Just a warning: Danni likes to curse a lot this chapter.

"WORD" Regular dialogue

:WORD: Inner dialogue between Danni and Phantom

Just a Matter of Time

"There is more than one way to skin a cat, after all. Even if I personally don't find skinning a cat any kind of fun."

-~DP~-

We woke up the next morning with a head-ache. A minor one, but enough of one to make me wonder what the hell we had done yesterday to warrant it. We'd gotten out of the car at the mansion, parents refusing to say anything to us except that we were visiting one of their old friends, then dinner, then...

It came back.

"Fuck." I growled into my pillow, but fairly shouted in my head.

:Gahk.: Phantom said, as I shocked him out of his thoughts, and he momentarily took control of our body to throw my arms up. Which hit a rose on the intricate headboard. :Holy shit, Danni! Don't do that.:

:Sorry,: I said, sheepishly. :Didn't realize you hadn't woken up... fully at least.:

I rubbed my face, limbs still floppy and weak from sleep. A sharp pain traveled down from my wrist to my elbow and I immediately cradled it with a yelp.

:I think you broke my wrist when you took control.: I yelled at Phantom, as I sat up, arm still carefully wedged between my chest and other arm. Trying to flex one of the fingers, I was immensely grateful to see them move – even if it hurt like a bitch. :Or sprained it, at the very least.:

:Oops.:

I growled at him as the cold of the room hit me. It was at least four degrees lower in temperature than in the bed. Which I only knew because ever since Phantom and I became intimately acquainted, the ability to tell temperatures to almost close to half a degree - was there. Kind of like my ability to breath. Innate.

:It will heal in an hour.: Phantom said. Looking through my eyes and feeling through my emotions. He let it go with contempt as he sat back. :Don't be such a baby.:

:Can't believe you really think it's a fucking grand idea to break my wrist while we're in the house of another Halfa, who – by the way – we still don't know what he totally wants?: I glanced at my bedside table. :Or what that book is about.:

:You're in a pointing fingers mood, aren't you?: Phantom said in response, as he settled fully into his place in my cranium.

:What if I am?: I asked as I allowed my arm to lay limply against my leg, straight so it would heal as such. I used the now free hand to snatch up the glowing book. It was as light as it had been the night before.

:Damn it, you are.:

"Oh shut it, Phantom." I said with a grumble as I sat the book on the bed. So the spine hit the bed first and opened to the middle. A random page numbered 134. It had a bunch of law-babble written on it, and I dismissed most of it to turn to the very front cover.

:Did that say beheading?: Phantom asked, as the cover page took a moment to reveal, on account I only had one hand to hold it with.

:Probably.: I said dismissively, wrestling with the book. I crowed as I planted my palm on it.

The words looking back read:

Us and Them: A Ghostly-Spectral-Citizen's Guide to the Law.

A cold shiver ran down my spine, signaling Phantom's observance and position in my core. Up close and personal. I couldn't blame him, my pulse raced as I fought to turn the page, where it noted the author and a bunch of other babble.

:The Ghost-Writter?: Phantom demanded, as if he was remembering a time in his life before he had been sucked into my dying body by way of Portal. :That pansy?:

:Know him?: I asked, shocked. Phantom, by ghost standards, had been a loner. Living in the Ghost Zone by will of his own power and running so he was never Marked. Most ghosts, let alone the King, had never heard of him. A ghost among ghosts. With only a few contacts that he choose to use to pepper his lonely afterlife, including the first ghost who had ever met him: Clockwork.

Which brought us almost full circle.

Phantom was mumbling to himself and I only caught the end.

:A long time ago...:

Which might have been the turn of the century as much as I knew.

:He sure rose through the ranks. Last I heard his Master had been almost forty down the ladder from Pariah.:

I said, as my lip curled. :Well, looks like he got an upgrade.:

Phantom was less amused, and a bit more spooked than he was allowing me to read into.

:A book on the laws of the Ghosts.: I murmured to myself, a sinking starting in my stomach. :What could this possibly hold?:

Phantom took control for a moment, flipping to the next page which happened to be the index. :Answers.:

His-my finger landed on a section, about halfway down the page, peppered next to a number 8. Halfas and Us. With only 13 things on the list, all ranging from ghosts to humans, this one was underlined. And started on page 160.

We didn't do anything for a moment, just took in the magnitude of what was in front of us.

Laws. And the laws about us.

"Fuck."

Phantom, not one to swear, followed suit.

How naïve of the both of us to think we were above the law, or that the laws about us were not yet made. The Ghost King had just said we were the same as Ghosts, but more powerful. Something we could both attest too. As a human, I was much stronger. And Phantom... well, there was a reason he had stuck to being faster than anyone else and twice as uncatchable.

