This is My World

by Aoseh

Danny Fenton is now the popular guy after saving the planet. But when Phantom's famous name attracts the attention of more dangerous and powerful ghosts lurking in the Ghost Zone; he'll need to get stronger than ever to defeat these new enemies and protect his home-town. (This will get darker in the future so don't be misled by the first chapter.)

15. Chapter 15

AUTHOR's NOTE: A reminder that this chapter will be very triggering for some as it includes underage SA, child abuse, drugs, slurs. DO NOT read if any of that troubles you as this chapter is not necessary for the story but is a part of Dani's development throughout the story. As for everyone else, I hope you enjoy and let me know how you feel about the story so far in the comments.

Dani took off with dinner, heading for her home—well, as homey as an old, deserted industrial park can get. Her favorite meal of the night is a toasted white sub bread buffalo chicken sub with additional buffalo sauce, accompanied by a bag of cool ranch Doritos and ginger ale to wash it all down. She received a complimentary sugar cookie for dessert from old man Derrick as thanks for solving his ghost problem. She wasn't going to break the news to him that it was truly just rats in his backroom.

This will be her third night at the factory complex; the first was spent sleeping on top of a roof, nearly falling off the ledge, and the second, after work, was spent navigating the maze of buildings to find a suitable place to call home. Dani had discovered a small security office that contained a few spare sleeping mats that were free of holes and pest infestation. Compared to sleeping beneath the bridge with addicts, it was a better option. While searching for a makeshift nest to sleep in, she came across a tiny settlement of tent-dwelling homeless individuals. Dani did not pay them any attention, and neither did they. Finally, a location where people looked after their own business.

After landing at her tiny office's front door, the ghost girl changed back into a human girl. She retrieves her house key from her pocket and puts it into the lock. She went to the hardware shop the day she discovered her sleeping place and bought new locks for the door. Her stay beneath the bridge taught her an important lesson about leaving valuables lying around. After shutting the door behind her, Dani sets her backpack down on the desk and switches on the lamp she made from an old jewelry stand, duct tape, and a flashlight.

Dani sighs and rolls her shoulders; she'll always be grateful to Derrick for letting her wash herself at the large sink in the deli's back. Despite how filthy and abandoned the area is, she was still able to transform it into a little bathing room. She used to shower in the filthy river, and she'd always get a rash afterwards. Dani changes out of her daytime clothing and into a pair of shorts and a hoodie that serves as her pajamas. She takes the deli bag out of her backpack and sits at her desk. Dani can immediately detect the spicy chicken and buffalo sauce's distinct, mouthwatering aroma. Nothing beats eating dinner after a long day of training and taking a cold shower.

When the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon, darkness descended upon the industrial park. Dani turns on the vintage radio that she took from the factory's management office. The radio rarely played anything except static; she found the continuous white noise to be incredibly calming and helpful in diverting her attention from other things. She groans to herself as she bites into her warm sandwich and tastes the hot chicken; the crispy, seasoned chicken combined with the peppery sauce warmed her palate.

The halfa reflects on her training session with Danny today; it was as demanding as usual, although they did work on some of her specific skills, like body-shifting. Her ability to use her body as a weapon is improving. She found it difficult to create the weapons at first, and now her main concern is maintaining control over the weapon form. The ghost girl is eager to learn new skills, but Danny is determined to teach her the fundamentals first. He constantly acts as though she can't handle it; if only he were aware that she occasionally ventured out on her own to battle ghosts. She chuckles to herself at the idea of Danny finding out—he would lose his cool.

Dani chooses to put half of her meal away for the following day. She never knows when she will eat again. Another lesson, as you can guess, she learned from beneath the bridge. In case you haven't noticed, Dani has learned a lot from the bridge. She went to curl up in her sleeping bag since she was already beginning to feel sleepy. The dreams came swiftly after she fell asleep. The ones that usually ended with Dani destabilizing into mush because Danny failed to save her in time. Worst of all, she managed to maintain consciousness even after being reduced to a pile of nothing. Forever confined within a tube, a collection of cells on a laboratory workstation.

She has another dream tonight, a dream that seems realer than the rest of her horrors. A girl in a torn white bed sheet of a dress hangs in midair, immobile, amid a timeless emptiness. She was a little older than Dani, with gorgeous brown eyes and brown hair. The girl's bloodshot eyes sprung awake as she fixed her attention on Dani.

"HELP ME!" she shrieks.

Dani suddenly wakes up in bed, panting and perspiring. She looks around her little, gloomy room. A cursory look at the digital watch that Danny got her for her birthday informs her that it is only slightly after two in the morning. Dani lets out a big sigh as she runs her hands through her hair; she is getting sick of being awakened in the middle of the night by these nightmares. The halfa closes her eyes and tries to sleep again, but her brain is overly active right now. She could not get the girl from her dream out of her mind, the way she appeared so real.

Dani wonders if she and the girl have met previously, but nothing that she could recall ever occurred to her. Danny said that the best way to deal with her nightmares was to attempt to forget about them. She instantly heeded his counsel, as he too suffers from night terrors. After a few minutes of patiently waiting for sleep to take over, Dani chooses to do some extra training instead. With a yawn, she gets out of bed and puts on yesterday's clothing. Dani only owns two sets of clothes: one for the day and one for the evening. As she slipped the white t-shirt over her head, Dani wrinkled her nose in disgust at the stench.

She has to do laundry tonight, so she looks for spare change in her backpack—just enough to run the washer. Dani hopes Derrick calls her into work; she could use the money. Dani considers eating the cookie before she leaves, but she quickly chooses to hold off until she gets back. Dani steps outside into the balmy summer breeze of night. Her ears are filled with summer insects' clicks and chirps, occasionally punctuated by an owl's hoot. It's possible to hear both nocturnal predators and prey scuttling through the overgrown areas. Dani begins her routine early in the morning by going for a little run to get her heart rate up.

The joyful teenager does many flips and handsprings as she dashes down the broken sidewalk. There was something about being outside that Dani always found so liberating. A faint breeze rustles the teenager's raven black hair. Running felt like second nature to her; her slender physique and superb posture made it seem as though she was soaring. Dani could run for hours with a beaming grin on her face. Danny seems to believe that she is also capable of running great distances on a single breath.

Dani hops up onto a brick wall and quickly makes her way to the top before flinging her body over the edge and onto the rooftop. She rushes across the roof shingles as if nothing else matters. Dani makes a spectacular balancing display as she leaps onto the edge and sprints along the narrow space. The performance doesn't end there as Dani effortlessly clears the 20-foot space between buildings by leaping from one edge to the next. She falls on her feet like she always does and flips onto the mossy roof.

The hidden glass of the dilapidated rooftop shatters under her weight, and she free-falls into the factory. Dani's fast thinking enabled her to seize a metal pipe and swing herself to a catwalk with grace. The night's calm is broken as the glass suddenly crashes to the earth below. Looking down, Dani sees the factory's ground floor illuminated by the moonlight. A frown develops on her face when she notices many pieces of rusting machinery. The life of a machine that was utilized to complete a task but is now abandoned and forgotten without a home.

"So you were left behind too, huh?" Dani mutters under her breath.

The sound of muffled voices catches Dani's attention, and she looks around but doesn't see anyone. Stepping through the wall, the teenager follows the sounds as she quietly changes into her ghost form. The voices guided her back outdoors, where she skulked on the sheet metal rooftop in silence. Glancing down, Dani sees a sharply dressed figure ducking back into the forest. She observes a woman buttoning up a white dress shirt while sporting untidy hair. Dani tilts her head, perplexed at the enigmatic woman's state as she stands there in the middle of the night, dressed just in a dress shirt. In an attempt to sate her curiosity, Dani wonders who the other person is and thinks of pursuing them. She quickly decides against it.

"Hey," she calls out to the woman.

Startled, the partially nude woman screams in fear and turns to face the source of the voice.

"What the fuck?" she cries. "Who are you?"

"My name's Dani," the teen greets with a smile. "And yours?"

"Well, Dani, hasn't your mother ever taught you not to sneak up on someone like that?"

"I don't have a mom," Dani replies in a nonchalant tone.

The woman pauses, "Well whoever raised you, didn't they teach you any better?" She scolds.

"No, not really," Dani announced. "In fact he always said the element of surprise is the best weapon in your arsenal."

"Huh?" the woman mutters under her breath. "Who raised you? A damn ninja?"

"I-"

"Don't answer that," the woman interrupts with a sigh. "Listen, a little girl like you shouldn't be out and about this late at night by herself."

"Says you!" Dani blurts. "You're out here naked!"

Dani leaps off the ledge, landing in front of the woman. She examines the woman once over, admiring her stunning features. Golden hair cascaded over the woman's shoulders. Her face appeared to have been meticulously fashioned out of marble, with precise lines and proportions. When Dani looks into the woman's piercing blue eyes, it takes her back to the azure skies when she was training with Danny. Dani blushed at the woman's slim shape, almost jealous of her almost flawless physique.

