotta take him down."
"Guys, I'm all for that twisted headcase's fall, but this is Vlad Masters that we're talking about. He's an elite that dwarfs the Northwests, the Mansons, the Rockwallers, and Donovan Grand Smith in wealth combined, owning a ton of businesses including Microsoft and has various connections all across the country thanks to Vladco. He has the physical, financial, and (ill)legal advantage over us."
Pacifica scowled while Valerie sucked her teeth in, saying, "...Damn! I hate it when you're right. At least we swore off using all Vladco tech."
"That was a good call." Mason said with a smile.
The blonde said, "Amen to that."
"Sorry that I left you guys in the dark." Danny apologized. "I won't lie, I thought he was going to waste me on that night…"
"No need to apologize, D." Mason said, raising his left hand.
"Yeah, that child-abusive prick started it first," Valerie added.
Paz stated, "You're not to blame,"
"I know that, or, at least I'm trying to tell myself that lately," Danny muttered before shaking his head. "You think that after a year of ghost hunting with my powers, I'd be strong enough to take him…yet the more I fight Plasmius, the more I find out how much of a small fry I am in this large pond of monsters."
"Come on, man. Vlad's rich. And he's got, what, over two decades' worth of experience with his powers? How's that fair?" Mason pointed out. "Vlad's cheating in half-life, and you're the underdog."
The hoodie-wearing Danny slumped on the table with his arms folded on it, darkly joking, "Yeah, well I got dogged out. With his new ghost power to boot."
Valerie frowned, then said with a smile, "Ya know what, Danny? You might not be as strong or as experienced as Vlad, but you definitely got something that a rich smug asshole like him doesn't have."
Danny raised his head, asking, "What's that?"
Paz smirked, answering, "Us."
Mason added, "We don't know what Vlad is planning, but whatever comes, you won't face it alone. New powers be damned."
Danny smiled and said, "Thanks, guys."
Pacifica then cleared her throat and said, "Okay, that's enough mushy stuff for one day. Who wants tacos and churros? It's on me!"
This lifted the spirits of the gang as Paz led them to the nearest taqueria stand in the food court.
-In an Abyss Store-
Over on the other side of the mall on a level above the food court, Jack and Maddie Fenton were shopping in the trendy clothing retail store known as the ABYSS.
Right now, the couple was busy browsing the boys' section of the store.
"I'm sorry to ask this, love, but why are we here again?" Jack questioned.
"We're doing a favor for Babs' boy, remember?" Maddie said.
"Oh, is it little Tim-Tim's birthday, already?" Jack inquired. "Many, first Danno and now our nephew. These kids sure grow fast!"
"No, Timmy's birthday passed in March, dear. My sister and Norris are struggling right now and have forgotten to get him some clothes for the fall…again." Maddie sighed, shaking her head.
"You've got to be kidding me! Is Mr. Turner and Barbara even thinking about that boy?" Jack said, absolutely appalled. "I'm sorry, Mads, but I can't help but think that your younger sister has horrible tastes in men."
"I know. She gets it from Mom, just as Alicia did as well. That's why she divorced Dad and married Mr. Vladislapov."
"Oh right, the Uzbekian guy who owns that Yak in the Box joint," Jack mentioned. "I never liked that jerk."
"Neither did I, that's why I got away from him. I love Babs. And we're doing this for her and for Timmy." Maddie told Jack. "Anyway, can you find an autumn outfit? I need to powder my nose."
As Maddie walked in the direction of the women's restroom, Jack said, "Sure thing, babe!"
Jack roamed the area, humming to himself as he tried to pick from multiple outfits for his nephew. He heard the laughter of a young boy, Jack turned to see a little blond boy exiting the store with his father, a brunette man, who held a bag filled with clothes.
"Are we going to the baseball game, Dad?"
"You betcha, sport! We'll get those chili cheese fries that you like!"
"Yay!"
For a second, Jack paused as he began to visualize a seven-year-old Danny walking beside him before shaking his head with a nostalgic smile.
