What is happiness to you, David?

-Julie Gianni; from 2001's Vanilla Sky

Life always seemed so. . .dreary. There never seemed to be an ounce of good that ever came out of it. People kept trying to hype up all these different things, all these amazing products, but they all sounded the same. They all felt the same. What was the point, anyway? It was the same pattern, right? Get everyone hyped up, and then let them drown in the monotony of it all? It was almost pathetic. But was that really the big issue? There were so many things in the world that were worth peoples' time and effort, but not a single person seemed to care.

What was the point, then?

Blake let out a sigh, her dark hair falling around her face, practically hiding her from the outside world. Was that a good thing? Relying on something for protection? That was a controversial thought. Blake couldn't say for sure, honestly. She liked to think that her hair was kind of like a shield. It was attached to her body, which meant it was her way of protecting herself. She wasn't relying on others, she wasn't causing any problems.

Or, even better, she wasn't desperate.

Having to rely on others for help was a sign of desperation. It was a sign of weakness. Blake felt as though if she were to ask someone for their help, she was admitting to being weak. She was admitting to, essentially, not being strong enough to handle her own issues. That was the one thing she couldn't stand.

Relying on others brings nothing but trouble.

If you're ever going to make it in the world, you can't trust anybody but yourself.

Everyone else will disappoint you. You don't need them. You're better than all of them.

With a dry chuckle, Blake wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't have time to blindly trust others. She had to worry about keeping herself alive. Or about as alive as she could be. It was hard to tell, being half-human and all. Blake was in a limbo between life and death. She stood on the line, not knowing where she fit in in the world. Could she live a normal life with humans, or find a place amongst the ghosts? She hated that question.*

She hated a lot of things.

Looking up, Blake saw the countless people walking by. They looked so care free, so preoccupied with the things going on in their lives. How unfair was that? What gave everyone else the right to live so naturally?

Furrowing her brows, Blake looked down, a scowl forming itself on her face. Maybe it was a little selfish of her to think that way. She had no control over other peoples' lives, and it would be wrong of her to think she could control them.

But it's in your blood, isn't it? a voice whispered. The need to rule, to dominate. That's what makes you so unique, so valuable.

That damned voice. It filled Blake's head whenever she had doubts about anything, whenever she found herself questioning her very nature. She hated that voice. Her heritage could not determine the kind of person Blake was. She was her own person, she could determine the kind of person she was going to be. No one else had the right to choose for her.

You'll see it. . .One day, I know you will. . .

Blake prayed that day would never come.

u.u*

Ghosts. . .they tend to not be good conversation starters. Anyone who even hints at being a believer in the otherworldly are often looked at in scrutiny, as if they're completely insane. In Blake's case, if she were to casually mention that she's half-human, half-ghost, people would absolutely believe she's insane. They'd look at her as if she'd grown a second head and just spoke in tongues. It would definitely be an experience.

On the other hand, though, there were the ghost fanatics. The ones who spend their entire lives obsessing over anything paranormal. It could be seen as incredibly unhealthy, because it is incredibly unhealthy. The last thing Blake would want were ghost extremists hunting her down, attempting to do all kinds of experiments on her. That would be horrifying. So, with the minimal human interaction she's already had, Blake knew better than to expose her little secret. She couldn't afford anything else going wrong in her life.

But let's be a bit honest — there are plenty more things that could go wrong in Blake's life. Plenty. While optimism is always appreciated, sometimes it clouds what's really going on in the world. It takes people away from reality. That's how Blake sees it. Optimism is only beneficial in small, appropriate amounts. So the teen believing that her life couldn't possibly have anymore blows is absolute rubbish. Fourteen years of dealing with the bullshit of other people, Blake practically expected things to go wrong. She welcomed it with open arms. How else was she supposed to handle it all, anyway? It's not like she was given other ways to handle her life. It was all one, big, jumbled mess. And that is putting it mildly.*

So. . .mentioning ghosts? Completely out of the question. Having gratuitous amounts of optimism? It's nice, but unnecessary. Expecting the bad out of everything? Natural. That was how Blake handled her life. That was how she always handled it. Did she find it hilariously pathetic? Yes. Was she devastated by how miserable she'd become as a result? Also, yes.

But after all the crap Blake had to go through, all the moments in her life that made her change, what could she do to change herself?

u.u

"You look tired."

