Chapter 4 ~ Finally some dialogue and … progress?
"Jazz, I think we should-AHHHHHHHH!" I fall to the floor writhing in pain. Jazz is saying something but my brain just can't process it right now. The pain is getting worse. It feels like I'm melting from the inside! My breaths become more labored as my heart beat rapidly slows. I feel my insides shifting around, reforming. Finally after what feels like hours I feel pain beginning to lessen. Light erupts from my middle. I'm pretty sure I know what this means … I'm changing back. The light forms a halo which then divides into two. They repel each other revealing my altered HAZ-MAT suit from Friday.
"… Danny!" Jazz helps me up off the ground. I feel a lot better, and come to think of it that wrongness I'd been feeling these past couple of days seems to have vanished completely. This is both comforting and unnerving. Also, I feel and see Jazz's emotions a lot more clearly now, and something else too. I don't know how to describe it, but it's almost as if I can taste them as well now. It's intoxicating. I'm not too sure, this is all very weird. What am I?
"Danny are you alright?"
"I think so…" I lose my balance and fall forward, thankfully just landing on the bed. Jazz gives out a sharp gasp and backs away from me a little. Jazz give me the weirdest look, I've never seen it on her before.
"You really are a ghost!" Finally, maybe now we can talk about all … my train of thought trails off as I look where her stare was. WHERE THE FUCK DID MY LEGS GO?! In place my legs looks to be some sort of tail. It is black and solid just at my belt, but as it reaches the end it gradually tapers off and becomes an almost translucent grey. This foreign appendage seems to be following movements of a flagellum. Apparently, me suddenly having a tail is what breaks Jazz out of her evident denial. Jazz is shaking violently while curled up into a ball crying into her hands.
"My brother's dead… that stupid portal killed him now he's haunting us… what are mom and dad gonna think and do when they find out he's dead? … My parents were right all along! … Ghosts really do exist and Danny's one of them!" She continues sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. I crawl over to her side of the bed. As I do I feel my tail split and my legs reform. Thank the ancients that it wasn't permanent. Huh? Ancients? That not the saying. I try to say the usual saying but for what ever reason I can't. I'll file that one away for later. It's not important right now.
"Jazz!" No response.
"JAZZ!" Still no response. I start shaking her. She looks up at me and starts crying harder.
"You have to go home!" She murmurs. What is she …
"What are you talking about?" I'm completely confused.
"You don't belong here, you need to go home!" What is she saying?
"What do you mean I don't belong? I am home!" I say.
"You're not Danny! He's dead! You're just his ghost! You need to go home! You don't belong here! It's not safe for you here! Go back to the Ghost Zone where you belong!" She turns away from me unable to look at me. Is she right? Am I just the ghost of Danny Fenton? Should I just take the ghost portal and leave? I don't know what's beyond there! How do I know it's not more dangerous for me there,than it is here? I don't even know the first thing about being a ghost. But something tells me that's not quite right either. I was able to change back to something that at least resembled my old human self. Ghosts can't do that can they? I was able to it on friday before I was discovered. Maybe I still can now, and possibly convince Jazz I still belong. I need to change back! Please ancients let me change back! Out of the blue the light came back. As before, it forms a halo that breaks in two, travels in opposite directions reveiling my human self. I gasp sharply and cough a bit as my previous dormant lungs and motionless heart resume their intended functions.
"Jazz-look-at-me!" Jazz slowly turns her head and sits up unraveling from her previous balled form. She wipes the tears from her eyes. I grab Jazz's hand firmly and place it on my neck.
"Jazz can you feel that?" She nods.
"I'm not dead Jazz! How can I be dead if I have a steady pulse?" Even if it is a bit slow. But it's a start. It looks like she's starting to listen. Good!
"Jazz I know I'm not completely human anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm completely a ghost either. And even if I am dead, which I am clearly not. Why would it be so bad if I did haunt here? I couldn't leave you, you're my best friend and a great sister to boot. And where would I even go in the ghost zone? I don't know a thing about it. How do we know for sure that it's not more treacherous there than it is here?" I can see Jazz visibly calming down, which is much to my own relief as well. Maybe we can both figure this out together.
