Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Principle of Warnings

When Wes arrived at Ishiyama's office around three o'clock, he was granted with the most unpleasant surprise of a lifetime: his dad was there.

Shit.

In Wes's memory, Walter hadn't been called into Wes's school since seventh grade, when Wes was unintentionally lumped in with a few other students who'd been smoking behind the cafeteria. At the time, Wes had been let off the hook because they sorted out that he hadn't been involved (the guys had invited him there, but he hadn't understood what they were doing until they had been caught). But this was a one-on-one meeting between Wes, Walter, and Ishiyama... What the fuck had he done?

"Mr. Weston, please come on in," Principal Ishiyama greeted politely. Her smile was plenty innocent and non-threatening, but Wes sensed the rational and calculating executioner beneath that facade. She was definitely going to restrain and lock him to the guillotine and Wes didn't even know why.

He cautiously slid into the chair across from his father, whom's brows were concentrated with a kind of impatience that he only expressed when something on the news disappointed him... Thankfully, Walter didn't seem to be angry yet, but Wes was afraid that if he didn't like what Ishiyama had to say... Wes would be grounded for at least the next month. He'd never gotten in trouble like this and (breathe) he was starting to get (breathe) horribly overwhelmed. (Breathe.)

"I'd like to ask what this is about, Mrs. Ishiyama. On the phone, you mentioned that Wes was having trouble with another student? This is the first I've heard of anything like this. Was it really necessary for me to leave work for this?"

Trouble with another student? Wes rarely talked to anyone anymore, besides Justin and a few of the other basketball guys during lunch. He wasn't having trouble with anyone, well, except Danny of course.

… Danny, of course.

Danny had been called to the Principal's office earlier that day! That hypocrite had finally 'ratted him out'? Had he really sunk that low? What a pathetic move, disgusting and cowardly – definitely not the usual style of Amity Park's precious 'Danny Phantom'. He was going to fucking give that bastard a piece of his mind the next time he encountered him.

"Yes..." Ishiyama kept her composure as she opened up a gray notebook, thumbing to a bookmarked page. "Well, allegedly Wesley has been harassing one of his peers, Daniel Fenton. Spreading rumors, bullying him on account of those rumors, following him in and outside of school, and cyberbullying are some to name a few. As you're well aware, any form of bullying is not tolerated at Casper High-" oh sure it wasn't, like Dash doesn't send two nerds to the nurse every week "-so this is a very urgent problem. In fact, I recall Wes even spouted these rumors to me in a meeting we had last semester."

Ishiyama closed her notebook abruptly, looking between Wes and Walter. "Wes, out of curiosity, where did your problems with Danny start? Why are you so... determined to discredit him, to pin him as some kind of two-faced ghost playing human?" she paused for a moment. "This isn't any kind of interrogation, I'd just like to hear your side of things before we discuss our options."

… options? Was she talking about punishment? Like detention... or expulsion? Or did he have to do one of those things with Danny where they 'talk out their issues'? If that was the case, he might be tempted to just jump on the bandwagon and also half kill himself.

"Wes?" Ishiyama repeated. "Would you like to answer my question?"

He'd already somewhat told them the truth about Danny. Neither had believed him the first time and neither of them were going to believe him now. To lessen his punishment, he could create some story about misguidance... or he could recount the truth and be wholly reprimanded for doing the right thing.

Wes was trying not to be a coward. After all, he couldn't buckle his knees the moment authority prosecuted him; he would never expose the truth that way.

So, he told his story: "At the beginning of the school year, I was being harassed for looking similar to Phantom by Dash Baxter and all the other popular kids. Everyone did it to me, so I found someone that also looked like Phantom. Danny. But then when I looked closer, I realized that Danny didn't only look exactly like Phantom, Danny physically is Phantom. He's something called a halfa, and that's why Danny is absent all the time – he transforms to go fight ghosts." He observed Ishiyama's incredulous gaze. He didn't dare turn his attention to Walter, out of fear. "I'm not deluded, I swear."

Walter sighed beside Wes, resting his hand on Wes's shoulder. "I'm sorry Mrs. Ishiyama, that he has such an overactive imagination." At first, Walter's tone was nervous, a little unsure of himself, but as he spoke he progressively hardened his resolve. "I've noticed that he's had some sort of fixation on the Fenton boy, but I didn't do much to reprimand it because I hadn't realized that it was much of a problem. He's only outright told me once about his little conspiracy, and I tried to rationalize it, but he wouldn't listen. I don't think he's doing this on purpose, I think he's genuinely confused about how ghosts and humans work."

