I bow down to pray,

I try to make the worse seem better,

Lord, show me the way,

To cut through all his worn out leather,

I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away,

But baby, I just need one good one to stay

-Million Reasons; by Lady Gaga

When I look around the halls of Casper High, I see a lot of different things. I see a typical cliche high school. Motivational posters; teachers and students walking up and down the halls; lockers and the smell of not only too many people crammed into one space, but sadness and uncertainty from those around me. I see students of all kinds scrambling to find their place in the school's hierarchy. The popular kids reign supreme over all of us, even the teachers. The jocks and the cheerleaders, the stereotypical kings and queens of the school. Just underneath them are the other socially acceptable individuals. If they can afford nice clothes and the latest technology, they're considered popular. But that doesn't mean techno-geek Tucker Foley counts as "popular". No, according to the social hierarchy, he's beneath even the most made fun of kids in the school.

All mention of techno-geeks aside, Casper High's social hierarchy was very generic. Very predictable. From the most popular in the school, the tiers went down until only the most undesirable individuals remained. The outcasts not even the outcasts wanted. I fit into that category. I was among those the popular kids couldn't associate with. No, the one the popular kids refused to associate with. In their minds, they wouldn't be caught dead with me. Which I always thought was funny, since I'm already half-dead to begin with. At least, that's how I view myself. Only because it's true, though. Being a half-ghost loser in a school full of superficiality can be difficult; and yeah, I have to put up a mask of being someone I'm not, but it's for my own protection. Isn't that what high school is all about? Putting up a mask to protect yourself? If the whole school found out about my ghost powers, I'd be ostracized even more. Never in the history of existence has there been recorded cases of a ghost/human hybrid. Yet, here I am. Probably the only one of my kind.

But I look around the halls of Casper High, and I see a lot of different things. I see those posters and lockers. I see the students and teachers and I smell all the horrendous scents that come with high schools. I feel the emotions of everyone inside Casper High and I feel the need to rip my hair out. Everyone's so obsessed with their appearance and how to make themselves look better. Everyone is so. . .unhappy. Including me. I can't seem to find it within myself to make high school work. I don't know how to be normal. It's like that was never programmed into me. Well, it wasn't.

Who am I kidding? What does it even matter, anyway? I go to a school named Casper High in the city of Amity Park. I'm a loser, the lowest of the low in my school's social hierarchy. My only purpose, apparently, is to be the butt of every popular kid's joke. But I don't let their words get to me. I have other things to worry about than the hurt they try to put on me.

*:.｡..｡.:*

I wasn't originally from Amity Park. I moved there recently with my mother and my sister. It was a new beginning, the hope for a better future. That's what my mother told me. I don't know. From what I've gathered, Amity Park is a bit of bore. Not a whole lot happens, and even if something remotely interesting were to arise, it would only die out just as quickly as it appeared. I found that to be quite tiresome, if I were to be completely honest.

Originally, before coming to Amity Park, my mother, sister, and I grew up in a small town in New York, just a couple miles outside of Brooklyn. The town itself was nothing special, but when tragedy hit, we had to leave. It was for our own protection that we left New York, and I'm grateful we did. I can only imagine the horrors that would've transpired if we stayed.

But I feel as though delving too much into personal info can be boring. What's important is learning along the way, seeing the kind of person someone can be and transform into. I don't know if that makes sense. I suppose what I want to happen, is for my own person to be hinted at, maybe looked into in little bits, along the way. I don't want too much being said at one time, but I also don't want to keep everything a secret. That would be very unfair to all of you, right? To keep my backstory, my everything, a secret? What kind of narrator would I be if I did that? So, hopefully you all can be patient with me. I've got a lot to go into, and I'm hoping you all have the time.

And on that note, I'll introduce myself. I'm Mary Katherine. And no, Katherine is not my last name. It's kind of like a second first name for me. According to my mother, Raina, my "second first name" was actually my grandmother's name. My real last name is Alvarez. I may be half-ghost, but I'm also half-Peruvian. Which, for me, I consider to be fantastic.

*:.｡..｡.:*

Ghosts are. . .strange. They can take the form of anyone or anything. Whether it be humanoid, animalistic, amorphous, whatever - if a ghost can transform into it, they'll likely do it. I find it to be intriguing, while Raina and my sister find it to be horrifying. They don't really understand my connection to ghosts. They try to, but it's not something they can just. . .comprehend. Now, I'm not saying I'm some kind of ghost master, but I've learned a lot in my short time on Earth. Being a halfa means that I get the best of both worlds. I've spent fourteen years learning how to be a human, but I've also tried spending my time learning how to be a ghost, too.

Ghost powers, transformation, knowing which ghost goes where in the Ghost Zone - it's a never-ending process. In my time studying up on them, I've learned about specific abilities associated with specific ghosts. Ember's good with music while Skulker is good at hunting. The Lunch Lady loves meat and Desiree can grant anyone's wish. The list could go on. And by learning their strengths, I can empower myself even more. I can get my ghost abilities up to the next level, so if I ever find myself in a fight between Skulker or Desiree, or even the likes of Ember, I'll be ready to go. Fighting ghosts, learning about my heritage, that's important to me. I can't learn that at high school. Math, science, English, gym - those subjects won't teach me how to control my abilities or which parts of the Ghost Zone I'm allowed to travel to. Casper High may be good for some kids, but for me, it's a complete waste of time.

Who has time for a basic human education when there are literal dimensions that have yet to be understood?*

(A/N):

I know this chapter is a bit short, and I wanted to make it longer, but I wasn't sure what else to put in to make it better. And with that, I'll leave the rest up to you guys. If you've got any constructive criticism, don't hesitate to give it, okay? I'd love to know how I can improve my writing so I can improve this story.

Nothing in Danny Phantom belongs to me. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the socks on my feet. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.

Be sure to leave a random fact in the review section. It can be on something old or on something new. It's up to you guys.

I'll see you guys later, okay?

Harper Sy