My Brother's Keeper

Written by Shaun Garin

I see time from above, like a river; all of those twists and turns…

Sometimes I get exasperated at Danny for keeping secrets. But now that his secret is out, he's virtually a Rock Star. In short, he's the most popular man in the world…

"AUGH!" Crash! THUD! SMASH! SPLAT! "Ow!"

… and he still can't manage to deal with Skulker on a daily basis without incurring some type of property damage…

"Why do you insist on doing this?"

"Because whelp, your pelt will lay at my bedroom floor! Now hold still so I can kill you quickly!"

… or getting blasted into a wall…

"Choke on this Skulker!"

"Is that it, ghost-child? You're slipping!"

"Funny, you haven't even looked down yet."

"Eh?"

… or fighting like he's Spider-man. Honestly, my brother is such a show off. Both of them.

Both you ask? I suppose I should tell you what's going on a few hours after this encounter. I was on my way home from the library when I noticed a solid grey-and-black form sitting on the top of the hill. Skulker seemed to be sulking or stalking someone. I knew it wasn't Danny because Danny had beat him soundly with both his arms before the flying tin man left, but here he was, sulking like a child.

Something about Skulker that day drew me to him, and I approached him quietly, as not to startle the hunter. I didn't need to be so quiet about it as he said without looking up, "I can hear you breathing hard, Jasmine Fenton. What is it you want?"

"Er," I replied, sitting down next to him, "I just wanted to, y'know, talk?"

"You're wasting your time," he replied gruffly, cutting me off. Scowling, (I HATE being cut off), I turned towards him angrily.

"Why do you insist on trying to kill Danny? Hasn't he done enough to save this world AND your own?"

Skulker looked at me and his eyes narrowed. For a moment I thought I had made a terrible mistake, and the last sound I would hear would be the whine of one of his arm guns, but instead a deep throated laugh erupted from Skulker and he pounded the ground, a joke lost only to himself. "Did… I say something wrong?" I inquired.

"You honestly don't know, do you child?" said Skulker. "Replay that fight you saw us at earlier today. Anything different about it?"

I set my keen analytical mind to replaying the images. Nothing seemed out of place, Skulker firing missiles, Danny launching plasma and ice beams, and finally Skulker escaping. Nothing was different and I told him so.

A sly, almost warm expression came over his face as he got to his feet. "Take your time, Miss Fenton. You'll find out." Before I could probe further, he took off into the air, disappearing from sight.

I kept replaying that statement of Skulker, that I would find out in time. I loved puzzles but not when they were deliberately designed to keep me occupied. Still, I pressed on, even through meals. It took some convincing to keep dad from sliming me with the Fenton Foamer, but I left the table early and went to my room.

Some geniuses liked to read when thinking, others liked to play games or build puzzles. Me? I liked to toss an old worn ball up and down. It was a ragged old thing from my childhood days, but lying on my bed and tossing it up and down in a rhythmic pattern often helped to order my thoughts. Something different. Something DIFFERENT.

Then it hit me: There was a minute change in the amount of lethal force Skulker used. Even direct hits were less damaging. Danny wasn't coming home with bruises the size of British Columbia anymore, and the cuts healed within a day, faster than they had ever been. The question was; WHY? Was Skulker, in his own way training Danny?

The pair had been bitter enemies for at least three years, but not as much as Danny hated Uncle Vlad for everything he did.

Thump. Thump. Thump. The ball hit the ceiling three times as I dragged up memories of every previous Skulker incident I could think of. Slowly, but yes, it was there! Skulker was gradually lowering the amount of lethal force he used. Was he really training Danny or was looking for more of a challenge in the hunt? There were too many Unknowns in the puzzle, something I didn't like.

Grabbing a pen and my old worn notebook, I flipped to a clean page and scribbled down some dates, recalling from memory when Danny fought Skulker with or without my knowing he was half-ghost. I looked at the dates, frowning as I held them up to the light of my lamp. Something was MISSING.

"Danny!" called out my mother as she appeared at my door. "Jazz, do you know where your brother went?"

"No mom, maybe he went out on patrol; you know he does it around this time with Sam and Tucker," I replied.

Mom sighed. "I just hope he was feeling okay. He didn't look very good today. I wonder why? Maybe it's cause the Nasty Burger exploded last year today."

Then it HIT me with the force of twenty bricks. "MOM! That's it!"

"What's it dear?" inquired my mom and I grinned.

