Die, die, we all pass away,

But don't wear a frown 'cause it's really okay,

And you might try and hide,

And you might try and pray,

But we all end up the remains of the day

-Remains of the Day; from Corpse Bride (2005)

Onika stared. She studied and she observed and she stared. She looked at the civilians and she looked at the buildings. She watched cars and buses drive by, and she listened to the noise. Onika wanted to take in every little detail of Amity Park. She wanted to feel the atmosphere, breathe in the normality of it all. The people, the city - they were so unassuming, so natural. They emitted such a typical human environment, it almost blew Onika's mind. How could people live like that? How could they be comfortable like that? The humans who occupied Amity Park, who occupied so many cities, towns, and villages around the world displayed similar traits. They were probably expressed differently, but they were similar in a sense. Onika couldn't understand that. She wasn't entirely accustomed to really seeing it. In her fourteen years of life, she had to keep her focus on other things. Things people wouldn't really understand.

Life was, in Onika's eyes, very difficult. At least, she viewed her life as difficult. She and her mother, Francine, had various ups and downs over the years, and things only seemed to be stabilizing recently. And with Onika's father not in the picture, that made things more complicated. Francine had to do her best to be mother and father, while Onika had to make sure she didn't draw too much attention to herself. If her presence was known in any way, shape, or form, then she'd be in big trouble. And that was putting it lightly.

Looking down at her hands, Onika frowned a little. They looked human. Average. Olive skin to go with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. Part of her Sicilian heritage. A slim figure, from a high metabolism, and smaller than average, a trait that ran in her mother's family. Was that funny to her? How short she was? Maybe. Onika liked to think her humanity was a bit humorous. It made her feel normal, even if it's just for a moment. But then she'd be drawn back to reality.* Humanity was the one thing that seemed to hold her back, but it was, apparently, essential in her development. In order to fully realize her potential, and the importance of her future, Onika needed to embrace her humanity. She found that to be a bunch of bullshit. Sure, she appreciated what it looked like and felt like to be human, but she also appreciated what it was like to be a ghost. Onika learned to appreciate her powers and how it made her feel invincible. Of course, she wasn't really invincible, it was just a fleeting sensation whenever her powers manifested.

Looking up, Onika scrunched her nose up a little. She grew up the child of two worlds. One human, the other ghost. She was said to be a prophetic child, one who'd bring about the collapse of one world in order to ensure the rise of another. Onika's human and ghost halves were supposed to symbolize an inner conflict, something that was supposed to be deep and profound. She'd struggle a bit, trying to find out the meaning of her life, but she'd come to some big conclusion and realize that her duties had importance. Prophecies, destinies, all that crap. Onika didn't believe in it. She didn't see it as anything but a complete waste of time. People who kept their heads buried in that kind of stuff were hiding from reality. The world didn't function on prophetic realizations or whatever. The real world ran on the time and effort it takes to survive. Onika and her mother had to learn that the hard way. Prophecies didn't make money. Prophecies didn't ensure jobs or get someone a house. They made people delusional. Plain and simple.

But then again, what would Onika know, right? At only fourteen years old, she wasn't supposed to know that kind of stuff.

Allons-y

"So, what do you think?" Looking down at her daughter, Francine crossed her arms over her chest. A common sign of nervousness. Amity Park certainly wouldn't have been the first choice for a new place to live, but out of all the other options, it was the best one. Not a big city, but not too small, either. Not really overcrowded, but still a healthy amount of people. Francine liked it; but Onika was a different story.

"It's different."

The two were walking down the street, doing a little sightseeing in hopes of adjusting to their new environment. It had been Francine's idea to do so. If Onika had been the one to make a choice, she would've picked staying their apartment. An option Francine wasn't particularly fond of. She was an active woman, the kind of person who had to keep moving to avoid any form of restlessness. Onika was the opposite.

"Well, yeah," Francine replied. "It's different than Oceanside. Way different, if you ask me."

"I liked Oceanside," Onika murmured.

"I know, but it wasn't exactly safe."

Oceanside was the last city the two lived in. It's known for being extremely violent and filled with corruption. Both were true. Onika got to witness fights, muggings, and murders firsthand. Francine had to worry about whether or not they'd be targeted for whatever reason. Burglaries were common in Oceanside. If one didn't happen at some point, it'd be considered strange. Onika, on the other hand, didn't really share her mother's concerns. Sure, there were dangers in the city, but it was the perfect place to practice Onika's ghost powers. All the criminals that lived there were practically begging to be target practice. Francine didn't like it; not one bit. But it was keeping them safe.

