Danny Phantom - The Next Chapter

The Newest Fenton, Part 3

Jazz sighed as she closed the front door behind her. Ms Walters had been particularly harsh with that American History test, scoring Jazz only forty-nine out of fifty and she was kicking herself over not explaining her reasoning clearer in the essay section.

'Mom? Dad?' she called but there was no response. They must be out patrolling the streets.

She absently wandered into the kitchen to start preparing dinner, only to freeze as she saw Danielle sitting at the table, spoonful of cereal pausing halfway to her mouth.

'Oh, hi,' Jazz said, 'I didn't realise you were here.'

Danielle shrugged and resumed eating. 'I'm kinda tired from training with Maddie.'

Jazz must have made some kind of frown on her face at that because Danielle paused again, watching her closely.

'Yeah, she can drill you pretty hard,' Jazz commented offhandedly, making her way to the fridge to see what was planned for dinner.

She heard the scraping of the chair on the floor and turned back to see Danielle had stood and scooped up her bowl, moving towards the living room.

'Sorry,' she said, 'I'll give you some space.'

'What?' Jazz asked, 'What do you mean?'

Danielle sighed and said, 'Well... I'm guessing you don't really want to hang out with me. You've been avoiding me this whole time. But that's okay. I'll be upstairs if you need me.'

'I'm not avoiding you!' Jazz protested, moving after her, 'I've just... been really busy with schoolwork.'

Her excuse was weak, and she could see Danielle knew it.

'Look, it's not that I'm avoiding you,' she tried again, 'It's just... I...'

'You don't want me here,' Danielle finished for her and Jazz's stomach dropped.

'No! That's not it!'

'Come on,' Danielle said, 'I'm not an idiot. I've seen the way you've been looking at me when I'm with everyone else. I'm guessing you still don't trust me after everything I've done?'

'What? No! That's not the reason at all!'

'But there is a reason,' Danielle said conclusively and Jazz froze, realising that the younger girl had gotten her to inadvertently admit what she was accusing her of.

'It's not that I don't trust you,' she said carefully, trying to get her emotions and thoughts under control. 'It's just... the way you are with Danny... I can't help but feel... just the way he's always looking out for you, making sure you're safe... I'm jealous, okay? I'm jealous of how close you both are after a few days when I've known him his whole life!'

The words tumbled out before she could stop them and she immediately regretted them as Danielle dropped the bowl of cereal, shattering against the floor.

'I... I'm sorry!' Jazz exclaimed, 'I didn't mean that! I–'

'No, I get it,' Danielle cut her off, 'Of course you wouldn't like some stranger elbowing their way into your family. I understand. But don't worry, I'll get out of your way. You won't see me again.'

With that, she transformed and shot up through the ceiling, Jazz's shout of alarm falling away in her sudden solitude.

Cursing herself with every name under the sun, Jazz raced to the front door before pausing, glancing back towards the lab door. Resolved now, she sprinted downstairs and found one of the many tracking devices her parents had recently created after Danny's kidnapping. Syncing it to Tucker's surveillance system of the whole town and typing in Danielle's ectosignature, Jazz ran outside, beginning to follow the ghostly trail.