Hey guys! It's October now! Geez, can you believe it's been like a month since, well, I ca't believe it's been a month since I've done anything on fanfiction :p

But I got this chapter up as a start! I'll have more blah-blah to say towards the bottom but, I hope you guys like this! Thanks for being so patient! Tell me what you guys think so far!

It's a Monday morning, and I'm rushing down the stairs again. No matter how many times I set my alarm, I never seem to wake up until the last one. "Please tell me we have food," I say to myself, speeding to the kitchen. I got home late yesterday and skipped dinner. I was hoping to make up for it with a good breakfast but alas-

My hopeful grin fades when I notice a nearly vacant fridge, not counting the numerous vegetables and oddly shaped fruit. "Mom," I sigh out. "Next time I'm doing the grocery shopping."

"Wendy you'll be late!" Sam calls out.

Deciding to forget it I just grabbed a peach and shut the fridge. I grab my bag and board on the couch and make my way out of the house before Mom can notice I'm still around.

Ah, the sun is bright, the clouds are shady, and the breeze is perfect. "This is gonna be a good day," I grin, taking a quick breather before running to the streets and skating down.

My route to Casper High hasn't changed at all these past three and a half years. Sometimes I'll skate around the corner and have a little flashback about my legendary 'ghost sense' going off and giving me grief. I kinda miss those surprises. Today the only surprises around these corners are the occasional bad driver about to knock me over.

I hear my phone ring from my pocket and take it out quickly, careful of my surroundings. Flipping it open I see Crissy's name on the tiny screen. "Hello kinda busy here," I say impatiently, barely dodging a horribly parked car.

"You're late Manson! I can only stall the meeting for so long you know."

"I know I know. Woke up late," I say. Maybe this is why drivers don't use their phones. "Look give me like two minutes I'll be here in a flash."

"Mhm?" Crissy sounds disbelieving.

I roll my eyes. Does she always do that sarcastic 'mhm' thing? "I promise two minutes just stall a bit more okay?"

I knew what she was gonna say next, so I hang up on her before she gets the chance. Stupid meetings. I didn't even sign up for these stupid meetings.

Ah, you must be wondering why Crissy and I are on such good terms. Ah, well, maybe decent terms according to that conversation. We talk a lot more humanely now than as we did as Freshman.

Here, let me recap on what's happened so far. It's been almost four years now since Nett, Shane and I entered Casper High. Years since the ghost-powers thing. Years since Danny and the secret and the final battle that no one even knows happened. It's all in the past now, and it doesn't come up very much. I mean it used to. It's kind of a big drop after you go from paranormal ghost hunters to normal teenagers. But, time goes on, as does our wonderful high school life into the brink of Senior year.

Mom's still single She can't bring herself to marry or be into anyone else in general. Her heart still belongs to Danny, or Dad, or whatever. And quite frankly I'm glad it's that way. Personally I don't think I could stand any other man with my mom.

And Jazz! Oh my gosh. She's pregnant. First child! Haha, I've never felt so giddy in my life. I mean, I'm gonna have a cousin! Another actual kid-family member! And Jazz is even more excited. We've been coming up with names to go with the last names Fenton and Aliah. Her husband's a nervous wreck, but Jazz calls it cute. She's due sometime this month.

Oh yeah. As for Shane and me? We're still dating. Heh, dating. Even after all this time I still feel butterflies when I call myself his girlfriend, or when people refer to him as my boyfriend. All that lovey-dovey jazz. Nothing's changed. I mean, except for kissing but, well, I don't need to get into that. (Though, I have no shame in admitting how I love it so.)

"Where is she?" Crissy muses, looking at her watch as the other girls chatter amongst themselves in the empty classroom. However soon enough the door opens, and I'm there with my stuff, hiding my out-of-breath stance.

"Hey," I greet with a tired grin. "Sorry I'm late."

"Geez about time, Wendy," Crissy greets, walking up to me with that signature smile guys always seem to swoon over. With that, she turns around and claps her hands. "Alright everyone! Prom Committee meeting can finally begin!"

x-x-x-x-x

Meanwhile with the Prom Committee meeting going on, on the other side of the school building, also here early, Shane stands packing up books from his locker. The building's still rather empty around 7:30 in the morning, but Shane can hear a small commotion in another classroom down the hall. Jazz's room.

