Danny tore through the halls of Casper High, hoping that he could beat the bell. The clocks weren't synchronized, so he wasn't sure if he had 30 or 5 seconds left.

45 steps left to his class. The halls were thankfully empty. If anyone got in his way now, Clockwork help him. One more detention because of tardiness and his parents would be called again. He had enough of his mom's disappointment. If only his school played music the last 30 seconds to tell the kids how much time they had left. 24 steps left.

The counting is automatic, considering the amount of times he had sprinted to this class. Flying would be faster, but it was too risky. Plus, Sam would freak out if he gave the school any additional clues as to his ghostly status. Fenton, Phantom, not much of a difference. Although it's not like they've missed bigger clues of other ghosts' plans. Bert Rand, the stupid cruise, DALV fiascos, all that. 3 steps left.

Danny Fenton sprinted into Mr. Lancer's English class just as the bell rang. Yes! For once he was on time. Expertly skidding across the floor with his sneakers into a turn, he missed the guest's knees by 6 inches, sliding into his seat just as Mr. Lancer turned to his classroom.

"Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer said, his mouth attempting to close, "Congratulations on making it to class on time today. Here's hoping you can continue this trend tomorrow at least when we leave for our class trip. Make sure you pack accordingly and bring your writing notebooks. Just because it's a trip doesn't mean we can't continue our month of prose. You may continue past 4 pages if need be." Mr. Lancer gestured to the guest beside him, "This young man will be available to answer any questions you may have on this trip. Please be civil to Mr. Rydan, for he will be publishing his favorite piece in his collection of Young Writers Magazine tm." The teacher smiled at the author, truly excited for the experience that was to come with his class.

Mr. Fenton in turn had already fallen asleep, his copy of To Kill a Mockingbird hiding his sleeping form from Mr. Lancer and Mr. Rydan. Not that Mr. Rydan would have cared. He was more concerned as to how not to publish these awful freshmen stories. No one could actually write as a freshman, and he hated his publisher for making him do this promotion. At least he got to travel to places for free and meet a wide variety of people. He had to remember of that point whenever the English teachers gave this assignment. His eyes roamed the room as Mr. Lancer droned on about the trip. He could already see the cliques that separated the class. Beauty Queens, Jocks, Nerds, The Outcasts, and only one Goth in this class. From his previous research, goths group together with their goth friends, but she seemed much more comfortable and emotional than any other goths he had studied. Her faced had contorted with worry as the strange boy who had barely made it to class on time. Maybe this trip wouldn't be as typical and humdrum as all the others.

"So we're taking a bus ride to Florida?" Danny Fenton asked as he stumbled home with his friends, Sam and Tucker. Skulker had given him a pretty hard knock around at lunch and the bruises were healing slower than he would prefer.

"Stories come from experiences, and 12 hours in a bus will surely create some," Tucker said, imitating Mr. Lancer. "12 hours stuck with Dash is sure going to create some memories."

"And some bruises," Danny added, wishing he could just lay on the ground and sleep for a couple years. Maybe then he would be ready for this pain of a trip.

"12 hours with Paulina complaining about the state of the bus messing with her hair and flawless skin," Sam groaned.

"Nearly flawless," Danny said, stretching his hands above his head.

"A mole?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, how did you know that?" Tucker asked, clutching his PDA close.

"Spectra mentioned it once."

Sam and Tucker nodded, opening the door to FentonWorks and jumping up the stairs to Danny's room to pack and plan. Maybe.

Sam, Tucker, and Danny all had their own arsenal of ghost hunting equipment, so they didn't need to raid the entire weapons vault. Jazz had already agreed to catch any ghosts in Amity Park while they were away. With no Phantom to accidentally catch, she wouldn't have to worry about accidentally sucking her brother into the thermos.

Jaz smiled, tucking her phycology textbook under her arm. "Don't worry little brother, I'll keep home safe and standing until you get home. Be safe on your trip." The door shut with an audible click.

Danny groaned. "Nothing better happen while I'm gone. She's smart but she's mediocre at catching the actual ghosts."

"She'll be fine," Sam said, throwing Danny's underwear into his suitcase between 3 thermoses. "You trained her. Now she gets some real world practice to use her skills without you breathing down her neck the entire time."

Danny sighed, tossing a couple of long sleeve shirts after the underwear. "I know Sam, but I worry anyways. Jazz will be protecting home and we'll be spending a week close and personal with Dash, Paulina, and Valerie. Not dying ourselves is something we have to worry about too. Otherwise it'll be Jazz by herself forever."

The three friends shuddered.

