Chapter Three: Levi

"Behind every angry woman stands a man who has absolutely no idea what he did wrong." - Unknown

Andrew manages to wrestle Yippy away from the door. No matter how much he tells the chihuahua to be quiet, the little guy continues growling and barking and trying to escape from his captor.

Once those two are upstairs, Natalie starts for the door, but I offer to answer it before she can get very far. My ghost sense going off at the same time that Levi arrives could easily be a coincidence. For everyone's sake, I want to believe that's exactly what it is. But, Yippy's reaction has me on high alert.

I open the door to find a scrawny-looking guy who is about a head shorter than me. Levi has tan skin, tousled light blond hair, yellow eyes that are barely dull enough to look human, and light brown freckles sprinkled across his nose and cheeks. He wears a dark green t-shirt and jean shorts. On the surface, he doesn't look like a threat. But, neither do I.

Levi takes one look at me, and his mouth falls open. "You… You're Danny Phantom."

I cross my arms. "Well, I'm certainly not Casper the Friendly Ghost."

He doesn't hear the warning in my tone. He just holds out his hands like he's trying to scan me. "You're Danny Phantom. You- Dude, you're a legend! I am talking to the halfa! This is sick!"

Alarm bells ring in my head. In the human world, the existence of ghosts has only been public knowledge for about a year and a half. There are a million and one things that humans don't know about us. One of those things is that there are different types of ghosts. Ghouls are formed in the Ghost Zone and have little to no cognitive thought. Like I told Mira, they're basically insects. Then, there are demons, who are also formed in the Ghost Zone but are completely sentient. Spirits, like Mira, are people and animals who died and became ghosts.

Then, there are halfas like me. Ghost-hybrids, though I'm told they are an off-shoot of spirits, as they become full-ghosts when their human-halves die. I am an incredibly rare breed that only ghosts know about.

It's still possible that Levi is human and simply has some kind of inside source, but my gut tells me otherwise.

Before Levi can fanboy any more, Mira calls his name. He pushes past me and stops in front of her. Natalie stands at attention, and Andrew freezes in place once he's back in the room. Two parents ready to defend their daughter, who is anxiously pulling on her jacket as her boyfriend sizes her up.

"Mira?" Levi breathes out. "Is…is it you?"

Mira nods her head, humming a confirmation.

"You're…really a ghost?"

Mira nods again, and Levi throws his arms around her. Everyone in the room relaxes. Maybe this isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Then Levi whispers something in Mira's ear, and she pulls back and asks almost fearfully, "What does that mean?"

And, just like that, I'm back on Yippy's side.

"Mira?" Andrew says, stepping closer.

Levi takes Mira's hand. "Let's go outside and talk. Is Yippy out there?"

"He's upstairs," Natalie says. "What's this about?"

"I just need to talk to Mira. Come on, babe."

With that, Levi drags Mira outside. I don't like this. I don't like that face Mira was making.

"That was odd," Andrew comments.

Natalie shrugs. "It's an adjustment for all of us." She puts a hand on her head. "I'm still processing it myself."

"That's not all you have to process," I say.

"What do you mean?" Natalie asks.

Should I? I don't think it over for long. "I think Levi is a ghost."

Neither of them say anything for a moment. Then, Natalie touches my arm. "You're serious?" Her voice is shaking.

"That's ridiculous," Andrew says. "Mira's been dating that boy for over a year. Don't you think we would have noticed something by now?" He throws his hands in the air. "The whole notion is ridiculous!"

I give him a hard look. "As ridiculous as a ghost-superhero turning up at your doorstep with your ghost-daughter, who phased through your body in a mad dash to get to the phone? Not to mention, my ghost sense went off when Levi showed up. And, fun fact about animals: they know what they're doing, especially dogs."

Andrew's face is carefully blank. Natalie looks ready to pass out.

I hold up my hands. "Look, I'm not saying that Levi is a bad guy. But, I am going to check on them. Just to be safe."

Without waiting for a response, I turn invisible and fly outside, phasing through the wall. The backyard is a fenced in space with two tables, some chairs, and Mira and Levi standing on the patio and talking. Mira is facing away from me, but her posture is too rigid. In contrast, Levi looks pretty happy for a guy whose girlfriend just died, regardless of the ghost thing.

"I don't understand," Mira says. "You keep saying how it worked. What worked, Levi?"

Levi kisses Mira's forehead. "There's something I've been keeping from you. When you see it, I think you'll understand."

