Chapter 11

They say nothing in life ever goes as planned.

Danny could see the truth behind those words more than ever. Probably more than anyone else on the planet.

Is it normally this extreme though? Danny didn't know exactly how his life was going to go, but he had a rough guess.

Go through school like before, getting bullied probably until graduation because there's no way the teachers are going to do a damn thing about it. He would go for A's and B's, and hopefully somewhere along the line get a girlfriend and a part time job. When he graduated, next would be planning his career. He wanted to be an astronaut, a difficult path in life, but past examples could be followed for an easy path.

Join the AirForce, hope that a war doesn't break out, use the military to pay for a degree- most likely engineering, and after a decent amount of service to his country, he would then go on to join NASA. From there he would have his dream, and hopefully, one day, go to space. He knew not every astronaut went to space, a large number of them didn't, but that was the way of the game.

But really, does anyones life go off track this damn much? A half-dead freak at 14, blood contaminated so heavily by an unknown, mostly unstudied energy source, that he'll never pass a blood test again in his life. His dream of being an astronaut? Shattered, gone, and now will never come to be. Those are some of the negatives. Super powers that positively thrilled him, so much that, while still disappointed that he won't be an astronaut, he almost didn't care. He could fly in a way that seemed to ignore gravity, he didn't need to breathe, he could harness ectoplasm as both an offensive weapon and a defensive augmentation. He can generate electricity and throw it around like Zeus, turn invisible and go through walls. He had tested how high he could go, and while nowhere near enough at the moment, he knew one day he could do it. He would reach space by his own hands.

He wouldn't have to go through the military for years, go to college, or train at NASA. He guessed that before he finishes high school, he could leave the planet unassisted. There aren't many people who can attest to that, if any at all. Superman wasn't human, so he didn't count.

One day, he would fly through space like no one from this planet will ever be able to. It thrilled him, gave him confidence, gave him drive and motivation and renewed his dream, a dream that only he could fulfill.

Not everything is fine and dandy though. Danny did die. When in his other form, he didn't have to breathe, but his heart didn't beat either. The half-ghost didn't know if he was going to age or be stuck as a fourteen year old for eternity. He didn't even know if he would die of old age. On top of dying, he found his trust broken with his friends. They had lied to him and watched as he bled out, Danny knew he would never be able to trust them as much ever again. His parents now hunted him, and not in a 'let's find our son' kind of way, but more along the lines of 'stay still so we can end you' kind of way. Even if they didn't know it was their son that they were trying to kill, it left him with absolutely zero trust in his parents.

At least Jazz was still Jazz. Nosy and annoying, but still caring and supportive. If only she stopped trying to use him as a psychology subject, she would be the best big sister. Maybe one day he would tell her about his powers, and how he got them. That wouldn't be the most comfortable conversation though, and he had to know, for sure, that she wouldn't tell their parents.

Danny's life was so damn out of order that he had to find ways to distract himself and focus his confusion. Videos games, reading, TV, and training were the main ones. Experimenting and harnessing his powers to new heights was far more fun than he ever thought it would be. Nothing new so far, but he has found different applications for already existing powers.

Luckily, his fight with the spider wasn't caught on that many cameras. Two videos surfaced on Youtube, one that had quality comparable to an early 2000's video camera, his face was far too blurry to even see anything besides his vibrantly glowing green eyes. The second one was done by, what he presumes to be either a senior citizen with arthritis, or someone so scared they were shaking. The video was too jumbled to get anything out of it except for the audio, which was admittedly, rather haunting.

In the two weeks since his first run in with his parents, things had gotten significantly more hectic. What was once a week before, was now twice or thrice. Ghosts were coming out of the woodwork left, right, and center. Two weeks ago there were two different ghost incidents on two different days.

The first was on Monday, the worst day of the week. A large gorilla ghost, a little bigger than their living relatives, had appeared in the woods to the north of town. It wasn't a terribly difficult fight, the ghost ape was larger than him still but it only got a few hits in on him. The problem was that it was a smarter opponent than his previous fights were. It actively used its powers far more than the others.

The other came on Thursday. A giant iguana about the size of a bus. Everything seemed to be bigger when they died, and it was getting annoying to fight things so much larger. That one too, was in the woods to the north. It was easier than the last, and he got out of the fight with only a few cuts and bruises, where as the damn gorilla left him with an almost broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, and burns along his chest. Danny had a sneaking suspicion that Lake Eerie was as haunted as local legends said it was.

On the bright side, Danny had gotten two more cores from the ghosts. He still had no idea what to do with them, but for now they stayed in the mason jar that was locked in his desk.

Last week was more and less difficult. Danny had finally gotten around to 'borrowing' some of his parents inventions. The ecto-guns were useless, it was no wonder they missed so often. Totally inaccurate, though that could have been because he took some of the older models. Plus, he could make his ecto-blasts and rays more powerful than anything he had taken. The most useful thing he's taken so far though were the capture devices. Three of them total, a Capture Cube for containment, something called a Jack o' Nine Tails, and believe it or not, a thermos.

The cube didn't get any action so far, but he knew how it was supposed to work. Incapacitate a ghost- that's not easy to do. Place it on them and wait for the ghost to be absorbed into the device. It had a holding time of eight hours, or so the tiny instructions pamphlet said.