"Not going to happen. It's one trip. What could possibly go wrong?"

Sam and Danny groaned. "Why did you just say that Tuck?" Danny said, "Now something more than just being tortured by Dash is going to happen."

Tucker stood up tall. "I am not Bad Luck Tuck. And I did not just jinx us."

Sam closed Danny's suitcase. "You did, and you know it."

Tucker bowed his head. "I have to go pack. Now that we have a plan, see you tomorrow." Tucker exited the house, leaving Sam and Danny by themselves.

Danny sprawled out on his bed, Sam next to him. "Sam," Danny said, "do you believe this field trip is a good idea?"

"Tuck jinxed the trip. We kind of have to go now."

Danny laughed. "I guess we do. Are you packed?"

Sam smacked him. "Yeah. Did before class today." She rolled over, facing him. "Everything will be alright Danny. Let's just enjoy ourselves in this trip and finish the stupid assignment."

"Do you know what you're going to write about for the assignment?"

San bit down the idea of Phantom eating at the Nasty Burger then fighting the box Ghost and a zombie A-list at the same time. She shrugged. "Maybe something about vampires and the demise of some A-listers. I'm not sure yet."

Danny laughed. "Sounds awesome."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Danny rolled to stare into her eyes. "I'm thinking about a story where Cujo saves Phantom in a battle against he mayor who is an awful ghost that want to rule the world." He pulled his covers over them, turning out the lights. "You can go home when you're ready. I'm going to sleep."

Morning came without Danny having to get up and fight a ghost. Opening his eyes, the sun shining on Sam's hair greeted him. She was still here. Sleeping. In his bed.

Jazz would freak.

Danny brushed the stray hairs out of her face. "It's time to wake up, Sam. We're going on a field trip today."

"Five more minutes," Sam groaned.

Danny bit his lip. He could make a dangerous move, or live. Eh, he was half-dead anyways. He poked her face. "Sam. Wake up." Her cheeks, forehead, lips, nose, chin, were all poked Soon, he was poking her sides. A small giggle fell past Sam's lips. He grinned. "Wake up or the tickle monster is going to get you." She didn't move. He gave her a chance. Throwing off the covers, he forced his fingers into her ticklish spots.

Sam burst out laughing. "It's on, Fenton," she shrieked, tackling him. The tickle war then began.

They ended up making it to school on time, the second day in a row for Danny. He had flown to Sam's house to get her bags before they walked to school together.

It was time to ride to Florida in a bus. Dash, Kwan, Paulina, Star, and the rest of the A-listers claimed the back of the bus. Everyone else sat everywhere else. Mr. Lancer and Mr. Rydan in the very front by the bus driver. Sam, Danny, and Tucker took a row to themselves, Valerie behind them. Danny barely made it after running into the Box Ghost before they left. By the time the bus pulled out of the school parking lot, Danny's panting had barely begun to cease. The trip had begun.

"Do they ever shut up?" Danny muttered, sitting in back in his seat. "I can't sleep with them all singing." The A-listers had been singing nonsense songs for the entire 2 hours the bus was moving. Tucker grinned from across the aisle, headphones blocking it out, plugged into whatever program his PDA was playing.

Sam leaned against the window, her legs sprawled over Danny's legs. "To them, we don't exist. I didn't realize that Paulina sucked at singing that much."

Danny grimaced. "True that. I wonder if she knows."

"Probably told her entire life on how she'll be a star on any show. Blech." The bus jostled, shaking everyone from their positions. For one glorious moment the singing stopped.

"What happened? Did Bob have another heart attack or fall asleep at the wheel again?" Dash shouted from the back.

"If Bob died then I'm walking home," Kwan added.

A different football player screamed, "Forget the bus driver. Where are we?"

All attentions fixated to the windows, where a swirling green sky full of purple doors lay where it should have been blue sky and trees. Danny swore as the screams begun. Opening a window, he switched seats with Sam to stick his head out the window. Go back out the natural portal and be done with it.

Nothing but Jonny 13's trail. "By my own grave," Danny said, gazing at the wild tracks the bus had left in the hard packed dirt. No portal. The tracks ended where the portal should have been, but it had already closed. At least the bus driver had the sense to stop the bus once they had driven into the Ghost Zone. He shut the window, staring at Sam, her terror a mirror of his own. Tucker had already placed a bag of weapons and rations on his back, showing Danny and Sam where they were on the Ghost Zone on his PDA.

Danny glanced at the ruckus of his class. He would have to take charge if they all were going to survive. They never really listened to him before, unless he flaunted his parents' success. Pirate Radio all over again. Danny couldn't stop his hand from dragging across his face. Glancing out the window once more, he began his move.