'Heh. Look at you, Jack. Riding the nostalgic wave of old memories.' Jack thought before his mind wandered to dark thoughts. '...Wait, when was the last time Danno and I went out to a ball game? Come to think of it, when was the last time we played catch?'
When searching for an answer, all that the Fenton patriarch could recall in his mind was ghost research, times constructing the portal, ghost hunting, the occasional break time where he ate fudge, and a designated period when he spent quality time with Maddie.
Every now and then, there were flashes of family trips and events where the kids were involved, but Jack's overall work and love life has more precedence than his relationship with his kids.
Hell, his best friend apparently was looking out for his son more than he was on a personal level. And it was the same for his daughter, albeit, to a lesser extent.
The only time the family spent quality time together was during the reunion with Vlad in Wisconsin.
The large man placed his right gloved hand on his forehead and thought, '...What have we been doing? No, what have I been doing? I've been so caught up in the big break the Fenton Portal gave me that my bond with the kids is starting to slip through my fingers! Jazzy Pants will be heading to some big Ivy League university, and soon enough, Danno will graduate. And speaking of Danny…'
Jack began to reflect on his relationship with him. Deep down he knew that Maddie favored the boy as he favored Jazz, but that did not mean that he loved his children any differently. No, in many regards, he was proud of his son. However, as of freshman year, he and Maddie became aware of his odd change in personality. He grew quiet, starting to come home longer to the point where he had grounded him several times for missing curfews he had never done previously, and had started to grill him for his grades suddenly dropping to C's. Surely, this was an oddity that neither he nor Maddie knew how to deal with, as they immediately dismissed it as his teenage rebellious phase, but then Danny's skirmish with Sam immediately shot down that idea.
In fact, Jack and Maddie had started to think Danny being away from Sam (and Tucker, to some extent) had done wonders for Danny throughout the latter half of 2004 and so far, where his abysmal grades from Freshman year were raised and Danny's current grades were decent. And with the new friends Danny made, he seemed to have cleaned up his act and became more responsible not only at school, but improved at home since his chores seemed to have been completed promptly and quicker than normal for the last several months.
Still, Jack couldn't help but feel disconnected from Jazz, and especially Danny.
'...I've been goofing up again. But no more! I will set things straight and do right by my entire family, or my name isn't Jack Fenton!' Jack thought to himself before he turned back to the boys' section, only to bump into a person.
"Argh! My bad! I wasn't watching where I was going!" Jack apologized while rubbing his forehead.
"It's quite alright." An elderly-sounding man spoke. "Are you okay, Sir?"
Before Jack could answer, he found himself standing in front of an elderly Caucasian male with dark brown eyes and a short beard who appeared to be fit despite being in his early sixties. He wore a red Hawaiian shirt with a floral design over a white t-shirt, blue pants, and brown Timberland shoes. Jack also noticed a wristwatch very similar to Agent Legion's watch, except its size was comparable to that of traditional watches.
This was Maxwell Eiding Tennyson, wearing his casual clothing.
Jack took one look at the man and gasped with an excited smile.
"Well, I'm better than okay! I'm meeting the Max Tennyson in the flesh!" Jack exclaimed, prompting Max to smile humbly.
"Huh? I didn't expect anybody to remember this old relic of the past." Said Max.
"How could I not!? When I was a lad, my father raved about the youngest air force soldier to reach the rank of first lieutenant! He told me that your example was for all young men to aspire to follow! And darn skippy, he was right! I mean, you were among the first men to reach the moon for our great country! If that's not a true American hero, then I don't know what is!" Jack praised.
"Nonsense. I was just a soldier following orders," Max responded with the greatest humility. "Now I'm a retired grandpa looking for clothes to spoil his grandchildren with."
"Well, what are the odds," Jack chuckled. "Me and the wife were fetching some clothes for our nephew in California."
"Really?" Max questioned kindly. "That's sure is a long way from the midwest."
"Well, his parents live in Dimmsdale. Can't help that." Jack chuckled.
"That's fair. My sons and their family live in Bellwood, Michigan." Max stated. "It's a decent place for kids to be raised. I know that for a fact."
"Bellwood…I think I heard of that place. Isn't that city a state over?" Asked Jack.