"I know why Skulker is easing up on Danny; he's training him because Danny is the only person who can prevent a major disaster from happening! Look at these dates."

I gave my mom the rundown of various dates, even days that seemed a little OFF to us, which I suspect was due to ghost meddling. The amount of lethal force I recalled from memory coincided with a major event: Pariah Dark being the major one, and then one sometime in the Summer of last year with another deja-vu style event several weeks before, and then now. My mom looked proud at me figuring out why Skulker was helping Danny, but she still frowned slightly and said, "You still don't know if Skulker is doing this out of the goodness of his heart."

"I know mom, but I have to find out. Can I go out for a little while?"

Mom pursed her lips and then checked the clock. "Midnight at the latest. You have some tests to study for."

"Thanks mom." Giving my mom a kiss on the cheek, I rushed out, intent on finding the answers I needed. And the first person to check was a ghost. I may not know where Skulker hides all the time, but I did know the location of a convenient Box Store.

"BEWARE! For I am the master of all things corrugated and poppy! Be prepared to face my bubble wrap… OF DOOM! And -- hey, you're not Phantom."

"I have some questions Box Ghost, and I need them answered," I answered smoothly.

The dock-worker dressed blue ghost threw his hands into the air that possibly was supposed to be intimidating, but was undoubtedly silly to me. "NEVAR!" he exclaimed, dragging the Var out in an attempt to be hip.

"I have a Fenton Peeler and a Thermos right here. Talk before I use either or." Sufficiently cowed, the Box Ghost dropped his arms and nodded rapidly, not wanting to be peeled like a Banana or stuffed into the thermos that unusually smelled like chocolate fudge milk. "Now, Skulker; where does he hang out?"

"Dock Seven," The Box Ghost replied. "Can I go now?"

"No, a few more questions. Next off, is there a ghost powerful enough to alter memories or time and space? One that Danny hasn't fought before?"

"Ooooh," ooohed The Box Ghost, stroking his chin. "The one I can think of is Clockwork; he's the ghost of time."

"Thirdly, are you going to show me where he lives or are you going to do this the hard way?"

I smirked to myself. Danny may be good at fighting, but I got mom's intimidating skills when The Box Ghost nodded rapidly in an effort not to get filleted.

The Ghost Zone. It took some convincing but mom accompanied me into it, flying in the newly rebuilt Specter Speeder, surprisingly the only device thus far that dad and mom has built that DOESN'T have the word Fenton before it. But then again, mom was the one who named the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick, so I don't think sanity runs very deep in this family. Nor common sense, but we had the good sense to leave dad at home. I don't think Clockwork would be impressed getting foamed and/or blasted.

Danny had a map in the remains of the old Speeder so we used that to get to the clock tower. It almost looked like a super villain lair, but there, scribbled in the margins next to Clockwork's Tower was the words "Not a bad guy" and pointed to a stick figure depiction of Clockwork.

Upon landing, mom leapt out in one of her famous karate ready stances, Jack-O-Nine in one hand, a massive triple barrelled gun that Danny nicknamed the Fenton Cannon as it stated in dad's voice "Fenton Hand Cannon is warmed up. Please insert ecto and prepare for fudge -- I mean, pain!"

"Mom, I don't think you really need to be THAT ready," I drawled, stepping out into the Ghost Zone. "Hello?"

"Jazz, there could be evil spirits out there!" warned mom and I stifled a sigh.

"Actually most ghosts like to avoid me. I can't imagine why," said a smooth voice as a form floated out of the shadows. The staff and the clock motif tipped me off who this was and he confirmed my hunch. "I am Clockwork, Master of Time. It is finally good to meet you both, Maddie and Jasmine Fenton. Would you like some cake? I just picked it up from Venice around the Renaissance Era. Wonderful pastry chefs. Oh, and tea from China, sumptuous."

Clockwork gestured with his staff and the most curious thing happened; a pair of chairs and a table floated into place, carrying food. BUT what seemed so unnatural about it was that it was like watching time reverse itself, the table and chairs and food being pulled back into place from being shoved somewhere. He gestured and a third chair reconstructed itself out of nothing, building up from sawdust into a fully working chair where he offered us seats like a gentleman.

