The morning started like any other at Casper High. Samael Fenton sat in Mr. Lancer's English class, his broad frame making the standard-issue desk feel somewhat cramped.
At fifteen, he'd inherited his father's impressive build, though thankfully not his clumsiness.
The football coach had been trying to recruit him since freshman year, but Samael preferred keeping his afternoons free for helping in his parents' lab – someone had to make sure they wouldn't blow up Amity Park.
"And so, class," Mr. Lancer droned, "the symbolic significance of the green light in 'The Great Gatsby' represents..."
A commotion outside the classroom drew Samael's attention. Through the door's window, he caught a glimpse of his younger brother Danny being shoved against a locker by Dash Baxter.
Samael's jaw clenched. He raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Fenton?"
"May I use the restroom?"
Lancer sighed but nodded. As Samael stepped into the hallway, Dash immediately released Danny, trying to look casual.
"Hey, Sam," Dash said, using the nickname most people did, though Samael preferred his full name. "Just having a chat with your brother here."
Samael crossed his arms, his muscular frame filling the hallway. "Looks like an interesting chat. Mind if I join?"
"Actually, I just remembered I have... something." Dash backed away, maintaining his fake smile. "Later, Fentons."
Once Dash was gone, Danny straightened his shirt, looking both grateful and embarrassed. "I had it handled."
"Sure you did, little brother." Samael ruffled Danny's hair. "You okay?"
"Yeah, thanks." Danny adjusted his backpack. "But you can't always be there to save me, you know."
"Watch me try." Samael grinned. "Hey, how about we hit the Nasty Burger after school? My treat."
Danny shook his head. "Can't. Sam and Tucker are coming over to work on our science project."
"Right. Well, try to stay out of trouble until then?"
"No promises," Danny smiled before heading to his next class.
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. During lunch, Samael sat with his usual group – not quite the popular crowd, but respected enough. Being built like a linebacker had its social advantages, even if you weren't on the team.
"Fenton!" Kwan called out. "Party at my place this weekend. You in?"
"Maybe," Samael replied, watching Danny's table across the cafeteria. His brother sat with Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, their heads together over what looked like blueprints. Something about that made him uneasy.
Paulina, the school's queen bee, slid onto the bench next to him. "You should definitely come," she said, flipping her hair. "It won't be the same without you."
"I'll think about it." Samael stood, gathering his tray. "Got to check something."
He approached Danny's table, catching the tail end of their conversation.
"...and then we can see what's really inside," Sam was saying excitedly.
"I don't know, guys," Danny replied. "My parents said it doesn't work."
"What doesn't work?" Samael asked, making all three jump.
Tucker hastily folded the papers. "Just... homework stuff."
"Uh-huh." Samael raised an eyebrow. "Danny, remember what Mom and Dad said about the lab."
"We're not going to touch anything," Danny promised, a little too quickly.
Samael narrowed his eyes at them, but decided to let it go, for now.
After lunch, Samael had gym class, where Coach Tetslaff once again tried to convince him to join the football team.
"You're wasting natural talent, Fenton," she said as he finished his laps. "Could get you a college scholarship."
"I appreciate the offer, Coach, but I'm good." He headed to the locker room, thinking about Danny's suspicious behavior at lunch.
The afternoon classes dragged by. In chemistry, Samael's lab partner accidentally created a small explosion, which reminded him eerily of his parents' experiments.
Speaking of which, they'd texted asking him to pick up supplies after school.
The local grocery store had a special "Fenton Family" section now, stocking the weird items his parents regularly needed.
As he grabbed the ecto-filtered water and specialized cleaning supplies, the cashier didn't even blink.
"The usual Fenton special?" she asked, scanning the items.
"Plus some actual food," he added, placing bread and sandwich materials on the counter.
Walking home, the plastic bags cutting into his palms, Samael thought about his family.
Most people in Amity Park thought the Fentons were weird, with their ghost obsession and outlandish inventions. But they were his weird family, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Fenton Works came into view, the giant UFO-like structure on top making it impossible to miss. The living room was empty when he entered, which wasn't unusual.
His parents had been sulking since their ghost portal failed to activate, and Jazz was probably off somewhere practicing amateur psychology on unsuspecting classmates.
But the silence from upstairs – from Danny's room – that was strange. Sam and Tucker were supposed to be over, and those three were never quiet.
"Danny?" he called out, setting the groceries down. No response.
The knot in his stomach tightened as he remembered the blueprints at lunch. The portal. Danny had been fascinated by it, even after it failed.
They both knew the password – 'GHOSTFUDGE' (their father wasn't exactly subtle with these things) – and Danny had been asking questions about it all week.
"Please don't be that stupid," Samael muttered, taking the stairs to the lab two at a time.
He burst through the lab door to find exactly what he'd feared: Danny, wearing one of their parents' spare hazmat suits, standing at the portal's entrance.
Samantha held her camera ready while Tucker monitored something on his PDA.
"This is such a bad idea," Tucker was saying.
"Come on, Tucker," Samantha encouraged. "Think about it – a real ghost portal! We could make history!"
"Get out of there!" Samael's voice boomed across the lab, making all three jump. Danny stumbled, his hand reaching out to steady himself against the portal's interior wall.
Time seemed to slow. Samael saw Danny's hand pressing against something – was that an ON button inside the portal?
Who puts an ON button inside? – and his big brother instincts took over. He lunged forward, reaching for Danny just as a brilliant green light filled the portal.
The pain was immediate and all-encompassing. It felt like every cell in his body was being torn apart and reassembled.
He could hear Danny screaming, or maybe he was the one screaming – everything blurred together in a symphony of agony and electric green.
Through the pain, one thought dominated: protect Danny. The thought triggered something else, something primal.
He felt his muscles expanding, his body growing beyond what should be possible. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was Sam and Tucker's terrified gasps.
Then darkness claimed them both, and the lab fell silent except for the quiet hum of a now-active ghost portal and the heavy thud of two transformed bodies hitting the floor.
Sam and Tucker stood frozen, staring at their unconscious friends.
Where Danny now sported white hair and a black hazmat suit, Samael had transformed into something else entirely – his body had grown to massive proportions, his skin taking on a ghostly green hue, his clothes torn from the sudden transformation.
Neither of them knew it yet, but this was the moment everything changed – not just for the Fenton family, but the whole entire world.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
I know, I know, having the MC be called Samael, when Samantha is a thing, could possibly get confusing. But worry not, I'll make sure it doesn't.
Writing my own name, simply makes me putting myself in the MC's shoes more easy, and helps me write the story better. So shrug yeah.
Do tell me how you found it, and I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)