"It's a six-hour drive from here," Max explained, browsing the boys' clothing section and finding nothing that would suit his grandson's taste. "It's nothing like Arkansas."
"You're from Arkansas too?" Jack said with interest. "Let me guess, Little Rock?"
"Close. Hot Springs." Max stated. "I had to work in farms for the most part growing up."
"Same here! Those older folks sure knew how to whip you to shape back then." Jack exclaimed in a laugh. "For that we know, our families could have been neighbors!"
"I wouldn't be surprised. It wasn't like how things are now." Max recalled. "Everything is changing so fast, I can barely keep up. And I just turned sixty this year."
"I know what you mean, Sir." Jack said, thinking about his growing children. "I'm going to be forty-two and one of my kids is going to go off to college and the other started his second year in high school."
"Is that so? Congratulations." Max genuinely stated. "You must be proud."
Jack nodded, saying, "I'm very proud…and a little sad."
Max saw the man's contemplative glance and immediately knew where Jack's mind was headed.
"Hey," Max said, getting Jack's attention. "I may not know who you are and what you've been through, but as a parent and a grandparent, I understand what you're going through. But let me tell you something. My father told me, my brother, and my sister this; fatherhood and motherhood don't stop when your children reach maturity. It is a duty that lasts a lifetime. No matter how old you or your kids get, they'll always need their parents."
Jack smiled at the advice and said, "Thank you. I needed to hear that more than you know."
"It's not a problem…" Max trailed off before laughing at himself. "Heh! I forgot to ask you your name! I'm getting old!"
Jack shook his head and said, "Nonsense! You look great for a man your age!"
The large man held his hand and said, "I was born Jacob Nathaniel Fenton! But now, I go by Jack!"
"Jack, huh? That suits you. Maxwell Eiding Tennyson, but my friends and loved ones call me Max." Max introduced himself, taking and shaking Jack's hand.
"You know, my son wants to be an astronaut when he grows up," Jack mentioned, letting Max's hand. "Why don't you come over and meet the family over dinner, sometime? You know, if you plan to stay in town for a while."
Max furrowed his brows in deep thought, then said, "...I'd have to look into my schedule."
The older man then took out his wallet and handed Jack his business card. It read "Tennyson's Auto Repairs".
"You're an auto mechanic now?" Danny's father questioned.
"Give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish,"
"You can feed him for a lifetime," Jack smirked. "Grandpappy John III told me that one time while we fished at Swan Lake!"
"Good man," Max nodded before Jack gave him his business card. "What's this?"
"My business card, Mr. Tennyson!" Jack stated with pride.
"Fenton Works, hm?" Max read out loud. "Are you an inventor of some kind?"
"I'm a scientist, an engineer, and more," Jack proudly noted. "My wife and I are a team."
"That's the kind of work we should be seeing more of," Max said before extending a hand. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Fenton."
"And it's an honor meeting you, Mr. Tennyson. I look forward to hearing from you again," Jack said, accepting another handshake from his hero.
"You'll definitely be hearing from me, Sir. Have a great day." Max said before exiting the store.
As soon as the legendary Max Tennyson exited the ABYSS store, Maddie came back from the restroom and greeted her husband.
"Jack, honey! I'm back!" Maddie chirped, only to find him staring at the exiting. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"What's wrong?" Jack echoed. "Everything's fantastic! Listen, we're going to be tidying up the house when we get home!"
Maddie frowned and asked, "Vlad's not going to be coming over again, is he?"
In his mind, Jack wondered, '...Again with this? What's with her attitude towards Vladdie? I got to look into this one of these days.'
"No, no! We may be having a special guest over!" Jack announced, confusing his wife further.
"What do you mean a special guest? Did something happen while I was away?" Maddie said.
Jack chirped, "You bet your chocolate chip and fudge-coated cookies something happened!"
Jack pulled his wife by the waist and continued shopping with her as the large man explained his amazing encounter with a hero they both shared as children.
