Daniel stared up at the seemingly huge doors leading those who wandered through them to the hallways of the school. Letters in hand and stomach currently residing in his throat, he forced his legs up the steps. He couldn't help freezing in the doorway. The corridor was so long with metal boxes stacked on each other lining the walls. The ceiling was lined with never ending lights. The floor tiles reflected multiple ribbons of light that shifted as the viewer moved around. It was only then he was glad Danny made him get up early. If he had to walk into Casper High surrounded by other students filling the hallways he was sure it would lead to a serious case of anxiety. It was already at the point where Danny had to assist him in moving forward.
A pair of shaking hands lifted the map up. Daniel's eyes skimmed over it but he wasn't able to retain any of the information. The rare taste of eggs and pancakes coupled with the familiar flavor of stomach acid danced in the back of his throat. He had barely been able to get breakfast down before and now it threatened to come back up. Daniel gulped it down and continued walking. After a while he stood alone in the middle of a three way intersection. He stared at the map again, turning it this way and that way. "Does the administration office even exist?"
"Let me try." In the boy's frustration he allowed Danny to take over. The ghost extended himself to reach from head to toe of the human's body. The previous look of terror and confusion shifted to a calm smile. "Now let's see…" Danny corrected the map in his hands and, following the corridors with his finger, spotted their destination. He walked them confidently down the hall, turning left here, taking a right there until stopping in front of a door with a plaque reading 'Administration'. He knocked loudly until footsteps could be heard on the other side. "Okay. Here you are." Not given a moment to protest, Danny relinquished control and pushed Daniel's conscious out front just as a skinny redhead woman opened the way to the offices.
Her hair was pulled to the side in a complicated braid. She wore fairly casual attire for a faculty member, zipping up her hoodie as Daniel walked in. The door closed and he felt trapped. There was definitely no turning back now. She looked him over, "You're Daniel right?" He shook his head in confirmation. "Great! Principal Ishiyama is waiting for you in her office. Go right along in." She stepped behind him, gently placing a hand on his back and guiding him to the next room. She knocked three times before turning the knob and pushing the boy inside.
The woman Daniel figured to be the principal looked up from stacks of early semester paperwork. "Daniel! Welcome, I hope you found your way here alright." Ishiyama was enthusiastic as she spoke. It made him nervous so he answered silently, waiting for her to continue. She stood up from behind her desk and gestured toward the chair on the other side. "Go ahead, sit. You have the paperwork with you I presume?" He promptly handed it to her. She glanced over it and placed it on her desk for later. With a smile she took out a new sheet from one of the drawers and passed it to her new student.
Daniel took the paper and slowly worked through the words in his mind.
Name: Daniel
Locker 245 Lunch; D
Block I 8.00-9.30 Gothic Tales
Check in & Advisory *In Gymnasium
Block II 10.00-11.30 Earth & Space Science
Block III 11.30-1.30 Personal Fitness
Block IV 1.30-3.00 Algebra I
Block V 3.00-4.30 Concepts of Communities
A Lunch 11.30 C Lunch 12.30
B Lunch 12.00 D Lunch 1.00
*Mandatory assembly for freshman at 7.45
"Now, now. Off to the assembly. It's very important, especially since it'll be your first public school day here. Casper High tends to function a bit differently compared to other schools." Principal Ishiyama even went to the trouble to guide Daniel out her office and through the main administration room. A waving motion caught his eye and he looked over to see the girl from minutes earlier giving him a thumbs up.
Daniel awkwardly followed the crowd, biting his lower lip as those surrounding im all tried to push through the small, barely two person doorway. Squeezing passed the other students felt impossible with the multitude of different already forming social groups shoving each other. Like a skittish cat wedging through a tight space Daniel stumbled away from the mass. The wooden floor of the gymnasium was smooth, waxed over with a few specs of dust scattered about. On either side of the huge room were multiple levels of wooden bleachers. Both ends complete with basketball hoops and the boundary lines for the game painted between them. To the left stood two men off to the side dressed from head to toe in white apart from their shined black shoes. Their hands twitched in anticipation, occasionally reaching behind them as they watched the students enter the gym before hesitantly relaxing. In the middle of the room was a big white board standing up a couple feet from the floor. Just a ways in front of it sat an elevated machine casting, for now, a neutral light upon the screen.
