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The clock struck ten. Maddie absentmindedly salted the soup, stirring the slightly greenish water, anxiously looking back at the door. Danny missed the curfew. Again. This is the third time this week – a feat for thursday – and the seventh time in a month. As Jack would say, success, because it was already the thirteenth. Their boy is getting better than last month!
Maddie didn't think so. Maybe Danny had missed more curfews by the same date last month, but an improvement of one or two evenings didn't make the situation any better in her eyes. Anxiety squeezed the mother's heart.
Turning off the heat, Maddie put the pot back on the stand. I tried it. Too salty, with a slight bitterness of ectoplasm. In fact, no one in the family seems to care anymore, and she noticed that Danny was more likely to ask for more of those dishes that were more contaminated. Jazz has spent many hours complaining about the experiments that are being conducted in the kitchen, but in the last six months, it seems even she has given up. Maddie noticed that her daughter eats more deliveries or tries to cook herself, but no longer insists on the same for Danny.
It worries her. More than the fact of contaminated food. The daughter clearly knows what's going on with Danny, but none of her children tell her or Jack about it. They don't trust them as much as they used to.
Maddie wasn't even planning on making soup! She and Jack were going to go on patrol together this evening, maybe finally track down this ghost boy and catch him! They had a theory that it was because of him that the ghosts kept coming to the city, and it would only be possible to prove it by catching the main culprit.
However, just before she left, Maddie realized that Danny was still not at home. She planned to brush it off, accepting that her son had some secret hobbies, dangerous and wrong, but which she could not prevent in any way.
And then my gaze fell on the kitchen. Her boy didn't have time to have breakfast, overslept and in a hurry to escape to school. In the afternoon, it became known about Skulker's attack on the school around lunchtime. Knowing Danny, her baby ran away and hid well for the duration of the attack, but most likely did not have time to eat. Maybe he and his friends went to Nasty after class, but even that thought couldn't stop Maddie from getting down to business.
Jack can handle the patrol alone. Her lover was a bit slow, maybe too loud and scary at times, but he definitely knows how to deal with a couple of creatures. And they almost never got into serious trouble. Usually, the ghost Boy or the Red Huntress got there before the Fentons or GIW. As much as I hate to admit it, these two were great at handling emergencies.
Ten-oh-five. The door swings open, and Danny runs into the house, out of breath. His bangs are stuck to his forehead, and his backpack falls off his shoulder into the corner of the umbrella stand as he looks around. His shoulders slumped as his gaze met Maddie's, and something in her chest twisted at the drooping sight of her son.
You see, she and Jack often scolded him for being late. As well as for absenteeism, and poor grades, and.. A lot for that. They were worried. They only wanted the best. But all they have achieved is that their beloved son seems to deflate when he sees them, when he knows that he has done wrong. Being the reason he looked sad and disappointed in himself hurt more than realizing that he really deserved their reprimands.
«Come on, Danny. I made you some soup» turning back to the pot, Maddie took out two plates, pouring out an even hot dish. She studiously ignored the surprised look burning into her back, and was grateful that Danny didn't ask if he was going to be scolded. When he did it for the first time, he seemed to think that they, his parents, had just given up. It was even more painful than seeing him droop. She would never give up on her son, even if at times she did not have the strength to scold him for his invariably bad behavior.
Danny quickly took a seat at the table. It's on the side, where you can see the entire kitchen and the front door. The chair is not straight, but in a small rotation, allowing you to observe the door from the kitchen to the street. Maddie doesn't remember when her son started being so aware of his surroundings. He always seemed to be more knowledgeable than he let on, and even more so than Maddie herself.
«Jazz is at her friend's today» Maddie said, putting the plates on the table and sitting next to him instead of across from him, and immediately noticed the twinkle in her son's eyes. His own smile became a little more sincere when he grunted and whispered, «Yeah, just friends» grabbing a spoon and trying to hide the words behind the soup. Joking about his sister's relationship quickly turned into a blissful expression as hot food filled his stomach. He made a rumbling sound that Danny wasn't even ashamed of as he ate spoonful after spoonful.
Maddie ate more slowly. Even if the bitterness didn't bother her, she didn't get the pleasure her son seemed to be feeling. Perhaps he and Jack should have been more concerned about Danny's ectosis, but the tests revealed nothing dangerous, except that some of their weapons sometimes mistook him for a ghost. As long as Danny wasn't worried about it, she wasn't going to do anything.