Mom put away the gun somewhere on her person, something I haven't quite figured out HOW she does it, and sat down on one side, and I took the other chair. The third chair Clockwork sat and gestured to the tea and cake. It was interesting, seeing the tea rise from the bottom of the cups and the cake rise from our plates. "Time manipulation," he clarified as mom picked up a fork and poked the fluffy cake. "I simply reversed the events that would lead to your eating the food. Quite simply really for one such as myself."

I bit into the cake and it was delicious; fresh and moist. "And this comes from Italy?" I asked, taking another bite.

"Yes actually, right from the table of Leonardo da Vinci. Don't worry; he won't miss it. He rarely comes out of his trance-like state when working on inventions. Did you know he created all of our modern things before any of them were accredited for? A shame really." Clockwork sipped his tea and mom and I exchanged glances. Were ghosts all this eccentric up close and personal?

"It is very delicious," said my mom. "Can I get the recipe?"

"I don't see why not," replied Clockwork as he gestured and a parchment fell into my mom's lap. "It will be nice to see someone rediscovering such an old recipe."

"Not that we're not grateful for the tea and food, but we came to ask questions," I said, trying not to offend such a powerful ghost. Thankfully, Clockwork did not get upset at the rapid change in topics but smiled genuinely.

"You wish to know why I had Skulker train young Danny all this time," he said just as mom and I finished our food. Sure enough, there was nary a crumb left or a drop of tea. "Now that we're fed and watered, I'll show you the reason."

The chairs picked themselves up with a gentle lift and we were carried into a inner chamber, filled with various items and different devices. The foremost was a Fenton Thermos that sat on a shelf, the metal dented OUTWARDS like something was trying to get out of it. "That is the reason why I set Skulker on young Daniel many years ago."

"Something's in it? A ghost?" I said, feeling a terrible overwhelming sensation of deja-vu.

"Not just any ghost. Come, we will speak further in my study. The walls have ears." With that, our chairs floated back out of the room and high up a winding staircase to a well furnished study that Clockwork opened for us. It was similar to the study that was in Vlad's mansion, but it lacked the cold-sensation of pure evil that Vlad seemed to radiate. There, Clockwork turned back to us, and I was surprised on how OLD he suddenly looked as he sagged into a chair. "The story, is a long one, dating to the beginning of existence," he said as he sat down in plush chairs and a crackling fire roared to life, cracking BACKWARDS in its short existence. "The leader of the Frozen Wastes, Frostbite would know the story better than I, but he adds grand flourishes to a remarkably short event. When the world was young, a powerful Seer spoke of the advent of a being, a half ghost, half human boy who would bring about a new peace for the Ghost Zone and of the fledgling Human World. That boy turned out to be Danny, and I felt his birth as he carries with him a touch of Destiny."

Clockwork's years melted away until he was but a gap-toothed ghost child, but still spoke like the man he was. "I knew Daniel would be destined for greatness, for good or bad, and thus I spoke to Skulker. I see time from above, with all of its twists and turns and I knew Skulker would be instrumental for healing the rift of a most unnatural union between human will and ghost powers. So, I told him to watch, and wait. When he gained his ghost powers, he was to fight, and make Daniel strong."

"Couldn't have Skulker taught Danny all of this without hurting him?" I demanded.

Clockwork laughed. "Really Miss Fenton, you know your brother as much as the ghost next door. Would Danny in any way, shape or form ASK for help? He was at a tender moment in his life, frightened and worried that his family would see him as an abbreviation."

"But we'd never hurt Danny," interrupted mom. "I'd never do that to my baby boy!"

"True, but it has made Danny stronger than he could ever be," said Clockwork and I saw his point. Danny was strong, in both powers and heart. He had a warriors heart, something I don't think I understand even today. "Skulker has an incredible respect for the boy, and has kept at it over the three years. In a way," and here Clockwork smiled, "it could be said that he is nearly the boy's elder brother."

I blinked rapidly and mom had a wide-eyed expression. Skulker, the being who consistently wanted to kill and skin Danny, the closest thing to my older brother? In a very strange way, he was a lot like dad; big and heavily armed.

"And here I thought sibling rivalry was bad with me and my sister," murmured mom. "But if he's training or rather being trained, then what for?"

"The Thermos," said Clockwork and he was aged, bent with centuries of memories and power. "It contains a being that Danny has to come to terms with, a being that embodies much of his personal darkness. I cannot tell you who or what the Thermos contains," said Clockwork, cutting my next question off, "But I can tell you this: Everyone is responsible for their own actions, and when the time comes, are you ready to take the plunge?"