The Jack o' Nine Tails was a restraining device. It looks like a normal stainless steel cylinder, but when the button was pressed it fired out a retractable grappling device. He didn't know why it was called a 'Nine Tails', when there's actually ten of the restraining cables that fired out of the thing. Jack Fentons face was in the middle of the device though, for some dumb reason, and he couldn't take it off without breaking the weapon. He settled for black spray paint. This device actually worked rather well when used in conjunction with the thermos, and it helped catch the rat that had run off and came back. It was situational though, and rather easy to dodge for ghosts. They're just too fast and nimble.

Lastly the Fenton Thermos, Maddie Fenton's newest invention. The best device his parents have made so far, in terms of capturing ghosts. He wasn't entirely sure how it worked per se, especially since there wasn't an instruction manual. It seems like it fires out a tractor beam of sorts that only works on ghosts.

When he re-fought the rat, the fight actually went pretty quickly. Danny got the drop on it, it was in the junkyard eating… stuff. It's a rat, it eats garbage. He used the Nine Tails to restrain it, and the thermos was used to scoop it up. Easiest fight yet, and he took great pleasure in mocking the trapped rat. He was tempted to take it out and kill it for the pain it caused him, but that felt rather… extreme. Sure he was pissed at it, but he lived. And if he ever saw it again… the third time's the charm.

The elder Fentons may not have gotten the thermos to work, but it worked when he powered it with his raw ectoplasm, something the couple didn't seem to have or they just didn't realize that. They had even put a disposal device on the portal to get rid of trapped ghosts. For once, Danny was glad that his parents invented something. It was useful, and let him avoid injuries.

He already had enough scars as is, thank you very much.

The half-ghost learned in the next fight the limitations of the thermos. While it can indeed suck up a ghost if it isn't aware, it's hardly useful mid fight. Especially against multiple enemies.

A group of, what Danny has dubbed 'Ectopus' came into town at the wee hours of the morning, two days after the rat capture. 2:00 a.m. to be exact. He didn't know that his ghost sense would work when he was asleep, but it was jarring being woken up by burping up a cold mist.

So, begrudgingly and full of ire, Danny left his house at impossible hours and went to take care of them. All because he didn't want anyone getting hurt, it was times like these that he cursed his moral compass. The fight took a whole hour. There were three of the ghosts around the park, all about the size of a prius. The problem was that not only were they decently sized, but each one had eight limbs. Instead of the traditional beak that octopuses have, these damn monstrosities had their entire head spit in half. Inside was a maw of teeth that the ghosts, at the time of arrival, were using to grind down a chunk of trees.

Why? Who knows, he's not an undead monstrous cephalopod with a toothache for tree bark. He's a half-ghost teenager with trust issues and a recently developing temper for being woken up before the sun rises.

His initial attempt with a surprise thermos was met with all eight tentacles gripping onto the trees to resist the suction force. It stayed there long enough for the other two ectopuses to attack him. That was when he learned that the suction cups on the tentacles had little teeth in them. They were adept in using their intangibility to swim through objects and the ground. Eventually he got them all, but he ended up killing one in revenge when it racked three offending appendages across his torso. That netted him another core, and the other two tried to flee after that. He caught one immediately with the thermos, and gave a fifteen minute chase on the other.

Danny got back home around 3:30 in the morning, ready for the sweet calling of his bed. Of course, he had to clean his wounds, that set him back another hour because of the injuries on his back. At around 4:30 he finally went to sleep, thoroughly exhausted, in pain, angry, annoyed, and frustrated.

The third fight came two days later, and at the time Danny had just finished his training for the day. Again, they came from the north. One of these days, he was going to go up to Lake Eerie and capture all the ghosts that he found there, just so he wouldn't have to deal with them for a bit. He was tired of seeing them come from that direction.

The third fight of that week was against, well, they didn't have specific shapes. It would be apt to have described them as formless ghosts, or slimes. All three were about the size of an adult man, and could mold their bodies into semi-coherent shapes. They had large, full body mouths and their limited shapeshifting always seemed to result in at least two arms with large clawed hands on them. This was Danny's first experience with formed ghosts. They were not born of the deceased, but were created from ectoplasm directly.

Danny made sure to kill one for its core, not like he had a choice anyway. At the time he was tired from using his powers for hours on end, and he had to resort to drastic measures. He wasn't sure why he was collecting the cores, but he did. He had a feeling, and so far when he has a feeling about something, following it tended to lead him somewhere. Whether it was to a ghost, or to avoid trouble, it always led him somewhere. So when his gut instinct told him to take the cores he did. He also liked looking at his collection, they were like trophies. Proof that he had fought these monstrous creatures that would easily fell a man twice his size, and prove difficult for other heroes. He had beat them, by himself, with his own two hands.

He didn't slaughter them all, just the one. The fight went as well as it could have, seeing as how he didn't initially know their abilities. A broken finger and lots of bruises on his back later, he had them all captured, sans the sacrifice he took at the beginning.

This all leads up to his mounting frustration for the current moment. It felt like he wasn't getting any rest at all. The constant battles and injuries weren't exactly debilitating, but being woken up before the crack of dawn to go and fight, get injured, and then do it again in a few days has left him slightly winded. His healing factor was in constant use, a broken bone here, a burn there, gashes, scrapes, bruises- at this point he was always healing. It could just barely keep up with the damage, yet he always went into a fight with an injury from the precious fight.

This hero stuff was turning out to be more of a headache than it was worth.