The students piled into the seats, Daniel taking the empty row in the very back. Within minutes of the last teenager sitting down the doors burst open to reveal a large man in orange and a smaller woman in blue. Daniel's breath caught in his throat. He covered his mouth, trying to stifle any nervous sound that threatened to escape. From within him, Danny too, shrunk back. Had there not been any chance of setting off an alarm he would have done them both a favor and turned invisible.
"Welcome youngsters to Casper High!" Jack's voice boomed eagerly spreading his arms out on either side..
"We're here to officially welcome you, new students, freshman and transfers. Before we let you loose on your exciting journeys of learning in Casper High's great halls, there are a few house keeping things that need to be discussed first." Daniel's eyes darted from the Fentons to the two men in white who straightened their posture and took a few steps closer behind the couple.
Daniel frantically looked around as if expecting the other kids to single him out and turn him in. Even Danny was fretting at their current situation. Just being in the same room as the Fentons gave both of them shivers and restless legs that wanted to jump from the seat and carry the two out of the vicinity. But there weren't any guns pointed their way nor pairs of eyes glaring knowingly even in their direction. Daniel's hands had balled up into fists around the denim above his knees, the knuckles quickly turning pale white. With a gulp he struggled to relax. It was the last thing he wanted to do, let his guard down in the enemy's midst but now was not the time to panic or pass out. Though it felt like it was the perfect scenario for the former. One deep breath later, both human and ghost tuned their ears to the hunting couple.
On the screen there was a projected image of two octopus ghosts. They were low level in ecto energy terms not that it mattered. "These two ectoplasmic malefactors attacked us in the supposed safety of our own home. As weak as they were for ghosts, you can't underestimate any one of them!" The slide changed to a spirit Danny knew all too well. "While this one may be small, it created its own battle suit fit for destroying life and skinning YOU children alive!" The crowd gasped, the loud shout and information scaring them to attention.
"Don't you worry now," Maddie waved her husband off. She sent him a glance missed by most before speaking again. "As we were saying, we've added some new regulations to the school in order to keep you all safe." Jack clicked the slide button to reveal a new image of a normal looking locker. "We've equipped all lockers with a retina scan for anti possession purposes. Even if one of you isn't aware of a ghost lying within you, undetected by the many other equipment throughout the school, the scan will immediately send us an alert. To which we'll rush to your aid and suck that putrid ghost out for termination!"
Daniel audibly gulped. Jack had clicked through many slides as his wife talked. The last one ending on some poor disemboweled, dissected creature staining the table and the red hooded cloak beneath it green. There were reminisce of various tattoos on its body, most of which had be carved into. The human could feel a cold spot within him and spreading over his skin. Ghost or not that was a gruesome sight to show to children. Many looked away waiting impatiently for the slide to change or for the lights to flicker on, signaling the end of the torture.
"In addition," A girl quietly opened the door, closing it softly before following the beckoning wave from one of the men in white. "This is Valerie Gray. If you're ever in any ghost trouble and have no time to officially call us, go immediately to her. She's a veteran hunter, very talented and can protect you."
The girl confidently stepped forward to address the crowd. She looked vaguely familiar in a 'hey we bumped into each other a few months back' sort of way. Except with a bit more of a literal sense. "Hey there everyone." Valerie smiled, proud to be standing beside true professionals. Even if it wasn't ghost hunting it was still exhilarating to be recommended in such a way by those who were in a much higher position in the field. She cleared her throat in a sudden burst of nervousness. Everyone was looking at her. "My name's Valerie and I'm a sophomore. I've fought ghosts for a little over a year now," she placed her hand on her heart. "I promise to continue keeping this school and town safe for all of you."
"Just to give any of you transfer students an idea, Valerie here interned with the Guys In White and was also trained by my stupendous wife! You can always rely on her aim!"
Following the crowd out the doors, the two walked silently to the first class on the list. They had been expecting some sort of security for the school the Fenton daughter went to but… from the looks of things, the only problem was the Fenton's presence today as well as that other hunter within the student's ranks. Maybe it wasn't going to be as bad as either one of them expected.
Daniel stood outside the door to his first class. A quick look at his schedule verified the correct room. He swallowed. His palms started sweating. The boy slowly reached towards the doorknob-"Out of the way, loser." A taller, more athletically built student in a red and white sports jacket pushed him aside. Daniel stumbled to regain his footing as the blond boy flung the door open for himself and three other students close behind him. Two of them glanced over at Daniel for all of one second before deeming him unworthy of their attention.