:Dangit. Shit. Fuck. Damn it all to hell and back.: I ranted, not even knowing what we would be delving into. Vlad had given this to us, expecting us to know what this meant...

:Why now? Why this book?:

:It's a peace offering...: Phantom said, abruptly tearing my mind away from my dooms-day view. :I think.:

:How do you mean?: I asked, looking down at the book and wondering how painful it would be to turn the page.

:There is obviously knowledge in here we do not know... And Vlad is giving it to us... so we can learn?:

I caught on.

:And you think Vlad is letting us have it? Just like that? We haven't proved anything to him yet.:

A nod, which he didn't elaborate on. Very much mental, but I felt it all the same.

:Why didn't he just say it?:

:I'd bet he's Marked.:

My shoulders hunched, and my wrist ached as I twitched my fingers. I stared unseeingly at the numbers on the page and the words.

If Vlad was Marked, and he had a Master... That was reason enough why he hadn't been allowed to tell us. Ghosts had been silenced around us for far less.

:So then there is something they've been keeping from us.: I said, more than aware that if Phantom had been a somewhat normal Ghost, we might have had the upper hand in the political aspect – but he was something much better I thought. Resourceful. Cunning. A wild-card that was as old as civilizations but quiet and more likely to stick to the underground and the seedier parts of the world.

:Let's not look too far into things... Not until we've read.: Phantom suggested, but I could tell his voice was stressed.

So we did. And it was a good thing we did, but I could have lived forever without knowing and been happy.

Then again, it was also a dry read.

I would have been happier if Vlad had simply told us this, even if I understood why he hadn't.

Halfa's are a renowned and daringly impossible breed of ghost and human. Much is unknown about them and their ilk, especially the way in which they have come to be in our world as well as their human counter-part. Our illustrious and magnificent King of the Ghost Zone, ruler of all, Pariah Dark, has accepted their talents and existence into his kingdom with open arms and an open mind. Much is still being debated about Halfas. One of the most well-known ghosts-human breed is Plasmius, who is-

-the illustrious Lord, the King, has announced such that any Halfa, newly born into their life, is fair game after their fourth cycle of life. Giving them less time to adjust than any other ghost in the allotment timing of their Branding-

-any Halfa not following the law of Walker, subsection fourteen, index twelve, page three will be lawfully bound to the King himself. Furthermore any Halfa found to be in direct violation of the law of Walker, subsection fourteen, index twenty, page nine will be held accountable for up to one thousand years imprisonment-

-These Laws have come into effect on the Winter Cycle's beginning, of the 5903 year of our Kings reign. All persons wishing to delegate for the Halfa breed should do so immediately. Halfas will be considered legal, law abiding denizens after their fifth year-

Phantom and I both sat back in shock.

:This changes the game.: Phantom said, a whisper in my mind because my thoughts were just too loud.

:When the hell was this published?: I asked, suddenly, flipping back to the very front. My sore wrist doing better than it had been before. It wouldn't be more than a few minutes until the pain went away. :These laws are definitely new... and the ink smells fresh.:

I landed on the page with the authors name and scoured it for a publishing date.

:Danni, don't do that to yourself.:

There was no pity there, but resignation. I allowed a bit of my self-righteous fury to leak through.

:The King lied to us, I think I can do what I want.: I found the date, quickly converted it between the time I knew from Phantom's knowledge and now. Ghost time to human time was a little wonky, but if I had it right – it was two months ago.

Early July. It was now October, going on November.

:A week after we visited the palace...: Phantom said in awe, scratching out the anger. Turning it sour, too.

I groaned, and slapped a hand to my forehead. :I'm impressed that they were able to work that fast... Pissed. But impressed.:

The anger slowly ran through my fingers and I found I couldn't hold onto it as well as I had been able to only moments before. A new emotion, a feeling, took its place. Uncertainty. Fear. Perhaps both wrapped together. It made me shiver as though I had been touched by a ghostly hand.

My wrist was fully healed, which meant an approximate hour had passed from whenever we had risen. I took a gander near the heavy curtains and noticed the faint light seeping through. Not even trying to stop, I allowed myself to groan and land heavily on the bed.

:We could run now.: Phantom suggested.

:Looking like a coward to one of the people who might try and hunt us in the coming months?:

:You're talking to a coward, Danni. That's how I survive.: Phantom said, stiffly.

:I didn't mean that.: And I hadn't. Phantom could get pretty touchy about his before-after-life, before me. :I just mean... I have no grand-picture or illusion that he won't hunt us down... God Phantom, I thought we were safe.:

I pushed forward an image that was running rampant in my mind. Vlad was powerful and chasing us halfway across the globe while we were on our last leg. Everything would hurt. We'd be running for a long time before anyone caught us. Survival would be our middle names, but it would be hard. It would be new, too, because we ourselves were new.