Those words lodged itself into my mind and I shivered. Somehow, Clockwork was looking at ME even though his gaze was far away. After those prophetic words, he returned to pleasant banter and even flirted with mom, much to my disgust. Mom took it in stride and even looked embarrassed at being called a woman who looked no more than thirty.

It seems our trip was missed, and dad was bouncing from foot to foot in his pyjamas, waiting for us to arrive. Once he kissed mom, (eew!) he and mom went upstairs while I ran the ecto filters through the cleaning machine.

The sensation of cold greeted me as Danny phased through the ceiling and landed behind me. "What were you and mom doing in the Ghost Zone?" he asked.

"Oh, just having a girls night out," I replied and Danny rolled his eyes.

"Right, in the Ghost Zone where a thousand angry ghosts would kill at a chance to get me to me through you."

I reached over and ruffled his hair. Danny HATED it and knocked my hand off his head. I grinned and said, "G'night little brother," effectively cutting the conversation off. Danny looked at me, his pale blue eyes boring into mine before he shrugged and flew upwards, phasing through the floor. There was a momentary ruckus, the cry of "GHOST!" the sound of a Foamer discharging and the booming voice of dad exclaiming "Oh, sorry Danny, reflex."

Danny's got SUCH a martyr complex.

That night I spent most of it studying. Usually I don't pull an all-nighter and mom came in once or twice to see if I was sleeping or not, but I assured her I was okay. Truth be told, I was having difficulty studying, my mind fixated on the problems that were presented. Strangely enough, the night passed without Danny getting out of bed, his room above mine so I could hear it when he did. I guess the ghosts were taking the night off.

Morning came soon enough and I inhaled a cup of coffee before turning to the day ahead. The final exams were coming up and I was preparing to go to college. I often dreamed of going to Yale or Harvard; my grades were certainly good enough, but sometimes I wonder why I wanted to stay around every so often.

I drove Danny to school that morning, picking up Sam and Tucker on the way to class. Truth be told, Tucker would have gleefully pulled out, seeing as he was the Mayor of Amity, but his parents wanted him to at least finish high school first, mayor or not. No sooner than we had arrived however that kids came running out the doors screaming while a ambulatory pile of meat came charging out the door. Ah, the Lunch Lady.

Danny transformed in the middle of the shrieking crowd, a thing I really think he hasn't gotten used to yet and went to fight the bipolar food services lady. Herding the rest of the kids back into the school, I followed Sam and Tucker who left Danny to his devices; they knew he could handle it.

I admit my mind was still puzzling over the words Clockwork said to me. "When the time comes, are you ready to take the plunge?" What did he mean by that? He MEANT something with it, that was for sure.

Briefly I thought it meant becoming a full fledged ghost hunter, but I still get nightmares at times whenever I think of myself draped in dad's oversized hazmat suit. It had something to do with ghosts, but for the life of me, I couldn't think of what it was.

The day went by a little more normally from that point on, with the small exception of Danny ducking out of class to fight Technus who came calling. The only real abbreviations were Dash treating Danny like a hero and Paulina fawning over Danny for being "her" ghost-boy. Sam looked ready to kill, or at least imprint her new ring into Paulina's forehead. Mr. Lancer gave me homework to bring to Danny for missing his English class, but took things in stride now that the puzzle had been solved.

"We're going to the Nasty Burger this afternoon," said Sam after class when I offered them a ride. "There's something Danny needs to do there."

A little confused, I nodded and drove the kids there, dropping them off before I skipped out to head back home. When I got HOME though, my mom and dad nearly pounced on me. "Jazz, where's your brother?" demanded mom.

"At the Nasty Burger," I replied. "Why?"

"There's a ghost fighting your brother now, and for some reason Danny's losing!"

My heart leapt into my throat as dad barrelled past, holding several ecto guns, tossing one to me. "C'mon Jazzy-pants, we've got ourselves a ghost to bag! No one threatens my family and gets away with it!"

The ride to the Nasty Burger was short and terrifying, dad breaking speed limits by at least 50 miles per hour. Tires squealing to a halt, mom and dad leapt out and opened fire immediately without any puns or quips. I did too for that matter.

The ghost looked angry, very angry and his face gaunt and pale. Dark shadows hung deeply under his violently angry red eyes, and his whole posture screamed "Death". "You just can't keep the family out of this, can you?" he demanded of Danny who looked sickened and beaten up. Already dark bruises were forming, rising up under the collar of his hazmat suit and Danny sported a wicked black eye. To the side, Skulker lay, his component parts sparking as he tried to get up.

