Summary: She thought playing Sam for a day would be boring.
Characters: Paulina, Danny, and the Box Ghost
Prompt: Box Ghost
Day Twenty-Nine
So far, everything was going... okay. At least, Paulina thought it was. Danny and Tucker seemed to have little idea the Sam they talked to wasn't the real Sam. On occasion she would say something, or not say anything, and they would give her curious looks. Then they would shrug it off like Sam often said or did things out of character so it wasn't anything about which to worry. Did Sam keep secrets from her friends? It was the only explanation Paulina could think of for why they never seemed overly concerned. Or maybe she was just a great actress. She doubted that answer though.
"Ugh," Danny groaned, his shoulders slumping like a student who just learned they had about eight hours of homework to do that night. "Not again."
Paulina opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but in the next moment a ghost appeared in the hall. She froze where she stood, panic and fear creeping up through her, much like that morning when she woke up in the wrong body. Danny, however, didn't seem bothered by the ghost's appearance while students in the hall screamed and ran away.
"I am the Box Ghost!" shouted the blue ghost as cardboard boxes floated around him. They came in different sizes, some looking like postal boxes and others like they were used for storage. "I have come to get my revenge upon Phantom. Beware!"
Paulina lifted an eyebrow. This ghost didn't strike her as very competent as he laughed madly. Had Phantom ever fought a ghost like him before? Paulina couldn't recall ever seeing this ghost, and she had done her best to always be around to watch Phantom fight. Her gaze flicked around the hall quickly, hoping to catch sight of him now.
"Here." Danny held his bag out for her to take. "Watch this for me. I shouldn't take too long."
"Wha-" But Paulina didn't get to finish her question. She stood stunned, blinking after Danny as he darted out of sight. A moment later, Phantom soared into the hall, looking as strong and brave as she remembered. But a startling thought distracted her from admiring him.
"All right, Box Ghost," Phantom said as he faced off against the box controlling ghost. "Let's wrap this up quickly."
"It is you," the Box Ghost said dramatically as he pointed a finger at Phantom, "who will be wrapped up." He snickered to himself then launched a box at Phantom who easily deflected it and sent it to harmlessly crash into the lockers.
Paulina sank to the floor, her mouth hanging open from shock. Danny Fenton was... Phantom! Now she understood why Sam pressed her to promise not to say anything about what she learned about Danny and Tucker while in the Goth's body. I could have been dating Phantom! Paulina realized, her eyes growing wider. Danny had asked her out too many times for her to remember, and she had always brushed him off. Or used him to get back at Sam. A bit of guilt ate at her with that realization, and she frowned. But if she agreed to date Danny now, it would only be because she knew he was Phantom. She would only be using him again.
Did she care about that though? Oddly enough, she found she did care. Maybe she had only spent a few hours being Sam and hanging out with Danny and Tucker. But they had actually made her laugh a few times, and they were nice, and she secretly admitted to herself that there was something nice about not having the pressure of popularity weighing down on her. She still liked being queen of the school, but having a day off now and then seemed nice too.
"No!" The ghost's anguished cry stirred Paulina from her thoughts, and she looked over as the Box Ghost scrambled to escape being sucked into the Thermos Phantom held. "You cannot defeat me! I am the Box Ghost! You should tremble in fear at my very name!" His continued shouts were cut off when the thermos' pull was too great.
Phantom sighed as he slapped the cap back onto the Thermos then quickly phased through the wall. Paulina managed to pick herself up from the floor, dusting off her pants before Danny reappeared from around the corner. He grinned as he took his bag back and slung it over one shoulder.
"Well, at least he's good for a little stress relief," Danny said, leading the way down the hall as if nothing had even happened.
Paulina stared at him like it was her first time ever seeing him. He did have a certain bounce in his step after the fight, like he had gotten rid of some pent up frustrations which allowed him to feel more relaxed and at ease. How had she never noticed that about Danny? How had she never realized Danny always disappeared right before Phantom showed up and reappeared right after Phantom left? Now it all seemed obvious, and she could have smacked herself for not noticing sooner.
"Hey, you all right, Sam?" Danny turned a worried frown onto her. "You seem really quiet today."
"Oh, uh, just you know," Paulina shrugged, "thinking about, uh, those poor animals locked up in cages." That was something Sam was concerned about, right?
Danny's mouth quirked into a slight grin. "Just don't go releasing anymore gorillas from their cages."
Paulina nearly stumbled. Had Sam really done that? "I'll try not to," she said as they reached their lockers. Danny nodded and proceeded to talk about their last class together, not noticing that his "friend's" mind was elsewhere as Paulina dealt with her shock of learning Phantom's secret identity.
Author's Note: Ha ha! I was on a roll today! Just one more theme to write! More body swapping, because it's fun.
Linzerj: *pats* I'm just evil. orz
Kira Sema: *laughs evilly* Mwahaha! But the last theme is a free day, so I can do whatever I want. 8D I'll give a guess what I'll be doing for it.
Invader Johnny: It pains me how much Vlad just wanted a family. orz
