She pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam,

She pictures a soul,

with no leak at the seam

-Mercy Street; by Opus Orange & Emy Reynolds

Teresa's eyes seemed to be glued to her hands. The two distinct parts of her body, covered in a faint glow. Just moments ago, that blasted glow was a lot brighter, having caused a bit of damage to the fourteen year old's bed. Something she should be accustomed to, after so many years of having abilities. But, in the end, Teresa always managed to be somewhat taken aback by what she could do. Or, better yet, somewhat disgusted by what she could do. Having that faint glow around her hands reminded her of just how different she truly was. Not quite human, but not entirely ghost. And what did that make Teresa? A freak? An outcast? A weird combination of both her halves? She couldn't say. It was hard enough being a teenager and trying to find a place in the world. Throw in ghost powers and suddenly the world feels like it's caving in.

Letting out a sigh, Teresa lowered her hands just a fraction. Her pale green eyes looked at her bed, where the scorch marks were. Parts of her bedding were burned right through, leaving dark marks on her mattress. Parts of her pillows were burned, as well, but not as badly. Thankfully, Teresa's powers didn't come off strong enough to light anything on fire. That would've been a whole different story. Curling her hands into fists, the fourteen year old shoved her blankets back and got out of bed. Storming out of her bedroom, she went into the bathroom, turned on the lights, and shut the door. She didn't even bother looking at her clock. She knew it was early. It wasn't the first time she woke herself up in the middle of the night. It certainly wouldn't be the last, either. Looking back at her hands, Teresa scowled. The glow was almost gone, but still visible if inspected closely.

Why did I have to be born with these powers? Teresa thought bitterly. Why couldn't I have been born fully human? Life would've been a whole lot easier.

Teresa could only imagine her life as a full-blooded human. The only things she'd have to worry about were school, boys, her friends, and how she'd make it through life. Those seemed basic, almost mundane. Having to worry about ghost powers was not mundane. It was terrifying. Thoughts always spiraled in Teresa's mind, 24/7. What if she had a flare-up in public? How would she handle a situation like that? How would her mother handle something like that? What if Teresa transformed and someone saw her? What if her father came back? How would something like that be dealt with? There was a reason why Teresa's mother, Norma, kept them moving from city to city. Sticking to one place too long meant that he'd find them. Probably. He was trapped in another dimension, after all. But for how long? He was pretty powerful for a ghost.

Swallowing thickly, Teresa closed her eyes, leaning against the closed door. Sliding down, the fourteen year old brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She could feel a warmth radiating from her hands. It wasn't strong enough to hurt, coming off just enough to be comforting. Teresa hated thinking about her father. She hated him more than she hated being half-ghost. He ruined her life, even before she'd been born. He hurt Norma. He hurt a lot of innocent people. Thankfully, he had been imprisoned before Teresa's birth. Opening her eyes, the teen rested her forehead on her knees. She needed to calm herself down. Some of her powers were connected to her emotions, so if she got herself worked up, then there'd be a bigger mess to clean than some burnt bedding.

You're starting school tomorrow. That should be exciting, right?

No. That wasn't exciting. In fact, that only made Teresa anxious. She'd been the "new kid" for almost every school she attended. For each city Teresa and Norma moved to, they only stayed for roughly two weeks, maybe three if they were feeling safe, before packing up and moving again. Casper High was one of many schools Teresa had attended in her short life.

How unfortunate was that?

-Get Spooky-

Teresa wasn't sure when she'd fallen asleep, but she was startled awake by the sound of knocking on the bathroom door and a stiffness in her body. She was still in the same position from the night before, and having to move and get up made her wince. As for the knocking, it persisted.

"Teresa Camryn Valentine, you'd better be dressed." Norma. She didn't sound too happy. "You're already late on your first day of school and I can't afford to be late for this job."

Shit. Standing up, the fourteen year old stretched and let out a soft hiss. Some of her joints popped, and her dark auburn hair was a mess. Turning invisible, Teresa quickly phased through the bathroom wall and went into her room. Grabbing the first clothes she could find, she hurried back into the bathroom and started to dress.

"Teresa, what are you doing in there?" Norma exclaimed.

"I'm almost done."

"You'd better be. I've been trying to get you out of here for the last half hour."

Letting out a quiet groan, the fourteen year old tried to hurry. Being late for the first day of school? That's fine. But having her mother be late for her first job in Amity Park? That wasn't fine. Not at all.

Once she was dressed, even managing to quickly wash her face, instead of brushing her hair, Teresa put it in a messy bun, her bangs tucked behind her ears. Opening the bathroom door, she was met with the frustrated face of her mother. Norma was dressed nicely, looking very presentable.

"This is the last time you make us late, do you understand?" Norma stated, pointing at her daughter with a glare on her face. "I can't afford to lose this job before I've even started."

"Sorry," Teresa mumbled.

"You can walk to school," Norma went on, looking at the time. "I was going to drive you, but seeing how late it is, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Fine, that's fine."

"You'll be okay? Walking to school by yourself?" The worry became evident in Norma's voice. The feeling wasn't misplaced, either. With the fear of Teresa's father returning any minute, it seemed only natural to have some level of concern.