"I think I agree with you," Ishiyama pursed her lips. "When he first told me about this, I thought that he was joking, trying to bury his real problems by saying that Mr. Fenton was a ghost. After talking to Madeline and some other teachers, I think that his confusion is real."

A fleeting surge of anger broke through Wes's mild chagrin. They were treating him like he was some kind of kid that still believed in the Goddamn Tooth Fairy. "I'm not confused," Wes ground out, dismissing his Dad's grip on his shoulder, "you're all-"

"Wes," Walter warned.

"No, no, it's alright," Ishiyama interjected. She drummed her fingers on her desk before pulling her eyes up to Wes, boring into him with an analytic intensity. "Wes," his name fell heavy on her tongue, "we can get you help. Aside from our previous... mishire, we have many qualified professionals that can help you."

He scoffed, offended by her sheer audacity. "'Help'? I don't need a shrink, I'm not making any of this. I'm not crazy!"

"We never said you were," she reassured. "Everyone gets a little confused from time to time. You're no different."

"This is bullshit." Wes declared.

She ignored him, "The fact of the matter is that you are bullying Mr. Fenton, and that needs to stop. Whether you believe he is a ghost doesn't matter – you're still harassing him, and that's why we're here today. You will get help, and you will stop bullying Mr. Fenton, that's not negotiable."

Why did Danny have to drag Wes into this hell? If Wes was anything, he wasn't a bully – he was an advocate for the truth. But nooo, Danny just had to make himself the victim again, pushing all the blame onto Wes, thus making him look bad in the eyes of the school and his Dad. And it was all so Danny and his stupid friends could laugh about it afterward!

"Starting Thursday, you have four days of ISS," she addressed simply. "And if after that you don't get your act together, you will find yourself back in this office with a more severe punishment. That means you have to stop spreading rumors," she starting counting on her hand, "verbally harassing Daniel, following him, posting things online, taking pictures, and making a general ruckus," she spread her hands on the table. "Understand?"

On top of in-school-suspension, she was asking him to give up all his efforts, to sink into the shadows with his discovery. He couldn't do that, he couldn't just surrender now. But... Walter peered at him from the side of his eye, warning him. Wes gulped. "Understand."

"Good," Ishiyama assessed. "Now, Walter, I'd like to talk with you alone for a moment. Wes, you're dismissed."

Surprised that he was just being released so easily, Wes didn't turn down the opportunity to leave her office as soon as possible. Though, he lingered outside of the door a moment, curious about what his principal was saying to his father. He only managed to catch snippets.

"... the options we have for him…"

"... no offense, but I don't really think he needs a therapist ... he's a conspiracy theorist. I don't think therapy can do much to derail his opinions..."

"... don't you think that him holding onto that perception of another student isn't..."

"... not stupid by any means ... just employs his critical thinking in different ways..."

"... agree, but we can't have him..."

"... as long as he stops bullying ... I promise we won't have any more problems..."

"... root of the problem isn't..."

"... he doesn't need to be told by a stranger that his opinions are wrong … already hears that from everyone else … make it worse..."

"... I suppose."

Wes scowled. He was glad that his Dad was sticking up for him by arguing that he didn't need therapy, but he was still upset that they were talking about him like he was some kind of nutcase. Trying to ease his frustration, Wes threw himself into one of the chairs in the waiting area, hoping that a few seconds of peace could soothe him. He knew that once it was just him and his dad... Walter was going to raise all hell.

He fumbled in his backpack for his MP3 player, because at this point he needed something to distract himself. Ironically, he couldn't even fulfill that course of action because as soon as he moved to zip up his backpack, a blur of black and white phased through the ceiling: Danny, as Phantom.

All his unresolved frustration reignited within him and he could feel the blood rush up to his ears. Wes kicked his backpack to the side, dug his fingernails into his palm, and exhaled loudly. Staying a good two feet above the floor, Danny turned to Wes and mocked a look of surprise. "Wh-"

Wes didn't let him get a word in, "So you came here to gloat, you fucking half-corpse shitbag?" He stood up from his seat, "You got what you wanted, ha ha. I got in trouble, how hilarious, and now the entire staff thinks you're the victim. Just when I thought you couldn't get more irritating too. Why'd you pull this all of a sudden anyway? If anything, I've been bothering you less than usual lately."