And this guy. This annoying, blue skinned, pot bellied, greasy dockyard hand in ratty suspenders and dusty overalls. The Box Ghost as he called himself. This was the first ghost he's seen that's had enough intelligence to speak, except the first thing he screamed was-

"Beware! Fear my awesome power of all things square and cubical!" Yes. That's what he said, and he keeps repeating it. Over and over. Beware this, beware that. Danny's known this guy for less than ten minutes, and already he wanted to throttle him. It doesn't help that the second Boxy spotted him, he got hit in the face with a wooden crate from one of the warehouse shelves.

"Listen-" Another crate, "dude, will you-" another, "Stop, you ass!" And another box came flying overhead, Danny ducked and leveled a glare at the nuisance. He reigned in his anger though, he had questions and he wanted answers.

"Box Ghost! Listen will you-" He turned intangible as another box went through him, "STOP YOU DUMB OAF! I just want to talk!" Three boxes swirled around him before crashing at the center point, breaking on contact, Danny turned intangible for maybe the fifth time in the last two minutes as a response.

"I am the Box Ghost! Beware for I shall rule the world through Cubicle Conquest!" The half-ghost had already lost a lot of his patience over the last few weeks, constant attacks from ghosts and the pain he suffered from the wounds already wearing down what little a fourteen year old could have.

When a small box caught him in the lip, busting it not from the box itself, but from his own fangs, Danny had had enough. "RAAAAAGH! FINE! YOUR WAY," He reared back a fist covered in electricity, "IT IS!" The bolt of ectoplasmic electricity soared towards the target.

Box Ghost raised several crates in defense, but really, what could mere cardboard, plywood and particleboard do against high powered, anger fueled electricity do? The bolt went right through the defending crates, burning them to ash and splintering the wood, and hits the offending annoyance right in the chest. Boxboy was blown back through the warehouse walls, before stopping against the opposite walls outside. He indented the outside wall and shook his head, floating out in a slight daze.

Danny flew through the hole he made and was surprised to see the Box Ghost more or less okay, floating and flexing his fingers as if to assess the damage. He, admittedly, put more power than he normally did in that attack out of frustration. He finally found a ghost that could talk, but not only did it keep attacking him- rather weakly he might add- it seemed incapable of saying anything besides "I am the Box Ghost" and "Beware!" Infuriating would be the apt term he's looking for.

Suddenly, an idea formed in his head and he tried to take a different approach. Danny reached into his pant leg pocket and pulled out the Capture Cube. "Listen man, I came to talk." Danny began, Box Ghost extended a hand and sputtered a 'beware' in defiance before Danny showed him what was in his hands. Box Ghost paused, staring in fascination at the sleek black and silver cube. To him, it was perfect.

Danny gave a toothy grin at the reaction, showing off his rather impressive fangs. "Here's the deal, I'll give you this cube and tell you how it works, only if you answer some questions, okay? You're the first talking ghost I've seen, and all the rest have tried to eat me. So, please?"

For his part, the package themed ghost was barely paying attention. His attention was focused solely on the second most beautiful thing he's ever seen. He gave a dull nod, he had to have it.

Satisfied that the plan was working so far, Danny gave a nod. Finally! He could have some answers. "Okay, awesome. So, I died like a month ago, at the start of summer. I'm seriously out of it, I have no idea what I should know and what I don't."

Box Ghost was paying a little more attention to the conversation, he had to answer after all. One bit of information made him look at Danny straight in the eyes though. "Wait, you died a month ago, ghost child?" A month? A mere month! Box Ghost himself had been around for almost forty years, the power the ghost boy wielded was rather, no, definitely impressive for a fresh spawn. Even if he had an Earth Core, the last time he actually felt an electrical attack like that was from Technus. The strongest, he may not have been, but sturdy he was- damn proud of it too. One of the perks of his core type.

Danny nodded with a grim expression. Box Ghost felt a little bad now, but not much. He cared for very few things outside of boxes, cubes and rectangles. This new ghosts' feelings? Not up on the list. "Yeah, it hurt and here I am. I guess first would be, well, why are all these ghosts coming here? I have a suspicion but…" He trailed off, leaving the answer open.

"Hmm. Well, I came here from a natural portal, but I know why this place is being rushed. There's not many places with such a stable connection to the zone, especially with the portal in those peoples house." Box Ghost laughed at that, the fools never closed it as far as he knew. Even now he could feel the pull, the call to it. He could ignore it for the most part, but the wild ones? The unintelligible were going to swarm en mass to this place.

And when he spread the news of a stable, always open portal to the mortal realm, to the rest of the GZ, this place was going to be in chaos. Maybe he'd finally be able to ask Lunch Lady out for a date here.

The annoying voice of the ghost in front of him grated on his patience, but he was getting answers, so his mood was rising. Ever slow as it was. "Natural portals? Where are those at? Can any ghost come through them?" Yeah, if they popped up so often he was screwed. He could barely keep up as is.

Boxy continued, whether to answer his question or to continue what he was saying. "Natural portals pop up anywhere and everywhere. They last anywhere from a few seconds to a few days." He shrugged his shoulders, "It's random, but dangerous. Ya never know where yer' gonna end up."

The portal in his basement was the cause!

"Fuck all, fuck everything, fuck me." Danny muttered under his breath. He knew it, if the spider hadn't made it obvious before, the few following ghost interactions had enforced his suspicions. This just confirmed it. He was going to have to convince his parents to put a damn door on the thing. Even if it closed, it seemed as though it remained open anyway. Danny constantly felt the pull to it too. How could they think that simple steel would be enough to stop a ghost? Some hunters they were.