Egyptian Exhibit, Amity Park Museum, Amity Park
Ben, the kids, his father, his teacher faced the effigy of a Pharaoh of Duul Aman that was encased in a protective glass. Many of them beheld it in awe while some of them were wondering if all kings in Egypt were this scrawny.
Funnily enough, the effigy bore a striking resemblance to Tucker Foley.
"You know, they say he took leadership at the ripe age of ten." Ms. Carol told Ben's father in a whisper.
"Ah, so he's up there with King Tut. Wait till I tell the Misses. She'll have a field day." Carl said, crossing his arms.
Tracey then stated, "This is King Duul Aman, a Pharaoh that has been suspected to be a part of Egypt's Middle Kingdom era and one of the youngest kings to have taken the throne."
"...You sure he was a king?" JT questioned. "He looks scrawny."
"Yeah, and geeky." Cash added, earning a few snorts from some of the unnamed children.
"Don't be fooled by his looks, Duul Aman may not appear commanding like the Romans, but he held command over all of Egypt since he was ten years old, with his reign lasting until he was thirty-five."
This shocked the fourth grade with Cooper Derek saying, "He had a whole kingdom to himself at ten? So unfair."
"Yeah, I don't even have a room to myself!" Peterson complained.
Madison quietly told Gwen, "...It must have been hard, having to run a country."
"Pretty sure he had advisors to help him out," Gwen whispered back.
As the group moved over to the display cases, they were met with a sarcophagus holding a mirror, and golden rod with one end shaped like an ankh and the other end shaped like prongs that support a blue scarab-shaped gem.
"Benji, look!" Julie pointed out,
Ben gasped at the scepter, then gushed "Cool!"
Carl took out his camera and took a picture of both the sarcophagus and the scepter without the flash being turned on.
The rest of the class was also fascinated by the items recovered. This made the perfect segway for Tracey to explain them.
"This sarcophagus holds the remains of the dutiful servant to the king, Hotep-RA. And besides is the Scarab Scepter." Tracey said. "According to the hieroglyphs, it was powered by the Egyptian God of the Sun and in the hands of the king, gave its wielder the power to shape the land as they saw fit. Alas, the secrets to its dark magic are lost to the ages."
"A magic scepter? Right…" Arnold said with skepticism
"That's like saying Santa Claus is real." Jamie muttered.
"What are we, seven?" Cash heckled. "Magic's a bunch of crud."
"Yeah, at least the staff looks cool. I'd totally hang it on my wall if I had it." JT complimented.
'...So, the scepter is magic?' Gwen thought to herself. 'Could it have been that powerful?'
"Gwennie? Hey," Madison said, causing the ginger to turn to the purple haired girl. "Do you really believe in that stuff?"
Gwen shook her head and smiled, saying, "...No way. I just hear stuff like this in book series, like Harry Potter or that new Lightning Thief book that's been taking off."
"Oh, right. That modern Greek story." Madison nodded. "I was getting into Donny Parson and the Specter Detectors."
"Oh, yeah. I remember that series. I think they made that into a cartoon in the 80s or something." Gwen recalled before getting back on track. "Believing in magic is like believing that this place is actually haunted."
Madison giggled a little, saying, "Yeah."
"Um, excuse me," Ben spoke as he raised his hand.
Tracey smiled at him and said, "Yes?"
"Can we see the servant's mummy?" Ben questioned.
"I'm sorry, but that's not possible. There have been many attempts to open the sarcophagus, they all ended in failure." Tracey revealed.
"Aw, what?" Ben pouted. "That's lame."
Carl placed a hand on his son's shoulder, then asked, "Is there a reason for this, if I may ask?"
While the tour guide focused the class back on the sarcophagus, Tracey explained, "There hasn't been a scientific explanation to this mystery, but the text on the sarcophagus has given researchers a clue, which points to the Mirror of Resurrection. It states that the remains that hold that of the dutiful servant will arise again when his king's image reflects anew in his sacred mirror."
This ominous legend spooked some of the kids, while others didn't pay any mind to it.
Ben deflated at this then thought, '...Great, a mummy's curse but with no mummy. I knew I should have stayed home.'
"Okay everyone! You may be able to observe the exhibit to your liking. But no running!" Tracey said, allowing the fourth graders to walk around the Egypt exhibit.