"Who are you?" Dani said in awe.

The woman smiles. "My name is Rebecca."

"Rebecca…" Dani repeats.

"Nice to meet you, Dani."

"What were you doing out here?" Dani asks, changing the subject.

Rebecca pauses for a moment and thinks over her response. "Working."

"What job requires you to be up at 3AM and naked?"

Rebecca opened her mouth to say something caustic, but she stopped when she noticed the real interest in Dani's eyes. How naive.

"A big girl's job," she answers, deciding to spare her innocent mind.

"So are you done?"

Rebecca laughs, "I suppose I am now." She glances up at the rooftop. "We heard a loud noise and my client ran off before he could pay me." Rebecca turns her attention back to Dani. "I'm assuming you're the cause of that loud noise that scared my client off."

"I'm sorry," Dani apologizes with her head lowered. "I was training when I fell through the roof."

"You are something else, Dani," Rebecca giggles.

"You have no idea."

"Well it's been great but I'm going home," Rebecca yawns.

"You live around here?"

"In a tent with my sister," Rebecca replies. "We're homeless."

Dani sighs, "Me too."

Rebecca smiles again. "Come over for dinner tomorrow at 6, or rather tonight."

"Yes!" Dani declares instantly. "I'll be there!"

"We live in a blue tent in the North section by the plumbing station building."

"Thank you."

"Goodbye, Dani," Rebecca said as she waved the young teen off.

Dani observes the woman leave in silence, glad that she has at least one friend and hoping to make more. With a huge smile on her face, Dani practically bounces back to her small house. She hasn't made any friends since her homelessness began. The people beneath the bridge were all too stoned to even acknowledge her, or they all wanted money. She has the opportunity to make two new friends now. Right then, nothing gave her more happiness.

"Hello friend!" was written on a note that Dani finds on her door. She grinned, thinking that Rebecca was the sender of the letter; she had underestimated how quickly their friendship was developing. Dani reverts to her human form, gasping at her careless mistake. Dani was in her ghost form when she met Rebecca, so her friend expects to see a teenage girl with silver hair and green eyes tomorrow. Dani, unsure of what to do, rests her head in her hands. Coming out with the truth is out of the question because Danny warned her to never expose her identity to anyone.

After setting the note down on her desk, Dani settles onto the wooden chair. She imagines she could meet them in her ghost form and simply remember not to do anything strange during her visit. The teenager is excited about their upcoming supper and wonders what it will be. Dani's happiness was almost unbearable. She has never before received an invitation to dinner. Until the first rays of dawn appear, the ecstatic girl gazes off into the horizon in an endless daydream.

With a growling stomach, Dani reaches for her cookie to munch on as she considers her newfound friends. She glances at her watch and recollects that Danny isn't coming today; something about him and his family going to the lake. Today is a great day to work at Derrick's Deli for a few hours and possibly earn enough money to get some new clothes. The only person who would hire a girl who appeared to be thirteen was Derrick. That being said, he didn't actually hire her; instead, he occasionally utilizes her to clean the store in exchange for a few bucks and a free lunch. Without a doubt, Dani's pay was lower than that of the other workers. Dani is appreciative of everything she receives, so she didn't mind as much. Few people are charitable, and to make matters worse, they will treat you as if you were a monster.

The other employees at the deli don't like her, so it was best that she went there earlier. They think that having her around is deducting money from their own wages. After eating her cookie, Dani locks up and takes off toward the deli. Usually at this early hour of the morning, the streets were peaceful. When the ghost girl lands outside Derrick's deli and reverts back to human, she pulls the door open and enters. Derrick always opened early to tidy up, restock, and begin cooking for customers who left their houses early to commute to work.

"Hey, old man!" Dani calls out.

From somewhere inside, Dani hears a sigh, which she follows to the kitchen. She gives the tall, rugged man with olive complexion, who is wearing an apron and chef's hat, a smile. The only thing greater than Derrick's frown was his stomach, which protruded a couple of inches. It's an indication of a quality deli, he would often tell her.

"How many times have I told you that I'm not old!" Derrick growls. "I'm 51!"

"Jeez, better say your goodbyes now."

Derricks gives a boisterous laugh before returning to his cooking. "Do you mind sweeping up and taking out any garbage?"

"Got it boss!" Dani answers quickly with a salute.

Dani exits the kitchen to carry out her chores. She passes the broom over every square inch of the floor as she combs the aisles up and down. Dani gathers the rubbish in the dustpan and deposits it in the garbage bag. After deciding that the floor needs to be thoroughly cleaned, she leaves to find a mop and bucket. Dani spent the next ten minutes cleaning the floor with warm water. When she was finished, she took the garbage from each container and stepped outside to throw the bags into the dumpster. The adolescent returned inside to clean the counters and aisles.

Dani is aware that the first worker won't arrive for another twenty-five minutes. She therefore decides to staff the register while Derrick prepares everything in the back. Dani's gaze lifts to reveal a man standing at the door wearing a yellow raincoat. She furrows her brow, perplexed by the man's attire because there isn't a single gray cloud in sight. Dani waited for the man to enter the store with patience, but he didn't make any movement. Derrick always kept the door open for his early-morning customers to come receive their coffee and food. This man was standing in front of the door, seemingly in a trance as he stared blankly at the floor. When Dani tries to wave him in, he doesn't respond.

"We're open!" Dani shouts at the man.

Dani is starting to get concerned that something is wrong because the man hasn't moved yet. Dani glances back at the deli owner as Derrick emerges from the kitchen carrying a platter full of breakfast sandwiches, just as the kitchen door opens abruptly.

"Who are you talking to?" Derrick inquired after placing the tray on the counter.

"One of your customers."

Derrick scans the store. "There's nobody here."

Dani scoffs, "Duh! I was telling him to come in!"

"Who?"

"The guy in the yellow-" Dani swings her head around to show her boss the person, but sees nobody there. "-raincoat."

"You hit your head or something?"

"It was that one customer that comes super early," Dani said.

"Dave? I have known that guy for 6 years and not once have I seen that dude wear a raincoat, much less a yellow one."

"I swear there was someone standing at the door!"

"Okay you got it," he acknowledged. "It was probably some tweaker who wanted in the store and got scared off when you yelled at him."

Despite her lack of conviction, Dani had no intention of continuing the argument.

"Help me with these sandwiches."

Dani does not say anything as she starts to arrange the breakfast sandwiches in the hot display case. Thinking back to tonight's dinner with Rebecca and her sister, she can't help but feel excited about friends once more. She's never had someone she could call a friend, other than Danny, who doesn't count. Because she didn't see Sam and Tucker very often and they were more of Danny's pals than hers, they didn't qualify as friends either. The halfa is more alone than ever, but she never brought it up to Danny since Dani didn't want him to worry about one more thing for her. Her thoughts were her only companion, and she remained solitary.

"I can tell something is on your mind," Derrick breaks the silence.

"I made a new friend last night."

"Oh?"

"And they invited me over for dinner with their sister."

"Sounds like a special night," Derrick commented as he removed the bagels from the microwave oven.

Dani smiles, "Yeah I've never been invited over for dinner before."

"I hope you have some nice clothes set aside."

"'Nice clothes?'" she echoes hesitantly.

"Yeah some fresh threads to make a good first impression."

"Uh…"

"Don't tell me you don't got anything to wear?" Derrick said as he looked over at Dani.

Dani hangs her head down in embarrassment and scowls without saying anything. She had nothing at all to wear, and she had no idea that people dressed nicely for dinner invites. Dani feels foolish for not knowing more about first impressions. It makes sense why she lacked friends. Derrick laughs at Dani's dejected appearance, thinking it funny that the usually carefree youngster would be thus distraught about making a bad first impression. He gives her a toothy grin and tousles her hair.

"Finish up here and meet me in the back," Derrick announces. "I have something for you."

Curious about what the older man was planning, Dani raises an eyebrow. After completing her tasks, she proceeds to the backroom where Derrick had vanished. She was aware that this space served as his personal office, where he handled all of the store's financial matters. Derrick had always urged her not to go back there, and she always followed his advice. She discovers Derrick at his desk, searching through a cardboard box. Curious about what might be inside the box, Dani walks up to the man. With a smile, the man looks up at her and reveals a frilly white shirt.

"Whaddaya think?" he beams at the teenager.

"Uhh…"

"Yeah too girly, I was just thinking that too," Derrick agrees as he tosses the shirt aside.

"What is all of this?" Dani questions.

"These are my daughter's clothes," he answered quickly. "Or were."

"Derrick, you're not making any sense-"

"The wife told me to get rid of them after the accident but I just couldn't, so I brought them here."

"Accident?"

