Wolves, Witches and Ghosts

Chapter 3: Ghostly Meeting

The next week of school passed largely uneventfully.

Danny finished reading the Encyclopedia of Magical Beings and progressed to 'A Recent History of the Supernatural Community' by Isti Rockwell, something that Ida had insisted he read to better understand their rules and society. The book read more like a documentary on a fantasy series than an actual series of events, and Danny was left wondering if the book had embellished the events somewhat.

Dash and Danny kept their distance at school, but met up one more time on the Friday in the same spot as last time, which still held the crater from when Danny dropped the changeling into the ground from a flying start. Danny managed to perfect his shields, even working out how to change the shape and create them remotely, something that he was proud of.

Saturday brought with it another trip to the underground community, and Danny felt much more in his element this time. The crowds seemed less intimidating now that he felt that he belonged more than the last time, and he was able to identify most of the beings around him at a glance.

They'd seated themselves on a bench near the fountain, where Danny and Sam sketched studies of the inhabitants, while Tucker used his PDA. It felt familiar, like they did at the Nasty Burger until the school bullied had caught them doing it and ruthlessly tormented them for it.

Danny had briefly wanted to become an illustrator before setting his sights on space, and had kept it as a hobby, a good way to relieve stress.

Dash joined them towards the end of their sketching session, and was friendly, much to Sam and Tucker's surprise, and although they still held hostility towards him, they could see that he had no intentions of humiliating them again. Danny lend Dash his pencil and pad, and Dash managed a crude stick figure before giving up. He'd pressed too hard with the pencil, engraving a path through the next few pages, and Danny had no intentions of pushing his own hobbies on someone who clearly had no interest in them, despite being awed by Danny and Sam's skills.

Danny enquired about Paulina, to which Dash explained that she was half vila, a type of nymph noted for their feminine beauty, which was not much of a surprise to anyone and explained how she drew in others with her natural beauty.

The sun was beginning to set by the time Danny got home, and he saw the shadows of his parents watching TV in the sitting room, a clear sign that he was late for dinner, if his grumbling stomach wasn't enough.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad," he greeted as he entered the house, to which his dad gave an enthusiastic "Hey Dannyboy!"

"Can I have dinner now?" Danny asked, knowing the answer would be yes, but asking anyway out of politeness.

Maddie directed him towards the leftovers in the fridge, and Danny popped the box of spaghetti in the microwave for a couple of minutes. He ate what had been intended to be enough for two non-Jack Fenton servings in one go, before retreating to his room to continue reading, and tucked his sketchbook in the floor as well now that it contained drawings of supernatural beings.

• • •

Silence settled in the night, and Danny would have slept soundly if it weren't for the sudden chill that clawed its way up his throat. He awoke and gripped his neck as a tendril of mist spilled out of his mouth. Goosebumps appeared on his skin, and for the first time since the accident he felt cold, right down to his bones, to his core.

He pulled his door open, the creak softened by the carpet, only to be greeted by an empty landing. The stairs barely protested to his steps as he channeled some of his ghostly powers into floating slightly, and he scanned the kitchen, the chill permeating his body not properly going away.