Chapter 6

Danny closes his eyes, and from my perch on top of the frozen sauce vat, I see the deep breath he takes to steady himself. I wait in anticipation, and in something alike to fear for him, if I could be afraid. I scoff at the idea. The bright rings start to form and I hone in on the thoughts of the people making up the crowd that could quickly turn into a mob surrounding Danny. He was quite impressed at this power of mine and I felt quite proud. It was a ridiculous feeling, but it felt – good.

The sight that soon greets my eyes is far more interesting than deciphering the humans' thoughts as the new, and improved (if I do say so myself) Danny Phantom emerges. He had already changed drastically in the space of only an hour. Horrified gasps erupt from the crowd, and they all back away from him. Even Sam.

The sight cuts me like a knife, and I feel the hardness set around my eyes again. I rise, menacingly from the top of the metal container, but no one is paying attention to me.

His bright, red eyes dart around the group, before settling on me. His shoulders had broadened and muscled considerably since I last saw him in his ghost form, and his skin had reached the same shade of light blue as mine had been for years. The white hot flames dance around his head as he whips around the circle, looking for someone, anyone who was not staring at him in fear.

Not one person in the crowd offers him this. I begin to float closer toward the scene, and Danny sees. Wordlessly, he begins to rise and as I near him, I can see the tears glinting in his eyes.

Our parents don't even shoo me away from their precious boy. He glances down one more time, looking for a final chance for salvation, and finds none.

I turn away from him, steely determination setting my expression.

"There's only one other option", I say.

I turn back to him, grinning my best evil grin, "You have to play the part."

I stare back at Dan incredulously, floating almost twenty feet in the air. But then I realise the meaning of his words and nod again. This time, I would not fail. I was not wanted here; Sam and Tucker were afraid of me, Mom and Dad had practically disowned me, and Jazz hadn't even bothered to come and see if her brother was really a monster or not.

I feel the anger bubbling within me again, but this time I welcome its heat instead of fighting it. I let it fester and brim over, drawing power from it. The energy courses through every ectoplasmic vein in my body, permeating my every pore. I had closed my eyes, and I open them again now, looking straight into Dan's equally red gaze.

"Ah. There he is," he grins at me.

I maintain my blank expression and look down at my former friends and family below me. They will pay.

The thought takes over my mind like a virus, and I feel my body quivering.

They will pay.

With nothing but anger in my eyes for the betrayers below me, I breathe in deeply. They will never know what hit them.

I let loose with the most powerful ghostly wail I have ever emitted, the glowing green sound waves radiating from my fanged mouth reaching far into the distance. I hear another wail, echoing mine and I realise that Dan has joined me on my quest for total and utter destruction. We both stop and smirk at each other, then look into the distance, admiring the chaos we'd created.

The people below, still stand there, mouths agape and expressions aghast.

Pathetic. They don't even know when to run, I think to myself.

Just as I'm about to fire off another ghostly wail, this time aiming at the statue-like people below, they all dissolve into green goo.

Huh?

The shock of this totally unexpected sight brings me to my senses.

I look at the destruction I'd brought about again, this time in shame.

What have I become?

I look at Dan, who is still staring mouth open, as if in mid-wail, at the ectoplasmic goo that used to be everyone we knew and loved. Well, with the exception of our sister.

I hear a cackle from behind us and we both whip around in time to see Vlad Plasmius zoom off into the distance.

"That does it," Dan snarls dangerously from next to me.

Just before he can chase after Vlad, I put my hand on his muscled forearm.

"He deserves something much worse," I say, not exactly evilly but with meaning, "Why don't I take the battle into my time. My present. If he thinks he fooled us both into thinking everyone hates us, he will be expecting a powerful ally. And not an equally powerful enemy consisting of two, no, three Dan Phantoms."

Dan is silent for a length of time, considering my proposal. Then he silently nods and places his hand on my shoulder, mirroring my own action. Slowly, and to my astonishment, he fades from view and I simultaneously feel a rush of heat flow from my shoulder at the point he was touching me. The warmth spreads throughout my body and is almost comforting. I now have the power of double the most powerful ghost in the world. Well, triple, if you include myself. And Vlad is definitely going to get what's coming to him, I think with a snarl.

But there's something I need to take care of first.

I tentatively turn the corner of the alley and peek at my sister. She's whimpering softly. I hate myself in this moment. It's my fault she's so terrified and I can only hope that she'll believe me when I say that I'm really still me. The darkness has subsided, and I'm feeling more and more like myself every second. I can't do anything about my ghost-form though. I have a feeling those changes will be permanent, but only because there'll always be that dark side of me. The side of me that I could channel when I needed. The side of me where not one, but two versions of the most powerful, evil ghost in the world have merged into.