:Doesn't sound appetizing.: Phantom sighed.

:For once... I agree.:

:This is such a shit-storm we've gotten ourselves into.: I responded. :We haven't even had this much crap to deal with since that time with... what was her name? Blue flaming, hair girl?:

:You think I remember?:

:You do better with faces than I do.:

:I don't recall her name, Danni. Just that we accidentally broke her guitar and she went crazier than the Box-ghost without his boxes.:

:Well, it doesn't matter.: I said, dismissively, but feeling a little lighter at the topic. :It's a shit storm, we've landed ourselves into it, and it kind of sucks. Same situation as last time but this is a bit more... large scale?:

Phantom tried to laugh, but it came out self-deprecating and harsh. :You're comparing a food-fight to being hunted down like a prized stag:

:Okay, so maybe its a tad-:

We were cut off by a knock on the door. And puzzled, I looked towards the drapes again. There was enough sunshine to tell me it was earlier than I really should allow people to know I was awake at.

It worked better when people assumed I slept till twelve just because I was a troubled child. When in reality four hours was all I needed, I just preferred something a little more... leisurely. Phantom as well. Plus, I just didn't like people assuming things about me.

:It's like ten.: Phantom complained.

The banging continued and I forced myself to get up. "Coming. Coming."

:If it's Vlad, slam the door on his face, please.: Phantom said.

:With pleasure.: I promised.

Sadly, it was not Vlad at the door. More surprisingly, it was the one person in the entire house I wanted to see at all hours of the day and every day after.

"Jazz." I blinked back the surprise in my voice.

She was standing outside the door, her fist raised as if she was about to knock again. She looked a little tired, but that was to be expected. Jack's driving did that to us. Her auburn hair was sleek though, so I knew she had at least taken a shower – which was much more than I could say for me.

"Danni!" She exclaimed, with a bright smile that tugged at her tired eyes. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, not at all." I said, self-consciously tugging a hand through my hair. Now all I could think about was a nice long shower. Hot, too.

:Pass.: Phantom grumbled.

:You always pass.:

Considering he had a good story behind it, still didn't take away from the fact that Phantom had some kind of weird aversion to water.

"Well, I was sent to get you for brunch." Jazz said, an apologetic smile on her face as she shrugged. "It's in an hour but...Mom and dad's orders. They want us to give a good... impression for Mr. Masters."

I groaned out loud. Of course the parents would go on Nazi mode. Now that I had met Vlad, it seemed even easier to understand why. "Idiots. I'm taking a shower then, come on in."

I paused. "I mean, if you want to wait for me, anyway-"

She rolled her eyes but entered into the room. "We're in this craziness together, if nothing else."

Looking around, she then whistled low. "You got a nice room. It's even got a little fireplace – nice."

"Did you not get one?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I walked back over towards the bed where my suitcase was popped open. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and noticed the book was still out.

Well. Crap.

:She can't see that.: Phantom hissed. :She wouldn't understand. Can't understand:

It was the one thing Phantom and I agreed on vehemently - Jazz was not to know that my parents actually had a leg to stand on ghost wise. And even if that meant keeping myself and all I was away from her: Then so be it.

Jazz was shaking her head behind me as we both came closer to the bed. "It's a nice room, yours is just a little more... grand. I guess."

Here she smiled and that was the exact moment I reached the bed. I flipped the book up underneath my shirt and then turned towards my suitcase to pull it towards me.

It worked well enough that Jazz just flopped on the edge of the bed and began to talk to me.

"You know, I know you've heard me say this, but this road-trip hasn't been all that bad." Her voice was too cheery and I knew immediately that she had been put up to this by either one or both of our parents. She sounded hesitant to even try and talk 'good' about this entire disaster. "I mean, sure, we haven't exactly gotten a lot of sleep – and, well, don't even mention Minnesota, but it's been fun. I've gotten to read almost my entire collection that I've brought and -"

"Save it, Jazz." I said as I pulled out my clothes for the day, including all new under things. The bra I had been wearing was on its third leg already. "This road-trip has been one giant waste of time."

:Amusingly enough, this is the part you're lying about.: Phantom snorted to himself. :Somewhere, someone's laughing.:

:Just because we met Vlad and subsequently learned about all the shit that is coming our way – doesn't mean anything.:

:Except perhaps our freedom. You know, that thing we like?:

Sometimes, I wanted to punch Phantom.

"It hasn't been a total disaster!" Jazz protested as soon as I grabbed a pair of jeans and turned to her. "I mean, we would never have learned about this side of mom and dads history if it hadn't been for Mr. Masters hosting his party tomorrow."

I almost dropped my clothes. "What? What party?"

Jazz rolled her eyes. "Were you really not listening? There you go again, Danni."