I hate where this is going.

Levi takes a step back, and a white light envelopes him. It isn't like the rings that form during a halfa's transformation. This light covers Levi's entire body. It lasts only a second, and the results earn a gasp from Mira.

Levi, if that's really his name, now sports blue-gray skin covered in scales. His eyes lack any white and are bright yellow with slitted pupils. His hair is a neon yellow and seems to be levitating slightly. All in all, he looks like some kind of lizard man with no tail. He even has webbed fingers and tiny claws. The only things unchanged are his clothes and his voice.

"Y-y-you're…" Mira stammers.

"A ghost," Levi finishes. "Just like you. Well, not quite like you, but we are both ghosts, at least."

"Oh, Levi," Mira sounds utterly heartbroken as she caresses his cheek. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

Levi takes her hand, keeping it against his skin. "I know what you're thinking, but I didn't die. I was formed in the Ghost Zone. It was before we met." He chuckles. "You weren't even born yet." When Mira makes a disgusted noise and yanks her hand back, he laughs again. "Don't worry. Age is kind of a non-issue for ghosts. And, you're eighteen anyway, so-"

"I wasn't eighteen when we met!" Mira argues.

Levi's right about ghosts not caring about age. Sort of. People who die young age normally until they hit twenty-five. That's when they are considered "mature," for lack of a better word. So yeah, Mira has every right to be creeped out.

Mira shakes her head clear. "What is going on? What does any of this have to do with it 'working?' What worked, Levi?"

Levi, grinning with a mouthful of shark-like teeth, throws his hands toward her. "You! You worked, Mira! Not everyone becomes a ghost. I took a huge risk, and it paid off!"

I hear my own dread reflected in Mira's voice. "What does that mean?"

Levi is too wrapped up in his joy to answer. "It was so easy. All I had to do was overshadow that driver! Don't look at me like that. I hated hurting you, Mira. I really, really hated it. But, we're both ghosts now, so it doesn't matter!"

"You killed me?" Mira sounds so small now, like when I found her inside her shield.

If I was visible, my eyes would surely be glowing twice as much as they usually do. I'm told that happens when I'm angry enough, even in human-form.

"I know how it sounds," Levi says oh-so-gently. "But, I did it so we could be together."

"Why couldn't you have just talked to me?" Mira shouts. "Why couldn't you have just told me you were a ghost? Why does nothing make sense today?"

"Mira." Levi takes her hands.

She pulls back with even more force and yells, "Don't touch me!" as lightning crackles over her.

My brain restarts. I move so Mira's not in my way and fire a ghost ray. It nails Levi in the side and sends him hurtling across the yard. I reveal myself and say to him with barely contained rage, "Have you ever considered online dating? Or, getting a cat?"

"Danny!" Mira runs up to me with tears on her face. The lightning disappears as she throws her arms around me. I hug her back as she shivers against me. "He killed me, Danny."

"I know," I say, still glaring at her probably-ex-boyfriend. "I heard."

Levi rises to his feet, and I step in front of Mira, who holds tightly to my shoulders and presses against my back. No lightning. She trusts me. She knows I'll keep her safe. My core thrums at the thought. Protect her, the feeling says.

To my surprise, Levi whoops in delight. "Danny Phantom just attacked me!" Then, he blinks at me in confusion. "Why did you attack me?" There's a slight jealousy in his eyes when he spots Mira. "And, why is my girlfriend clinging to you like that?"

"I'm not your girlfriend anymore!" Mira yells.

Levi's mouth drops open. As if this is some kind of surprise to him. "W-what? Why? Mira, I know this is a lot to take in, but-."

"Are you for real?" I retort in disbelief. "You took over someone's body so you could ram your girlfriend with their car! Do you know how messed up that is?"

Levi suddenly looks so sad that under any other circumstances, I would feel bad for him. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was just goofing around, disguised as a human. And then I met Mira. We started seeing each other, and I didn't realize how serious it would get. But, humans can't love ghosts. Surely, you must understand that."

My parents' weaponry and hate-filled eyes flash in my mind. Just as quickly, the image is replaced with Jazz giving me advice and helping me study. Tucker playing video games and gawking at cheerleaders with me. Sam being over-protective and making me taste-test vegan desserts.

"No, Levi," I say, my hands fisted in front of me, warm and glowing green as I ready an attack. "I don't understand."

