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"Pardon.  Fenton, right?  Your last name?"

He, and the rest of the class, turned in their seats.  Standing at the door was a small older man with a scruffy mustache and round glasses.  Recognizable.  Danny had briefly shaken hands with him after he and his parents finished up the enrollment papers.  Principal Davis.  A man seen around and in passing by his open doored office.  Busy, but friendly from what Danny had picked up the past couple of days.

"Yes, sir.  Daniel Fenton.  My parents call me Danny."

He added it, thinking it might help jog the man's memory of their quick meeting.

"Ah, right."  Pushing up his slipping glasses, Principal Davis peered at him with a faint never fading smile on his face.  "I thought I'd inquire if you have any passing knowledge soaked up from them.  School's sound system isn't working properly.  If not, I'll just run down to our usual guy who isn't too far from here."

He stood.  "Passable, yeah.  I can take a look.  If that's okay?"

Miss Jones dipped her head at the question.  "That's fine, Daniel.  You've proven yourself more than passing in just one shop class."

Danny smiled, warmed by her words and how his given name sounded in her mouth.

"Oh?  That'd be the electrical one from yesterday, wouldn't it?"  Eyebrows lifted over his round frames, impressed.  Then Principal Davis pushed his eyeglasses back up.  "There's only so few with great grasps with that.  Such as your parents."

"Most of my homeschooling was connected to either the farm or their tinkering and creating.  I'm often with them when they set up or fix the sound system for festivals in town.  And I've recreated a boombox for myself to play music wherever I take it."

He was pretty proud of that too.  And planned on showing it off to Lenard.  The persnickety man who ran guitar lessons from the music shop.  Danny had pestered enough a while ago to snag a lesson anytime he popped in.  All he had to do was clean around the place. 

Danny was pretty sure Lenard let him off easy in the lessons because Lenard was also a newcomer and enjoyed having a kid around who was familiar with musicians like Elvis and Little Richard and Ray Charles and Patsy Cline and The Coasters.  

"Excellent.  Follow me then please.  I'll show you where it is at.  Excuse me for borrowing one of your students, Miss Jones."

Principal Davis glanced back curiously before leading Danny away.

"Recreated a...boombox?  Is that a kind of sound system?"

Danny frowned.  Searched his memory.  Recalled the music store with Lenard.  Only instruments.  A place to learn to play.  He had thought albums of music were elsewhere since his parents had to get them from somewhere.  Any music outside of his house, it was a thing one went to listen to and watch the performance...

Ah.

Newcomer thing.

A new one.  Not gathered up and weaved in like many were.  It was not widespread.  Or mentioned.

"Yep."  He said shortly and shoved his hands in his pockets.  "A version of a sound system."

Annoying.  It's not like he even remembered living elsewhere.  Yet he had been raised by his parents who for sure did.  See example of their talents and knowledge with technology. 

Danny huffed.  Then shrugged.  Ah, well.

At least it meant they were highly welcomed and in need.  That Danny's work in that shop class yesterday quickly gained him popularity and a growing amount of friends.  Awe at his skill. 

It didn't take long at all to sort out all the other tech proficient newcomer kids.  He'd run into them enough throughout the years to know them by name.  It was a bit of a relief to have familiar faces and shared experiences with people in this big group of new friends he seemed to be picking up.

They'd been attending school longer.  He could pick their brains about this kind of stuff.  Rachel had offered yesterday.  Or, more likely, he would say fuck it and end up doing it his own way himself.  It worked for him.

And not that he needed it with all the excitement he got from his favorite familiar faces, loudly greeting him, cheering that Point was finally at school with them.

What I Am

"So I'm going through ghost puberty!"  He snapped, fists clenching, purposely glaring them down, and then snarled.  "I heard you!  You've seen this before.  Ghosts.  Changing.  Said you saw it with him.  The terrible man.  Vlad.  What am I?  His kid?  You've always said crea-"

"You are our child!"

His mom moved, rushing up the stairs to the house, where he'd stood waiting for his chance upon their return.  Danny went mute.  Words gone.  Fled for a moment at her anger back.

"You are not his!"

"Then how am I like this!?  Huh?"  He stepped forward, bringing himself closer, getting right up into his mom's face. 

All this time they'd been gone, he'd been left thinking.  Brain scrambling.  Trying to figure it out.  Needing to know.  It was his right to know about himself!

"You and Dad keep saying ghosts come from dead people!  Did this Vlad create me by trying to kill me as a baby?  Failed or something?  A person is either alive or dead!  If that's how I'm like this, then how come no one else is?  I can't be the only one with some near death experience!  And it doesn't fully explain why I need to keep it secret, to keep it from getting out, like he'll come back to fully finish me off to be all ghost!"

His hands shook.