"Yes, my little girl was killed by some drunk dickhead on her way walking home from dance practice," Derrick said as he fingered a pink hair band. "I was supposed to pick her up but got tied up in the shop because an employee called out," he continued solemnly. "I told her to walk that day and I'll never forgive myself for it."

"Derrick…I'm sorry I didn't know."

"Forget it," he sniffled. "It was a long time ago."

"Are you sure you want to give me her clothing?"

Tears welling up in his eyes, Derrick shuffles through the box, searching for anything that would fit Dani well. He presents a red wool turtleneck to the adolescent girl.

"Nah too fancy," he mutters while wiping his tears.

As he rummages through the clothes box, he comes across a black t-shirt featuring a gold star. Derrick recalls that day when he bought his daughter this shirt at the mall and how she didn't take no for an answer.

"Perfect," Derrick mutters and puts it aside. "Now are you more a skirt or jeans kind of gal?"

Neither," Dani answers. "I like sweatpants more."

"You're not going to the dinner date in sweatpants."

"It's not a date!"

"You are not going with sweatpants, young lady," Derrick repeats firmly.

Dani sighs, "Fine, jeans then."

Derrick grinned and went back to looking through the mountain of apparel. The fact that her boss retained some of the clothes his daughter wore warmed Dani's heart. It was good to see the elder guy show his affection, as Derrick was not usually forthcoming with his feelings. Though she did think it odd that he never once brought up his kid to her, it all comes back to the whole "he's out of touch with his emotions" thing.

"Here we go," he announces, presenting a pair of dark blue bellbottom jeans to the teen. "Kylie was always a fan of previous eras' fashion."

"I-I don't know what to say," Dani stutters.

"How about thank you?" he laughs.

"You don't know how much I appreciate this…"

"I think I do, and that's why I'm parting ways with it, because I know these average pieces of clothing will be greatly appreciated."

With Derrick keeping her around all day to make some extra cash, Dani's day went fairly quickly. Even the numerous employee's icy stares and harsh remarks couldn't take her out of her upbeat mood. In addition to everything else, she earned an additional twenty-five dollars and had a fresh outfit ready for Rebecca's dinner. It's getting close to five o'clock when Dani looks up at the clock. Derrick is occupied closing the register after the final worker of the day has departed. Rebecca's dinner was an hour away, and Dani is eager to eat.

She completed her daily tasks quickly and without any difficulty. When Derrick looked in from his office, the store was immaculate. Everything that had to be put away was done. Derrick ruffles the teen's hair and compliments her on the neat store and hard work.

"You're good for the day, Dani."

Eager to get the sweat of the day off her, Dani dashes to the backroom to use the large sink. She'd already laid her fresh clothing and towel there beforehand. After giving herself a thorough and well-earned bath, the girl makes sure to wash her hair. After drying off, Dani puts on the jeans and top, grinning at how well they fit her.

Derrick is waiting for Dani when she emerges, and his eyes enlarge at the sight of the teenage girl. His eyes brim with emotions as he looks at a near-perfect replica of his young daughter. Derrick wasn't sure if he was just delusional or if he hadn't seen the resemblance before. Perhaps that's why, despite the fact that he knew nothing about her, he took her in and offered her a job. Perhaps this explains why, after eight years of suffering, she can make him grin so readily.

"Well? How do I look?"

"Great," he smiles.

"Holy shit, it's almost six, I'm going to be late!" Dani yells as she quickly runs her fingers through her hair in an attempt to detangle the wet locks of liquid black.

"Do you need a ride?"

Dani rushes toward the front of the store. "No thanks!"

"Are you sure?"

"Oh before I forget," Dani said casually as she turns back around and envelops Derrick in a tight hug. "Thank you so much."

"Don't hug me, I'm dirty!"

Dani simply holds the man tighter. "Seriously.

Derrick returns the hug. "You're welcome, babygirl."

"Okay gotta go bye!"

"Be safe and have fun!" Derrick yells back.

Dani bolted out of the deli shop like a bat out of hell, running to the nearest alleyway. She changes into Dani Phantom, taking off into the sky in the direction of her house. As Dani approaches her house, the dazzling summer sun dips further and further down in the orange sky. Excitement coursed through her veins, and she couldn't erase the crazy smile off her face. She lands in front of her little house and takes the key from her bag to unlock the door. She always locked her door, so when she turned the knob, she found it odd that it was already unlocked.

Upon peeping inside, she finds nothing unusual or indications of a break-in. After stowing her backpack on the chair's back, Dani takes her hairbrush off her desk and tries to control her unruly hair. She looks at her watch and realizes she is running out of time. If the teenager didn't want to be late, she would have to hurry. When her hair is finally to her satisfaction, she puts moisturizer on her face and lip gloss on her lips. Dani dashes outdoors into the cool summer wind of early evening after locking the door behind her.

A terrifying thought crossed her mind: whether Rebecca would remember her as the girl she chatted with last night. If Rebecca rejects her at the door, it would be all for nothing. Perhaps she might clarify the circumstances. Dani laughs at the notion of such a foolish concept; Danny instructed her to keep her identity a secret. Last night, she had the thought of going as her ghost form, but she didn't want to because it would jeopardize her secret identity, and she wanted people to see her for her . Dani is looking for people that will not criticize her based on her alter persona.

This was the moment when her excruciating anxiety surfaced. She can't take the prospect of being turned down. The one who made her has already rejected her. Dani longs for her own life, free of the ghosts of her past, and, albeit selfishly, free of the shadow of Danny Phantom. She's praying to anyone who would listen for a chance to be a regular teenage girl. For a chance like that, Dani would do anything.

She had no idea she had walked into an uncharted portion of the industrial park; there were many more trees and the smell of sewage was stronger. The untamed woods throw a shadow across the area, obstructing the last of the setting sun's light. As far as the eye can see, tents of all sizes, shapes, and colors are arranged along the timber line. People in layers of torn and worn-out clothes stand gathered behind their fragile dwellings. Summertime doesn't mean that the nights are warm; in fact, sleeping in the cold is one of the best ways to get sick.

This is the largest group of individuals Dani has ever seen in this location; in fact, she has only ever seen Rebecca. She doesn't even see anyone when she's training therefore there must be a reason why nobody goes near the southeast area of the industrial park. She questions what could possibly keep people away, given that there are many buildings where they could hide out rather than pitch a tent outside. When it came to choices that had an effect on their lives, Dani always thought that individuals had strange perspectives. Danny had to tell her a million times over why, in the face of near death, he voluntarily chose to become a hero. It just didn't seem like it would be helpful at all.

In response, he would say that people are decent and deserving of salvation. That was the only advice Dani had ever heard that didn't advise her to take her own life, so she took it to heart. Cough cough Vlad. It wasn't like Danny was incorrect either—she had encountered many decent individuals. She believed that the depraved people she encountered beneath the bridge were those who were not saved in time. When you are unable to save someone, their bodies and minds are taken over by pain and distress, and they become enslaved to inflicting the same suffering on others.

Blue. Blue. Blue! Dani's gaze lands on a huge, sky-blue tent positioned in front of a gate leading to a small structure with multiple pipes emerging from it and venting into the earth. She assumed she could have gotten the wrong tent because she didn't see anyone standing beside it. From behind the structure emerged a young woman with sandy brown hair carrying a heap of firewood in her arms. Her warming chocolate brown eyes connected with her pale blue ones. Dani gives the girl a shy grin and a wave. She must be roughly her own age.

Dani notices the girl's extreme thinness—she is far too thin to be carrying so much wood by herself. The halfa rushes in to assist with the firewood. The girl gave Dani a distant glance that indicated she was uncomfortable with the halfa's presence. Taking half of the wood from the girl's arms, Dani's face lights up with a smile that's considerably brighter than before. The girl is still extremely apprehensive of Dani despite realizing her motives.

In silence, the two approach the blue tent, and Dani awkwardly shifts her weight. Dani notices how pale the girl is at this distance—almost like a ghost. Given how infrequently she has seen white ghosts, Dani never understood the comparison. Danny explained it was a metaphor, whatever that is.

"Does Rebecca happen to live here?" Dani asks blatantly, trying to make conversation.

"Nunya."

"Nunya?"

"Nunya fucking business," the girl replies.

"Oh."

The girl's voice disturbed Dani in an odd way; it had a fractured tone, like a piece of badly composed music. Even in the four words the girl had spoken to Dani, she comes across as flippant and unconcerned.

The girl, seemingly beginning to feel bad, speaks up again, "What do you want with Becky?"

"She invited me to dinner last night," Dani answers softly.

The girl visibly stiffens and shoots a glare at the halfa. "Oh, did she now? Well you're going to have to wait. She's tending to another customer right now."

"Oh, she didn't tell me she'd be working,"

"Why would she?" The girl seethed. "It's not like you actually care. You just want some cheap pussy."

"Excuse me?" Dani is familiar with the slang for female reproductive parts, but she's unfamiliar with the way the word is used in this context.