"I'll be fine," Teresa responded. She phased through her mother, going towards where her backpack was. "If a ghost shows up, I'll know what to do. If someone tries bothering me, I'll take the high road."

"I know you know what to do.* That won't stop me from worrying."

"Yeah, I know." A feeling of guilt bubbled in the teen's stomach. She couldn't help but feel that way. It seemed like ever since she was born, Teresa and Norma were on the run. Even after he had been locked away, the mother and daughter duo could never live peacefully. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. "I'll be fine," Teresa went on. "Just go to work. You're already really late."

Sighing, Norma nodded. Grabbing her purse, she turned to look at her daughter for a moment. Teresa looked exhausted, but she'd never openly admit it. There were bags under her eyes and a certain paleness to her olive skin. Those were concerning signs. Whenever Teresa looked that tired, that meant something was going on, or something recently happened. Which one was Norma's daughter experiencing? That was the question that really mattered, and that was the one she feared the most. Teresa would either explain, in full detail, what was going on, or she'd try and ignore it altogether. There was no in-between. No ifs, ands, or buts. Norma always hated that.*

"Be safe, Terry," Norma said, her tone becoming soft. "Okay? Just be safe."

Zipping up her backpack, Teresa turned to look at her mother. With a small smile on her face, she nodded. "I will," she responded. "You be safe, too, okay?"

-Get Spooky-

If there was one thing Teresa was grateful for, it was having familiarized herself with Amity Park before she officially enrolled in school. That was something she found to be extremely important. If she couldn't figure out the layout of the new city she was staying in, then that spelled out trouble. Teresa needed to know every alleyway, every parking lot. She had to know how far Point A would be from Point B. Should an escape plan be formed, then being familiar with the area would be even better. So as she walked to Casper High, Teresa made sure to keep a close eye on every little thing that went on around her. She watched other people come and go. She kept an eye on every car that drove past her and every bus that came by. She observed every building, looked down every alley, and read every sign. Teresa had to play it safe.

Just try to look calm, she thought. As long as you look calm and collected on the outside, then everything will be just fine.

Was that really a good idea, though? To just remain calm looking on the outside? If something happened, then Teresa would have to figure out ways to remain as calm on the inside, too. She shook her head a little, trying to push those thoughts out of her head. She had to keep her focus on other things.

Shrugging her backpack further on her shoulders, Teresa hurried her pace in order to get to school.* While keeping tabs on every little part of Amity Park was essential in her eyes, she'd be even more late to school than she intended.

You could always transform. Find someplace secluded, transform, and you'll be at school in no time.

Not a bad idea. She hadn't even considered it. Teresa wanted to feel as human as possible, so she rarely ever transformed — or as she liked to call it, "ghost out" — if she could absolutely help it. So, taking a quick look around, and feeling satisfied with the complete disinterest everyone else seemed to display, the fourteen year old hurried into the first secluded area — an alley — she saw and hid behind a dumpster. All she had to do was make sure no one followed her, and she'd be in the clear. When no one came into view, Teresa nodded, taking in and letting out some deep breaths. She felt really scared, knowing she was going to transform. Swallowing thickly, she let out one last breath before focusing all of her energy into letting her ghost half out.

Concentrating, Teresa felt a ring of energy form around her waist. The ring split down the middle, one going up her torso, the other going down her legs. In an instant, Teresa's outfit and appearance started to change. Old blue jeans turned into a long, black, high waisted skirt with ripped stockings underneath. Filthy tennis shoes changed into combat boots. An oversized t-shirt became a black undershirt with a thin, loose fitting cotton top over it. Teresa's dark auburn hair became platinum blonde, and her green eyes became icy blue.

Looking down at herself, Teresa's face scrunched up in distaste. The cotton shirt hung off her left shoulder, ending just a little bit below her waist. The skirt ended just inches above the ground, flowing around her almost unnaturally. Teresa couldn't say with certainty why an outfit like that was the chosen for her ghost side, but she had to learn to live with it. There wasn't a whole lot she could do to change it.

Making sure her hair was out of her face and her backpack was adjusted, Teresa made herself invisible and gently pushed herself off the ground. Flight was one of the many things the teen enjoyed about her ghost half, even if she didn't use it very frequently. Flying gave Teresa a sense of freedom, like she didn't have to worry about all the problems her existence seemed to cause. With more force, the teen was going higher in the air, above the buildings until Casper High came into view.

Without wasting anymore time, Teresa pushed herself forward, making her way, as quickly as possible, to her new school. She could only hope that she wasn't too late.

(A/N):

Sorry for the wait on this chapter. I know it's probably not the best, but I hope you guys at least tolerate it. If you've got anything that you think could be changed or whatever, be sure to let me know. Basically, just give constructive criticism, okay? That's all I'm really asking for, I guess.

Do I own anything in the Danny Phantom universe? No. No I don't. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the socks on my feet. If you have ideas for an OC or a subplot, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.

If you've got a random fact, or a random story on anything, be sure to leave a review. It could be on something new or on something old. That's up to you guys.

Thank you all so, so much!

Dorothy Rose