A/N: Before you start reading, I just want to thank everyone who takes the time to read this. I would love to hear what you guys think, so don't refrain from commenting. This story is a lot darker than the show, and the characters (especially the ghosts) are a lot more menacing than the show portrayed them to be, so if the lighter theme is what you enjoy, I don't recommend this story. The characters are the same, just certain aspects are enhanced to make them more realistic for teenagers and older. I hope you like reading this as much as I liked writing it. Thanks again!

"READY,"

Mrs. Tetslaff's voice boomed, echoing off the walls gym. "SET," Sam flexed her fingers over the shining silver pieces scattered at her feet. "GO!"

Immediately, the gym was filled with a flurry of moving hands, quiet muttering, and the clicks of pieces falling into place. Sam's violet eyes were trained on the pieces, her hands flying even faster than her eyes could register. Only her breath was at a standstill. "Only a few parts left..." she bit her lip.

Sam briefly heard Mrs. Tetslaff barking orders, but her concentration was solely on the half-finished ectogun before her. The teacher's orders fell on deaf ears. Her eyes scoured over each part before she put it into place.

"One piece left.." Sam thought to herself, searching the gym floor for the missing part. "There!"

Sam snatched the up the neon core of the gun, smacking it into place before holding it in the air.

"We have our winner," Mrs. Tetslaff exclaimed, causing all the students to drop their half assembled weapons. Sam grinned, watching as the other students sat back and sighed, looking expectantly around each other. "Congratulations, Valerie," Sam's smile fell like an anchor at the coach's words. "You won again."

Sam lowered her gun. She gritted her teeth when her eyes fell upon the girl with chocolate brown skin, smirking as the coach clapped her on the shoulder. "You're quite handy with that thing, aren't you?" Mrs. Tetslaff gave Valerie a smile-a rare gift when coming from the disciplined woman. Sam's fingers tightened around the ectogun until her hand turned pink. There was nothing Sam hated more than coming in second.

"Hey, Sam," a familiar voice spoke up next to her. "are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Tucker." She snapped at the boy without casting him a glance.

"You don't look fine." he pointed out blandly. "You look like you're gonna break the gun in half."

Sam tore her eyes from the dark-skinned girl to stare down at her hands. Slowly, she loosened her fingers until they returned to their normal color, a pale white that rivaled the brilliance of fine porcelain.

"How does she do it so fast?" Sam muttered to the boy beside her.

"Skill and genius." He answered with a dopey smile, the same smile he gazed at nearly every girl he saw. Sam rolled her eyes as she found him staring fondly at her enemy.

"She's far from a genius, Tucker." Sam's rage flared again when Valerie turned to her, the smirk still in place. Sam ground her teeth. She hated the smug look, the victorious dance in her emerald irises.

"She's the best in the class," Tucker commented, "besides..you know who.."

Sam felt a soft blush fly across her cheeks, and once again, her fingers turned blossom pink against the cold handle of the ectogun.

"I don't think he even counts as 'our class' anymore." Sam said quietly. "He doesn't even show up half the time anyway."

"He's busy, you know." Tucker murmured, his glasses slipping down his nose as his chin dropped.

"No," Sam hissed coldly. "I don't know."

Tucker's eyes fell to the polished wood floor of the gymnasium. For the millionth time, Sam wondered why Tucker continued to defend him.

They fell into silence, Tucker toeing the floor numbly and Sam staring at the glowing core of her gun, bright green like Spring grass. Under her fingers, Sam could feel the core radiating with ectoplasmic energy. The rest of the gun was coated in smooth silver, casting Sam's reflection back at her as she stared at it. Her fingers traced over the black lettering on the side. Before she could complete the word, her fingers drew back, clenching into a fist. That word, that name, only brought back past memories, missed opportunities, and a lot of anger.

Tucker took the gun from her. His hands covered the faded name, hiding it from her view.

"Have..have you heard about the latest..accident?" Tucker asked, trying to change the subject from the bitter topic.

"Why do you say it like that?" Sam glared at him from the corner of her eye. "It was an accident, not an" she used her fingers as air quotes, matching his hushed tone. "accident."

"I'm just saying," Tucker raised his hands defensively. "First it was Star, then Dash, and now Brittney. It can't all be a coincidence."

"They all got hurt," Sam clarified, "probably doing something stupid. If you ask me, they had it coming."

"But-"

"MISS MANSON, MR. FOLEY, LEAVE YOUR CHIT CHAT FOR AFTER CLASS." The two jumped as Mrs. Tetslaff's voice boomed beside them.

"Yes, Mrs. Tetslaff." They replied in sync. The coach nodded, satisfied with their humble response, and continued teaching. The second her focus was drawn away, Tucker began whispering in Sam's ear.

"I heard some rumors about a ghost." he ignored her skeptical glare. "It could be true!"

"Yeah," Sam whispered back sarcastically. "A ghost haunting a ghost hunting academy. Real smart, Tucker."

"Hey, I didn't say it was a smart ghost." Tucker pointed out. Before Sam could reply, the gym door eased slowly open. The class immediately grew silent at the sight of the newcomer.

Sam felt her mouth grow dry as she watched him approach the wide-eyed class, his quiet footsteps echoing around the high walls of the gym. At least she wasn't the only one staring. His appearance had stolen the whole class's attention, as it usually did.

"Mr. Fenton," Mrs. Tetslaff broke the silence. Even her resonant voice was lowered a few pegs, and held more softness than anyone knew she had. "Good to see you again."

The boy smiled faintly, maybe even shyly, with only the very corners of his mouth curving up. "Good morning, Mrs. Tetslaff." Though his voice wasn't at all loud, the silence of the class carried his words all throughout the gym.

"I take it everything went smoothly?" she asked. Danny only nodded. "Feel free to join us," Mrs. Tetslaff told him, scanning the assembled students for an open space.

Danny nodded again, mumbling a quick "thank you" before starting towards the back of the class. The whispers paused as he walked by, only to start up again after he passed. Sam watched him quietly. Their eyes connected, but only briefly before Danny's sapphire eyes darted away.

He sat far behind her, watching the class in silence. Sam blocked out his presence, desperately trying to focus on Mrs. Tetslaff's teachings, but she couldn't shake the feeling of his eyes on her back. Sam clenched her fists and forced the thought of her ex-friend out of her mind.

"Tucker," she whispered to her dark-skinned friend. "Talk to me."

Tucker glanced at her over the rim of his black glasses. "Talk? About what?"

"Something." The gothic girl responded through gritted teeth. Tucker frowned, bewildered at her unusual request.

"Why? Oh." He searched over his shoulder and his eyes fell upon Danny, always a sore subject with Sam. Whenever the boy was near, Sam needed some kind of distraction to keep her from losing her temper. "Can we talk about the accidents?" Tucker dared to ask. His eyes remained on Danny, who was too busy studying his worn out shoes to notice them. Tucker's glare was drawn to Sam when an irritated sigh escaped her dark purple lips.

"Fine." She snapped. Tucker grinned, browsing through his mental folder on the topic.

"Who do you think is next?" He asked.

"That's a stupid question."

"You wanted to talk." Tucker said pointedly. "Now answer the question."

"I don't know, Tucker." Sam replied while watching Mrs. Tetslaff pull out a chart of a ghosts' body, pointing at the places that an ectogun would do the most damage.

"Think about it," the computer-geek urged, "all the popular kids are going down, so-"

"So we should be safe." Sam grinned despite herself. She couldn't be considered popular in anyone's mind, and Tucker was even worse. She may have been a goth freak, but he was known as the Techno Geek and Bad Luck Tuck. They had always been low on the social ladder, but she wouldn't change it if she had the chance.

"True." Tucker answered glumly. "But seriously, who's the next victim?" Sam refrained from growling at the boy and resorted to a dramatic eye roll.

"Stop calling them victims, okay? They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But if they were, who will be the next 'accident'?"

Sam brushed her onyx bangs back, beginning to regret asking Tucker to talk to her. She didn't need to block one annoyance with another annoyance.

"Paulina is the most popular." Sam finally answered. "And if that rumor is true, which it definitely isn't, than I'm surprised she hasn't gone down yet." A look of disgust passed over Sam's face as she thought of Casper High's beauty queen.

"Good point." Tucker concluded. "I guess she'll need a strong man to protect her." Tucker smirked, puffing up his chest. "I'd say this is my opportunity, Sam."

"Don't even try, Tucker." Sam picked at the fabric in her shirt.

"You think I'm not manly enough?" Tucker laced his voice with jovial sarcasm.

"No," Sam answered quietly. "I think Paulina is too shallow to see the good in you." Sam spit the name like it was poison. "Or anyone, for that matter."

"Maybe I could convince her." Tucker joked.

"Don't waste your time." Sam shot back coolly as the bell sounded throughout the gym.

Immediately, students were crowding the door, pushing to get to the cafeteria. Tucker slung one strap of his bag over his shoulder and started towards the herd of anxious students.

"Tucker, just go out the back way." She scowled at the crowd. "We won't make it through that mob. Not with all our limbs still attached."

Sam grabbed Tucker by the wrist and drug him to the back door of the gym. Sure, they would have to take the long way, but it was better than battling the mobs.

"Look at them, Tucker," Sam spat. "like guinea pigs. They follow each other like idiots. No minds of their own."

Tucker laughed as two students tripped each other, both trying to pass through the door at the same time. So the social outcasts took the back way, both distracted by the amusing spectacle of teenage idiocy.

"I don't think they understand the idea of a single-file line." Sam snorted.

"Yeah, they'r-" Tucker stumbled back and fell on Sam.

"Tucker!" She growled, pushing him off. "Watch where you're going." Sam chided the boy, who was trying to put his glasses back into place.

"Sorry, Tucker," a low voice said, shocking Sam from her irritated state. Upon looking into the speaker's crystal blue eyes, Sam went into an even deeper state of irritation. "That was my fault."

Tucker slipped his glasses up his nose and blinked. His visioned focused on Danny, and Tucker found his mouth opening and closing several times before any sound came out.

"Uh, no, no," Tucker waved his hand dismissively, awkwardly clearing his throat. "It's cool. I should've been..uh, looking where I was going."

The three stood at an awkward loss of words, the two boys shifting uncomfortably and Sam silently brooding. After a few unbearably long seconds, Sam snatched Tucker's wrist again.

"Come on, Tuck. All the good food will be gone by the time we get there."

"I'm going, Sam, ow!" Tucker yanked his arm away, glaring at the goth girl while rubbing the red mark she had left on his hand. "Take it easy!" After giving her one more deadly look, which was very unusual of Tucker, he followed Danny to the door.

Reaching the door first, Danny pulled it open and waited for Sam and Tucker to pass through. Tucker eased into the hallway with a quick "thank you" and stared at Sam expectantly from the other side. He raised his eyebrows to her, but Sam didn't move.

"Are you coming, Sam?" An undertone of annoyance seeped through Tucker's voice. Sam scowled at him, then at the door, and last of all at Danny. Her violet eyes connected with his cerulean ones, holding his gaze until Sam felt her stomach churn. Even when they were still friends, Sam couldn't look into his eyes for very long.

Finally, she too passed under the door, not sparing Danny a second glance as she sped past him and into that hallway. She couldn't help but notice a chill spread through her bones as she passed him.

"I can't even walk past him without feeling cold." Sam thought bitterly. As if he had heard her thoughts, Danny took a sharp breath, but Sam didn't even glance back. Maybe it was her imagination, but the cold only grew keener with each step away from him. Sam quickened her pace, making it halfway down the hall before she checked over her shoulder. She was greeted by an empty hall. Danny was already gone, but the icy chill was still there.

"Did you hear? Danny Fenton came back today."

"Already?"

"That was quick."

"Is it even possible to complete a mission that fast?"

"Well, it's Fenton. Has he ever failed?"

"No."

"Guess not."

"Not that I can remember."

Sam squeezed the Cafeteria tray under her hands. The cherry-colored plastic cut into her palms, but she didn't notice. Ahead of her, the bumbling group of idiots continued to discuss the bane of her existence and his latest mission that he completed in a whopping two days. Sam bit her tongue, using the pain to shut out the words. She heard the sounds, but didn't identify the words and meanings of each one. Sam developed a tune in her head, muting the chatter of the world and settling for the sweet music of her own mind. Only Tucker tugging on her arm brought Sam back to reality.

"What?" Sam hissed, annoyed to be pulled from her world of blissful ignorance.

"She's talking to you." Tucker pointed at a very irritated lunchlady, who glowered at Sam even more than the other students.

"Sorry," Sam blushed slightly, stepping up to the lady.

"I said," the woman grumbled, her bushy eyebrows set low over her dark eyes. "What do you want? Meatloaf, chicken.."

Sam grimaced at the options. "Salad, please."

The lunch lady plopped a few leaves and a tomato on Sam's plate before ushering the girl along.

"NEXT." the woman demanded as Sam slipped out of line, scanning the packed cafeteria for her usual table.

"I heard it was a dragon this time.."

"A ghost dragon? Yeah right.."

Sam zigzagged in between tables, ignoring the comments that fell upon her numb ears. It was like this every time Danny came back from a job; since freshman year, he had been sent off more times than Sam could count-not like she kept track or anything. Rumors flew like bats of hell, especially because the boy himself never gave out any details.

"That's his second mission this week!"

"You should talk to him." Sam heard one boy tell another. "Ask him what his secret is."

"No way!" the other one countered. "You ask him. I don't want to get shot."

"You're just scared."

"And I have a right to be! He could probably destroy me in his sleep."

"Don't be a chicken..."

Sam quickly trotted past the table, not wanting to hear anymore. She slipped into her own chair and stabbed the soft salad greens as Tucker wound his way to her. She didn't bother to look up when he sat down.

"They're getting new frogs today." Tucker's fork plunged into the meatloaf, making Sam retch. "The freshmen are doing the dissection thing."

Sam's fork stabbed into the plate, making a high ring fill their ears. Tucker frowned at her silence. He finished chewing before he spoke, knowing that Sam would yell at him if he didn't.

"What? No angry protests? Save the frogs posters?" He laughed, waving a hand in her face. Sam slapped it away. A thoughtful expression fell over her before a slow smile spread across her mouth, lighting her face with mischievous delight.

"Tucker," she said sweetly. The boy groaned, recognizing her sugary tone as trouble. "The protests aren't working. I think we should raise the stakes a bit."

Tucker's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. "You mean you should raise the stakes a bit. Not me." He shook his head vigorously. "No Tucker involved."

"Come on, Tucker," Sam continued her sweet tone. "Who doesn't want to help defend innocent creatures from the brutality of man?"

"You're the one that's all pissed off, not me." Tucker ripped into his meatloaf once again, ignoring Sam's pleading eyes.

"You almost got me suspended last time." He mumbled. Sam shrugged, feigning thoughtfulness.

"Whatever. I don't know what I'm going to do with the newest version of the PDA though." She fought back a grin as Tucker's eyes shot to hers. "I guess I'll just give it away. Maybe to someone who shares my passion for animal rights."

"You mean the PDA XL300?" He asked, fork paused halfway to his mouth.

"Yeah. You have one yet?" Sam inquired with fake innocence.

"You know I've been saving up my money for that."

Sam gave him another nonchalant shrug. "You can have mine," she said slowly, watching with amusement as the anticipation blossomed in his eyes. "but you're gonna owe me."

Tucker glanced down at his plate, absently twisting the silver fork in his hands. "This is how you got me last time." He muttered more to himself than to the girl in front of him.

"Going once," Sam teased.

"I still have weeks of chores before I earn enough.." Tucker grumbled to himself. He appeared to be very focused on his plate.

"Going twice..."

"Is it worth getting suspended?" Tucker shifted on the seat. "I wouldn't have to mow the neighbor's lawn again..."

"Three times..offer falls in three..."

The corners of Sam's eggplant purple lips curved into a smile. He was about to break."Two..."

"Fine!" Tucker shouted, causing a few curious looks from the surrounding tables. He blushed at the stares and lowered his voice. "I'll help you."

"You'll have the PDA by tomorrow." Sam smirked. "But about those frogs.."

Tucker groaned.