#imekitty writes

"Uh, I don't know." Dash shrugged. "I was kind of busy pissing."

"Wait, what?" shrieked Paulina. "What are you two talking about?"

Dash smirked and turned to Paulina and Kwan. "I walked into the bathroom and guess who I saw in there? Together?"

Paulina gasped and pressed a couple of hot pink manicured nails over her heart. "Danny and Star?"

"No way!" Kwan laughed.

Star's face burned. "It's not what you think."

"Why do you keep trying to deny this, Star?" Dash rolled his eyes. "I mean, yeah, we all think you can do better than Fenton, but if you really like him that much, whatever. You don't need to hide in the bathroom to make out with him."

"Yeah, honestly, teasing you about it is starting to get boring," said Kwan with a shrug.

Star sighed and turned away, rubbing her elbow, biting her lip. She wanted to insist it wasn't true, that she could never possibly like that freak, that they were completely wrong.

But her heart ached and the words just weren't coming to her.

Why weren't they coming?

"Star, are you okay?" Paulina touched her shoulder.

Star stepped back. "I have to get to tutoring," she muttered.

She walked away. Her friends did not follow her, did not call her back.

In the tutoring room, Star tried to focus on the student next to her, tried to work through the correct formulas and calculations. But everything was jumbled in her head, coming out of her in confused mumbles. She could see the same perplexed pout and eyebrow pinch on each student's face again and again but she had no idea how to make it all stop, how to make it go away.

She checked the tutoring sheet. But Fenton's name was not on her list. She checked again and again because perhaps she just missed it all the other times.

But his name really wasn't there.

Fenton really wasn't coming to see her.

But why did that matter? Did she actually need to see him again? The mystery was solved, she now knew why his freckles glowed. Case closed, right? That was all she cared about, right? That was the only reason she had been watching him so closely the past week, right?

Yes. Right. No other reason. She definitely absolutely did not need to see him again.

But then why did she…want to?

She kneaded her knuckles above her breast, an attempt to massage out the aching feeling, the heaviness in her heart.

She looked back at the classroom door, willing it to open, for Fenton to stroll on in with that dorky smile on his face.

It was only as the final student left and Star zipped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder that she finally accepted that he just wasn't coming.

….........

Late that night, Star lay in her bed under the covers, scrolling through the social media feed on her phone. Except she wasn't really looking at it. No, her thoughts were elsewhere and nothing on her phone screen was even remotely interesting.

Her little sister, Nova, snored softly in the twin bed against the other wall of their shared room. Down the hall, she knew her parents were also sleeping soundly while her older brother, Orion, was playing a video game with online friends in his room. Paulina had already signed off for the night, always a big believer in getting enough beauty sleep, especially if she wanted to wake up early enough for her morning run.

Star knew she needed to get to sleep as well, but her brain would not shut off. Her mind kept running over what she saw in the men's restroom at school.

Fenton clutching his side, lifting his shirt and there it was, the same injury that Phantom had.

She asked him her last question: Was he Danny Phantom?

He didn't get a chance to answer but he didn't have to.

She swiped out of her social media app and opened her photo app instead, pulling up the only picture of Fenton she had on her phone. Eyes wide, mouth partly open, tiny pinpoints of light dotting his nose and cheeks.

He looked…cute.

She felt herself blushing as her finger hovered over the screen, but she couldn't bring herself to flick the photo away.

A notification appeared at the top of her screen and she clicked that instead. Her social media feed popped up and she read through the post submitted to a group Paulina had started, one dedicated to the ghost boy. Someone had apparently just spotted him in the sky. She tapped on the accompanying photo and squinted as she tried to make sense of the bright white smudge against a backdrop of blurry stars.

Was it true? Was Fenton really up in the sky right at that very moment?

She jumped out of bed and threw on a coat over her nightgown, slipping on a pair of flip-flops before tiptoeing out of her room. The apartment was dark, the living room empty. She approached the front door and unlocked it, carefully turning the knob and gently pulling it open, flinching as it made its familiar squeak.

She paused and waited for the sound of her parents coming out of their bedroom to take a look. But there was only silence behind her.

She stepped out into the main hall of the apartment complex and shut the door behind her as quietly as she could. Then she ran for the stairs leading up to the roof, up and up and then she pushed open the door, gulping in the breezy night air, sharp and chilled in her lungs.

She scanned the rooftop area. No one else was up here. She was alone.

She walked to the parapet and pressed her hands to the cold concrete as she leaned over and peered down at the street and carports several stories below. The streetlamps were switched on, bathing the parking lot in a sickly yellow.

And then she looked up. At the sliver of moon hanging above her in the dark sky freckled with glinting stars.

Just like his face—

And suddenly she really wanted to see his face.

She looked. Waited. And then she saw it. A ribbon of light streaking past the moon. A shooting star? Or a shooting ghost?

Ooh, make a wish! Paulina's voice squealed in her head.

She closed her eyes and breathed out as she made her wish. A wild, crazy wish. A wish she never expected she would ever want to come true.

"Star."

A voice called her from behind. A voice she knew very well now. She slowly turned around and there he was on the other side of the rooftop.

The shooting ghost had granted her wish.

She stared at him for a moment, took in his appearance in the dim light from the streetlamps below. He was dressed in the same clothes he had been wearing at school earlier that day, his hair and body darkened by the shadows, no glow to his skin. Human.

She rubbed her arms, digging her manicured nails into her coat sleeves. "How did you find me?"

Fenton shrugged. "I know where everyone and everything is in this town." He pointed a finger upward. "Kind of comes with looking down on it from up in the sky so often."

Star pouted. "So I'm not special?"

"I didn't say that."

He started walking toward her. Slowly. One step, then another, inching closer. Star's heart fluttered as she stayed in place, waiting for him to be near enough to touch.

"I hope it's okay that I'm here," said Fenton, stopping just a couple feet away. "I just… I couldn't stop thinking about you, and then I saw you up here and…well." He lowered his eyes and chewed on his bottom lip. "It looked like maybe you were looking for something." He shyly raised his eyes again. "Or…someone."

The murky street light dulled the color of his face but his eyes still twinkled a hint of icy blue. Star shuddered and then melted as she held his gaze.

"Maybe," she said. "Maybe I was looking for something. Or someone."

A breeze passed between them. Star felt her arms prickle with goose bumps that poked the inside of her coat sleeves.

"How's your side?" she asked.

Fenton blinked in mild confusion before looking down at his right side and pressing a few fingers against it. "The scabs opened up a little from all the times you jabbed them with your elbow at lunch. But they're doing okay now."

Star tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, well, if you had just told me your little secret from the start, I wouldn't have had to do that."

"But it was too much fun trying to watch you figure it out."

He gave her a smile. Not a smirk, simply good humor. Star felt herself blush and hoped that the dim lighting didn't make it too obvious.

"This is why you were bleeding that day we met at Station 11, isn't it?" said Star. "You were fighting ghosts before you showed up."

Fenton nodded. "Yeah."

"And when I was waiting for you outside the bathroom door and you turned up behind me even though there was only one way out of there."

"Yeah, I can phase through walls."

"And…your freckles."

Fenton's mouth tugged in a half-smile. "That's an inconvenient side effect."

"And they only glow when you're excited?"

"That's what Sam and Tucker have told me."

"But then why did they glow in the library when I told you"—she bit her lip and looked away—"that maybe I'd be okay with going on a date with you?"

"Why do you think?"

Star tentatively turned her face back to find Fenton gazing at her, fond and warm. She pulled her coat around her tighter and stuffed her hands into her pockets, her head ducking as she looked down at her feet.

"You shouldn't like me," she said quietly. "I've only ever been mean to you."

"If there's one thing I've learned from patrolling and watching the people of this town on a regular basis," said Fenton, "it's that you can fall in love with anyone."

Star lifted her head, remembering that Paulina had said something very similar earlier that day. She lost her breath as she stared into Fenton's eyes, so sweet and kind.

"And you've been nice to me." Fenton scrunched his mouth and glanced up briefly. "Once."

Star raised a brow. "Really?"

"Sure," said Fenton. "You helped me understand math in a way I never did before."

Star rolled her eyes. "Well, that's not a good reason to like me."

"You're also smart," said Fenton. "You don't take crap from anyone. When you want something, you go and get it." He paused, a gentle smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Or if you want to know something, you don't give up until you find the truth."

Star sucked in her bottom lip and exhaled out her nose.

"Even if you have nothing nice to say about me, I'd still like you," insisted Fenton.

Star gave him a sidelong glance, one eyebrow rising and waggling. "I have nice things to say about you."

Fenton folded his arms and grinned, a challenge in his eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

Star puckered her lips playfully. "You're attentive, sweet, brave…" She shrugged. "Pretty good prankster, too."

Fenton looked skeptical. "Am I?"

"You definitely won our prank war."

"Yeah. Well. You gave me a pretty good run."

He smiled again. Star's face warmed as she looked at his lips. So soft, so inviting. So close and yet not close enough.

"Our game isn't over yet," she said quietly. "You know that, right?"

Fenton tilted his head to one side.

"You didn't actually answer my last question," explained Star. "In the bathroom at school today."

Fenton's eyes lidded slightly. "I guess I didn't," he said thoughtfully. "You're right."

"Does this mean I can ask another?"

One corner of Fenton's mouth twitched upward. "Of course."

Star breathed in, swallowed, breathed again. "Can I kiss you?" Another breath. "Danny?"

His freckles lit up, bright green dots scattering across his nose and cheeks in constellations she longed to trace with her fingers. He came in closer, taking hold of her arms and leaning in. His eyes closed and Star closed hers as well, feeling the warmth of his mouth near her lips.

"You didn't actually answer that question either," said Star suddenly, opening her eyes.

Fenton also opened his eyes. "Shut up and kiss me," he demanded through a smirk.