Levi shrinks back then holds up his hands placatingly. "Right. Of course. You're a superhero. Humans admire you, I'm sure. But, at the end of day, you're a ghost. You're a halfa, I'm a demon. Regardless of what kind, humans are afraid of ghosts. And, ever since our existence went public, they've been more afraid than ever. The fact that you co-exist so easily with them is incredible! In fact, you inspired me to pursue Mira. To see if we could work as well as you and your humans work."

I feel sick.

"Then why didn't you tell me the truth?" Mira asks, stepping out from behind me. "If you wanted this so badly, then why didn't you tell me you were a ghost?"

Levi tries a smile, but it looks more like a grimace. "Well, I always planned on telling you. That's why I told you so much about ghosts, to show you that they don't have to be scary. I wanted to tell you so bad, Mira." He takes a step toward her. A primal growl rumbles in my throat. I step in front of Mira, ghost rays still prepped. Levi flinches before returning his attention to his now-ex. "It was always in the back of my mind, telling the truth. But, the closer we got, Mira, the more afraid I was of losing you. So, I thought, it we were the same-"

"Let me see if I understand this," Mira snarls, coming out from behind me. She is covered in electricity but not out of fear. That's fury in her gaze. "You just assumed I wouldn't accept you, so you decided to kill me, thinking that would make me want to stay with you? And, you didn't even know for sure I'd come back as a ghost?"

Levi's face crumbles. He's starting to realize how badly he screwed up. "I mean, it sounds kind of insane when you put it that way…"

The worst part of all this is that, in a way, I get where Levi is coming from. He's not wrong about most people admiring me and not necessarily liking me. When I help someone in need, their gratitude is genuine, yet a lot of people still have this tightness in their expressions or a posture that's a little too tense. Minus the full-humans who truly know me, people are afraid of me, despite my good intentions, despite knowing that I'm here to help. I'm an anomaly, something other in ways they don't even realize. While it does sting to be feared by the same people who praise me for my good deeds, I can't blame them for being afraid. It's human nature to fear the things we don't understand.

And, that's not even getting into my parents. That's another thing about Levi that I can sympathize with. The only reason Tucker and Sam know is because they were there when I got my powers. Jazz found out on her own some time later. Still, I like to think I would have told the three of them at some point. But, Mom and Dad are another story. I want to tell them, I truly do, but there's always this voice in the back of my mind, shooting the idea down. What if they don't accept me? it asks. What if they hate me? What if I end up strapped to a table and cut open like a sausage?

But, Levi never had to worry about that with Mira. And, even if he did, there is no excuse for what he did to her.

Levi continues his pleading. "And, hey, being a ghost isn't as bad as you think. Right, Danny? You agree, right?" I think I'm trying to destabilize him with my eyes. He scowls in frustration. "C-come on! Help a brother out! She's got powers now, like that lightning thing that looks cool. And, I'm sure she can fly and go intangible and who knows what else? And, I don't know about you, but I think she looks better this way."

"Okay, that's it," I say and fire off two ghost rays.

Levi jumps up six feet to avoid the blasts and levitates there. "Okay, how about we just calm down," he begs. "I-I realize I might have…been a little impulsive, but-"
"A little impulsive?" My ectoplasm boils. I leap in the air, hovering across from him. "You were so terrified of being dumped that you murdered your girlfriend, and you call that being a little impulsive?"

Levi, seeing that he's about to get his ass handed to him, tries to fly away. My skin tingles as I duplicate myself, willing the copy to appear in Levi's path. It does so, my own look of vengeance on its face, and wrestles Levi around, pinning him against its chest, its arms wrapped around him, locking him in place. Levi struggles in panic. Good. Let him have a taste of the fear he caused Mira.

I want to rough him up, blast ice down his throat, maybe kick him in the crotch for good measure, but I reign in my temper. Instead, I calmly float to him with my arms crossed and watch with a guilty pleasure as he stops struggling and scrunches into a ball as well as he can, staring up at me with wide eyes.

"Please," he begs. "I just wanted to be with someone I love. I-Is that really so bad?"

Suddenly, I've lost the desire to attack him. He's too pathetic. I wonder what Mira saw in him. "Under normal circumstances, no. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be with someone you love." There's a flash of hope in his eyes that's gone with my next words. "But, what you did to Mira isn't love. It's just… God, I don't even know what to call it!"

"But, I made her better," Levi says weakly.

At that, I backhand him hard in the face, a hint of those violent desires returning. "That's not your call to make! Mira's not… She-she's not a video game. You can't just update her because you think she needs it."