"Now way," Jazz says with a face, sitting at her desk. She can barely fit with her almost-due pregnant baby stomach.

"I'm totally serious, Ms. A," Nett goes on, sitting on another student desk in front of Jazz. "Then Hanson took down the Capser High Banner and showed her the message 'Will you go to Prom with me?' behind it. All in spray paint."

"Oh my gosh that is so sweet," Jazz says, covering her mouth.

Just then, the door opens to reveal Shane. He sees his favorite teacher and friend sitting, right in the middle of a conversation. "Gossiping are we?"

"A little," Jazz squeaks, still not over the story Nett's just told.

"I'm telling jazz about Hanson's prom proposal on Friday," Nett grins.

"Ah." Hanson was another fellow senior in Capser High. It's way into Spring and Senior Prom was just around the corner. It was never that much of a priority, but somehow early in September, some guy went all out to ask this girl to prom. It turns out it set the bar so high that now every other girl was expecting some extravagant way of being asked to prom, dating or otherwise. Thus, each guy's worst nightmare.

"Here I have a picture of it on my phone wanna see?" Nett asks Jazz, taking out yet another not-yet-out model of the next touch screen phone his dad's managed to get a hold off.

Nett leans over the teacher's desk so Jazz can see, and she gasps at the picture, while Shane smiles and shakes his head.

Hanson's the latest talk of Capser High, having gone the ultimate line to ask a girl out that he wasn't even dating! Story has it that he snuck into the Casper High Gym one night with a bunch of spray cans to make up this colorful work of graffiti art saying 'Will You Go To Prom With Me?' on the wall behind a huge school banner. Then he showed it to the girl during P.E after tearing down the banner and, well, let's just assume she said yes because it'd be a bummer if she said no.

"As a teacher I can't condone school vandalism but that was really romantic," Jazz sighs out, lost in thoughts.

"I can't believe a guy would risk suspension from school and prom to ask a girl out this way," Nett says, shaking his head. "How am I supposed to beat that?"

"You don't," Shane says, putting some books down on the desk. "Face it Foley, you just freeze up around girls."

"Do not!" Nett denies, though Shane's face remains the same. Nett falters. "Okay well, maybe I get weak-kneed when I talk to certain girls okay? I already have a reputation as the techno-geek head and the push over."

"You are not a push-over, Nett," Jazz encourages, folding her hands in front of her. "You're a gentleman! You're generous. You're funny. You're a nice guy."

"Exactly. I'm 'The Nice Guy'," Nett repeats with quotes. "Girls in this school never fall for the 'Nice Guy' type. They like, the strong silent and cool but secretly heroic type like this guy," Nett states, pointing an outstretched arm at Shane. "But of course you don't really care because you aren't single."

"Oh that's right! You'll be going to prom with Wendy aren't you," Jazz grins. Ever since her pregnancy began the kids gave noticed Jazz to be a much happier and chipper person about things.

"I dunno," Shane says, looking a little unsure. "She, said earlier that she probably might not go."

"What?" Nett and Jazz ask at the same time.

Shane expected that, but he wasn't planning on being cornered like that either. "Financial problems, she said. It's too expensive for her."

"Well that sucks," Nett frowns. "Heck I'll pay for her spot."

"Already tried," Shane says. "She won't take the money if you offer her."

"That's very unfortunate," Jazz says, her mood suddenly a little sadder and sympathetic.

"And kind of ironic considering she's on prom committee," Nett notes, tapping his chin. "I mean it's already May."

"I know," Shane nods. "She told me to go ask another girl so I'm not alone on prom night." Shane checks his watch after hearing it beep. "Anyway I'm gonna go. Wendy's meeting should be over now. I'll see you guys later okay?"

"Later," Nett says wearily until the door closes. With that the teen looks to his teacher for guidance. "Well, my Hanson-high has dropped. I can't believe they're not going together."

"They're still together aren't they?" Jazz asks worried.