"I listen," I defended, knowing I didn't. "Just might have missed that tiny detail..."

"Dad has literally been singing the entire trip – 'Goin' to Vladdies house, Vladdies house, Vladdies house. Going to Vladdies house cause he's gonna have a really huge important party!'"

The fact that I could remember the tune and had just pushed it away as another random and stupid song made me blush, and rub the back of my neck.

:You missed it too?: I asked Phantom. Accusing us both at the same time.

Phantom sniffed. :I don't listen to the oaf.:

Well. That was... awkward. Man, we suck at this whole survival thing already if we missed important details like that.

"Sorry. I guess I just kind of tuned it out?"

Jazz sighed but nodded, then proceeded to tell me what the party was about. "Mr. Masters has reached one billion dollars in revenue for this quarter and wanted to celebrate. There was also talk that it was his birthday on the twentieth. Two birds, one stone."

:We listen to everything from now on?: I said to Phantom.

:Fine,: He said, begrudging me that. :Even if that is impossible in our current state. We will listen.:

"I guess it's a good thing I brought my 'little' blue dress, And heels." I mumbled to myself as I closed the suitcase and stood back up. Hiding the fact that I was actually quite stoked to wear them. It wasn't every day, after all, that dweebie-girl Fenton got to look pretty.

"You know Mom forced us both to bring something." Jazz said as she settled on my bed to wait for me. "Did it really not occur to you that we actually had a destination in mind?"

I snorted. "The way mom and dad do things doesn't make sense. If we made it out of the state, I was considering that good luck. If we were on the road. Better luck. If we didn't die. Well call the news-station, we've got them a story!"

Scooping up the rest of my washing products, all enclosed in a gallon zip-lock bag, I moved to the bathroom.

"Don't snoop!" I called out as I closed the door.

"Crazy little Ella," Jazz mumbled with fondness, not knowing I could hear her. "But always right on. Mom and Dad... what on earth did you do...?"

I had been setting my stuff down and just idly listening to her talk, trying to do better on the whole we-don't-listen-as-well-as-we-should thing. I hadn't meant to hear her say that, but now that I had, I turned the water on to warm it up and then crept back to the door – trying to hear something else. Another tid-bit into my sisters mind.

"- First with the skipping school, and now the silence, and further more... gah! The disregard for them. I mean, I know they kind of suck at being good parents, but they haven't forgotten us that often... Alright, this year. They haven't forgotten us much this year."

She was just rambling to herself. In a place she thought no one else could hear her.

What did that mean? I wondered, Phantom listening in the background as I stepped into the shower. Jazz held no hero-worshiping ways about my parents. She thought they were as whacked-out as I thought they were. For differing reasons, but enough of it was simply similarity at work that we got along splendidly.

Most days.

We were siblings, after all. We had our spats and cat-fights. Over the usual girl things like the bathroom, winning at a border-game, who was making dinner because our emotionally compromising parents hadn't been seen all day, and, of course, which one of us was washing dishes and laundry? They'd lessen over the years as we both went to school and saw less of each other – but our relationship really hadn't changed.

Our parents sucked, and we had had to rely on each other. A co-dependency that should have been on them had been thrust to the two of us.

:She's the only constant in your life.: Phantom said, helping along my thoughts as I became stuck.

:The only good constant. Besides you, but do you count as a constant – if you're only in my head?:

:I don't mean like now, Danni,: Phantom said. :I meant, as in, she has been there your entire life as an entity of good. Where your parents have fluctuated so much it just doesn't connect to them.:

"I hate this." I muttered to myself as I finished washing. Getting out of the shower and pulling along a towel, I tried to get back onto a subject that still was important.

:What on earth are we going to do about Vlad?: I said, shivering in the puffy-steam of the after shower as I swiped the mirror clean.

:He's going to know we read the book... Or at least the part about us. It's going to be clear.: Phantom said, as I stared into my reflection.

A shower did wonders for my completion and the oil on my skin was washed away leaving behind almost perfection. Not pretty, but in the sense of clean slate skin – it did its job. Since I had almost died, or rather half died, a lot of my bodily functions just don't... work. Properly. I still need to use the bathroom and oil is still produced, but I haven't had any cases of acne for the entire period. Nor has my hair grown. In any place.

And my hair on my legs, armpits, and ... down-there was fairly bushy.

The whole red-flood still came, which I could have done without, but from what I noticed, it was going to come in cycles of two-months. Perhaps more as I got older. We were very young – this whole thing was new to me. Everything was a trial basis.

:What if it was a peace offering?: I asked as I stared into my soul filled blue eyes. The palest blue that had been staring back since the accident. The color almost drained from the sky blue it had been. It was a testament how much my parents saw of me. They thought they were contacts, which was a brilliant idea and I had been telling everyone that.