The Madison Elementary students broke off to their pairs. Soon enough, Madison left with the teacher briefly to use the bathroom, leaving Gwen to stand in front of the Scarab Scepter.
For some reason, she couldn't help but stare at the rod with intrigue. It wasn't the fact that it was a gold treasure with a pretty gem. No, it was something she couldn't verbally determine what it was about the thing, but there was something profound about it.
She didn't know how, but it was like Gwen could almost feel a certain aura it carried and it was hypnotic to the girl. Gwen shook her head out.
'That was weird.' The girl thought.
"...Is this really magic?" Gwen questioned in a whisper.
"...Indeed it is." An older man spoke, prompting Gwen to turn to him in surprise.
Gwen was met with the pale man wearing dark clothing, standing beside her as he peered at the Scarab Scepter.
'...What a freak.' The girl thought but avoided addressing her true thoughts out loud.
"What?" Gwen uttered.
"I'm answering your question, young lady." The tall pale man spoke. "Magic does exist, though not in the way that you would initially perceive." The stranger spoke vaguely.
"What do you mean?" Gwen questioned in an inside voice.
"Magic is not a substance, but merely a method to harness power." The tall pale man explained. "Those who can perform magic draw from the source of living things; Mana."
Gwen narrowed her eyes in obvious suspicion, then asked, "...And how would you know this? Are you a wizard or something?"
The pale man smirked at her. He was glad that somebody was asking questions. She was studious. This intrigued the pale man, as Gwen was intrigued by the idea of magic.
"Oh, no, no. But like you are now, I was a curious child. I asked questions, and that lit a spark in me to search for the answers to the mysteries life had to offer me. Books were the first step for me, and that led me to see many extraordinary things I would have never imagined to have existed." The pale man prattled on.
"...Right," Gwen said, raising an eyebrow.
"You're skeptical." The man noted. "That is normal for a child. Yet, you're open enough to listen to me, and contemplate on this scepter's ability. Surely, there must be some truth to this, yes?"
"It's a golden rod with a gem on it. Why wouldn't I stand in front of it?" Gwen rationalized.
"But you weren't focused on its outer beauty, but rather you wondered of its potential." The red-eyed man retorted.
"...Potential?" Gwen echoed.
The pale man chuckled, then pulled out a pocket-sized book from the breast pocket of his cloak, and handed it to the curious Tennyson girl.
"Here, perhaps this can be of use to you," The pale man stated.
Being a sucker for knowledge, Gwen immediately took it off his hands and inspected the hardcover. She noticed that
"...What's this?" Gwen inquired, looking at the man.
"A grimoire passed down my family line. It had previously belonged to my grandmother, but neither my parents nor I have any use for that old thing." The pale man explained. "It has records, tales, and other hidden secrets. Perhaps, it can serve as the start for your own search for the truth."
"This has to be a trick," Gwen said in disbelief. "How can this thing show me any magic if you aren't magical?"
The pale man smirked and said, "...Magic is not a nature. It's merely a medium. If you still have doubts, keep it in your library as a means of entertainment. Though, I must warn you, destroying it is impossible."
"What? Why?" Gwen asked.
"Try and tear a page out of it on your own and you'll see what I mean." The tall man snickered mischievously.
"...Okay?" Gwen said as she verbally thought, "I shouldn't be listening to strangers, but thanks for the book I guess…Um…" Gwen said, pocketing the book.
"Oh, you may call me Mr. Showenhower. I assure you, dear child, you won't regret it," The pale man stated, now revealed to be named Showenhower, as he clutched his dark rock from his necklace subconsciously.
"Uh huh…" Gwen slowly nodded.
"Gwen! It's time to go!" Carl spoke, causing her to turn and see her uncle that was toward the entrance of the Egypt exhibit.
"Go on, don't keep your class waiting, little scholar," Mr. Showenhower said. "Farewell."
Gwen nodded and joined her class in exiting the exhibit, leaving the pale man to stare at the display case where the Scarab Scepter was being held.