"People like you make me sick."

Dani is perplexed as to why the girl is acting so antagonistic toward her and what exactly she is being accused of. When Rebecca invited Dani to supper, was there another meaning behind it? She only knows that this girl is furious with her for coming. Before Dani could clarify, or try to clarify herself, a soft, familiar voice called out to the two girls from behind.

"Oh, you're here earlier than I expected!" Rebecca announces.

Rebecca's sparkling blue eyes and cheery grin greet Dani. The woman is wearing a lovely knee-high yellow sundress. Rebecca's beauty leaves Dani speechless, and she starts to stumble over her words like a little child.

"R-really? I-I thought I was going to be late."

"Late?" the blonde starts with a chuckle. "If anything, I'm the one who's late," she giggles. "I would have been here earlier if I didn't make a pitstop."

"I thought you said you wouldn't bring work home with you anymore," the brunette grumbles.

"Ashley, Dani has nothing to do with work and you know it."

Ashley's comment about taking work home confuses Dani, who still doesn't know what Rebecca did for a job. The Halfa would expect Rebecca to notify her own sister of her guest's arrival. Something told Dani that Rebecca had done just that, but Ashley is just being bullheaded for reasons that aren't clear.

"I could come by later or another day if-"

"Nonsense!" Rebecca interjects. "Follow me and we'll get started."

Dani had no idea what to anticipate when she went inside the tent, but she didn't think a TV would be there. A little desk had a television, next to which was a silver DVD player with a stack of movies on top of it. To start with, the inside of the tent is substantially larger than its exterior appearance. Even dividers existed to keep the rooms apart from one another. In their modest makeshift kitchenette, they even had an icebox and a bin filled with pots and pans.

"Welcome to our home!" Rebecca chirps excitedly.

Rebecca heads straight to the kitchen to start making dinner, and Ashley, grumbling with annoyance, goes back outside. With no idea what to do, Dani is left at the front of the tent. Though Dani couldn't cook to save her life, she casts a sidelong glance at Rebecca and wonders if she should pitch in as well. You could tell Rebecca didn't require assistance from the way she moved quickly but methodically about the kitchen.

With a sigh, Dani heads out of the tent to possibly make amends with Ashley. The dark-haired girl discovers her assembling firewood in a mound alongside the tent. Dani could tell Ashley wasn't delighted with her presence, which made it difficult to strike up a conversation. Even though Dani claimed to have inherited Danny's charisma, she occasionally struggled with social unease. She also holds the older halfa responsible for her social awkwardness. As Dani moves a few steps forward, Ashley gives her a frustrated glance.

"Hey…" Dani said sheepishly.

Ashley ignores the greeting, concentrating instead on stacking wood. Each new piece of wood that is thrown onto the pile is more forceful than the last. Dani's presence seemed to cause bodily discomfort for Ashley. Dani feels a strong urge in every bone in her body to give up and return home. When something wasn't meant to be, even she could sense it.

"Listen, I don't know what your problem is but your sister invited me to have dinner, and I'm not going to let your mood ruin the night for me. So we either make up now or cause a whole bunch of unneeded stress and tension, especially for your sis and I don't think you want that."

With the exception of no longer hurling wood like a crazy person, Ashley is silent once more. Dani knows Ashley feels her gaze burning holes in the back of her head. Ashley sideways glances, not meeting Dani's full gaze.

"Can you take the wood inside?" Ashley said suddenly.

Dani raises an eyebrow at the girl's unusual remark before looking down at Ashley's feet and noticing a smaller stack of wood.

"Becky needs it to cook," Ashley elaborates firmly. "Can you bring the wood to her?"

"Uhhh sure."

After bending over and collecting the wood in her arms, Dani turns to return to the tent. She sensed, deep down, that Ashley wanted to say something different. Considering that they have never met and don't know one another, Dani won't press her for a chat. For now, Ashley's modest request is more than sufficient. They should be able to make small chat by Christmas if they keep up this pace. The idea of them not communicating much for months on end makes Dani giggle to herself.

"Thanks," Ashley calls out.

"No problem."

Dani, holding the wooden cradle in her arms, runs into Rebecca in the kitchen. The teenager receives a grateful smile from the older blonde. Dani discovers that the kitchen is considerably larger than she had thought, and she spots a tiny stove concealed in the corner that was previously obscured by the tent's plastic walls. Looking up through a tiny hole in the roof, she sees the thin chimney that is venting the smoke outdoors. There are two buckets, one empty and the other filled with soapy water, which are clearly used to wash dishes. Their tent is starting to resemble a regular house more and more.

If the teenage girl claimed she wasn't a little envious of these sisters' living circumstances, she would be lying. She would have given anything to be able to prepare a home-cooked dinner each night, but her current tiny guard shack was barely big enough for her. Rebecca shows the girl where to set the wood next to the stove. Dani could feel the heat radiating from the blackened kitchen appliance as she walked up to it.

"By the way, Dani," Rebecca begins.

"Hm?" the teenager responds as she settles the wood in the pile.

"Do you happen to have a sister?"

Dani felt her heart race at the question. Why would Rebecca ask that question? Unless she was aware that Dani as she was now and the person she met last night were very different in appearance. The Halfa questions Rebecca's lack of criticism on her appearance while they were still outside. Perhaps Rebecca didn't want Ashley to get frightened of a stranger entering their home. And now what? With an inward groan, Dani struggles to come up with a reply. Other than providing an honest response to the initial query, nothing more sprang to mind.

"No, I do not."

Rebecca sighs, "Then it'll be hard to understand Ashley right now."

"Oh," is the only word that escapes Dani's lips.

"Little sisters are just as protective over their older sisters. Even though I'm the oldest and my responsibility is to look over her. I find her worrying about me just as much as I worry about her."

"I see."

"So don't resent her for being cold. She's in desperate need of friends her own age. I hate that man she hangs out with."

Although the final sentence is said in a whisper, Dani's extraordinary hearing allows her to hear it. Though she wonders which man Rebecca is referring to, she decides not to bring it up at this time. It seems that Ashley needs people who are similar to her age. If that's not the story of Dani's life right now, she's not sure what is. Dani gives Rebecca a sharp nod and reassuring grin. She should at least try her hardest if Rebecca wants her to keep trying to become friends with Ashley.

"As much as she pretends to be, she isn't built for this life. She doesn't understand the things I do…I do them to keep us alive. The world doesn't have much sympathy for two homeless girls. We have to do things that many may find distasteful or unorthodox. But anything I have to do, I'd do it tenfold in order to keep her away from all the shit of this city."

Dani remains silent as she attempts to process Rebecca's words. She understood what she meant by doing things that would be considered distasteful, but she's not sure if she truly comprehends the concept. Rebecca conveyed the statement in a way that seemed more dire and unconventional.

"I don't know how you do it," Rebecca chuckles awkwardly. "Being by yourself and all. I couldn't do it. Ashley is- well Ashley is everything to me; so much so that she's the sole reason I drag myself out of bed in the morning. If anything were to happen to her…I couldn't- I just couldn't."

"I see how much she means to you."

"But enough about this sad shit," she laughed with an almost silent sniffle. "Food is on."

Dani helps Rebecca deliver the food to a little wooden table. It has more scratches on it than a feral cat and leans to one side. It's the kind of furniture you could find at a garage sale owned by an elderly man. As Dani set the bowls on the table, she could feel her stomach growl. Rebecca heads to retrieve her sister, who had already entered due to the aroma of food. The blonde takes a seat at the table after passing out paper plates and plastic forks.

"Please dig in!" Rebecca urges with a smile.

"Did we run out of drinks?" Ashley comments.

"Oh!" Rebecca shouts, clapping her hands together. "Dani, did you want soda, juice, or water?"

Dani has never had so many options before. She didn't know what to choose. "Can I have soda please?"

"Of course!" Rebecca answers sweetly. "Ash, just bring the 2 liter of Coke from the fridge."

Dani was given a huge glass of sparkling Coke by Rebecca when Ashley returned with the sweet drink. Rebecca started serving the teenager as well, giving her a side order of broccoli and string beans, some steaming yellow rice mixed with chopped peppers, and a piece of grilled chicken breast covered in a hot honey BBQ sauce. Everything would taste so good, Dani knew it even before she put it in her mouth. This is the best home-cooked meal she has ever had. Or rather the only home-cooked dinner she's ever had.

While enjoying the delicious food, the three girls engaged in conversation with each other. This meal tasted much better than Dani had anticipated. She'd pay for this if she had the money. Rebecca's living situation came to mind as the adolescent wondered why Rebecca hadn't tried selling food. Food from a homeless person would not be desired by anyone. Perhaps she could work out a deal with Derrick so that Rebecca could sell her meals in the deli.

"So Dani, what do you do in your off time?" Rebecca asks.

