welcome to chapter 2 :0 please enjoy~

Previously:

He makes to leave when he hears a rough voice yell out, "Watch it, Fenton!"

"Watch yourself, meathead," a higher voices shoots back, annoyed.

Phantom, turns, intrigued, in the direction of the bickering. Fenton… That's the name that's on the arrow pointing to the building the portal is in.

Well, he has nothing better to do. Might as well investigate.

Phantom drifts in the direction the voices came from and rounds a corner to see a large blond boy glaring down at a much smaller girl with black hair. The blond boy is at least twice as tall and wide as the girl, but she refuses to back down or allow him to intimidate her. Phantom finds that he's impressed by the spirit of this girl. She's got a lot of kick, for a human.

"Back off, Dash. You bumped into Ellie, not the other way around," another girl says, stepping up next to the first. This one also has black hair, but also black clothing, contrasting the much brighter t-shirt, jacket, and shorts the first girl—Ellie, probably—is wearing.

The blond, Dash, turns his glare to the second girl. "Oh, great. The rest of the freak squad's here." He scoffs and turns away, nudging the equally large boy at his side. "C'mon, Kwan. I've heard loser is contagious."

His friend gives an expression halfway between a grin and a grimace, and then the two of them leave, Dash stomping to make himself seem bigger, more important.

Phantom follows them with his eyes as they leave in the direction he just came from, then he turns back to look at the two girls. There's a boy with them now, with glasses, dark skin, and a hat. The crowd parts around them and Phantom decides to stick around a bit, lounging on the air with his hands in his hoodie pocket.

"Ugh. What's his deal?" Ellie complains, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring in the direction the boys went.

"Just ignore him. He's an idiot," the other girl says, rolling her eyes.

"C'mon guys, we better get to class," the boy says, waving around a little handheld electronic.

"Aw, Tucker, but the bell doesn't ring for another couple minutes," Ellie whines, slumping.

"Yeah, but—" Whatever he's about to say is cut off when Ellie suddenly turns invisible. He and the other girl gasp and look around the hallway, as if hoping no one had seen. Luckily, it seems they've gone unnoticed.

Phantom's eyes widen. How is she doing that? He doesn't sense another ghost around and he sure as hell didn't do that. This has to be ghostly in nature though. There's nothing else for it. He floats a little closer and focuses on his ghost sense, closing his eyes and shutting out the frantic whispering of the two visible humans.

It takes a bit of concentration, but he can finally feel Ellie's presence. She hasn't moved from her spot, likely trying not to panic or draw attention, but now that he knows what to look for, he can tell that she's definitely housing a ghost core. It feels small and weak so it may be very young. It would explain the sudden flare up of her both basic abilities.

Not a second later, Ellie fades back onto the visible spectrum, and this close, he can tell that her eyes are an incredibly bright blue. Said eyes are wide and she seeks out her friends immediately. "Sam, Tucker," she says, looking at her friends in turn, voice small. She doesn't say anything else, mouth opening and closing without a sound.

Her friends turn to her and they each hug an arm, twin sighs of relief leaving them.

The other girl, Sam maybe, tugs their little group further down the hall. Phantom follows overhead. They approach a set of stairs and duck underneath. Here, the noises of the other students are muted, and they're alone. Sam shoved her friends to sit against the wall furthest way from prying eyes, then seats herself in front of them, forming a three-person circle. Phantom near lands himself behind them and moves to sit cross-legged a few inches from the ground.

"Ellie," Tucker says, adjusting his glasses. "You're still experiencing these… symptoms?"

Ellie turns a glare on him, and the rest of them can all see her eyes flash green for a second. It's the same green that Phantom is used to seeing on his own face and everywhere in the Realms. Seeing this specific shade of ectoplasmic green on a human face is bizarre. "Of course, I am, dummy. That portal shocked the hell out of me. I should be dead." She pauses here and grimaces. "And my throat hasn't stopped burning since Dash decided to play human bulldozer."

"Don't say dead," Sam mumbles, burying her face in her hands.

Ellie glares at her and snaps, "I'll say dead if I want to, Sam." Immediately, her face softens, and she reaches out to put a hand on the other girl's knee. "Sorry. I'm just a little, uh. Out of it."

Sam shakes her head. "No, no. I'm sorry. I know it's been hard."

Tucker clears his throat and the girls both look at him. "So, like. Has that been happening a lot?"

Ellie bites her lip and nods, glazing falling to the floor. "Ever since the accident."

"But that was like. A week and a half ago!" Tucker gapes at her, brow furrowed. "Shouldn't that have cleared up by now? Do you still feel the aftereffects of the shock? You sound better."

Ellie started shaking her head after the first question and only stops when the questions do. "Nah. It all just keeps happening. It hasn't stopped happening." She lips her licks and clenches her fingers in what seems to be a nervous habit. "Guys I think this… whatever it is, might be permanent."

Sam stares at her, mouth falling open like she's going to speak or protest, anything, but nothing happens.

Phantom watches as the three of them fall into an uneasy silence. The tension has his skin crawling and he wonders if he should say something.

Before he can decide, Ellie decides for him. "I think I have ghost powers."

"I could'a told you that," Phantom mutters, unthinking.

The effect is instant. As soon as the words leave his mouth, the three kids in front of him flinch and start looking around with wide eyes. They look confused, scared, and Phantom wonders if this is their first real ghost experience, whatever's going on with Ellie aside.

Ellie's brow furrows as her eyes dart from place to place, putting what must be happening together quicker than her two friends. "He-hello?" she asks tentatively, keeping her voice low. "Is… is there someone there?"

Well, he's already blown his cover. Might as well introduce himself. He straightens up a bit and assumes the most relaxed pose he can manage. No need to scare them. He braces himself, and then drops his invisibility, giving them a smile.

"Hi. I'm Phantom, and you," he says, pointing at Ellie, "are at least part ghost."