Star could hardly suppress a giggle as his lips met hers, warm and soft, gentle for just a moment before he deepened the kiss, pressing himself into her as his hands found their way to her back, one near her shoulders, the other on her waist. Star threaded her fingers into his hair and kept him close, so close, even if he tried to break away now she would simply have to pull him right back in because she couldn't let him go now. All hers, only hers.

Their lips came apart with a tiny smack. Fenton's arms continued to surround her, his fingers caressing her back. Star lowered her hands down to his chest and kept her elbows in so he could hold her more tightly.

"You weren't lying," said Star. "You really are a good kisser."

Fenton shrugged. "Yeah, well, I was practicing on a pillow before I came here."

"Oh, so that's why you skipped English!"

"I really wanted to make sure our first kiss was incredible."

"Well. You succeeded. Danny."

Star could feel Fenton melt as his hold loosened just a little.

"I like when you say my name," he murmured dreamily.

Star chuckled. "I like saying it."

Fenton—no, Danny—retightened his embrace and moved his face toward hers again. Star was quick to move in as well, meeting him in another kiss. She could see the glow of his freckles through her slightly open eyes, tiny spots of green light flickering between her eyelashes.

They didn't break apart for a long time. Star couldn't say how long, only that she didn't want it to end. Danny continued to hold her in his arms, his nose close to hers as Star nestled her hands and forearms into his chest.

"We still gotta finish our game, you know." Star straightened, running her fingertips over his collarbone. "My last question, for real. You have to actually answer this time." She looked at him with mock sternness. "No more coy evasion."

Danny laughed. "Coy? You're accusing me of being coy?"

Star pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh. Let me ask."

Danny smiled but kept his mouth closed, giving her finger a light kiss that made Star feel giddy because damn if this boy wasn't completely adorable.

She traced his lips with her finger, one corner to the other.

"Can you take me out on a real date?" she asked.

Danny's smile widened, and Star traced the new shape.

"Yes, of course," said Danny. "Where would you like to go?"

Star pulled her finger away from his mouth and pointed up toward the sky.

Danny chuckled. "I can do that."

A ring of light surrounded his middle. Star jumped and stepped back but Danny's arms kept her close. She watched as the ring split into two, one traveling upward, the other down. She watched as his clothes changed into a black and white jumpsuit, his hair turning white and his eyes shimmering green. His entire body glowed, surrounded by an ethereal aura that chilled her own skin.

And his freckles were brighter than ever.

He lifted her off the ground, one arm supporting her back, the other under her knees. Star draped her arms over his shoulders and pressed her mouth to his. His lips felt cool and tingly, like kissing snow or a cloud. The sensation made her smile and he smiled too, both of them giggling just a little.

And then they were in the air, soaring high above her apartment building. Up into the clouds and stars and then over the moon.

The city lights below were spectacular. The night sky above was breathtaking. But Star could not look away from the glittering freckles that dotted Danny's face. And he never stopped looking at her either.

-----

Danny grimaced. “Do I really?”

Jazz giggled some more as she snapped a picture on her phone and held it out to him. Danny groaned at the sight of bright red surrounding the unburned skin only around his eyes.

“You actually look pretty cute,” Jazz cooed.

“Shut up.” Danny returned the phone to her and put his sunglasses back on with a small grumble.

A chill tore through his lungs, icing his breath. Jazz’s mirth disappeared immediately as she frowned.

“Ghost?” she asked.

“No other possible explanation on a scorcher like this.”

It didn’t take long for Danny to locate the ghost, especially with all the screams coming from the same direction. He removed his sunglass and ducked under the Fentonbrella to transform.

“Hopefully this won’t take long,” said Danny now in ghost form, giving Jazz a confident smile.

Jazz burst out laughing again. Danny’s smile dropped as he watched her roll over on the sand while clutching her side.

“Your sunburn is still there!” she managed to gasp out. “And it’s green! And you still have raccoon eyes!”

The AC switched off. The distant sound of late-night traffic could be heard from outside.

"So what?" Maddie huffed. "We're just going to sit here in complete silence?"

Danny glared at her. "Yes," he said, his final s hissing.

Maddie met his glare. "Just let us tell you our side."

"I don't want to hear it right now."

"This really isn't fair, Danny."

"Don't tell me what's fair." Danny pushed himself off the door and pressed a couple fingers to his chest. "Do you even realize the absolute hell I've been living in ever since I got these powers? Ever since you tricked me into getting these powers?"

He bared his teeth as his eyes glowed even brighter. Jack winced but Maddie kept a straight face.

"Yes," said Maddie. "We were watching you the whole time."

Danny raised his eyebrows. "And did I entertain you?"

Maddie faltered for just a moment. "This experiment was not for our amusement."

"I see." Danny nodded. "So my suffering was just an experiment to you."

"We did not like seeing you suffer, Danny," said Jack.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Dad?"

Jack lowered his eyes to the floor.

"We tried to find another candidate," said Maddie. "We searched everywhere, tested everyone. But you were the only one with the DNA that could—"

"Shut up," snapped Danny. "I said I don't want to talk about this right now."

Jack's veins bristled with adrenaline that shook his limbs. He could hear Maddie breathing evenly beside him, deep breaths in and out. He had no idea how she was able to stay so calm all the time. Especially now when their own son was holding them hostage in his bedroom.

"We really didn't like seeing you suffer," said Maddie. "But that was never something we planned to happen."

"Really? You didn't plan it?" Danny scoffed. "So what did you think was going to happen when you gave me ghost powers?"

"You chose to use your powers to fight ghosts and protect the town," said Maddie. "But you never had to do that; you could've just used them for fun. You didn't have to allow yourself to be a target for violence."

Danny scowled. "So my suffering is my fault?"

"I'm not saying that."

"And what about the ghost hunters? You think they would've just left me alone if I decided to use my powers for fun instead? Ghost hunters don't care how I use my powers, they only care that I'm a ghost." Danny pointed a finger at her and Jack. "You are the ones who made me a target for violence."

Jack flinched and looked at Maddie, but she still seemed unperturbed.

"You were never in any real danger, Danny," said Maddie. "We were always watching over you, always ready to jump in and rescue you, protect you."

"You shot me," said Danny bluntly.

Jack could see Maddie swallow before she answered, "I knew you'd be fine."

"You hurt me, Mom." Danny's voice weakened. "On purpose. You knew it was me and you knew it would hurt me." He breathed out, shaky. "And you did it without hesitation."

The memory of that moment flashed through Jack's mind. Danny cornered in an alley in front of a chain-link fence. Maddie firing a warning shot past his head, then another shot right into his knee and he fell to the ground in pain.

Maddie pushed her shoulders back and lifted her chin. "As I said, I knew you'd be fine."

Danny stared at her, a line of moisture misting his lower lash line. Maddie did not look away as she clasped her shin with both hands.

"We really didn't want to hurt you, Danny," said Maddie. "That's why we asked Vlad to clone you."

"So that really was you?" asked Danny just above a whisper. "Your idea? To clone me?"

Maddie rubbed her lips together. Jack exhaled and slipped a couple fingers into his jumpsuit collar, pulling it away from his hot neck.

"This whole time I thought it was just Vlad." Danny sniffled and blinked up at the ceiling. "I always thought he was the only one sick enough to do that, but no, it was you—"

"No, we weren't sick," insisted Maddie. "What would've been sick was conducting those experiments on you. We had you cloned so that we wouldn't have to hurt you like that."

Danny brought his gaze back down and snarled. "You think you're not sick? What you did to those clones, that wasn't sick to you?"

Maddie said nothing. Jack cleared his throat but it wouldn't open fully now, slowly squeezing shut. He tugged at his collar, lowered the zipper, but his throat only grew tighter.

"I saw my clones," said Danny, hushed and dark. "In the dirt. Decaying. Oozing corpses. Rotting skeletons. They had all obviously been dead for a long time but their pain—I could still see it in their faces." He blinked, tears flooding his eyelashes. "I could see it, Mom. How much they suffered. They were dead but not a single one of them was resting in peace."

He sobbed, pressing the heel of one palm to his forehead, his other arm wrapping tight around his stomach.

"They were all me," he gasped out. "They thought they were me. They all died not understanding why their own parents wanted to kill them."

Jack hunched over and shook his head. "We didn't want to kill them," he panted.

Danny's cold gaze moved to him and Jack shivered.

"I—I didn't want to kill them." Jack sharply exhaled. "Danny, I didn't want to do any of this, I swear."

Maddie shot him a disapproving look. Danny's radioactive eyes pierced through him.

"So when you said you wanted to tear me apart molecule by molecule…" Danny shrugged, his bottom lip sticking out in mock curiosity. "That was just—what, a joke?"

Jack lowered his gaze to the floor, hot blood rushing through his face.

"What your father means is"—Maddie shot Jack another stern look before returning to Danny—"we didn't enjoy seeing your clones suffer. But our research is very important, Danny. You know that."

"So it was all worth it to you?" asked Danny. "My pain? Their pain? Seeing us suffer—that was all for some greater good?"

"It's important work, Danny," said Maddie calmly.

Danny scoffed. "Fine. You say it's important? Then tell me all about it."

Jack and Maddie stared at Danny.

"We've got nowhere else to be." Danny lifted his shoulders in a shrug, his arms dropping and smacking his sides. "Nothing but time until morning. So go on. Tell me what you did to each and every clone in full detail."

Maddie furrowed her brow. "You…want us to tell you what we did to all the clones? Right now?"

"Yup. Starting with clone 1." Danny made a beckoning gesture with one hand. "Go on."

Maddie glanced at Jack, her face pinched with confusion. Jack said nothing, no reaction, no idea how to respond to such a demand.

"We couldn't possibly tell you everything we did from memory right now," said Maddie.

"Really?" Danny sounded skeptical, mocking even. "But I thought it was important work."