"You alright?" The spirit residing in his mind asked. It was a standard question, one they both knew the answer to. Of course he wasn't. Daniel was nervous enough without adding on conflicts with other humans. "You can do this. I'm right here if you need me." Danny nudged them forward, enabling Daniel to walk into the class.
In the room most people had taken a seat leaving a few open spots in the front and very back of the room. Without an ounce of hesitation Daniel clenched his fists and worked his way to the back. While no one was really paying attention to him as he passed he still felt like he was going through a labyrinth of observants. All staring at him. Waiting for him to make a mistake they could get Walker to punish him for. He had one more row before being in the sanctuary behind everyone else when suddenly the floor was quickly approaching. During Daniel's panic, Danny extended their arms out and managed to stop Daniel's nose from breaking on the tiles. The human blinked the green from his eyes and rolled onto his back. Anyone who wasn't watching him before was now. They were all leaning over their desks and each other trying to catch a glimpse. From the corner of his eye, a foot moved from the center of the walkway back under the owner's chair. It was the same teenager who pushed him just minutes earlier. He, along with another guy and two girls were all snickering. Daniel immediately avoided their gaze and scurried to pick himself up. Eager to get out of the spotlight, he picked the next empty seat and proceeded to make himself as small as possible.
The tall, balding and out of shape teacher entered the classroom sporting a 'How to Stay Hip for the Unhip' guide book in his hands. He wore gray plaid pants, long black shoes and a slight blue dress shirt with the sleeves folded just above the elbow as well as a black tie done loosely under his collar. "Yo, dawgs. How'sit hangin'?" The entire class sat in silent disgust as if they had heard the same dumb line for the one hundredth time. The man upfront sighed in defeat, placing his book on the desk to his right. "Good morning class. My name is Mr. Lancer and welcome to the first day of Gothic Tales." The man turned around, picked up a piece of chalk and jotted down his name on the whiteboard for good measure. "From now until the end of the semester we're going to sit in a circle. So please arrange the desks in a 'U' shape in front of the board accordingly."
Groans filled the air around the class. While each of the students stood, forcing their chairs back with a soft squeak on the floor, Daniel remained seated.. He watched everyone move around and assist one another with the tables. It had only been three minutes into the class and he could already tell he loved sitting in the back. No one could stare daggers into his head since they all had to face forward. Plus based with the rows of other students I front of him he could probably easily whisper to Danny without being noticed. Daniel stood up when a few other teens came over to his table. Unsure what to do he moved away until he felt the bookcase along the wall. Panic crawled to the first of his emotions. There were so many people. He felt cornered. They all stood in between him and the door. "Try to copy what they're doing?" Danny's voice brought him out of his worries. The boy watched everyone around him for a few seconds more before hesitantly jumping in. He moved all of two chairs to the edges and everything else had been done. Arranged just how Mr. Lancer had asked, the students enacted a game of musical chairs as they fought for certain seats over others. Much to Daniel's dismay, he winded up directly across from the teacher's desk, in the middle of the ground versus forgotten on the side.
To his left sat a girl dressed mostly in black. Her black makeup and bracelets matched her combat boots as well as her black hair which was pulled back into a mid ponytail leaving her bangs and the lower half of her hair left down. Showing between her footwear and green-black plaid skirt was a pair of purple stockings that matched her lipstick. Daniel paid her a few quick glances before shyly directing his attention elsewhere. He had never seen another human dressed that way. Compared to everyone else's normal clothes in the class, though Daniel was the last one to ask what was normal, it seemed like she was trying to make some sort of statement. Whatever it was went way over his head. To his right sat a blond girl with an orange flower in her hair. She had an orange trimmed white tee shirt with a backwards P on the front. To go with the rest of her attire she had orange thigh high pants and white flats. Surrounded by girls on either side and in direct sight of the teacher, Daniel shrunk down into his chair hoping Danny would use his power to make them invisible to the world. Worst start to class ever. Standard and knowledge to how they normally go, none. But that didn't matter. He didn't need to be in public school before to know how much this Gothic Tales class was going to suck, seating arrangement alone.
The teacher walked to the back of the class and picked two large stacks of books off the shelves, placing them individually on either side of Daniel. He took the first one from each pile and placed it in front of the boy before silently instructing the other students to distribute the rest amongst themselves. Before heading back to the front Mr. Lancer removed one more, much smaller stack from the bookcase. A thin plastic ringed notebook filled cover to cover with lined paper as well as a pink block eraser and a number two pencil. Without a word he placed the supplies on top of Daniel's books, Frankenstein and A Collection of Short Stories by Edger Allen Poe. "How about we go around the class and tell each other our names and… something interesting about yourself? To get to know each other. We'll start with you, Mr. Baxter." Mr. Lancer turned his attention to the athletic blond. The same one who tripped Daniel minutes before.