"But do you know what does?  Me!  Being his kid!  Everyone else here says ghosts are beings, powerful enough to mess with regular people, humans!  Some ghost, this Vlad found a human to-"

"You are our son!"

The screech pierced through his words and into his ears.  His mom jabbed at his chest, tears running down her face.  He stumbled back, but he had too much built up.

"Just because you and Dad raised me, doesn't mean I'm your kid!  You've never explained anything about him!"

He pushed back, at her shoulder, sending her back and away from him.  Clenched his hand back up at sight of the claws, so he didn't do damage.  But let himself, sank into it, pulled up all the newness. 

Eyes and claws. 

Closed himself up, walling himself off, and reveling in the blue. 

Drew his lips back, feeling the dangerous sharp press of fangs against his mouth and forcing room amongst his teeth. 

And snarled.

"You've never explained anything about me!  It's my life!  My body!  Not yours!  You need to start explaining, right the fuck yesterday, about what exact terrible purpose I was supposedly created for or I'm going to attempt forcing it out myself!"

Gasping, his mom retreated backwards, quickly and stumbled off the front steps.  Dad scrambled, catching her from crashing to the ground.  Chest pounding, vibrating full of energy, Danny moved to the edge of the front steps, right on the precipice and glared down past his nose at them.  Feeling satisfaction at their huge eyed looks of terror.

"Exactly," he gnashed out.  Snapping and biting out the whole word around his huge fangs.

"All you have left me about it is my own imagination and nightmares.  I've had time to think about what exactly I can do.  What I could do.  Not knowing everything about myself."

He felt his voice break over the admission.  Hating it.  Angry.  He clenched his fists again and lit them up full of destructive force, roaring down at them.

"I deserve to know!"

Got My Ride

It was impressive.  Things one could stash in spaces no one saw.  Or could reach.

Like an entire bicycle.

Not an electric one, but it did Danny well enough.  Electric vehicles were more of a thing in the main part of town.  To avoid the smell of animals he supposed.  The larger ones were either for those bringing something heavier to carry home or those that had a harder time getting around. 

But there were more than a few of those handy with technology adjusting scooters or bicycles for personal fun.  It'd taken off after a few years back. 

Danny's dad had blasted into the main part of town with an overlarge scooter, Mom and him clutching on behind as they shouted instructions.  Long story short.  Dad was not a great listener when excited and a horrible driver on top of that.  He crashed it and was promptly forbidden from making another or driving again.  There had been a broken arm, fractured ribs, and bruises for all three of them.

Danny was absolutely going to electrify his bicycle.  Already had the parts needed for it.  And additions to carry bonus stuff with him.  An all in one to-go and reaching further out to explore more. 

He could only get and had gotten so far in a day of freedom squeezed between morning and evening farm chores.  School days took even more time out, but he was never going to change that addition or bemoan over it.  

Danny tossed on his backpack full of a few tools he totally was going to bring back before his parents notice them missing.  (Honestly, they're disorganized enough, they'd believe it momentarily misplaced and move to another thing to work on until the tool popped up again)

Jumping up and yelling at Rusty to stay, Danny took off down the driveway on his bicycle.

"Hey there, Point!"  Greeted Lucas.  

Eagerly, Danny rushed over and toward the Williams family's shop.  Several hooted as he sped through the open door, letting it slam shut as they sprinted behind him to the workshop area.  They already had all the parts he'd collected up and stored here out and ready to go.

His mouth curled up and he grinned across the space to them.

They grinned back.

And finished with time before evening chores to spare.  They took turns celebrating as loud as they could going up and down, up and down, up and down the stretch of road.  Amelia and Georgie went sheepish and apologetic at the more annoyed adult looks over at their noise and rambunctiousness.  

Danny took out his hair band, pulled his strands back again, higher up so less would blow free, and looped the hair band into place.

"Nah, this is my celebration and no one's stopping me."  He declared.

Yanking his boombox out from the bottom of his backpack, Danny swung it around and lifted it into the bicycle's basket.  Gleefully and dramatic and reveling in the perked up, leaning in, eyes huge interest at the device.  Grin huge, he fought against cackling as he spun the knob for volume.  It broke free of him when everyone jumped back as it boomed out noise.

Music. 

Recorded music.

Recorded newcomer music.

Kids and adults gaped.

Danny swung his leg onto the bicycle and zipped off down the road, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers pounding out into the world.  Head bobbing to the beat and belting out the words.  

"Yeah, running down a dream! That never would come to me!  Working on a mystery!  Going wherever it leads! Running down a dream!"

Back To Exploration 

He supposed they raised him as normal as they could.  Shared overbearing and annoying tendencies that it seemed all kids around his age complained and rebelled against.  Just their own unique flavor.  Every person, every parental guardian was different.  Similarities and each their own person. 