He looked towards the class' direction, where Gwen had returned and thought, 'Fools, the bunch of them. At least there was one person open to reality. …But that matters not.'
Mr. Showenhower grinned at the Scarab Scepter while holding his rock and said, "What's one measly book to an Egyptian king's power and a bit of Bezel luck on my side."
Casper's Cafe, Amity Park Museum
It was lunchtime for the kids of Madison High. Tracey had departed from the group shortly after leaving the Egyptian exhibit. When asking for a place to sit and dine on lunch, the docent told Ms. Carol of the Casper Cafe, which also served lunch for students who visit the museum. It also had an open space indoors with tables for those who were coming and going, making it a perfect place for the fourth graders to have their lunch.
With Carl Tennyson being present, the man bought his son and himself lunch at the cafe, purchasing him a Philly cheese steak sandwich with a bag of potato chips and a bottle of juice with Carl getting the same but with vinegar and salt potato chips and a bottle of vitamin water.
As father and son passed by, JT and Cash sat on their table and stewed in their jealousy that they were stuck with regular ham and cheese sandwiches while Ben got to have something better. So, they tried their hand at knocking their favorite punching bag down a peg.
"Get a load of this guy, Cash." JT jeered. "First, Tennyson has girls fight his battles, and now Helicopter Poppa's buying his lunches for him."
"Yeah! What a loser," Cash snorted.
Ben sighed at this and tried to ignore them, learning from his mistakes in the past. But Carl was shocked at how his son was being treated and sent a glance of disapproval at both boys, causing Cash and JT to flinch and turn away nervously.
Ben saw this and said, "Dad, don't."
"Hm?" Carl said, turning back to his son.
"I know that they're jerks. But they aren't worth it, either." Ben said, oddly sounding increasingly mature than his current age being ten years old.
Carl felt a small grin forming on his face with pride swelling inside for his son's maturity. Still, the fact that Ben was being bullied made the man feel concerned.
'...Ten years old and he's already learned how to pick and choose his battles. My boy's growing up so fast.' Carl thought to himself. 'Still, I better talk to Sandra when we get home. We've definitely got some things to sort out at the next School Board meeting, for sure.'
Ben and Carl weren't the only ones who heard this snide remark, as Ms. Carol was in earshot of this. But instead of directly calling him out, she was reminded of something important.
"Kids, just a reminder! Those who were given bagged lunches provided by the school was handmade by Mrs. Terrance of the free lunch program. So please thank JT for his mother's kind service."
"Thank you, JT!" Most of the students said, causing the boy to blush out of embarrassment while Cash laughed at him.
Ben smiled while his father patted him on the back, saying, "See, Son? Being a bully never pays."
"I know," Ben said with a nod.
The Tennysons made it to the table where Julie sat and began eating their food. At Gwen's table, she sat down with Madison and Ms. Carole and ate her lunch silently while the other two were reading a book and watching the students respectively.
Once she was done, she got up from her table to head to the garbage bin and threw out the waste. But then Mr. Showenhower's words raced through Gwen's mind.
...Magic is not a nature. It's merely a medium-
From there, Gwen's curiosity caused her to take out the pocket-sized grimoire the tall pale man had given her.
"...A real grimoire, huh," Gwen snorted. "What does that make me, Hermione Granger?"
In spite of her skeptical snark, Gwen had already felt attached to her new gift. Merely touching the rough hardcover with the diamond shape on the outside with a cross under it and a circle under the cross, forming a spellbinding circle. And much like the Scarab Scepter, the book gave off a presence Gwen can vaguely feel without the ability to describe it.
It was here that another thought appeared in her thought process, further gnawing at her curiosity.
Try and tear a page out of it on your own and you'll see what I mean.
Tempted by the older man's verbal pressing, Gwen slowly flipped through the first two pages of the book. She landed on a blank page that was in between the title page and the table of contents. Mustering her willpower, she decided to go small and made a small tear.
At first, nothing happened, making doubt wash upon her. But then, the small tear the ginger-haired girl made rapidly mended itself, causing her to gasp.
"W-What the-!?" The girl muttered while wiping her eyes with a free hand. "That's not…h-how did it…?"