Dash sighed from the mundane and to him, overly done icebreaker. "The name's Dash Baxter and I'm the football team's quarterback." The teacher nodded, a proud smile on his face as he looked to the next to introduce themselves.
"My name's Paulina-" Her introduction was cut off as Daniel tuned her out. He really didn't care who these people were. Danny meant well but getting to know these other humans felt like a lost cause. No one would ever be able to understand or have enough patience to deal with him. Sometimes he wondered if Danny's patience was wearing thin. But the ghost was all he needed or wanted. Throwing these other teens into the mix was like stirring an already calmed pot.
What's done was done. At that point, already attending the first class of the year there was no way of getting out of it. Although he didn't want to concern himself with others he figured it'd at least be a decent idea to blend in and not make himself look like an idiot. "Uoy ot deklat reve yllaer ylno ev'I… Elpmis siht gnihtemos no pu ssem I fi tahw?" Daniel whispered just under his breath, blue frantic eyes glancing around the room in hopes no one else heard him. The Goth girl to his left was staring at him from the corner of her eye.
"Just relax and remember. English. 'My name is' and something interesting about yourself. It might be smart to stay away from anything ghost related." A good number of the books they read together in the past year featured high school kids on an adventure to get into the popular ring. To be in the spot light. The concept was made out to be such a big deal and so important on multiple levels. All Daniel could think about now was how wrong that was.
Daniel fidgeted in his chair. "Taht sseug dluoc I neve." He muttered with an eye roll that didn't go unnoticed to the class.
Mr. Lancer was standing on the other side of the tables. Daniel risked a glance up and from his position the man looked so damn tall. The frown on his face apparent. "Alright then Mr…. Daniel. If you're so anxious to go, you're next."
The four that had gone before him; Dash, Paulina, Kwan and Star all glared at him as though he had committed a taboo. The rest of his classmates either watched him when they didn't think he was looking or stared at him in confusion. He gulped down his insecurities his drying up throat before opening his mouth. "My… name is Daniel." All eyes were on him. English. Think. Wait no that might be a bad thing. Don't think just make something up. Hurry up they're all waiting. Impatience was clearly growing on their faces. Ugh! Why don't these stupid chairs let you disappear? "And… I.. I've… been home schooled my whole life."
To his relief the girl next to him introduced herself almost right after him. "I'm Sam Manson. I'm an ultra recyclo vegetarian." Any attention toward his direction was either averted to the Goth girl or to something else in the room. The group who had gone before him all groaned in unison when Sam finished, her dietary habits known by everyone school wide except for Daniel.
After what could have been an enormous train wreck of a 'conversation' between other humans he allowed himself to relax a little. A quiet sigh of relief escaped his lips and he sank down into the cheap plastic seat. Within his head, Danny was ecstatic. The ghost gave praise upon excited praise. The boy's nervous habits calmed themselves with the ghost's voice. Maybe Danny was right.
From the corner of his eye he could see Sam lean ever so slightly his way. All previously dispelled tension came rushing back full force. "How come I've never seen you before? I know homeschooled but not even in town." Other students were still going around for the icebreaker. It probably wasn't the time to start chatting with anyone. He hoped if he ignored her she'd give up and not get them in trouble. Not only was Sam an ultra recyclo vegetarian, whatever that meant, she was also apparently extremely stubborn when it came to something she wanted.
Daniel risked a glance. "I have a hard time around people." He spoke quietly, enough so she'd have to strain to hear and avoided any eye contact. School days lasted how long? Ghosts were easier to understand. Their motives always clear. Humans were a mystery, dangerous and unpredictable.
Sam appeared to think on his answer before begrudgingly coming back with one of her own. "Yet you decided to come to public school… wait this must be your very first day. Need any help with classes or getting through the building?"
A shadow was cast over Daniel's books, interrupting anything he may have said in response. Mr. Lancer loomed over him from the across the table. "If we're all done with our little side conversations, I'd like to continue with my class." There was a subtle hint of annoyance in the man's voice. Daniel had to admit interrupting and ignoring everyone else probably wasn't the best start to his first day.
