Section 4: Valerie's POV

Elmerton

I liked Danny a lot. So much that, in order to keep him safe, I broke up with him to hunt ghosts.

Namely one ghost in particular: Danny Phantom. That may have been because he and his dog were the first two ghosts I had ever met, so that hatred had had the longest time to develop. The fact that those two were also the reason my dad lost his job probably also had a part to play in all of it.

Then there was Danny Fenton. At the beginning of freshman year, I thought very little of him. He was just the bottom of the social grape vine. All my "friends" hated his guts, so I did too, without really getting to know him. Then the Ghost King attacked. That event exposed Danny and I to each other and we became acquaintances, if not friends. After that… I didn't want to think about that.

Anyway.

My suspicions were confirmed on my way away from Wendy High. The general public wasn't used to seeing flying teenagers. What gave that away, you ask? It certainly wasn't my breathtaking knowledge of social constructs, or even having seen it in a movie. It was the mini fighter jet with a sticker that said "Amity Park Support" slapped on the side. Yeah. Not something you'd want on your tail.

Luckily, the pilot was a newbie. His threats gave that away. "Excuse me! You're flying in restricted air space. Please leave."

Lesson one: when threatening someone, try not to use the words 'excuse me.'

I just flew up higher and into the clouds, out of the jet's sight.

"What – where did she go?

Lesson two: when threatening someone, make sure you always have a backup plan in case the threat doesn't work. A weapon, for instance.

If you're wondering why I didn't just turn invisible, it was because I had no idea how I did it the first time to get away from Mrs. Fenton.

A while after my escape from the fighter jet, a shiver went down my spine. I could see my breath, and I'm absolutely sure it wasn't the brisk weather because my breath was red. I had never experienced it before, but I somehow knew what it meant. There was a ghost nearby.

I flew down to the trash site just next to the bank. If there was a ghost about, it would certainly try robbing the bank, though I had no idea why a ghost needed money, especially from a still-developing town.

The wind down here wasn't as strong as it was in the sky, but it was still noticeable. It kicked the loose crumpled paper on the floor around with each breeze. I tucked my hands in my pockets to keep warm. I hadn't been this sensitive before the Ghost Hunting Convention, so I was wondering if my new powers had something to do with it. Maybe I was developing ice-type powers? Or maybe ghosts in general were more sensitive. Then again, Danny never seemed to be this cold when he was roaming around as Phantom.

I heard a yell from around the corner of the dumpster 3 yards ahead.

"Danny, where are you?"

I recognized the voice. It was Dani Phantom.

I ran up to her and hoped that I could still partially deploy my suit. A black glove with a red triangle on it formed and… no static shock. That was a relief.

"Stop right there, ghost," I said as I fired a ring of ecto-disturbers around her, which generated an anti-ghost shield around her.

Dani seemed disappointed that I wasn't who she was looking for.

"You're a ghost hunter," Dani questioned. "But... you're a ghost. I saw you flying."

That sparked the one nerve I didn't want aggravated. "I am not a ghost."

Dani was initially confused, but then a wave of understanding flooded her face.

"Wait, you're the one that helped Danny save me from Vlad! You look so different out of your battle armor."

I got the feeling that Dani didn't quite understand the point I was trying to make about me not being a ghost.

"Look, I'm a ghost hunter first. I stop threats like you."

The ghost girl pouted like the 12-year-old she was.

"I'm not a threat! I'm not doing anything! I'm just living my afterlife!"

I let out a sinister chuckle. I knew I was being arrogant and mean, but I didn't quite care at the time. "Yeah right, ecto-brat. All ghosts are evil."

"What about Danny? He saved the world multiple times!"

That was the last thing I wanted to hear; The thing I was avoiding most, and I wasn't very good at hiding it.

"He's... I don't know! I don't know!"

I got distracted by the whipping winds as a helicopter landed in the patch of dry asphalt to the left of us. On the side of the helicopter was a red "S" with a blueish-white halo around the center.

The main door collapsed as a miniature stairway took its place and out walked A short yet buff Asian man in a red jacket and jeans.

"Do it," the man yelled as the copter's engine dialed down. "Don't listen to that ghost! She's trying to trick you!"

I recognized him from the Ghost Hunting Convention. He was the one with the Guys in White. The guy that looked like Kwan. Even more so now that he was pretty much wearing Kwan's clothes.

"Hey, you're…"

"Andong. I'll explain how I found you later. Just get rid of the threat!"

I turned back to the ghost girl in front of me. I, too, thought she was a threat, but I hadn't yet processed what that meant. If I was to keep the world safe, I would have to…

"I-I don't know," I stuttered. "Now that I'm actually here…"

"If you don't do it," Andong started, "I will."

That wasn't fair in the least. But I knew Andong would have a much more painful way of taking care of Dani. After a bit of hesitation, I turned back and looked Dani in the eyes.

Understanding befell Dani, much to her horror.

I pressed the red button on my glove, and the ecto-disturbers shocked Dani into unconsciousness. After the ghost shield was disarmed, I raised my hand, looked away, and fired; the ecto-brat vanished without a trace.

"Good job," Andong started. "One down, one to go."

"One to go?"

I turned towards Andong to find him holding a skinny, green and silver cylinder with a distinctive jovial face on the side. A Fenton Gadget. More specifically, the Jack o' Nine Tails.

He fired it at me and next thing I knew, my vision faded into blackness for the second time that day.