I felt like releasing another chapter this week.
Danny tarried on the doorstep, leaning against a column. "Do me a solid, Tuck. Like you did for Sam when she ditched class," he spoke up when the last of the students scampered out of the double doors of Casper High.
"That was so wrong," Tucker replied, recalling the wig he'd worn with a phantom itch.
"Technically it was politically correct." A smirk ghosted his lips before it deflated at the sight of Sam accompanying her new friends onto the bus. "I'm going to look around town for Desiree. You follow Sam and her friends and make sure she doesn't blab my secret identity. Maybe wear a disguise."
Tucker scratched his head underneath the beret. "Oh, boy. Or oh, girl?"
Were it not for dark clouds hanging over his head, Danny would've snorted.
Tucker un-pocketed his PDA. "I've got a list of all the locations we've seen Desiree before. I'll send it to you."
"Thanks." Danny sighed, grateful at least to have one best friend at his side.
"Speaking of." Tucker scrutinized him while he pocketed his PDA again. "Why don't you try overshadowing Sam? Maybe it's the same thing Desiree did to me."
"You didn't like that," Danny pointed out. "You firmly told me to never do it again."
"Yeah, but..." Tucker looked over at the bus, spying the red-headed Sam in the window beside Paulina. "...Seems like someone or something has already invaded Sam."
"I don't wanna do that to her, Tuck." Danny shuddered, gripping the straps of his backpack tighter. "She wouldn't appreciate anyone treading on her territory like that, especially... not me. Nor would I be comfortable with it."
Not only that, but what if Sam never forgave him?
"Fair," Tucker conceded, frowning contemplatively. "Y'know, it's been one day and I miss her already."
Danny's chest bloomed with unexplainable pain. "Me too."
School felt empty without Sam. He wondered how badly his grades would slip without her to encourage and guide him. Today he hadn't paid a lick of attention. Copying off Tucker's notes wasn't very helpful either, since Tuck tended to only write down whatever he found interesting.
"Keep me posted," Danny said, ducking behind the column to transform and fly off unseen, with the disturbed air being the only indication he had left.
Danny alighted on the park first, hovering over the fountain and sensing no trace of her presence. He floated down until his feet touched the base of the fountain. With no wanderers nearby—those who were strolling on the sidewalks were not within hearing range—he fetched a nickel from his pocket and balanced it on his thumb.
"…I wish for the real Sam back," he announced, trying to see if he could maybe draw her out. That and console himself with 'affirmations' like Jazz talked about. He flipped the coin. It spun in several arcs before sinking into the crystal-clear water, sending ripples and sparkles of sunlight across its depths. Unfortunately, no clouds of ectoplasmic smoke rose up to greet him; no Arabian belly dancer spirit purring in his ear that his wish was her command.
Danny sighed for the umpteenth time that day, running a palm through his spiky bangs. Without Sam around to curb it, guilty thoughts were riddling him like a systemic infection. Why hadn't he foreseen this? Why did he underestimate (or overestimate?) her parents, despite all the evidence to the contrary? Had he simply projected his—admittedly flawed but overall healthier—parents onto hers? What if he had escalated things by enacting that prank? Should they have simply gone along with her parents' plans to keep the peace? Was this partially his fault, his bad influence like her parents stressed?
But no. Recalling Sam's smile—a genuine, unprompted smile—when he doused the ballroom attendees in ectoplasm, Danny knew it was the right move. That made it all worth it, seeing Sam's dark clouds break into a rare ray of sunshine. He'd cherish that memory until he could undo this wish. It would be the impetus for hunting down Desiree and ensuring she fixed Sam back to her beautiful 'broken' self.
Rejuvenated by this thought process, he scoured the park for the genie ghost. Nothing turned up, however. Only the smell of a wet dog assaulted his senses, someone's off-leash golden retriever having jumped into the fountain. Excited children were releasing their pent-up energy on the playground nearby, undaunted by malevolent spirits. A boy fell onto the mulch from the top of a slide and came up crying with a scraped knee.
Later in life, he'd find that scrapes on one's heart were far more hurtful and less likely to be healed by a kiss on the boo-boo. He wondered how Sam would recover if, no, when he changed her back. How does one even accept the deed her parents had committed? It was like conversion therapy, only fully immersive and fully negating autonomy.
Sam wouldn't like that. One thing she valued most was her independence and individuality—her freedom. How would she even forgive her parents? Should she forgive them at all or would she be placating until she flew from the nest?
Okay, enough ruminating. With his search complete, Danny checked the next location on his list, the fairgrounds where Desiree first surfaced. Maybe the fortune-teller who sold her lamp would know of her resting place?
Meanwhile, at the movie theater, Sam was standing in line with her entourage of A-listers, Paulina hanging off her arm and giggling.
"Gosh, I don't know." Paulina's voice giggled. "I think I'd choose the vampire."
"Oh, the one who's obsessive, huh? Watching you sleep and whatnot?" Sam waggled her eyebrows, smirking.
"It's not creepy if he's cute," Paulina argued, sparking giggles from the surrounding popular girls.