"It's extremely important work," Maddie bit back. "Crucial to the paranormal field of study."

Danny rolled his eyes.

"Our notes are all in the lab, stored in the computer," Maddie went on. "You can look there if you really want to know what we did. I'll tell you the password and you can have a look right now."

"Nice try," said Danny. "I'm not leaving. None of us are."

Maddie pursed her lips. Jack glanced at the digital clock on Danny's nightstand. The minutes were moving so slowly.

"Tell me what you were going to do to clone 26," said Danny. "The one that got away just now. Tell me."

Jack shifted on the bed, trying to get more comfortable but he just couldn't. He was sweating under his jumpsuit and he wished he could shower it all off.

"Why do you want to know?" asked Maddie.

"Because I want to hear you say it," spat Danny. "I want to hear you tell me exactly how you planned on torturing him. Torturing me."

"It wouldn't have been you."

"He wouldn't have known that."

"But we would've."

"So that's how you're able to sleep at night, is it?" said Danny bitterly. "You've been killing and torturing clones of me for months and you think it's fine because it wasn't actually me?"

"It wasn't fine," said Jack.

Danny glared at him, moisture brimming in his glowing eyes. Jack looked away.

"I saw your notes," said Danny quietly. "When I took the clone's place, I read what you planned on doing to him tonight." He breathed. "But I want to hear you say it."

Maddie and Jack stayed silent.

"Say it," Danny repeated. He banged a fist against the door behind him. "Say it!"

"All right," barked Maddie. She sighed, groaned. "We are always looking for ways to test the limits of spectral healing abilities. So we were going to flay the skin off of one arm and reattach it, see how it healed. And then we were going to take the skin off other parts depending on what we observed."

Danny's eyes hardened into a fierce glare, glowing so bright his pupils couldn't even be seen. "Now tell me why you think it's okay to do that to anyone, any ghost, let alone an exact copy of me."

Jack turned his face away, unable to look at Danny. He had no idea how Maddie was reacting.

"Do you enjoy hurting me?" Danny's voice broke, rising and falling as it shook. "Watching me suffer? Hearing me scream?" He swallowed, gasped. "Is that why you kept cloning me? So you could have fun torturing me over and over?"

"No, of course not," said Maddie.

"But they all looked like me, didn't they? Sounded like me?" Danny glanced off to the side, his eyes glazing. "Exactly like me," he murmured. He looked at Maddie again with fierce focus. "And that never bothered you?"

Maddie sighed deeply, looking tired and deflated. "It was for science, Danny."

No one spoke for several minutes. The silence was dead and thick. Jack was all but ready to collapse onto Danny's bed and pass out but he forced himself to stay upright.

"Science." Danny crossed his arms. "Fine. If that's all I am to you, then that's what I'll be."

Maddie gave him a curious look. Jack's teeth scraped the backside of his lips.

"Your specimen. Your little science project." Danny stretched out his arms and took a small bow. "At your command, Mom and Dad."

"What are you talking about, Danny?" asked Maddie, her tone low but tight.

"If you want to do any other experiments, you'll have to do them on me," said Danny. "No more clones."

Maddie made a small huffing sound. "Those experiments would kill you, Danny."

"Killing me would not be the worst thing you've done to me," hissed Danny.

Maddie leaned back a little, recoiling before straightening again. "But we don't want to kill you. That's why we had Vlad clone you, so we wouldn't have to hurt you."

Danny's eyes filled with more tears. "You have hurt me," he said just above a whisper.

Jack's jaw tightened and he could actually hear Maddie gulp.

Danny sniffled and wiped at his wet eyes with one gloved hand. He blinked away tears as he looked up at the ceiling. "I'm so tired. God, I want to sleep so bad, just escape this for a few hours." He brought his gaze back down to Jack and Maddie. "But I can't. Because I have to make sure you don't go after that clone."

"We won't," said Jack. Maddie shot him a look but said nothing.

"I don't trust you," said Danny, his voice hoarse. "You know I can't."

"You're right," said Jack softly. "You can't."

Danny glared at him, into him, sharp and hot. Jack breathed in deep and forced himself to hold eye contact, wishing he could adequately communicate his regret, his sorrow, his shame. Wishing he had destroyed the portal before Danny ever had a chance to step inside.

Before his wife tricked him to step inside.

Jack looked at Maddie, who was now looking directly at Danny, her face in profile completely stoic, her arms folded and her legs crossed, unmoving, her back perfectly straight. He wondered how she could be so composed. Didn't she feel anything right now? Remorse, guilt—something?

Jack wanted to believe she did.

He wished he could believe it.

Sam hesitated, her hand still on Danny's shoulder. Then she got up off the bed and stood next to Tucker. Jazz stayed on the bed and studied Danny's face, the tears on his lashes dripping off one by one. His breathing was steady and deep.

Tucker leaned over the bed and snapped his fingers several times in front of Danny's face. Sam grabbed his wrist and jerked his arm away.

"Tucker!" she shrieked.

"I was just checking!" Tucker held up his hands, then lowered them as he looked at Danny again. "Man, he is out."

The three of them stared at Danny in silence for some time.

"Is this normal?" asked Sam. "I mean, falling asleep like this? Are we sure he's okay?"

Jazz gave her a small smile. "Haven't you ever cried yourself to sleep?"

Sam pressed her lips. Tucker ducked his head.

"He was holding all of that pain inside of him for so long." Jazz's eyes returned to Danny. "Letting it all out must've been exhausting."

Silence again. Danny suddenly breathed in deeply, his chest expanding and then deflating as he loudly exhaled. But he otherwise did not move.

"What do we do now?" asked Sam, rubbing her elbow.

"We wait for him to wake up." Jazz looked around the room. "Do you have a blanket we can put over him?"

Tucker stayed next to the bed while Sam walked over to her closet and began looking through it. Jazz stepped out into the hall and entered Sam's bathroom. She located a hand towel in one of the drawers and ran it under cool water, wringing it out before taking it back to the bedroom. She sat on Sam's bed in front of Danny and gently mopped the sweat off his forehead, pushing his bangs up and away. She moved the towel in slow circles around his face and wiped the dried tears off his cheeks and jawline. The color in his face was already returning to normal, no longer hot and red.

Sam came up behind Danny and laid a soft purple blanket over him. Jazz ran the damp towel down all sides of his neck before stepping away, tossing the towel into Sam's laundry hamper.

The three teens came together again next to Sam's bed. Sam suddenly started shaking, her hands clenching into tight fists.

"You okay, Sam?" asked Tucker with a frown.

"No, I am not." Sam's teeth were clenched.

"What's wrong?" asked Jazz.

"I'm just so"—Sam growled—"pissed at Clockwork."

"Clockwork isn't the one who kidnapped and tortured him, Sam," said Jazz.

"Yeah, but he knew where Danny was!" yelled Sam, throwing out an arm in a vague indication. "He knew exactly what Danny was going through at that very moment we went to see him. And he refused to tell us."

Sam shut her eyes and clutched at her stomach. Tucker placed a hand on her shoulder but Sam only shook her head and bent over slightly.

"I just—I feel so sick," gasped Sam. "We should've saved him sooner. How could we just let him go through all that? How could your mother—your mother—"

Sam snarled and started stomping toward the door.

"Sam, where are you going?" cried Jazz.

"I have to find your mom." Sam stopped but did not come back. Her voice was unstable. "Right now. I have to—I don't know, I just need to yell at her or—something—"

"No, Sam." Jazz approached her. "Don't."

"I can't just say nothing," protested Sam tearfully. "Do nothing. I can't, Jazz. You know I can't. He's my friend—your brother! We have to do something, don't we?"

Sam gritted her teeth and shook her head. Jazz placed her hands on Sam's trembling shoulders. Tucker came up just behind Jazz.

"I'm angry, too," said Jazz quietly, tears burning her eyes. "I am—so angry." Her breath hitched. "And hurt. And betrayed." She stifled a sob and tightened her hold on Sam's shoulders. "But right now isn't the time to confront her."

"Why not?" Sam demanded, scowling.

"Because we need to be here when Danny wakes up," said Jazz. "Right now, we need to be here for Danny."

The three teens turned back to Sam's bed, where Danny was still sleeping. He hadn't moved even a little, still lying in the same position with his head resting on his arm.

"I just…can't believe what she did to him," said Tucker. "We knew about his eye already, but the other things—I mean, I just had no idea. Breaking his leg with a sledgehammer? Cutting off part of his tongue? Does that even sound like real scientific experiments to you guys?"

"No," said Sam.

"And I don't even know what the spleen does. What does it do?" asked Tucker.

"It filters waste and damaged cells out of the blood," said Jazz. "Also produces antibodies that fight infection."

"Doesn't sound like an organ you'd want to live without."

"No. It's not."

Jazz sat down next to Danny. He appeared serene, tranquil, no noticeable disturbance in his face now, something she hadn't seen in a long time. For so long, every time she looked at him, all she could see was suffering.

She brushed her fingers over his brow, stroked the hair behind his ears. Her little brother. Except he wasn't so little anymore. More a man than a boy now. She remembered when he was small, so much smaller than her. But up close, she could see just how much he had grown. Well-defined cheekbones and jawline now that all his baby fat was gone. Broad shoulders and taut neck muscles. The beginnings of sparse stubble replacing the peach fuzz in front of his ears.

But she could still see the memories of youth in his face and skin. The soft point of his nose, thick eyelashes, a smattering of freckles across his cheeks.

Memories of trauma, too. Dark circles under his eyes and a discolored scar peeking out from under his shirt collar.

Just how many other scars were hidden under his shirt?

"We cannot let this happen again," murmured Jazz. She turned to look at Sam and Tucker. Her voice rose in volume but cracked with emotion. "We have to protect him. We cannot allow anyone to hurt him like this ever again."

"We won't," said Sam without hesitation.