"I'm … soo sorry Danny You're right Danny. You can't possibly be … a ghost. You … have vitals. Ghosts don't. I've been soo … busy all weekend denying what's been going on with … you that I almost had myself … convinced that all this was a delusion. I didn't even … consider what you were going through, not entirely anyway. We know almost … nothing about the ghost zone. What was I thinking? … telling you to go there! Dead or not you're still my … little brother." She apologizes still hiccuping from crying so hard. While the blue-violet and purple lights die down the yellow and green lights swell brightly. She reaches over and hugs me tight. I tightly return her embrace. I feel a lot better maybe with Jazz finally talking to me about these issues. But what is this strange wrongness that I feel again? It's not as bad as before, almost not there infact. But it was completely gone in that other form. I felt … right. I'm not sure I'll tell Jazz about it just yet. She only just started believing I'm not dead. No need to worry her about that. Though, for everything else I think it will probably be fine.
"Jazz, I think I should talk about all this. Maybe there could be something that could help us make sense of all this?" I offer.
"Ok, let's start with when I found you shaking under your bed with everything flying around your room. What were you doing before?" I glance around my room remembering the ordeal. Man this is gonna take a while to clean up.
"I was thinking about what mom and dad would do with me if they ever find out. I guess I kinda got a bit nervous. Then, I got hit on the head with a model rocket. Soon after, everything started to fly around and I went under my bed to avoid the onslaught." Jazz thinks for a while at this.
"A bit nervous?" she crosses her arms.
"Fine. It was complete and utter terror. Why?" I'm not entirely sure what she's suggesting.
"Well I was just thinking … what if it was panic in that moment that could have been the cause? Think about it? These abilities, new abilities you have, are ghost like in nature. Ghosts are post-human consciousness and emotions right? So what if these strange powers are connected to your thoughts and emotions?" OK that definitely explains the tornado of my stuff, but not really anything else. I was relatively calm when those other slip ups happened. Maybe there's more to this?
"That explains something but not everything else. Like for the most part of my other power fuck-ups. I was mostly at a neutral state of mind. So maybe there's something else we're not considering?"
"Hey, Danny just humor me for a sec! I want you to test a theory I have? I need you to think about one of your hands disappearing from view?" I nod. Ok, my hand is invisible. My hand is invisible. I continue this mantra for a good minute, then my hand adopts a cold sensation and quickly fades from view. Jazz smiles.
"See! It's just as I thought, your thoughts and emotions are connected to your powers. But might I add, I've noticed over the past few days when you've been flustered or irritated, the room gets really cold or the lights flicker. That kinda makes me think that some of your ghostly abilities are connected to your subconscious thoughts and emotions." That actually makes a lot of sense. Just then I get all weightless and float up to my ceiling and lose my bearings a again.
"Danny, your fine! Just think about falling back down!" I do, and I fall clumsily back down on my bed.
"See you're fine!"
"Danny, maybe we should tell mom and dad about this? They might know best on how to help you with this … " My eyes immediately widen and I start shaking uncontrollably. With my panic building, the room drops several degrees and a light bulb bursts. Objects begin to lift off the ground. I cut her off.
"N-no way! W-we can't!" Jazz gives me a thoughtful look.
"Ok, how about this? If I can ease them into the idea that not all ghosts are evil and need to be dissected and destroyed. Then, and only then, we'll tell them! Ok?" She offers. I calm down and the temperature rises and my stuff falls back down. I nod. I think that maybe it will be ok. The chances of them changing their disposition on ghosts is slim to none. Even if we do it will take a long time. So it looks like we'll be keeping this secret for a while. But how am I gonna keep this a secret when I have no control over these powers? I'm still pretty fucked!
"But this begs the question. If we aren't going to our parents for this, who do we ask?" She's right there aren't too many people as well versed in the paranormal sciences as our parents. But they can't be the only ones right?
"Jazz I was just thinking, mom and dad can't be the only knowledgeable people in the field of paranormal sciences right? Maybe there's a scap of info online somewhere to help us figure this whole thing out?" I offer. We both whip out our phones and get to searching. We both look for a while yet nothing really seems to fit.
"Hey! Danny I found this paper. It looks like it applies to you, to a "Tee", it seems incomplete though. Here I sent you the link. Read it. We can discuss it afterwards." I pull up the link.
The Theoretical Existence and Properties of Half-Ghosts
By Dr. Sretsam Rimidalv
I start skimming through.
A half-ghost is a creature that has both human and ghost attributes. It cannot be classified as either a ghost or human. There are few possible ways for such a being to come into existence.
(1) A human and ghost parent can produce a half-ghost(s)
(2) An already existing strong half-ghost that can self-fertilize and yield half-ghost(s).
(3) A human that comes into contact with large amounts of electricity and ectoplasm can have the ectoplasm infused on a molecular level. Making the person a half-ghost. This is the rarest of the three and the process is not likely reversible and could be proven fatal if attempted.
Well type three definitely fits me. I guess I'm a half-ghost. I'm going to have to learn to live with it unless I want to risk death. Great! I continue to the section development about cores.
