Danny had no idea how he got talked into doing something so foolish. Sure, he knew child abuse was bad and that it needed to be stopped, but that didn't explain why anyone would ask the ghost hero to talk about it to the local school assembly. Yet, there he was; floating just above the stage in the auditorium being introduced as the next speaker.
Before he knew it, he was alone on that stage and facing a crowd of his peers. All that there was left to do was talk.
"Hi...um... So, we're all here to talk about child abuse. Right. Um... well, it's bad. Really bad." Danny froze, the talk was not going well at all. A sudden thought slipped into his head: he could pretend. After all, everyone believed that the Phantom was just another ghost and all ghosts had to die first. The phantom could just be a former victim... that could work.
"I know that for most of you guys, this is just another waste of time assembly, but some of you might need it. See, a lot of people who are abused don't ever talk about it. They make excuses..." Danny looked out at the crowd, feeling thankful that none of his friends were out there. "We make excuses. We say things like: it was my fault or that any injuries were from sports or an accident. Maybe even play up being clumsy. Anything to make it seem okay."
At this, the young phantom took a moment- his thoughts drifting to some of the excuses he gave out after any ghost encounter that left marks. Those thoughts prompted a shiver, then he floated onto the podium.
"I know that staying quiet seems like a good option. Maybe you were threatened not to talk... told if you say anything then the next time will be twice as bad. Well, saying nothing just guarantees there will be a next time.
"I can't tell you what to do. It's not my place. I can tell you that I... I stayed quiet. I've been quiet for so long. I died still quiet; and the only reason I didn't move on was I felt it was my responsibility to protect people. That's what I have spent my afterlife doing.
"I don't want anyone here to die early. Especially by the hand of someone that should be taking care of them. There's help out there... Take it from me, hiding is really not worth it."
With that, the phantom leapt off the podium and flew towards the ceiling, turning invisible just before hitting it. He looked back to see small groups throughout the assembly speaking in low voices. It seemed that some of them took his story- his lie- to heart.
He may not have ever been abused, but maybe it was all right for the Phantom to have been if it saved someone else.