"We have to do better this time."

"We will," said Tucker with resolve.

Jazz turned back to Danny and pulled both of her knees onto Sam's bed to move closer to him. She cupped his face with one hand, caressing his cheek with her thumb.

So much she longed to tell him, so many heavy apologies and determined promises inside of her. She wished he would wake up now so she could let it all spill out, relieve this heartache.

"Why'd you run out of the cafeteria?" asked Paulina, holding her books to her chest as she leaned against the lockers. "The boys ended up eating the rest of your lunch."

"I, uh…" Star scratched the side of her nose. "I just forgot that I was supposed to talk to my economics teacher during lunch," she said, choosing a teacher that she knew Paulina was not familiar with.

"You sure that's it?" Paulina pouted and tilted her head. "Or did Danny say something that broke your heart again?"

Star could feel warmth in her cheeks. "He didn't break my heart."

Paulina raised a brow, a knowing smile on her freshly glossed lips.

"Look, the guy's a weirdo," said Star, trying to sound convincing. "You know that. I can do better than him."

Paulina's mouth puckered. "If there's anything I've learned from listening to all the girls on the cheer squad, it's that you really can fall in love with anyone."

Star frowned, genuinely puzzled. "Even you?"

Paulina shrugged. "Even me. I fell in love with a ghost, after all."

A ghost. She meant Danny Phantom.

Star again remembered her encounter with Phantom in the library, his wounded side. The way Fenton jumped up from the cafeteria table when she jabbed him in the same side.

It made no sense and yet it made all the sense in the world.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period. Paulina and Star began heading for their next classes.

"But how would you feel if you found out the ghost boy wasn't who you thought he was?" asked Star. "I mean, what if you found out he's really just…a freak? A loser?"

"That's not possible," said Paulina.

Star waited, curious.

"He's saved our town so many times," Paulina explained. "He's even personally saved my life. Someone like that just has to be…" Paulina sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Wonderful."

Star sucked the inside of her cheek.

"And he's super cute; I've seen him up close. You can't fake good looks." Paulina scrunched her mouth, her brow furrowing. "Well, boys can't."

An image of Fenton smiling entered Star's head, so genuine and kind and yes super cute, she could not deny it.

She felt a blush rising up her neck and fought it off as hard as she could, turning her face away so Paulina wouldn't see it.

…

Throughout the second half of the day, Star kept her eye on Fenton, watching him in the hall during passing periods, waiting for some kind of sign, a signal, no idea what but she was sure she would recognize it when she saw it.

She watched him from a distance, careful to stay hidden so he wouldn't see her. Because if he turned his face in her direction and actually smiled at her, she was sure she'd fall apart, melt into a puddle, unable to reform.

But this was so stupid, this was Fenton, the biggest loser in school. Well, maybe that was being hyperbolic, maybe not in the school, but at least their grade. Well, okay, maybe that was also an exaggeration, maybe he wasn't the biggest loser in their grade, but he was definitely certainly absolutely not in her league and there was no good reason why she should be feeling so weak in the knees when she caught sight of his dopey blue eyes and his doofy soft hair and his dumb muscle-toned arms and his—

His side—

Fenton was gripping his side with both hands, fingers splayed, slightly bent over. Star knew exactly which class Fenton had next—English with Lancer, same as her—but instead of going to class, Fenton was heading for the nearest restroom, grimacing and digging his fingers into his right side. He pushed open the men's door and disappeared inside.

Star glanced down the hall in the direction of her next class and made a split-second decision, barreling toward and through the men's door before she could change her mind.

Inside the restroom, Fenton was standing in front of a sink, using one hand to lift up his shirt. He was inspecting three scabby gashes on his right side.

Star froze. The gashes looked an awful lot like claw marks, claws like the ghost monster in the library had.

Her body tensed and shook as she stared at the wounds, fluid leaking between cracks in the scabs. Fenton jumped when he caught sight of her and dropped his shirt, his eyes wide as he stared back at her.

Silence stretched between them. Star breathed deeply, again and again, her heart racing.

"I want to ask my last question now," she said, her voice wobbling.

Fenton turned so he was facing her more fully. "Okay," he said just above a whisper.

"And—and you have to be honest."

"I know. I will."

Star pulled in another breath, bracing herself. "Are you Danny Phantom?"

Fenton did not answer for many long seconds. When he finally opened his mouth, the door to the restroom swung open. Dash barged in and groaned when he saw Fenton and Star.

"Can you two maybe wait to make out until after I piss?" grumbled Dash, making his way to one of the urinals.

Star's face burned and she sprinted out of the restroom, down the hall and toward her next class. Her legs ached and sweat dripped under her shirt but she did not stop until she reached the classroom door, panting and choking on her spit.

She swallowed and entered the classroom, taking her normal seat next to Paulina. Paulina gave her a curious look but thankfully did not comment on her haggard appearance. Dash entered the classroom just as the bell rang, but Fenton was not with him.

Lancer stood at the front of the room and was counting students with one finger, silently mouthing to himself.

"Mr. Fenton is tardy again, I see." Lancer clicked his tongue in disapproval as he bent over his desk and wrote something down on a sheet of paper.

Star watched as Manson and Foley looked at the empty seat between them and exchanged confused glances with each other. She clasped her clammy hands and breathed in to quiet her thudding heart.

Star blushed. "I am not—"

"He's all you ever talk about now," said Dash with a sneer.

The A-Listers began to gather their things and stand. Star watched them, still baffled.

"You really don't remember when he came back in?" she asked, rising to her feet and scooping her things into her arms.

"He was just kind of here again," said Kwan.

"Yes, the ghost alarm went off and Lancer started his lecture again and then…" Paulina puckered her lips in thought. "I remember you coming back in. That's all."

"Fenton must've come back in when the ghost alarm was going off and we were all too distracted to notice," said Kwan with a shrug.

"Come on, I'm starving," said Dash, leading the way out of the classroom. "I gotta eat something before practice."

"Yeah, don't want you passing out on the field again," laughed Kwan.

Dash shoved him. "Shut up, I didn't pass out. I just tripped."

"And didn't get up for a whole minute."

"It was not that long!"

Star trailed behind the other A-Listers as they entered the hallway, their chattering getting lost in the cacophony of all the other voices as students scurried past, laughing and shouting and gossiping. As she opened her locker and took out her backpack, she could see Fenton down the hall at his own locker. He caught her eye and smiled.

Star narrowed her eyes as she studied him hard. Fenton's attention was quickly pulled away by his friends, and then he shut his locker and disappeared around a corner.

Fenton and Phantom were at least somewhat close to each other, that much she knew for sure now.

But how close?

In the tutoring room, she took a seat and looked over the list of students signed up for math help that afternoon. But as she tried to concentrate on helping students with quadratic formulas and coordinate planes and differential equations, she found that her mind just kept turning back to Fenton and Phantom.

What do you really think about Danny Fenton?

She had thought it was a strange question for Phantom to ask in the moment, but it seemed even more peculiar now. Was it some kind of wingman routine? Did Fenton ask Phantom to ask her what she thought of him? But how did Fenton know that she and Phantom were going to meet? Was it really just a coincidence?

It had to be, yes. Because it made much more sense than the alternative.

Fenton and Phantom…

They couldn't possibly be the same person. That made absolutely no sense.

"Did I do it right?" asked Gina, the girl Star was tutoring.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Star blinked and looked over the problem Gina was working on, then quickly shook her head. "Oh, wait, no, no. This is all wrong. Sorry, I'm a little distracted…"

She took an eraser and rubbed out Gina's mistakes, almost all of her penciled calculations. Gina looked at the mostly empty space and sighed.

"You had the right idea," said Star. "Just, uh, just try again."

Star tapped the empty space a couple times with her manicured index finger. Gina sighed again and started a new attempt to solve the problem. Star tried to focus on the movements of Gina's pencil, the numbers being written, but her mind would not stop wandering.

"So, um…" Star hesitated, clearing her throat to stall a moment. "Just out of curiosity, um… What would you do if you thought the ghost kid was a student at our school?"

Gina looked up from her paper, her eyes becoming quite round. "The ghost kid? As in Danny Phantom?" She grinned, somewhat dreamily. "I'd definitely try to get his autograph. And maybe his phone number. I mean, if he has a phone number." She scrunched her mouth. "Do ghosts have cell phones?"

Star glanced down at her phone in her lap as she thought about the times she had seen Fenton using his own phone.

"Maybe," she murmured.

…

The next day, Star watched Fenton closely, keeping her distance as she tried to covertly follow him as much as she could.

But of course, all of the A-Listers noticed.

"You're really taking this breakup hard, aren't you?" asked Dash with a laugh.

"We did not—we were never—" Star groaned and gave up as she followed the group to their next class.

"When you and I broke up, it was easy," said Kwan. "You must really like Fenton to be this hung up on him."

"I am not—"

"I think he might still like you, too," said Paulina. "He's looking this way!"

Star blushed and turned her face just a little to find Fenton indeed looking at her. Their eyes met for a small moment before Manson took Fenton by the arm and pulled him away down the hall.

"You really are out of his league, Star," said Kwan. "But hey, it's your life."

Star was about to turn her face away from Fenton when she saw him stumbling as he tried to keep up with Manson's pace. He clutched his right side, hobbling a few steps before righting himself and walking straight.

Star blinked several times, trying to remember Phantom's wound from the day before. Which side was it?

She remembered the library, the monster ghost baring its claws on one hand and taking a swipe at Phantom. The monster's claws tore through Phantom's suit and there was ectoplasm bleeding out, oozing between Phantom's gloved fingers as he pressed a hand to his side.

His right side.

Star looked over at Fenton again, who was still walking straight but she saw him clutching his right side, yes, definitely his right side.

It's your life, Kwan had said.

But at this moment, Star was far more interested in Fenton's life.