It was only, he felt, that his situation was rather more unique than others.  So his parents raised him as normal as they felt safe.  It was...suffocating.

Secret, okay sure.  But what really got to him was feeling as if he had to stay put.  Secluded at the outskirts of everything.

He loved the openness of the place and loved his parents, but sometimes...  Sometimes he really appreciated being free of them.  He wasn't an idiot.  He knew it.  They knew it.  But they just worried and fretted so over him.

Reaching the first bridge towards town, he debated about traveling the Lazy River to the other side of Huzon.

Yeah.  Sure.  He had everything he needed at home.  Do daily farm chores, keep things tidy, do homework, and relax.  But as soon as he did the morning chores for the animals and did his daily practice early, he was out of there.  Off to explore.  As usual when Mom and Dad were off on a work trip.

'Yeah.  We don't know everything, but a good deal more than most.'

'We've raised you, knowing...'  Trailing off, his mom gave a strained smile and patted his hand.

'Ghosts we have run into have usually been ghosts for a while.  It's more you look more ghostly than before in your ghost form.  You're probably right or close enough to it about it being ghost puberty.'  

'Right.  You're still Danny.  We only...get a little anxious about, about Vlad.  Jumped to conclusions.  But they're just slight appearance changes.  Still recognizably you.  If one is paying attention.'

She had shared a look with Dad, then squeezed Danny's hand with a tight smile.

Worry warts.

Eyeballing the Lazy River, he decided against taking it.  With his bicycle upgraded, he could reach further.  Rather than continue his slowly building map of every path and building and parsing out each nook and cranny, he was going to power his way as far as he could.  Until he reached something really enticing in the unknown hugely busy center of Huzon.

Eyes lit up in resolve, Danny bounced along the packed down portion of gravel and then sped up once he hit paved smoothness.

Head swiveling hard and fast once he went by the first business (not shop!) that stretched nearly as long as the huge yard he grew up on, Danny couldn't stop looking at everything.  Trying to figure out what he would fully explore first. 

Several people worked and more sat past a long glass viewing of a salon filled with devices he vaguely and didn't recognize.  Result of newcomers?  Result of competition with other salons like this?  Going over the top for their clients?  What could they offer him?

One building went upwards a few levels, various signs plastered higgiy piggly at the entrance.  Restaurants!  The smell of warm food hit him as he passed.  Salvating and mentally placing it to go back to later.

Oh and there was Newcomer Wares.  He'd heard about that one and seen a few things from the few other newcomers.  Most of it was basic little household devices and kitschy toys. 

He had grown up with plenty of kitchen devices thanks to his parents.  Ones he had realized a while ago, most everyone else, including other newcomer people he knew, did not have.  Benefits of them being a fresher batch of newcomers and his parents' obsessions with tech putting them far past the rest?  It certainly made them in plenty need and never needing to worry.

Nothing too likely to be of need in there.  But.  He'd made more than a few silly toys together with Dad.  Be fun to see what could be inside.

Head swiveling, Danny stared at a small little squished-in shop marked as Ghost Tales.  

Winner winner, chicken dinner.

Zipping around, he headed back down the street for that one.

It was filled up with books and was as promised instead of some cutely named thing that was something else and it was glorious.

"I said pardon."

Blinking, he looked up from the book filled up with tales focused on The Nightmare Eater, aka Sandman aka Nocturne aka Baku aka Hypnos aka Morpheus aka way too many fucking names.  

The shopkeeper smiled at him, adjusting his round eyeglasses up.  Danny's eyes went to where his long blonde hair was pulled back into a frazzled bun.  Slight jealousy and wanting hit him.  His own hair was long enough to be pulled back, but not like that.  He had issues with it getting that long and behaving after a certain length.

"Uh, yeah?  Am I not allowed to look so much before buying?"

"We're not exactly a library."

Wincing, he scowled and slammed the book shut.  "Fine."

"I don't really mind, I only work here part-time."  The shopkeeper assured him.  As if that explanation explained anything on the young man being okay with Danny treating the place as a library.  "I was only curious.  Most people just pass on the more well known tales about Ghosts.  Not many go looking up them up.  Unless they're researching for a paper at the college's Ghost Mythology courses.  Bit young for that."

Danny huffed.  "My parents are newcomers and haven't really, uh, taken to-"

"Say no more.  I get you.  One of the ten of us in the Myth path has newcomer grandparents who banned the old Huzon tales under their roof.  Tiffany is a huge fan of how they impact us today.  Have left their marks."

Intrigued, Danny lifted his head, eyes on the shopkeeper.  "Such as cursing upon Vortex when a bad storm does damage to crops?"

The shopkeeper grinned and held up a finger before scurrying off down the shelves.  Not patient at all, Danny rushed after him.  Forget whatever one book the man thought of to bring him, Danny was going to see all of what was in a potential section filled up with books like that.