"I work and-" Dani remembered that the average person doesn't do extreme training like she and Danny did. "And hang around town usually," she finishes after a bite of food.

"Don't we all work," Rebecca laughs between sips. "Any place I'd know?"

"The deli off of Melody."

"Crazy's?"

Dani knew the deli to be named Craizee pronounced like Craw-ee but close enough. "Yeah."

"Maybe we can look into getting you a job there, Ash."

"As if I wanna work at some gross meat shop," Ashley scowls, rolling her eyes.

"It'll put some hair on your chest."

"Ew I don't have hair on my chest nor do I want hair there."

"It's a figure of speech," Rebecca groans.

"I don't need a job anyway."

"You're gonna be 16 in a few weeks, missy, so it's time we start thinking about a job. Plus then you can help me out around here"

"No need," Ashley asserts as she stands from the table and rushes over to one of the rooms in the back. She comes back with an old wrinkly manilla envelope and a proud smile on her face. "Because I got us enough money for us to ditch this crappy place," she announces, slamming the envelope down on the table.

Dani could sense a shift in the atmosphere in the room; she wasn't sure what it had become, but she knew it wasn't the same cozy, joyful feeling as before. Rebecca carefully picks up the manilla envelope that is discolored yellow. It was obvious to Dani that something was inside the envelope and a lot of it. Rebecca pulls the little metal clasp loose and raises the envelope's lip. Wads of cash were flowing out, something Dani was not prepared for; she's only seen this much cash when Derrick is placing the cash register's contents in his office safe before the deli closes for the day. There were dark, circular stains on some of the bills that resembled tomato paste. While some of the bills were flat against each other, others were rolled up. Rubber bands hold most of it together in neat stacks. Dani detests the foul stench emanating from the dirty bills. She looks from Rebecca to Ashley, and both of their features convey opposing feelings.

"Where did you get this?" Rebecca mutters.

"Don't worry about it and you can thank me later," Ashley laughs.

"I asked you where you got the money from!" Rebecca shouts angrily.

Dani nearly leaped from her seat in shock; she had no idea this carefree blonde would yell with such abandon, and it seemed that Ashley didn't either.

"Why does it matter?" Ashley snaps back. "We got the money."

"What have you and that man been up to? You got this money from him, right?" Rebecca accuses.

"With him," Ashley corrects. "And like I said, why does it matter?"

"With him, for him, from him. I don't fucking care and I told you to stop hanging out with him!"

"I did this for YOU! You're acting like a total bit-"

"Watch it."

Ashley growls, "This is so we can move into an actual home and not have to shit outside in the woods."

"You're going to take this back to him right now! I don't want ANY of this money!"

"You know how fucking hard I worked for this shit?" Ashley snaps.

"I. DON'T. CARE," Rebecca fumes, pointing at the money. "Return it."

"You're seriously not going to accept the money? After how much we struggled all our lives?"

"Ashley, I already told you I don't want any of that prick's drug money."

"Well it's this prick's drug money that is going to keep you from whoring yourself out!"

Rebecca strikes her sister with enough rage to ignite a crusade. How dare her younger sister talk to her like that? She had to do all these horrible things to keep her sister off the streets, even though it appears that she has already failed at it. Her poor sister became a typical street criminal as a result of that sick fuck. She swears that she will murder him. The sisters glared at one another, neither of them giving in as furious tears spilled from their eyes. Ashley's cheek is turning bright red as she tries to massage away her pain.

"You're just jealous…"

"Excuse me?"

"Jealous of the fact that I have someone that doesn't only like me for my body! And that same prick has done more for me than you'll ever do."

"Doesn't only like me for my body? Are you fucking dumb? You're a 15 year old child and he's a grown ass man! Lemme find out that you're having sex with this guy."

"Why the fuck does it concern you what we do, hypocrite!"

"Because you're a fucking kid and I'm the one in charge of you. I'm out here busting my ass, day and night, trying to keep the streets as far away as possible from you. The shit that I had to do! Had to live with! I do it for you. FOR YOU. So I'll be damned if I let you ruin all of that shit because you want to be a spiteful fucking brat!"

"You know what? Fuck you."

That was the last thing Ashley said before gathering the money back into the package and storming out of the tent. Dani is in complete disbelief at what she just saw. Beneath the exterior of two comparatively content siblings lies the unbearable stress of two people barely surviving. Dani lost her appetite as a result of the sisters' nasty exchanges. She didn't anticipate this happening during dinner.

"Rebecca…" she begins.

"It's fine. We wouldn't be sisters if we didn't butt heads from time to time. She just needs some time to cool off."

Rebecca appeared unsure with her final statement. Dani had a gut feeling that this disagreement between Ashley and Rebecca was far worse than any previous. Dani didn't want to ask the blonde woman more questions in case she irritates her once again. It's clear now what Rebecca did for a living: she had sex with strangers in exchange for money. She didn't seem like the kind of person who would agree to that, but is there really anyone who would do it voluntarily?

"You must be thinking how shitty of a sister I am," Rebecca drawled.

"No…Nothing like that."

"I wasn't kidding when I said I had to do some unruly shit to get what I wanted."

"I didn't doubt you."

"I'm not some slut who fucks for fun either. I really need the money I get. It's not like I've tried other things but you can't exactly shop for two on a cashier paycheck. Getting multiple jobs is hard because I have to look after Ashley and you can see how well that's gone."

"So now what?"

"Now we finish the food and you help me clean up," Rebecca prompts with her signature smile.

Sitting in silence, they finished their meals. Tonight, the chilly quietness that usually accompanies Dani's solo meals pierced her heart like a sharp instrument. Dani couldn't help but feel responsible for the sisters' outbursts this evening. Perhaps they wouldn't have gotten so worked up over each other if she hadn't been present to add unwanted tension to the situation. Dani could tell this had been brewing for a while, so she knew there was little chance of that happening. They would never have been able to contain their rage at one another.

Dani did as she was told and assisted with the dishes once they had finished dining. That task was likewise completed silently. Rebecca chooses to interrupt the silence and ask Dani a question while she's finishing up the last dish.

"How do you do it by yourself?"

"I don't know to be honest. I keep busy and my head up. I don't let things bother me as much because I know it would only affect me negatively."

"Sounds good on paper, how well does it go in practice?" Rebecca speculated as she wiped off her hands.

"About as well as you'd think. The nights are cold and lonely. Sometimes I feel as worthy as the gum underneath someone's shoe."

"Ah, I figured." she mutters.

"But hitting milestones feels all the more better. When you finally save up to your goal amount, or buy that thing you really wanted, or get the ideal job you want. Even something as trivial to the normal person as making a friend. When you've never lived a normal life, the little things mean so much more."

"I see-"

"You're doing everything you can to keep your family alive," Dani interrupts. "It feels like hell right now but I promise when you finally get yourself and your sister off the streets that feeling of relief and happiness will come like never before."

"I appreciate your kind words. I don't exactly get to talk to people about my thoughts," Rebecca sniffles.

"Well from now on we should be talking a lot more."

Rebecca smiles, "Yeah."

When Dani decided it was time to head home, it was already dark in the industrial park. She expresses her gratitude to Rebecca repeatedly for the invitation. and then gives her another round of gratitude as the blonde gives her two Tupperware containers full of food to go home. Dani waves goodbye to the woman before heading back to her little house.

Compared to the time it took her to get there, the walk home felt longer. Most likely because this time she wasn't idly daydreaming. She strolls down the well-traveled route, her ears filled with the hiss of crickets and cicadas. Dani observes that some of the locals are gathered around a barrel fire, while others are sitting in front of their tents, each with a solitary fire. The fact that no one seemed to disturb one other here pleased the adolescent. Because everyone remained to themselves, the community was largely safe. You did not have to worry about someone stealing your belongings while you were away during the day.

Dani uses the key to unlock the door when she arrives at the small security shack that she has christened her home. Taking a quick look, she notices that her watch is approaching nine o'clock. After putting her things on the desk, Dani gets ready for bed right away. She felt sleepy from all that food. Now that she had made two new pals, she laid in bed wondering what the future held. She didn't care what happened as long as she could form a new friendship with someone absolutely unrelated to her.

Bad things happen to good people is a phrase used to express the idea that, regardless of one's level of goodness, the universe—or whichever entity one may choose to believe in—does not discriminate in the terrible outcomes it may hand down to any one random person.

In the dark of night, Dani awakens to the sound of someone yelling her name and beating on her door. She jumps up in bed and looks around her to take in as much information as she can. Dani is about to transition into her ghost form when she is interrupted by a voice calling her name.

"DANI? ARE YOU IN THERE?" Rebecca yells frantically. "PLEASE! OPEN UP!"

Without missing a beat, Dani dashes to the door and opens it, revealing the messy blonde, dressed in PJ bottoms and a hoodie. She appears to have been crying for a while, and the beads of sweat on her brow suggest that she might have been running.