(Maddie knows how unpleasant ectoplasm-purging security measures are. She, Jack, and Jazz set aside a day for cleaning every month. When this became more extreme for Danny due to the level of his infection, a general decision was made not to cause him so much concern. Cleansing could be dangerous on a certain level, and they couldn't put Danny's current health at risk, especially when he himself seemed to be afraid of these procedures).
By the time Danny finished his second helping, Maddie had finished her own meal. She gathered up the plates and went to the sink. Behind her, Danny got up from his chair as silently as ever, and Maddie only knew about it because the «Thanks, Mom!» came from the kitchen, not from the table.
«You're welcome, honey. Can you wait in the living room for a minute?».
«Uh... Yes, of course» Danny's nervous, obviously tense voice pricked. She didn't show it, continuing to wash the plates. «Why?».
«We need to talk, darling».
Even without looking, she could imagine Danny's lips pursing and his shoulders lifting. Her expressive boy. If it hadn't been for his dream to become an astronaut, perhaps he would have been good at the theater. Danny's facial expressions were lively, and when he wasn't nervous, his movements had a flourish. Although her boy couldn't lie at all, that wasn't the talent of an actor, was it?
Not wanting to leave him feeling more nervous than necessary, Maddie didn't wipe the plates with a towel, instead spreading it out on the table and setting the dishes to drain. Wiping her hands on another towel – a slightly oily and glowing one, the one they used while working with inventions – Maddie left the kitchen.
Danny's on the couch. He was typing rapidly on his phone, as Maddie suspected, into a shared chat with Sam and Tucker. They would be wonderful kids if they didn't cover up for Danny's antics so often. The number of times they brought Danny home unconscious exceeded a strictly satisfactory number, and each time they came up with stupid excuses, never once allowing adults to step in and help.
Good friends. Maddie wished they could trust adults a little more.
«So» Danny said, putting down his phone and folding his hands in his lap. His back straightened, his eyes darted. «About what... What did you want to talk about?».
«I'm worried, Danny. And not just because you missed curfew again» Danny opened his mouth to defend himself, but Maddie raised her hand, asking not to interrupt. «Yes, young man, five minutes is also late. But that's not the reason I want to talk».
She paused, giving him a chance to say something. If Danny looked like he wanted to explain himself, he didn't. As always.
«I'm worried, Danny. I know we've been scolding you a lot lately, but only because we don't know what's going on with you. It's not just your grades that matter to us, and we wouldn't mind picking you up from your friends later than agreed, because you've lost track of time. We would have understood everything. You're a teenager, and Jazz is right in many ways that this is a difficult time, but... But we're just afraid for you, Danny. We're scared».
She sat down next to him, taking Danny's hands in hers. He wasn't looking at her, but he looked conflicted. As if he wanted to share something, but couldn't.
«I understand. You think we won't understand. We won't accept it, maybe. But we love you, Danny. Whatever happens, you can trust us. We're always on your side, Danny. Even if... Even if you've done something wrong, we'll try to figure out how to deal with it together. You're not alone».
«Even if I killed a man?» Danny's question was so sharp that for a moment Maddie was taken aback, staring at her son uncomprehendingly. His wonderful, stubborn blue eyes penetrated the depths of her soul. She couldn't tell how serious he was, but after thinking about it, she replied the way she would have acted if it were true.
«Yes. Yes, even if you killed a man. The Fentons have never been known for their law–abiding ways» she allowed herself a small laugh, mirroring the one her son sent her. The police had long since given up on fining them for driving, the tax office was afraid that they would come, and personally allowed them not to pay taxes, and their laboratory and Fenton center on the roof definitely violated more than one safety rule. Even if the murder was much more serious than all this, Maddie would have been on her son's side. «We would have destroyed the evidence. They got rid of the body. They washed the blood off your hands. We'd be on your side, Danny».
It seems that something in her words, in her tone, convinced Danny of the seriousness of her intentions. He didn't trust her, not at all, and Maddie could see that. But, at the same time... At the same time, she was his mom. She raised him, supported and protected him all his life. And he knew that she loved him more than anything in the world.
It was then that she realized that the conversation she had started would turn into an interrogation. But not Danny. No, she's the one who's going to be questioned, Maddie, and if that allows her to understand what's going on with her boy, she'll answer all his questions.
«I didn't kill anyone» Danny blurted out as an afterthought, squeezing her hands and looking down for a moment. Then he picked it up, confident and stubborn again. «But... If that's what I believe in... Got involved. If it's related to your job, Mom?».
«With our job, honey?».
«Yes. If it's related to ghosts».
«You...» She paused, trying to figure out what he meant. Was this a question asked by many children? About what is more important to their parents: children or work? Did they devote so much time to their work that they inadvertently neglected their children?
