Part one—Chapter 1—

"Next stop, Amity Park!" the bus driver grinned back at his passengers in the back.

"Great Alfred," Dice said, giving the man a thumbs-up, "I can't wait to get there."

Ashton scoffed at her partner's enthusiasm. The red head could have cared less about this small town that was barely worth the dot on the map that it was.

"Dice why are we here again?" Ashton asked, almost winy sounding. "This isn't Dallas, or Chicago, or even freaking Whitcha, Kansas! It's too small to attract a large crowd, that means less dough in the box office."

"I thought we agreed that we would do at least one small town concert each tour without complaint?" Dice inquired, use to Ashton's pestering nature.

"Yeah alright, but why Amity Park?"

"I thought you might like it. It's America's number one haunted town. Ghosts are rumored to swarm the place."

Though in reality, that was only partly the reason why they were going; Dice knew better about the ghost rumor. While the rest of America thought it was some cruel joke, Dice knew it was real, considering her brother was one of the many famed ghosts that haunted the area. She had already warned Danny that she would be coming soon and he was getting ready for her arrival—by cleaning up town as much as possible so that there wouldn't be a distraction. He was the real reason why they were going there, but Ashton didn't have to know that, not yet.

Dice moved her gaze to the window where the famed forest of Amity loomed like a treasure chest, just waiting to be opened and removed of its gems and secrets. Danny had promised to show her around the town, as well as a discreet visit to the woods and the portal that hung in it. She had been ready to see the Ghost Zone for the first time and she could barely contain her excitement.

"What's so exciting about an old forest?" Ashton asked with a sneer. "I would have torn it all up and put up a mall by now."

"It's part of the town's history, plus a lot of people still live in those woods," Dice said, a bit angry at her sister's snappy mood. "If you don't have anything nice to say Ashton, do say it at all. Spare everyone your mood. I'm happy for once and I'm not going to let anyone—not even you—ruin it for me."

Then Panther strode into the room. Cosmo Panther was their agent, and also their legal guardian since their other parents had died in a plane crash some years ago, but he had never been a parent. He was the receiver of their funds while they played their butts off for almost nothing. To him, the girls were nothing more than money-making toys. He also had a way of getting under everyone's skin, including Dice's, without trying. He was just naturally annoying and demanding, which made him a good money maker.

"I'm afraid that's not good enough," he was yelling into his Bluetooth, "I want a new schedule by tomorrow and a plane booked for L.A. by tonight!"

He hung up rudely and looked at the girls with a faux smile.

"Sorry about that girls," he said, much more pleasant to them then to the poor woman over the phone. "Daddy is straightening this little mess up now."

"You're not my father," Dice said with a dead-beat face. "Plus what mess up? We're right on schedule last time I checked."

"Oh, you mean performing for this town? I'm afraid I'm canceling it. It would be bad publicity for you."

'You mean it would put a hole in your wallet,' Dice thought angrily.

"How would it be bad?" Ashton asked. "Everyone is just nuts."

"Exactly! Think how that would reflect your character girls, performing for a bunch of lunatics! Your ratings would go down and your fans would leave you, along with the little dollar signs that they hold in their pockets. We need to keep your image clean."

'No! I can't leave now, not when I'm so close to finding my real family. Wait, that's it!'

"But leaving would be bad as well," Dice put in, and Panther looked at her in confusion. "If we leave without giving a very good reason—and I mean a very good reason—then we become unreliable to perform. That means no one will rent their stages to us and that means we can play, which also means our fans will be disappointed and that means less money coming in if we don't perform here. Don't want to let the fans down do we? Besides, it's a small town where hardly any celebrities visit. All of those old ladies in care homes will think better of us and buy our songs for their grandchildren. Ladies with very deep pockets. If we set up as good role models, then parents will want their children to come to our concerts! We'd be a bigger success if we played here then if we just left without a reason."

Panther looked up at the ceiling, pursing his full lips in deep thought. Ashton smiled and looked at Dice from the corner of her eyes. Dice watched Panther with a confident look. After a moment, Panther was back on his phone and pull out all of the stops for this concert. He normally didn't listen to other people's ideas, but he wasn't known to turn down logic.

"That was brilliant!" Ashton said, her eyes dancing with laughter.

"I was afraid you would jump in and destroy my chances of stopping him."

"Who cares? If it gets on Panther's nerves, then I'm in it with you."

The two high-fived each other, both now in a much better mood to visit Amity Park.