The girl was sane, and she was sure of it. The page repaired itself. The book can fix itself. Though, there was still a tinge of doubt that told her that it was all in her head. Gwen had to confirm her suspicions.
Digging deeper into herself, Gwen pushed the rational part of her mind as far away as possible, then tore off the blank page of the grimoire and threw it in the recycling bin.
"...There, now let's see it try and fix that," Gwen said, narrowing her eyes.
But as if the book had a sense of dry humor, made the ripped seam glow dimly, and grew a brand new page in an instant as if nothing happened. This caused Gwen to shriek and drop the grimoire out of fear.
"Gee, what got you all spooked?"
Gwen immediately turned to see Ben standing behind her carrying his trash.
Gwen sighed in relief and irritatedly deflected the question, saying, "Your face spooked me!"
"Yeah right. I bet it was that curse the tour guide talked about." Ben snorted with a childish smirk.
"As if!" Gwen smirked back, covertly enjoying her cousin's company.
Ben spared a quick glance at Gwen, then noticed the book she dropped.
After throwing his trash away, he picked it up and looked at it.
"Huh. Never seen this one before," Ben said while tilting his head. "Where'd you get it?"
"Hands off," Gwen said, snatching them from Ben's hand. "It was a gift a friend gave me."
Ben raised an eyebrow then shook his head and said, "Whatever you say, Dweeb."
Gwen flicked her tongue childishly, saying, "Doofus!"
Ben left Gwen to her own devices, smiling to himself. Gwen did the same, then looked at the book with a profound truth she had uncovered.
"...Magic is real!" Gwen whispered, grinning ear to ear.
Without warning, an explosion that stemmed from the Egyptian Exhibit occurred, making the alarm blair over the intercom. The random civilians that were visiting the place began to scream as panic spread throughout the building as the blast reached to the hallway, and down to the corridors leading to the cafe. One of the doors that flew off would have hit Gwen if it hadn't been for Ben tackling her to the ground, making the door miss him.
Thankfully, neither of them were hurt.
"B-Ben!?" The older cousin stuttered.
Ben had a serious yet concerned expression, asking, "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah," Gwen said before Ben took one of her hands and picked her up.
"BEN! GWEN!" Carl shouted, running up to the children and walking them over to the rest of the kids. "Are either of you hurt?"
"No, Uncle Carl." Gwen shook her before turning to Ben. "Thanks for the save, Doofus."
"No need for thanks, Dweeb. I was returning the favor from before." Ben said, showing a rare side of humility.
"EVERYBODY HEAD TO THE EMERGENCY EXIT!" Ms. Carol shouted as she guided her class in the other direction that was toward the entrance of the museum.
Unfortunately for them, a blue force field made of mana had been erected, blocking the only way out.
"W-What in the world!?" Ms. Carol gasped.
Arnold, Peterson, and Cash tried banging against the force field, only to be pushed back.
As they got up, Cash said, "W-We're trapped!"
"Indeed you are, children!" A voice familiar to Gwen echoed throughout the space.
The fourth graders, Carl, and Ms. Carol all turned around to see a glowing Mr. Showenhower, sporting a blue outer hue. And in his left hand was the Scarab Scepter, activated by touch.
"M-Mr. Showenhower!?" Gwen gasped quietly, with only Julie and Ben catching the girl's words.
"You know this clown, Dweeb?" Ben questioned.
Carl stepped forward and shouted, "W-Who are you!?"
"Tada! Freakshow has dramatically taken center stage!" Showenhower, renamed Freakshow declared while as he floated above the civilians, shaking his right hand sporadically. "...Jazz hand."
"F-Freakshow?" Gwen echoed.
Julie quietly pointed out, "The name certainly checks out."
'...He can use the scepter? Perhaps the Egyptians had a piece of alien tech that controlled their ecosystem.' Carl mentallydetermined. 'This is bad.'
The floating man descended to the ground and said, "Greetings, Madison Elementary! Welcome to Amity Park, home where the misfit ghouls and spectral creeps roam the streets! Of course, my nosey self couldn't help but notice that some of you kiddies are of those pesky naysayers."