Yes, and now she clearly understands this, and from how obvious it is, it tingles behind her eyes. She didn't want Danny – or Jazz – to think that for Maddie and Jack, work was more important than their own children.
«You'll always be more important to us, Danny. You and Jazz».
«And if I asked you to stop all this? Give up your job? Would you have refused?».
It was... Too much. A moment ago, her thoughts that work could not be more important to her than children immediately contradicted each other.
«Darling... The city needs us. The ghosts, they are...».
«Would you refuse or not?».
Yes or no. No extenuating circumstances. There are no «buts» or «however». Danny needed an answer, truthful but harsh.
The residents would be in danger. Only the Phantom, the Red Huntress, and the government would be left on the defensive. There would be no one to supply citizens with weapons for self-defense. But...
But last week, Danny was limping. A couple of days ago, his nose looked like he had put it back in place on his own. There hasn't been a day in the last month that he hasn't had a new bruise. If it had anything to do with their work, if giving up their life's work would keep Danny safe...
«Yes. Yes, we would have refused».
She speaks with a firmness she didn't expect to hear from herself. Nevertheless, the surprise in Danny's eyes seems unpleasant. It was unpleasant to realize that he thought his parents would put him lower than their job.
(But can you blame him? Maddie didn't answer right away. She thought about it. Even she had her doubts).
«Good, good. This... That's good» Danny takes his hand out of their grasp for a moment, wiping his eyes with it, and Maddie involuntarily softens. She reaches out, running her hand through her son's hair, and he clings to her like a particularly touch-hungry kitten. «But suppose... Purely hypothetically. You say that you would be on my side. But... What would happen if I died? If it were an "ectoplasmic imprint of posthuman consciousness"?».
The bitterness in his words burned Maddie, but their meaning was heavier. It didn't seem hypothetical. It didn't seem like a random guess. It wasn't...
Oh.
It wasn't a lie.
His previous question was not a simple one, «which is more important: work or children». It was a question about their values, about their priorities. Would they have fought with their own son if he had died? Would they continue to stand by his side, as she promises.
"No," Maddie wants to say. "No, you can't ask that. You're not dead. You are alive. We would have noticed if you had died. And we wouldn't let you die with regrets forcing your soul to linger."
But she doesn't say that. Instead, Maddie thinks about it. Danny's ectosis is strong. Stronger than anyone else in Amity. If anyone is destined to become a ghost after death... So this is for her son.
Why hadn't she thought of that before? I didn't realize that their experiments not only increased the risk that always existed, but also made it virtually impossible for Danny not to become a ghost. They made sure that he became the one they were fighting. God, less than an hour ago she had fed him ectoplasm soup without even thinking!
"Would you still be ghost hunters?" Danny knows for sure that he will remain a ghost. But why is it coming up now? Is there a risk of death in what he's gotten himself into? Is he really in a gang, as he and Jack have long assumed? Or... Or is he depressed? Is Danny going to commit suicide? And then didn't the only thing that stopped him was that his own parents would then start harassing him?
«Darling, we would» she stammered. A lump rose in my throat. «We would never hunt you, Danny. Never. You are our son. My son. I love you».
Her eyes were shining. In the blue oceans opposite, she saw the answering waves of tears. None of them allowed them to spill. Not yet.
«And... and if... Hypothetically. If I'm already a ghost?».
«Darling!» She couldn't help herself, rushing forward and hugging her son to her. Danny froze for a second, as it seemed to her, in fright, but then relaxed, accepting the hug. Without answering. His hands remained trapped between their bodies. «Don't be silly. You're alive, Danny, alive and well. And no matter what happens, we will help. We can do this together. If necessary, we will leave work, close the portal and leave here. Far, far away. But don't talk such nonsense, Danny. You are alive».
Because it couldn't be otherwise.
She couldn't help but notice that her son had died.
«Can you close the portal?» He didn't even seem to realize he'd said it out loud, his voice sounded stunned, but the next moment he pulled back just a little so they could look at each other. Doubt, uncertainty, and fear still showed in her native features, but Maddie sensed hope and timid need and request behind it all. A plea for acceptance, maybe.
No matter what he wanted to say, she would finally find out what was going on with her boy. And whatever it was, she would keep her promise.
«Mom» she swallowed. The next moment, a white flash appeared near his stomach. Despite the bone-chilling fear, Maddie refused to let go of Danny, holding him tightly in her arms.
His black hair was streaked with gray. I could feel the familiar latex of the protective suit under my palms. His clear blue eyes, as clear as the day he was born, lit up like pure ectoplasm.
«I'm a ghost».