Set Alight

Chapter 8

"You don't have any wards against ghosts." It was only the kazillionth time I've learned something contrary to my prior belief. I don't even give it my shocked energy. Flying has left me insanely wiped out, and I flop on the couch, intent on not moving. Jack, who said this, doesn't seem too set on getting me upset again, drops the whole issue.

"Look, I know you're tired, but Jack and I should really show you how to change back," Danny says softly. I groan and throw a pillow at Ashton before hopping to my feet.

"Why me-" Ashton begins, but I cut him off.

"How?"

"As ghost, doesn't your body feel... much cooler and strong then your human one?"

I have two bodies. Weird. "When I'm not burning," I agree. Right now, however... I'm feeling pretty wiped out.

"Do you feel your heart?"

I resist the urge to blurt out a love song. I'm able to push down awful songs that are renditions of Disney songs (e.g. Can you Feel Your Heart Tonight, the Lion King) Lindsey isn't so successful.

She starts singing-in awful tone- Un-Break my Heart. I float a little into the air (it's easy, like seeing gravity's strings and cutting them) and over to her, putting a soft finger on her lips.

"Hush, hush, you'll only hurt yourself." Turning to Danny, I answer his question. "Yes, I can."

"Great," he enthuses, smiling brightly. "Then-"

"WAIT!" cries Lindsey.

We both look at her.

"Your clothes burned in your human form," she explains. "You'd probably only have on a lump of charcoal."

"LINDSEY," Ashton whines loudly. Surprisingly, Danny and Benedict both give him a withering glance. He shrugs. "Can't blame a guy..." he trails off, throwing himself on the couch.

"Then, I'll tell you how, and you can go change in your room," Danny offers. I nod. "So... Um... Okay. This is easier than flying, I promise. Feel your human self, picture it in your mind's eye, and push out anything that contradicts that image. The ghost form will just..." He clicks his tongue and snaps his fingers in unison.

"Okay, I'll try that." I start into the hallway. "Thanks."

In my room, I feel around internally for my human heart and awkwardly throw my consciousness around it. Danny is right. It's very natural. My ghost form just flies off in the form of ring. It looks a lot like a glowing hula hoop. It's a glowing gold ring that glistens with orange and red as it moves its way up and down my form, taking my white dress with it.

Lindsey was right. My clothes burned. She failed to mention, however, that there was not a single blackened smudge of it left. It had entirely disintegrated, leaving nothing behind. Embarrased, I throw some clothes on and make my way downstairs.

Danny is talking quietly with Benedict while Jack, Lindsey and Sam are conversing on the couch. Ashton... is petting a fake cat. He glances up and smiles.

"Hey, you did it!"

"Yup!" I exclaim, delighted. I give a spin, my long black hair that is usually tied up flying everywhere. "Man, this hair is annoying." I flip it around trying to manage it but it just doesn't. Want. To. Cooperate. Ashton laughs a bit as I fight with it before giving up and merely flicking it out of my face.

"We're off," Sam announces, standing. I barely know them, but they are the only people who can help me control my powers.

"Wait," I panic. "What if I burn again?!"

Sam gives a comforting smile and puts a hand on my shoulder. "You just have to let it out in small bursts to keep it contained. Do you have a fireplace?"

"Yeah, I have one of those..." I pause, about to ask how to control my fire. But I look at Sam, really look, and I notice that she looks absolutely exhausted. "I'll use that." I beam a reassuring smile at the group.

Danny nods and bids me goodbye before snatching Sam up into his arms and turning invisible. Jack kisses Lindsey on the forehead and then grabs Ashton's arm. Ashton waves me goodbye before vanishing from view as well. I'm now alone with Lindsey and Benedict. Benedict, however, gets up, smiles at me, and walks out.

"That was..." I don't even bother trying to find a word that will accurately describe the events over the past... "How long did this whole ordeal last?"

Lindsey whips out her phone from her pocket and taps it several times. "Okay, so I saw you about nine a.m. on Thursday, and it's now Friday at two a.m. so a little less than a day."

"And your Mom is just... Dealing with this whole thing?"

"I told her movie marathon." She waves her hand dismissively.

"So how long was I out?"

"In the destabilizer, seven, eight hours. There was a lot of confusion and I had to wait about an hour to get Jack here. Then we flew you to his Dad's, about two hours because you were hot, Emma, and we had to keep finding different ways to carry you. We also had to find Danny Phantom once we got to the palace-"

"Time out. He's a king?"

"No, he's a representative of the Ghost Council." She says these words so officially I crack a smile. "He was offered, but he didn't want too much power. So he set up a Council. He's still a ghost, though, so he still has a Ghost Zone Residence. Anyway..."

"Yes, continue."

"And we tried some things there, a lot of things. The water didn't even reach you. It just evaporated. Any ice that he shot at you seemed to make the fire worse instead of better. Then we had to find a way to get you to some kind of destabilizer, when Danny asked someone on his Council and they directed us here. We flew, and all this was about five hours. We talked to Blaze, and when we mentioned you, she immediately took you into a room, and she stayed in there for a bit and when she brought you out you were in a white dress, your hair up. We rushed you to the lab place, and she was prepping you, putting on a helmet, and she jabbed you with something... a purifier... I think. You started glowing and you turned ghost."

"My clothes before the dress?" I ask.

"Your fire was protecting it. It simmered at the edges, but it was fine, until the dress. Blaze said they burned."

"Okay. The purifier. Are we sure it wasn't a ghost... potion?" I'm confused on the word and pause for a moment. "Serum?"

"No, you wouldn't have burned before. She explained it. You were 100% always a ghost."

"Continue."

"She put you in the tube and the tech all went haywire for minute before she flipped a switch and you simmered down."

"Thanks, Lindsey. I know that must've been scary."

"To say the least! I thought you were going to die! I thought we'd killed you! Jack, the other day, he-"

"Lindz, I know that must be a riveting story, but... Can I please go to bed?"

She smiles sympathetically, then yawns herself. "Huh. I didn't even realize how tired I was. Do you want any help to get into bed?"

"I've been doing on my own since I was three. I think I'll manage," I joke. I stand, stretch, and walk towards the stairs. "I trust you'll make it home alright?"

"Of course..." She hugs me tightly before stepping into the darkness outside. I wave her goodbye before disappearing from the window and sprinting up the stairs and into my room, donning my ghost form and setting myself in front of a full length mirror.

I have some decisions to make.