"Rebecca, what's wrong?" Dani questions quickly but she has a feeling that she already knows.

"Ashley hasn't come home and I've been looking everywhere for her!"

Dani was aware that Ashley and Rebecca's dispute was far more serious than Rebecca had made it appear. To attempt and brush it off as a typical lady quarrel would be to completely underestimate the seriousness of what they were saying to one other. But Dani knew that dinner was the reason Rebecca didn't want to create a scene. Dani could tell the blonde is desperate by the expression in her eyes.

"I'll help you look then!" Dani insisted as she grabbed her jacket from her chair.

Dani knew nothing about Ashley or her typical hangout areas, so she blindly followed Rebecca as they hurriedly scoured the industrial park. Dani quickly realized that they had been traveling in circles for the previous thirty minutes and came to the conclusion that it was the blind leading the blind. They pulled up to rest in front of an ancient, rusted, deserted, and completely wrecked automobile. If Dani turned into a ghost, she could spend minutes searching the entire place, but she couldn't possibly do that in front of Rebecca.

Dani was also aware that the longer a person goes missing, the less likely it is that they will ever be discovered. Rebecca is crying once more and is at a loss for what to do. Her sister was essential to her existence.

"She doesn't normally leave for this long," Rebecca whimpers.

"Who was that guy you were talking about at dinner?"

Dani can see that Rebecca's expression noticeably darkens at the mere mention of this guy.

"A rat bastard who's known for selling drugs in the area. His name is Eddy and he was a one-time customer of mine. I invited him over for dinner and caught him checking my sister out so I told him he can never come back. Well turns out he's been weaseling his shitty mindset into Ashley's head. I didn't even know he had her working for him."

"Any idea where he hangs out?"

Rebecca takes a moment to think. "Not really but I can try calling him and getting him to meet me."

"You think that'll work?" Dani questions.

"The dude thinks with his dick more than his actual brain most of the time. If it involves money or pussy he's willing to listen."

"Give him a ring then."

After a few dropped calls and an extremely sensual and obscene chat, Rebecca had managed to lure the man into meeting up at their place. Unless this guy is a complete moron, Dani knew that Ashley was probably not with him. Ashley most certainly met with him earlier and has since departed, or they never met at all. So where was she going with that money stash?

After 10 minutes or so, an ancient Lincoln Town Car pulls to a stop next to the dilapidated, rusting vehicle. Dani is currently peeping behind a building. She observes Rebecca as she waits for him to exit the vehicle. She was instructed by Rebecca to wait for her signal, whatever that might entail. Although Dani wasn't sure if the guy was unfriendly, she can't expect him to be the happiest child on the block because he is a drug dealer. Dani is prepared to put an end to everything before anyone is harmed.

"Stop right there, asshole," Rebecca snarls at him as he exits his car.

"Baby, don't be like that. We can grab a few drinks at my place and relax," Eddy suggests as he takes a step forward.

"I said don't fucking move!" she shouts angrily.

Eddy narrows his eyes. "Ya know this 'playing hard to get' act of yours isn't cute," he spat.

"Where's my sister?"

Eddy peers at her, confused at first, then chuckles to himself, "How the fuck am I supposed to know? I'm not her babysitter."

"Don't give me that shit! You don't think I know y'all hang out?"

"Bitch, you calling me a liar? I would watch that whore mouth of yours if I were you."

"Or what? You think I'm afraid of you?"

"I'll ask you that question again after I cut out your tongue," Eddy retorts.

Eddy flashes a knife from his pocket, and Dani's eyes widen. She had no idea that things would get started so rapidly. Just as Dani is ready to move forward, she stops dead in her tracks upon seeing what Rebecca takes out from under her sweatshirt. The blonde aims a pistol shakily toward Eddy's chest. Even though she is crying bitterly, Dani can tell that she is determined to act and won't think twice about pulling the trigger.

"And I'm going to ask you a question for the last time; where is my sister?"

"I don't fucking know! She never came by today!"

"You're lying," she growls, tightly gripping the pistol grip.

"I swear I don't know so put the gun down!" Eddy urges with his hands up.

"You're a fucking liar!"

"I SWEAR!"

"What did you make her do?" Rebecca mutters.

"Wha-"

"What did you make her do to get that money!" she screams this time, shaking the gun at him.

"I-" Eddy pauses but the look in Rebecca's bloodshot eyes told him he didn't have a lot of time to answer. "I gave her a brick to sell but that's it! I swear to God that's all she did!"

"Did you have sex with her?"

Eddy's expression darkened and he opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.

"DID YOU HAVE SEX WITH MY 15 YEAR OLD SISTER?" her voice echoing into the silent night.

Oh no. Regardless of his response, Dani already knows how things will turn out. Before Rebecca did something she would later regret, she had to stop this. Dani alerts the irate woman by running from her hiding place and calling out to her.

"Rebecca! Stop!"

With hate in her eyes, the blonde casts a sidelong glance at the approaching youngster. Never should Dani have allowed her to do this. Eddy took advantage of the commotion and got into his vehicle. Rebecca whips around with the handgun in hand and fires at the driver-side window. Glass is shattered by the first shot, and the windshield is broken by the second. Eddy cries in pain before shifting into drive and pressing the accelerator. The driver-side door is shot through with another shot. Rebecca pursues the vehicle, setting up another round to break the back windshield.

An automobile horn pierces the darkness as the vehicle swerves off the road and strikes a tree. Rebecca doesn't take long to get to the car and finds Eddy peering up at her from his seat, barely alive and bleeding. In an attempt to put an end to this madness permanently, Dani follows suit. Dani is still too far away to hear Eddy whispering something to Rebecca. Another four shots penetrate the late-night atmosphere. Within the Lincoln, Eddy lay lifeless, his chest punctured by four bullets.

"W-why would you do that?!" Dani snaps at the woman.

Rebecca ignores the teen and continues to look blankly at the now-deceased Eddy. Dani grabs Rebecca's sweater by the front to get her attention. She gives the woman a menacing gaze, but Rebecca's countenance stays grave and icy throughout.

"You just killed a man," Dani whispers harshly.

"It was nothing less than he deserved," she retorted.

"Is that what you believe?"

Rebecca twists her face into a scowl. "Don't ask so high and mighty. I know what you are. If you wanted to stop me then you would have," she hisses. Rebecca pushes Dani away from her and begins to walk away from the crime scene. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go look for my sister."

Is this real? Was Dani currently dreaming? How could Rebecca be so casual about ending someone's life? Her eyes instantly need to be forced away from the gory image as she casts a quick glimpse inside the vehicle. The vomit rises to her throat and is swallowed by Dani. She always felt queasy when she saw blood. She looks around, sensing that there are homeless onlookers who are standing and observing. None of them took action. Staying at the crime site is pointless. For Ashley's sake, she will attempt to locate Ashley alone.

The teenage girl was also troubled by Rebecca's admission that she knew who she was. How on earth could she be aware of her secret identity? Perhaps Rebecca was discussing a different topic. She prayed that Rebecca was talking about something else for her own protection. It wasn't appropriate to question her about any knowledge she might have about her alter ego just now.

She looked into every possible place for the most of the night. Dani had no idea why she had bothered looking in the first place—it's likely that Ashley had moved out of the industrial park. She glances at her watch, which shows 2:23. So much for her sleep schedule. She just walks about in the hope that she may run into Ashley. Rather, she glimpses someone standing behind a tree, barely out of sight, who is wearing a yellow raincoat. She recalls meeting a man at work earlier who had on a yellow raincoat.

The Halfa keeps walking as if she hadn't noticed the individual. She questions how long they had been pursuing her and how she missed it. That disqualifies the man from being a ghost. She attempts to get another look at him, but he's gone. Dani sees him farther down the tree line once more. Silently, she follows him, clinging like a shadow to the blackness of the tree trunks. Dani had the impression that he was guiding her. She follows him into the woods, watching him carefully. Dani trailed him into a clearing where he appeared to vanish with the cool night air of June.

Dani spots a figure lying in the long grass under the moonlight. She approaches the figure slowly, and the jagged paw of fear grips her by the heart. Dani looks down and notices an envelope on the ground; it was Ashley's envelope. She takes one more faltering step forward, her hands covering her mouth as she makes eye contact with her brown, lifeless eyes.

"Holy shit," she whispers.

Was Eddy lying when he said he had no idea where Ashley was? Did he do it? Dani's feeling a lot less guilty about his current situation. She looked over at her corpse again and saw heavy bruises around her neck; it was clear that the manner of death was asphyxiation by strangulation. Ashley's shirt is torn open, and her pants are gone. Her eyes, wide with pain and terror, were never closed. Dani could tell this had happened recently by the dried tears streaks on her cheeks. This could not have been Eddy, much as she wanted to put the blame on him. This has to have occurred during the argument between Rebecca and Eddy.