"You like the werewolf, Sam?" Kwan asked, leaning towards her.
"Oh, he's a cute doggo, but..." Sam shrugged. "Not as cute as the vampire."
"I'm so glad you're seeing the sequel with me!" Paulina stepped up a notch when the line shifted, Sam moving practically in sync with her. "Without even lecturing everyone on the 'sexist implications' or whatever."
Sam giggled girlishly. "I took things way too seriously in my goth phase... It's just a story!"
At the far back of the line, Tucker winced.
The Sam he and Danny knew never dismissed anything as just a story. Instead she would dissect the hidden meanings and cultural impacts or whatever else. Maybe she'd even psychoanalyze the author.
As requested by Danny, the teen had dressed himself in a disguise, an elaborate, if not amateurish disguise, as a girl named 'Tammy,' replacing his trusty beret with a platinum-blond wig that hung down to his shoulders. He'd abandoned his baggy cargo pants in favor of flared jeans. Smaller pockets were bedazzled with sequins. He felt nervous about his PDA jutting out of his back pocket, almost tipping over. He'd already dropped his baby a few times this week and didn't know if it could sustain another blow. Focused on the mission, however, he banished the worry from his mind.
Concerned that his glasses would be a dead giveaway, Tucker opted for contact lenses, rendering his eyes electric blue and framing them with over-the-top mascara. He wore bright red lipstick to complement the matching midriff shirt he wore. Clip-on earrings adorned his lobes, the pearly strands looking almost real from far away. He adjusted the slippery strap of his purse, ears and eyes trained on the cluster of popular girls a few feet ahead.
'Again, this is so wrong,' he thought to himself, the lack of a monetary reward preventing him for concluding the statement with 'but it feels so right.' He glanced up at the poster for the movie the A-listers were seeing.
Full Moon, a sequel to some generic teen romance movie about a girl falling for a vampire and werewolf…at the same time. On a normal day, Sam (much less him or Danny) wouldn't be caught dead near a movie like this. However, a promise was a promise and, much like he'd tolerated his disguise, the boy was ready to tolerate this movie, at least if it meant keeping tabs on his brainwashed friend.
Across town, Danny traveled at the highest speed he'd ever been clocked, well over a hundred miles an hour. Finally reaching the fairgrounds, he located the fortune-teller in question. Ducking into one of the public bathrooms, he came out de-transformed and made a bee-line for the woo-woo vendor.
"Afternoon," Danny greeted, barely a lilt to it. In Sam's absence, he seemed to have taken up a degree of her brooding nature.
The fortune-teller, a squat, fat, balding, old lady with a lazy eye, perked up immediately, clapping her hands in prayer. "Good afternoon, child! Might I interest you in a fortune for a small fortune?"
"I guess so," Danny replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm looking for a particular entity. Do you remember Desiree?"
"Hmm." She turned up her hooked nose, stroking her shriveled chin. "I might remember but… perhaps a payment would jog my memory?"
Danny acquiesced, handing her a crumpled twenty from his wallet. "That's all I've got."
Again, he missed Sam. She would've generously paid in his stead and told him not to worry about it. She wouldn't tally up what he owed; Sam considered gifts to be unconditional. When he argued, she'd dismiss it with something like, 'You earned it by saving everyone's butts all the time!' Another ghost of a smile graced his lips.
"Oh yes, I remember her now," said the dowdy fortune-teller, accepting his bill. "Another boy interrogated me on her origins not so long ago. Are you familiar with the story?"
"Yeah. A belly dancer who enticed the Sultan only to be kicked out by his wife."
"You're trying to find her then?" She blinked and squinted at him. "Are you sure that's who you're looking for, child? Why are you wearing a broken heart on your sleeve? Do you need a love potion?"
"No, no." Danny blushed profusely, avoiding her mismatched gaze. (One of her lazy eyes kept blinking out of sync.) "That person wouldn't appreciate someone infringing on her free will."
"Oh, a willful girl," the gypsy purred, pouncing on the chance to extract more income from him. "Perhaps you'd like to know what she's up to? Or what she thinks of you?"
"No, I—" Then he paused. Greedy though this vendor may be, she had never led him or Tucker astray. After all, her genie lamp proved to be a genuine artifact. "I mean… I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check on her. I'm worried—in a friendly way, I mean. We're just friends. Or we were until today."
She nodded indulgently, an almost predatory glimmer of wisdom in her wandering eye. "Consider this on the house then. I doubt you have any more money to offer me."
"You would be right," Danny admitted with a chuckle. "I spent my only nickel at a wishing well."
She clucked her tongue. "Very well. I've taken pity on you but don't expect this to be a regular thing."
At Danny's nod, Babazita whirled her hands around the foggy sphere. Her manicure scraped the surface but left no marks. "Strange…" Babazita let out a vibratory, almost hypnotic hum. "Her consciousness is clouded. Suppressed. Is she under the influence of something?"
"Yeah, but… not what you think. She wouldn't dabble in any of that."