That was information to file away, but it explained why there were so many ghosts in the living world. Next question, "How did you not take as much damage? I'm not boasting here, but my electrokinesis is pretty strong, and the shot I hit you with wasn't exactly weak." It wasn't that big of a concern, but it irked his curiosity.

Box Ghosts fingers twitched as he continued to stare at his object of desire, but his chest swelled with pride in his coming boast. "I have an earth core! Electrical attacks, while capable of harming me, are reduced. Your attack did surprise me, the only time electricity has hurt me was from Technus."

Earth core? There were elemental affinities to ghost cores? Was his core type electricity? Who's Technus? "How do you know your elemental affinity? Are powers specific to cores?" This was knowledge he needed to know.

Boxy shook his head, "I don't know about powers being specific, and I was told my core affinity years after becoming a ghost by this guy with a clock in his chest. He never said his name though." Thinking back, the fellow was strange, but rather nice. It helped him in the long run, and who knows when he would have discovered it.

Of course he was useless in this regard. That information could have been a larger boon then the buffoon in front of the half-ghost could have known. New information was delivered, however. It was useful in its own right, now he just had to find out what his core element was.

Danny placed a hand on his chin in thought, ignoring the pot bellied ghosts… mewling for his desired payment. The sound the ghost was making right now was thoroughly sickening coming from what looked like a middle aged man. He crinkled his nose in disgust, "Uh, stop that. It's gross. This is the last question. I don't think you can stand waiting anymore any way- It's like you have ADHD or something."

He didn't acknowledge the insults, or maybe he wasn't paying attention, or maybe he was just that dumb. "Do… ghosts ever get over their deaths? I- I don- it's still kind of hard for me to wrap my head around. Every time I think of it I just get so- I don't know, angry? Sad? Frustrated? Name a negative emotion and I got it."

Box Ghost straightened out. This was a serious topic for ghosts, and this newborn- or rather- new dead, did have a right to know. He cleared his throat, "It's about 50/50. Some get over it, some don't." He shook his head, "It wasn't hard for me to get over it, but it did take years. My afterlife so far has been far more fun and enjoyable than my time among the living."

Danny nodded, glad to finally have some answers, but before he could say anything, Box Ghost continued. "Also, don't ask a ghost about their deaths. It's common courtesy and a known taboo. Some get reeeeeally pissy about it."

Danny kind of guessed that already, but it was good affirmation. "Alright, deals a deal. Press this button here to-" He couldn't even finish his sentence before he was hit in the back with a car sized crate. Based on the weight, it might have been a car.

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"Hahaha! You fool! With this cubical perfection," he raised the device into the moonlight, his finger inches away from the button. "I shall rule the wo-oooo-oooooorrrrld!" The blue buffoon pressed the button and was sucked into the cube through his hand that was holding it.

Danny rubbed his back, it was definitely going to bruise later. Looking around, aside from some Amazon packages and a… sports car in a crate, there wasn't too much damage. Not that he could do a terrible amount of damage with boxes. Danny chortled under his breath, "Idiot."

He picked up the Capture Cube and was about to leave when he spotted an open crate, with some of its contents spilling out. He picked up one of the boxes, before shrugging. He didn't feel bad, per se, about tricking him. He was too annoying for that, but backing out of a deal left him with a bad taste in his mouth. He picked up the box and left for home, it would have to do as an alternative compensation, he was sure Boxy would like the contents of the box.

Danny looked up, it was only midnight, he could still get a decent amount of sleep.

Later, after Danny deposited the Box Ghost back into the ghost zone, he found the box Danny had tossed into the zone after him. He had squealed in glee before flying off towards his realm, new toys in hand.

Box Ghost absolutely loved the idea of metal cubes inside of another box.

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"Danny, are you okay?" Never mind that their parents somehow, someway, didn't notice their sons injuries, she did.

He hides them well, but she had caught sight of a few of them. A bandaged arm here, a limp there, splinted finger, the smell of burn creme and aloe vera. He would lean on rails for support, and watching him walk up the stairs showed how… painfully slow it was.

Today even, he had a busted lip. She didn't even know how he got it, he went to sleep yesterday without the lacerations. Lips, plural, both the top and bottom. Two bloody but scabbed over holes on opposite sides of his mouth, on both the top and bottom lips. Despite his injured mouth, he actually seemed in a chipper mood.

Danny gave Jazz a raised eyebrow, but poured his milk into his cereal without pause. "I'm doing pretty good, why?"

Why? Did he have to ask? It was so blatantly obvious that he was coming home hurt recently, and yet it never seemed to last. That was good, sure. Her brother not in pain was something she wanted, but with how… often it was occurring, it left her concerned.

That seems to be all she was doing these days, worrying about her brother that is. She had good reason too.

She sighed, this conversation could go two ways. "Danny, you have a busted lip on four spots. As if the other injuries weren't obvious?" Danny visibly paled at his sisters affirmations. Not accusations, no, these were statements.

He looked away, "No idea what you're talking about."

It's not very convincing.

It's not like he was trying terribly hard to hide some of them anyway, there were some that so far he couldn't hide. Again, it's not like he could get away with wearing a long sleeve shirt in the middle of summer, though if any severe scars made their way to his arms he might not have a choice.