After the birth or creation of a half-ghost. It will likely have difficulty controlling its abilities, whileits ghostly core is still in the process of forming. During this process half-ghosts that have two forms may experience depersonalization disorder. To varyingdegreesin one of the two forms, they mayquickly dissipate when the individual metamorphosizesits other form. In pure ghost core formation, it can take anywhere from a year to a decade. It is unknown how long this process takes with half-ghosts. Though the core fills the same role as a regular ghost. Which is the regulation and circulation of the ectoplasm within a ghost. With a secondary function of being the seat, of thoughts and logic for the ghost. It is also key for communication between ghosts forming a sort of primordial language from frequencies. There is still much to be discovered about ghost cores given limited observation and a cores rapid deterioration when removedfrom ghosts.
So it's not just thoughts and feelings that are affecting my powers? And depersonalization disorder, what's that? I open up a new tab and briefly start reading about it. It perfectly fits that 'wrongness' I've been feeling. So at least this feeling isn't going to be permanent. That's good. I close the tab and go back to the paper. The next passage looks really interesting. Common attributes and abilities of half-ghosts.
Like any ghost, half-ghosts have a plethora of possible abilities which are deeply rooted in its thoughts and emotions. Abilities present across any ghost include:
(1) Invisibility – Not being detected across the light spectrum.
(2) Intangibility – Able to pass through solid objects.
(3) Flight – being mostly comprised of ectoplasmic material which in itself is light by nature and can defy gravity when energized by a core.
(4) Body Manipulation – a ghost can bend and deform its body to varying degrees. This ability is primarily a defensive one but may be further developed to allow certain ghosts to obtain shape-shifting abilities.
(5) Accelerated Healing – quick recovery from grievous wounds.
(6) Empathic Sense – allows ghosts to 'see' and feel human emotions as a range of colors, varying in brightness depending on intensity of the emotion surrounding a human.
(7) Ectoplasmic Ray – is a destructive blast of ectoplasm.
There are less common abilities among ghosts that may include:
mind-control – a ghost can impose its will on others.
Elemental Manipulation – complete control of one or more of the basic elements.
Teleportation – transporting from one place to another even across dimensions in an instant.
Duplication – able to create temporary copies of itself. The only drawback is that all the duplicates share the same consciousness with the original. This limits their ability regardless of the ghost's latent power level.
Oneirokinesis – Manipulation of dreams
Energy Absorption – able to consume different forms of energy.
If the ghost is strong enough it can develop completely unique abilities. This though is exceedingly rare because few ghosts can reach the power level needed.
Damn some of that stuff sounds pretty cool! I wonder if I'll be able to do some of that later on? Ok next section. Eating habits of a half-ghost
Half-ghosts being in part human, can consume any human food. Half-ghosts also being part ghost can also gain sustenance like any other ghost as well.
(1) Passively Absorbing Ectoplasm from the ghosts zone or eating it from hunting lesser ghosts.
(2) Feeding on human emotional energy they use their empathic sense to seek out strong emotions, the negative ones being more satiating. Half-ghosts can also feed off the emotions their human half generates.
(3) Half-ghosts may or may not develop a ghostly obsession. Fulfilling this obsession not only fuels the ghost but also stimulates development in its core.
This creature must have both it's human and ghostly dietary needs met or it can suffer core destabilization and death.
I'm not to sure how I feel about the second method and the second part of the first. But it definitely explains what all those colors I've been seeing and feeling around Jazz.
The unique physiology of half-ghosts gives them an immunity to a wide range of vulnerabilities that effect full ghosts. However,there are still a few that still effect them.
(1) Iron – in its pureform can repel ectoplasm which can sear its skin.
(2) Sanguinem Germinabunt or more commonly known as Blood Blossoms – have compounds that neutralize ectoplasm that are both active in the plants flowers and gases it produces. Long term exposure will cause a painful expiration in the half-ghosts.
(3) Overexertion – in half-ghosts with two forms this can cause it to be forcefully reverted back to its human form.
Well that certainly explains the room temperature pot burning my hands yesterday. Note to self: Place iron under the must avoid list. Huh? The article just ends here. I guess that Sretsam Rimidalv guy never finished his work? I look back up at Jazz. Who is no doubt looking at ghost related things.
"Hey Jazz, I got through that paper. It was really informative." Jazz looks up from her phone.
"So how much of that paper do you think applies to you?"
"I'd say pretty much all of it." I look around the room again and start putting things back in their places. She flickers a bright yellow-green in awe.
