OMIGOSH SO I HAVE AN IDEA OF WHERE THIS WILL GO AND I WAS LAUGHING MY BUTT OFF

GUYS THIS IS GONNA BE FUN

But first some feels

"...He's late."

"Of course he's late. What did you expect him to do?"

Twenty-three heads swiveled around to the back where two ghosts floated. One was unfamiliar, wearing an ancient looking robe, her blonde hair pulled into an intricate braid. The pendant around her neck glistened strangely. Paulina raised a hand to her own neck with a small frown.

The other ghost everyone immediately recognized. It was Ember, the famous rock star.

"Should we...say something?" the unnamed ghost whispered, looking nervously at the crowd of humans before her.

"Chill." Ember rolled her eyes. Wait—was she chewing gum? "Can't you hear that? He must've found the dipstick."

The first ghost quieted. "Yes. Oh, am I excited! I've never gone to an actual school before! My time was before women were allowed to attend..." Suddenly bashful, she sidled closer to the pop star. "What are we supposed to do?"

"You figure it out." Ember sashayed to an empty desk and plopped herself down, swinging her legs up on top of the desk. Her guitar swung onto the back of her chair. After a moment the ghost rocker shrugged and slid her guitar off completely, hanging it like the human students had hung their backpacks. She slammed her notebook down and started twirling her pencil, giving the window a board look.

"Ugh. Just sit down."

The robed ghost didn't move, craning her neck. "Is that–"

"Yep." Ember grinned, though not pleasantly. "Looks like someone got to him before we did."

"I would never–" the unnamed ghost protested, but her words were cut off as a new ghost abruptly phased into the room. Everyone, even the ghosts, stiffened immediately. This ghost had a feeling of foreboding. A "don't mess with me" ambiance.

Most people, however, forgot their sudden nervousness when they realized the white ghost was holding another, smaller, specter.

It was their hero!

"I believe I've found something of yours," the white ghost growled. He tossed Phantom down. The moment his feet hit the ground, Phantom let out a gasp, one leg crumpling on impact. He quickly raised himself back up again, blinking away his pain and glaring at the white ghost.

"Walker! A little warning, maybe?"

Walker only lifted a smug eyebrow before turning to Lancer. "You are the human in charge, correct? I found your student engaging Skulker. See to it he is properly punished, as his fate lies outside my reach...for now."

The ghost phased through the celling. Phantom glared at the floor, muttering.

"More like that tin can decided to have a go at me..."

"Aww, did sumwon escape mwai boyfriend again?"

Phantom's head whipped up. "Ember!"

The rocker smirked, snapping her gum. "What's up, baby pop."

"Sir Phantom!" The robed ghost, forgotten until now, hurried forward, reaching toward Phantom. "You are injured!"

Phantom quickly sidestepped her, giving the distraught ghost an awkward pat on the shoulder. "I'm fine, Dora. He only managed to catch me by surprise, is all."

"But your limp–"

"I said I'm fine."

Dora hesitated, biting her lip. "If you're sure..."

"Trust me," Phantom laughed, "I've had a lot worse."

"If I may interrupt this heartwarming reunion..." Lancer interjected dryly. "I believe you two need to find your seats."

"Oh! Sorry, Sir Lancer!" Dora quickly curtsied and hurried to the desk opposite Ember, flushing as Phantom shook his head at her being too 'formal'.

"Mr. Phantom? You too."

Phantom sighed and began moving down the rows, heading for an empty desk in the middle of the classroom. Immediately Sam stretched out into the aisle while raising her hand, blocking him.

"Mr. Lancer, I think Danny's sick today?"

Phantom froze.

"Yeah," Tucker glanced at Phantom. "Very sick."

Lancer groaned, waving a hand toward Phantom. "Mr. Phantom, your seat is in the back."

Their hero was already scrambling backwards, awkward apologies tossed over his shoulder. His limp was startlingly clear as he walked the last few paces to his desk, but as though he could feel everyone's eyes on him, it had vanished by the time he reached his seat. Ember leaned over as he collapsed.

"So, why were you really late?"

"You know why," Phantom hissed. "Shut up."

Everyone stared, openly fascinated (except for Danny Fenton's two best friends, but no one was paying attention to them). Finally Lancer cleared his throat.