"Jazz?" I call out softly.

"Danny?" she looks up, her tear-stained face lighting up with hope as she sees my 'normal-looking' figure.

But my heart breaks when she suddenly scrambles further away from me, into the darkness of the alley.

"No. Y-you're the future Danny. The evil one. You've come to – to kill me," My sister's voice has taken on a child-like quality.

"Jazz, no. You have to believe me. I'm me. I'm your brother who loves you. Even though you can be a jerk sometimes," I add with a crooked grin.

"D-Danny?" My sister is clearly conflicted. I smile again, nervously and she makes a decision that fills my heart with joy.

"Danny!" she cries, and throws her arms around my neck.

"Jazz," I whisper into her long hair.

"I knew it was you in the bedroom!" She draws back from me, looking concerned, "But what happened to your voice, your skin, your eyes?"

I sigh. I'd known that this was gonna be inevitable.

"Jazz," I begin firmly, "I've done something. Something bad, for my own selfish sake. And I've had to pay the consequences. But, although my ghost form may have changed, ahem, quite drastically on the outside, I need you to know that I am still me on the inside."

"I know, Danny," Jazz glowers at me, "But it was still a really stupid decision." I smile to myself, my genius sister had probably figured it out a while ago. But nothing prepares her for the transformation that has taken place when I go ghost.

She gasps in surprise.

I lower my head, ashamed that she has to see me looking like this. But then I feel a kind of pressure over my head and I look at Jazz from under my eyelashes. She's playing with my hair. Well, the flames that were my hair. I grunt and smack my hand against my forehead.

"Seriously?" I ask her.

"They don't burn me," she says looking totally enthralled with the fire dancing around my head, "Cool."

She lowers her hand, and now it's my turn to stare at her incredulously.

"So, you're okay with this then?" I ask my sister.

"Well, it's a bit weird, but there's nothing you can do about it. Is there little brother?"

I shake my head.

"Then I'm okay with it," she gives me a small, encouraging smile.

I smile back at her, and she gasps again. But this time, in excitement.

"Open your mouth wider, Danny," she says. I comply and almost choke when she stuffs her fingers into my mouth.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I try to shout angrily, but it comes out as more of a: "Mmmrpghfphhgmmrf."

"You have fangs?" she sounds even more like a little kid now.

I nod my head, but she ignores me, still enthralled with my new set of teeth.

"I always preferred vampires to ghosts," she says, smiling mischievously at me.

I remove her hands from my mouth and look at her, feeling a little invaded. But I get over it.

"Do you wanna see something else?"

She nods her head.

"You sure?" I say with a mock evil grin.

"Get on with it Danny!" she says, switching into bossy older sister mode.

"Don't be scared," I say in a sing-song voice.

"I wouldn't – Hmmm, you know you might actually be able to hold a note with your new voice now," she grins smugly back at me.

I scowl, she had me there. Her grin just widens.

"Ready?" I ask her again.

"Yes!" she practically shouts.

I smile at her and delve into my dark side, drawing out the very first clue that the deal I'd made was for real. I feel it building up in my chest and I open my glowing ruby eyes and stare at Jazz. She looks back at me in anticipation.

The growl forms at the back of my throat and I release it, slowly and menacingly. Jazz's eyes widen. The growl eventually ends and she just sits there staring at me. Oh no, I think, I've just sent everything back to square one haven't I?

She clears her throat.

"Well, that's not as effective as a witty pun, but it'll do the job," she winks.

I laugh, relieved and take a bow. But I have something that she needs to do for me.

"Jazz," I say. She hears the urgency in my voice and sits up straighter.

"What's up, Dan?"

"Dan? Seriously?" I interrupt myself and Jazz blushes and looks away, "Ugh. Never mind. Jazz, I need you to not tell anyone about my new ghost-self. Not until I'm ready. The Danny from this time hasn't even had this happen to him yet, and he can't know either."

"I knew you were from the future!" Jazz eyes twinkle with glee at her correct assumption.

I smack my hand on my forehead again. Seriously, Danny? That was the first thing you should have told her.

"Yes, Jazz. I am. But the most important thing is that no one except you can know that this is what I turn out to be. Okay?"

"Got it, little brother."

I sigh as a blue portal zaps open next to me, glowing invitingly. Clockwork must have been watching the whole time.

"See ya Jazz, about a year from now," I say in my sultry voice, "Oh. And try to remember this meeting, 'cause I'll need someone to fill me in on what went down while I was – ahem – gone."

Jazz winks at me and gives me a sisterly smile.

I give her a little salute, before I leap headfirst into the portal and back into my present.