"Even the depersonalization thing? Which form?" I was kinda hoping she didn't bring that part up. I groan.
"Yeah, it seems to get worse the longer I'm in this human form. And before you ask, No it's totally gone in the other." I have a bit of an edge in my voice. I really hate that I feel completely wrong in my human form and not the other. It should be the ghostly one. It isn't even natural. I don't understand.
"Do you have that empathic sense also?" I blush a bit. Figures she wants to discuss the psychological aspects of this. Oh well. I nod.
"Really what's it like? What do I look like to you?"
"It's kinda hard to explain …" I think for a good minute before continuing. Jazz looks at me with intensity.
"I feel your emotion radiating off you. Almost … and, taste I guess, is the closest word … them coming off you as well. As for what you look like ,it's actually quite beautiful. There is usually a main few colors that pulsate and shift around. Right now, it's mainly various shades of greens with some yellow swirling around. But there's also other colors that sorta flicker in and out. Currently, those seem to be red, blues, and purples. Also it seems the stronger the emotion the brighter the color. The neg… " I cut myself off. I don't want to tell her that last part. How absolutely exquisite her terror and negative emotions are and how I want more. I feel thoroughly disgusted with myself just thinking about it. She looks up at me.
"You were saying?" Jazz prompts.
"I lost my train of thought I'm sure it will come back later." I lie. There's a brief dim flicker of red. Jazz glances over at the clock. I soon do the same. Shit! It's already 7:30 pm. Damn the day went by fast.
"Where did the time go? We'll talk more about this later. How's some mac n' cheese sound?"
"That actually sounds pretty good." We both head down.
Jazz pulls out that cast-iron pot from yesterday and I shutter. She pours and boils the water. Jazz comes over to the table to sit next to me and puts her hand on my shoulder and gives me a warm smile.
"Don't worry little brother, we'll figure this out. I'll make sure everything turns out alright." with that she hugs me. I really needed to hear that. I feel better, almost content. Just then there's a strong vibration and purring sound coming deep within my chest. Just thinking I know what it is. And for the first time since Friday I don't feel like my life is over. Jazz lets go with a confused look on her face.
"Danny what's that sound and vibration?" I smile and laugh light-heartedly.
"It's my core. It feels happy and rejuvenated. I really needed to hear that. So thanks." I continue to grin as the confusion and worry melts from her face.
"Any time little brother." Jazz ruffles my hair and returns to the stove. She pours pasta in the pot and revisits the table.
"Ya'know I tried looking up that guy from the paper. To see if he had any related works or where to contact him… and there was absolutely nothing. The man is a ghost. No digital footprint whatsoever." she groans.
"That's strange! Truly nothing at all?" She shakes her head.
"Well at least that paper had some useful information to help us make better sense of all of this. Even if it was incomplete," she sighs and nods. Abruptly the water starts boiling over.
"Jazz the pot!" She runs over to the stove and cuts the flame. Then strains the water. She then pours the cheese packet in and mixes it in with some milk. Jazz then divides our meal into two bowls and returns to the table setting our bowls down on our place mats.
"So I was thinking after school tomorrow, that we will try to get you to practice with your powers. Maybe trying some exercises to help. We will do this daily till you get the hang of it. Ok?" I nod. Fuck I completely forgot about school! With a brief flare of dread I go intangible for an instant and fall through my chair landing flat on my back with a grunt. Jazz jumps out of her chair and over to me.
"Danny! Are you alright?" she helps me up and back in my chair before returning to hers.
"Yeah I'm fine. Just nervous and unsure about school tomorrow. I think that's why I fell through my chair just now." I chuckle nervously and rub the back of my neck.
"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of this eventually!" Jazz gives me a gentle smile and I smile back at her.
We finish eating and Jazz takes our plates to the sink. I motion to help her, but she stops me.
"It's fine, I'll do the dishes. I know you can't touch this pot. I don't ever want a repeat of yesterday. Just head on up ok?" I nod. I'm glad to not be touching that pot again. I head on upstairs.
I'm in my room, Spending the next half hour cleaning up the remainder of the mess from earlier today. I do my standard bed routine. I yawn and crawl into bed hoping tomorrow will be better, while I struggle to fall asleep.
AN:
First update of 2021. This chapter feels longer than the others. 3840, yep definitely. I gotta say this chapter really frustrated me. I was trying to introduce some minor AU rules in this chapter and was annoyed that some of it sounds like a lengthy anime explanation. I was gonna end this chapter in several places but just wasn't satisfied. I wonder how many of you got the foreboding Easter egg that's nestled in here a few times.
~SkarlettSkwrl