"It's different for you!" Levi retorts with a surprising vehemence before struggling once more. My copy tightens its grip. "You're only half-ghost! You have all the benefits of being a ghost, and you still get to walk among the humans without a care in the world. You have no idea what it's like to be forced to hide who you are just so you can stay with the ones you love."

I want to laugh. I want to cry. My copy's frustrated expression is likely a mirror of my own. "Dude, you don't know a damn thing about me, do you?"

"Or, about me, apparently." I didn't notice Mira float up beside me. She regards Levi with that calm, cold rage that only a woman scorned can pull off. "I didn't want this, Levi. I was supposed to start culinary school in the fall. I wanted to open a restaurant, get married, maybe have a kid or two. But, that can't happen now, can it?"

"But, it can!" Levi assures. "Ghosts have relationships, and they can have kids. And, you can still cook for ghosts. Lots of us like eating, and I know some who do it as a hobby. You can do anything you want now. I gave this to you, Mira, because I love you. I took a risk, and it paid off-"

"You could have talked to me!" Mira shouts. Electricity zips over her…and settles over her hands. I give her some room.

"And, what would you have said?" Levi argues, not noticing that my copy has vanished and he can get away at any time. "Would you have accepted me, still wanted to be with me if you were still human?"

Mira bunches up her staticky fists. "I don't know! But, now we'll never find out!"

She releases the energy, and two bolts of lightning send Levi flying. He recovers, though he seems to have some trouble moving. Even from here, I can see tiny sparks bouncing off him. Paralysis? Again, I'm jealous of Mira's power. Mira, for her part, is staring at her hands, stunned by what she can now do.

"I see you two still have that spark," I quip. Mira glares at me, and I chuckle apologetically. "Couldn't resist."

Levi flies back to us with some difficulty. "Mira, I don't want to fight you."

"That's fine," I say, ghosts rays at the ready. "I can do all the fighting for her."

On that note, I fire off both my attacks, one at a time. Levi dodges them. Evidently, the paralysis doesn't last that long. He shoots several ghost rays of his own, but I avoid all of them as I fly toward him. He flees, but I'm faster. I grab his ankle, whirl him in an arc above me, and throw him to the ground. He phases through the grass at the last second. I descend, slamming into the ground with my knees bent, one hand resting on the grass, the other up in the air, and wait. (I bet I look totally badass.) It takes only a moment to feel the slightest shift in the atmosphere behind me-

"Danny, look out!"

It takes another moment for Mira to shoot more lightning directly behind me. Levi screams in pain but doesn't get knocked back. This lightning is different, larger and more powerful than the other bolts. So, her electric powers are as varied as my ice ones.

How is it that I (sort of) died from electrocution, yet she got the cool electric powers?

"Nice shot," I tell her, deciding to let the unfairness go. Hey, ice powers are pretty great too. She gives me a hesitant thumbs-up, not quite used to her abilities. "I'll take it from here," I assure before punching Levi square in the jaw. He falls back and shoots more ghost rays in a panic. I raise my hands, and a translucent green shield appears in front of me, taking the hits. "You're outmatched and outnumbered," I remind him. "Give up and get out your sorry ass out of here, Romeo."

Levi ends his ecto-assault and switches back to the sympathy approach. "All I did was fall in love with a human! You can't fault me for that."

Mira disbelieving, "What did I see in you?" makes Levi falter just enough for me to end this. I release my shield, dip into pocketspace and pull out a silver thermos-

-and Levi goes fanboy on me again. He points to the Fenton Thermos excitedly. "Oh! Is that the thermos that traps ghosts?" Then, it dawns on him that I am pointing that thermos directly at him. "Um, is that the thermos that traps ghosts?"

"Let's find out," I say. I hold in the green button on the side, and a screaming Levi is sucked in with an intense rush of wind. "Sorry it still smells like clam chowder in there," I taunt as I put the lid back on.

Mira lowers herself to the ground beside me. "Is he gone?"

"Yep," I assure. "I can't send him back to the Ghost Zone without my parents' Ghost Portal, but he's not getting out of there." I return the Thermos to pocketspace and realize that Mira is holding herself and shaking. "You okay?" She whimpers and shrugs. "You don't have to be, you know."

She lets out a sob and rests her forehead on my shoulder. I turn to wrap my arms around her, my heart aching even as my core pulsates happily. I feel simultaneously heartbroken and light as a feather. It's a strange feeling.