It still hurt that they hadn't noticed for almost a month after the accident.

:Then we would be a fool not to accept.:

:What on earth would he want from us though?: I asked, drying my hair and watching it poof. :In case you haven't noticed – he's got almost everything he could ever want.:

:But those who have much still lack something.: Phantom said. :What's that saying... money can't buy happiness?:

My arms stilled as I blankly looked towards the ground, completely inside my head. :What... he wants a friend?:

:We are the only other Halfa alive... or dead. Or both.:

That had us both chuckling for a minute at the word play.

:We are also really young.:

:Not really. Our average age is probably somewhere around fifty... He is much older than you. To me, he's still a child:

I shocked myself by stilling and thinking that over. He was much older than me. Technically old enough to be my father. Yet. And there it was. The yet. He wasn't bad looking, he was basically the only other one of 'me', the species wise, around, and there was just something about both those facts that made the pull of wanting to know 'why' into a need.

Why.

:I can't do this right now.: I said, restarting my body and hurriedly dressing. :I don't... I'm not making any assumptions unless he says something.:

If Phantom heard something more in my mind than I did, he thankfully didn't point it out.

"That was quick." Jazz said as I exited, still running my hands through my right-above-shoulder length hair.

"The water heated up fast." I said, grumpy.

"We ready to go?"

Jazz just raised an eyebrow. "We still have half an hour."

"So?" It was my turn to look at her like she had grown another head.

"You want to be early?" Then Jazz just looked at me funny.

"Jazz, honey," I said in a patronizing tone of voice. "This mansion is way bigger than any house we may ever have. It's going to take half an hour to get there."

She snorted which turned into a real laugh. Tinkling chimes and all. "For a second there, you had me worried."

I just smiled at her and was very happy for the umpteenth time that I had another person in my head to help me think up excuses. Phantom Just snorted but was much more relaxed as Jazz laughed. It was connected to how relaxed I became, but it felt nice that both our reactions, for once over the last day or so, hadn't been strained.

"You do make a sound argument. Let's go," Jazz said and then winked. "And if we walk slow enough, we might actually make it in a half an hour."

And that was what I loved about Jazz. She actually went along with my crazy attempts at humor.

As we walked, neither of us spoke what was really on our minds. I mention nothing about my worries that Jazz knew nothing about and she mentioned nothing about how worried she was for me, or whatever else happened inside the innocent genius brain. We talked about everything that wasn't important in a bid for trying to make it important to us. Everything was laid bare except for what was under our skin.

And we both lied to each other, but in that subtle way that was both acceptable and totally unacceptable. We agreed to be lied to.

We reached the door to the room where dinner had been served with time to spare, but not much. We had taken the long way and gotten 'lost' on the way. Which Jazz accounted to my poor 'direction' skills, but we both knew was because she had gotten distracted by a pretty picture and a statue of cheese. A little gold statue of cheese.

I hadn't thought Vlad had been so serious about his obsession.

We walked in to Jack and Maddie hounding the head of the table, where the illustrious Mr. Masters sat. Jack waving his arms like a mad man and Vlad looking carefully calm and collected as he sipped orange juice out of a glass.

"-ut Vladdie, we could really use the funding. You have no idea the break-through we're close to!"

"I'll think about it, Jack." Vlad said in a voice that was almost too cool to be talking to an acquaintance of so many years.

Jack looked as if he was about to protest but Maddie laid a hand on his arm and settled him down into his seat. A passing glance of what they thought was love – which probably was, I don't know how their minds work – and then they were both back in their seats.

"Danni-girl! Jazzy-pants!" Jack shouted once he saw us both standing awkwardly as we had when we just walked in. We both flinched at the cheery attitude and Jazz put on her fake-smile to placate them.

:Here we go.: Phantom muttered, souring my mood further with his own distaste of my parents.

I just glared and set my mouth.

"Morning!" Jazz said, cheerfully. But seeing as I had been with her all day, it was clear to see that she wasn't.

I said nothing as Jazz sat next to Vlad, and I sat next to her. Maddie was directly across of me and I didn't even try to keep in my disdain for being this close to her. She ignored me in favor of making sure Jack was quiet.

"Hello girls." Vlad greeted, just as the maids came out to start laying out the feast of breakfast. "You're just in time! Breakfast has just started. What would you like to drink?"

As Jazz answered, I watched Vlad closely.

He looked just as he had last night. Or well, as he had looked at dinner. Gray-peppered hair that might just be a lie for the humans around him, and his youthful face. Hiding his other form as well. There was no signaling from my ghostly-blue-breath, so he had to be hiding his signature some how, too.

How though? We both had no clue.

Vlad was looking at me directly in the eyes. Catching me as I stared at him, twirling my silverware.