Chapter 2—

"Anything on your side of town Tucker?" Danny asked through his Fenton Phone that was strapped around his ear.

"Nope, all clear here," Tucker said. "Man you really put in over time this week."

"Well, I didn't want to have to take care of any trouble when Dice comes," Danny shrugged as he headed back to his house.

"Any idea when she's showing up anyway?" Valerie asked through her own communication device.

"Sometime tomorrow. She even sent backstage passes to their concert."

"Sweet!" Tucker squealed with girlish delight.

"Knock it off Tucker," Sam said sourly. "I like to keep my ears."

"I'll meet you guys tomorrow at the Nasty Burger for lunch, alright?" Danny asked as he came upon his house, just before his regular curfew.

Everyone agreed with him before he took the phone off and phased through his wall and into his room. The large black dog that had been resting on the bed jumped when he entered and glared at him.

"Warn an old dog when you do that," Rannoch said, jumping down from the bed and walking up to Danny.

"Sorry Dad," Danny said opening his door and walking into the hall. "I didn't know you were sleeping in here."

"Your room is the only place where I can get away from that infernal noise," Rannoch moaned as he followed Danny down the stairs.

"They're still working on that?"

Danny crossed the kitchen area and went straight for the lab/basement of the house. Maddie and Jack Fenton were still down there where he had left them earlier that morning, working on some new gadget that looked like it had gotten some better form since he last saw it.

"Hey sweetie," Maddie smiled, lifting her goggles from her face when she saw him come down the stairs. "How was your day?"

"Fine, um, any reason why you haven't left the lab all day?" Danny asked, looking around at the mess he would—no doubt—have to clean up later.

"We're close to a breakthrough son!" Jack boomed from his place under the specter speeder, he was probably pulling some spare parts from it for the new invention. "We didn't want to stop since we're on a roll."

Danny shrugged when Rannoch looked up at him with a raised brow.

"Does this invention inflict pain in any way?" Rannoch asked when Danny remained silent.

"Only to ghosts that don't have your ecto signatures," Maddie said. "We've been remodeling things all summer so they can't hurt you two."

"It stops a ghost's ability to fly, so that it's easier to catch," Jack said, rolling from underneath the vehicle covered in some black liquid, but he didn't seem to realize it.

"I hope that isn't flammable," Rannoch said, remembering the last time Jack got black stuff on him and winced.

"Clean yourself up Jack, we don't want to have another accident," Maddie said, tossing her husband a towel. "Is Dice still coming into town as expected?"

"Yep, I'm going to meet her tomorrow to hang out with my friends, then we're going to the concert this weekend. I just hope her sister doesn't catch her."

"She should have told Ashton," Rannoch said shaking his head. "It's only going to make the situation worse when she finds out about it. Which she will."

Rannoch said this with a pointed look at Danny. The ghostly teenager frowned at the ground, knowing full well what the black dog meant. Danny had seen it happen, though it hadn't happed for everyone else yet. His ability to see into the future had warned him about it and now he was trying to figure out how to change it. The only way would be to tell Dice and let her decide, but Rannoch wasn't in favor of that idea.

"It's her secret and she can do with it as she pleases," Danny told him firmly, and Rannoch had been quiet about it since then, but his hints were becoming annoying.

"I don't know about you pup," Rannoch said, turning around and going up the stairs, "but I'm ready for a walk."

"Now?!" Danny asked incredulous. "I just got home!"

"You always did want a dog," Maddie said smiling at the irony. "A dog that bosses you around is no different from a normal dog."

"Yeah, but normal dogs don't talk or hold guilt over your head," Danny grumbled. "I guess we'll be back later."

"Dinner's in an hour!" Maddie called up as he walked the stairs to the kitchen where Rannoch was sitting and had the leash in his mouth.

"To bad Vlad had to make this leash law," Danny said, clicking the leash into place and opening the door for Rannoch. "He's such a pain in the tail."

"Patience," Rannoch said, a little warning behind his voice, "Masters will get his just reward soon enough."

"I just hope I'm alive to see it. Ever since he became mayor—by totally illegal means by the way—it's like I can't get rid of him. Every time I turn a corner, one of his thugs is breathing down my neck."

"Well, we'll just have to avoid turning corners," Rannoch smiled.

Danny smiled back, but it really wasn't that funny.

Rannoch's ears tipped back and he growled, looking over his hairy shoulder to see what it was that alerted him. Danny turned on his heal and saw one of Vlad's many limos crawl up to the curb and stop right next to them. The last back window rolled down and Vlad's long, eager, evil face smiled at him, sunglasses blocking his indigo blue eyes.