Slipping down a small thick book bound in dark solid green, the shopkeeper grinned at seeing Danny there.  Then flipped it open.  Pointing and excited.

"These are a little less obvious.  There's an extra chapter on the makeup of Huzon, like how the Lazy River loops."

Danny leaned into the shopkeeper's side to get a better look to read.  He was so glad he had his stash of placement tokens on him.  He was absolutely going to wind up with at least one of these books.  Just needed to set aside a stash spot for any he got...

"Here's one.  What about this one here?"

Landing on a new page, the shopkeeper pointed again. 

"Skyline Limit for referring to a point far away.  Relates back to tales around The Truce.  Have you heard more than the background mention of that?  Read one of the in depth dives and theories from constants, repeating details, and potential one off mentions that could be...  Oh!  You'll probably like that by what I've seen and the look on your face.  Most copies are more textbook, few, and usually in hands of..."

The shopkeeper trailed off.

"I've got one that I use for reference in Myths, if you come back and want to look if I happen to be here?"

Danny nodded.

The shopkeeper grinned broadly.  Then shifted a hand free to tap his chest.  "Name's Adam Carver.  Go by and called Dam."

Danny tapped, grinning back at the man.  "Dam, nice.  Daniel Fenton.  Always been called Danny."

Pausing, Dam squinted at him and pushed up his eyeglasses.  "No?"

"I'm used to it."  He shrugged.  "My parents named me Daniel, but Danny is what they've called me.  So Danny I am.  Newer call is Point."

"I'll go by Point then.  Wait.  Fenton?"

Gobsmacked, Dam stared at him.

Then shook his head.

"That makes sense."  He muttered.  Then his face lit up again and jabbed at the book.  "Oh!  This is a good one and not far from here!  For where it comes from and from where it is!  You know the phrase 'ported off'?"

"Yeah.  Wait, that's related to Ghosts?"

"Yep!  Full phrase was 'ported off to the realm of Ghosts'.  But that went out nearly 500 years back.  So most now don't realize until it's pointed out and go 'ah, that makes sense'.  Unless you live near or work there.  But I guess some then even don't fully comprehend..."

"Huh?"

Dam lit up, gleeful at imparting Ghost knowledge to someone who was digging for more.

"Also relates back to The Truce!  Enough versions mention it as some sort of compromise in humans being laid bare to Ghost whims."

Slow realization and connection began blooming inside of Danny.

"Because they're not alive?"

A connection of his parents' ghosts and Huzon's Ghosts.

"Guess so.  But considering some tales, you kind of have to wonder exactly what Ghosts could be doing to them.  What waits for us once we're ported off someday."

Dam leaned his head down, eyes wide at Danny.

"It's been passed down through generations of my family.  Not like they really care what I ramble on wondering about it.  Anyway!  Yes, the Ghost Portal.  It only opens when someone dies, closing as soon as their body is through.  It also opens if a living human is in their realm and near Huzon.  All newcomers have seen it.  But the majority of people scoff at anyone having proclaimed to see it.  If they ever talk about it."

Dam winced.  "Most don't.  The accounts from newcomers aren't exactly many."

"My parents never have."

How had he never heard or known about this? 

"Right.  But this is how I got into Myths!  For the past, let me see, 14 years now.  For the past 14 years, the Ghost Portal has been opening and closing far more often than it should.  Particularly lately.  It's like a guarantee now, ever day, at least once.  Creating a whole new amount of work going nowhere in trying to figure out who has potentially passed.  Staring into it only for it to close with no newcomers.  My family has hired outside of the family for the last decade.  It keeps opening and closing with no news of a death or newcomer coming through.  Already had one this morning before I came in to work here."

Dam gave a toss of his shoulders. 

"Absolutely, stealing from Tiffany, wonky.  Absolutely wonky.  You and those from Myths are the only ones who have listened to me about it.  But oh!  Back to 'ported off', newcomers used to have a similar term with 'ported in', but it really wasn't used much even back then."

Absently, Danny nodded, not listening anymore.

Anytime someone dies in Huzon, this Ghost Portal opens.

His parents' ghosts came from dead people.  Some dead people.  Not everyone stayed around according to them.

Every potential ghost opened this portal.  To be ported off to the realm of Ghosts.  In case they became one.

If every dead person, every potential ghost opened this portal then...

Danny was responsible for this Ghost Portal being wonky.

"Can I see it?"  He intrupted, sudden and demanding.

Dam stopped talking, hand hovering above the book he'd pulled down and blinked at Danny.

"Can I see the Ghost Portal, Dam?"

The man beamed.  "Of course, Point!  If you don't mind waiting until I'm off in half an hour?"

Nope.  He didn't mind at all.  Just panicking about what this all meant was all.  No big deal.

No big deal at all.