"N-Naysayers?" Madison spoke.
"Yes, naysayers!" Freakshow harshly echoed as he mocked the children with a high-pitched voice. "Oh, ghosts aren't real! Magic doesn't exist!"
Freakshow continued in his normal voice, saying, "It seems that the government and the Department of Education have continued to shield you ignorant brats of the truth about the world we live in. And as a follower of the supernatural and a former educator, I shall be the one to educate you fools myself!"
"B-But ghosts can't be real! We've never seen one up close!" Jamie protested.
Freakshow growled at this denial, but then he recognized that the people were from another city and possibly, another state. And he also smirked when realizing a golden opportunity.
"...Is that so?" Freakshow stated as he raised the scepter. "Well, then, let me grant you all the privilege of meeting one! BEHOLD! Amata spirito, revenu!"
The Scarab Scepter's jewel glowed, and then with its power, a spirit appeared before the class and Freakshow.
The spirit appeared to be a green-skinned ghost with red eyes and what appeared to be a horizontal cut on her neck. Her most noticeable features are her tattoos of stylized animals, as well as her hair shaved to be almost completely bald, only allowing five spikes to serve as some sort of mohawk. She wore purple lipstick, and her nose and ears were pierced.
She wore metallic black cuffs on each arm. Lydia's outfit consists of a long red cloak with a skull at the chest, a black cleavage-exposing corset and matching high-cut trunks, along with black high-heeled boots.
This was Lydia, Freakshow's beloved partner.
The made everybody from Bellwood froze as Lydia gently descended to the ground, visibly disoriented.
"G-G-GHOST!" Cash squealed with the other kids visibly disturbed at her otherworldly appearance.
Some of the kids also noticed that in the presence of Lydia, the room got colder.
Freakshow enjoyed the terror in the children's expressions but chose to focus on what, no, who was in front of him. He pulled the spirit by the waist and got Lydia to open her eyes. The ghost woke up to find her beloved holding her, making her confused but happy.
Seeing the way that Freakshow was interacting with the spirit perplexed and baffled the two adults of the group.
Ms. Carol said, "Are they…?"
"No…!" Carl muttered.
"You are safe, Lydia. I have freed you from the B.O.R.D.'s grasp and gained great power to do so." Freakshow said, showing Lydia the Scarab Scepter. "Will you come to my side again?"
Lydia kneeled before her partner with her cloak covering her body, willing to accept him. Freakshow smirked as the ghost stood up and floated beside her beloved, smiling just as maliciously as Freakshow himself before placing her hood over her head.
Freakshow let out a loud flamboyant but cruel, dramatic evil laugh, saying, "NOW WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS!"
As he heard some of the children begin to cry, Freakshow asked, "Oh? What's with all of the tears? I thought learning was supposed to be fun?"
"You crazy freak! Can't you see that you're scaring the children!?" Ms. Carol shouted at the pale man and his ghostly lover while holding a panicking Madison.
In response, Lydia gave temporary "life" to one of her snake tattoos with her ecto energy, making the snake constrict her mouth to gag Ms. Carol. She then threatened the kids to shut up with the threat of an ecto ray to slaughter them.
"And the truth is scary. It can also hurt quite a lot." Freakshow casually stated.
"Okay! You've proven your point! Magic is real, and ghosts are real!" Carl shouted. "What more do you want with us?"
"Oh, this isn't just about you," Freakshow clarified. "This is the start of my brilliant comeback! You're just being dragged along the ride! But if you and your kiddies love these ancient pyramids so much, then I'll give you a show that we can all enjoy!"
Channeling mana from with the Scarab Scepter, Freakshow chanted, "Planum et reaedificandum, muta per voluntatem!"
With the spell executed, the entire building and everybody from within the building began to be wrapped in a blue light that danced around and shot up like a tornado. From there, the light began to intensify so much that it encapsulated their blurry vision until they were rendered unconscious. But before that happened, the last thing that the Bellwood civilians heard was the laughter of the one who held them captive.
The man who called himself Freakshow.
To Be Continued…