This mall is really quiet," Danny whispered to Tucker. "I wonder why."

"Me too," Tucker replied loudly.

"Shh!" an older girl nearby said. "The Catwoman is coming."

"Who's-" Danny began, but the shushing of people around him cut him off. The crowd in the hallway parted to let through…two Goths?

Isn't this a little backward? Danny thought.

One of them looked poised for action, ready to loose venom on anyone who dared to stand in her way. She had long black hair and blue eyes, and everyone seemed to shrink back from her a little bit more.

The other girl was elusive, and she had a tough looking exterior that could be looked past if one looked hard enough. She had lighter blue eyes-and they were eyes just like a cat's! Her hair was shorter, straighter, and black, but she had blue highlights. And she had cat ears!

Why is everyone so afraid of them? Danny thought. They don't look like they'll really beat anyone up. But, then again, maybe things are different around here.

The older girl stalked over to the two "new kids." Her target wouldn't have been more obvious if he'd had it stamped on his forehead. Danny was a new kid. And new kids are picked on. It's just the way things are.

The girl seemed to know about Tucker as well, and she turned her eyes on both of them, in a glare that would have made any other student quiver in fear of what was coming next. BANG! She smacked them both in the head with a math book.

"You need learning in your head," she explained. "I am Mana. Stay away, newbies, if you know what's good for you."

Mana walked back down the hallway the way she had come, the crowds parting for her like she was royalty.

Meanwhile, Tucker had to hold Danny back from going after her and wringing her neck. No wonder everyone hated her!

The quieter girl moved fluidly through the crowd. It parted before her, if with less fear. She stepped up to the two boys, ignoring Danny's obvious fury at her older sister's behavior.

"Hello," she said coolly, with a smile that would scare away any other Lebanon student. "I am Kurai. I apologize for Mana. She's high-strung. What are your names?"

xxx

Danny calmed down quickly, analyzing her, which was something he never did.

Why is she being nice all of a sudden? He said to himself. And if this is how she really is, then why are people so afraid of her?

He finally decided that she couldn't really hurt him if he gave her his name, so he did. Tucker said his as well, and then the girl turned and walked away so quietly they barely noticed her leaving.

"What a weird town," Tucker said. "Dash doesn't have anything on those two creepy girls."

"Yeah…" Danny replied. "I wonder why they call them Catwoman."

"Maybe we'll find out later," Tucker replied.

xxx

It was lunchtime, the kids only sanctuary from the dreaded Catwoman-except their homes of course, for those who didn't have one with them.

Rumors were always passed at this time, so it was the perfect time for Danny and Tucker to find about Catwoman, the town legend.

"So, what is this 'legend' anyway?" Danny asked.

They were sitting at a table with a bunch of kids from their English class, the only one they had free from Catwoman.

"Catwoman," breathed a freshman boy at the end of the table. "I can't count how many times I have told their story."

"But there are two of them," objected Tucker. "So why are they both 'Catwoman'?"

"It doesn't matter," replied the boy in an eerie voice. "Together or separate, Kurai and Mana are Catwoman."

Rumors began pouring out from all around.

"I hear Mana can speak with the dead! That's why she's so mean to everyone."

"I heard Kurai was a witch."

"She is a witch, you dimwit."

"I saw her reading a spellbook once."

"I hear she has pointed ears, like some kind of weird mutation."

"I heard Mana held up a bank."

"I heard she killed her uncle!"

"I heard-"

The gossip stopped as Mana slammed the food court door. You could hear a pen drop on the cafeteria floor.

"You heard what?" Mana said slowly, darkly.

"N-nothing," whispered the terrified freshman girl.

"Watch your back," Mana whispered, and stalked out of the cafeteria. No more words were spoken.

"So…you got the address?" Mana whispered in my ear.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Mana, why are you whispering?" I said aloud. "He lives two houses down and we're on the street! He can't hear us!"

Mana smirked at me. "Something tells me you don't really want to do this, Kurai."

"I don't really care," I replied. "When do we go? I want to get this over with."

Mana checked her watch, and then checked her eyeliner. "We can go."

We silently walked in the shadows until we reached the Fenton's backyard. This was tradition. Every newbie had to be pranked. They jumped the fence, and then analyzed the house to find Danny's room. It was very obvious, since it was the only one with the light on, and the wallpaper was blue. And he didn't have any brothers, I had checked.

"So, who's climbing up to deliver that stupid exploding confetti?" I said in a bored voice.

"Your turn," Mana said, smiling. "Hope he's not up there! See ya."

She ran down the back way, through the alley. Again, tradition. Leave the person pulling the prank alone to do it. Less chance of getting caught that way.

This is crap, I thought , struggling to climb the two-story house. Why do we have to do this a million times a year? And why am I always stuck with it?

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Danny throw open the window.

"What are you doing?" he said in an extremely surprised voice, having recognized me.

Now, I should have thrown the confetti egg at him and ran, but it was too late for that. I was too high up. And him opening the window had shocked me just enough for me to lose my balance. I fell.

I'm dumb, so I didn't even think to use my powers.

I should be falling, I thought. So why do I feel weightless? Is this what falling feels like? Or am I dead? I should have felt some pain before I died, right? Right?

I opened my eyes. I was on the ground. Everything was normal, and I would have been able to convince myself that I hadn't fallen at all, except for the fact that there was someone hovering next to me. Hovering. He had white hair and green eyes, and he looked…well, like he was important. Somehow. But also familiar…

Oh my gosh, I thought, my photographic memory kicking in.

"You're Danny Fenton! And Danny Phantom! But you're…different…" I trailed off.

"I know," he replied. He paused, narrowing his eyes. "You think I'm a freak, don't you. And now everyone else will, too."

And with that, he flew off into the night, leaving a me, bewildered, behind. Even though I didn't know what was going on with Danny, I had noticed the look in his eyes…of an underlying, immeasurable kind of pain.

I recognized that pain. I had felt it before, the deep, terrible feeling that you have reached a point where there is no turning back, like you have fallen down a well, and it's too deep to climb out of, and no one is coming to get you out.

It was this that made me call after him, not sure he would even respond. "Danny...wait."

And, to my surprise, he stopped, hovering in mid-air next to his window.

"Look, you saved my life back there," I began. "And, I-I won't tell anyone your secret, I promise. No one will ever know that you're..."

"Half-ghost," he sighed. "Not that it matters."

He flew through the window and shut it quietly. A few seconds later, I saw his light flicker off.