"Ah-hm. So today were were going to discuss chapter five...everyone take out your books."

The class shuffled around, pulling Eating Animals from under desks and out of book bags, but they were interrupted by a slam coming from the back. Heads swiveled around to see Phantom's face planted on his desk.

"Sir Phantom? Are you feeling ill?" Dora asked worriedly.

"I left my stuff," he moaned. "And I forgot to read that chapter! I'm doomed!"

"Yo, dipstick, did Skulker hit you in the head or something?" Ember asked, popping a bubble and shooting Lancer a glare when he immediately frowned at her.

"What? No, he just broke my leg..."

Exasperated, Ember sat up, leaning next to Phantom. "You're not your other self, idiot. Pay attention."

Phantom's head snapped up. His gaze was so intense it seemed to burn through the air. He uttered a single, pronounced syllable, before abruptly faceplanting again.

"Oh."

Lancer seemed to be considering if he should say something, but in the end he decided against it.

"I suppose now is a good time for our new students to introduce themselves. If you could please..."

Ember pushed herself up, leaning against her desk and flashing the room a sassy grin. "Wattap. Ember's the name, Ember McLain."

"That rhyme was so lame, Ghostwriter is writhing in pain," Tucker whispered. Sam hunched over, shoulders shaking as she tried not to laugh aloud. Phantom watched with a saddened look.

"I...I am Princess Dorthea." The robed ghost had risen, floating a few inches off the ground. "Please do not call me Dora. Only those close to me are permitted to use that name."

Half the class blinked. Phantom had called her Dora.

Speaking of which...

"Oh!" Phantom stumbled to his feet, catching himself on his desk. He clutched his side, wincing slightly, before staring at the class. Very awkwardly.

"Umm...I don't think I need an introduction."

"Come on, dipstick, this is school! Tell everyone three things about yourself!" Ember sang. She was really enjoying watching him squirm. "For me, I play guitar, I sing, and I'm part of a rock band."

"But everyone knows that..." Phantom complained. A glint entered his eyes. "Tell them what the full lyrics to your song mean!"

Ember did a double take. "What?! No way!"

"Spill, or I wont!"

"Do I have a say in any of this?" Dora asked timidly.

"Fine!" Ember spat. "It's about my death! I was caught in a fire! There!"

"And who started that fire?" Phantom pressed.

Ember looked livid, but she wasn't going to back down now. "ME! There, I said it!"

It was dead silent. The air was so thick you could choke on it. Phantom and Ember were glaring at each other. A fight seemed immanent.

"I like summer days, music, and reading by the fire." Dora offered. "I died when I was twelve after falling out of a window."

Now it was Phantom's turn to look flustered. "You fell out a window?"

Dora seemed fascinated by her petite shoes. "I...I may have been pushed..."

Now even Ember was staring at her. There was a hint of pity in the rocker's steely eyes. She turned to Phantom, almost accusingly, and swept her hand out to indicate the entire room. Her unspoken words were clear—Go on then. It's your turn.

"I..." Phantom hesitated. "I...I enjoy..." He looked lost. "W-well, um..."

"Three favorite things." Ember prompted quietly.

He gave a jerky nod. "Um...video games...? Um...I like flying, too," he added bashfully. Several girls (mostly Paulina and her clique) wanted to run up and hug him. "And...I like hanging out with my best friends."

Unseen, Sam and Tucker both beamed.

"...Sir Phantom? You don't have to tell them..." Dora whispered.

"Yes he does." Ember replied harshly. "Every single ghost knows. It's only fair the humans do as well. Isn't that right, Phantom?"

Phantom looked very tense. His shoulders were hunched, and he kept shuffling his feet (favoring the left one). Suddenly everyone realized he was speaking.

"I...I don't like to talk about it..."

"Then don–"

"Do it."

At Ember's tone, Phantom's head jerked up. He locked eyes with her for a long moment.

"I was electrocuted in my own house by one of my parents' inventions," he whispered.

There was a long silence.

"Keep going, dipstick," Ember spat. "You're not done yet."

Phantom was glaring at her now. "Fine. Just shut up, Ember. Fine..."

His eyes flickered to the watching humans.

"I died a few months ago."

That was when everyone's minds exploded.

PS I don't own Eating Animals for copyright reasons