"Leave them out of this," Danny snarled, a tone of voice used only for Vlad. "It's me you want!"

"You can't really expect me to do that, can you little brother?" smirked the taller ghost and my heart leapt into my throat. LITTLE BROTHER?! "Your human sentiments are what caused you to create ME, and now… I'm out of that thermos and well…" the ghost's hands glowed an angry red, the color of obsession and hate, "let's just say, I'm not holding back."

The blast catapulted Danny into a wall, the entire building coming down on him. The evil ghost laughed, even as mom and dad shot repeatedly at it. Lazily he dodged and floated right towards me. I fired into his chest and it sizzled and smoked before reforming, the black suit revealing a symbol on it that almost made me drop my weapon. "You see it, don't you dear sister?" he whispered, grabbing me and forcing the weapon out of my hands. "You see the mark that once defined who I was. That's right -- I'm Danny."

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Danny shot out of the rubble like a cannon, ploughing into the man I now knew was Danny. A Danny gone horribly wrong. "GO, RUN!" he shouted to us, just as he got kneed in the groin and slapped into another building.

"Jazz, we gotta get outta here!" called out Sam over the din of plasma bursts and wrecked buildings. She and Tucker were dragging Skulker and with the help of dad, loaded him into the RV. "Come ON!"

"What WAS that thing?!" I demanded in the relative safety of our home, the ghost shield erected. The news casters kept tabs on the epic fight Danny was having with himself, and things did not look good at all. "He was, or IS Danny!"

"We don't know much ourselves," said Tucker, "seems like we don't remember anything about this ghost, even though Danny did. Skulker does though; that's why he showed up in order to slow him down."

"And it would have worked too, if the whelp didn't get in my way," retorted Skulker as mom affixed his head to the rest of his mechanical body. Flexing his hands, he got off the examination table, a bit unsteady. "Leave me, I must return to the fight."

"This is what you were training Danny for, isn't it?" I inquired before Skulker could fly away, and mom looked at Skulker, eyes narrowed. "Tell the truth Skulker!"

"Training?" echoed Sam and Tucker.

Skulker looked mad enough to shoot me, but finally he heaved a sigh. "It's true. Dan Phantom is the one I have been training the whelp for since he got his ghost powers."

"Dan Phantom?" inquired mom. "You mean that evil ghost that is trying to kill my little Danny is HIM?"

"Yes, and if we don't stop him soon, our world is going to perish. Dan will stop at nothing to return it to the state he knew it by. Clockwork knows the whole story, but I'll sum it in short. The Ghost Child lost his family, friends and even that pathetic overweight teacher in an explosion that levelled the Nasty Burger. He went to Masters and begged him to remove his ghost half from his human half. But Masters was unprepared for the ruthlessness of his ghost self, and the ghost Phantom ripped the own ghost half out of Masters, merging with it. It twisted his mind, fused down to the spirit and soul, and in short, became the sadistic creature you see today." Skulker heaved a sigh and stood. "That is why I must rejoin the battle."

"Oh no, not without us," said mom. "That's our boy out there, and you can't expect us to abandon any of our children."

"I don't need your help," snapped Skulker to which mom SLAPPED him upside the head.

"Didn't you hear me? I'm not abandoning ANY of our children. That includes you mister!"

Skulker nearly pitched to the ground in shock. "ME?! I'm not one of your human spawn, woman!"

"HEY! NO BACKTALK TO YOUR MOTHER YOUNG MAN!" roared dad, a ecto gun already whining in Skulker's face. "In this family, we treat each other with respect and love. GOT IT?!"

Aaah, good old dad, jumping in to defend mom even though he had no idea what was going on. Skulker wilted and finally agreed.

"Wait a moment, what about us?" demanded Sam. "You can't leave us here!"

"Yeah! Danny needs us; we're a team!" protested Tucker.

"No kids, you stay here," said mom. "I'm not risking everyone. Besides, I'm sure we'll need a backup plan. Jazz, keep in contact with the Fenton Phones."

"Okay mom. You guys be careful, all right?" With that, the three adults rushed out, leaving Sam and Tucker to sulk, and me to worry.

No sooner than mom and dad left, Sam and Tucker snagged a few inventions and rushed out the door before I could flag a protest. Not like I would have stopped them, because I had someone to visit.

