It had only been a few weeks since classes had started at Jazz's school, and roughly the same amount of time that classes had started at Danny's.
In that time, Jazz had discovered two things:
First, she liked being independent.
She liked not having her parents breathing down her back, and although the dorm was small and she was living with strangers, she liked being able to have a little more control over the space than she had at home. She was one of the more mature residents on the hall, and certainly the most organized, so when their RA had all of the girls make up a social contract, they let Jazz design the bulk of it. She liked her roommate, she liked all of the girls that she lived with now, and up until now, she trusted them to have her back, no matter what. She could get used to that.
Second, she did not like her classes.
It wasn't just that she should have been well past these introductory classes by now– there was something about the classes that gave her a bitter taste in her mouth and a sinking feeling in her stomach. She kept telling herself that, once she got past the freshmen material, she'd start to enjoy herself. She'd invested so much time towards psychology in her life that she was counting on it. She didn't dare think of the possibility that she simply wasn't into it anymore– that couldn't be an option. So she forced herself to go to class, to do the work, to be a psych student, and told herself that that was all she ever would be.
But now, she had Danny on her hands.
Now, she couldn't trust that her dorm mates would let him stay, or that they wouldn't report her for sneaking in a guest.
Now, she didn't have time to worry about if her classes were right for her.
Jazz was waiting for Charlee outside on the patio in front of the building.
The other girl had responded to her text with a reasonable amount of concern, but had agreed to talk with her before coming back to the dorm, and more of Jazz's nerves burned the longer she waited.
When she spotted her roommate, she waved and threw her a nervous grin.
"Hey, you were out late," Jazz observed.
"Yeah, a couple of other bio majors and I got dinner," the other girl explained, glowing. It must have been a good night– but then her face dropped, concerned. "Anyway, what's going on? Is everything okay?"
"No, yeah, it's fine," Jazz started and grimaced. God, she was turning into her brother. She dropped the act and sighed. "Okay, no, something happened. My brother needs a place to stay."
Charlee frowned, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. "Where is he going to go?"
"Uh, that's the thing," Jazz said, wringing her hands. Her voice raised an octave– "He's, uh, here?"
The other girl's jaw dropped. "Jazz, what?" she asked. "Where 'here'? Like, staying with us? How is he supposed to– and how did he even– aren't you from Illinois?"
She was rambling exactly like Jazz had been when he'd first called her.
"He got on a plane this morning, didn't even tell me until this afternoon," she sighed, the lie falling easily from her lips. "He's already asleep in my bed," she continued, looking her roommate in her eyes, pleading. "Charlee, I need you to keep this a secret."
The other girl hesitated, her expression doubtful, and Jazz added, quietly, "I don't think it's safe at home right now." She hadn't wanted to go there, to be that vulnerable, but if that was what it took, then she'd do it.
Fortunately, it worked. Charlee became solemn, nodding seriously. "Okay, Jazz. But if anyone finds out, we're both in trouble."
Jazz relaxed, grateful. "Don't worry, he's really good at being invisible. No one's going to notice."
…
Danny was awake before Jazz was, but well after her roommate had already left for class the next morning. He waited patiently while his sister slept, trying not to have a panic attack about everything that had occurred the day before. He distracted himself with the books on their shelves, but couldn't seem to make sense of any of the words, and put them back, exactly as they had been.
If he was going to impose on them by staying in their room, he didn't want to disturb them, or their belongings, even more.
Jazz woke up sometime later, suddenly alert, sitting up on the sofa. "Danny, you're here," she recalled.
He nodded silently and she motioned for him to come sit on the couch, where she hugged him tight.
"I know it's hard to talk about, but can you please tell me what happened?" She needed to know. She needed to know what scared him so badly that he didn't feel safe at home anymore. She hoped that, having gotten some rest, he would be able to open up more, could think more clearly.
Instead, he pressed his lips into a thin line, closing up again. "I'll figure something out," he said. "I just… I panicked."
She shook her head. She wasn't going to accept that. "How did they find out?"
After some consideration, he admitted, "They've been working on this new device called the Fenton Scanner. It's supposed to identify people who are being possessed." He paused, frowning at the memory. "It's been selling fast, it's being installed all over Amity."
Yeah, that certainly sounded like it would cause Danny problems. He was a ghost– there was nothing he could do to stop being "possessed".
"And Mom and Dad?" Jazz asked.
"It's been in the house for a while now," he confessed. "I've been coming up with excuses for weeks, but they've been suspicious, and then…"
She squeezed his hand, urging him to go on.
"They upgraded it," he cried, throwing his hands up in frustration. "The scanner can see through me now. It can see my ghost form!"
Jazz forced herself to stay calm, taking a deep breath. "Do they know?" she asked. He'd said so yesterday, but it didn't sound like they understood.
"I don't know what they think," he said. "When I tried to leave for school yesterday, they tried to catch me in the Fenton Fishing Net, and, well, they shot at me. A few times. I didn't know where to go," he finished.
Jazz shuttered, trying not to think of how their parents had reacted. Instead, she asked, "What about Sam and Tucker?"
It's not that he wasn't welcome, but sneaking into a small dorm thousands of miles away couldn't have been the easiest, or the best, option. Surely his friends would have let him stay with them, right?
But he shook his head, saying, "No, Mom and Dad warned their parents I might go to them. Plus, with everyone installing the scanners somewhere…"
There was no way he could figure out which buildings were safe and which ones weren't. It was likely the school had been using a scanner for some time now, too– although, how Danny had worked his way around it, she didn't know. It was better that he just left Amity Park altogether.
"So when you said you'll figure something out…" she started, suspiciously, catching on to his lie.
"Okay, so I don't know what I'm going to do," he admitted. "But I know I can't stay here forever. Thanks for letting me stay the night– I'll be out of your way soon, alright?"
He was becoming stubborn again.
Just like Jazz, he liked to pretend he could handle everything on his own.
Unlike Jazz, he couldn't.
She smacked him on the shoulder, saying, "You said you'd be here for a few days, so you're staying."
He eyed her suspiciously. "Until I figure something out?" he asked.
"Yep," she confirmed. She stretched and led him across the room, closing the dividing curtain so that she could change clothes. "Look, I've got to get ready for class. I've got money in the jar under my bed. Feel free to explore campus, or the city. I'll see you when I get back?" she asked.
He was quiet, stunned at her reaction, but promised that he'd return.
"Good," she said.
This wasn't the ideal solution, but she wasn't going to let her little brother run off on his own, either.