"Oh yeah. They are," Nett assures, though his expression becomes uncertain soon enough. "It's complicated." Nett didn't mean to go on, but Jazz gave him the look saying that she wouldn't let him leave unless she told. Jazz wasn't normally in for gossip but, when it came to her privately three close students, she wanted to know everything. "Come on Jazz you know how these things go. High school sweethearts for a long time until the college comes up?"

"They won't break up will they?"

Nett shrugs. "I have no clue. I don't think I should butt in or anything but I hope they don't," he admits. "Shane just got accepted to this art school all the way in New York."

"Really?"

"Yup. And we're all happy for him and everything but, I think Wendy's kind of sad at the idea of him being so far away. And to be honest so am I, but," Nett sits up. "We're growing up."

"I know," Jazz smiles. "Don't worry Nett. I'm sure everything will work out fine."

Nett scoffs. "Yeah, like back in the day. Jazz that kind of cheesy tv stuff only happened when Wendy had her powers and we had this awesome cool secret to hide. We had like sixty-something happy endings alone in our freshman year. Nowadays we have to just work things out or deal with it."

The bell rings, signaling the start of the school day. "Well, best you get to homeroom," Jazz says apologetically. "Come back to me when you hear anything."

"Anything for you, Ms. A," Nett bids with a laugh.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"What?" Crissy asks in a barely audible exclaim.

Shane rolls his eyes, looking for any way out of this, almost wishing he hadn't done what he'd just done. But there's no way for him to escape. "You heard me," he said lowly.

"Yeah I did I just, what?" Crissy repeats.

"Forget it I'll go-"

"No wait!" Crissy calls, pulling violently on Shane's shoulder, almost making him fall back in the process of turning around. "I'm not letting you leave without an explanation. What the hell are you doing asking me to prom? Isn't this Wendy's position?"

"Well yeah but-"

"You're not cheating on her are you?"

"No I-"

"Because if you are I swear I'll get back at you, Shane Johnson. Heck we even used to date! Do you have any idea how bad this looks? Manson and I are even friends and you're just going to ruin it all aren't you-"

"Crissy? Shut up," Shane states, covering her mouth and remaining calm. "I'm not cheating on Wendy. I'm just looking for another date because she can't go."

And of course Crissy's eyes widen and she pushes Shane's hand off her face. "Are you serious? She's not that poor is she?"

Shane makes a face. "That's not the point."

"And why me? I'm like, the worst choice to resort to. Well for you anyway."

"Because I don't know who else to ask," Shane admits, hating the idea. This was going even worse than he thought. Maybe. "In case you haven't noticed I'm not very much of a people person, much less of a flirt. I don't know any other girls besides Wendy. And quite sadly you."

"Ouch," Crissy frowns, crossing her arms.

"So will you or won't? I've got homeroom to get to."

"Before anything, no," Crissy affirms, causing Shane to turn around and walk away. But she runs on her flats up to his front. "But, you're asking Wendy."

"Didn't I just go over this?"

"Didn't I just turn you down?" Crissy mocks in a more arrogant tone. Shane suddenly begins to wonder why he even dated this girl so long ago. "Look. If Manson's that low in cash then I'll pay for her ticket."

"Crissy no it's fine-"

"Do you forget I'm the head of the Prom Committee? I'm in charge of seating and as of now, Wendy Manson's name is now on the list," Crissy smiles with an unconscious flirtatious wink.

"But-"

"No need to thank me. Just make sure you ask her in the most extravagant way possible that she'll just have to tell me about it!"

Shane blinks, clueless. "Even after all this I have to ask her?" Crissy's face pans. "I mean, we're already together does it even matter-?"

"OF COURSE IT MATTERS!" Crissy explodes, catching some unwanted by-passer attention. "Even if you're dating you should still have a prom proposal! It's like Senior Year 101!"

"Sorry I must've missed the memo," Shane says unenthusiastically, holding a finger to his ear. "Are we done?"

"No," Crissy smiles. "Knowing that forever-masculine girlfriend of yours, she hasn't gotten a dress yet."

"So? Go shopping with her I don't know."

