"Pauliinnnaaaa!" Star whined in an annoying voice, "It's been hours! Are you sure you know where we are?" Paulina bit her lip nervously and looked around once more,

"Ummm…We might have taken a few wrong turns, but it's not like we accidentally walked into the next town." 'I think…' she added silently,

"But are you suurrreeee?" Paulina turned to look at Star, irritated to the point that she was almost twitching,

"No Star! Again! That's probably the seventh time you've asked me in the last five minutes!" Star took this in and stayed quiet for awhile, looking around the street nervously. Red-brick apartment-like houses, row after row… where were they? Bore-ville? They had been up at a party the other night and had decided to stay at a girl-friend's house until the next day, but had to leave at five o'clock because Paulina had wanted to be there when her favorite store opened at its long-awaited spring sale began. Unfortunately, both girls had been half-asleep when they left the house. By now the sale had begun, most of the good stuff had already been taken, and the girls were nowhere closer than when they began. 'Argh! How could this happen to me? And why today of all days?' Paulina wouldn't admit it, but she had no clue where they were, and her feet hurt so much she was almost ready to give up and rub her poor feet. She was about to turn to Star and admit defeat when she saw it, a giant, flying, mechanical ghost. Star saw it too, and Paulina a had to lunge and cover her mouth before she started screaming and giving the ghost a reason to notice them.

"Ahh-mphmmm!"

"Shhhh! Star, shut up! Do you want the ghost to notice us?" Paulina hissed furiously,

"Mmm-mmmph." Star replied hesitantly, then her eyes widened and she began to struggle violently,

"Star, Star! What's wrong!" Paulina said, trying to stay in control of her opposing friend,

"I believe that would be me." Came a oily, mechanical, evil voice. Paulina whipped around…and came face-to-face with the robotic menace known as Skulker. Her hand slipped a fraction and Star let out a blood-chilling scream, Paulina couldn't move, she was frozen in place. 'No, no, no, no, NO! MOVE PAULINA!' her mind was racing one hundred miles an hour, but her body wouldn't even move one. Skulker seemed to tire of her staring at him, so he made a move, "Boo." He whispered softly, that was enough to jump-start her body.

With a last scream she bolted, catching up with Star along the way. Skulker laughed and his jet-wings opened, he jumped into the air and followed in pursuit. The girls looked behind them, then began to hesitantly slow down, until Paulina happened to look up. Skulker was flying down to them, missiles ready to launch. She started running again, not even taking the time to tell Star why. Star got the message.

After what seemed like hours, the two lost sight of Skulker and stopped.

"-Huff- Do you –huff- think –huff- that –puff- we lost him? –huff-" Star was exhausted,

" – Puff- Yeah, - huff- I think that – puff- we did. – huff- Ai! My – huff- new shoes!" Paulina was furious, the dumb, stupid, mechanical ghost! It just had to pick today to terrorize them! And her, running in her new designer shoes! That ghost was going to pay… Wow, she sounded a lot like the Red Huntress. She looked around once again, apartment-house, apartment-house, Fenton-Works Sign, apartment-house… Wait, Fenton-Works? She knew that place! It was where that kid, Dash's punching bag, ummm… Fen-turd, Fentonia… Fenton! Yeah, Fenton! Danny Fenton, lived! She inwardly shuddered at the thought of asking part of the loser crew for help, but what was a girl to do?

"Hey – huff- Star, see that? It's where one of the loser crew lives!"

"So?"

"So we can ask for help, or directions or something!" Paulina was exasperated, was Star really this blonde?

"Oh, but why would we ask one of them for help? It's not that creepy goth-girl lives is it?"

"Ugh, no! I don't think anyone but them knows where she lives. Probably in the sewers or something. This is Fenton's house, Danny Fenton's house." Star looked at her blankly, "Dash's punching bag?"

"Oh! I know him!" Paulina rolled her eyes but smiled, seriously, how could they live like that? Being the bottom of the social ladder, and actually being happy with it! It was completely incomprehensible to her that anyone would want to be like that! 'Then again they aren't anyone…' By this time they were at the front steps and it was starting to drizzle. Paulina knocked on the door, once, twice, three tim-

"Yeah?" Just as she was going to knock again, someone opened the door and she ended up rapping on their chest. Their toned, hard, muscular chest. She looked up and gaped in shock; it was none other than Danny Fenton. In nothing but a pair of jeans. No socks, shoes, or… shirt. Star had walked up and gaped as well, this was definitely not the Danny they knew.

"Uhh… Danny?" His unfocused, half-awake eyes cleared a bit,

"Paulina? Star? What are you doing here this early? In fact, what are you doing here at all?"

"Ummm… We got lost, and then this scary robot ghost chased us forever, and now it's raining…" Paulina left off, hoping he would get the message.

"Huh?" Suddenly his eyes focused and he stood taller, "Wait! A robot ghost? Did it have green flames for hair?"

"Uh, yeah, it's wet out here."

"Oh! Sorry, come in!"

"Where's your parents? And Jazz?" Star piped up, slightly shy with this new Danny,

"They're all checking out this college that Jazz has been thinking about."

"So you're here alone?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

While Star had been asking questions, Paulina had been discreetly looking around. The first thing she notices was Danny. He must have had a growth-spurt, because he was know catching up with Dash, and where Dash had bulk, Danny had a sort of lithe grace about him. Not saying that he didn't have muscles, because he sure wasn't short on those. Their furniture looked a bit used, but not filthy or completely run-down; just like everything else in the house.

"Hey, Danny," Paulina started, "Why did you answer the door like, well, that?..."

"Huh?" Danny looked down at himself for a moment before blushing, "Sorry, doing laundry. Dad went up to my room to show me one of his new experiments before he left and it kinda got everywhere."

"…Oh." There was an awkward silence among the three until Danny spoke up again.

"So… Do you need a ride or something?" Both girls looked at each other,

'No. We can't leave now! We have to find out what's up with Fenton!'

'You're right, something is definitely up.'

"No." The girls chorused together.