"And you Daniella?"

"Hmm?" I said dumbly before being reminded by Phantom that we were supposed to choose a drink. "Oh, apple juice? If not water. Please."

We'd gotten dehydrated once and that had not been fun. I had almost turned see through and we had hid away in the attic for almost four hours drinking buckets of water.

Another repeat was what I never wanted.

Vlad's lips quirked and waved the maids away as they heard what we requested. His demeanor told me he was in charge and very much comfortable at the head of the table. His eyes said something different. They were laughing, almost.

My blood ran cold and I knew he had a good idea that I had read the book.

I glared. His lip twitched.

"So what do you think of my humble house?" Vlad asked, and clearly it was pointed towards me. My family, thankfully didn't quite get the subtle pointing and answered in a group.

"It's beautiful, Vladdie!"

"The garden is stupendous."

"The library is pretty nice, Mr. Masters."

And by the smallest crinkle in his brows, I knew Vlad hadn't wanted their answers. I stiffed a giggle behind my fist.

:Oh, this is too good.: Phantom said, with a snort. :Watch the vein in his neck.:

It bulged. :I almost feel bad for him.:

:Yeah, not so much.: Phantom said, as the twinkle in Vlad's eyes returned.

"And you, little badger," Vlad said, using the nickname he had given me sent a jolt through me. "What do you think of my home?"

Put on the spot, with my family staring quizzically between Vlad and I. Now that I was the one on the other end of it, I could see just how fast he could turn the table. It made me uncomfortable but it also made me respect him. The fear was already there, but came forward much more forcefully.

"It's nice," I said, and Maddie glared at me. "Monumental. Scandalmongering, even."

Jack looked quizzically at Maddie who explained the 'big words' I used.

"Well, thank you." Vlad said, and perhaps there had been a laugh about to come out. But Jack, of course, ruined it by speaking. Loudly.

"Oh! Yeah, Vladdie your place is enormous! Just like Danni-girl said," He beamed at me as if that would somehow bridge the gap we'd had forming. I allowed him a smile, which was more of a twitch of my lips, but he took it to mean something more.

The conversation quickly took a turn for the worst as our drinks were brought and everyone ate.

Most of the food looked amazing, but it wasn't much of a surprise with everything Vlad had already showed he had. Money. Check. Finesse? Oh yeah. Food? Yup. Which was enough to make me want to just kind of lounge around his house like a fat cat.

That made me sound bad, but... well. My life hadn't been apple-pie.

I chose the makings of a sausage-egg sandwich, with cheese and just about any other kind of toppings I could find on the table. Including tomatoes. Jazz always commented that I had the appetite of a boy.

If only she knew.

:Fatty.: Phantom said, watching queasily as I ate.

:Just because you don't eat doesn't mean you can hate on my food.: I said through my sandwich. Which was heavenly.

:It's a primitive thing.: Phantom said. :You know since I don't eat it's repulsive to me.:

:Yup. So shut your trap and let me enjoy a meal I didn't make.: I made sure to take an extra big bit with tomatoes and all other slimy feeling foods. :Before I make sure it's repulsive to you.:

Phantom said not another word.

The rest of the table was not as smart.

"Our research indicates that inside the ghost portal, the ghosts live on islands," Maddie said to Vlad, which was sitting with his chin fisted under and he was staring at Maddie as if every word she said was new. "They even have some kind of government, if the ghosts we've manage to capture haven't been lying."

Phantom and I froze.

"Maddie, that's hardly anything new," Vlad said dismissively. "There have been hundreds of reports of ghosts all saying they have a government. There have also been hundreds of reports stating the exact opposite. You can't trust everything you hear."

We thawed, but listened to the conversation after that. Watching everyone closely.

Jazz had tuned everyone out a long time ago and was staring at the wall, alone in her thoughts. Jack and Maddie were both arguing with Vlad, quietly and without their usual bluster. When Jack wasn't stuffing his face with pancakes as if they were going out of style.

Vlad's face wasn't so much angry as it was nothing. It was carefully blank, like he had on a mask.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but then Maddie said, "Oh Vlad, I don't think it was lying. We'd had the ecto-beast pumped full of electron-shock thermometric energy – I'd be surprised if it could even think to lie."

Then my parents laughed. It wasn't a cruel laugh, which made it worse. There was no mocking. It was just a giggle shared between scientists.

I wouldn't have done anything, if I didn't have a flash of what that must have been like for the ghost. How painful that had been. I could imagine my Phantom, going through that stupid torture. Them asking questions with a clip-board. As calm as could be. Perhaps Jack would be eating a square of fudge.

:Danni! Don't-:

I snapped.