Danny raised his hands in mock surrender. "Look, dude, I only sensed a ghost over here. I have no idea what you're talking abo – oh." His eyes widened, realization sinking in. Moments later, he landed on the floor. "You're talking about that 'harassment' thing. That's why you're here after school hours."

"Well duh." His reaction was a lot less smug than Wes had anticipated, but he could still see a subtle glint of amusement in his eyes. "You're the one who told them, smartass."

"Me?" Danny rolled his eyes. "You think I told the school about this? I mean, why would I tell Ishiyama you're 'harassing me' or something when I actually am Phantom?" he gestured to himself since he was still in ghost form. "I'm not that hypocritical, dude, despite what you think."

"But you hate me," Wes reasoned. Was Danny really trying to worm his way out of this? "That's why you told the school."

Danny groaned, "I don't hate you. I'm just generally annoyed by you. I didn't tell the school, you did. Well, I mean it's your fault that they found out."

Wes scoffed, "And pray tell, what'd I do?"

Danny regarded him with a dumbfounded frown, his spectral glow humming with apprehension. "You mean... you hadn't realized that you were emailing my mom?"

…

Oh.

Maddie Fenton... local ghost scientist and hunter... and madscientist0509, an ectologist from Amity Park...

Okay, yeah. He may have walked into that. Hard.

Normally, he probably would have seen the clues, but he was just so ecstatic to have an Internet friend he could discuss ghost things with. Besides, he also hadn't expected some anonymous blogger on the Internet to be someone he knew in real life. But... jeez he'd been blind-sighted. It made him feel really pathetic about himself, really.

Danny was still staring at him, nonchalantly observing his reaction. Wes recomposed himself, trying to mask his embarrassment by venturing into the obvious. "So..." he drawled, "I guess your mom didn't believe me?"

"Nope," Danny replied, cheerfully. He brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen in his eyes. "As soon as she read it, she thought that you were just some jerk spreading rumors about me. Last weekend, I tried to talk her down, but she insisted on talking to the school about your 'bullying'. She talked with Ishiyama this morning and that's why I got called in," he explained.

Wes wasn't comfortable completely absolving Danny from blame (after all, it was his secret that was getting Wes in trouble), but he figured that since he hadn't gotten Wes in trouble on purpose that Danny wasn't at fault here.

"I see..." Wes nodded awkwardly. "So even though she lives with you, raised you, she couldn't wrap her mind around even the slightest possibility you're Phantom? Even with all the overwhelming evidence?"

"Mm, thankfully."

"But my explanation... I don't get it. Your Mom is smart. She's like a Doctor, how can she not see it? Everyone here," he referred to their peers, "is just stupid, and that's why they don't see the truth. How could she just blow off my explanation without any consideration, chose to believe that some kid is being a bully?"

"Well, I mean..." he rubbed the back of his neck, "I am her son, and you're just a stranger to her – I have more credibility. But otherwise..." He debated about continuing, before resolving his dilemma. "I guess I can tell you this."

"What?" Wes raised a brow. Did Danny actually have some kind of explanation that Wes hadn't thought of?

"Jazz has a theory," he stated. "That Mom – and well, everyone else – is subconsciously ignoring that I'm Phantom because she doesn't want to believe that I'm some kind of freaky hybrid. I mean, she's a ghost hunter; what would be worse than having your own kid be a ghost?" He had an undertone of bitterness but carried on. "So on some level, everyone probably has realized that Fenton and Phantom are similar, but they're just not ready for the existence of half-ghosts, and all the unknown weirdness that comes from that reality.

"For instance: 'If weakling Fenton is actually a strong ghost hero, then what else could be real? What else could I be wrong about?' I remember Jazz called it a defense mechanism, words like 'self-deception' and 'distortion' and 'repression' – plus more psychology terms I don't know. Sam also suggested that you're probably helping everyone disregard my secret – since people think you're crazy, they're less likely to believe their subconscious suspicions about me. I don't know if any of that makes sense," he concluded.

