Becoming Phantom Again

Chapter Eight

Sam's POV

    As soon as Danny fell asleep, Tucker and I walked down to the basement to get some ghost hunting equipment. We grabbed ecto-blasters, an ectoplasm location device which helps to locate ghosts, and two more Fenton Thermoses. Once back in Danny's room, we turn on the ectoplasm location device. Of course, Danny is one hotspot, but there are two others. One seems to be at the music store and the other at the school.

     I keep a watch on Danny while Tucker upgrades the locator. Now it will be able to keep updated with movement instead of us manually refreshing it. Danny starts to move on his bed, so I sit next to him. He opens his eyes and looks at me. I brush the hair out of his eyes then grab his hand.

     "Feel better?" I ask. He shakes his head, and that's when I notice the fear in his eyes. "What did you dream about?"

     "Skulker..." he whispers. He sits up, and I pull him close. His body is shaking. "Sam...I can't go through all of that again."

     "You won't, Danny. I promise," I say, unsure. I do my best to calm him down before this becomes a full-blown panic attack. I hold him tightly and rock back and forth. I murmur soothing words into his ear. Pretty soon, he is calm. His eyes are still a little rattled, but I can tell he is feeling better than before. Tucker joins us a few seconds after Danny is calm.

     "Good to see you awake, Danny. I upgraded the Fenton Ghost Locator so it can track ghosts movements, and we don't have to worry about the device picking up your endoplasmic signature. Should we go get one of these ghosts now?" Tucker says. Danny looks down and gulps. I know he doesn't want to go ghost hunting, but he feels inclined to.

     "Which one is closer?" Danny inquires. He seems uneasy.

     "The one at the music store. It hasn't moved at all, whereas the ghost haunting our school seems quite active. We just have to head down the block," Tucker answers.

     "Let's not waste anymore time. Going ghost," Danny mutters before transforming into Danny Phantom. Tuck and I grab our gear and load it onto our backs. Danny picks us up and phases through the wall before hovering down to the sidewalk. He floats near us as we walk to the music store. It has been surrounded by police and blocked off with crime tape. Danny goes invisible and sneaks into the shop. Tucker and I manage to find a way around the cops towards the back and get in through the back doors.

     When we walk in, we find Danny confronting Ember. "Aww, Phantom. You brought your little friends."

     "None of us are so little anymore, Ember," Danny says in a tone I don't think I've ever heard him use.

     "Well, you are. They might not be. I like how you've made yourself age. Trying to become more of the looker. You might just steal me from Skul-" Ember says before Danny cuts her off.

     "DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" Danny shouts. His powers are building up, and he is getting pissed. An ecto-ball starts to build up in his hand.

     "C'mon, Danny. Don't be so emotional. A sensitive guy is nice, but you're being a bit rash. It's not like he really did that much harm," Ember coos. "Let's go and talk to Skul-"

     Danny throws the ecto-ball that was in his hand right to the middle of Ember's chest. As she is knocked back, Danny falls to his knees. I rush over to check on him, and Tucker sucks Ember into the Fenton Thermos. Danny shifts back to his human form, his head in his hands. "What have I done?"

     "Danny, you didn't do anything wrong. You got the bad guy. Don't be upset," I tell him.

     "I let my rage get to me, Sam. And how do we know Ember was the bad guy? Not everything is black and white, you know. Most things are somewhere in the gray area. Me included..." he whispers as he begins to cry. I don't understand him.

     After hearing all the commotion, several cops run into the store. It doesn't look good when a group of three teenagers is found in an otherwise empty store after a loud noise. Especially when one is crying, one is trying to comfort the one whom is crying, and the third is playing with some device.

     "What are you three doing in here? And where's the ghost that was just in here?" one of the cops ask.

    "We're Team Phantom. The group of teenagers led by Danny Phantom who protects Amity Park from ghosts. Unfortunately, we were on hiatus for two years. We're making a comeback, though," I explain.

    "No! We're not, I quit!" Danny yells before transforming and flying out of the building. This will make one hell of a newspaper story tomorrow. I hope Danny is okay...