"What do you want?" Danny asked, all warmth gone and crossing his arms.

"What makes you say that my boy?" Vlad asked a sly smile on his face.

"You always want something when you come to me. I'm just cutting to the quick."

Rannoch's growl grew in volume as Vlad spied the black canine standing beside the boy.

"Your parents finally give in for you to have a pet?" Vlad asked, but he didn't sound interested.

"No," Danny said matter-of-fact, "after the last ghost invasion, they wanted to make sure I was protected. Rannoch is supposed to protect me from ghosts. New research my parents worked up says that some animals are impervious to spirits."

"That's ridiculous," Vlad shook his head, but the dog kept growling.

"He seems to be a good judge of character," Danny smiled.

"Then how come he doesn't attack you?" Vlad asked.

"Because I don't give him a reason too, but you can."

"Listen you—"

Vlad had leaned out of his window and grabbed Danny by the front of the shirt. Rannoch barked and grabbed Vlad's hand with his fangs, digging in deep and snarling.

"AHHHHHH!!!" Vlad screamed, sending an ecto blast from his hand that sent the dog back to the ground.

The billionaire quickly retreated back inside his car and it drove off with a screech of the tires. Rannoch shook his head and spat on the ground.

"Awful tasting stuff," he said grimacing. "He really is out for your goat isn't he?"

"He's never tried anything like that before," Danny said, his heart still beating fast because he had been scared for Rannoch. "He must be trying something new."

"Or he's getting desperate," Rannoch said gravely. "Let's go, I wish to get to the park while people aren't there."

Chapter 3—

"This is your last stop kid."

Dex opened an eye to glare at the truck driver who had so graciously let him take residence with the cargo, which just so happened to be a ton of hay that he was driving cross-country. The hay was in his hair, his cloths, even his teeth. Spitting out the dried grass that was only meant for livestock, he clumsily clambered out of the back of the truck and set his feet on the asphalt of the deserted highway.

"And where is this stop?" Dex asked in an annoyed tone. "It's the middle of nowhere."

"The sign says Amity Park," the trucker said a bit drunkenly as he slammed his car door. "Just head towards the lights and you'll be there."

The engine roared to life with a blast of exhaust from its pipe in Dex's direction. It crawled away in the dark of the night, leaving the sixteen-year-old to wave the smog away and look down the hill at Amity Park. It seemed small enough, smaller then L.A., that was for sure. His only concern now was how to find lodging for the night. He didn't exactly have any money to get a hotel room, and he doubted there were any homeless houses in a town this small.

It was times like these that he wished he wasn't a homeless kid. After being kicked out of the last foster home, he knew he could never let his hopes rise for finding a family. He was too old for adoption; everyone knew that once you hit thirteen you were pretty much reduced to the foster homes. Sometimes the thirteen and fourteen year olds got lucky, but sixteen was definitely too old, you would have better luck on the road—and that's exactly what Dex did.

Plus no one would take in a kid with physical problems. At the start of summer, he began to develop what he could only call ghost powers: flying, turning invisible, walking through walls. He welcomed all of it, and it was sort of cool. He freaked himself out at the beginning, but when he realized he could get a free meal easier, he embraced it as his only survival. However, that wasn't the only problem he had. He often had chest pains, but he didn't know why. The few doctors he had been too said it was probably asthma, but he knew that wasn't it. He never had asthma as a kid, but he didn't know what else it could be. He refrained from any hard exercise, like walking in the roads and stuff, so that his chest wouldn't give him a reason to complain, but lately, it flared up without warning.

He winced when he saw that he had to walk at least three miles into the town.

"Well, that's what flight is for," he smiled to himself.

He concentrated hard and the two rings of light appeared, changing his black hair to white, his blue eyes to neon-green, and it put him in some sort of jumpsuit (he had no idea why that happened). It was hard at first, but it slowly became easier to summon the rings to change his form and in addition, have better access to his powers.

He pushed off from the ground and slowly lifted into the sky. He loved flight, and wished he could do it more often, but he tired easily and with the lack of energy his powers didn't work as well. He could make it three miles at least until he had to touch land and change back.

He was too busy trying to stay invisible as he flew into town that he missed the tour bus roll up to the fanciest hotel and the giant silver fixture on top of one of the houses in town. He only wanted to make it to the docks.

When he got there, he was so fatigued that he barely had enough energy to phase into one of the buildings and went straight to sleep where he had landed.