Mirror, Mirror

A Danny Phantom FanFiction

Danny dove into the classroom closet and, in a flash of light, disappeared through the ceiling. A huge, green monster ghost was thrashing around the library courtyard, growling and smashing through walls. It had no definitive shape; it was simply a large, goopy, gelatin-mold ghost flailing four oversized tentacles through the air. When it spotted Danny with its single eye, it bellowed an ear-splitting cry. Danny only groaned, annoyed.

After delivering a series of useless punches and kicks to its midsection, the ghost boy decided it would be easier to just suck up the monster in the thermos without a fight.

"Hope you fit," he said, pulling the thermos from behind his back and aiming at the monster ghost.

As it charged up to vacuum him in, the ghost slammed Danny in the side with a large tentacle. Danny yelped and fell to the ground, scraping the entire side of his body on asphalt, the s clattering noisily to the ground a few feet away from him.

"You're toast, ghost!" an all-too-familiar voice cut through the monster's noises.

Danny couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes. "Oh, just what I needed," he intoned, staring up at the red huntress as he pushed himself to his feet. "Hope you're here to do more than come up with clever rhymes!"

The girl glanced over the edge of her hover board to find Danny Phantom, thermos in hand, approaching from below. "You!" she gasped, her brows furrowing together under the plastic of her helmet. "Oh, I'm here for more than clever rhymes, all right, Ghost Kid, but you're just gonna have to wait your turn!"

She spun without warning and delivered a blast to the monster's face, and it reeled back with a roar. Valerie gasped when she suddenly found herself ensnared within the grasp of one of the monster's tentacles. Her arms pinned to her sides, she struggled, grunting in exertion, but to no avail.

Danny chuckled, taking one last look at Valerie before blasting the tentacle that bound her. It released its hold on the girl instantly.

"Now that's what I'd call calamari!" Danny Phantom laughed without wasting any more time. He sucked the monster up into the thermos without a second thought.

Valerie fell through the air with a cry, righting herself on her hover board barely five feet from the ground. She twirled, her gun aimed in front of her, searching for the ghost boy. He was nowhere to be found.

--

Under a tree nearby, Danny was able to find his friends. He inconspicuously became human once more behind the tree before rounding its trunk. Sam and Tucker were laughing loudly, gasping for breath. Daniel stood next to them, a smirk on his face.

"Hey, guys, what's so funny?" Danny asked. They turned, surprised to see their friend back so early.

"Dude, Danny!" Tucker said, clapping Daniel on the back. "You didn't tell us he was funny!"

"He's funny?" Danny echoed, glancing at his lookalike.

Sam placed a consoling hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Consider yourself sorely outclassed in the joke department."

"I'm funny!" Danny said, crossing his arms.

"Man," Daniel interrupted them all, his eyes wide. "Did you see that flying ghost kid, though?"

"Oh…." Danny massaged his shoulder nervously. "Yeah."

"He was crazy!"

Danny cracked a smile. "I guess he is kinda cool. Right, guys?" He peered at his two friends.

Sam coughed to cover up a snort of laugher, while Tucker said, "Yeah, he's cool."

"I dunno…." Sam said from behind a smile. "He's always wreaking havoc." She punched the air with both fists for emphasis.

Danny had nothing more to offer her than a sarcastic glare. Daniel, however, couldn't contain his excitement. "I don't think that's purely his fault; I think its just residual damage."

"You know what, Daniel?" Sam said, slinging both arms around the two lookalike boys. She was smiling at Daniel. "I like you. You're alright."

Daniel blushed; Danny frowned. "Is anyone else hungry?" he said rubbing his growling stomach.

"I'm up for a Nasty Burger," Tucker said.

Sam nodded. "I'm getting kind of hungry, too."

"I don't think," Danny said, suggestively looking around, "class is going to be continued, anyway."

Students sporadically littered the schoolyard and the nearby road. Mr. Lancer was nowhere to be seen, and the only person taking authority was Mr. Faluca, who was flipping through the ghost emergency clipboard, clearly distressed.

Sam nodded. "I think you're right."

--

Danny ordered a Nasty Burger and Shake combo, Tucker a Double Nasty Burger and Fries. Sam ordered a Nasty Tofu Shake, and Daniel ordered nothing.

"You're sure?" Sam asked, after a sip of her shake.

Daniel nodded, shifting on the red and white vinyl seats. "Yes."

"I could pay if you need money, dude," Tucker said.

"No, I'm just not that hungry." Daniel almost looked disgusted by the food his new friends consumed, but otherwise, his expression remained unreadable. "So…," he drawled when the conversation had given way to chewing. "Who was that ghost kid?"

Danny choked on his shake, annoyed that his doppelganger had brought up the ghost boy again for the fifth time. It was Sam who answered.
"Oh, that's just Danny Phantom," she said, leaving it at that.

"But where does he come from?" Daniel's face was a mixture of expressions. "Why is he here?"

"Whoa," Tucker said, raising his hands in defense. "I think you should leave all the questions for the ghost experts."

Daniel shook his head. "Who?"

"The Fentons," Sam said.

Danny nodded. "My parents are more than willing to answer any questions you have about the ghost boy." He paused. "Or you could ask Jazz."

"I'll ask," Daniel said, playing with the saltshaker.

"Hey, guys."

Sam, Tucker, Daniel, and Danny glanced up at the approaching figure.

"Oh, hey, Val," Danny said. "What's up?"

"Not much," she sighed. "Just about to clock in."

"Want to sit with us?" Danny shot her a friendly smile.

"I guess…," she said. "My shift starts in five, though."

"School cancelled?" Tucker said.

"Yeah. Not that it matters much. After an attack like that," Valerie said, "they can't expect anyone to stay."

Sam was intrigued. "I wasn't watching; how bad is it?"

"The school?" Valerie waited for Sam to nod. "I'd say we have at least a couple of days off."

Danny sighed, relieved. "I could really use a break right about now, anyway."

Tucker grinned. "Who's up for a celebratory game of Doom?"

--

That night, Danny, Daniel, and Jazz ate without Maddie and Jack.

"They're what?" Danny said absently as he opened the fridge door in search of an easy dinner.

"Cleaning up the school." Jazz was also very distracted. She was sitting at the kitchen table, her homework spread all over the surface. Looking up at her brother, she said, "It's Dad's fault. They wouldn't have been enlisted to fix the damage if he hadn't blasted a hole through a supporting wall."

"Remind me again," Danny said, pulling a soda and jar of jelly out of the fridge. "When was that?"

"About ten minutes after the fight was over," Jazz said. She dropped her pencil. "Leave it to our parents to arrive after the ghost is captured and destroy what's left of the school."

"How many problems are we supposed to do?"

Danny and Jazz spared a glance at Daniel, who sat on the opposite side of the table. Pencil in hand, he picked up the sheet for reference.

"Uh," Danny said, grabbing peanut butter and bread from the cabinet, "I don't know. I think five?"

Daniel gave his counterpart a dubious glare. "Are you sure that's what Mr. Lancer said?"

"Um…." Danny shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Look, who cares? You're new—Mr. Lancer won't count you off for not doing anything."

Jazz clicked her tongue. "Don't listen to him, Daniel," she said, shaking her head. "He's a bad influence when it comes to school."

"Oh, come on!" Danny threw his hands up in defense. "I did okay on the pop quiz!"

"Okay?" Daniel echoed. "I thought Mr. Lancer described it as 'disappointing.'"

Danny shut his mouth with an audible click of his teeth.

"What did you get?" Jazz inquired.

Danny shook his head. "I said I did okay."

Jazz crossed her arms. "What grade?"

Danny narrowed his eyes. "You're acting like Mom, Jazz!"

"I'm only looking out for your well being, Danny," Jazz said. Shaking her head again, she said, "What did you get? C? D?"

"A C," Danny said angrily.

"Minus," Daniel added, staring absently into space.

"A C minus?" Jazz echoed. "Danny, that's not 'okay!'"

"It's not failing," he argued. Looking out of the corner of his eye at Daniel, he muttered, "Thanks a lot."

Jazz huffed. "But it's not really passing, either!"

Danny turned away from her and started making his sandwich. He spread the peanut butter onto the bread and slapped on a spoonful of jelly. "'Passing' is relative, then," Danny said quietly. "It may not be 'passing' in your eyes, but the way I look at it, if you're not failing, you're good."

Jazz only rolled her turquoise eyes in response. "Whatever, Danny."

"Uh," Daniel said, lacing his fingers together. "Danny, would it be okay if I called Sam?"

Put out of his good mood, Danny scowled at his lookalike. "What for?"

"She would know what problems are due, right?"

Danny suddenly took comfort in short, terse answers. "Probably."

Daniel looked at Danny expectantly, but when he didn't answer, he said, "What's her number?"

Taking a bite from his sandwich, Danny said in a muffled voice, "Just use the computer."

His doppelganger's face lit up. "You'll let me?"

Rolling his eyes, Danny turned away and stalked out of the room. It was Jazz who answered him.

"What he means is," she said, "yes, feel free."

--

Danny was already in his room when Daniel entered. He was laying on his bed, attempting his math homework. Daniel fell onto the desk chair and used the computer to call Sam. While it rang, started to click on the desktop icons. There was one, simply labeled "Files," that was particularly intriguing. His mouse hovered over it for a second before he double clicked it. Only a dialogue box popped up on the screen; it was password protected.

"Hello?" Sam's pixilated face slowly loaded onto the screen.

"Hey, Sam!" Daniel said, waving.

She squinted at her monitor. "Danny?"

There was an awkward moment where both boys looked up. Of course Sam couldn't see Danny lying on the bed behind Daniel, but their expressions were identical. "Uh, it's Daniel."

"Oh," she said. "What is it?"

Daniel laughed. "I just wanted to ask you what the homework was," he said.

"I think problems one through seven," she said, furrowing her brows. Her purple eyes searched the screen. "Where's Danny?"

"He's on the bed," Daniel said, moving slightly so she could see her friend behind him.

"Hey, Danny!" she said, waving.

Danny gave her a half-hearted wave back.

"Jazz yelled at him," Daniel explained, when Sam donned a confused expression.

"It's not that bad a grade," Danny muttered.

"What's not?" Sam asked. "Oh, the quiz? You probably could have done better."

"Oh great," he said, "not you, too."

"I mean, I guess you did have a lot on your plate that day," she said, "but you didn't even open the book when you got home."

Danny's face fell. "Yeah, but I just wasn't in the mood to study."

Sam shrugged. "I'm not going to berate you," she said. Her eyes flicked back to Daniel. "Well, if that's all, I'll see you guys at school tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Daniel said. "'Bye, Sam."

"'Bye."

The screen went blank.

A/N: Mostly filler and dialogue, but I liked this chapter. Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! I certainly have a lot to think about with this fingerprint business. I wouldn't have caught it if it hadn't been pointed out. Oh, I can't wait to make this story darker....:)