The class dragged on. While there wasn't much information sent their way, it was still hard to focus. So far everything the teacher said was introductory junk. They went over the class syllabus, the assignment schedule and briefly talked about each one including the final exam. After Daniel had glanced at the clock for what seemed like the millionth time he began to wonder how others could stand being stuck in school all day for most of their pre adult lives. He stole a look at his schedule, double checking the ending time of first period. Much to his satisfaction it was merely seconds away. As soon as that clock hand finished ticking around in one last circle he was free. Without warning a loud buzzing sound erupted through the room and halls. Daniel near jumped out of his skin, falling over backwards in his chair. His classmates ignored him in pursuit of rushing for the door. "It's j-just the signal to the end of a class period. You're okay." Although the ghost tried to hid it, even he had been a little startled at the ear piercing bell.
The human rolled off his chair and reached for his books that had fallen in the chaos when someone else beat him to it. "You look old enough to be in my grade yet you're a freshman?" Daniel tentatively gave her a nod, taking the supplies from her as they both stood back up. "Can I see your schedule?" Without even giving him a chance to decline Sam held her hand out expectantly. He shuffled the books in his arms until he managed to get at the right paper, placing it on her all too eager fingers.
She took the sheet and, slinging her backpack over her shoulder, headed to exit the room. Daniel watched for a moment as she just started to leave with his schedule, gazing at it as though it was a possible key to a mystery. He fumbled with the books in his arms and rushed after her. To his displeasure someone grabbed his arm before he reached the doorway. Daniel froze, dropping everything onto the floor. The hand was gone but the emotions stayed. He wanted to leave, to go back to the apartment and be away from everything. He craved the endless days of alone time drinking hot chocolate and curling up next to his ghost.
Danny turned the boy around, forcing his shoulders to relax. Mr. Lancer was standing a few feet behind them with a purple bag in one hand. "I was instructed to pass this along to you." With Daniel curled up in their mind, Danny took the backpack from the teacher and shoveled the fallen items into the bag. Copying what the other students had done, stuck his arm through one of the straps and swung it half over his shoulder as he moved his other arm through the next loop. From his peripherals the Sam girl had paused in the hallway, observing each movement.
He gave Mr. Lancer a gesture of gratitude and left the room. He passed Sam and continued down the hall. Still holding the new kid's schedule, she quickly caught up to him. "You've got Personal Fitness with Tucker Foley. He's my best friend. Despite my training with him last year he still failed." She scanned the rest of the schedule. "Looks like the three of us have Concepts together at the end of the day."
Sam glanced over at him as they walked. The nervous boy she had already seen appeared completely different. He now stepped with a certain level of confidence that wasn't there before, almost like a personality change. They stopped in front of what she guessed was his locker and the new kid's shoulders rose as he withdrew on himself. He looked at it as though trying to find a missing feature hidden just under his nose. "What's wrong? Oh right, it's a retina scan. Just lean close to the lock here and don't blink as it scans you. Like this."
"Uoy knaht" Daniel mumbled as he placed the books from Gothic Tales into the locker. He closed it as gently as possible but the sound still sung through his head.
Sam furrowed her brows as she looked at him. "Pardon?"
"Oh…" Daniel inwardly winced, his gaze fell to the floor darting back and forth as he searched for the equivalent. "Thank you."
"No problem. If you need any more help just ask." Sam continued to smile at him in the increasingly growing silence. She rocked back on her heels as the boy in front of her just stood there. "We'd better get to the gym for Advisory soon or else. Anyone who is significantly late has to go through more trials and hoops based on suspicion. The Fenton's are really serious about ghost hunting." Despite himself, Daniel froze. Sam continued walking, having not noticed his hesitation yet. The Fentons. Jack and Maddie Fenton are still here? They have to be in the same room again? So soon?
The boy gulped, forcing himself to take a staggering step forward so as to not alert Sam Manson about his absence from her side. He could feel Danny's nervousness as well. Or… couldn't feel. Normally the ghost's energy flowed through his body in a soothing circuit. That loop had stopped completely. His mind was silent. What were they going to do? If Danny was discovered he'd be taken for extermination. If Daniel was found as a type of enabler for a ghost, harboring one within his body and walking around without a single detection device going off… with that assembly earlier, dissection seemed like the way the hunters would go about it. "We're going to have to figure out what our limitations are with this." The two clung to each other as they reluctantly followed Sam to the gym for the Check-In.