I rolled on my side, listening to the soft whispers of Danny and Sam. I didn't focus on what they were saying, just hearing their voices. Danielle and Tails were sound asleep nearby, but all I longed to do was run. It didn't matter that I was in some unknown land with an infinite number of perils; if anything, that made me want to do it more.

But Vlad was probably scouring the streets for me in the night. For all he knew, though, I could be anywhere. And he wasn't just some run-of-the-mill villain. I didn't want to run into him again, if I could help it.

I turned over on my back, the room suddenly becoming very quiet. For a second, it startled me, but I grew used to it. I looked to my side, seeing the soft outline of Tails a few feet away. Then I looked back at the ceiling, the darkness stretching up into the sky forever.

I tried not to focus on the growing pit in my stomach, closing my eyes and hoping for sleep. It took time, but I eventually drifted off.

I stirred to someone shaking me awake, tensing and whirling around to see Danny floating next to me. I relaxed, rubbing my eyes and letting out a yawn.

"Sorry," Danny whispered. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Somethin' you need?" I asked with another yawn.

"I thought we'd go on a field trip," Danny said, a smile on his face.

I stood up and stretched, everyone else still asleep. It made me a little nervous. "Where to?" I asked.

Danny shrugged. "I need some air and figured you wanted to get out of this place. You might be stuck in this room for a while."

"I..." I still felt uneasy. I didn't think it was a trap, but it was dangerous out there. But the thought of going outside and running was overwhelming. "What about Vlad?"

"I'll stay in the air and help if he finds you," Danny shrugged. "I'll follow you."

He disappeared, and I took a look at Tails. A wide smile came to my face, adrenaline suddenly filling my veins. The thought of going outside and running around was too enticing. I took off toward the door, opening and closing it as quietly as I could, then doing the same with the front door.

It was dark outside, but I barely took a moment to let that register. I didn't search the skies for Danny, instead dashing along the street. Everything was well lit, and there weren't a lot of cars around. It was like I had the entire city to myself. I took random turns, running through a park and over a pond.

Most of the buildings were all the same, the only real difference being the color of them. Most were mild colors like gray and dark red brick. But sometimes I passed by one that was purple or a deep black. Nothing really stood out, though.

I came to a stop at a pier, overlooking an ocean. I walked out on one of the docks, putting my hands behind my head as I looked at the big, bright moon, its reflection rippling across the waves. It was the closest thing to home I had come across.

I hung my feet over the side, trying to stay a safe distance away from the water. I leaned back, enjoying the chill in the air. It was pretty cold, but that didn't matter to me.

A few minutes passed, and I turned to see Danny landing next to me. He copied me, putting his feet over the side of the dock. Neither of us said anything, and I tried to ignore the awkwardness of the situation.

"I almost lost sight of you several times," Danny said, breaking the ice.

"Sorry," I said with a smile, "I got carried away."

"It is some sort of illusion?" Danny asked.

I frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"There's no way you can actually run that fast," Danny shook his head.

"Believe it, man," I laughed. I pointed to myself, feeling a smug look spread across my face. "You're lookin' at the fastest thing alive!"

Another silence followed that, so I shrugged and came up with something to say. "So nobody knows you're a ghost?"

I felt Danny stiffen next to me. "Just Sam and Tucker. And my sister, along with a few ghosts."

"But, why?" I asked. "Wouldn't it be easier for you if everyone knew?"

"Ghosts aren't..." Danny sighed. "Ghosts aren't exactly 'liked' around here. My own parents are ghost hunters, catching ghosts to do experiments on them."

"Ouch," I winced. 

"That's the main reason," Danny said. "It makes things a little more exciting, I guess, but... it can get annoying."

Again, we sat in another awkward silence. This time, neither of us said anything. I still didn't know what to think of him, and he probably didn't know what to think of me. After all, he wasn't helping me because he wanted to. He didn't really have another choice, unless he wanted his world ruled by a vampire ghost wannabe thing.

I lost track of time sitting there, looking at the moon. A single boat traveled far into the middle of the ocean, eventually going out of sight.

I stood up and stretched, my eyelids growing heavy. "Ready?" Danny asked. He looked tired, too.

