Hey guys! Don't have much to say today, but I will tell you this, payback's a BLEEEEEP. Yeah, you get the drift. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 28:

"Oh. My. Gawd," I said, staring at the store in the mall perfectly named Outsiders. It had all the wear that an oddball or a goth kid could ever want.

"I think I like you more now," Sam joked, staring at the store with pride.

"Come on girl, you're coming with me," I said excitedly, grabbing Sam's hand and dragging her into the store.

"Girls," Tucker and Danny said together.

"We're going to go check out the gaming store while you two have a bonding moment," Danny said, slapping his arm over Tucker's shoulders. "Come get us when you've had your fun."

At first glance in the store, I saw a lot of black, but my eyes quickly flickered to a wall of neon greens, reds, and yellows. A giddy as a kid in a candy store, I rushed over to a rack of hoodies. I picked one up that was black with skulls on the front colored in neon yellow. "I love it!" I said with excitement. Author's note: the yellow and black thing is an Iowa reference. You'd have to be there to understand.

"Looks like you've found your first piece in discovering your individuality," Sam said with a wicked smile.

"Sam," I said with a laugh, "individuality is something I have no problem with."

After the turn to look at her, I noticed something else: a black pair of skinny jeans right next to a neon orange shirt that said "I Hate Mondays, Tuesdays- Well, Any School Day."

"God made this place for me," I said, picking ones out that were in my size.

After a quick check in the changing room, I bought the loot and we walked out of the store to go find Danny and Tucker. However, our venture was soon cut short.

My ghost sense was going crazy. I spurted out about five breaths of visible air. I immediately handed my shopping bag to Sam and said, "Take this."

When I turned to go run and go ghost, I was cut short by a sight that made my knees shake. Skulker, the Box Ghost, Ember, and Technus were all staring right at me.

"What was it you said about being outnumbered?" Skulker queried with an evil smile.

I sucked in a breath to contain myself and started to run back into the store to find a place to go ghost. However, Ember floated into my path, stopping me from finding a location out of view of any spectators. "Come on baby pop, you afraid to show off your powers in front of everyone?"

Oh, I was so screwed.

I started backing away from her, only to bump into Technus. I turned around just in time to see him laughing. "I, Technus, master of all technology say you will not have the last laugh this time child!"

Under normal circumstances, I could at least fight back long enough for Danny to come get me out of my mess, but with no safe way to change, I didn't stand a ghost of a chance (all pun intended).

I did the only thing I could do, I started being a jerk. "Back off freaks!" I shouted.

"That wasn't very nice. I think you should hear some rage music!" Ember shouted, striking a chord that made me clasp my hands to the sides of my head to protect my perfect-pitch ears. Even muffled, the chord was still killer.

When the chord's ringing dissipated, my ears' ringing didn't. The fluid in my ears was so sloshed that I really couldn't find my center of balance. I fell to my knees and pressed one hand against the ground and pressed the other against my forehead in a failing attempt to make the room quit spinning.

"I would much rather have the Phantom, but your pelt would do just as well on my wall," Skulker said, obviously only a short distance from my ear.

"That is so gross," I said with a sick tone to my voice. I was on the verge of throwing up from dizziness.

My eyes widened when Skulker latched his arms around me and flew up to the very top of the mall. I looked down at a crowd of screaming people that had gathered down below. Everything was still spinning. By then, even if I did go ghost, there was no way I'd even figure out which way was up. I clenched my eyes shut. It was hopeless.

Hopeless, that is, until Danny Phantom hit Skulker with an ectoblast and caught me. "Kira, are you okay?" he asked with obvious worry.

"Sorry D, I don't feel so good," I said weakly, curling my head into his chest.

"You shouldn't interfere ghost child," Technus's shrill voice said as he shot a strong ectoblast right at us.

Danny quickly turned himself to protect me and when the blast hit, we were sent flying into a wall.

Only barely conscious, I heard a groan of pain from Danny and felt his arm wrapped protectively around me. I couldn't take as much of a beating in my human form as I could in my ghost form.

With only one thought, I separated K from myself into the wall. She quickly flew around in the form of Shadowrule and came to protect Danny and me. Being so low on energy, I couldn't give her much strength, but it was all I could do to keep from getting killed.

"Oh, looks like the ghost girl has mastered her far-out duplication power," Technus commented.

"Yeah, now let's see if she has the time for my packaged power now!" Box Ghost called, flinging a horde of boxes at us.

I had the facade throw up a shield. Even with so little work, I was losing energy quickly. "Danny, go. I can't hold them back for long," I whispered.

He stood up with me in his arms and gently put me down on flat ground. "Can you hold the duplicate or am I on my own?" Danny asked.

"She can hold as long as I stay conscious," I answered weakly.

"Thanks," he said, floating over to go back-up the duplicate.

I didn't tell him, but K wasn't going to last very long. It only took taking out the Box Ghost and strongly weakening Ember for her to dissolve.

I wasn't awake to see the rest of the fight.