Pancakes?
Why could Sam smell pancakes?
There had been no fight recently and Hayley only ever made pancakes after a big fight.
"Pancakes are gorge food. We work until we drop, then we gorge on pancakes."
That had been her philosophy since they'd met, so why?
Sam slowly opened her eyes and an unfamiliar room met her sight. Of course, she was in Amity Park; which meant it wasn't Hayley downstairs in the kitchen cooking pancakes. Nor was it any of her other coven members. Suddenly, with a rush of horrid memories, her excitement in having pancakes plummeted to feeling downright sick at the thought of the damn things.
Sun was filtering through Sam's open window along with a soft breeze. She could have sworn she closed both the windows and her curtains last night. Sam rolled over to face the door. It was open just a crack but Sam knew she had definitely shut it last night before bed.
It was probably just Gramm. She thought to herself as she rolled out of bed and slipped her feet into a pair of black slippers.
Sam threw on a pretty silk black kimono robe over the tank top and panties she slept in. After tying her hair in a bun, she sauntered downstairs to find a most unexpected sight.
"What are you doing here?" Right there in her Grandmother's kitchen was Danny, the boy from yesterday who had helped with the bags. He was dressed in the same hoodie as yesterday, same sneakers too. He did have a blue shirt on though.
"Hey! I-..." As soon as he turned around, Danny's bright grin dropped with a light shade of pink growing a little on his face. His blue eyes widened at the sight of her in a robe.
He quickly cleared his throat. "I'm cooking pancakes, you want some?" He smiled at her briefly before flipping the pancake in the air and catching it in the pan.
"Do you live here or something?" Sam, eyeing him cautiously, slid onto one of the seats at the kitchen counter.
"Nope," was all he said. Sam tapped her fingers impatiently on the counter's black marble surface.
"So why are you here? Cooking pancakes? At seven in the morning? In my grandmother's house?" She gritted. Something about this situation aggravated her. Maybe it was his casual demeanor, like it was okay to be cooking in some else's kitchen.
"Because it's Saturday," he chirped. Or maybe it was because he thought that was a valid reason.
"Care to elaborate?"
Danny paused his cooking and looked at her.
"Um, hello? Saturday? C'mon, everyone knows Saturday morning means pancakes." Danny smiled at her again and went back to cooking.
Sam tapped her fingers against the countertop again. "So, why can't you have them at your house?"
Danny rolled his eyes. "Let's just say my kitchen isn't as good as your grandma's. My folks don't exactly cook a lot. And when they do, it...doesn't turn out well."
Sam quirked an eyebrow. "I see. So, how do you know my Gramm?"
Danny grinned as he stacked the flapjacks on a plate. "We met a few years ago," he explained as he brought them over to the counter and set them down. "There was an...incident, and she helped us out, so we repaid her by helping out around the house with chores. In the end, she took a liking to us, so now we help out with the chores, shopping, and stuff, and Grammy Manson lets us study here."
"Who exactly is us? And why can't you study at home?"
"Us would be my older sister, Jazz, my best friend Tucker and myself. And let's just say my parents are ghost hunters. The house is generally in chaos, and Tucker's place, well, there's too much techno-junk to move an inch without tripping over something," he continued with a childish smile. "Plus Grammy Manson makes awesome chocolate chip cookies; they just seem to make all your troubles vanish."
Sam nodded her head, his explanation sounded reasonable enough, but...
"What was the incident and why are you making so many pancakes?"
"There are so many pancakes because Jazz and Tucker are coming for breakfast, and then there's you, me and your grandma, too. You do like pancakes, right?"
Sam's stomach churned. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to eat pancakes right now.
"And the incident?" Sam inquired.
Danny gave her an impish grin. His icy blue eyes gleaming at her. "It's not important."
Sam narrowed her eyes at him, her cheeks growing warm. Weirdo...
Upon hearing the front door open and close, Sam swiveled in her chair.
Seconds later a young woman with strawberry-blonde hair dressed in a simple teal sweater and black skirt walked through the kitchen door. Accompanying her was a slightly younger African-American boy wearing a pair of long green army cargo pants and a yellow hoodie with a red beret on his head and a pair of glasses.
They froze the second they saw the pretty black-haired girl sat at the counter. Behind Sam, Danny smiled and gave a quick wave to the two new people.
"Hey, guys! This is Sam. Sam, this is Jazz and Tucker," Danny greeted brightly as he smiled at her.
Jazz smiled at her, too. Her light teal colored eyes gave off a very motherly gleam. She calmly walked over to Sam and reached her hand out to shake.
"It's nice to meet you, Sam. I'm Danny's sister, Jasmine, but everyone just calls me Jazz," she spoke very diplomatically.
Sam gave her an uneasy look but shook her hand anyway. "Likewise."
Tucker came up to her next and gave her flirtatious smirk. "And I'm Tucker, or Tuck, or TF...for Too Fine."