"I—hold on—are you Amorpho?" The clone's eyes looked him up and down. "Or some other ghost?"

"No." Danny glanced at the door before returning his attention to the clone. "This is gonna be hard to hear—it's hard for me to say—but you're not who you think you are."

The clone raised a brow. "What are you—"

"You're a clone," said Danny, almost desperately. "Remember Vlad's cloning technology? He created you. And you can't stay here or you're going to be killed." Danny paused, shuddering. "Or worse."

"I—I don't—I don't under—no, I'm not a clone." The clone got off the bed and stood. "I don't know what kind of weird trick this is, but—"

The clone clenched his fists by his sides, and a ring of light materialized around his middle. Danny rushed over and grabbed at the clone's right shirt sleeve, pulling it up and exposing his bare upper arm. The ring of light vanished as the clone stared down at the black number 26 tattooed on his skin.

The clone's mouth hung open for several seconds. Danny could see the bafflement in the clone's eyes as he continued to hold up the shirt sleeve.

"When—" The clone's eyelids fluttered. "How—"

"You have to leave, you have to hide," said Danny. "And you can never come back. Do you understand me?" Danny dropped his voice to a whisper as his throat tightened. "If you come back, they'll kill you."

"Who?"

"Mom and Dad."

The clone pulled his arm away, his sleeve slipping out of Danny's hold. "What? No—"

"They're behind it all." Danny's voice was raspy now. "They always have been. I thought it was crazy at first too, but it makes so much sense now. Doesn't it?"

"No, none of this makes sense," spat the clone. "What the hell is going on? Who are you?"

Danny sighed and lowered his eyes to the floor. "Right now, I wish I was you."

The clone blinked several times, looking utterly perplexed.

Heavy footsteps thudded up the stairs and down the hall, coming closer. Danny rushed to his bedroom door and locked it just as Maddie tried opening it. She jiggled the doorknob once, then again and again, getting more violent each time.

"Danny?" She banged on the door. "Danny, open this door now."

The clone stared at the door, his jaw completely slacked.

"We have to take care of that clone, Danny," yelled Maddie. "Let us in right now. Jack, can you get this open?"

"What, you want me to blast through the door?" asked Jack.

"No, obviously not. Where's the key pin?"

"We keep it on top of the doorframe. Here, it's right here."

The doorknob started jiggling again, then it began to turn. Danny grabbed it and put all his weight against the door.

"You have to leave," hissed Danny. "They're here to kill you."

"But I—" The clone shook his head as he backed up against the wall. "But I don't understand."

Jack and Maddie managed to get the door open a crack, but Danny shoved back as hard as he could. He pushed the heels of his boots into the floor.

"Go," cried Danny. "Go!"

The clone pressed his palms to the wall, never taking his eyes off the door. "But—"

"Get as far away from here as you can." Danny grunted, gritting his teeth. "Maybe the Ghost Zone. Just make sure it's somewhere they'll never find you."

The clone's eyes were wide, his face drained of color. He did not move, frozen in place, but his entire body was shivering.

"You're the lucky one here," said Danny, his eyes filling with tears. "Trust me."

He and the clone stared at each other with heaving chests.

And then Danny's strength gave out as Jack and Maddie kicked open the door and barged into the room, goggles on, ecto-guns in their hands. Danny fell to the floor on his knees, gasping and panting. Maddie trained her gun on the clone, aiming right at his head. The barrel of the gun lit up, whirring with ghostly energy.

The clone's eyes bulged, but still he did not move. He pressed himself into the wall as much as he could.

Danny choked on a sob as he jumped up from the floor and threw his shoulder against the barrel of Maddie's gun, bumping it to aim upward instead. The gun went off, blowing a smoking hole through the ceiling.

The clone was at last jarred into action, transforming and phasing through the wall behind him. Maddie dashed to the window and threw off the blinds, almost tearing them down as she got behind them and slid the window open. She leaned out, scanning the neighborhood and the sky above. She moved her goggles on top of her hood to get a better look.

"We have to find him," she muttered in a panic. "We can't let him—where's my scanner—"

The blinds clattered and nearly broke as Maddie shoved them away from her and rushed toward the door. Danny grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. She attempted to pulled away, but Danny only tightened his grip.

"You are not going to leave," said Danny. "You are going to stay right here."

"Danny." Maddie held up her free hand holding the gun. "Danny, please, don't make me—"

Danny's other hand shot out and grabbed the gun, twisting her arm and wrenching the gun out of her grasp. He tossed it across the room, where it spluttered a couple times and then quieted.

"You are not going to go after him," grunted Danny. "Not now, not ever."

Danny forced both of Maddie's arms behind her back and was able to hold her in place despite her squirming and jerking. He was now bigger and stronger than her, and his ghost form only enhanced his strength as he used one hand to hold her arms and the other to wrap around her front, pressing her back into his chest.

"You are never to go after him," Danny continued. "You are never to look for him. If you harm that clone in any way, I will find out."

Danny's mouth was close to Maddie's ear now.

"And you will have to answer to me," he hissed.

"Danny, I don't expect you to understand." Maddie arched her back, still struggling to free herself. Her voice was strained as she spoke. "But I promise I will explain later if you just let me—"

"No. You've had plenty of time to 'explain' the truth to me and you said nothing while you continued with this sick experiment, so you don't get to try to 'explain' anything to me now." Danny tightened his hold. "Nothing you say could ever convince me that killing my clone is the right thing to do."

Maddie panted and jerked some more. She looked at Jack with wide eyes.

"Jack, help me, please," she begged, breathing heavy.

Still wearing his goggles and holding his gun, Jack stared at Danny and Maddie, not moving. Danny tensed as he stared back, wary because yes he had grown over the past couple years and now surpassed his mother in size and strength, but his father was still much bigger, bulked up in size, height, and muscle that Danny could not match without his ghost powers.

And did he have it in him to actually use his powers against his own father?

Or his own mother?

How far was he willing to go to ensure they did not harm the clone?

Jack locked stares with him a moment longer. Then he lowered his gun and took his goggles off. "What do you want me to do, Maddie? Should I shoot him?"

Danny could feel Maddie freezing in his hold.

"You want me to shoot our son? Is that what you're asking me to do?" asked Jack.

Maddie said nothing. Jack switched off his gun and set it on Danny's desk before stepping away.

"I'm done," said Jack. "I'm done with all of this."

Maddie shook her head. "Jack—"

"That clone should've never existed in the first place," said Jack. "It's out of our control now, Maddie."

He looked straight into Danny's eyes.

"This entire experiment is no longer in our control," he said in a low voice.

Danny was almost spellbound as he continued staring at Jack. He loosened his hold on Maddie, and she was quick to jerk away from him.

"That clone's existence puts all of us at risk," said Maddie, emphasizing with a point of her index finger toward the floor. "The Guys in White could capture him, and then they'll find out who he really is, what you really are"—she gestured to Danny—"what we've done. We'd all be taken away."

Danny again remembered the tattooed number 26 on the upper arm of an alternate version of his ultimate enemy.

"I understand the risks with letting the clone go," said Danny with a couple slow nods of his head. "I'm not changing my mind."

Maddie snarled and turned on her heel to leave, but Danny blocked her way out the door.

"You two aren't leaving my sight tonight," he said sharply.

Maddie huffed and crossed her arms, jutting out one hip. "What, you're just going to make us stay here?"

"Yes." Danny pointed to his bed. "You two are going to sit on my bed, and I'm going to make sure you don't go out hunting for that clone."

Maddie and Jack both stared at him, Maddie with hot anger and Jack with bewilderment. Danny swallowed and panted, trying to hide the shakiness in his muscles because this was so strange, this change in roles, giving his own parents orders, essentially grounding them in his own bedroom.

He didn't like it. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, not how he was raised.

But he had no choice. His parents could no longer be trusted.

No, actually, his parents could never be trusted. He was only just realizing it now.

Maddie narrowed her eyes. "You can't just keep us here forever, Danny."

Danny sighed and looked toward his window. The blinds were bent in several places, letting in soft moonlight that cast strange shadows on the walls.

"I know," he said quietly. "But I'm going to give that clone the best head start he can get."

The room was silent for several long moments. Only the sound of heavy breathing.

Jack was the first to move, taking a seat on the bed, his heavy frame causing the mattress to sink low. Maddie stubbornly glared at Danny a little longer, her cheeks glowing hot, but then she also stomped to the bed and sat on it, crossing her legs, her higher foot bouncing with irritable energy.

Danny attempted to catch his breath. He was still shaking, his nerves stirring, his ectoplasm spiking with adrenaline, his skin shimmering with ebbing spectral light.

Outside his bedroom door, he could see Jazz's silhouette, unmoving, only listening. Danny slowly stepped to his door and shut it.

Jazz gasped. "Is he stuck in ghost form forever?"

"No," said Tucker. "I mean, we don't think so. We're sure it'll wear off, we just don't know when."

"But we don't think it'll be before school tomorrow," said Sam.

"Yeah, and I have a really important English test tomorrow," said Danny, sounding panicked. "Like I have to take it or Lancer says I'll fail the whole semester. I'm sitting on a low C right now, so I can't afford to miss it."

"Danny, have you even been studying for this test?" asked Jazz, narrowing her eyes and sounding cross. "Why did you go out fighting ghosts when you knew you had this big important test to take?"

"Look, can you spare me the lecture?" pleaded Danny. "I need your help."

"What exactly do you think I can do to help?"

"I need you to help disguise my ghost form so I can go to school tomorrow looking human enough to attend all my classes and take the test."

Jazz stared at the three teens in front of her. They all stared back.

"You can't be serious," said Jazz at last.

"Dead serious," said Tucker. "No pun intended." He chortled. "Okay, maybe a little intended."

Jazz sighed and grabbed her phone off her nightstand and opened a note-taking app. "All right, let's start by making a list of everything we need to disguise. Then we'll go through each one at a time. First, the white hair, of course."