"No one ever messed with us," Onika replied.

"Because you were making a statement," Francine responded. "Which could've put us in more danger."

Onika only shrugged in response. If using her ghost powers on Oceanside's criminals put her and her mother in more danger, then she'd have more opportunities to practice on them. That's if Francine allowed them to stay longer.

"Can't we just focus on what's going on now?" Francine asked, looking almost defeated. "We finally got a nice apartment in a decent-sized city. Isn't that the least bit exciting?"

"Amity Park seems nice and all," Onika said. "I just don't know how comfortable I am with it yet."

"That's better than nothing."

The two continued to walk, looking at buildings and observing other inhabitants. Francine seemed genuinely curious about Amity Park. She wanted to know as much as possible about her new home. It was endearing. The idea of wanting to know more was a common human trait, one Onika knew was socially acceptable. In a way, she felt that nagging feeling to want to know more, but she tried not to outwardly show it. Her curiosity was something she typically kept to herself.

Think of all the practice you can do here, a small voice in the back of her head whispered. Onika's brows furrowed. Plenty of targets. Get strong, become a good fighter. It's what you're made to do. Right?

Pursing her lips. Onika tried to shake the thought from her head. She'd never use her powers on innocent civilians. That was something she was completely against. Anyone who'd use violence on innocents were the worst of the worst. Onika hated people like that.

But you're like that, the voice whispered, very deep down. You know you are. You try and deny it, but you know it's there.

No. Violence wasn't in Onika's nature. She'd never use her powers on people who didn't deserve it. And that was the motto she lived by - only people who'd done something horribly wrong deserved her punishment. Criminals, they do things wrong all the time. They hurt people. Onika only returned the favor on them. But that voice - that damn voice. It was lying. Onika wasn't a bad person. She wasn't evil or vindictive. She didn't see herself like that. She saw herself as someone. Plain and simple.

It's in your blood. You can't keep denying it. Eventually, He'll come for you and you'll have to make a choice.

No. Onika stopped at that point. She came to a complete stop. She liked to think she could handle a lot of things, but mentioning Him was a subject she could not tolerate. Even hinting Him was stepping into unwanted territory. Onika's arms immediately wrapped around her, her shoulders hunching over and her eyes casting downward. Her mouth thinned and her skin broke out into goosebumps. That was the kind of reaction He had on her. Complete emotional shutdown.

"Nika?" Francine stopped, turning to look at her daughter confusedly. Realization hit her instantly. "Let's go home," she said. "We've done enough sightseeing for today."

Allons-y

His reputation in the Ghost Zone was quite impressive. Feared far and wide by all kinds of ghosts - nice, right? Even the most successful ghost hunters within that ectoplasmic dimension would think twice before considering Him a target. How considerate. He had to admit, though, there were a lot of perks of being so feared, of gathering so much power. Ghosts tended to do His dirty work for Him. Not too bad. Naturally, failure was unacceptable. Anyone who failed to meet His demands were annihilated on the spot.

Of course, there was always that one little problem no one could seem to help with. The whereabouts of His daughter. She lived in the human world, with her mother. Not an ideal place for a halfa, but He was curious to see what would happen. Would she become attached to the humans, or choose to be with ghosts? For the most part, it seemed as though humans kept her fascination. Fourteen years, and she didn't show an inkling of wanting to live in the Ghost Zone. How disappointing. But He knew she'd come to a decision eventually. Halfas were rare, but the ones to pop up every now and again were always powerful. Aside from His daughter, there were only two other halfas to exist on Earth at that very moment. One in Wisconsin, and the other in Amity Park. Where Onika lived. How pleasant. Would they ever encounter each other? He wanted to know.

But He had time. Plenty of time.

(A/N):

Sorry for the wait on this chapter, but here it is! I know it's not the best, and I apologize if there's anything that may come off as confusing or oddly said. I'm a bit rusty when it comes to my writing, so I'm hoping you guys can be a bit forgiving in that area. Other than that, please give constructive criticism, okay?* I'd appreciate any help from you guys on how I can improve my writing and this story. So, yeah.

Do I own Danny Phantom? No. No I do not. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the socks on my feet. If you've got ideas for an OC or a subplot, please PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.

Also, be sure to leave a random fact or story in the review section. It could be on something new or old. I don't care, it's up to you guys.

On that note, see you on the flip side.

Rudie Fenton