"Woah Danny Slow down!" Tucker shouted racing up to his long time friend.
Danny was running home happier than he had ever felt.
"No way Tucker, Sams already way ahead of us"
Tucker gasped for air by the time they finally reached his house. He was turning fourteen today.
It was such a happy day. He ate cake with his friends, opened presents (Sam didn't even comment on how the gifts were in non bio degradable plastic packaging) and watched scary movies.
Sam and Tucker had been allowed to stay over night, it was around midnight when the three clicked on their flashlights.
"Are you ready Danny?"
Danny nodded with a happy grin on his face.
"Woohoo! Test of courage!" Tucker scream whispered.
"Lets do this!"
The three made their way down the stairs, they had all made a silent agreement not to turn on any lights, to add to the ambience.
"OoOoh spooky" Sam whispered behind them.
"Sam! That's not funny, I almost peed my pants!" Tucker whined.
"Shhhh Tuck, don't be so loud" Danny whispered.
"Sorry Tucker whispered back.
The three creeped up to the basement door, turned makeshift lab.
It was always unlocked. A chill went up Danny's spine as he opened the door. Was he scared?
The three walked down the narrow steps, one after the other.
Danny flicked on the light switch and the lab lit up.
"Oh cool!" Tucker exclaimed running to the workbench littered in spare parts.
"You know those inventing genes didn't skip over me Tuck. I have skills in engineering too"
Sam snorted, "yeah, engineering a fantasy life in your head maybe"
"No, Jazz even recognized my talent. Besides I want to go-to space someday, It's essential to know all I can about rockets"
Sam was about to say something more when a giant cylindrical hole in the wall caught her attention.
"What's this?" She asked standing in front of it.
"Oh that, its my parents ghost portal, but it doesn't really work. They tried it but nothing happened"
"Hmm, yeah looks pretty useless to me. Who ever thought a portal was a good idea anyway"
Danny wondered.
He snuck a peek at the two, "I'm going in" he declared.
Sam raised her eyebrows, "ok that's reckless, but I mean it doesn't work right?"
Tucker came over, "I'm claustrophobic, you couldn't pay me to go in there"
"It more tech than goth. Not really my style" Sam commented.
Danny took a step inside, "it's like being inside the electrical hull of a rocket, this actually pretty-" he didn't finish that statement.
As Danny moved his foot, a wire snagged his ankle, he fell forward with a thud.
"You okay Danny?" Sam asked.
Danny picked up and untangled his foot.
"Yeah" he said as he worked to get the wire off, it finally dropped from his foot when his eyes glanced to his left and he noticed a lit up button on the side of the cylinder portal.
A deep whirring sound came from the back of the portal.
None of them had time to react as the green balm of light at the back of the portal engulfed Danny.
The pulsing vibrating sensation moved under Danny's skin piercing each and every possible nerve.
Thousands of nerves were being electrocuted, it felt like needles were simultaneously being jabbed into him. His head felt like it was splitting in two.
"GAHH AHHHHHH!"
His screams bounced off the inside of the portal, echoing like a wail throughout the house, it could probably be heard by the neighbors.
Jazz, Jack and Maddie came running into the lab.
Danny fell forward, the portal now fully operational.
Jack ran forward in a panic, shutting down the portal.
Huge medal doors snapped shut, separating the zone from Danny's basement.
"Danny?! Danny??!! Oh my God!" Jazz shouted.
"Danny wake up!" Sam cried out.
Danny was rushed to the hospital. His unconscious body lay limp in his hospital bed.
It had only been a day before Danny woke up.
"Thank God your awake!" Maddie said hugging him. It wasn't the bone crushing hug he was used too. It was tentative and gentle.
"Danny's awake!" Sam cried out when she and Tucker walked into the room.
An endless outpour of fussing began, but in the middle of gushing over how sorry they were,Sam noticed something was different about Danny.
"Danny? What's wrong?"
Danny narrowed his eyebrows, he opened his mouth to ask who they were but no sound came out.
Danny's hands flew up to his throat and his eyes went wide.
Maddie summoned the doctors immediately.
"I'm afraid his vocals have been permanently Impaired, he will never speak, sing or be able to hum"
A tear slipped from Danny's eye, he quickly wiped it away. He couldn't even remember the stupid accident.
"He can take sign language classes, I suggest you all take them. For now he can use this" the doctor siad handing Danny a white board and a dry erase board.
"Danny?" Sam asked.
Danny uncapped the dry erase, he began to write. When he held up the board the room went silent.
"Who are you?" Tucker read.
Danny quickly erased and wrote more.
I remember mom and Jazz and Dad, but who are you two?
Tuckers bottom lip trembled.
"We're your best friends" Sam said her voice distorted slightly by the lump in her throat and the tears forming in her eyes.
I'm sorry, I wish I remembered
"No, it's okay Danny. It just means you get to become our friend all over again!"
Danny smiled. Soon they were all hugging each other's and bawling.
Then Danny found out about his ghost form and learned more about the ghost zone. He even found a way to keep the ghosts from attacking the town.
By the time he was sixteen he was applying for a scholarship at a prestigious school.
It wasn't in Amity Park though. Every year his school did a placement exam and any eligible students would have an application sent in for a scholarship at Gotham Preparatory school.
It was fancy, hence the need for a scholarship.
"I'm glad I get to go" Sam said boisterously.
Yeah Sam, but what about me? Danny signed.
Getting to re-know these two goofballs hadn't been that hard, but his memories seemed to be forever lost.
"Yeah Sam, me and Danny are Uber rich you know" Tucker said.
"Oh please, Tucker will pass the mathematics part, which is more than enough to qualify and if you don't make it Danny then I'll pay for you too"
No, no way Sam. I would rather just wait for next year's exam. Danny signed with a roll of his eyes.
Sam slid her arms around Danny and Tuckers shoulders, "naw, you'll come with me whether you like it or not"
Danny let out a puff of air in defiance but let Sam steer them to class.