"White eyelashes and eyebrows, too," said Sam. "And the glowing green eyes."

"His glow in general," chirped Tucker. "He can light up a whole room sometimes, especially when he's hyper or happy."

"His voice echoes."

"He blushes green."

"Plus his skin has an overall green tinge instead of red."

"Yeah, even his lips are greenish-blue, looking like he's oxygen-deprived."

"And he's like a walking, floating AC. You just instantly feel cold when he's nearby."

"True, he's deathly cold to the touch."

Jazz nodded, tapping each entry into her phone. "Danny? Do you have anything to add?"

Danny flinched and rubbed his neck. "No, I think you've all managed to list out everything that makes me a freak."

"It doesn't make you a freak, Danny," said Sam, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It just makes you unique." She shivered and withdrew her hand, shaking it out. "But damn, you are cold."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Sam. I feel much better."

"First, the white hair," said Jazz. "Hats aren't allowed at school, so we need to dye it black."

"No problem," said Sam. "I have plenty of black hair dye at home."

Tucker and Danny quirked their brows.

"Oh, come on," said Sam. "You both already know that my natural hair color is blonde. And even though my mom hates that I dye it, she at least buys me the good stuff so I don't look 'cheap,' as she says."

"That takes care of that, then," said Jazz, writing in some notes. "Okay, next is the eyes."

"I have some blue colored contacts, too," said Sam.

Tucker gasped, pressing a hand over his heart. "Sam, do you mean to tell me your natural eye color isn't purple either?"

"Shut it," hissed Sam.

"But the contacts aren't going to stop his eyes from glowing," said Jazz.

"Yeah, I don't know how we can cover up his glow," said Sam.

"Layers," said Tucker. "Lots of layers. Danny, you're just gonna have to be hot tomorrow."

Danny sighed, not enjoying that idea at all.

"You know, this is the part where you're supposed to say, 'I'm always hot!'" quipped Tucker.

Danny snorted. "Who do you think I am, you?"

"Layers won't work," Sam cut in. "His eyes and face would still glow, and we can't cover his face with a mask."

"Then you're screwed, dude," said Tucker. "Ghosts can't just stop glowing."

"That's not true," said Danny. "I've encountered several ghosts that were able to suppress their glow and pass for humans while in town. Like Johnny and Kitty."

"I guess that's true," said Tucker, nodding.

"But how do they do it?" asked Sam.

"I actually asked Kitty that once," said Danny. "She said the easiest way is to hold back on all emotions, to be completely serious, blank. Empty, as she put it."

"Empty?" Tucker tilted his head.

"Yeah," said Danny. "You said yourself that my glow gets brighter when I'm really happy."

"And it gets dim when you're depressed," said Jazz. "Yes, we've all noticed that."

"So if I just try to stay blank all day tomorrow, I shouldn't glow," said Danny.

"But you're like the moodiest guy we know," said Tucker. "How are you going to pull that off?"

Danny glared at him, his eyes flashing brighter.

"See?" said Tucker, pointing.

"He's right, Danny," said Jazz. "You're a little moody, you know."

"You get kind of pissy pretty easily," added Sam.

"And you get turned on just seeing Paulina in a tight shirt," said Tucker.

"Tucker!" squealed Sam, lightly decking him.

"Hey, you like seeing Paulina in a tight shirt as much as I do," said Danny, his face glowing green with flushing ectoplasm.

"Yeah, but I don't light up like a glowstick," said Tucker.

Danny groaned. "Okay, fine. I guess I just have to stay away from everyone tomorrow. You know, not talk to anyone…at all. Ever."

"Really?" Sam raised a brow. "You're just not going to interact with a single person tomorrow?"

"What choice do I have?" asked Danny. "It's the only way to stop myself from showing emotion that would make me glow."

"It would also solve the problem of your echoey voice," said Jazz. "Honestly, not talking at all probably is your best bet."

"Right," said Danny, nodding. "I just go to school, stay blank and emotionless all day long, take the test, and then come right home. We've already tampered with the school's ghost detection system to not pick up on my ecto-signature, so no one will suspect that I'm secretly a ghost in disguise."

"If we're really going to do this, we need to start now," said Jazz. "Sam and Tucker, go get the hair dye and contacts. Danny, start figuring out how to suppress your emotions."

Sam and Tucker left to retrieve the dye while Danny stayed in Jazz's room and tried to meditate. He sat cross-legged on Jazz's carpet, closing his eyes and just breathing.

But his mind kept wandering. Thinking over Kitty's instructions made him remember how she overshadowed Paulina and made him think the prettiest girl in school actually liked him—that hurt.

And thinking about Dash borderline worshiping Phantom but having no respect for Fenton—that made him angry.

And imagining being stuck in ghost form forever and his parents eventually finding out and taking him down to the lab for torturous experimentation—that frightened him.

Through his closed eyes, he could see his glow pulsating, emanating with his different emotions.

"Here." Jazz lit an unscented candle and placed it in front of him on the floor. "I was doing some research on my phone about clearing your head when meditating, and they suggest focusing on a candle flame."

Danny opened his eyes and tightened his cross-legged position, holding his ankles as he stared at the crimson-edged flame. Bright white and orange sparked and flittered around the wick, melting the wax in a shiny pool underneath.

He followed each movement, each flicker.

Anytime a new thought tried to enter his head, whenever his mind started to wander, he refocused on the flame's dreamy dance.

"Hey!" Jazz squealed. "It's working!"

Danny blinked and looked down at himself. His brow creased when his glow appeared just the same as always.

"Well, it was," insisted Jazz. "I guess maybe I was too excited and that knocked you out of your state of emptiness. But it really does work!"

Danny refocused on the flame, this time with the confidence that this was definitely not a waste of time and he really could stop glowing if he just stopped feeling anything and everything.

His English grade depended on it.

After a few more minutes, Danny was able to clear his mind enough to dim his glow. He was working on closing his eyes and imagining the flame in just his head when Sam and Tucker arrived with the dye and contacts. With just half an hour before sunrise and a lot of teamwork, Danny Phantom was at last all dressed up and disguised as Danny Fenton.

Danny looked at himself in his bedroom mirror after Sam and Tucker returned home to get what little sleep they could before they had to start getting ready for school.

"What are you going to do with that?" asked Jazz, pointing at his black and white jumpsuit draped over his desk chair.

"Oh." Danny grabbed the suit and phased it through his wall, setting it on the nogging that he was using as a makeshift shelf for all of his hidden contraband. "Wow, I've never had to do that before."

Jazz put her hands on her hips as her gaze traveled up and down his body. "Black hair, blue eyes, regular clothes with pants and long sleeves to cover up as much as possible—but you're still glowing."

Danny moaned. "I know. I'm feeling nervous right now."

"Clear your mind. Let me see the full effect."

Danny shut his eyes, conjuring the flame again. His shoulders relaxed, and he opened his eyes, trying his best to remain blank and unfeeling.

Jazz approached him, her lips puckered with scrutiny as she walked around him, studying him from all angles. She then cupped her hands around her eyes and leaned in very close to his face.

"You're still glowing a tiny bit." She stepped back. "But as long as the lights are on and you try really hard to keep your mood even and bland, no one should notice."

Danny nodded, not wanting to even speak and risk losing his focus.

"But there is one last thing that needs to be covered up," said Jazz. "Your complexion. You still look like a ghost with all those green undertones." She brightened. "But some foundation will fix that right up!"

Danny sat in his desk chair while Jazz retrieved a few makeup items, including a bottle of foundation and some makeup brushes and sponges.

"Just don't think about it," said Jazz. "I need you to keep that glow dim so I can do this right."

Danny focused on the flame in his head and sat still while Jazz caked the foundation onto his face, blending out the edges and then setting it with a matte finishing powder. She also swept powder into his eyebrows to darken them.

"Open your eyes," said Jazz, coming toward him with a mascara wand.

"Is mascara really necessary?" asked Danny as Jazz tickled his eyelashes with the wand.

"Well, I considered using fake lashes, but I figured your white lashes would still show up underneath them," said Jazz. "Look up, please."

Danny grumbled but obeyed as Jazz continued applying the mascara.

"Okay, now look at me." Jazz squinted as she studied Danny's face. "Just one last thing."

Jazz picked up three tubes of lipstick and held them up to Danny's face, closing one eye as she examined each against her recent makeup job. Danny groaned and regained his glow.

"Danny, try to stay blank right now," said Jazz. "It's hard for me to choose the right color when you're glowing."

"But Jazz, lipstick, really?"

"Your lips are cold green. We have to somehow convince everyone you're filled with blood and not ectoplasm."

Danny groaned a final time before clearing his head again and subsequently dimming. Jazz selected a color and applied one layer over his lips, then another.

"This is expensive lipstick that is supposed to stay on your lips all day and not transfer," said Jazz, recapping the tube. "But just be careful when you eat or drink."

Danny stood to check his reflection in a mirror. His glow started returning as soon as he saw it.

"I've used makeup to cover bruises, but I never thought I'd wear a whole face of it," moaned Danny. After allowing himself to pout, he forced his glow back down again.

"You look great," said Jazz, coming up behind him. "You look human."

"You sure this is going to fool people?"

"As long as you don't let anyone look too closely, yes. Just keep everyone at a distance and don't engage in conversation or even eye contact." Jazz rubbed his back. "And don't touch anyone either, okay? No handshakes or anything like that. There's no way for us to raise your internal temperature."

"Mom likes to hug and kiss me in the morning."

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to leave for school early before she gets a chance."

Later, when Maddie was about to start cooking breakfast in the kitchen, Jazz invented an excuse for having to get to school early, something about a morning study session in the library before the first bell that of course Maddie believed because Jazz would never lie to her about such a thing. Jazz then ushered Danny past the kitchen, grabbing some toaster pastries that they could eat on the way.