"Alas if I go with her she'll be all 'But I'm not going' and it'll ruin the surprise when you ask her!" Shane stands still, taking this all in. Is she seriously telling me all this? "So you better persuade her to get the sexiest dress alright?" Crissy says, turning around and strutting away with her bag. She looks back at a still dumbfounded Shane. "Now I'm done."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I sit alone in the science lab, enjoying my limited free time before being due for homeroom. I sit in the same lab table as I did with Nett back in Freshman year, holding my plucked hair strand under the microscope. As I close in, I see the exact same image as from the textbooks - same old DNA.

For a second I sigh before sitting back. "Of course." I'll do this every other day if I have time to spare. It's like I'm wishing one day I'll magically have ectoplasmic ghost DNA again. Relive the glory days before college and the adult-life kicks in, you know?

But that's never gonna happen.

"Knock knock?" I hear Shane call from the lab entrance.

I look over my shoulder. "Hey. Morning."

"Morning," Shane greets, taking a seat in the stool next to me. "I had a feeling you'd be in here." He leans over my bag. "Looking under the microscope again huh?"

"Yup," I reply solemnly, sitting on my hands. Shane knows more than anyone why I do this. "Can you believe it's already May?"

"Few more weeks and we graduate from Casper High."

"Yeah..." I say a little less enthusiastically. Nett and Shane and everyone else around here is psyched for Summer Vacation. But I've been nothing but an obvious downer on it.

"Hey we'll all still keep in touch," Shane says, reading my mind. "Maybe this can finally be a good excuse for you to finally update your phone."

"Funny," I say with a faint smile, punching him in the arm. I'll miss having Shane around, too.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The school day goes on. Calculus. AP English Lit. Physics. All that stuff. Academics are alright for me but, I still have no idea what I want to do after all my education is over. It's easy for Nett and Shane. Nett into tech and Shane into art. Me? All I'm good at is budgeting the grocery money and skating. Not much of a career image comes to mind.

"Wow, a twenty tip," Jazz compliments as I hang my apron. "Who gave you that one?"

"This nice old lady," I say as I had her my tray too. I work at the Valentine Cafe now to help raise money for college. "She comes here a lot."

"Well that was nice," Jazz notes. Despite being probably a week due she still insists on coming in to work. Does she not understand the term 'maternity leave with pay?' "You'll be missed when you go to college."

"Nah. I'll still be around. Not enough money to dorm." I'll just be going to a nearby local college. Nothing special. Geez, when'd I get so gloomy? "I'll just go now, okay?"

"Alright. Bye Wendy! Get home safe it's dark!"

With my school bag and board, I take off from the cafe and take my usual route home under the full moon. It's cool nights like this that I don't mind skating home. The town's not at scary. Hopefully Mom will be home with something other than vegetable whatever for dinner.

On my way, I realize there's a detour sign and a construction site on my usual route towards home. It's no trouble going around another street, only it ends up being that abandoned street where all the houses and apartments are closed down. And right there on the end-corner of the street is a building I haven't passed in quite a while.

My board skids to a stop until I get off, and I find myself standing outside FentonWorks.

I stay still for a moment, looking up at the ridiculous looking apartment building turned house turned lab turned run down ruin. The place's door is still boarded up and nailed as we left it, but I can't help but have this weird eerie feeling coming from its dark insides. I'm feeling pulled towards the building, but I stop myself. "No Wen, it's nothing."

I kick my board back down with one foot on the front. But just before I push myself forward, I feel a creepy chill and I'm forced to look back. A weird glowing light emits from the low basement window, and it blinks out just as fast.

I know I shouldn't have gone here, and I know I shouldn't have stayed for as long as I did (even if it was only for less than a minute). But now I can't deny it. I saw something down there in the lab. Danny's Lab.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Back home, I unlock the front door and my nose is met with the smell of actual food. I deny it at first. "No." But it is.

I run to the kitchen and I see Mom seated at the table with a book and a full open box of pizza. Half bacon and half veggie. "You did!" I complete.