A shiver went down her back as Sam looked at him uncomfortably. "Are you hitting on me?"
"Well, I-..." Tucker tried to reply before Danny interjected.
"Tuck, she's Mrs. Manson's grandaughter," the blue-eyed boy pointed out, throwing a bit of look in his best friend's direction. "Best to keep your distance."
"Oh," Tucker's flirty confidence deflated before giving Sam a sheepish laugh. "Sorry about that."
Sam rolled her eyes at him. "It's nice to meet you, too."
She got up off her seat at the counter and went into the kitchen to fetch the kettle.
Tea. Tea was exactly what she needed right now.
Meow. Sam looked down to see Nyx lovingly rubbing up against her legs.
Jazz and Tucker sat down at the kitchen table, ready to dig into the pancakes Danny had made.
Danny himself couldn't help, but let his eyes follow Sam's form into the kitchen.
It must be the robe she had dressed in.
"So, Sam," Jazz said, always the conversation starter. "Where are you from?"
Sam didn't look up from the loose tea she expertly brewed. The sweet smell of licorice met her nose. "New Orleans; I just got in last night."
"New Orleans? Cool!" Danny chimed in. "Always wanted to go there. It would be a nice change."
"Seriously," Jazz said. "No daily ghost attacks."
Sam literally had to stifle her laughter. Danny quirked an eyebrow at her.
"You good?"
She turned, cleared her throat, and gave him an innocent smile. "Oh, yeah, just a tickle in my throat."
"We still going to the mall today?" Jazz asked.
Tucker groaned. "We made plans to go to the mall today?"
"Yes, Tuck," Danny said as he came over to the table. "We have to get school supplies."
"No!" Tucker cried in sorrow. "You just had to remind me, man!"
Rolling her eyes, Jazz ran her fingers through her long hair. "Grow up, Tucker. It's not the end of the world."
"No, just the end of summer and that's just as bad!" Tucker whined.
Danny turned from their bickering over to Sam, who was bringing over a piping hot teapot of sweet-smelling tea and a teacup.
She sat down next to him at the table, tuning out Tucker and Jazz's argument as well. Nyx came over and leaped into Sam's lap. She easily got comfy, but not before shooting another suspicious glare in Danny's direction.
Sam carefully poured the sweet brew into the cup before delicately cradling it in her small hands.
"That smells good," Danny spoke. The sweet smell taunted his senses. "What is it?"
"Egyptian Licorice with honey," Sam answered quietly. It felt so strange, sitting at a table with a bunch of strangers when no less than a day ago she was standing in a graveyard with someone she considered a sister, looking over the grave of another one of their sisters. Talk about culture shock.
The discomfort she felt wasn't subsiding, despite having her favorite tea in her system. Before she realized it, she found herself staring into the reflective surface of her tea. Her eyes became glazed over and the entire world around her became nulled to her senses. The image of a pair of blood-red eyes flashed in her head.
Danny noticed her dazed look. His brows furrowed in slight concern.
"Sam?" His voice tugged her out of her vision. She felt him place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
Sam shook her head. "Y-yes, thank you." She delicately brushed a loose lock of hair back behind her ear.
It had been so long since she's ever had a vision, she didn't even notice she was having one.
Danny's gaze lingered on her but was quickly interrupted.
"Sam?" Jazz questioned. "Would you like to join us? Danny mentioned that you would be coming to school with us."
Sam slid her gaze over to Danny, who had quickly looked away from her while clearing his throat.
She rolled her eyes. "Sure, why not?"
The feeling of discomfort was quickly turning into an impending doom-type feeling. The same kind she had felt last night when she had been speaking to Phantom. She doubted this scenario was going to end quite as well.
-------------
Gramm Manson had come down to breakfast. The table was laden with pancakes, syrups and all kinds of spreads for pancakes. The table had been quiet for most of the meal until Grandma Ida happily told Sam that her enrollment at Casper High was all settled.
Of course, she was delighted to let Sam accompany Danny, Tucker, and Jazz to go get school supplies. She was happy that they were welcoming Sam so well. Despite Sam's hesitation, Ida knew it was what she needed.
After getting dressed in her favorite purple tunic sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans with her silver pocket watch around her neck, she headed out with them.
When they got there, Danny took it on himself to show Sam around Amity Mall.
Of course, being that they lived in Amity Park, it didn't take long for there to be a ghost attack.
Danny and Sam were behind a counter, separated from Jazz and Tucker. The specter looked like a giant green lion floating in the center of the food court. The other shoppers had run the second the creature appeared.
"So, does this happen often around here?" Sam asked Danny quietly.
"Oh, yeah," he groaned exasperatedly. "Once or twice a day, when it's quiet. Five or six if it's busy."
"So this thing-" She started.
"Ghost." Danny glanced at Sam as he corrected her.
"Right, ghost. What're its weaknesses, powers, tactics? Give me a run down."
