Hey guys hope you are Enjoying the story so far. Im sure enjoying writing it. And gods above and below am I happy I am back in that saddle cause my medication had run out due to a shortage. (No dangers where involved, my brain does not make Quik warning this chapter will explore the death of a young person, I dont go into detail on the death itself but with curent events as they are I tought that it might warrant a warning. And on that topic.
I dedicate this chapter to everyone who lost there life due to violence during there school years. I wish someone could have saved you as I was saved.
Live life well and as full as you can my friends that is how we honer those who never had that chance.
Enjoy.
As Danny told his story, he could see it playing in his mind again.
Danny sat on a dumpster in his human form, wiping the sweat of his brow as he put the termos in his bag. his blood-stained shirt off. Sam rummaged through her bag,trowing an vocational glance at her friends shirtless form. Tucker kept watch on the sole entrance to the alley way he hoped this was all for the night. Tonights ghosts had been tough and school would get difficult with exam week soon. They would need to get some rest when the could rest.
"Sam, what are you doing?" Tucker asked as he saw Sam pull out a mason jar with an etiquette he couldn't read. Danny could not read the text ether, but he did recognize the language.
"Is that Latin? I don't think I like where we are going with this."
Sam rolled her eyes as she opened the lid and got some of the balm on her fingers. "Would you relax? It's just some healing balm."
Tucker and Danny exchanged looks. "Sam, we respect that you care about societal problems, but if you start protesting medicine," Tucker started, fearing that Sam's strong will might awaken trouble.
Sam shook her head. "Oh no, I'm not that hardcore. There are some problems in the sector, but I'm good with medicine itself. But I know our hero over here does not like the hospital, and even if we manage to drag him in the doctor might get suspicious if we keep asking him to patch Danny up. So, I have started to grow some plants in my greenhouse with medicinal properties. They won't save you from anything major, but they will help in keeping your wounds clean and treating muscle pain." Danny was grateful until he felt a sting in his back and yelped. The telltale smell of alcohol prickled his nose as Sam cleaned his wounds before applying the balm, which soothed the pain.
"Guys, I think it's time we take it up a notch. We need to get in better shape." The three friends looked at each other. They had done well the past two years, but they needed to be better. The Ghost Zone was stirring, ancient terrors had heard about the Halfa hero and had come to test their mettle. Or that was their current theory, a theory they were starting to doubt. It was getting more and more likely that something was going to escalate horribly. They had done as well as could be expected, or even beyond that. But survival did not hand out participant trophies. And the spirits that had come to the town did not only target Danny. They targeted Sam, Tucker, and Jazz as well. The newfound ruthlessness of the ghosts confronted the young adults with the fact that being above average would not be enough against some of these ghosts.
Tucker fished his PDA out. "Yeah, we might need to watch out. The A-listers haunt the local gym pretty hard. Don't want to tip them off. No way Dash will let us train in peace. And when he finds out Danny can gut a punching bag in a single hit, that's PR we don't want. I don't see it going well."
Danny wanted to agree, then his ghost sense went off, he looked up as he felt a wind that smelled like ectoplasem pick up. Above them in dark clouds he saw the green lightning gather and knew he was done for. With a defiant yell, he transformed and threw his friends out of harms way as the green lightning came down. The last thing he did was smile at them. He would not allow his fear to show.
Danny found himself coming back to consciousness in the purple and green void of the Ghost Zone, its familiar chill shivering as he let his ectoplasmic power run to his hands, preparing for a fight to break out.
"Danny, over here!" a familiar voice of a girl called out from below
Dani was standing over a keeling girl with raven hair panting and drenched in sweat, the younger halfa blasting away skeleton soldiers as a hauntingly familiar laughter split the sky. The Ghost King's voice was like a shot of ice water pumped into Danny's veins. The skeletons came from everywhere; Danny saw the wounded form of Vlad try to push back and begrudgingly flew up to his nemesis. There were no words, just a curt nod as they went to stand back to back. Red and green energy blasts tore through Pariah Dark's forces. They knew it would not be enough. The horde did not relent. The halfas changed strategy and locked shoulders, gathering for a massive energy wave blowing a hole through the enemy lines. Dani and the unknown girl didn't hesitate and shot through the sky to the escape route. Danny and Vlad made to do the same. However, the moment they were clear, Vlad blasted off in another direction. Danny knew in that moment that he would not return. He cursed. For all Vlads flaws he was powerful and if the ghost king was back they would miss the extra fire power Dani and the unknown girl landed on a nearby island floating in the void.