"How dare you!" I stood up, slamming my hand against the table. Causing everyone to jump and look at me, save for Vlad. He just narrowed his eyes at me. An almost warning to stop. I could tell, because even I knew I should stop. "How. Dare. You."

:Danni,: Phantom cautioned.

:I've been silent for a long time.: I snarled at Phantom.

For once, even if he thought I shouldn't, he was right there beside me. Closer to me physically than I had felt him before.

"Danni!" My mother reprimanded. "What has gotten into you?"

"Oh, I don't know the torture of some innocent specter for your amusement, perhaps?" I said, staring her straight in her shocked violet eyes. "Because Mom, this is basically table talk for you. You see nothing wrong with torturing a being, that has thoughts."

"Don't you take that tone with your mother, young lady." Jack said, pushing his stack away. Meaning business. Furthering my point.

"I think I will take whatever tone that gets my point across." I said, getting up and pushing my chair away from the table.

"And since it's not getting across maybe I should be yelling," Here I did raise my voice. "Instead of just talking loudly."

They stared at me speechless and I looked to Vlad. "Thank you for breakfast, sorry it was ruined by the pigs coming to the table. It was terribly rude of them."

And I turned on my heel, not waiting for any kind of response. The silence following me as I exited through the door. Though the window was looking like a good option with how close it had been.

:I know I shouldn't encourage you, Danni, but that was bad ass.: Phantom said.

:As if I could be anything less,: I responded and Phantom understood. He could see where my thoughts were.

I could picture, clearly, the look of approval I had gotten from Vlad before I had turned away.

Phantom and I ended up wondering through the house and out into the garden. It was cold outside, and I had forgotten that lovely fact, but was too stubborn to go back inside to get a jacket. Meaning, I sat outside on one of the garden benches shivering in the cold with clenched teeth, refusing to go back inside.

:You are only human, Danni.: Phantom said. :It's not like I'm going to judge you for being human.:

:With parents like that,: I mumbled, back finally stopping my chattering teeth as I got used to the cold. :I don't think my blood is human.:

:Come now. Stop that.: Phantom growled. :You are human and they are the pigs. Remember, you said as much.:

I giggled. :I did, didn't I? I liked that one.:

"Danni?"

The cold must have been dragging me down, because it took me a moment to realize that it was Jazz's voice.

"Go away." I said, but the chill had taken off the edge from earlier and I just didn't move away when she sat down.

"Here." She said and I felt something soft and warm hit my lap. I looked down and shouldn't have been so surprised to see what had fallen into my lap.

One of my jackets.

"I knew you wouldn't have come back in for it."

She never listened to me, but as I pulled the jacket on, I hoped she would never change. The only constant in my life, as I had already said.

"Thanks."

It took her a minute of sitting in the silence of the garden to say anything. Perhaps the beauty overwhelming her. Maybe she just wanted to get the words right. It didn't much matter. She was a warm spot next to me as Phantom and I stayed silent.

"Everyone just kind of sat there after you left," Jazz said, rubbing my arm to get the circulation going. "Mom and Dad then just kept apologizing for your behavior. You know? Saying they'd raised you better than that."

"Jazz," I looked her in the eyes. "We both know we raised ourselves."

She looked away. A sadness to her shoulders.

"I know," Jazz said. "You just deserve to know what happened after you left."

I said nothing.

"You've been bottling that meltdown for a while, huh?"

With those words I nodded back the tears.

"You can cry, Danni." Jazz said, repeating those words she would always repeat after I had gotten in trouble.

I wasn't much for tears. It seemed pointless to me. Plus, I cried when I was angry instead of sad – like I was now. It took away the whole magic of tears if they only happened when you were broken by anger instead of by a softer emotion. Like love.

"I'm not going to cry, sitting out here on Mr. Masters bench in his garden, just because my parents are pansies."

"Alright," Jazz said, and I could never tell if she believe me or if she was just agreeing for my benefit. It was one of her psychological tactics to seem on my level.

The silence resumed after that. This time I was warmer and my thoughts were a little clearer.

:We still have our meeting tonight with Vlad.: I finally said, watching Jazz from the corner of my eye as she stared straight ahead.

:That can always be rearranged.: Phantom said. :He can't meet with us if we run away first.:

:We're not running, Phantom,: I protested. :Not yet.:

:Once we get home?:

It burned me that home was associated with my parents.

:Once we get to the house, yeah.:

I focused on Jazz to get away from my morbid obsession with making myself hurt. Mentally or physically.

She was looking away from me, out towards the woods at the edge of the garden. The way the landscape sloped and formed, from small to large and back again, had caught her eye and she had the brightest smile on her face as she enjoyed life. It was no secret that Jazz could get lost in anything. Books, homework. Her concentration was legendary and direct.

I was jealous. Not overtly so. Also, not because of her concentration. But that was always a sore spot when I could not keep my own concentration for more than ten minutes. I was more jealous that somehow, with everything we'd gone through, Jazz still had the air of innocence and wonder about her. Even with all the knowledge stashed away in her head, there was just something about her very body-language that screamed little girl.

The innate side of me wanted to protect her. Even Phantom felt the need, no matter that she shared little to no resemblance with me, to protect her.

"Why?" I heard myself asking, an almost out of body experience. I panicked, thinking I had lost control, but Phantom had taken control momentarily to ask.

He was always fascinated by Jazz, one of the few humans I myself had any positive connections with, and whenever he received the change or I allowed him - he loved to interact with her. Perhaps it was because they were both old souls.

Jazz, ever thinking she is the smartest person to ever live on the face of the earth look at me and said, "There are lots of answers to that."

"But what's your answer?" Once again, Phantom in control.

I stayed back, controlling the body but allowing Phantom my vocal chords.

"Perhaps, for them, the world spins to a different tune than for you or I." Jazz said, assuming we were talking about our parents. "There is more than one way to skin a cat, after all. Even if I personally don't find skinning a cat any kind of fun."

I forced the body to smile, but Phantom contemplated everything.

To be honest, we probably didn't have an angle. It was a simple question. One with many answers as Jazz had showed us.

"And that gives them the right?" Phantom pushed.

"No," Jazz said, watching me carefully for a second before turning back towards the garden. "But people have done a lot more for less."

I could feel a history lesson coming on, but Jazz kept it in. The peace and quiet of the garden once again uninterrupted.

"What are you planning, Danni?" Jazz said, pulling me out of my thoughts of the birds and the trees and how their silent song was quite beautiful.

"Why do you think I have something planned?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from a flock of birds that had taken roost in a tree almost a quarter of a mile away. I could not hear them from this distance, but my ghostly-powers allowed my eyesight to see what I could never have before. It was amazing, but half the time I could only ever see it as useful.

I wonder if Jazz would see it differently than me.

"Well, you're never this quiet, for one," Jazz said, meaning for it to sound teasing. Not knowing she had hit the nail on the head. "And that was the first time you've ever blown up at our parents when you had been in such a good mood only minutes before."

Jazz was very observant, but she would never be able to catch me. This I knew.

"I was happy." I said. "Until they opened their mouths."

Jazz gave me a look.

"I'm not dumb."

"Neither am I." I found myself retorting, looking towards her as she caught my eye. I felt guilt because it was easy to tell she sniffed out my lie. The one thing not-so-innocent about her. "I'm not planning anything Jazz. There's just only so much I can take before I have to scream."

She deflated from whatever she had been about to say.

"I get it."

:No. You really don't.:I said to myself. :And for your sake, I really hope you never do.:

Because Jazz's reality was different than my own.

When a tree falls in the forest, Jazz is still wondering if it made a sound - while I'm wondering just how long it's going to take for that large tree to fall and crush everything around it. When Jazz writes something down, it's poetry in motion. Every scientific thought in her brain is brilliance. There is magic in her walk and in her talk. People don't listen to her because they have to but because they want to.

Perhaps even need to.

I am not like her.

When I write, it's plans. It how to stay in the dark long enough that nobody finds my traces until years down the road. Calculations based on how long I could survive in New York, stealing to survive. How long I could wear a pair of jeans before they needed to be washed. What Phantom and I need to learn to survive in a time he doesn't understand and a time that simply will not understand us. Which ghosts will follow and which ones won't. How long does a swarm take to form?

And when should we be expect an attack when we invade someone else's territory?

My walk should be lonely. It should be dark. There is more magic behind my entire existence then there is when Jazz speaks, but my being is not a song to be sung. There will not be any good words from humans for me. To me.

Phantom was the only thing keeping me from going off the deep end, if I was honest with myself. The only thing that hadn't driven me crazier than I was already want to be.

"I'm cold, Jazz." I said, giving her a remembered smile that would make her give me one back. I had been thinking too long without interruption from Phantom. Mostly because he found it to be true.

"Let's go inside. I heard the library has a fireplace."

That was all it took for Jazz to give me the brightest doe-eyed smile and yammer on about just how great the fire was in the library and how wonderful I would find it. I got up on my feet and followed her as she ran circles around me. Spitting up knowledge in time to the beat of a drum inside her head that I would never understand the rhythm to.

As I watched her, I knew it wasn't my lot in life to understand it.

No. My life was set for a darker path.

:Revenge is best served cold, after all.: I said as the cool wind blew, telling me we might be expecting snow soon.

:And so the games begin.: Phantom said, as he trudged inside with budding snowflakes to our back.

Thinking of the meeting with Vlad in a few hours, I said, :Let the games begin.: