18 King

It was Danny’s eighteenth birthday party in the Ghost Zone. He should be happy. He should be having fun. Instead, he was thinking about the Observants and what they wanted him to do.

They had crashed his party to tell him he could claim Pariah Dark’s throne. He said yes, but only because of Chelsea. She convinced him that he would still be able to protect Amity Park as king. He wasn’t so sure, but it didn’t seem like he had much of a choice.

Now, he floated off to the side while his guests mingled and enjoyed themselves. They seemed to keep their distance as much as he distanced himself ever since he accepted the role, and only half an hour had gone by since then. He was different from them. He was above them.

He didn’t like it.

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Chelsea came by and handed him a drink. “You doin’ okay?”

“Yeah, just great,” Danny said sarcastically. “Everyone loves me now that I’m their future king.” He chugged the drink and smashed the cup.

Chelsea looked warily at his hand for a moment. “Is that really what’s bothering you? What people think of you?”

“Yes. No. …I don’t know,” Danny said. “That, and the question of what will happen to Amity Park. I’ve been protecting that town for four years. It’s… hard to give up.”

“I’ll be there,” Chelsea said. “I had the best teacher. I think I can handle it.”

“Thanks, Chelsea,” Danny said with a small smile.

“As for everyone else, they’ll get used to your new position soon enough. I’m sure they’ll go back to being pests after a while.”

“I hope you’re right.”