Despite how her parents made her out to be a reckless rebel, Danny thought that, for the most part, Sam had been more well-behaved than him.
'It's like her parents don't really know her at all,' he thought. 'She's the one bearing a positive influence on me, not the other way around.'
"Well, whatever it is, it's hard to see," Babazita shook her head, forehead wrinkling with grief. "She may still be in there, maybe not. I'm afraid only time will tell."
That icy numbness let out another cold pulse in Danny's gut again, eliciting a shudder. The real Sam…gone? No, that couldn't be possible…could it? Again, despite being a member of his rogue gallery, Danny clearly was still learning the full extent of Desiee's powers.
"I see you are troubled, my child," the gypsy sighed, "I am so terribly, terribly sorry. There truly is no pain than having a loved one lost. Would you like to know how she truly feels about you?"
"Thanks, but I don't have time," Danny rushed out, propelled by a renewed sense of urgency. "Do you know where I can find Desiree?"
"Hmm." Babazita stroked her warted chin, peering into the crystal. "I do not. She may not be on this earthly plain."
A prickly sigh issued from him. "Thanks again. I gotta take off."
Retreating to the restrooms again, Danny transformed. He circled the fairgrounds only once to ensure he could cross this place off his list. Next he'd hit the cinema, sparing a cursory glance. When or if that inevitably turned up nothing, Danny would have to scour the Ghost Zone next.
Once the movie had ended (to Tucker's disappointment, there had been little-to-no action violence in the so-called 'fights' between the supernatural suitors), Tucker continued to follow Sam's new clique, this time down to the Amity Park Mall, trailing behind at a safe distance. When they turned into Abyss, Tucker paused at the soda machine, ensuring the coast was clear beside he proceeded inside the store. Wandering over to the jewelry aisle, he perked his ears for the chatter on the other side of the shelf.
"Oh, my gosh! Look at this tee!" Star gushed. "'I heart boys who sparkle,' haha!"
"So cute," Sam agreed. "But not the most flattering cut, I'd say."
"You used to love those baggy band shirts," Paulina snorted. "Like you shopped at 'Gothwill' or some other flea market. Ugh."
Sam laughed with a touch of sheepishness. "I was more concerned with comfort over style."
"Well, thank goodness that's over!" Paulina snarked.
"Speaking of boys who sparkle," Star said, "remember that one time Danny got caught wearing a pretty dress on stage?"
A collective round of giggles rippled among them.
"Gosh, I was trying to make a presentation too... I mean, not that it was very important, in retrospect," Sam replied.
Tucker used to be annoyed with activist antics. In its absence, however, grief took over. He scratched at the flaky glue on his wig, listening with a frown on his painted lips.
You know, Sam," Paulina said, "I could've sworn you were in love with him." She sniffed contemptuously. "Were you?"
"Ack! No." Sam scoffed in minor offense. "Are you kidding? That scrawny little dweeb?"
"Oh, c'mon," Star pressed. "You were mooning after him for a while there, weren't you?"
"No. Just 'friends,' though I'm not sure why I ever even entertained that."
'Ouch,' Tucker thought.
"That's a relief," Paulina sighed. "I felt so bad for you! Ruining your reputation by hanging around someone like... like that!"
Sam soured ever so slightly. "It all feels like a bad dream that I wanna forget."
"What about when you accepted that amulet from him? Or those dorky earrings?" Star asked.
Tucker caught a whiff of disbelief from Star's tone. Apparently she hadn't accepted this transformation as wholeheartedly as Paulina had. Well, who could blame her?
"Oh, I just figured, let the peasant shower me in gifts. Why not? It made him feel better, didn't it?" Sam sneered openly, twisting a knot in Tucker's gut.
'That's not how she really thinks,' he reminded himself, trying to calm the unease this criticism was building up inside him.
"That's how I see it!" Paulina laughed, radiating smugness. "Let that little wimp simp! You deserve it."
"Thanks, Paulie," Sam replied. "You're right. I wouldn't settle for THAT. Can you imagine taking him home to my mom and dad?!"
"Oh Gosh, my daddy was so unimpressed when I introduced them!" Paulina giggled.
Tucker turned away. Danny would not like to hear this. He swallowed a lump in his throat, teary-eyed on behalf of his friend. Should he relay it to him? Maybe not. He'd be upset enough already.
"Trust me when I say that I absolutely have no romantic feelings for Danny Fenton in any way!" Sam said with absolute sincerity. "In fact, I practically feel nothing for him. Or that techo-geek Tucker."
Tucker actively jumped and clutched his stomach, feeling as though he'd been stabbed.
"Those two were just a passing phase in my life. A phase I am all too happy to finally be rid of."
'Yep,' Tucker thought, feeling like he was about to pass out. 'Definitely not telling this to Danny.'
Before we go, I just really want to give my co-writer, Nymfinity aka Psykomimi a shout-out. She's really been a HUGE help in co-writing this fic with me and she deserves as much praise for this fic as I do. Be sure to check out her fanfiction channel, Psykomimi, and leave her favorites and follows.
Happy Father's Day!