Wes had considered that people subconsciously ignored Danny's secret, but he hadn't really thought of ignorance as a defense mechanism. He just assumed people chose to be ignorant because they were ignorant – not because they weren't ready to adjust their reality because of psychological repercussions. It was interesting, to say the least; and it made sense.

"It makes me angry that you're right," Wes admitted. "Why can't people just get over themselves?" he decided, bitterly.

Danny grinned, "I'm not complaining."

"Oh, yeah. Of course you wouldn't."

Danny shrugged, "Well, you can't exactly-" he cut himself off. He spun, towards the door to Ishiyama's office and promptly turned invisible. Danny vanished only moments before Walter walked through the door.

Shit. His dad didn't look pleased. His expression was drawn into one of unreadable irritation that settled on his face in a foreign fashion. His entire... vibe was different than it had been moments earlier. For one, Wes had never seen Walter's face that pissed that it was almost unnerving – it was almost like it wasn't his dad at all. Wes was aware that he was probably about to be chewed out. Even worse, he could sense Danny's cold presence just a few feet away. He hadn't left, meaning that he would see the whole thing.

He just wanted to go home and sleep. Why did this have to happen to him?

Walter let the door close behind him completely before he stepped forward. His stride was a little off-balance but he regained his composure. He placed a firm hand on Wes's shoulder – physical contact, not good – and took a breath.

"This way, Wes," he said, gesturing towards the hallway. "I'd like to put some distance between us and Mrs. Ishiyama when we talk."

His voice was cold. Unfamiliar, yet reminiscent of someone else. Man... he'd really fucked up and now his dad had zero tolerance...

"Alright," he nodded.

Walter led him into the hallway and slowed down near the water fountain. Wes fidgeted nervously with the strings of his backpack and avoided eye contact with his dad, waiting for the explosion. But the explosion never came. Instead, Walter exhaled tiredly and snapped, "Look at me."

Wes averted his focus from the floor and met his dad's eyes. And when he did... he almost recoiled back into the lockers. They were a startling, bright red. Overshadowed, his mind supplied. But who-?

"I was with your father when he got the call from the school," not-Walter started. "I had my suspicions, so I decided to... tag along."

Wes narrowed his eyes. This ghost had been with his dad? But... did that mean this was-

"Vlad?" Wes tested. That was the only explanation that made sense.

Something moved in Wes's peripheral vision – black and white and – "Vlad," Danny echoed, a hostile edge to his voice. "So you set off my ghost sense."

Vlad's gaze shifted to where Danny was floating, only a few feet behind Wes. "Hello, Daniel."

"What are you doing?" Danny demanded. "Why are you in Mr. Weston?"

"Oh," Vlad smirked, and Wes had to stifle a gasp when he noticed that Walter's teeth looked sharper than usual. "I just thought that Wesley and I were due for a talk. Nothing harmful, I assure you. None of your business either, Daniel."

"And you had to overshadow my dad... why?" Wes butted in, trying to appear at ease with the situation. He wasn't. He was terrified. Vlad might be like Danny, but he was much more threatening for other reasons.

"Well, I figured it would be easiest. I wanted to have a private discussion with you and knocking out my own assistant would hardly be beneficial for anyone so I figured I'd just overshadow him," Vlad waved his hand casually as if just taking over other people was a natural course of action. And he supposed, for someone like him it was.

Danny scoffed, "And what? We're just supposed to believe that?"

Vlad looked straight at Danny. "Yes. But I doubt you will. So..." and before Wes could register what was happening, Walter – Vlad lunged forward and phased his arm into Wes's backpack and pulled out what looked like some kind of sci-fi gun. It was paneled with red metal and was big enough that it fit in Walter's palm almost perfectly. When had he...? When had he put that gun in Wes's backpack? Had it just put it there for storage or for dramatic flair?

Well, he was talking about Vlad Masters here; it was definitely for dramatic flair.

With one flourish of his wrist, Vlad aimed and fired the gun so that it hit Danny squarely in the chest. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time to dodge and it knocked him into the wall, causing him to detransform into Fenton. He moaned into the floor before falling limp, evidently unconscious.

"That was easy enough," Vlad said, almost surprised. "Usually he puts up more of a fight. Oh well," he shrugged, pocketing the gun, "now for our little chat, Wesley."

Wes gulped, trying to ignore how effortlessly Vlad had knocked Danny out. Clearly, if Vlad wanted to injure Wes, he could do it without difficulty. "What do you want from me?"

