#danny phantom.

An unexpected puff of cold air exited the ghost’s mouth, startling him out of his thoughts. What was that? It wasn’t cold enough to see his breath, not that Phantom actually had to breathe. A green light suddenly shimmered at the edge of his vision and the ghost whipped his head to the side. His eyes feel on...a glowing, floating octopus thing. Its spotted body was the size of a basketball with flexing tentacles nearly the length of his arms. The creature studied him with surprisingly intelligent slitted eyes. Phantom’s jaw dropped. Was he actually seeing this? Slowly, he reached forward as if to check that his eyes were not deceiving him. The octopus hissed in response, backing away. Then it twisted around and vanished. 

The ghost stared at the spot the creature had occupied for several moments, trying to make sense of what he’d seen. The thing had been glowing and floating ...like him. Had that been...was that a ghost? An actual ghost...octopus? Phantom blinked quickly and furrowed his brow. He knew it was ridiculous to be so shocked (he was a ghost. How could he be shocked that other ghosts existed?) but he was surprised. He’d just seen some kind of ectoplasmic octopus, an ectopus so to speak (yeah that sounded kinda cool, like something his...Danny’s dad would come up with). Where had it even come from? ….The portal maybe? That would make sense actually, seeing as Phantom was pretty sure he had come from the portal too (but had he? He didn’t remember coming through the portal or why…?). The ghost cut off the thought before doubts could bloom but new questions and worries arose.

If this ghost could come through the portal, would others follow? Phantom felt the illusion of a stomach churning with worry. If more ghosts came, would they hurt Danny and his friends and family? The thought sent another wave of protectiveness through the ghost as he tried to shove down the anxieties. Even if more ghosts came through, it didn’t mean Danny or anyone else was in danger, right? The ghost might leave them alone and just go about their business. Plus Danny’s ghost hunting parents were around and could protect their son. But the wavering uncertainty remained, pushing Phantom to move from where he was floating in the park. It wouldn’t hurt to check on Danny, right? Just to make sure he was safe? 

The ghost lingered for several moments, resisting his rising desire; he’d promised he would stay away from Danny. But the pull was too strong. Despite his misgivings and even his fear of being discovered by the Fentons, Phantom flew in the direction of Fentonworks. He really tried to stay away, he did, but somehow he was always drawn back to Danny.                                                                                                        

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The next morning, Danny woke up, blinking at the ceiling. He’d had another of those dreams again last night. This time, he was floating in the park, reading a book when a floating octupus things showed up and hissed at him before disappearing. He furrowed his brow. He kept having these dreams about flying above Amity Park and floating through an empty mall or the library. Why? And why did he still, after days, feel like something was missing?

The boy threw the covers off himself, feeling frustrated. He shivered. And why did his parents have the AC so high?! A draft gently brushed him, resulting in Danny furrowing his brow. That was weird...But the thought was cut off by a knocking on his door. 

“Danny! Are you awake?” His mom called.

A little spike of anxiety (maybe even fear?) pricked the boy’s heart at the sudden voice. But he managed to answer. “Yeah Mom. I’m getting ready.”

“All right sweetie. I’ll see you downstairs.” 

The sound of her footsteps quickly quieted as she walked away. Danny finally stood up, trying to shake off his strange reaction. Actually feeling awake for once, he walked to the bathroom and shivered again at a passing draft. The boy glanced up into the mirror and blinked, startled. Was that a flash of neon green in the mirror? Danny whipped around to find...nothing? He shook his head. He was probably just seeing things ...but the slight chill and the feeling of being watched remained. Danny pushed it out of his mind. He needed to get ready. 

After using the toilet, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed, Danny headed down the stairs, passively noticing that the feeling of eyes on his back had disappeared. 

Once in the kitchen, Dad greeted him from his seat at the table with a grin. “Are you feeling better Danny-boy?”

“Yeah. I actually feel like I got a good night's sleep last night.” The boy said,  managing half a smile.

His mom smiled from the stove. "That's wonderful honey. Sit down, breakfast is almost done.”

With a nod, Danny pulled his chair out and sat. Mom then placed the plate of eggs and cinnamon rolls down and took her seat beside Jazz who had just put down her book. After scoping some eggs onto her plate, the woman continued. “I’m glad the tiredness from the long-term overshadowing is fading like your father and I had hoped.”

Danny’s nose wrinkled in as he grabbed a cinnamon roll. “I don’t get why I was so tired though.”

Mom’s brow furrowed in concern.  “We don’t know sweetie. Maybe it’s from fighting being overshadowed.” Her frown deepened. “Or it was the ghost. I highly doubt it made sure your body was fed and slept so you needed a little time to recover.” Her voice then quieted as she glanced down. “We’re very lucky it didn’t hurt you or use you to do anything horrible.”

Patting Danny on the back with surprising gentleness, Dad agreed. “We are really lucky son. And very happy to have you back.” 

Mom then looked up, studying him with motherly concern and a trace of guilt. “You have not had any other lingering effects from being overshadowed, right Danny?”

“And that ghostly scum hasn’t shown its face again either?” Dad also asked, eyes narrowed at the mention of the ghost.

Danny’s mind flitted to the other weird things he’d been experiencing since going through the ghost catcher: the mood swings, the strange thoughts, the dreams, the ever present feeling that something was missing. And the very real memory of the ghost floating above him and outside his window also flashed. For a second, Danny debated telling them. But how could he explain what was wrong with him when he couldn’t understand it himself? And the thought of telling his parents about the ghost so they could go after it? That sent a wave of guilt, worry, and even some fear through him.

Despite knowing that he was lying, Danny nodded. “Nope. Everything’s been normal.”

Dad grinned, somewhat wickedly. “That ghost knows better than to mess with the Fentons a second time!”

“But you will tell us if you even suspect something ghostly might be happening.” Mom added.

Danny swallowed nervously, turning his attention back to the uneaten food. “Of course Mom.”

Mom smiled, patting his free hand. “Go ahead and finish. You need to leave soon.” She turned towards Jazz. “How do you like the book you were reading before breakfast, Jazz honey?”

As Jazz happily chatted about her book, Danny tuned her out. His eyes remained fixed on the plate, stomach churning from guilt at lying to Mom and Dad. But fear and questions about what was happening with him kept him silent. Yet for some inexplicable reason, he knew he did not want Mom and Dad to find the ghost that had overshadowed (?) him.

Minutes later, Danny had finished breakfast and started walking towards the school. He shivered as a breeze blew over him. Something rustled behind him and the boy tensed. He stopped and turned around again to find... nothing. Danny groaned. Pulling his bag higher onto his shoulders, he kept walking.

Arriving at school, Danny met his friends at his locker. After opening the door, he started grabbing his books.

“Sam! You can’t do this!” Tucker argued loudly.

Danny raised an eyebrow. “What did she do?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “He’s upset because I got the school board to finally listen. They are going to be serving a completely vegan meal today to showcase the new menu options.”

“But Sam!! There’s no meat! How am I supposed to live?” The boy complained.

“It’s only for one day Tucker! Eating vegetables will not kill you.” Sam raised her arms.

Danny half smiled at his friends’ antics. “I think I agree with Sam on this one. It won’t be that bad.”

Tucker pouted. “Traitor.” 

This elicited a chuckle from Danny who turned his attention back to grabbing his papers. Then he froze as something neon green flashed in his locker mirror. 

The boy’s eyes widened and he turned towards his friends. “Did you guys see that?”

Sam and Tucker both blinked at him in confusion over the sudden change of tone. Tucker asked. “See what?”

Danny shook his head. “Nothing.”Just then the bell rang. “We should probably get to class. I’ll see you guys in Math.”

“Yeah. See you later.” Tucker replied.

For a moment, a look of concern passed over Sam’s face. Then her expression softened. “Good luck in English. We’ll see you later.”

The three parted ways, heading to their respective classes. But Danny’s mind remained occupied by what he thought he saw in the mirror- neon green eyes hovering just over his shoulder. He glanced back, eyes falling on ...nothing. He stopped in the middle of the hall. But he felt like something...or someone was there. A so, so familiar, cold but protective presence, the same one that had been following him this morning and even earlier, when he’d meet his friends in the park the morning after going through the ghost catcher. He continued staring into space, mouth opening and closing. He wanted to call out, to ask whoever was following him to show themselves. But...what if he was imagining this? What if he acted and embarrassed himself in front of his classmates? So Danny remained silent as he walked to class, though he could swear he felt cold breath right behind his head.

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That morning had probably been the most interesting that Phantom remember (that wasn’t one of Danny’s memories, that is). He had watched Danny until he woke up and throughout the morning. Now that he thought about it, it was a little creepy but being close to the boy, just in case something happened, had felt...really nice, right even. Plus he’d given the boy some privacy while he used the toilet and got dressed, though the ghost hadn’t strayed far. Phantom also did not stick around for breakfast, though that had more to do with not wanting to be anywhere near the ghost hunting Fenton parents.

Now Phantom was invisibly floating a few feet behind Danny as the boy chatted with his friends at his locker. The ghost smiled sadly at their antics. Part of him missed hanging out with Sam and Tucker. Danny then froze and asked his friends if they had seen something. The ghost’s brow furrowed at the weird behavior as the group parted. He followed Danny down the hall until the boy glanced...directly at him! The human stopped in the middle of the hallway, eyes falling exactly where Phantom was floating. Despite not needing to breathe, Phantom’s breath hitched in his chest. Could...could Danny actually see him? The ghost glanced at where his hands should be but only the wavering outline that let him know he was invisible was present. There was no way Danny saw him! But the boy’s mouth opened and closed as he stared dumbly. Phantom floated closer until he was almost touching Danny, his mind furiously debating what to do. He couldn’t just turn visible in the crowded hallway. Maybe he could….

His thoughts were cut off when Danny suddenly turned away and continued towards class. Phantom followed close behind, anxiety lessening somewhat as he listened in on another boring English lesson. The most interesting part was watching Danny doodle a picture of… an octopus? It looked suspiciously like the ghostly one Phantom saw yesterday. Phantom raised an eyebrow. Did that mean that ectopus went after his human? A small amount of panic surged through the ghost, which just increased when he realized he just thought of Danny as his human. Danny definitely did not belong to him; Phantom just wanted to protect him (and how nice it felt being close was just an added bonus). 

After that Phantom tried to turn his attention back to the lecture. He didn’t notice how Danny kept glancing behind him.

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As the school day passed on, Danny kept glancing behind him, as if trying to catch a glimpse of his ghostly stalker. The constant presence made focusing in class more difficult, though the boy actually felt awake today and not nearly as anxious as normal. One would think that he would be more worried about a ghost following him, especially when he suspected it (he?) was the ghost that had overshadowed him after the accident. But he wasn’t really afraid, although he remained very curious about who exactly the ghost was.

This ever present thoughts fled as he greeted his friends at lunch. “Hey guys.”

“Hey Danny.” Sam grinned as they got in the line for food. “Make sure to try everything and tell me what you like. This is going to be great!”

Tucker crossed his arms. “No it’s not. Where’s the meat Sam? Where?”

“Will you stop?! It’s one meal, you baby!” Sam argued.

Tucker’s whining paused as the three reached the front of the line and were served. The friends took a seat at a nearby table. Nose wrinkling in disgust, Tucker poked at a blackish-brown, liquidly paste. “What is this supposed to be?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Those are refried beans.” 

Beside her, Danny also poked at the food. “Eww, that is so gross.”

“Not you too! Vegan food is not disgusting.” 

“No Sam.” Danny motioned to what looked like lettuce on a piece of bread. “I think this lettuce has gone bad.” 

With an eyebrow raised, Sam grabbed a slimy, wilted, brown piece. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re right. I’m going to have words with someone about this. Maybe the beans are good at least.”

Just as she said that, Danny took a bite… and immediately had to resist the urge to spit it out. He swallowed forcefully but Sam had already noticed his disgusted look. “That bad?” Before he could answer, Sam also sampled the beans. Her eyes widened. “How the heck did they season this?! It’s disgusting!”

Sam stood up suddenly, clearly on her way to give a lunch lady an earful. But at the same time, Dash Baxter marched up to the table. “Fenton! How am I supposed to eat this garbage?”

Danny’s jaw dropped. “Why are you yelling at me? I didn’t do anything!”

Turning red, Dash grabbed Danny by the front of his shirt. “Well, your little girlfriend did!”

Nonsensically, the boy tried to argue. “She’s not…”

But his protest was cut off by the bully. “It’s Friday! We’re supposed to have meatloaf today! But instead, we’ve got mud pies and grass. How am I supposed to play without my meatloaf, Fenton?!”

At that, Dash threw Danny down onto the table and proceeded to dump his entire lunch on the smaller boy. At the action, a spark of anger ignited in Danny’s gut. With a growl, he fisted some of the beans on his shirt and threw them at Dash whose eyes widened with shock.

Somewhere over Dash’s shoulder, someone yelled. “Food fight!”

 As food started flying and yells projected, the cafeteria fell into chaos. Still sitting on the table and covered in food, Danny stared at the chaos dumbly. What the heck did he do?!

“Danny!” Below him someone hissed and grabbed his ankle. He almost shreaked but then saw it was Sam. “Get under here!”

The boy scrambled under the table so he laid side by side with Sam and Tucker. Sam elbowed him. “What the heck were you thinking?!”

Danny paled at that. What the heck had gotten into him? He didn’t fight back again Dash! He had thought about it before but...he wasn’t brave enough for that, not by a long shot. 

On his other side, Tucker excitedly proclaimed something. But Danny didn’t hear what he said, distracted by a flash of green light in the kitchen. What was that? Was it his ghostly stalker? He started crawling out from under the table, ignoring his friends’ calls behind him. He scrambled across the floor until he came to the door to the kitchen. Then the boy slowly stood up, peering through the window. A ghostly glow clearly radiated from the kitchen but Danny couldn’t see what (or who) it came from. Biting his lip, the boy debated whether or not he should enter for a split second, just as Sam and Tucker caught up with him.