Standing on the bus seats, Danny cupped his hands around his mouth, breath cool against his palms, and shouted, "Shut up and listen to me, or die if you wish."

Silence was instantaneous. Dash stood frozen, mouth open in a daze, Nathan trapped in a headlock.

Danny gestured to the windows. "Welcome to the Ghost Zone. We have no shield, and real world items waiting to attract attention. Stay calm, and we should be fine."

Paulina shrieked, bursting into sobs with Star. Kwan screamed, dropping a suitcase on Dash's head. The bus burst into utter chaos. Danny slumped back into his seat. He needed a better plan.

Valerie put down her English notebook in a huff. They were in the Ghost Zone. Full of ghosts that hated her. Her hands were not shaking. She put them in her pockets before approaching Tucker. He seemed the most calm. She sat down next to him. "Do you know what's going on, Tucker?"

Tucker looked up from his PDA. "We're in the Ghost Zone with Danny and Sam. If everyone listens and does what they say, we'll be fine. We're not all that far from a portal we can use, so it shouldn't be all that bad. Getting everyone to listen to Danny though, that's going to be interesting to watch."

"You're not going to do anything?"

Tucker shook his head. "No, but Danny knows the Ghost Zone like his bedroom, or detention. Stuff like this is what he excels at. Sam and I are his support system and impulse control. Sam is. I encourage impulses. Not my fault though. I am only a man."

Valerie snorted. "You trust Danny more than Sam?"

Tucker pocketed his PDA. "In this situation, yes. Get ready, he's about to take charge of this trip."

Danny was indeed ready. Taking an ectoblaster, he fired three shots through the roof of the bus. Everyone went silent as they took in Danny's fury. "If you do as I say, then you will go home. If you don't, then this place will become your graves. I know the way home. Now if you will behave in an orderly fashion, then we will not experience the true terrors of this place."

"Why should we listen to a loser like him?" Paulina shouted, her pointed finger shaking. "He can't find his way to class half the time. Phantom will bring me home. He likes me."

Danny nudged a growling Sam with his foot as whispers rose between the seats. "Phantom isn't here right now. I have weapons to protect us. I know the way home. I know who to avoid, so what I say, goes. Any questions?" He forced his anger down before his angry eyes flashed. He had a feeling he was going to get a lot more practice.

Star raised her hand. "How close are we to home?"

Danny grabbed his own backpack. "It depends on how fast we move and who noticed we're here. With the best odds, half a day. Worst odds, never."

"What odds do you'll think we have?" someone else asked.

"Who knows. Probably a day or two if we get moving within the next hour. Listen to Sam and Tucker on packing the necessities. I'm going to plan us a route." He jumped off the bus seats, moving to the front of the bus. Sam and Tucker started reciting a list of what they would need and to leave behind everything else.

Danny approached the front of the bus, hoping that his feeling was wrong. "Mr. Lancer?"

The balding teacher faced his interesting student.

"Where's the bus driver?"

Mr. Lancer and Mr. Rydan turned to where the bus driver should have been. Mr. Rydan swore. The seat was empty and nothing had been opened wide enough for the old man to escape through. Unless this trip had already killed him. Danny sure hoped not. Newly deceased were always in the worst moods with the living.

Danny nodded. "Get on good walking shoes and grab any food you have and one change of clothes. We have a long walk ahead of us."

"Do you know where we are, Mr. Fenton?" Mr. Lancer asked.

"I know where to go, Mr. Lancer," Danny said. "Don't worry. We'll make it out safe. Most of the dying part was threats." He turned to Mr. Rydan, "I bet this is giving you lots of material to work with, huh?"

Mr. Rydan grinned, taking another look at the swirling green sky. "This will definitely be an exciting experience. You say that you've been here before? How?" He pulled out a notebook, already scribbling everything down.

"My parents are scientists. They have a portal in the basement," Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck. He stepped down the stairs of the bus, opening the door, and stepping onto Jonny 13's trail. Taking a deep breath, Danny centered his emotions. This trip was going to be difficult now that they were trapped in the ghost zone. He sat down, connecting to the zone itself. It was a trick he figured out while trying to understand how the Box Ghost escaped so often. Taking another deep breath, he immersed himself within. Find the safest route and the back up routes when things go wrong. Maybe he could convince the zone to send his message that Phantom is to be called Fenton. Like that would actually work. He would have to prepare for anything that might happen. One last deep breath, he rose, ready for almost anything to happen.