It occurred during an argument between Ashley's lover and sister, who had no idea that Ashley was being murdered in cold blood by a stranger. What Ashley went through was beyond Dani's comprehension.

The fucking monster didn't even take the money.

The adolescent hears footsteps approaching gently from behind. Dani knew who it was, so she didn't bother to look. Rebecca lumbers past Dani to her younger sister's corpse. The blonde collapses to her knees, holding her sister's body close to her heart. Rebecca pressed her cheek against the top of Ashley's head and wept bitterly.

She found it all unbelievable. Dani is unable to move or blink as she remains fixed to the ground. The Halfa is groggy, unable to perceive her surroundings, and exhibits slow thinking and movement. It is inevitable that Dani is dreaming. Yes, that's all there is to it. The teenager is now waiting, just like she usually did, to awaken from this horrific nightmare. However, that time never arrived. It never arrived, the sweet relief that this world would shrink to nothing but a sliver of her mind. This is reality; it's not a fantasy.

However, that would imply Ashley's actual demise.

But it did more than just insinuate it; it proved it beyond a reasonable question to be a fact of this universe. There was no news more awful. Unfortunately, the adolescent was unaware that this would be Dani's first introduction to the harsh reality of human nature. She is in the crosshairs for the second lesson, which will arrive even faster than the first and with more lethal precision.

Dani heard the muted footsteps of someone walking out of sight in the treeline, somewhere between the steady rhythm of Rebecca's cries. She looks around and notices that the man she was trailing is peering at them through his yellow raincoat. The man's light blue eyes staring at her, his needless clothes, everything about him emanated negativity. The man motions for her to approach him.

She doesn't hesitate to approach the man, presumably because she still doesn't think this is real. Thus, she would prefer to go with the flow of the dream rather than prolong this awful nightmare. The man smells like sewage and pee, and Dani wrinkles her nose in distaste. His smile is twisted, like if he was showing them his latest artwork.

"Did you do this?" She murmurs under her breath, already knowing the answer.

The man smiles more broadly and nods several times. His hands clap together as he lets out a tiny laugh. Dani sensed no sorrow or remorse from the stranger, and she is beginning to wonder if he is even human. Bile was beginning to rise in her throat once more. She shuts her eyes, hoping to find whatever sliver of peace that may exist within her thoughts.

"Why?"

"Because I needed to," he answered eagerly.

Biting her lip, Dani tries to remain composed. She asked him if he killed this girl, and he responded so casually that it seemed like she was just asking what day of the week it is. Dani concluded that this individual could not possibly be human due to his lack of empathy for people who are similar to him. Despite this, Dani hasn't even detected the slightest hint of paranormal activity emanating from him. Despite his humanity, Dani did not accept it. How could somebody be that cruel?

"But I didn't want to. We were having a good time and she kept making loud noises so I stopped her from making noises. They always make noise when we're having a good time so I have to stop them."

"They? There were more?" Dani is moments away from throwing up her dinner.

"There were two more but they both threatened to tell so I had to stop them. It's a shame cause we were having such a good time."

"What do you mean by 'stop them'?"

"I put my hands around their neck and squeeze until they stop moving," he answers instantly.

"What is your name?" Dani probed.

"Roger, but my friends call me Randy!"

Though Randy was anything but little or a toddler, his speech patterns resembled those of a small child to Dani. The man is enormously taller than her, with his muscular biceps showing through his raincoat. His face is marked by a curious expression, akin to a cat's curiosity over a stranded mouse. She was at a loss for questions to ask him. Dani was shocked by his confessions, as she hadn't anticipated him to come clean about his transgressions. He handled these women as if they were toys, to be used and discarded as he pleased.

Randy is grinning, but it's a genuine smile of happiness rather than malice. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Randy didn't think his actions were improper. Is he really a monster from birth? Dani couldn't help but wonder how he arrived at his conclusion. Randy is a riddle that Dani finds impossible to answer, at least at this point. She begins to back away from the smirking man, but is halted when he clutches her wrist. Dani felt as though an iron vise grip had suddenly been placed around her wrist, even with her superhuman strength.

Randy's abrupt action frightens Dani so much that she nearly turns into a ghost out of sheer instinct. She's about to strike like a rabid cat trapped in a corner, her eyes glowing green, but she immediately realizes what she's going to do and calms herself. What was she thinking? She couldn't possibly hurt a human being. These abilities are used solely for fighting ghosts and protecting humans.

"Would you like to have a good time with me?"

Dani's world unfolds in slow motion as she replays Randy's words in her mind. Fear surges through her veins as her blue eyes widen. Attempting to wrench her arm free once more, she finds it difficult to deal with Randy's immense strength. Dani becomes intangible and escapes his hold, hurriedly backing away from the man.

"Oops you're slippery!" Randy acknowledged.

"Get away from me," she snaps harshly.

Randy's happy expression fades into a disturbed scowl, as though Dani had just taken away his beloved toy. It truly seems as though he is about to cry. For a moment, Dani almost felt bad.

"You don't want to have a good time?"

"No!" Dani insists, shaking her head.

Randy turns to the mourning woman by the tall grass. "That's okay, I wanted her anyway," he admits. "She has pretty hair."

She was so scared that she had completely forgotten about Rebecca. Dani turns to look behind her and sees the blonde where she left her. After everything she's been through, being assaulted next to her deceased sister would be crippling. Dani was at a loss for what to do. She now has an option—her or the helpless woman who recently lost her sister—thanks to Randy's subliminal ultimatum.

Randy steps toward Rebecca, who has no idea what might happen to her in the following thirty seconds. Dani contemplates allowing Randy to stroll over there after recalling that Rebecca is armed. His passing would only lessen the suffering that is currently ailing the earth. The antithesis of defending people is to let a man walk to his death. The gun could possibly be empty, prompting Rebecca's horrid death. It boils down to two decisions: does she step in or not?

Dani reaches out to grab Randy's in an attempt to stop him from getting close to Rebecca. Her hand is soaked with sweat as she stands firm on her decision. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she swallows to quell her parched throat.

"We can have a good time…"

Randy gasps, "Really?"

Dani stiffly nods, "Only if you promise not to touch that woman."

"Hm I don't know," he doubts, tilting his head.

"I'll have a good time with you as many times as you want if you promise not to touch her or anyone else ever."

"And you won't tell?"

"I won't tell."

"Okay! Let's go back to my tent!"

Though she feels like screaming no and running, Dani has to stick to her decision. As Randy escorted Dani off, she casts a sidelong glance at Rebecca's sobbing figure, hoping the blonde will survive the horrible event that occurred to her this evening. And now that the subject has been brought up, she hopes that she, too, will survive the catastrophe that is going to claim her.

People who are under a lot of stress have a tendency to endure psychological and physiological changes; they may have trouble breathing, hazy vision, headaches, heart palpitations, poor judgment, memory loss, and elevated emotional tension. Given that they are deceased, ghosts hardly ever go through any of it; hence, neither physical nor psychological symptoms have the same impact on them. Since Dani was created using human DNA—specifically, Danny's DNA—she is likewise afflicted by the mental health issues that affect people.

That would account for the overwhelming sense of terror she is experiencing right now. Randy led her back to his yellow tent, which had a tiny tear in it. There was a tremor that went through her whole body every time her shoe touched the floor. She inhales, but no breath seems to enter her body. As they step into the tent, beads of perspiration fall from her forehead. It seemed as though her heart would burst from her chest. The teenage girl's breathing is labored, and her movements are hindered. Urine stench permeates the dark inside of Randy's tent. Dani stops dead in her tracks, but she is propelled forward by the large guy.

"This is my place," Randy introduces. "Do you like it?"

"Uh yeah. Yeah I do like it."

"Are you ready to have a good time?"

Unsure of what to answer, Dani swallows, knowing that Rebecca would be in danger if she said no. She didn't want to say yes, Lord knows she didn't want to say yes, because it felt like she was enabling him and giving her permission for him to hurt her. Randy moans in dissatisfaction and Dani will soon realize that having him wait would cause more harm than good.

Randy growls, "I asked you if you're ready."

"P-p-please I-"

Dani screams as Randy pushes her to her hands and knees, as if she weighed nothing. She lands in some kind of cushion and struggles not to fall flat on her face, scratching her elbows on crusty smears. Randy drops on his knees next to her after yanking his trousers down around his ankles. Dani tries to stop the man from ripping at her clothes by tossing and turning.

"Don't fucking touch me!"

Randy ignores her protests and manages to remove her pants and fling them on on the floor. Randy drags her back toward him despite her attempts to wriggle away from him. Feeling Randy tug at her underwear, Dani's eyes enlarge and her cries become even more intense.

"Stop! I said stop! Please!" She screams desperately.