I nodded, following him on the way back. He could fly through the air faster than I thought, but it was nowhere near my speed. We went inside the building quietly, going back into the massive bonus room. Everyone was still asleep where we had left them, and I fell on top of my makeshift bed. It didn't take long to fall asleep.

I slept in, ignoring all the noises around me. Everyone was pretty quiet, for the most part. Sometimes, their laughter got a little loud.

Eventually, I sat up, seeing Tails and Tucker sitting on the ground and working on some sort of machine. They had what looked like a pile of junk parts next to them, and they tilted their heads as they looked at something.

"What're you working on?" I asked, rising and walking toward him. Tucker ignored me, seeming to be lost in thought.

"Good morning!" Tails said with a bright smile. I couldn't help but smile back, his expression contagious. "It's just a little something that should help us find Chaos Emeralds. I... can't seem to find a way to make it work without one, though."

I looked over his shoulder, seeing the rectangular block with all sorts of wires and stuff I could never understand. I couldn't even tell if it was close to being finished or not. "Looks... complicated."

Tails shrugged. "Not really. In simple terms, it just picks up an energy reading and scans for that same energy source."

"I've done some similar things," Tucker said, hand on his chin. "Something that helps detect ghosts at a greater distance than Danny can sense."

"So we'll have to get incredibly lucky to find the first one," I sighed. "I hope Vlad doesn't have something like that that works."

"I would be surprised if he didn't," Tails lamented. "It would be a pretty big oversight."

"I guess," I replied.

I passed the day with video games and movies, feeling useless as Danny and his friends went to go look for 'anything shiny'. Danielle played games with me, too, but I still itched to do something besides sit on a pretty comfy bean bag and eat chips. I wished that something, anything, would happen.

Unfortunately, I got my wish.

The wall above us suddenly burst, making us all jump to our feet. Something that looked like a robot with green, fiery hair jumped inside, setting its sights on me. It smiled, slowly walking forward and stopping when it was a few feet away.

Danielle came up beside me, arms folded and an annoyed look on her face. "You're Skulker, right?"

"Yes," it replied. "I am Skulker, the world's greatest ghost hunter. I'm here for the blue spiky hedgehog that, uh..." It stopped, looking at something on its arm. "That doesn't look like a hedgehog."

"He's under my protection," Danielle hissed. "You'll have to go through me."

"That can be easily arranged," Skulker said with a large smile. Danielle took a step back, turning to her ghost form.

"Did Vlad send you?" I asked dryly.

"If you mean Plasmius," Skulker said, "then yes. You have a massive bounty on your head like I've never seen, boy. It didn't take long to locate you after learning the ghost boy had you. I have orders to take you alive, so come along quietly."

My eyes scanned the room, and I felt relieved when I didn't see Tails. The last thing I wanted to happen was a repeat of before. "And if I don't?" I asked.

Skulker's smile grew bigger, and I had to steel myself to keep from taking a step back like Danielle. There was something unnerving and creepy about him, and I got the sense that he was powerful. "The bounty is to take you alive, and there's nothing against presenting you barely alive."

"Then let's get this party started!" I shouted, spindashing into him. Apparently, he hadn't expected my speed, and I watched as he flew across the room, sliding along the ground. Dani had disappeared, hopefully either getting Danny or preparing a sneak attack. I easily stepped to the side as Skulker punched at me. He blinked, staring at me. I couldn't help but smile, waiting for his next attack.

But then he disappeared. I whirled around, my senses on edge and listening for any sound. My feet moved on their own, walking around as if moving would make him miss. How was I supposed to fight against something I couldn't even see?

Skulker came out of the ground, punching my chin and knocking me backward. Dani appeared behind him as he looked over me, shooting a ghost ray thingy into his back. I rolled to the side, kicking his feet out from under him. He fell on his back, and I laughed. "Kind of clumsy for a hunter, huh?"

He looked annoyed, disappearing again. "Look out!" Dani screamed. I turned and ducked as a missile flew past me, blowing up the far wall and opening the room to the outside. I was distracted by the giant opening in the wall and didn't have time to react as Skulker grabbed my arm, throwing me into the outside. I got to my knees, jumping out of the way as a car swerved around me. The person inside yelled something, then drove away.

My heart raced as Skulker flew toward me, but I was too stunned to do anything. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what was going on. Something stopped the robot, though, knocking him back. Danny was floating above me, eyes trained on Skulker. "How many times do I have to tell you to pick on someone your own size?" Danny asked. "How much is Vlad paying you?"

"State of the art upgrades worth millions," Skulker answered. The greed was obvious in his voice. "Enough to make me the best ghost hunter alive."

"That's it?" Danny said. "I was expecting more."

"Yes, well," Skulker said, "he's already upgraded me. I'm faster, stronger, and better than ever before. Even with you, catching that rat will be easy."

"I am not," I sneered, "a rat."

"Whatever you say," Skulker said, that annoying grin back on his face. I rushed forward and spindashed toward him, but he held his hands out, stopping me in my tracks. He hurled me back at Danny, and we tumbled over each other.

I got up, my nerves on end and my stomach fluttering. "It works!" Skulker laughed.

"We'll see about that," I muttered, watching Danny fly forward. A ray shot down from the sky onto Skulker, and Danny threw his fist toward his face. But Skulker caught his hand, throwing Danny into a building. I winced as his head hit the corner, his limp body changing into its human form as he fell to the ground.

I yelled out as he shot another missile at the building, but Danny didn't move. I shot forward as the projectile hit the building, only having time to cover as much of Danny's body as I could with mine. I shouted out as the bricks fell onto my back, the weight crushing. My body shook as the weight continued to grow, or maybe as my body grew weak. Hard to tell with hundreds of pounds trying to smush you.

Just as my muscles were about to give out, the weight started to lift, and I held out. Before long, I saw light creep through, Tucker pulling Danny out as I collapsed to the ground.

"You..." Sam said, her voice trailing away. "You saved his life."

"That's what friends do, isn't it?" I smiled, accepting her hand as she hoisted me up to my feet. Sam turned her attention on Danny as he stirred, and for a second, I forgot about the threat behind me. Too late, I remembered Skulker, something wrapping around my body and mouth, pinning my arms to my side and muffling my voice.

Danielle appeared in front of us, fists ready to fight. Her suit was ripped on one arm, a gash trailing down it. She looked exhausted. I kicked my feet, trying to get out of his literal iron grip. In the corner of my eye, I saw Danny get unsteadily to his feet, Sam and Tucker at his side. "Let him go, Skulker," Danny said, looking like he was struggling as he changed to his ghost form. "He's not even from this universe."

"And you think I care?" Skulker asked. Something on his arm below my nose opened, and a fizzing sound filled the air. "I don't care what Plasmius wants. I only want to further my occupation."

As I took a breath, something smelled funny. The world started to spin, my body feeling sluggish all of a sudden. Danielle looked alarmed, her face becoming blurry. I wasn't even aware my feet had stopped, my eyelids feeling heavy. I fought to keep them open, my ears starting to ring. I tried to hold my breath, but it only made it worse, my head feeling like a balloon.

"This was almost too easy," Skulker laughed, my ears flicking as he spoke. His voice sounded weird. "It's a shame I can't have the ghost boy's head now, seeing as none of you are in the shape to fight me any more."

I tried to kick my legs again, but they felt like concrete blocks had been glued to them. My body was numb, thoughts slowly trailing through my mind. When something shot Skulker from behind and sent me out of his grip, I hardly noticed.

The two ghost kids sprang into action. I saw Tails run behind me, some large weapon in his arms. Skulker flew into the air, grabbing me and flying into the sky. For a moment, too much had happened for my foggy brain to process. But as I saw that we were getting further and further from the sky, I blinked hard, summoning all my strength to arc my back and spindash away from his grasp.

The ground came up quickly, and I saw Danny fly past me back toward Skulker. Danielle tackled me before I hit the ground, the two of us rolling across the street. I barely felt anything, though, besides the throbbing in my head that wouldn't stop.

Dani changed into her human form, standing over me and holding her arm. She looked up as Danny slowly flew back to us, nearly collapsing when his feet touched the ground, his ghost form dissolving off of him. He was holding some sort of tube, and I jumped as the robot fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

"What happened to him?" I asked, frowning as my words slurred together. The world was finally starting to stop spinning, but I wasn't sure it would get better from there.