"Bye, you two," said Maddie. "Study hard!"

Danny almost replied but stopped when Jazz shushed him. Right, right, his voice echoed too much in ghost form, he had to try very hard not to speak at all the entire day.

For once, Danny was relieved that he was not popular.

On the way to Casper High, Jazz stopped to pick up Sam and Tucker, who both had very dark circles under their eyes.

"Danny, hey." Sam gave him a groggy smile from the back seat. "You're looking good."

"Yeah," said Tucker with a yawn. "You look human."

Danny nodded but kept a very serious expression. "Thanks."

Tucker leaned forward and studied Danny more closely. "Dude, are you wearing lipstick?"

Danny blushed. "It was Jazz's idea. She insisted—I mean, she said my lips looked too green." Danny looked down at his glowing hands and groaned. "Oh, great. Tucker, I'm trying to keep my emotions in check, you know."

"That's right," said Jazz. "You two can't be cracking any jokes or teasing Danny today, not when he has to focus on staying blank."

"But Danny's always so fun to tease," said Tucker, grabbing and shaking Danny's shoulders from behind.

"That's of course true," said Jazz with a smile, "but he needs you two today." She glanced at Sam and Tucker using her rearview mirror. "You two need to be flanking Danny as much as possible, and if anyone tries to talk to him, you need to speak for him."

Tucker yawned again, more exaggerated this time. "I don't know, I might actually pull a Danny and fall asleep in class today."

Danny scowled. "Hey! I don't fall asleep that often!"

"Danny," said Jazz sternly.

"Right, sorry," mumbled Danny as he reeled his mood back in to turn down his glow again.

"We only got a couple hours of sleep," said Sam with a small slur. "But you two don't look too tired."

"That's because we didn't even try to sleep. Your bodies are feeling sluggish because you probably woke up in the middle of deep sleep," said Jazz. "I'm sure Danny and I will both feel some fatigue later today, but hopefully Danny will get the ability to change back before tomorrow so we don't have to do this again."

"God, I really hope so," moaned Tucker. "Danny's usually such a chatty Cathy, I don't know how we're going to explain why he's suddenly mute today."

Danny scoffed. "I am not a chatty Cathy!"

"Danny!" rebuked Jazz.

"God damn it." Danny gritted his teeth and refocused on the candle flame in his head.

When they arrived at Casper High, Danny stuffed his hands into his pockets and kept his head down as he walked between Sam and Tucker toward the main entrance.

"Is there anyone around that we know?" asked Danny, staring at the ground, watching his shoes with each step.

"Not yet," said Tucker.

"Okay, good," said Danny. "Please let me know if you see Valerie or Paulina headed toward us. I don't know if I can stay blank when I see a pretty girl."

"You've been looking at me just fine," said Sam, scowling.

Danny hunched over and shut his eyes. "Sam, don't make me feel guilty right now, please."

"All right, whatever," muttered Sam. "There are no pretty girls around to get your hormones in a twist, so you can relax."

"Let's just get to our lockers and then go directly to homeroom," said Danny evenly.

At his locker, Danny turned the dial for his combination, not wanting to risk phasing through in case engaging his ghost powers caused him to glow again. Nope, today he had to be as completely human as possible.

"Paulina's walking this way," said Tucker next to him, tilting his chin up to indicate down the hall. Danny closed his eyes and breathed in, focusing on the flame in his mind.

"She's seen us," said Tucker. "She's looking right at you, dude."

"Tucker, don't tell him that!" hissed Sam, smacking Tucker's shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Just tell me when she's walked by," said Danny, gritting his teeth and pretending to organize his books in his locker.

Danny could hear her voice, her laughter. She was getting closer, closer, and then he could hear her right behind him.

And a second later, she was still there. Another second, still there. Why was she taking so long to walk past?

"She's doing that thing you love where she flips her hair over her shoulder," Tucker whispered out of the side of his mouth.

Oh, God, he did love that. Danny ducked his head and threw his hands into his locker to hide the flash of his glow.

"Tucker, seriously, shut up," Sam whispered back.

Paulina's voice was finally starting to move now, drifting, floating away. Danny turned his head and could see her just out of the corner of his eye. She was looking back at him with a very confused pout, and then Star ushered her down the hall.

"She's so irritating," grumbled Sam.

"You survived, dude!" Tucker clapped a hand on Danny's back. "Now let's get you to class quick."

Danny breathed deep, sticking his head in his locker as he tried to keep the image of the flame bright. He exhaled, then pulled his head out and was just about to close his locker when he caught sight of another very pretty girl walking in the hall, a very pretty girl who smiled at him and was heading right for him.

"Shit, shit—" Danny buried his head in his locker again. "Tucker, make her go away, don't let her talk to me."

"Who?" Tucker whirled around. "Oh, Valerie! Hey!"

"Hey, Tucker," said Valerie. "What's Danny doing? Did he lose something in his locker?"

Danny pushed his head into his locker even farther.

"Nah," said Tucker. "He's just got a real bad zit he doesn't want anyone seeing."

Oh, Danny was gonna kill him for that—

Danny pulled his head out and slammed his locker door shut before dashing down the hall.

"Danny?" Valerie called after him. "Danny, everyone gets zits sometimes, it's okay—"

Danny ignored her, had to ignore her, couldn't let her see him glowing—

He breathed, slowed his walk, focused on the candle flame again.

"Danny." Sam came up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You got this, Danny. And don't worry, I'll be sure to kill Tucker for you." She winced, lifting her hand. "You really are cold."

"Let's just get to class," muttered Danny.

"Okay, but be careful," said Sam. "Dash and Paulina are straight ahead."

"Of course they are."

Danny jammed in his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor as he walked quickly down the hall. He could see Dash's sneakers and Paulina's flats come into view.

"Hey, Fenturd!" taunted Dash.

Danny ignored him.

"Danny, hi!" greeted Paulina with her signature lilt.

Danny ignored her harder.

"Oh, my God," laughed Sam, looking over her shoulder. "Paulina looks so confused. I guess she's not used to guys just walking by her."

"She doesn't look mad, does she?" asked Danny anxiously, his glow promptly returning.

"Danny, chill."

"God—shit—"

Danny breathed in, his glow fading.

In homeroom, Danny clasped his hands on his desk and sat up straight, staring at Mrs. Werner's face and nothing and no one else. Breathing, breathing, breathing, staring, breathing some more.

When the bell rang, Mrs. Werner stopped Danny on his way out the door.

"You looked so focused, Danny," said Mrs. Werner. "You looked like you were really paying attention. Usually you look like you're about to fall asleep this early in the morning."

Danny stared at her. In truth, he could not remember a single word from her lecture.

"It's because you're a good teacher," he said flatly.

Mrs. Werner tilted her head. "Your voice sounds strange. Are you feeling okay?"

"Come on, bud, we don't want to be late for our next class," said Tucker, pushing and dragging Danny out of the classroom.

"Danny, your voice echoes in ghost form, remember?" said Sam in a low voice. "You can't talk to anyone."

"But nice try telling Mrs. Werner she's a good teacher," laughed Tucker. "You hoping to flatter your way to better grades?"

"I'm really not hoping for anything right now," said Danny, staring forward with blank expression. "Except to get through this day without anyone finding out I'm a ghost."

Paulina was out in the hall chatting with Star and Dash. She dropped her pen as Danny walked by. Danny barely glanced at the pen and didn't look at Paulina at all as he sped past her.

Right behind him, Tucker picked up the pen and held it out to Paulina with a big smile. "I think you dropped this."

Paulina made a face and held up her hand, palm facing him. "Ew, you can keep it." She turned up her nose, clutched her books to her chest, and walked away.

"You will not believe what just happened," muttered Tucker, running to catch up with Danny.

"I heard it," said Danny without turning his head. "Remind me to laugh about it later."

Each class blurred together for Danny. He had no idea what any of the teachers were saying as he tried to focus on the flame in his head, but they each remarked on his attentive stare and straight posture.

"Nice to see your eyes open for once," said Mr. Falluca with a wink.

"I've never seen any student look so enthralled with my lesson!" said Ms. Eddington while clasping her hands.

Danny never smiled, staring through them and not at them.

"Yes, Danny enjoyed your class so much, but we've really gotta get going now," said Sam on his behalf over and over again.

A few of his classmates tried to get his attention in the hall between classes.

"Hi, Danny!"

"Danny, hey!"

Danny could see the confusion on their faces out of the corner of his eye as he walked past them without even a glance.

"Fentnerd, hey, I'm talking to you—"

Dash's red letterman jacket was merely a blur.

"Danny!" cooed Paulina. "Where are you off to in such a rush?"

Danny had no idea why Paulina was actually trying to talk to him but he hated that he had to shrug her off. God, he hoped she would forgive him.

"Is it just me, or does it seem like everyone is trying to talk to me today?" asked Danny.

"Isn't this what you always wanted?" asked Tucker with a grin. "To be popular?"

"Not when I literally can't even enjoy it," said Danny. "Could this day go any slower?"

Lunchtime arrived at last. Danny phased himself and Sam through a locked classroom door while Tucker headed to the cafeteria. Danny took a seat at a desk in the empty classroom and sprawled out, letting his head fall back as relief and all other emotions washed over him and brought out his ghostly glow.

"I'm exhausted," sighed Danny, closing his eyes. "I had no idea repressing your emotions could be so draining."

"You've been doing a great job," said Sam at the desk next to him. She pulled her vegan lunch out of her eco-friendly bag and spread it out before her. "Want some?"

Danny eyed the leafy rabbit food. "No, thanks. I'll just wait for Tucker to bring some real food."

"That slop in the cafeteria isn't real food, Danny. It's literally cancer."

"Well, at least it tastes good."

Sam turned up her nose and took a bite of her lettuce wrap.