Vlad, wearing his dad's face, narrowed his eyes. "You're being too loud, Wesley. Mrs. Ishiyama is correct to reprimand you, but I can assure you if you include people like my Madeline again, I will be the one delivering the consequences." 'His'... Madeline? Ew, did he have a thing for Danny's mom? "Go ahead and tell all of Casper High about half-ghosts," Vlad continued, "tell people on the street even. But Madeline is off limits, she cannot know about any of this – if she finds a reason to suspect that I'm who I am, then everything I've worked for is over, and therefore, you are over. Do you understand, my boy?"

Wes shivered. Something about the way that Vlad used his own dad's voice to say 'my boy' was horrifyingly unnerving; it was just downright wrong. He realized that the terror had slipped into his expression when the corner of Walter's mouth curled with unspoken satisfaction. Vlad was pleased that he had effectively frightened him and Wes couldn't protest. Because he was scared.

The only thing Wes could do was numbly nod. And Vlad, who reveled in his smugness, took that as an answer. "Good," he patted Wes's shoulder, "I'm glad we understand each other." And with that, Vlad spun on his heels and put a good ten-foot distance between him and Wes. "Your father will meet you at home," he announced, before promptly vanishing.

Wes was left alone, not counting Danny, who was still drooling on the floor. Whatever Vlad had hit him with hit hard. He was tempted to just leave him there, Danny never did him any favors after all. But... he had stood up for Walter, against Vlad. And for that, Wes would make an exception to his grudge. Just this once... since they both hated Vlad.

Wes made his way over to Danny and nudged him with his foot. "Hey, get up."

Danny's body twitched and he mumbled something incoherent before slipping back into dreamland. Wes nudged him again, this time shaking his shoulder with his hand. "Seriously, Danny. Wake up, dude. Vlad's a total dick."

Danny was still unresponsive, but he breathed something along the lines of "...true."

Wes sighed, "Of course that's the part you hear."

He tried for about twenty more seconds before giving up. Danny was out for the count and Wes wasn't keen on waiting for him to wake up. Who knew how long it would be before he woke up? So, figuring that if he was going to do anything, he would prop Danny up into a sitting position so his face was smashed against the tile. Wes tentatively attempted to sit Danny up and found it much easier than he expected. He didn't know if it came with being a ghost or what, but he practically weighed nothing.

Wes left the hallway without a second glance at Danny. That was all he owed him. Nothing else. He was still a jerk for everything else he had put Wes through. He left Casper High and made his way toward his apartment, his mind hesitantly wandering back to Vlad's threat...

"Was overshadowing me necessary?" Walter asked, facing his boss. Vlad freely floated in front of Walter, who was sitting in his living room recliner.

"Yes," Vlad said. "It was to employ fear. I'd never hurt you, we both know that, but Wesley doesn't. By overshadowing you, it reminds him that I can 'hurt' you whenever I need to. I understand that scaring your son isn't the most... ideal... situation. But I can't afford to risk my secret and someone needed to make that clear. You obviously weren't doing an adequate job."

Walter crossed his arms, "How do you expect me to get that message across without letting Wes know I know the truth about halfas?"

"Well, I'm not his parent, you tell me," Vlad deadpanned. With that, he set his feet on the floor and transformed back into his human form. He took the chair opposite Walter, "I'm sorry if I was harsh, but Wesley is out of control. There weren't many options!"

"I... I know," Walter admitted. "We've been doing this a while, but it's just different when it's my son."

"Obviously," Vlad rolled his eyes. "It's just our luck that out of any teenager that could have formed an obsession around my arch-nemesis's identity, it had to be him, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately," Walter groaned. "But I suppose it's nice to know he isn't as naive as everyone else in this town... even though he's a liability."

"I suppose that is true... maybe he'll be useful to us one day," Vlad trailed off. Even though he was a ticking time bomb, in the future Wes could be a useful ally if given the right persuasion.

Vlad filed that possibility away for later. For now, he would watch the boy from the sidelines in his endeavors to reveal Daniel. He would only interact if that situation got out of hand, as it did today. Sure, Wes had potential, but he wasn't a prime player in Vlad's plans... yet.

I know it's been forever (again lol) but for the past two months I've been working on PhannieMay, so once I got that knocked out I decided to work on what I already had written for this and go ahead and finish this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed!