AB25: Just give it a chance before you knock it!

Thanks to BlueMyst19 for betaing!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot line and my OCs. Sucks, doesn't it? This goes for any and all chapters added to this story in the future.

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Full Summery:

Dove's life has always been, well, complicated. How could it not be with a superhero for a dad? But what's a girl to do when her grandparents try to sue for the custody of her and her brother, the Red Hunter returns with a new ghost hunter in tow, and the powers she thought she had control of suddenly decided to give her trouble? One thing's for sure, the new guy at school who seems to like her isn't going to make things easier.

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Chapter One: Lily Called Dove

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Password? . . . ? . . . ?

PhentonFantom

Number Code? . . . ? . . . ?

5459-2473

Secondary Password? . . . ? . . . ?

ErikGOAWAY

Processing . . . Loading . . . Diary Entry 1:

"Lily Called Dove"

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As you have probably gathered from my lame opening title, my name's Lily. It's Lilith technically, but after Tucker let it slip that I was named after a flour sack that smelled like beans, I insisted on going by my middle name. Only my grandpa is allowed to use my nickname Lily-Bird now. Sure Plasmius calls me Lilith to irk me, but it's gotten old.

Before I start pouring my heart and soul out to you, understand something you electronic diary, I have no desire to use you. You were a gift from Tucker, a family friend and computer genius. According to my aunt it's important for a young girl to express herself. My mom says since Tucker put any and all security measures known to man and woman alike in this, it's safe to say "mydad'sdannyphantomandihavesuperpowerstoolikeomg!"

Like that's going to happen.

But as with any gift, I have to use you at least three times before forgetting about all about you. But seriously, I'm not exactly one for diary keeping. I've tried in the past and have failed. Usually within a week at best.

So . . .

I have a small family. It's just me, my parents, and my older brother. I have one aunt, one uncle, one cousin, and another "aunt." Both pairs of my grandparents are alive, but we only speak to the Fentons. My mom and the Mansons have a history that I'd rather not go into right now.

My mom, Sam, is the owner and manager of a local art gallery which she opened when I started kindergarten. Amity Park isn't the best place to get art, but mom's pretty good about finding decent pieces. She works during the week, but only while Erik and I are at school.

You have to understand, Sam's not your typical mom. Instead of baking in the kitchen barefoot, she raids the organic bakery down the street in her trademark combat boots. Instead of singing lullabies, she sings rock songs. She was a goth in her youth, and retained some of that mindset to this day. She's a great mom though.

My dad, Danny, works at Axion Labs like Tucker but in the space department. As dismal as he is at math (heh, I get that from him), he was able to graduate college with honors in various scientific fields. He and Tucker are trying to save enough to buy a greater portion of Axion Labs from Dalv. They've got quite a bit put away. In their minds, the less Vlad Master owns of the company, the better.

Dad works as much as he can during the day, but my grandparents' Ghost Portal is still spitting out ghosts left and right. Tucker covers for him, and no one else in Dad's department really notices if he's gone. They've known him long enough to realize he disappears randomly.

You gotta love how, after all these years, no one's figured out that my dad and Phantom are one and the same. It's amazing really. I guess they look different enough, but Dad's name is so unoriginal.

My big bro, Erik, is very . . . well, he's Erik. There's nothing else to describe him. He takes after mom more then dad in the sense that he's calm and shows little emotion to the outside world. He goes by Shadow in his ghost form after a year of putting up with Erik Phantom. The fact that Erik's named after the Opera Ghost in the first place is a bit mean, but adding Phantom to the end?

Anyway, Erik and I get along pretty well. We started to get along better when I was around eleven (he was thirteen at the time) and we discovered we had ghost powers. It's amazing how being freaks of nature bring you together like that.

My aunt Jasmine is Dad's older sister. She's our school psychologist, a position she turned down many good offers for. Mom thinks she's crazy, but admires her all the same. Her husband, Brian, is a lawyer, and one of the best in Amity Park. They have only one daughter, my cousin, Azure. Azure just turned 19, and she's in her third year of pre-med (early admission).

My "aunt" Dani is my dad's clone. She was originally part of some twisted plot Plasmius cooked up, but realized that he was an evil fruit loop before too long. Aunt Jazz was able to stabilize her structure about ten years ago. As a result of an unusual chemical reaction, Dani ages twice as slowly as normal humans, making her appear to be in her mid twenties.

Outside of my family we only have a few close friends. Tucker, for example, has been friends with my parents since grade school. He went to a college on the East Coast where he met his wife, Sarisha. She spent most of her life traveling between NYC and the heart of India. Sari is a folklore and mythology professor at a local college. When you think about it, the fact that she and Tucker actually get along is a pretty amazing thing.

They have three daughters: Ceres, Shahrazad, and Nephthys. Nephthys is eight years old and is her mother's pet. Ceres and Shahrazad are fifteen-year-old twins and polar opposites. The only things they have in common are their toffee brown skin color and their dark eyes.

As much as he denies it, Erik likes Ceres. A lot of people would assume that Shahrazad would be the one he'd give his attention to (as one guy in my grade put it, "she's like some sort of exotic goddess"), but I know for a fact that my brother is anything but shallow. Shahrazad may be the beautiful one the outside, but Ceres is truly made of gold. She's one of the very few people that my parents let me tell our family secret.

My other best friend, Kendal, is the only Baxter welcome in our house. Unlike his bullying dad and his superficial mother, Ken's an artistic and real person. We first met in art class back in seventh grade. He insulted my painting of a lily and I insulted his clay dog. We've been friends ever since. We love to insult each others art work and joke about being genetic mistakes.

Beyond that circle of people, I don't socilize much. Mainly because I don't have much time, but there's also the factor that nearly ninety percent of my classmates are moronic and just plain fake. Creativity and orginality has deminished in our culture apparently. I do hold out hope though.

Aw crud, ghost sense just went off.

--:Dove out.

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And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd'
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

-- Breathe by Anna Nalick

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AB25: Reviews/Feedback whole heartedly appreciated!

And while I do plan on updating this, when - exactly - is debatable. I've got college applications, schoolwork, as well as two other stories that I need to work on. I believe that those who are reading TWD will come after me with pitchforks and torches if I do not finish that story. And capn-nomy (from deviantart) and I are trying to work on this really cool idea of her's that revolves around the circus . . . yeah.

And if I didn't make any sense, I'm sorry. I'm currently braindead due to that five hour test they call the SATs.