Chapter 8: Sam
Sam's P.O.V.
I wonder what Principal Lancer wants from me. Could it be about Jake and the pressure he's suffering from people who think he's Shadow? Perhaps Lancer has a plan to stop all of this. Well, I'd better enter his office to end this soon.
"Welcome here, Mrs. Fenton." I hear Principal Lancer say as I enter. "I'm glad you could come in such a short notice."
"I'm concerned about my children's welfare." I tell him. "What's wrong with them?"
"Actually, Mrs. Fenton, this is about the rumors of your son being the Ghost Boy known as Shadow." Principal Lancer tells me. "Are they true or not?"
"Of course not, Principal Lancer." I quickly answer. "He doesn't even have ghost powers."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Mrs. Fenton." He replies to my shock.
"Principal Lancer, what makes you think my son has ghost powers?" I ask a little upset at his insinuation.
"Well, Mrs. Fenton, if the circumstances under which your husband and later your son were barred from bearing breakable objects inside school grounds isn't enough for you, this silent model of the Fenton Finder bought by the school from your parents-in-law when ex-Principal Ishiyama was still the Principal got a positive reading from him." My schock grows even more when he says that.
"Okay." I reply still shocked. "So maybe Jake is developing ghost powers later than Abby but that's no reason to believe he's Shadow even if there's no doubt about the new Ghost Boy really being a half-ghost."
"You might be right, Mrs. Fenton." He tells me but to me he doesn't seem to believe that possibility. "But I suggest you and your husband to have a serious talk to your son about whatever ghost powers he has. Shadow or not."
"I'll do it, Principal Lancer." I tell him. "Thanks for warning me."
"You're welcome, Mrs. Fenton."
I leave Casper High and then start driving my way home. Could my son be Shadow? Like Danny said, I can understand Jake keeping this secret from Abby but not from me. I stop my car in front of a red sign waiting for it to go green. While I wait, something falls on the front hood. I realize it's the Box Ghost. I would suck him into my Fenton Thermos but before I even have a chance to grab it the Box Ghost is sucked by Shadow into what seems to be a new version of the Fenton Thermos. After that, I see Shadow and Tori exchanging a high five. Unless finding out Shadow is a half-ghost was enough to her like was enough to her mother when she found out Dani is a half-ghost Shadow really must be Jake. I don't have too much time to think about it when I notice Abby coming and preparing to shoot an ecto-blast. "Look out, Shadow." I yell to him.
He seems to have heard as he turns around and notices Abby's presence on time to block her attack with an ecto-shield. "Mom, look at what you did." My daughter scolds me. She really cannot accept the idea her brother isn't evil. What? Am I actually thinking at Shadow and Jake as one and the same?
"Abby, would it kill you to give me the benefit of doubt?" The half-ghost rumored to be my son asks, clearly upset at Abby shooting first and asking questions either later or never.
"About you not being evil? Maybe." My daughter says. "But I need to expose your human self, whoever you are, to make people stop believing you're my brother."
"So what?" I hear Shadow asking. "So I'll be the one swarmed by either fans or haters? I want my privacy."
"Between you and my brother I choose him." My daughter replies. "So consider yourself exposed." I see her trying to hit Ja... Shadow with an ecto-blast but he blocks it with an ecto-shield.
"Oh yeah?" Shadow asks. "And what if I AM Jake Fenton?"
"Yeah, right." I hear my daughter's sarcastic reply. "My brother doesn't have ghost powers. If he had, he would tell my family."
"Yeah, right." I hear Shadow's turn to be sarcastic. "So you would hunt him down even in his human form?"
"Dad trusts you." Abby replies. "And that would be enough to end whatever fear my brother would have about telling if you were him."
"You don't understand what's like being afraid of being rejected." Shadow replies. "I just wanna help but you're too jealous to accept help from people or ghosts outside your friendship cycle."
"That's not about jealously." My daughter says. "I just don't trust you."
"Leave him alone, Abby." Tori interferes. "Shadow has a right to his privacy."
While the two girls are arguing, Shadow decides to leave. I'd better to do the same.
Once I get home, I find Jake having a snack. "Mom, what happened to your car?" He asks me.
"A ghost fell on it while fighting Tori and Shadow." I answer. "And I'm glad you touched the subject, son. Principal Lancer called me about the rumors about you being that half-ghost and he believes them to be true."
"Oh, yeah." He calmly replies much to my surprise. "He called me to his office to discuss this crazed theory."
"And what did you tell him when the Fenton Finder told him you do have ghost powers?" I ask, making him shocked at that.
"The Fenton Finder?" He asks in surprise. "I've never heard a Fenton Finder pointing me as a ghost."
"Principal Lancer utilized a silent version bought by the school when his predecessor was still the Principal." I explain him.
"Really?" He asks. "What happened to her."
"Don't try to change the subject, Mister." I quickly tell him. "Are you Shadow or not?"
Without saying a word, Jake produces two black rings that turn him into Shadow. I'm too shocked to react before he uses these rings to turn back into Jake. "Please, Mom, don't tell anybody." He pleads.
"Jake, how did you become Shadow?" I ask. "And why didn't you tell anybody?"
"I've tried to become Jake Phantom the same way Dad became Danny Phantom but something went wrong and I became that darker version I decided to name Shadow." He tells me. "I intended to trick everyone into thinking I just got my powers later than Abby but it wouldn't explain my ghost self's appearance so I decided to keep it a secret."
"Did you risk yourself being blasted away just to avoid admitting you entered the Ghost Portal?" I ask surprised.
"At first yes but after Abby and Tori started shooting first and asking questions never I became afraid of being rejected." He tells me and I can't help but understand.
"I understand your feelings, Jake." I tell him. "But you shouldn't worry. Why, I knowingly married a half-ghost and I accept the fact my daughter inherited his powers. Your sister and your Dad won't reject you for having a ghost half that doesn't look like theirs."
"Thank you, Mom." He tells me.
"You're welcome, Jake." I reply. "And you should think about telling them you're Shadow."
This chapter ends here. Jake will brief his Mom about who else knows the secret but I don't feel it being necessary to write all about that. Please R&R.