“What are you doing?” Tucker hissed. 

But Danny ignored him. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and entered, his friends following right behind him. All three teenagers’ jaws dropped at the sight. A glowing floating old lady in an apron, gloves, and a hairnet searched the kitchen for something. 

At the sound of the door closing, she turned around and asked sweetly. “Hello, children. Can you help me? Today's lunch is meatloaf, but I don't see the meatloaf. Did someone change the menu?”

Thoughtlessly, Tucker answered. “Yeah.” He pointed at Sam. “She did.”

At the statement, the ghost’s expression morphed into one of rage. Her eyes flashed red and her hair flickered like flames. “YOU CHANGED THE MENU?!” The teens gasped. “THE MENU HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR FIFTY YEARS!” As she yelled, green flames appeared and circled her head.

Despite his pounding heart, Danny put his arms forward placatingly. “Hey, it’s okay. No need to get…”

His pleas cut off as glowing plates flew towards his head. With a yelp, he slammed against the wall. Not a second later, Sam and Tucker also hit the wall, assaulted by plates. Danny shakily tried to stand, the need to protect his friends rising. 

He managed to make it to his feet as the Lunch Lady yelled. “I control lunch! Lunch is sacred! Lunch has rules!” Her voice suddenly calmed. “Anybody want cake?” 

The teens shook their heads, still dazed from hitting the wall. An instant later, the ovens ignited with green fire. The ghost screamed. “Too bad! Children who change my menu do not get dessert!”

As the ovens started moving towards them, Danny ran towards his friends and hoisted them to their feet. “Run!” 

Though dazed, the two obeyed. Behind them, a crash and roar of rage sounded.Something black and white darted at the edge of Danny’s vision. 

“Why you little!” Growled the Lunch Lady.

Then behind him, an echoing voice yelped in surprise before there was another crash and a groan of pain. Meanwhile, Danny and his friends made it as far as the hallway before the lunch lady ghost appeared in front of them again. Suddenly the lights went out as all the lockers flew open. At the same time, something with an eerie green glow zoomed out of the kitchen. Danny wrinkled his nose. Was that raw meat? 

The meat swirled around the ghost, forming a grotesque meatsuit. “Prepare to learn why meat is the most powerful of the five food groups!” Then her face softened as she pulled a cookie out from nowhere. “Cookie?” 

Sam shook her head numbly. In response the ghost raised her clawed hands. “Then perish!”

Eyes widening in fear, Danny dashed in front of her. “Don’t touch her!”

The ghost roared and grabbed the boy, throwing him right into the lockers and Tucker. Danny groaned as his back throbbed in pain. Across the hall, Sam screamed as the Lunch Lady ghost grabbed her and flew down the hall, leaving a trial of meat.

“Come on Danny! We need to go!” Tucker shook him. 

Danny scrambled to his feet and the two raced down the hall. “Sam!” 

Where were they?! Where were they? How did a freaking ghost just kidnap his best friend?! Just as Danny and Tucker turned a corner, the pair slammed into Mr. Lancer, sending all three to the floor.

The man glared at them. “Running in the halls?!” He stood up slowly and pointed at Dash who had been standing behind him. “And according to Mr. Baxter here, you two started the food fight in the cafeteria. My office. Now.” 

“But..but Mr. Lancer!” Danny sputtered though the teacher ignored his widened, distressed eyes. Instead the man grabbed both boys’ wrists and practically drug them to his office while Dash followed looking smug.

The teacher opened the door and pushed the two teenagers inside before slamming it. “Mr. Fenton, Mr. Foley. Take a seat.” Walking to the file cabinet, he pulled out two files, eyes perusing each while Dash leaned against the wall looking pleased. “Tucker Foley. Chronic tardiness, talking in class, repeated loitering by the girl's locker room.” He glanced at Tucker who smiled slyly. “Danny Fenton. Thirty-four dropped beakers in the last month, banned for life from handling all fragile school property, but no severe mischief before today. So, gentlemen, tell me…”  Mr Lancer then slammed the files on the desk, voice rising in anger. “Why did the two of you conspire to destroy the school’s cafeteria?”

Danny’s eyes widened. “Dash started it!”

Mr. Lancer turned his nose up. “According to witnesses, you started it by throwing food as Mr. Baxter, then you tried to sneak out to avoid punishment.”

The boy’s jaw dropped as he glared at Dash; these so called witnesses were probably Dash’s football buddies. “But Mr. Lancer! That’s not…” He tried to argue.

“That’s enough, Mr. Fenton.” The teacher sharply ended the interrogation. He stood up to leave, stopping in the office doorway. “I'll map out your punishment when I return. Mr. Baxter, watch the door.”