"Are you alright?" Dani asked as she embraced her original. The face of the clone was bruised and had a nasty cut on her cheek. A trickle of ectoplasmic blood, red and green, dripped down the length of her face. The other girl looked his way, a silent wind blew her raven locks away from her eyes. For a second, the moon-like irises looking out of black valleys were concerned for the two strangers that had defended her. Danny smiled away the concern.
"Hey, I'm fine, Danielle." The boy looked at the pale apparition; the girl was taking deep breaths and made gestures with her hands. He thought he had heard Jazz talk about them. Some old martial arts thing used to focus and calm down.
"Are you okay?"
Dani jumped up and down, grinning. "She is so cool. Before you showed up, she took down at least 50 of those things."
The pale cheeks of the girl turned gray at the praise, leaning back nervously as Dani floated close to her. Sparks in her green eyes as she let out questions like a machinegun.
"How did you throw islands? Were those real claws? Can I learn how to do that with my hair?"
The young woman raised her hands, clearly not prepared for the sudden questions. She sighed in relief as Danny gently pulled Dani back and gave her an apologetic smile.
"Nice to meet you. I am Danny. This is Danielle. Thanks for helping."
The girl blinked, as if pondering something. Then hesitantly opening her mouth to introduce herself.
"I am Erma. I don't realy like talking." she said it with a stance ready to run away.
Danny nodded, but there was something he was curious about. Between him, Danielle, and Vlad, there was a common factor.
"Erma, do you mind if I ask you something? You can just nod and shake as an answer."
Erma smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
"Are you a halfa as well?"
Erma tilted her head in a questioning way. Danielle cut in clarifying.
"You know part human, part ghost."
Erma's eyes widened and a smile split her face. Danny understood. He loved his friends and family, but this strange state. Neither ghost nor human knew how it felt to walk the line between life and death like he did. Meeting someone who shared his strange bit of existence felt nice.
"Look, this is not over, and if we want to make it out of here at least semi-alive, we need help. And I might have an idea where to start. Want to come with?"
Erma's expression turned determined, as she nodded. Danny thought he could hear a whisper escape the Onryo's lips – something about missing movie night and breaking bones. He took this as a sign that she was fine with fighting skeletons.
The road to the clock tower was silent, but not uneventful. They passed many spirits, hurt and turned to the non-existing roads. Some stared up at him. Some smiled releafed. The first ghost that raised his fist had Danny worried. That was until he shouted too. "Get that bastard, Phantom!" and that was not the last spirit that shouted encouraging words. Thats when they found her, a lost-looking spirit in a Casper high cheerleaders outfit. The girl had blonde hair her once fair skin now a greenish white. Wher glowing eyes looked around confused. What hurt the most to see was the large thin scar on her abdomen the wound of a sword.
"Star?" the spirit turned around as she heard her name, her face turned from shocked to releaf when she saw him.
"Phantom? Where are we? I remember those skeletons showing up on my way home, and then it got cold.
Danny teared up. "Star you are in the ghost zone."
Star blinked. "Did they kidnap me? I dont remember much after I got.." her eyes went wide as her fingers trailed down her stomach and entered the wound. green ecto plasem covered her fingers and she started to tear up.
"They didn't kidnap me, they killed me."
Stars face made different expressions her mouth moved without speaking and eventually she laughed.
"My..my whole life, I hung with assholes. I was a bitch to everyone who was not an A lister. I had one mission be seen be rememberd. Fuck me did I waste my time. I never got laid never had a genuine boyfriend to speak of. Fuck I never touched a controller or a chess board even tough I wanted to try."