And, it only gets stranger when I see Mira's parents gaping at us. Add horror and mild embarrassment to my bag of emotions.

"What in God's name just happened?" Andrew asks. Natalie just stands there with her mouth wide open.

Mira freezes in my arms. I hold her tighter and ask hesitantly, "Um… How much did you see?"

"Not enough to know what's going on," Andrew replies. "We heard some kind of commotion, and when we came out here, that ghost was shouting about you being half-ghost?" A sprinkle of dread goes into the bag. "What does that even mean?"

"A-and, that was Levi?" Natalie says, breaking from her stupor. "The other ghost?" She curls into herself. "Did he really…?"

Mira and I nod. Natalie looks stunned. Andrew looks ready to commit homicide.

Well, someone needs to explain. I keep one arm around Mira and walk her back to her parents. "That car that hit Mira? Turns out Levi overshadowed the driver."

"Overshadowed?" Natalie asks.

"Took over his body. Possession doesn't just happen in movies, I'm afraid."

Natalie's face turns as white as my hair. Andrew slaps a hand on his head and mutters, "My god, I punched the wrong person."

Mira lets out the tiniest giggle at the statement.

I clear my throat. "So, uh, that's two earth-shattering revelations in one day. How's everyone holding up?"

No one has an answer.

"Look," I continue. "Levi's been dealt with. And, that's good, right?"

"But, what about me?" Mira says miserably.

My throat tightens. "I… I don't… Um…"

Mira sighs. "I know."

I know, too. I take her by the shoulders. "Look at me." She does so with misty eyes. "It's like I told you before. You're here. You may be a ghost, and things are going to be very different for you from now on, but you are here, Mira Scott. Not everyone who dies can say that." I brush a tear off her cheek. "And, I'm going to help you. Okay? Okay, Mira?"

She sniffs and nods.

With that out of the way, I let go of Mira and turn to her equally distraught parents. "That goes for you guys, too. I can't stay in Nebraska, but I can explain whatever you need me to. I know this is an adjustment. For all of you. When I became a ghost, I was scared and confused and-and I just hated it. And, I won't let Mira feel the way I felt back then."

Mira clings to my arm gratefully. Natalie chokes out a thank you.

Andrew scratches his head in confusion. "This is a lot to take in. Don't get me wrong. I am endlessly grateful. It-it's just a lot." I nod in understanding. "And, uh, you say you're a ghost, but I swear I heard Levi call you a half-ghost?" My stomach curdles. "Is that…a thing?"

"Uh…" is all I can say.

Mira nudges my arm. "You can tell them," she says kindly. "They'll keep your secret."

I look at her encouraging smile, look at her parents' bewildered, slightly concerned expressions. Sam and Tucker know what I am because they were there when it happened. Jazz caught me transforming a few months later. I've never actually told anyone before. My species is semi-common knowledge in the Ghost Zone, but as far as humans are concerned, I'm just a ghost who cares about humankind.

Should I do this? Should I tell these total strangers the truth?

Is it weird that I'm considering it?

My mind wanders to my own parents. They aren't perfect, but when push comes to shove, they love me as much as I love them. Until I go ghost, that is. It's not their fault. I chose not to tell them. Would they still love me if they knew? Would they charge at me, guns blazing? Would they still let me live with them? Would they slice me open to see if I still have organs? (Do I still have organs? I don't need to know that badly.) There are times when I am genuinely afraid of my mother and father, and that tears me apart.

I have nothing to fear from Andrew and Natalie Scott.

"This is a major, major secret," I say sternly. "Only three humans know about it. I mean it when I say that this cannot get out. Got it?"

"Of course," Andrew says.

"After everything you've done for us," Natalie says, "keeping your secret is the least we can do."

I glance at Mira, who grins and gives me a thumbs-up. I check for witnesses: none. I inhale and exhale a breath I'll need in a moment. I can't believe I'm doing this. But…I kind of want to.

"I…I'm not a normal ghost," I say, praying that this isn't a mistake. "I'm what's known as a halfa. What makes me a halfa is…is that I'm still alive."

I let myself change. Let the white rings form around my torso and spread up and down my body. Let my body temperature rise and my clothes and coloring change. Andrew and Natalie stare at me in wide-eyed shock. When I smile and extend my hand, I hope my nervousness doesn't show.

"Daniel James Fenton. But, call me Danny."