Dani tries to shut her legs, but Randy pushes them apart; she repeats the action to prevent him from removing her underpants. Randy immediately grows upset and delivers an explosive punch to her liver. Dani lets out a cry of anguish as the excruciating blow to her stomach causes all of the oxygen to escape her lungs. She clenches her gut, shedding more tears from her cheeks. In one swift move, Randy tears her panties off and yanks her legs apart, revealing her hairy center to the man. He stares lustfully at his objective, licking his lips with want.

"P-please," she coughs. "I'm begging you. I'll do anything, just stop."

Randy quickly takes hold of her hips and pushes himself inside of her all at once. Dani, in excruciating pain, screams bloody murder, feeling as though he is about to split her in two. Her body is suddenly filled with so much anguish that she feels like she could burst at any moment. Randy ruthlessly started stabbing her insides, disregarding her cries of anguish. Her sole solace from the agony she endured from him inserting his dry penis inside of her comes from the virgin vaginal blood acting as lubricant. She feels dirty and exploited, and she detests every minute of it.

Dani collapses into a weeping, hyperventilating panic episode. Randy uses his full body to pin her down as she struggles to squirm away. The petite young girl felt as though a weighted blanket was suffocating her, as she was unable to move a muscle and had trouble breathing. Her eyesight is becoming dark and fuzzy. She was on the verge of fainting, but Randy didn't stop, nor did she faint. The adolescent had to put up with her savage rape for the entire duration. Randy repeatedly tears her cervix open with his hardness. Dani's mouth fills up with saliva, as if she were going to vomit from the stink of his body and breath.

In an avaricious attempt to pursue his orgasm, Randy picks up the pace, reaches his peak, and discharges his sperm within Dani's vagina. Dani throws up all over herself because she can no longer stand the sensation and scent. But Randy wasn't done with her yet; he continued without stopping, just pausing to inject his sperm into the innocent child underneath him. This horror show lasted two hours; by the time Randy finished assaulting her, she was barely responsive from shock. Her body trembled, covered with vomit, blood, and semen.

Randy rises up quietly, pulls his trousers up, and turns to exit the tent. He abandons Dani to the nasty nightmare he just forced her to live through in the dark. Feeling the slimy substance of vomit slip down her throat, she gags and spits up the tart bits of food. Her memory keeps playing back the same scenario.

Dani and Danny were having some Nasty Burger while perched on a large apartment building in Amity Park. They had just spent most of the day practicing the fundamentals of ghost fighting over and over. It would be an understatement to say she is exhausted. Dani stops to drink from her Coke while she devours her double cheeseburger. They were talking about the essentials of having a hero attitude and becoming a hero.

While, more accurately, simply Danny is speaking, Dani is obligingly gazing out at Amity Park's azure sky. Not because she doesn't think his opinions are important; rather, it's just that she's sick of hearing the same thing again and over. How many more times does she need to hear that "people are good and ghosts are bad" ? It was a very ordinary notion and not at all difficult to comprehend. She frequently witnessed instances of ghosts causing harm to people. For example, beneath the bridge, pale ghouls with black eyes, rashes, and long yellow nails pose as people to attack them at all hours of the day or night.

"So we never use our powers against humans?" Dani nonchalantly yawns.

Danny gives her a fierce look as his eyes briefly become green. "Don't even joke about something like that," he snaps. "There is never a moment where you should ever be using your powers against people. We protect them, not hurt them."

"And if they try to hurt us?"

"An ordinary human will never pose a threat to you."

Danny emphasized that living up to those principles is essential to being a hero.

Humans won't post a threat to us, huh?

It was almost laughably deceiving. That was not human-emulating ghouls assaulting other people under the bridge, Dani realized as she lay cold, nude, and alone in a stranger's tent, assaulted by said stranger. The persons she witnessed shooting, stabbing, or beating others who were either in comparable circumstances or were just going about their daily lives were, in fact, all human. It's not just ghosts; humans are also capable of causing harm to others.

Even after being brutally raped by a human, she had no ill feelings against Randy. How was she able to? Following all the lessons Danny imparted to her about how humans represent the highest form of decency in the universe. That's mostly why, even though she had every right to have stopped him from injuring her, she didn't. How can something supposedly so nice bring her so much pain? Is he even a person? Is she a person? Is she a ghost? Did this deserve to happen to her? How could she have done anything to earn this?

Her eyes started to brim up with tears once again, but she brushed them away with her palms. The worst thing she could do at this point would be to question all of her ideals and beliefs. She feels her blood run cold as she hears approaching footsteps. Dani is scared that Randy will return at this very moment. She'd sooner die than allow him to rape her once more; she couldn't do that again. The sound of raised voices stops her panicking. She tries to listen, but her heartbeat is so fast that it's difficult to concentrate. She identifies the voices as belonging to Randy and Rebecca.

"Let go of me, you fucking retard!"

"Why? You said that if I made the brown haired lady go to sleep then you would play with me."

At the man's words, Dani's blood freezes. Were they referring to Ashley?

"I told you to rough her up," Rebecca snaps. "You fucking freak."

Dani hears a rageful shout and something hits the floor. Rebecca's muffled screams could be heard while Randy beats her. It appears that Randy's trigger word is freak. Despite Dani's best efforts, not a single muscle in her body responds to her commands to move. It wasn't because she was tired or lacking energy; rather, her body is still affected by the first shock of what occurred to her. She throws out an exasperated sigh. Dani focuses on moving her fingers first, then her hand, and eventually her arm. She heard a struggle of some kind occurring outside the tent.

"Get the fuck off me! I said no!"

Dani let out a frustrated yell, swallowing short breaths. Rebecca pleading with Randy to stop causes the young teen to have flashbacks of shouting at Randy to stop. She was not going to allow him to do to someone else what he had done to her. Dani turns onto her stomach, gasping and puffing, then shakily gets to her hands and knees. In the darkness, she feels about for anything to grasp onto for support. She reaches for something, a hard plastic of some kind, but it gives way with her sudden weight, and she stumbles forward. Dani emerges from the tent, feeling the refreshing night air caress her partially nude body.

Dani witnesses Randy brutally beating a presumably unconscious Rebecca while perched on top of her, about five feet from his tent's door. He shifted from pounding her with his fists to caressing her breasts as soon as he saw she was not responding. Dani's eyes darken as she witnesses the disgusting and nasty behavior. Was she expected to think this monster was human? No, to claim that he was anything but a person would be to minimize the reality that he is an awful human.

"Stop," she snarls with enough venom to kill a fully grown elephant.

Randy stops moving completely, as if hearing Dani's words were divine intervention. When he looks over his shoulder, he sees her standing there with the devil's eyes and a foreboding atmosphere around her.

"Who are you?-"

In the still night air comes the deafening crack of a gunshot. Dani, who appears unfazed, observes the big guy grasp for his throat after the shot had just pierced his jugular. He collapses onto his side, choking on his own blood; a few seconds later, he is immobile, looking up into the sky blankly like a roach that has been sprayed with insect repellent.

Dani glances at a battered and bleeding Rebecca, who is holding the still-smoking pistol. She was barely alive, her lung punctured by a shattered rib, and she had trouble breathing, yet she clung pathetically to life. Unsure of how to feel for the blonde, Dani hobbles closer to her. Right now, all Dani wants to know is what the whole thing was for.

"Why?" is the only word that leaves her mouth.

Rebecca already knew what Dani was talking about. "She wasn't going to survive in this world."

"You don't know that."

Rebecca coughs, "D-don't I? I had a fund that I was going to use to get us an apartment away from this shithole in hopes of restarting. I already had 6,000 saved up and it was stolen while I was at work. It wasn't the idea of starting over that broke me, but the fact that what I was trying so desperately to avoid ended up happening anyway. The only people who knew where that money was was me and Ashley. The next day I see Eddy with a new chain. I'm sure she wasn't completely to blame. Eddy probably coaxed her into stealing point is even though she loved to stand on her high horse, she already had been corrupted by the same shit she berated me for. It was only a matter of time Eddy left her to rot, and she'd end up in jail or chopped up in a black garbage bag."

"You don't seem bothered by the fact that your sister was raped and murdered."

"I am, but I can't let it get to me. To survive down here, you can't pretend to play the shepherd. The moment you fail to acknowledge the world as a wolf in sheep's clothing, is the moment you're going to be swallowed up. A shit stain that'll be washed away by tomorrow's rain." Rebecca lets out a small chuckle, " What a hypocrite I am because I let my sister's murder get to me, I guess I'm not the stoic survivor I thought I was."

"You're a monster."

In the palm of Dani's hand, a green light emerges. The intensity of Rebecca's facial injuries and her callous look are visible due to the light.

"Yet you could have stopped all of this," Rebecca weakly gasps. "I'm only human."

The green glow vanished as fast as it had come. Smoke rose from the radioactive wound as Rebecca lay lifeless, a huge hole in her chest.

I'm only human. Words that Dani will remember for the rest of her life.