Looking up for a moment, Blake's mouth set into a deep frown. She recognized that voice. That stupid voice.

"I'm fine," Blake grumbled. She lowered her gaze, hoping to avoid seeing her.

"I can tell when you're lying, remember?"

Of course you can, Blake thought bitterly. Why not add that onto the list of other things you can do?

It was stupid, ridiculous, traveling with someone who can pick up on the lies of others. Any word that slipped past Blake's lips could be quickly categorized as truth or lie. How frustrating was that?

"Can't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"I'm your guardian."

"Not anymore."

"You're being immature, Blake. Seriously."

"I'm being honest," Blake snapped. "You didn't have to follow me. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

"You're fourteen."

"Your point?"

"How you're behaving right now? That's exactly my point. You're still a child, you don't know what it takes to live in the real world."

"And you do?" Blake raised her head, brushing some of her dark hair out of her eyes. A scowl had formed on the teen's face, but her companion remained unfazed. "If I recall correctly, you're from the Ghost Zone."

"That doesn't mean I don't know how harsh life can be."

"Quinn, you're a ghost," Blake hissed, her eyes blazing in anger. "You've spent all your time living in a parallel dimension. How can you understand how difficult it is out here?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Quinn crossed her arms over her chest. In a lot of ways, Blake had a point. Living in the Ghost Zone was completely different than living in the human world. But there were some similarities in how ghosts and humans behaved. Both species were very manipulative, looking for new angles to better themselves. Both species were more than willing to go the distance the secure themselves powerful positions in their worlds. Blake couldn't quite understand that. It was to be expected though, the not-understanding. It took Quinn a while to truly get the hang of how the Ghost Zone worked. It took her even longer to understand how her fellow ghosts behaved and interacted, as well. They seemed to be a bit more bloodthirsty when compared to humans, though. Or was that just Quinn imagining things?

"It doesn't matter what I am, okay?" Quinn stated. "My sole purpose is to keep you safe. And when you ran away, I couldn't just let you get yourself actually killed. What kind of guardian would I be if you really died?"

"You're not my guardian anymore," Blake snapped.

In an instant, Quinn placed a cold, pale hand over the teen's mouth. Unwanted attention was being drawn to them. They were both residing in a park, one brimming with families, romantic partners, and people with their pets. A nice place to spend the day. Everything had been quiet and peaceful before Quinn had returned.

But when that little outburst came out of Blake's mouth, there were a few people who'd heard. They were giving the pair strange looks, some of the people walking by would linger longer than necessary. It was unsettling. With a heated glare thrown Blake's way, Quinn removed her hand from the teen's mouth.

"You need to lower your voice," Quinn seethed. "We are supposed to be keeping a low profile, remember?"

"How long do you think that'll last?" Blake muttered, moving herself away from her companion.

"I'm hoping to keep it going for as long as I can," Quinn grumbled. "Only it's a bit hard when you make everything so difficult."

Tell me, does Quinn have the right to be ordering you around? that small voice whispered. Earth is your domain, Blake. You've earned this world. Ruling the humans should be simple, yes?

No. If there's one thing that's obvious, it's humans are difficult to control. If they're put in a situation they don't like, they'll riot and cause all sorts of problems. Blake didn't want to rule them. She never had any intentions of ruling them. What would be the point, anyway? Humans were dull creatures, in the teen's eyes. They were incapable of seeing things for how they really were.

"One of these days, our luck is going to run out," Blake murmured. "We'll get caught, and we'll both get punished for it."

"I don't doubt a punishment would happen," Quinn agreed. "But that will only happen if we get caught."

Narrowing her eyes a little, Blake let out a sigh. Quinn's optimism. How sweet.

(A/N):

First off, sorry for the wait on the chapter. Hopefully you guys at least tolerate it. If you've got any constructive criticism you'd like to give, I'd be more than happy to hear it. I feel like the more advice and feedback I get from you guys, the better this story will be. But that's only if I get help from you guys.

Nothing in the DP fandom belongs to me. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the laptop I'm currently typing on. 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.

If you've got a random fact, be sure to drop it in the review section. It could be on something new or it could be on something old. It's completely up to you guys.

Thank you all so, so much!

Be kind to one another, okay?

Sloane Johnson