As Jazzes' very obvious glare of non-belief settled on his back, the half-ghost eventually gave in. "Tsk. Fine, it was an accident alright? I tripped and bit my lips." Danny lied. How could he tell his sister that he was a half-ghost now and fought monsters thrice, and in the case of the iguana, six or seven times his size?

That's a big N-O.

"Accident?" He bit both his lips at once when he tripped? That hardly seemed believable. She would accept it for now, she had no doubt that he would dodge her question on his previous injuries. They obviously weren't terribly severe if he would limp one day and be fine the next or day after. Again, she felt like all she was doing recently was thinking 'Is Danny okay?'

"Okay. Sure. Accident." Jazz would at least let her sarcasm be known, best he knows she knows something up. "Well, what are you doing today?"

Danny looked up from his food, spoon in mouth. Today? Train a bit, play some games. He looked down at his clothes, they had gotten a little tighter with his growth spurt. Plus he was running out, he would go out to buy more, but he didn't have any money.

"Well, I'm not really doing anything. I was just gonna go out for a while, try and find something to do. Why?" Was she just being nosy again?

Jazz took a second to think this through, "Did you want to do something today? We could go to the mall. You're going to need new clothes soon, especially if you're on your way to Jack's height."

Danny blinked at that. It has been a while since they spent time together, especially outside the house. He smiled at his sister, "Sure, sounds good. Let me wash up and I'll be good to go." He paused when he was at the staircase, and turned back around to face his sister. A light blush crept up his face, "I, uh, I don't have any money. Mom and Dad never gave me an allowance."

Jazz nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll pay for it this time. I got some extra cash from the tutoring gig at the library."

After a quiet 'thanks' Danny was already upstairs. It took all of five seconds for him to phase his bandages off and hop in the shower. Such a convenient power, he was sure he would never physically take his clothes off again. It took about fifteen minutes to re-apply them though. Easy to get off, a bitch to get on.

When Danny was ready, he made his way downstairs. The blue NASA shirt he was wearing was one he got from early middle school, and it was a snug fit, but it still fit. The button up he put over it was still big enough to be comfortable. For now. His jeans still fit okay, his parents had gotten him a size too large which at the moment, he was grateful for. He was pretty sure it was because they forgot what his pant size was though.

Jazz was already waiting by the door, "Don't people normally say women take forever to get ready?"

He blushed a bit, but the comeback was on the tip of his tongue. "I guess that's why you beat me, clearly you're not a woman, little girl."

Jazz let out a soft chuckle, but slapped him upside the head, "Just get in the jeep you twerp."

Danny smirked at his sister, pumping his fist in victory. He had won this round.

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It still irked Danny that he didn't have an allowance. He loves his sister, truly, but it's totally unfair that she gets one and he doesn't. It's an outrage! He would protest to his parents, but that didn't really do anything a week before summer vacation. Trying again wouldn't hurt, especially since they have their life goal completed. Better mood and all.

It also made him feel like a bum since he couldn't even pay for his own clothes. Like a child. He hated it, he's been responsible enough to protect people despite the bodily harm, but he can't even get a bit of spare cash to pay for a new shirt and jeans? Bullshit.

"Wanna stop by the smoothie place?" Danny breaks his stare away from his bags, and brings it back towards his sister. He shrugs, "Sure, what's it called again?"

Jazz stares up, recalling the name, or something close enough. "Uh, maybe Cafe Smoothie? No, no- that's not it. Was it Smoothie Shindig?"

Danny quips, "That's a shitty name. Shindig? No one says that anymore."

Jazz nods her head, "Yeah, it's not great. I think it was…"

It wasn't a long walk from the clothing store to the smoothie shop, a short five minutes later finds the two siblings in front of "Smoothies, Shakes, and Slushies?" Jazz mumbles. "Was it always called that?"

"I dunno. Oh, I think I'd rather have a shake right now anyway, sounds better than a smoothie." Danny said.

No line means no wait time, so the Fenton siblings are a little lighter on cash and with a cup of frozen drinks each. "Is there anything else you need?" Jazz asks.

A way to stop ghosts from showing up would be nice. Danny shakes his head, "Nah I'm good. What about you? Need anything?"

"I don't think so, do you want to head home then?" Danny takes a sip and hums his agreement. Unlike his father, fudge and all things chocolate are not Danny's favorite. He will admit that this Reese's Cup milkshake is pretty damn good though.

Halfway through the mall and their drinks, Danny spots something that makes his milkshake lose a bit of its taste. Sam and Tucker were sitting at a restaurant called 'Pizza House.' The girl that Tucker went on that date with was there as well.

Hm. Good for him.

He scowls as the familiar emotions relating to the two surfaced again, his mood quickly soured. When Sam noticed him and hesitantly waved with Tucker, Danny looked away and increased his walking speed.

Jazz noticed this all. She saw the way he frowned, specifically at his friends. That was probably the strangest thing she had seen all summer, besides a portal being added to their basement. Danny only has Sam and Tucker for friends. As far as she knows, and she's pretty sure she knows, Danny doesn't have any other friends. He takes his friendship with them very seriously, and she knows just how much he cares for them. For him to act this way… something extreme must have happened.

Jazz watched his face edge on in negative emotions, those psychology classes were already coming in handy. Danny's frown deepened, his eyes narrowed into a glare, she saw how his jaw clenched and she could hear him grind his teeth. The muscles in his neck bulge slightly and he wrinkled his nose. Her brother quickly turned his head away and increased his walking speed towards the parking lot.

The emotions that flashed through his face just now… anger, pain, sadness, loathing. They were all negative, and Jazz can honestly say she's never seen her brother act this way towards his two best friends. She turns her attention away from Danny and looks at the recipients of his glare. They looked ashamed and hurt, the girl next to Tucker looked confused. They said something to her and she clapped her hands together, as if she just remembered something.

They must have done something.

What could piss her brother off so much so that he not only brushed off his friends, but openly glared at them? Only one way to find out.

"Danny, is something wrong?" Jazz asked.

Danny looked at her, his expression softening. "Nothing's wrong Jazz. We just had a fight. That's all."

Obviously. "Uh-huh, I figured that out. You don't normally act like that though. It's not often I see you so… angry Danny. We can talk about it, it might make you feel better." She pressed

Danny pushed the glass doors open and his stare turned back into a glare, "I said I'm fine Jazz, don't do the psychology bullshit right now." He turned back forward and kept walking towards his sister's Jeep.

She caught up quickly and unlocked the door for them. "Clearly you're not Danny. We've had a good day so far, we had fun, but the second you see your friends, best friends I'll add, your mood dropped like a rock in water. And I'm not going to start this car until you tell me!" She turned her own glare on her brother.

Danny didn't back down for several minutes, and he was honestly tempted to just get out and walk. He would fly, but he knew for a fact that she would just follow him around in her car.

The younger brother let loose a deep sigh through his nostrils, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "God, you're so annoying." He mumbled loud enough for her to hear.

A slight eye twitch was the only indication that she heard it, but he relented eventually. He still had other stuff he wanted to do today anyway.

He looked at her, frustration visible on his face. "We had a fight, okay? They lied, I called 'em out on it, and words were thrown around. There, you happy?" Danny finished and turned his head to look out the window.

Okay, she knew with how loyal Danny was, that the lying would seriously piss him off. Not this much though, Danny almost seemed hateful. They probably really did have a confrontation too, but every fiber in her being was telling her that there was more to it.

"Danny." His grip tightened around the door side armrest. He did not want to deal with this so soon, he still couldn't control his powers enough to not affect his emotions, if it was even possible at all.

"Danny, I remember what happened last time they lied to you. Yeah, you blew up on them, but a couple weeks later you guys made up. I've never seen you so angry before, so I know it's more than just a lie." Jazz said.

Danny bit his lip in frustration. The day had been going so well too, now he had to deal with this. All because he caught a glimpse of Sam and Tucker, and he couldn't hide the scowl that popped up. Honestly, based off of how he was feeling, he would still be pissed well into the school year. Danny actually hoped that he got over this before then, he didn't want to deal with high school alone. He was dealing with enough shit by himself as is.

And knowing Jazz, she was going to pester him about this until he broke something or gave in.

The half-ghost closed his eyes and let loose a silent "God dammit." Danny looked at Jazz, and making up his mind, told her: "Let's just go home, I'll show you there."

Jazz frowned, but didn't start the Jeep. "I said we're not leaving until you told me, and I meant it."

Danny growled, startling his sister. "I got it on fucking video, okay? I'm not explaining any more until we get home! So start the vehicle, and drive."

Her eyebrows were still somewhere in her forehead, and her eyes were wide. She had never heard her brother growl, like some animal. Maybe she underestimated just how much this pissed him off, and no doubt her prying was digging up buried feelings.

So she started the car. Satisfied that they were leaving, but only satisfied with that, he put his hand down the seat and pulled the lever. The seat leaned back and he crossed his arms as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Danny closed his eyes, intent on maybe catching some sleep to calm himself. The ride back would be about twenty minutes if they had no traffic, so he had some time to catch some z's.

----------------------------------------

You're not human anymore~

Your eyes go black electric blue~

The animal inside of you~

Danny is stirred from his short and uncomfortable sleep. Bits and pieces of a song he's never heard of before slowly stir him. He's barely awake, but he's vaguely aware of what he's hearing. He brushes it off and tries to find his way back to the sandman.

Crack in the seams~

You're breaking through~

'I'm fine.' He thought to himself. In his dazed dozing, it's hollow.

Life on a string~

Watch it swing~

You're not human anymore~

The song is some odd combination of electric indie music. It's not bad, but he'd rather not listen to it right now. Not with it accusing him like this. So thoroughly on target. On point. It was sounding disturbingly familiar. In his sleep addled mind he argues against the lyrics, saying that he is still human.

He's fine.

Hide your teeth~

He's already doing that, there's no real reason to tell him.

Let it beat til' you complete~

Rattle to skin~

In and out of consciousness he came, arguing with himself, with the song. That he was still human. That he still retained his humanity. That he wasn't dead. He was just more durable now. He could take a beating from bigger things than man and dish them out too.

It's not a life~

Without sin~

Danny's more awake now, the song is starting to sound so goddamn familiar, so eerily close to his current life. He hates it, who the hell is mocking him like this? Someone made a song to poke at his state of being?

Once there was ruster~

Now, a real imposter~

He's not an imposter. His heart still beats most of the time. It's just that sometimes it stops. It's always come back, but he's still human. He's still Danny Fenton!

Ice cold killer~

He's not a killer. They deserved it. Survival of the fittest. They tried to kill him, eat him. They hurt him, so he hurt back.

Bleach bone thriller~

His eyes crack open, green light leaking out. Half asleep and enraged by the song mocking him, his half lidded eyes blearily glare around looking for the source.

You're not human anymore~

"Yes, I am." Danny whispers. It doesn't even sound convincing to himself.

"What's that?" The voice of his sister jostles him awake fully, startling him out of his restless sleep. He sits up so fast he scares his sister. She swerves on the road, letting loose a string of curses that sound very foreign and unnatural for her. She never curses.

"What the fuck Danny?! Are you trying to kill us? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Jazz yells. Danny looks around, far more awake and calmed down than he was before. They're almost home, a couple streets and they'll be there.

He yawns and stretches his arms. His back pops along with his shoulders and elbows, Jazz winces at the sound. She's never been a fan of people cracking their joints, it's disturbing to hear. With his lethargic state of mind leaving him he rubs his eyes while offering an apology.

"You good there little brother? You were kind of tossing and turning the last few minutes." Yeah, that disturbingly accurate song would be to blame. He wasn't ready to be accused by lyrics he's never heard of before. He nods his head while adjusting the seat back to a comfortable position. "I'm good. Real strange dream though."

Jazz turns on another street, only a few more to go. She opens her mouth to dive into another inquiry, but Danny beats her to it. "What was that song just now?"

Jazz raises an eyebrow. What did the song matter? She keeps her eyes on the road while scrolling up the playlist spotify made for her. "It's uh… here, I'm driving. You read it." She shoves her phone at him.

'Not Human', shocker on the name there. "Hm." He could have guessed it based on how much the damn song was mocking him. Danny rubbed his eyes again and filed the song away. He would listen to it later when he was fully awake and in control of himself. The teenager could tell just how close he was to turning into his other half just now. Despite that, he was in a better mood than earlier. It's amazing what a quick cat nap could do.

The second they pulled into the driveway, Danny was already out of the car with his bags and melted milkshake. It was still good, even if it wasn't frosty cold anymore.

He made his way up to his room and started his computer. Danny knew that Jazz would be up before long, she was adamant about hearing what happened, so he would show her. Maybe then he would know if he was reacting properly. Ever since he got these powers, his emotions have been going haywire along with his newfound abilities. When one spikes, so does the other. It was like they were tied to a string, and wherever one went, the other was yanked along to follow.

By the time Jazz knocked on his door, his shake was almost all gone and the video was ready to be played. "Come in!"

Danny got out of his chair and offered it to his sister, nobody ever said he wasn't a gentleman. Another of the positive lessons from his uncle, one that should have been taught to him by his father. She smiled at him and took the seat.

"I told you I have it recorded." Danny brought up both videos, he minimized the second one. He played the video. There was no audio, mall security cameras aren't that advanced.

Danny watched the emotions flash across her face. Apprehension when his schoolyard bullies came up to him. Anger when Dash picks him up by his collar, that shirt was ruined too, now that he thought about it. The collar is all stretched out because of that big oaf. Pure fury for the briefest of moments when Dash punches him, but that vanishes quickly when he spits blood. "Oh my god!" This last emotion is fear, pure and unrefined, and it stays on as she turns around to stare at him. "Danny! What's this?! Why didn't you tell us?! What happened?!" Danny winces at the panic in her voice. He feels guilty for making his sister feel this, but she'll get over it when he explains. Hopefully.

Danny puts up a hand to stop her, "I'll explain in a minute, okay? Just watch the rest." She wants to protest, but the look on her brothers face shuts her up.

So she continues to watch. She feels immense satisfaction when Dash is restrained. Good, the blond bastard deserved it for touching her brother. Her eyes widen in realization, this is evidence! Her brother finally got some evidence, recorded proof and witnesses. The video ends and he pulls up the second one. It's the same thing, just a different angle.

No, it's not just that. In the background, although a little blurry, there's no mistaking the sight of Sam and Tucker. They're with two people she's never seen before, a date perhaps? Actually, the girl looked familiar- ah, the one from the mall.

As she's watching Danny starts talking. "I'm not gonna lie, I kind of egged Dash on." She momentarily glances at her brother in confusion, but watches on as the same video plays out. He continues his ruse, his lie, "I met the security guard a while back- nice guy, by the way- he helped me with Dash and his cronies before."

He hates that he's lying to his sister, but his gut tells him to lie. To keep his secret. It's split though, the other side says to trust her. For all that she is, she cares. But his fear stops him from confessing. He's scared. Scared of rejection, of retaliation, of her reaction. What if she called him a freak? A monster? He wouldn't be able to handle it, not from her. If she decided to tell their parents, he couldn't stop her either. He would never be able to harm her.

"I saw the Ass-listers and had him keep an eye out. As you can see, it eventually was needed." The video ends, detailing how he was beaten, his hematemesis, and finally, the cause of his anger. His friends, watching on and doing nothing. Although worried for her brother, she understood his anger. Not his pain, she never had many friends, and she's fine with that. She's never gotten along with people her age, they're all far too immature.

Jazz turns around to see Danny sitting on the bed. "I saw an opportunity to get proof that I was, in fact, being bullied. I knew where a couple security cameras were, so I walked to them, they followed, and when they hit me I knew I had them." Danny said, a small smirk graced his face. Jazz could sense a pinch of pride in his voice, he was proud of his plot. She couldn't blame him, he had them dead to rights on this.

"I did take it a bit further. You know I'm used to pain, for the most part, right?" He turns his attention away from the ceiling and stares at her. She nods, reluctantly, and he continues. "Well, I steeled my nerves, and when he punched me… I kind of bit through my cheeks. By the time I was doubled over I had enough blood to make it look bad."

Jazzes jaw drops and she sits straight up. She knew her brother was smart, not just book smart- no, that was her- he was street smart, and had a good head on his shoulders that could think up things on the fly. It was a… tactical smart. If he ever decides to join the military, he would probably grow to be a valuable strategist with the right training and inspiration.

She really didn't think he would do something like this though. "I wanted it to look good- er, bad. I wanted it to look worse for them. I know one piece of video evidence isn't enough, and I have plans on getting more. Just gotta find the right spots with cameras. School will be a lost cause if the teachers are anything like the ones in middle school."

"O… Okay. I, uh- Hm. This…" She didn't know how to respond. This plan, this plot, it was practically dastardly. Not that she didn't approve. No, she would rather see those bullies thrown in juvie for what they've done to her baby brother. Look at what he had to do just to get one shred of proof! Jazz had seriously underestimated the lengths he would go to though, and his level of maturity. It takes a certain level of nerves to be able to willingly bite into your own cheeks hard enough to draw blood. Not just a small amount either, no, he clearly took a chunk off of his inner mouth for that amount.

After a second, she finally managed to say something. "I can't tell if Uncle Vlad has been a good influence or not." Danny raised an eyebrow before laughing. Jazz smiled at that, it hasn't been happening a lot as of late. At least she knew why now.

His laughter stopped after a few seconds, "And imagine my surprise when I come home to check my winnings. My friends. Not only had they lied to me, they had watched as I puked blood. Watched as their 'best friend' not only got assaulted, and they did nothing, but- like, that wasn't even a small amount of blood! It could have been serious! But, they just- watched…" By the end of his rant, Danny had sat up and was panting.

Jazz wasn't entirely sure what to say. She could now, at least, understand why he acted that way. For Danny, who has only two friends, and values trust and loyalty above everything else… she could imagine how hurt he was. This was crushing for him.

Jazz got up and hugged her brother. He seemed surprised, but he accepted it nonetheless. "I understand why you acted that way. I'm sorry for being so nosy, but I'm glad I know now regardless."

It had been a while since he was last hugged. A depressing thought, no doubt, especially since the young teenager couldn't remember the last time his parents had done so. It was warm, comforting, calmed him.

After a moment they released each other, Danny looked up and asked something that had been gnawing at him for a while. "Am I… overreacting to this Jazz? Whenever I think of them, I just get so angry and hurt and disappointed and… I really can't tell." He knew for a fact that his emotions and powers were connected. That, he thought, was the problem. Danny didn't know if it was him feeling this, or his powers making him feel this way. It made him feel out of control.

Jazz shakes her head, her brother wasn't overreacting. With how few friends he has, she could only see this as the most obvious reaction. "I don't think so. I'm surprised at how devious you are, little brother, but I'm proud of how smart you are. Not many people could think of something like that, and on a spur of the moment either. In regards to your friends," She shakes her head, "I'm sorely disappointed in them. You've been friends for so long, and even if I don't have any personal examples, you didn't deserve what they did to you. You're not overreacting, and I think that, you questioning yourself like this is very mature."

It's like a weight is lifted off his shoulders. He had been so worried that he was going out of control, he worried what was his decision or his powers. Hearing that his sister didn't think he was overreacting was so relieving. He smiled, happier than he's been for a few weeks.

"I'm certainly going to give them a piece of my mind the next time I see them." She shakes her head, "Did you find out why they were acting like that?" Jazz asked.

Danny nods, "They went on a double date," the teenager sneers, "they said that they didn't want me feeling left out- like I was a fucking child!" He snarls, fangs poking out slightly. He contorts his face back to normal, Jazz seems none the wiser.

Lost in her thoughts, Jazz glances back at the video. She notices the date, and her eyes widen. That's the start of summer, if he was so angry then… where has he been going? He obviously didn't spend the night at Tuckers that night. She looked back at Danny, and even though she wanted to question him on that, she had to admit that Danny seemed like he was in such a good mood. She hadn't seen him so relaxed in a while, especially since the portal was opened up.

She'll give it a shot anyways, "Well, I'm glad you told me. Anything else you want to get off your chest?" Danny gives her a strange look, and in a brief moment of cluelessness, he shakes his head, completely forgetting about his powers.

Her little brother was either a really good actor or he really wasn't hiding anything. She knew he was though, it was something, but for now she can let it go. If it was anything truly dangerous, she at least knows that Danny is smart enough to tell her. Probably.

"So what should I do? I still want to be friends and all, but…" He trails off, not sure what to say.

"Well, if you want to be friends, then you just have to give it time Danny. Trust isn't made in a day or a week. It's built up over time, and it takes even longer to build up trust that's already been broken. You could be ready by the time school starts, or by the end of the year. It's all up to you." That's not really the answer he wants to hear, but he can at least understand the reasoning. Danny just wanted to know when he could trust them, but clearly it would take a while.

"Alright, that's all the sappy drama stuff out of the way. Do you wanna join me for once in a game, or are you gonna stick your nose back in a book?" Danny jeered.

Jazz snickers and walks to the door, "Games are your area of expertise Danny, I'm all books. See ya later." The door closes with a soft click, and Danny's already got a game up and running.

His mood is much better than it's been for a while, "Maybe I'm more stressed than I thought." He mutters.

He puts on his headset and cracks his fingers, ready to rain down hell on the multiplayer community.

It's been a good day.

Until his ghost sense goes off.

"Motherfucker."