Clockwork's tower was in ruins, smoking charred ruins. Denizens of the Ghost Zone were muttering and helping search for survivors when I arrived in the Specter Speeder. Many of them went into defensive stances before I got out. One of them, a short ragamuffin-type kid pointed at me. "Hey, you're Phantom's human sister!"

"Yep," I replied. "Has anyone seen Clockwork?"

"I am here," croaked the voice of Clockwork and I turned, seeing Ember and Johnny 13 drag the aged ghost out of the rubble. "You have come, Jasmine Fenton. I take it you are ready?"

"Dan Phantom escaped," I nodded, hearing gasps from some of the ghosts who existed across time.

"He must be stopped at all costs!" exclaimed a ghost with a giant eyeball for a head.

"Indeed. Kill the one whom we call Danny Phantom, and the rest will fall into place," added the second.

The other ghosts rumbled in agreement but surprisingly Ember spoke up. "Hold on a moment, you guys wanted that to happen before and look where that got us!"

"Yeah!" added the ragamuffin-kid who I recalled was named Youngblood. "You can't possibly expect us to go and kill the one person who prevented complete destruction to us all several times! If you want to blow up the world, break Pariah Dark free!"

"Danny isn't a bad kid, but it's his future incarnation who isn't right," said another ghost, a woman in a long medieval dress.

"And I will personally defend him at all costs," spoke up a massive furry yeti-type from the rear. "The Savoir of the Ghost Zone will not be harmed, so says Frostbite."

More and more ghosts nodded, agreeing and then, a voice spoke up from the rear. "As a halfa, I'll go fight him." The crowd parted to a little girl, dressed in the black and whites of my brother, her hair a shock of white. "He's my cousin, and I'm not going to let Dan get away with this."

"Well said Dani," said Clockwork. "But we are missing our leader." And he looked at me, and I blinked. "What say you Jasmine Fenton; do you wish to take the plunge?"

Overwhelmed, I squeaked out, "Me? Why me? I'm not a leader, I barely contributed to the conversation!"

"You are the chosen one's sister, it is only right you lead the charge," said Frostbite. "But to do so, we must give you the gift that brought our two worlds together."

"You mean… ghost powers?" I swallowed. "This… is a lot to take in."

"Yes, but it is of your decision," answered Clockwork. "Save a world, save yourself, save your family, but most importantly, do what is right to YOU."

Vlad's lab was busy, ghosts milling about, preparing. No one had cleaned out the mayor's manor since his exile into space.

"There, all set," said Dani as she dusted her hands. I couldn't believe that this cute little kid was virtually a genetic copy of my brother, but she acted so differently. "Are you ready?"

"Nope, but do I have a choice?" I said, laughing nervously. The large machine had been set to default, and it stood there, flanked by ghosts. "Well, wish me luck."

"Hold it," said Ember, stopping me. "First, you gotta get into uniform." Dora then presented me with a silver and blue outfit, similar to the design Dani wore but with allowances for the female frame which she had yet to grow into. On the front was a emblem in stylized font similar to the pair of halfas before me; JP - Jazz Phantom.

Excusing myself to put it on, I emerged to the group. "Well, it's time," I said, heaving a deep breath.

As I walked, the sound of clapping could be heard from Dani. And then Ember joined in. Then Dora. Then Youngblood. I walked the short distance as the clapping increased to all out cheering. They were witnessing the birth of a halfa.

Ducking into the machine, I steeled myself as Technus threw the switch. There was agony, the surge of electrical power racing into my blood, charging my skin and the angry heat of the internal plasma arrays. Then, it was over, and I collapsed into the arms of Johnny 13 who was the first to catch me as I slumped to the ground.

"You okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned as Kitty took my other arm and helped me to my feet.

I nodded, trying to ignore the haze of pain in my head. "I'll be fine."

"It is done," intoned Clockwork and he smiled. "Welcome, Jazz Phantom." Desiree held up a mirror and I examined my new features. My pale green eyes had gone a strong vibrant blue and my long carrot-red hair had gone a deep reddish-brown, the color of my mother's hair. The colors had inverted, leaving the outfit with strong bold blue lines and silver trim. "Now, to teach you everything you need to learn, and who else could teach you but the ghosts assembled before you. Prepare yourself Jazz Fenton, for you have a long year ahead of you. Time OUT!"