"I saw the fridge this morning," Sam sympathizes. "I just realized you had nothing you liked sooo, I ordered out tonight."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" I repeat like a child, dropping all my belongings to give my mom a kiss on the cheek before sitting down across from her to take a piece of my untouched half of the pie. "Mmmm," I moan, feeling the heat of the cheese on my lips. Thank God for unhealthy American food.

I see Mom fight the urge to scoff. "So, how was school today?"

"It was fine," I say, swallowing what's in my mouth. Let me recap for a sec. "Um, we had the last Prom Committee meeting today."

"I still don't know why you joined if you're not going," Sam mentions, drinking some tea.

"Crissy signed me up. She said it'd be good Co-Captain bonding or something along the lines of that."

"Well, you're bonded," she notes. A while back into Early Junior year, I finally had the mind to join the Casper High girls Soccer Team, more so I could have a sport to show for my college applications. Yup. Forced myself to put up with Crissy and everything. But along the lines we became good friends. Sort of had to. Then at the start of Senior year, we were both made co-captains. "She's such a nice girl. When she slept over that other day she and I had the most amazing talk about vegetarian recipes," Mom adds.

"I heard," I say, recalling the strange night. How weird a twist it became that Crissy and I would get along so well into our last high school years. I mean, girl-girl sleep overs? They're not exactly my thing but, it had such a different air than my sleepovers with Nett and Shane. Suddenly curious, I ask, "Did you go to your prom, mom?"

A nostalgic smile comes up on her face. "Yeah."

"With Dad?" I ask teasingly.

"Haha, yeah. He was a nervous wreck, but it was a fun night."

"Did Grandma buy your dress?"

"Everything but the dress actually," Sam sighs out, laughing. "She bought me my prom ticket, all the jewelry, the shoes, paid for the limo, the whole enchilada." Sam looks off distantly. "Can't quite remember how I got the dress, but Danny thought I looked real beautiful."

Aw. "Hey, um, Mom? You know FentonWorks?"

"What about it?"

"It's closed down for good right? Like, no one's using it or anything?"

"Tucker has it under the town's private property. No one would be allowed inside," Sam explains before making a face. "Why?"

"Just curious," I lie, eating my pizza. So Mom doesn't know anything. Doubt Tucker would either, or Jazz. I give up thinking about it for a while until I'm back up in my room. It's late. Dark out. And I've got the biggest math test tomorrow I'll probably cram for later.

But I just can't get that strange light out of my head from earlier. Laying in bed trying to block it out doesn't help very much, either. Eventually, I find myself sneaking out with my board, just like the old days.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Amity Park Cemetery isn't all that far. It's right around the corner a few blocks away. Danny's grave is an easy mark for me to find. I'll come to visit sometimes; normally during the day but, this feels urgent.

I walk up to the slab of stone and stop before it, placing my skateboard down by my feet. "Hey, Danny," I say anxiously, not really knowing what to say. I'll feel a little self-conscious sometimes, wondering if he can really hear me from wherever he is, or if I just look like a fool standing here talking to myself. "It's me, Wendy. Sorry I haven't been around in a while. We just finished finals and all," I greet.

The night wind is chilling, and I feel a little more nerve-wrecked about my setting. The cemetery is not a very nice looking place so late at night. Maybe I shouldn't have gone so quickly. Or alone. "Ugh, what am I doing here?" I say to myself, holding my forehead. "Okay, I'm done being paranoid. Heck I'm almost 18 now." I take a deep breath. "Danny, I think I saw something in the lab and I think it's ghost related. I know I gave up all hope on anything paranormal existing anymore in Amity Park but I sincerely believe something weird is going down in FentonWorks," I vent out. "So if you have any relative response to that, I'm all open."

I stand for a god minute in front of the tombstone, looking around. But not too much; this place is still eerie to me. Eventually I give out a sigh and turn around. "Guess I don't need any signs after all..."

A step forward is all I get before I feel a sudden, pointing wind hit my back. Goosebumps cover my arms and the air around me gets colder. Fear checks in and I turn back around, looking for any sign of a second presence. I'm all alone, but that sure as hell happened way to fast and way too on time to be a coincidence.

Especially when I see no evidence of wind around me, The tree leaves arne't moving, the grass isn't flowing, and the clouds are as still as glass. There's no way that whole cold-overcoming thing was nature.

Before I know it I'm running down the cemetery up and over tombstones with my board under my arm and my cellphone up to my ear. "Hello? Nett? Shane? This is Wendy. Meet me at FentonWorks. This is important."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It's 10:30, and over at the Foly residence, Shane and Nett sit up in Nett's room, just hanging out. Nett's on his bed with his laptop while Shane's strumming along a guitar, trying to figure out some chords. Shane still lives with Nett, having his own floor mattress in the opposite corner of the room.

"Stupid essay," Nett pouts. "Jazz knows British Lit so isn't my thing. My couldn't she have me write about quantum physics or the history of NASA or something?"

"Don't ask me. I'm not the one who procrastinated three weeks and asked for two extensions," Shane says while keeping his eyes on his strings, pulling random sounds. However he hears his phone ring and pulls his headphones off for a moment. "Hello?"

"Nett? Shane? This is Wendy. Meet me at FentonWorks. This is important," I say on the other line.

"What? Wendy hello?" Shane asks, but the call has ended.

Nett peers over. "What was that?"

"Wendy. She says to go meet up at FentonWorks."

Nett's face contorts into question. "FentonWorks? Why the hell do we need to go there? It's like, eleven o'clock. She's not out this late, is she?"

Shane sighs, aggravated. "Knowing her she's probably already on her way there." Shane sets down his headphones and guitar beside Nett's bed. "Well come on. We better go see what she wants."

"Anything to get out of writing my final." Nett laughs. "Finally some excitement. Whooo let's go!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Down by the forever abandoned street stands the legendary FentonWorks building, home to the original ghost hunters of Amity Park. Heh, and to think I descend from them. Ha.

Nett and Shane are walking casually down the street until they see me, kneeling on the sidewalk against the building, bent over and trying to see into the ground floor windows near the concrete.

Nett's the first to speak up. "Wendy what are you doing?" Nett asks warily.

"Hey you made it," I smile, pulling myself up and walking around them towards the door. "Now we can go in."

"'Go in' wait Wendy hold on," Shane stops, halting me after my first two steps onto the stoop. "Care to explain what we're doing here first before barging in on the place we promised to keep locked down?"

"But I saw something, Shane. Earlier. Down there in the lab," I say, trying not to sound as crazy as I, well, sound. "There was this weird light. That ghostly light, you know? And don't you dare say it was something electronic because we shut down the building's power years ago."

"You sure you weren't just seeing things?" Nett asks.

"I mean I thought I was," I admit, scratching my forehead. "Look I know I've been acting kind of weird what with graduation coming up but I swear something was there. I know it!"

Shane's face look skeptical, but I can see I'm getting to him. "Would you feel better if we checked it out?"

"Yeah," I nod heavily. "And if there's nothing there I promise I won't say a word about ghosts ever again."

Shane and Nett look at each other for a moment then at me. After the whole giving-up-my-powers-forever thing, there were occasional times I'd imagine ghosts were still around, or think that maybe Danny was still here somehow. Attachment-problems Mom called it. I got over it after like, a year but, I can't deny what I saw.

Eventually Nett manages to remove the nails over the wood blocking the doorway, and we jump over the rest and into the building. The three of us stand inside the moonlit entrance for a moment, taking in our surroundings. It's been almost four whole years since we stood here. Everything's so dusty and worn down. Not much different from before. It has that antique-thrift store smell, too.

Still... it was pretty freaky being in here again.

"Wow," Nett says first, no one moving. "This was a great idea, coming to FentonWorks at night."

"Just come on," I whisper, going past the guys and towards the kitchen. I remember this place as if it were my own. I mean, in a way it could've been. My own baby nursery room is still upstairs gathering dust. Perhaps in some alternate universe, Mom, Danny, and I would be living in this very place.

I hit the button that opens the passage down into the lab. A dark stairwell appears, with no outside moon light to illuminate the way. This time Shane is here with a mini flashlight from his belt-chain. "Follow me," he says. "And watch your step."

We stay to the right of the stairs, following the wall with our hands and the light Shane's holding. Nett keeps a hand on my shoulder, and I feel him shaking a bit. He's not that scared is he? Then again I don't feel any braver. I guess getting older means losing a bit of your adventurous self.

Going down the stairs feels like an eternity before we finally reach the bottom. Nett's now holding onto both my shoulders while I keep a hold on Shane's arm, careful not to loose him. We stand huddled in a line behind Shane as he spreads the light around the room.

The Fenton Lab is the same as we left it, right before the giant fight. Some of Nett's tools and equipment lie in that old corner, with the remainder of the scraps of the Ecto-Skeleton. Some papers of his old blueprints are scattered around the floor, too. Some broken beaker glass swept to the side of when I'd use them as target practice (which I still never perfected by the way). Nothing's changed.

For a minute I forget someone should be down here.

"We should split up," Shane says, and I accidentally squeeze his arm in reaction.

"Do we have to?" Nett whispers.

"The quicker we search the place the faster we leave, how about that?" Shane rewords. Nett and I aren't moving from our spot but Shane leaves us quickly, with the only light, and Nett's forced to take out his phone rather quickly. We stay huddled together as a pair instead.

As two teams we scour the lab for any signs of inhabitants. Maybe a hobo snuck down here, or some animal. How they could've made the bright ghostly light I'll never know, but I need to find out for myself. "So uh, what exactly did you see, Wen?" Nett asks, clinging to my arm.

"Mm," I think. "It was, that bright icy blue ghostly color. Like a flash or something. Nothing extravagant. But it was coming from the lab."

"What'd I'd give for your ghost sense right about now," Nett says, staying dangerously too close to my back that he almost knocks me over every time I stop. We almost trip together before I send a warning glare back at him. "Sorry! Forgive me for being a bit of a coward when you're used to having super powered friends in a totally supernatural world. Now we're practically in the center of that supernatural hub and you're about as powerful as Mr. Lancer in P.E. And let me remind you that he can barely hold up a dodge ball. Hell even you have better aim than that poor man."

"Shh!" I finally whisper back. "I can't hear anything with you speaking-" I feel a cool 'breeze' along my exposed skin, and I step back into Nett as he steps forward to cling some more. "You felt that?"

"I felt that you felt that?"

"I felt that," I respond again. We look for Shane. "Shane?" I call out. No response. "Shane?" I call a little louder.

"Dude this isn't funny where the hell are you man?" Nett yells, abliet more panicked. Still no reply. And no second source of light, either. "Wendy this was a stupid idea!"

"Uh-" I turn left and right, not knowing what to do. Something's down here. "Show yourself!" I yell out, unable to hide my uncertainty and fear. "I-I know you're down here, so just give yourself up!"

"Or what you'll hit him with my phone?" Nett asks with a panned expression. I shrug.

"If that's all you'll do then that's pretty sad," someone says.

"AHHHH!" Nett and I scream, turning around and hugging one another, only to see Shane, standing as stoically calm and still as ever. I hate it. "DUDE THE HELL YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN MAN?!" Nett screams through his chattering teeth.

Shane rolls his eyes. "Trying not to run into that stupid cobweb on my way over to you guys that's what."

"My God, Shane," I breathe out. I feel like I just had a heart attack. "Didn't you hear us calling you?"

"No...?" Shane says honestly, giving us odd looks. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

Silently Nett and I shake our heads. "N-No," Nett stammers. The lab's pretty big yeah, but you can hear a dust-ball roll in here.

Something strange is going on in here. Suddenly all our lights go out, and for a moment we're in pitch black. Not even the light from the sidewalk windows can illuminate this place. When our lights switch back on, Shane's gone. "OOoohh Shane's gone!" Nett freaks out, jumping into my arms. I drop him instantly.

"Shane! Shane where'd you go!" I yell, panic-stricken. This isn't funny anymore.

"Wendy!" Nett's light goes out behind me, and I'm in the dark again.

"Nett?" I ask. No response. More anxiety. "Shane? Nett? You guys still here?" Okay, panic and freaking out anxiety. "Guys!?" I'm done.

Out of nowhere I feel gravity taking my body, as if the floor's suddenly disappeared. "AAAAAHHHHH!" My screams echo above me as I feel darkness consume me. Space consumes me and there's no matter around me to stand on or hold onto. I'm falling, and I don't know where to.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"..ndy... ake up...We..n... p. Wake up!"

"Euh?" I blink, feeling a gentle hand slapping the side of my face a little. It's very bright, but the image de-blurs into the silhouettes of Nett and Shane's heads. "Oh, it's your guys..." Weird, I sound a little different.

"Thank God you're awake," Nett expresses. Something's supporting me. It's Shane's arms. And there's other sharp stuff poking at me. Leaves?

"Where are we?" I ask, trying to block out the direct sunlight in my eye. Shane helps me sit up, and I realize something totally off. "WHOA-"

"Shh," Shane goes, covering my mouth. "Be quiet."

Shane removes his hand, but my mouth remains open. Shane, and Nett, they- "Y-Your faces. You look-"

"Younger?" Nett finishes, pinching his own cheeks. "Yeah. We know."

"You too," Shane informs. I touch my face. Not that I can tell by doing that, but I must be too if they are. "We look-"

"14?" Nett finishes again. "Freaky right?"

"Wait but, how? And why are we hiding in a bush?"

Nett and Shane carefully stick out heads out of our hiding spot, only for me to realize we're in some park. "Because of that," Shane replies, and I see myself staring at a floating around Skulker. Or, at least I think it's Skulker. He looks different. Well, it's been a while.

Not getting the point, my face lights up. "Skulker!" I realize. "Maybe he knows what's going on! I havent' seen him in so long I-!"

"No no sit back down," Nett calls, pulling on the back of my shirt and making me fall back deeper into the bush. "Bad idea."

"Why?"

"Skulker tried chasing us," Shane whispers, watching Skulker look around. Luckily no one else was around. "It was like he didn't recognize us."

"That's strange," I frown. And what is Skulker doing in the real world anyway? We sealed off all the portals. "You don't think he forgot about me do you?"

"As much as I'd love to test that theory I'd vote for staying in the bush," Nett frowns with an off glare.

"Besides, I think Skulker's found his target," Shane says, keeping lookout.

"Who?" Nett and I question.

"You guys might wanna check this out." Following Shane's suggestion, Nett and I peek out heads back out of the bush, only to find Skulker standing across some kid. A teenager who looks a little unsure, yet brave. Stupid. But brave.

But that's not all that's catching out attention. "No way," Nett says, glasses falling slightly forward.

"Danny?" I say breathlessly.

Ahaaa - they've met DANNY! HE ISN'T GONE FOREVER!

College is going well so far, and I have no idea if it's gonna change how I work or how I write, but doing fanfics is still one of my favorite pastimes :)

Thanks again!

PREVIEW:

"Do we really wanna reveal ourselves?" Shane asks cautiously. "We have no idea what we're messing with here or how we even got here in the first place."

"Well then how do you propose we get back home?" I counter. "We're stuck here and those guys would be the only ones who'd understand our predicament."

"What you mean if we lie?"

"Bingo."

x-x-x-x

"So, we've talked," Danny starts. "And under the, uh, circumstances, I'm guessing you guys will be needing a place to stay?"

No. Too far. No. No no no no. Bad idea Wendy. No no no THAT'S A BAD IDEA."O-Oh no it's fine we just-"

"No seriously. If you're from the future then leaving you guys around probably wouldn't be the best idea," Danny corners, cutting me off. As suspicious as he and Sam and Tucker already are there's no way they're letting us out of their sight. "So you can stay with Sam here in the meantime while the guys stay with me."

x-x-x-x

"A feeling," Tucker states. "You're saying from a freaking feeling that these guys are telling the truth."

Danny shrugs. "They don't look like bad guys."

"Neither did Spectra," Sam utters, making his distrust as obvious as possible.

x-x-x-x

"So how do you really know Danny?" Sam asks. "From the future..." she adds.

"He's... just really famous in the underground ghost world." What mess have we gotten ourselves into?