"Okay, not sure I can give you tactics or weaknesses but powers I can do." Danny pulled out what looked like a compact camera from his back pocket, took a picture of the ghost and showed Sam the screen.
"Powers include; pyro-kinesis, levitation, intangibility, and invisibility. Pyro-kinesis? That's its main power? How do we get rid of it?" Sam asked seriously. "Do you have any equipment or chemicals that can weaken it?"
Sam noticed Danny give her a strange look. "We? Oh no, you will stay where it's safe; I will get rid of the ghost. And this is a ghost, what kind of chemicals could hurt it?"
It took every ounce of her being not to give him an answer or a hefty kick to the rear. She's faced way more terrifying things this specter!
But he didn't know that.
Biting her tongue, Sam rolled her eyes. "Okay, Superman, how do you get rid of the ghost?"
"I stick it in the... oh, crap," Danny looked around quickly, clearly worried.
"What? What's the problem?" Sam put her hand on Danny's shoulder, tingles shooting up her arm. She removed her hand and looked at it. Last time her hand had tingled like that, her witch senses had been telling her the person she was touching was her Innocent, someone she was supposed to help, to stick by until her task is done.
Sam rolled her eyes; she couldn't deny it, no matter how much she wanted to.
"It's called the Fenton Thermos and it's used to catch and hold ghosts. I think I may have dropped it," he sheepishly admitted. His face flushed a bit.
Sam gave him a rather cheeky smirk. "Wow, are you always this professional, Ray Stanz?"
Danny glared at her before groaning in frustration. Sam stuck her head up above the counter and tried to scope out the room, but had to duck back down as a huge blast of fire came her way.
From her hunched position, it let her get a good glimpse at the decorative planter. Right beside it was chrome and green thermos.
She quickly tapped Danny on the shoulder. "Danny, is that it? Over there?"
"Yes! I'll grab it." Danny recklessly stood and went forward, only for Sam to pull him back just in time to get him out of the line of fire. Literally.
"You'll need a distraction if you even hope of getting over there," she hissed.
Danny took a look at the angry lion ghost from behind the counter. It was a menacing looking thing. Furious yellow eyes that burned hatred, and a green, ghostly glow that made it even more terrifying.
He turned back to Sam with a sigh. "You're right. Where are we going to get a distraction?"
She slyly eyed him. "Oh, I've found I can be very distracting. How long would it take you to get to the thermos?"
"Not long, five seconds to reach it, maybe another five to get the ghost in, if it's distracted." He gave her a cautious look. "Wait a minute, what are you planning? I don't want an accident here."
Sam crosses her arms. "I'm giving you the distraction you need," she stated firmly. "I'm not sitting off on the sidelines, so don't even bother trying to stop me."
Danny was taken back. Her lovely lilac eyes were fiery and they were rendering him speechless.
He sighed and nodded. "Just be careful, okay?"
"You've got ten seconds," without warning Sam sprang into action.
So much for new beginnings, her conscience droned.
As Sam leaped over the counter and instantly started dodging fireballs, she was struck by a sudden sense of déjà vu.
This was not the first time she has had to dodge fireballs. She'd been doing it quite often since the Circle of Five first started saving Innocents, although the first time had been rough. She wasn't as agile and fast as she was now.
Selene and Haley had pushed Sam, Zoey, and Barbra into taking gymnastics with them and five years of it had paid off. She flipped onto a table, a fireball just missing the edges of her sweater.
Sam paid no attention to the room around her; relying instead on her witchy instincts and senses to guide her and help her dodge the attacks without running into anything.
Danny, still in the same hiding spot, couldn't stop himself from gaping. If he wasn't careful, his jaw might fall off.
Who is this girl?!
At the edge of her hearing Sam heard a sound that reminded her of the numerous portals she had encountered, and a scream, she dodged one final fireball and opened her eyes.
She was perched rather precariously on a sign in front of one of the food stalls. A few feet away was Danny looking up at her with the same look of shock on his face. The ghost was nowhere in sight.
Sam rolled her eyes him and flipped off the sign onto the ground. Danny continued to give her that look.
"Gymnastics," she said simply.
Danny shook off his surprise and smiled at her. "It sure did you good. That was amazing! I don't think I've ever seen anyone move like that before."
"You don't watch the gymnastics on TV? I told you I was good at being distracting." Sam gave him a sort of half-smile.
"You're not hurt, are you?" He asked gently, subtly scanning her for any kind of wound or bruising.
"Of course not," Sam scoffed. "What about you, Superman?"
"I'm good," he said with a rather goofy smile on his face. "C'mon, we should go find Jazz and Tucker now. They have our stuff." Danny looped his arm through Sam's and promptly began to drag her in the direction they had last seen Jazz and Tucker.
Under normal circumstances, Sam would have slapped Danny upside the head for not only touching but dragging her. However, he was her Innocent until proven otherwise, and truth be told, he was too adorable to slap, much to her flustered chagrin.
Adorable in an annoying, hero-complex kind of way.