A few minutes later, Tucker entered the classroom carrying two lunch trays. Jazz walked in behind him.

"Pizza today, my friend!" whooped Tucker, setting a tray with a large pepperoni slice on Danny's desk.

"What are you doing here, Jazz?" asked Danny. "This isn't your lunch period."

"She snuck out of class!" laughed Tucker, popping open a can of soda and taking a seat next to Danny with his own pizza slice.

Jazz blushed. "Just for a little bit. I just said I needed to use the bathroom." Jazz held up a hall pass. "I really wanted to see how you were doing."

"Well. I survived the first half of the day." Danny groaned. "Barely."

"Tucker tells me you've managed to keep your glow at bay."

"I just hope to God I never have to do this again."

"Dash was actually looking for you in the cafeteria," said Tucker, his mouth full of cheese and sauce. "He's not happy you've been ignoring him."

"Yeah, I'm sure I'm in for the swirly of my life when this is all over," Danny quipped.

Jazz gasped, pressing a hand over her heart. "He does that to you?"

"When he's in a good mood," said Tucker, causing Jazz to gasp again.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Jazz."

"But have you reported him? Have you told Mom?"

"No, Jazz, and you better not tell her either." Danny glared at her. "The last thing I need is for Dash to come after me if I get him kicked off the football team or something."

"But Danny—"

"No, I'm not having this conversation right now. One problem at a time." Danny placed both palms on the desk in front of him, breathing in slowly. "I just need to get through today so I can take my English test and go home without anyone realizing that Danny Phantom has actually been filling in for Danny Fenton."

"But Paulina would be all over you if she knew you were her ghost boy." Tucker grinned. "Although I think she maybe wants to be all over you now. I overheard her talking to Dash in the cafeteria. She thinks the way you've been ignoring everyone and acting all aloof is 'manly,' her word."

Danny's glow brightened. "She said I was manly?"

Sam scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I guess you just need to shut up every day and you can finally have the mega babe of your dreams."

"You're really telling me that this whole time, all I had to do was not talk to her?" Danny's jaw dropped. "Why didn't anyone tell me this sooner?"

"Hey, this is news to me, too!" insisted Tucker. "I had no idea girls also like it when guys play hard-to-get."

"Boys, calm down and eat your cancer," said Sam. "Lunch is going to be over soon."

"And I need to touch up your makeup a bit, Danny," said Jazz, holding up a small bag of cosmetics she had brought with her. "You're looking a little green."

Danny finished eating and stayed still while Jazz smoothed a new layer of foundation over his face, using red undertones to neutralize the ectoplasmic tinge. He closed his eyes and tried to keep his glow down.

"Have you even tried changing back yet?" asked Tucker. "Maybe it's already worn off."

Danny sent a signal to his molecules to switch over, but they remained trapped in ghost form. "Still stuck like this."

"You've made it this far," said Sam. "You'll be fine."

Jazz swept black powder over Danny's eyebrows and studied his eyes. "Mascara really makes your eyes so pretty, Danny."

Danny groaned and looked away, feeling his glow returning. "Yeah, that's just what I need to hear right now."

"She's not wrong," said Tucker, batting his own eyelashes mockingly.

"There's nothing wrong with guys wearing makeup," insisted Sam. "You look great, Danny." Her mouth twitched, threatening to curl into a smile. "And so very pretty."

Danny smirked mirthlessly, irritably. "You know, maybe you shouldn't make fun of a guy with ghost powers."

"Aw, are you trying to threaten us?" Sam coyly stuck out her bottom lip. "That's adorable."

"Be nice to Danny, you two," said Jazz sternly. "You can tease him all you want after school."

"Fine, fine," Sam and Tucker grumbled. Danny sighed and tried to once again suppress everything he was feeling.

Just a few more hours of suffering. Then he could go home and pray that this would somehow wear off before school the next day.

The next few classes passed similarly, teachers and students equally confused by his unusually stoic behavior and the way he sat up straight at his desk. Never speaking, never making eye contact, never allowing anyone to get close enough to touch his icy skin.

"Last class, dude," said Tucker, leading the way to Lancer's English classroom. "You ready?"

"You better ace that test after all the work we've done to get you here," said Sam.

"I will be thrilled with just a C," said Danny.

"Just try not to be thrilled until you can safely feel emotion again," said Sam.

In Lancer's classroom, Danny sat up straight with his hands clasped on his desk, looking forward and filtering out all the chatter around him, focusing only on the flame in his head.

Just one last class and then he could go home and wash off all this makeup and this nightmare would be over.

"Glad to see everyone is on time for our English test today," drawled Lancer, looking right at Danny. "Please remove everything off your desks except for a pen or pencil."

The students obeyed, shuffling and clearing off their desks all around Danny, who continued staring at nothing, his pen lying in front of him on his bare desk.

Lancer began passing out the tests. Danny's heart fluttered as a thin packet of paper was placed in front of him, and he hoped the lights were bright enough for no one to notice his skin tone flickering.

Sam and Tucker glanced at him before turning their eyes to their own tests. Danny breathed deep and picked up his pen, writing his name at the top of the first page of the test.

Easy so far.

He continued, a few multiple-choice questions about literary devices, some short-answer responses about the novels and short stories they had been reading in class. He relaxed, relieved that he remembered all of this from his studying.

Maybe he could actually get an A this time.

Or at least a B.

He was getting close to being done, almost there, just one more question, an essay question. Yes, he could describe the main character of the novel they had been reading the past couple weeks. Yes, he could discuss how the character upheld the themes and he could write a thesis statement and then expand on it in several paragraphs. Yes, yes, he had been studying this and he could do it, for once he could—

The lights went out just then, the sound of the air conditioner also vanishing. Students gasped and shrieked, a few whooped and laughed.

Danny's heart skipped once, maybe twice. He blinked down at his test, which he could still see in the natural light coming in through the windows.

"The power's out!" Paulina squealed.

"Does this mean the test is over?" asked Kwan excitedly.

"No, it does not. Everyone, please calm down and continue taking the test." Lancer opened the window curtains fully to bring in maximum sunlight. "Settle, settle, please."

Danny breathed in. This was fine, he could still finish his test and then go home and everything would be totally and completely fine.

But even with the sunlight streaming in from one side of the room, Danny realized just how dark it still was. If he were to glow now, it would be obvious, he wouldn't be able to hide it.

His heart started racing, sweat breaking out on his neck and under his shirt.

"Danny," whispered Tucker, staring at him. Sam also turned in her seat to look at Danny, her eyes widening.

Danny didn't need them to say anything. He knew exactly what they were seeing.

"Whoa—hey—what's going on with Fenton?" asked Kwan, standing up to get a better look.

"What do you mean? Oh, whoa." Dash also stood, his mouth gaping.

"He's glowing!" gasped Paulina. "And not the way my skin always glows, like actually glowing!"

"I told you he was a freak," said Star huffily.

Whispers arose all around the room, and Lancer didn't even try to quiet everyone this time. He was too busy staring at Danny, his expression comically dumbfounded.

And Danny's panic only grew, his glow brightening. Should he leave? Run away? No, that wouldn't solve anything. How could he explain this, solve this, fix this—

"Danny, uh—did you eat your dad's ecto-fudge again?" asked Sam.

Danny turned to her, his eyes big and mouth hanging open.

"Uh, yeah," said Tucker, sitting up straighter in his seat. "You know that stuff makes you glow like a ghost when you eat it."

Danny now stared at Tucker, still unable to speak as his mind tried to process their words.

"Wait a minute," said Dash. "You're saying Fenton is glowing because he ate some of his freakazoid dad's ghost fudge?"

"Yeah, sometimes Danny eats it for breakfast and forgets the side effects," said Tucker, chuckling and shaking Danny's shoulder with one hand.

The room was completely silent for a moment. Danny was sure his glow was getting brighter and brighter as he tried to avoid everyone's eyes.

"That is so cool," said Kwan, sounding genuinely awed.

"Ooooooh, so pretty!" gushed Paulina.

The room filled with excited whispers and murmurs. Danny looked around, confused and unsure how to interpret any of this.

"You guys really don't think it's freaky?" asked Dash, frowning.

"It's super freaky, but that would look so awesome on the dance floor," said Star. "It would be perfect for a rave."

"And I would love to glow just like the ghost boy!" Paulina sighed and clasped her hands against her cheek. "Maybe then he'll finally ask me out."

"And I wouldn't have to sleep with a night-light anymore!" exclaimed Kwan.

The room fell quiet as all eyes turned to Kwan.

"Uh, I mean what, who said that?" muttered Kwan, turning bright red as his enormous frame tried to shrink under his desk.

The lights came back on. The students chattered and whooped as Lancer tried to restore order in the classroom.

"You're in the middle of a test, everyone," said Lancer. "You still have until the bell rings, no extensions. Please focus and get back to work."

Lancer gave Danny a final odd look before sitting at his desk and surveying the quieting classroom. Sam and Tucker both smiled reassuringly at Danny before turning away from him.

Pens scratched against paper all around him. One student cleared his throat.

Danny sighed with immense relief as he looked down at his unfinished test, feeling his glow dimming a little. But now he no longer had to repress his emotions to hide it.

Everyone already thought he was a freak even before they saw him glowing, but at least no one suspected he was a ghost.

Danny picked up his pen, only too happy to finish writing his essay.

-DP-

Danny could feel his ability to change back into his human self return as Jazz drove him home after school. In the bathroom near his room, he removed the colored contacts and washed all of the makeup off his face, relieved to see his normal reflection in the mirror again.

Downstairs, the doorbell rang. Danny ignored it as he put his head in the sink and started rinsing the black dye out of his hair. It was probably just another package for his parents, parts and supplies for their ghost-hunting inventions.

"Danny?" Jack's voice called up to him. "Why are there a bunch of kids here asking to buy fudge?"