Another laughter-like cry as she sat down on the floating piece of rock. "You want to know how stupid it was? My teacher went out of his way to get us fun books for an assignment I loved that book I wanted to keep reading. But I saw my friends make fun of someone else who was reading it and never touched it again."
Erma walked up to the other girl looked conflicted for a few seconds and opened her mouth.
"what book?"
"Fellowship of the ring. Hey you read it?"
Erma nodded.
"did Samweiss make it?"
Erma took the girls hand and whispered in her ear and star smiled.
How much did I give up only to be an immemorial in my schools yearbook? A picture nobody but the people I Bullied will ever look at."
Danny sat down with the girl he had known all his life. "Hey I'm happy that I will have my picture in the same book as yours"
"Hu?" Star once more was shocked, it was as if she saw the ghost boy as if for the first time.
"Fenton?! God Paulina would kick herself in the but if she found out."
The cheerleader let her back hit the ground
"Amazing, you risk your safety for a school and town that hurt hunted, and shunned you. We called you names hurt you and you still saved us. You are a better person than I ever was."
Suddenly the a listed jumped to her feet "Right, I'm going to do something about it. I am going to help the others make better decisions than I did." she looked at Erma. "Say when it's my time to get on a gray ship. Will you see me off?"
Erma smiled and gave Star the tumbs up. Both Danny and Erma expected the cheerleader to blast of into the ether. Only to awkwardly look at how the ghost blushed.
Uhm can anyone tell me how to turn my legs into one of the ghost tail thingies, I died wearing a skirt.
After a quik lesson in ghost anothemy changing star rose up from the ground. Smiling she looked at her classmate. "Danny, go give them hell I be doing the one thing I ever realy been good in. Cheering on the big guy."
The blond made a loop before disappearing into the distance. Danielle heard a dripping sound and realised Danny was crying. She took her originals hand and looked up.
"Danny? Are you going to be okay?"
"Its funny, Star never saw me as worthy of a glance, and now she made me realise something. The zone has its own innocents. Spirits that are still here because Life was stolen away. Allright star I follow your example." Danny said making the words up in his head. "After this is over I will take a look on how to help the people here."
Danielle looked up in awe at her originals tear stained face as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before they took to the sky again. The tower loomed in the distance, to Danny it was a familiar and welcome sight. for his companions The dark grandfather clock like tower cast a intimidating shadow.
Erma pointed at the tower and raised her hands in a "who lives here" gesture. Danielle herself did not look all that comfortable either, as she answered.
"Clockwork, master of time." She gulped. "When Vlad was training me, he told me that there were a couple of ghosts I should never cross. Clockwork was high on that list."
Danny nodded. "Well, he was right about that one. Clockwork is not someone you want beef with. Luckily, we are here to help and not harm."
The large double doors creaked open without any visible input. Something that as daughter of a horror writer made every single alarm bell in Erma's head light up. The irony smell of copper and the stale scent that made Danielle think of Basements and garages she had slept in during her years on the streets. All in all, it smelled old. The steady ticking of a clock was there companion as they ascended the staircase to the viewing room of The master of the tower. Said master stood in his elderly form looking at the different time lines closing them as they entered.
"My Aprentice It is good to see you. Danielle A pleasure to meet you, and young Erma, its rare to see your kind in this corner of the spirit realm."
Erma looked at the being, trying to gauge his power. She was reminded of her grandfather, which frightened her in more than one way. She knew her bloodline was strong, but to feel it rival an aspect of time itself The ghost looked at her.
" I know your power young one,it is reassuring to have someone this mighty on our side."
Erma blinked, then shook herself out of her stupor. Master of time. Of course he knew who she was. Erma tried to keep the discomfort of her face. That night, he knew what had happened at the nightparade
"So, are the four of us doing this alone?" Dani asked, only for the time spirit to point towards a large clock face that rippled. The forming image showed a Greek cityscape, a tent camp no doubt, refuge housing encircled it, but not all spirits flocking towards it were sitting idle. Hoplites, knights, and semi-modern soldiers marched towards the temple. Danny swore he could hear Ember's voice from the crowd.
"Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of every man? It's the music of a people who shall not be slaves again…"
Yet, above it all, the most surprising thing was a banner flying in the green-purple sky. A black canvas with the white DP. stood in the ectoplasmic wind defiantly. As a challenge against the hated tyrant.
Clockwork gave him a smile. "Well, my apprentice, the people are looking to you for help. Will you do it?"
"Its time I pick up the pace, If I can help. If I can make sure the pain stops than I'm ready."
Clockworks face became serine. "Than all is as it should be."
Danny looked around the room. "And, well, that's basically it. Pharaia Dark, the now-former Ghost King, broke out. And we took him down."
Himiko looked at her daughter. "Permanently?"
Erma gave a solemn nod. Both looked nervous. Erma subtly tapped her wrist, as if she touched a watch.
Amy gaped at the three. "So those ghosts that we have been fighting the past few months, they were just a couple of lucky punks that slipped through?"
Erma nodded. The groups that had defended the towns slumped in there seats recalling every close call they had had.
Sam and Tucker looked down at the floor.
"Star, I always wanted her to get taught a lesson. But not like this." Sam shook her head as the face of the blond flashed in her head. Even if they had never seen eye to eye, they had known each other since they where little and now one of them was dead.
Tucker balled his fist. "Why couldn't you have just said you wanted to try some game's girl, would have hooked you any day."
Lancer nodded. One of the hardest things a teacher could face was the death of a student. And see their peers face that grief. He glanced at the covers of three books in his bag. He would visit the cemetery later today.
"Well, Mr. Fenton, Ms. Williams, if this is all, I will take my leave. You won't need an old man like me to intrude on a personal reunion more than I have. But before I leave, I need to ask, will you go public?"
Danny shook his head. "Not yet. Things in the Zone are still uncertain, and between Sara and the condition of the town, too many loose ends to deal with the publicity."
"Then I will try and pull some strings at school. I cannot guarantee that you will get out of every situation scot-free, but I might be able to make it less stressful. And if you, if any of you, need some private sessions to get back on or stay on track, I am willing to help."
The man dug in his bag and turned to Sara, handing her a stack of papers. "Sara, this is an IQ test. I recommend you try it after you have settled in. It will help you to check what level you are at on the learning spectrum."
Sara nodded and took the papers. Danny looked at his teacher gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Lancer."
"School starts again in one week. I recommend you all make good use of it."
Erma looked at her parents who shared a look.
Samuel showed a teasing smile. "Well, dear, I am quite satisfied with this explanation. How about you?"
Himiko sighed. "I guess you can keep your youth, but this is not the end of it, young lady." The older Yokai rose to her feet and walked towards the Halfas, her hair dancing on an invisible breeze. Her dark gaze fell on Danny, who felt a chill pass through him.
"Young man," she said, her voice flat and cool, her eyes unblinking. "I do expect you to have dinner with Sara and Erma at least once a week for the foreseeable future. And if you ever need help with anything concerning her, you are to ask. Do I make myself clear?"
Danny gave her a salute. "Yes, ma'am. Speaking of food..."
Sylvia's father nodded and held up a pan. "Who is in for pancakes?"
Erma and Sara got sparkles in their eyes and literally flew to the counter. Sara reached towards a mug, only for it to be pulled away by an invisible hand that apparently belonged to Himiko. "Sorry, sweetie, but if you are anything like Erma, coffee is not something you should drink. Especially if you have no control over your powers yet."
Sara nodded as Sylvia handed her a cherry Coke. "All right, everyone, a cheer to the safe return of our favorite ghosts. Plus one!"
The welcoming cheers were probably the best homecoming the three had ever heard. And the news that in the chaos, the buildings of Braidwood High and Casper High were some of the few buildings that had been fused after the vortex. Erma and Danny shared a look and smiled. Their journey had not yet ended.
Jack felt his phone vibrate and looked at the message.
"Green eggs."
The giant of a man froze and grabbed his son's shoulder. Danny's smile disappeared as he saw the shock in his father's eyes.
"Vlad is dying."