Juliet had spent a good portion of the night flying over her new home, observing the buildings and the nighttime commotion. She had to admit, Amity Park wasn't a bad place. It'd take her a little time to get over her old home, but she had a good feeling about her new one.
By the time she got a number of the city down, Juliet decided to take a moment to just rest. Sitting on the nearest building she could find, Juliet gently floated herself down before drawing her knees up, wrapping her arms over her legs, quickly turning herself invisible to avoid detection. Letting out a sigh, Juliet observed her surroundings with mild interest, her mind mostly going to other places. Thoughts about her former stepfather came to mind, and a sense of dread filled her. Zack hadn't been the friendliest person ever, and it took Ana a long time to realize that her ex-husband wasn't good for her. Zack Wilkins was an angry, selfish person; he abused Juliet and her mother, treating them worse than garbage. The worst part was that Zack had been the only fatherly figure Juliet had ever known.
It had taken Ana fourteen years to realize that she and her daughter were in an unhealthy relationship.
He's gone now, she thought, gripping her legs a little harder. You don't need to worry about him anymore.
Letting out a sigh, Juliet ran a hand through her hair. As a human, Juliet's hair was a light blonde, as a ghost, her hair was a deep black. It still amazed Juliet on how much her body changes when she becomes a ghost. Her eyes went from brown to ice blue, her skin became paler—Juliet always rolled her eyes at how childish she'd get whenever she paid attention to those little changes.
A sensation came over Juliet before a stream of white smoke came out of her mouth. Her ghost sense.
Quickly standing up, Juliet's gaze went to the sky above her and to the area surrounding her. A bubble of something went through her, her hands clenching into fists.
Pursing her lips, Juliet held up one of her hands, a barely noticeable ice blue light surrounding it. Looking up, Juliet's eyes widened a fraction when she saw the same ice blue illumination surrounding an invisible humanoid form. Floating up to where the form was, Juliet waved her hand in front of it, showing the form of a young boy with white hair and green eyes. Juliet felt her hear leap at the sight.
Lifting her other hand, she curved her hands around the boy's head. She found images of him, with the white hair and green eyes and then with black hair and blue eyes.
"You're half-ghost," she murmured. Lowering her hands, Juliet turned invisible, moving aside before removing the hold she had on him. The moment her hold had vanished, his eyes widened and he let out a gasp, lurching forward a little before stopping. Turning, he scanned the area before a frown settled on his face. He flew off without another glance.
When Juliet made it back home, she turned intangible and flew into her bedroom before quickly transforming back. It was a little past four in the morning when Juliet finally decided to go back to sleep. And she hadn't been so happy to do so in a long time.
-0-0-0-0-
Juliet nearly jumped out of her sleeping bag when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her mother was kneeling over her, a slightly amused smile on her face.
"It's time to get some stuff done today." Ana stood up and let out a sigh. "I'll go by the school today to get you registered, would you be able to get some more unpacking done while I do that?"
Rolling her eyes, Juliet sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Sure," she mumbled.
"Good. Not c'mon, we've got things to do."
-0-0-0-0-
Juliet and Ana managed to get some more unpacking done, going between what was theirs, what wasn't, and what was used more as decoration.
"Did you have a nice rest?"
For a brief moment, Juliet froze. Her mother's question was innocent enough, but she couldn't help her reaction. As far as Juliet was concerned, her mother didn't know about her half-ghost status.
"It was fine," she responded. "I'm still adjusting."
Ana nodded. "You and me both," she said. "It's different than Heatherfield."
Juliet nodded wordlessly.
Looking up, Ana saw the distant look in her daughter's gaze. Heatherfield had been where Juliet grew up. That had been the only place she'd ever known; it was where Juliet went to school, where she made all her friends, and suddenly having to be put in a new environment with no-one she recognized there, Ana had to feel a little guilty. But they couldn't stay in Heatherfield, not with Zack still living there.
"Do you still want to call your friends once the phones are up?" she asked.
Juliet looked at her mother for a moment before shrugging.
"They probably miss you."
"I know."
Standing a little straighter, Ana looked at her daughter with a solemn frown. "Look, I know this is still a little new for us, but it's something we can do together."
"I know, Mom."
"Maybe we can go visit Heatherfield once we get settled," Ana suggested.
"I don't know."
"Is it 'cause of Zack?"
The mentioning of Zack's name made Juliet tense.
"We won't see him," Ana promised. "I'll make sure of it."
"I just don't think it's a good idea."
Zack Wilkins had caused a severe impact in the lives of Ana and Juliet, and that impact would either heal over time or linger in the background for the rest of their lives. Even with Juliet's ghost powers—something she could've used to defend herself and her mother—the severity of Zack's abuse would still be there. Juliet never used her ghost powers against Zack or anyone—it was one of Juliet's rules: never use her powers on humans, unless they truly deserved it.
"If that's what you want."
"It is."
(A/N):
Heya, everyone! Hopefully this chapter was decent enough. Juliet caught a glimpse of Danny Phantom, but she'll be formally introduced to the others late on. Leave a review on what you think.
I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the username I go by.
In case there was any confusion on this chapter: Juliet's ex-stepfather, Zack Wilkins, was abusive; even though Juliet could have used her ghost powers against her stepfather, she has a strong belief that she shouldn't use her powers on humans (unless they deserve it); Zack was the only paternal figure Juliet ever had, so think about how difficult it could've been to use her ghost powers on him; Juliet's ghost self has super black hair, icy blue eyes, and pale skin; her outfit: black and white, thicker strapped tank top and long black pants (accompanied by black and white fingerless gloves); her powers include telekinesis and telepathy with her ghost sense.
Does that clear any confusion?
Let me know if there's anything I can improve on!
Many blessings,
Indigo Callahan
