Chapter 14- Gradutation

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves
-William Shakespeare

Phantoms words stayed with and haunted Jack (no pun intended) for the rest of the day. The stuff about the ghost zone was interesting and Jack could admit to being intrigued by the possibility that Amity Park's ghosts were either a kind of sub species or maybe a new one entirely. There was so much to learn about them it was mind boggling.

He was also curious (though more puzzled than anything) about Phantom's admission to being able to hide from ghost equipment and that apparently it wasn't exclusive to him. He had mentioned knowing a handful of other ghosts who could do the same.

The part that weighed heavily on his mind though, was the personal piece of the conversation. The one about Phantom being an Amity Park native. Someone who went to Casper High like his kids, who visited the same parks and stores and potentially had known them. Maybe that's why they were all friends? If Jazz and Danny had been friendly with Phantom in life then it would make sense for the ghost boy to seek them out after death.

Guilt ate away at Jack thinking of all the times he wanted to destroy the ghost. To rip him apart molecule by molecule until not even a trace was left. Even if Phantom wasn't as altruistic as his kids seemed to think he was, Jack knew at least that he wasn't malicious.

He wanted to talk with Maddie about what he'd learned, but Jack needed time to think it over first. How was he supposed to explain and relay something if he couldn't even wrap his mind around it?

xXxXxXxXxXx

Lancer was unsurprised to find Danny working on some project when he walked back into his room, a fresh cup of coffee in hand. What threw him for a loop was the sheer amount of concentration on his face. His resident slacker (who admittedly was getting much better) didn't usually look so in thought over homework.

"Mr. Fenton, what are you working on so diligently?" Danny jumped causing Lancer to chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm working on my creative writing project. We had to pick a topic that we didn't cover this year and do our final on that. I wanted to try my hand at doing a comic since I'm kinda good at art to."

"This wouldn't happen to get you out of two finals at once would it? Because I know you're taking an art class this year as well."

Danny flushed. "Well… I ran the idea by Mrs. Mach and she liked it so yeah, this will end up counting as two finals."

"Did you know you can plagiarize yourself? It's when you pass your work from one class in another as well." Mr. Lancer explained. "I've had a few students do it before, usually students who are held back and have to repeat the school year and all its assignments. Although I have dealt with it as vice principle for other subjects."

"You're not telling me this counts as plagiarism are you? I already talked to both of my teachers about this and they know I'm using it twice. Besides, it's getting graded on two different aspects; the art and the story."

Mr. Lancer sighed at the aggressive self-defense leaking into Danny's voice. "I'm not trying to get you in trouble Daniel. I realize in this particular case it's a bit different and having both your teachers aware of and ok with the situation also plays a part. I'm simply making you aware that self-plagiarism exists. I've seen you take short cuts before, Danny. I'd rather give you some extra information now in the hopes that it keeps you out of trouble someday."

"Oh."

Lancer suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "If you don't mind, I'd actually like to look at it when you're finished. You're a fairly talented artist."

"Thanks Mr. Lancer, but you probably won't want to read it. I don't think it's all that good." Danny said with a flush.

If Lancer didn't know any better, he'd say Danny sounded embarrassed. Odd. "I'm not expecting professional work Danny, you're still figuring out your style. However, I've seen assignments for your writing and art class and I do believe you have a knack for both. I'm sure whatever you come up with will be well done… What is your comic about by the way?"

At the question Danny turned even redder. "Uh… it's about a, a superhero."

"Oh? I used to read those back when I was in college. Perhaps I've heard of the hero you're doing your project on."

Mr. Lancer looked at his student expectantly and Danny stared back silently for a minute before admitting, "I'm using Phantom as my protagonist."

"That's… certainly original. I think it'll turn out excellent. You seem to have a lot of passion about ghost hunting to use."

xXxXxXxXxXx

"What's got you so quiet?" Maddie asked bringing up some sandwiches and a fresh batch of fudge brownies to the opts center. "You're not much for silent contemplation honey."

Jack watched his wife gently set down their lunches, his stomach growling when he smelled the chocolaty treat she made just for him. "Have you ever thought you knew someone and then it turned out you had them all wrong?"

"I think we've all had that to a degree. You remember that guy in our physics lab, Christian?"

"Christian Kushner?" Maddie nodded. "Of course I remember that jerk. He was always bragging about how many women he could date at once."

"You remember how we didn't get along?"

"Maddie, nobody like the guy. But I do remember there being a lot of hostility between the two of you."

"That's because I used to date him."

"No." Jack said in disbelief. "Why would you go out with a tool like him?"

"Because he knew how to be charming and a gentleman when he wanted. But he could never keep it up and he hadn't quite learned how to juggle multiple women at that point. I caught him making out with two other girls and he didn't even try defending himself when I confronted him about it. That's why I was so bitter about having him in our lab group."

"I used to wonder about that but never bothered to ask. You used to get so touchy about it whenever his name was even mentioned."

"Mm. He was my first college boyfriend. I was pissed he turned out to be such a sleaze." She paused to grab her sandwich. "Who are you suddenly having a revelation about?"

"I ran into Phantom a few days ago and we talked."

"Is that a bad thing?" Maddie asked trying to understand what had Jack all twisted up inside.

Jack struggled for a moment. "He said he's from here Maddie. That he lived here and died here. He used to go to Casper High and hang out in the Mall and play in the park. He said his family still lives here and that he sees them around but they don't know it's him. What kind of parent wouldn't recognize their own child?" He asked looking into Maddie's eyes.

The words stung like salt in a wound and Maddie dropped her gaze. "It's hard to admit things to yourself when you don't want to, even if they're in front of your eyes." She said softly.

"Phantom said something pretty similar." It was almost earie to hear Maddie echo the same sentiment. "Did you know? Have you talked about this with him?"

Maddie shook her head. "No Jack. I just… I've wondered. Haven't you? Why our town is special? Why he sticks around so much instead of staying in the ghost zone?" She stared at the food in her hands, appetite vanishing. Those questions had always bothered her. She'd gotten the answer that fateful night when she'd caught Danny transforming, or rather Phantom transforming. It was a heavy burden, the responsibility and secret. It was hard to imagine how Danny could handle both so well.

"I couldn't bring myself to ask but, do you think we knew him? Before he died?"

"Yeah. It's probably why he hangs around our family so much. You've noticed right? That he's taken a liking to the kids? And us too? All those times we shot at him… Phantom could have retaliated or done something in the name of self-defense but he never did."

"I just don't remember anyone Phantom's age dying since we've been here. There were a few kids in that bus crash when we first moved here but…" Jack shook his head coming up with no other deaths that stood out in his mind.

"Did we ever tell the kids that's part of why the family assault vehicle was built?"

"No, but I don't think they'd believe us."

Maddie couldn't help it, she laughed. "Too true. Was that all you two talked about?"

It was Jacks turn to smile. "Actually, there was some stuff you'd find interesting. Phantom hypothesized that the ghosts here are a new species. That's why they can exist without an attachment."

Maddie gave him a confused look. "I thought Phantom was the only one who might not have an obsession." It stood to reason that because he wasn't a full ghost he didn't need an attachment. The connection to his body was all the attachment he needed.

"He claims to have friends that don't have one either." Jack shrugged helplessly. "I haven't met them. Maybe obsessions aren't as obvious in the ghost's native world or maybe they really don't have one. It's certainly something to think about."

"It sure is." Maddie agreed.

"I've also figured out part of his mystery."

"Oh?" This would be good.

"I don't know the mechanisms behind it but apparently Phantom can mask his energy. That's why his signal disappears, the sensors can't pick it up."

Well. That was one way to put it. Maddie didn't know the finer details of it herself, how the transformation worked, but she did have her theories. Danny probably didn't know the science behind it either.

"Did you ask him about it?" Jack didn't always let things go. He was like a dog with a bone when it came to things he was interested in.

"I tried to. He didn't want to talk about it so we moved on to other things." Jack made a grab for a brownie and Maddie gave him a look. He pouted before reaching for his sandwich instead. "What I don't get is how he could suppress his energy so well considering how much he has. I've seen the ghost shield stop suppressed ectoplasm before. Overshadowed people can't break through despite the energy being masked because it's still active. Usually it's only passive energy like our weapons that can breach the shields…" He took a bite of his food chewing thoughtfully. "Maybe that's the trick. He's figured out how to make his energy passive. Is that possible?"

Maddie frowned at the thought. To her knowledge it wasn't. The active state of their ectoplasm kept them alive. Without it, they'd be no different from the charged, non-sentient samples in the lab. But Phantom wasn't your typical ghost. His electrical matrix wasn't just tethered to a core- it was still connected to a functional brain and nervous system. It was possible his core entered a dormant state when he reverted back to his human form.

"I don't think it's something your average ghost could pull off, but Phantom's not exactly average. It's just another part of what makes him different."

Jack took another big bite. "I don't know." He said around a mouthful of food before swallowing. "Phantom said he knew other ghosts who had ways of getting around ghost shields. I don't think it's common, but based on that it's not as unique as we thought. He also said if we knew how he did it, we could counter his workaround."

To her knowledge his 'workaround' was just slipping back into human form. Keeping Phantom locked as a ghost would stop him but Maddie wasn't about to trap her son in his ghost form. In fact she was more interested in being able to selectively disable his ghost powers to keep him out of trouble. Not that she'd started any work on that particular vein of research.

"I wonder who the other ghosts are. I don't remember anyone else breaching our defenses."

They couldn't be more hybrids. Maddie remembered the lab accident with the portal, how Danny had somehow gotten it to work. She didn't need Danny's confirmation to know that the incident had birthed Phantom. But she and Jack had the only working portal in existence. There couldn't have been any other accidents leading to more.

"I don't think we've met them. They might be some of the friends he talks about… He's mentioned them before, his friends I mean. What do you think about meeting them?"

Jack hadn't mentioned his plans to Maddie, but he figured it was better to have backup if things went wrong. It also felt wrong sneaking around meeting up with ghosts behind his wife's back. Although it felt like Maddie did that sometimes with Phantom.

"I think it'd be good to interact with other ghosts besides Phantom." She thought about Jack's comments. About Amity's ghosts being a new type, maybe a more peaceful and intelligent kind if they didn't have an obsession corrupting them. "We keep seeing him as an outlier and I think he is in certain ways, but maybe not as much as we originally thought. Maybe he's just one of these other ghosts. Meeting his friends is the best chance we have at finding out more about them."

It was something she planned on doing when she felt confident enough exploring the ghost zone. According to his files, Phantom's friends primarily stuck to their lairs. She was a little leery of seeking ghosts out on their turf where they had the upper hand but… interacting with them in their natural setting held a certain appeal. Especially if she'd be as safe with them as Phantom claimed.

"Are you looking to meet one?"

"Well, I don't think I'd be comfortable doing it before I'm healed but yeah. I'm not gonna let that incident with Blazek get to me. This is our life's work Maddie and we might be on the verge of another break through. You said it yourself, this is our best chance. I was talking to Phantom about it and he said he'd set something up in a few weeks."

xXxXxXxXxXx

Danny wondered the halls looking for his sister. In her rush to get to the school early (and how Jazz was that?) she'd forgotten to bring the cookies she'd baked for her teachers. He personally didn't see the need to give all her teachers a little thank you present, but then again Jazz got along well with them. She'd always had an easier time befriending her educators. More than her peers at least and certainly more than him. It probably helped that Jazz was such an outstanding student.

Talking caught his attention when he turned down the hall and Danny walked over to the room. '150. Well, that is her homeroom.' He peered inside to see just Jazz pacing in front of the desk, making hand gestures. 'She must be nervous.' He thought phasing through the door. Jazz didn't usually pace unless her nerves were getting to her.

"What we learned in boating school is to keep a tight hold on our roots. What better way to do this than to hold on to special people in our lives?"

A snorted escaped him. His older sister using a SpongeBob reference was too amusing.

Jazz turned red as she spun around and caught sight of Danny. "What?" she asked indignantly.

"Nothing. I can't be a considerate brother for once?" He asked gently shaking the box of gift bags in his arms.

She took the box and set it on the desk. "This isn't gonna attract you-know-who is it? Because I'd like to get through my graduation without any incidents."

"I wouldn't be worried. Vlad's got a duplicate keeping an eye on the school to discourage any visitors."

"How'd you get him to agree to that?"

"It wasn't that hard. I told him mom would be upset if your graduation was upstaged by ghosts. She would be. You've been looking forward to graduation since elementary school Jazz and she's really excited for you. We all are." He gave his sister a tight hug. "SpongeBob though?"

The blush returned as she pulled back. "It's for the rest of the class, not me." She frowned while giving Danny a searching look. "I meant what I said. About the 'holding on to the special people in our lives'. As much as I'm excited to go to college, I'm worried about leaving you. I know what you're gonna say." She said interrupting Danny. "You were doing just fine before I knew. You were Danny. You were doing an amazing job and I'm really proud. It's a lot of responsibility to handle for anyone, especially someone as young as you.

That doesn't keep me from worrying about you. I know you think I'm an annoying know it all and a lousy shot. My aim does leave something to be desired." She admitted, lips quirking up. "I know you don't like relying on me, but that's my part in all this Danny. I'm good at providing support. It's how I help. Your grades are important. Your mental health is important. Distracting Mom and Dad and keeping track of their inventions is important… I'm worried about running off and leaving you behind to deal with everything."

It warmed Danny's heart that Jazz cared so much. She really was a good sister, even if Danny liked to complain about her. "Hey, you can still visit. And if something goes wrong you're not that far away. Besides, I still have Sam and Tucker. It's not like you're leaving me all alone."

"I know, I just… You're not invincible Danny. And you're my little brother. It's not something I can help."

Well, he knew one thing that might help. "I think I have something that might put you more at ease."

"Yeah?"

"You know how mom and dad have been behaving better with ghosts?"

"Strangely enough."

"Dad's looking to meet more. We've already talked about him getting together with some of Phantom's friends."

"Are you serious? After his last fight he still wants to try diplomacy?"

"I know. I couldn't believe it at first either." He straighten and looked at Jazz seriously. "I'm considering telling them. Not like right now, I wanna see how the double date goes, but I think I might be able to tell them before you leave. Maybe you won't have to worry as much if they're looking out for me to."

"That would help." It wouldn't alleviate all her fears but it was a start and it would be a more comforting going away present that anything Jazz had planned on asking for.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Jazz scanned the faces of the students seated in front of her as she went through her speech. She felt a twinge of guilt that she couldn't put a name to the face for most of them, not immediately at least. She'd try to be better in college. Her eyes flicked over the last row of graduates and started looking through the bleachers. They stopped on Danny, seated between Sam and Tucker. Friends were important. Having a few close friends could make a world of difference. Jazz was a little jealous of her brother in that regard.

Sam sat next to mom who sat next to dad. They both looked so proud of her, standing in front of everyone giving her speech. The ambitious valedictorian who would no doubt go on to great things. She wasn't going to let them down.

Northwestern University wasn't her first choice. If she was being honest it hadn't even cracked the top five (those schools happened to be Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Vanderbilt and Rice). But that was before her involvement with team Phantom. As much as she wanted to go an Ivy League school, both for the educational challenge and the chance to study in a top rated psychology program, Jazz understood the necessity to study close to home. So she compromised.

The private university was still respectable; Northwestern was #18 on the list of top psychology schools in the country and considered one of the best for research. It was also only a few hours drive away which left her with the option of commuting back home for the week ends or speeding home during the day in the event of an emergency.

She planned on majoring in psychology with a focus on counseling for traumatic events. With all the ghost attacks people here dealt with, it was something she already had practice with. It was also something she personally felt called to. Not being able to properly deal with a bad experience had the potential to turn deadly. She'd seen that with Dan. She'd also seen it in the news with the rise in mass shootings. Violent crimes in general kept increasing at an alarming rate. It seemed the world was tearing itself to bits a little more each day.

Jazz was not suited for the frontlines, either as a fighter or medical responder. She'd told Danny as much a little while ago. She was better at picking up the pieces when the dust settled and putting people and their lives back together. It was important work that she was good at and Danny wasn't the only one in the family with a passion for helping people. Her way was just a little more passive.

Jazz hadn't told anyone that she planned to minor in several ghost studies, including parabiology and ghost culture. She owed Danny the first one, patching him up physically was just as important as it was mentally. The second one, she owed to the world, both of them.

Ghosts were gaining more widespread acceptance. Someone needed to be educated in their ways. Danny was a bridge between their worlds, an ambassador, but he wasn't a scholar. Her little brother was never going to be the one to sit down and educate curious or weary humans. Getting it was going to be a challenge. There were no schools here that offered such a degree which meant that Jazz was going to be one of the first (if not the first human) to attend classes at a ghost zone university. Good thing challenges excited her.

Omake:

"So… where do you wanna go?"

Kitty thought for a moment. "You know, I haven't been to the beach in a while. The water park was pretty fun but it's just not the same as the ocean. Feeling the warm sand beneath your toes, the sound of the waves, getting to feed the gulls, collecting seashells. There's nothing quite like it."

Guess it'll be like old times for you."

"Real old, but yeah." She replied quietly.

"I've never been to the beach. I lived in a city back when I was alive and it was always too far to make the effort. My sister sent me a post card of one once. I think it was from… the Florida Keys? Wherever it was it was beautiful. It showed all these people on the sand with the sun setting in the background. Never saw anything like that in real life."

"The sunsets are always best on the beach Johnny. There's nothing blocking your view and the way the sun reflects off the water adds this whole other element. It's really something special."

"Not as special as you kitten." Johnny said kissing her cheek.

Kitty rolled her eyes at the remark. "Your so corny." She said, but Kitty was left smiling from the gesture none the less and threaded her arm through Johnny's.

A/N: Well, I'm not fully satisfied with the chapter but I really wanted to be able to post. I also wanted to update on Feb 29th since I'm not going to get the chance with this story again (I don't plan on needing another 4 years) but it's a little before 2:00am on the 1st so that didn't happen. Degrees are available for pickup starting Monday so I will finally have my BS in microbiology. I've already applied to half a dozen jobs and I'm still browsing more. Hopefully I'll hear back from at least one of them and I'll have a decent position by the time I update again.

Notes:

"Phantom's admission to being able to hide from ghost equipment and that apparently it wasn't exclusive to him." Jack asks last chapter about the disappearing trick and Phantom says that it's related to how he gets around ghost shields. Phantom then says that other ghosts can get around the shields. Jack just assumes the two (hiding from equipment and ghost shield penetrating) are connected. In Phantom's case, yes. Wulf and Clockwork? Not so much.

Jack finally realizes that Phantom isn't a bad guy. This is like a major point, along with Danny verbally admitting that he plans on tell Maddie and Jack. We're more than half done with the story. Maybe two/thirds to three/fourths.

Jaz finally has a segment that sees her perspective. She hasn't had one this whole time. That one piece of Jazz's speech that you hear, that's actually from my own valedictorian's graduation speech. I have not given up hope even though I cannot for the life of me find any clips on google, YouTube, Facebook, twitter, or Instagram. I have looked for weeks. If anyone reading this is a NPHS 2015 graduate and has a recording I would love to get a copy.

I've read several convincing cases for Amity Park being in Illinois and in Indiana. For this story, it's in Illinois somewhere outside Chicago. Northwestern University is close by which Jazz would consider a must and it's psych program is highly accredited. I also like the idea of Jazz learning up on ghost stuff enough to get a degree, even if it's just a minor. I'm also currently reading a story (Mortified) where the ghost zone has colleges and Jazz is tempted to check them out. This seems very Jazz to me. She loves learning and why wouldn't she want see how ghost colleges compare to regular ones?

As always, let me know what you think. Spring is in the air and fast approaching (along with daylight savings) so enjoy the longer days.

~May