Danny shook the tube. "It's a... well, you can suck up ghosts in it. He won't be getting out for a while."

"That's..." I didn't know what to say, words failing to come to my mind. With a groan I brought my hands up to my head, rubbing my temples.

"Thanks for the save," Danny said hesitantly. "I guess I underestimated your ability to fight back."

"It was all good until he grabbed me," I said. "Now the world's spinning, you all have doubles, and my head is going to explode."

Danielle laughed, holding out a hand to help me up. I took it, but would have fallen on my face if she wasn't there. She wrapped my arm around her neck, helping me stand.

"I'll check on you in the morning," Danny said with a tired wave. "I don't feel so good after hitting that wall."

Without another word he turned back into his ghost form, slowly flying in the direction of his home. Sam went inside her house, Dani phased through the wall and slowly hovered into the basement.

I sank to the floor, curling on top of a sleeping bag. I was vaguely aware of Sam trying to talk to me, but her words sounded like I was underwater. I closed my eyes, falling asleep instantly.

Someone shook me awake in the morning, calling my name. I reluctantly opened my eyes, Tails' face next to mine.

"What is it, Tails?" I asked, my mind foggy and my eyes struggling to stay open.

"I had a bad dream," he said. I sat up and frowned, my head spinning.

"Oh, yeah?" I said, keeping my voice low. I yawned, my eyelids heavy. I could barely think straight. "What was it about?"

Tails didn't say anything, his hesitation making me uneasy. "Sorry," he said. "I should let you sleep."

"Don't worry about it," I smiled, realizing he wouldn't be able to see my face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I saw him shake his head. "No."

I frowned. Tails had never really told me about nightmares before.

"I just wanna go home," Tails sniffed. I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the ground next to me, swaying with fatigue. I pulled him into a hug, feeling heavy with guilt.

"I know," I said, rubbing his head. "We'll find a way out soon."

I held him for a while, trying to comfort him. We were trying to fight something unlike anything we had ever battled before. I wasn't surprised he was scared. Even I had a bad feeling in my gut, knowing that this was far from over. We hadn't even managed to find one Chaos Emerald, and Vlad was going to be on my tail until we did.

I looked to the side, Danielle next to a stack of books and watching us over the top of one. She covered her face with it when she saw me glance at her.

Tails pulled away, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry. I'm okay."

"You sure?" I asked.

He nodded, putting on a smile. "It's all just scary. I feel like something's watching me when I try to sleep. This whole place just gives me the creeps."

"It's not the best place I've ever been to," I chuckled. "But I'll make sure we get home."

"And I'll do everything I can to help," he said.

I felt groggy and dazed, a fog over my mind. I sat up slowly, a hand on my head.

"Take it slow," Danielle said, walking over to me. She had a bag of chips in her hands, a sympathetic smile on her face. "Whatever Skulker drugged you with was pretty powerful."

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

Danielle gestured with her head toward the door. "The others had school today."

"Seriously?" I scoffed. "School?"

Danielle shrugged. "They still have to graduate. You don't think they want to spend their lives hunting ghosts, do you?"

I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it. This world was a lot different than where I came from. "Well," I said, "what does Danny want to do?"

"He wants to be an astronaut," Danielle said proudly. "Same as me."

"Space is cool," I said, resisting telling the story about Shadow and the ARK. "Shouldn't you be in school, too, then?"

"I know everything Danny knows," she announced.

"That's some confidence, there."

Danielle looked a little hurt, drawing a picture on the ground with her finger. "I'm a clone of Danny. Well, a failed clone."

"Wait," I frowned, "seriously?"

"Yep," she said with a nod.

"No wonder you two look so alike," I said, tilting my head. "Why'd Danny try to clone himself?"

Another flash of pain scored across her features, and I felt a bit guilty. For a moment, she didn't say anything. She continued drawing her little picture on the ground, the bag of chips forgotten.

"He didn't," Danielle said quietly. "It was Vlad."

I almost moved backward, the name leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

"I don't serve him or anything," Danielle said quickly. "He didn't want me."

I didn't know what to say, so I said the first thing that came to my mind. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said. "My life is much better than it ever would have been with Vlad."

"This just makes Vlad even creepier."

Dani laughed, smiling brightly. "You don't have to tell me that."