Lost and Gained ch 18

“AAAAA!” Jazz screamed.  “Look out!  Can’t stop!”  She barely got the words out before the ghost registered them, and tried to get out of the way...far too late.   Jazz closed her eyes, and braced for impact.  She wasn’t disappointed, and easily hit the other spirit with a loud thud.  They fell in a tangle of limbs, hair and newly acquired bruises on the floor in front of the open porthole.

Jazz sat up first, favoring a sore shoulder.  “Sorry,” she said, letting it slip out by accident before she realized who she had apologized to.  A groan only met her comment.  “I’m...er...kind of new at this,” she laughed nervously.

“Obviously,” the black-haired genie sat up, rubbing her head, and fixing some of the jewelry she wore.

“Er...” Jazz looked down, feeling sorry despite herself.  “Are you alright?”  The ghost looked up suspiciously.

“Why would you care?”  Jazz shrugged in answer, not really sure herself.  “I’m fine,” the Genie said as she ran a hand through the long, black tresses of hair that seemed to accentuate her every move.  Jazz almost found herself taking notes to improve her own behavior, when she realized what she was doing, and shook her head.

“Maybe you should...um...go and rest,” she looked at the Fenton Porthole.

“Nice try,” the Genie rolled her eyes, and floated into the air.

Jazz shrugged.  “Figured it was worth a try.”

“I am Desiree, and you’re heart’s desire is my command,” the genie suddenly took on an air of service and helpfulness that Jazz found completely fake.

“Really...well, I wish–“

“Wait,” Desiree held up a hand.  “Before you continue, I would just like to know one thing.”  Jazz shut her mouth and looked up warily, raising her eyebrow in question.  “Does the half ghost child, Danny Phantom, still reside here?  If you answer, I shall leave you in peace.”  For once, Jazz didn’t really know how to answer that question.  In all technicality, Danny Phantom didn’t exist anymore...although Danny Fenton did...

“Er...kind of...” she replied slowly.

Desiree cocked her head suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that it’s a long story.  I’m filling in for him while he...recovers.”

“But he does remain,” she asked hopefully.

“I hope so,” Jazz sighed.

“I shall take that into consideration,” Desiree said with a grin, and she suddenly straitened up, before bowing deeply.  “I thank you for your help,” she rose, and disappeared into the ghost zone.

“Okay, that was weird,” Jazz shook her head, and once again faced the porthole.  “And I still don’t want to do this.”  With a sigh, she stepped through the swirling green barrier and into the ghost zone.

*****

She hadn’t been gone 20 minutes, when a blue, maroon and white streak flew out of the door, and dived for the control button.  Jazz didn’t even look behind her, her eyes fixed on the red button ahead of her.  She didn’t care that it zapped her once again, causing her hair to stand on end, and a general, slightly burned feeling to increase around her.

“Great,” she grumbled.  “Very little practicing, and a lot of chasing by ghosts that look like gremlins.  What next?”  With that, she detransformed as she mounted the stairs, already recovering.  ‘Do all ghosts recover this fast?’ she remembered asking herself, before heading up to her room to work on some of the homework she hadn’t finished at school that day.