Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

🩸I AM THE MONSTER YOU CREATED 🩸

"father, why have you forsaken me?"

Part One | The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter Text

(a reference sheet with Usami's ghost and human forms which were drawn by me )
italicized means Japanese is being spoken (i don't know Japanese so i have to work around it)

👻

"Hello, little one. Don't be frightened." The man in the freshly pressed suit, held out his hand. Fingers outstretched towards her, urging her to take it. She drew back, tucking herself behind the orphanage nanny. She grasped at the fabric of the woman's skirt, trying to disappear within the material.

The man's appearance was seemingly innocent enough. A well dressed and groomed male with his long hair tucked into a short ponytail. His blue eyes looked over towards her with a softness she'd never seen before. For a seven year old girl, she could see no evil behind those eyes. "I'm sure she'll get used to you. She didn't speak for a week straight when she was brought to us. But she's a sweet girl."

The man brushed it off like it was nothing, smiling at Usami again. "It's nothing I can't handle, I assure you. I'm hoping to give this poor dear the life she deserves. I hope you don't mind me asking what your name is." She was sure he already knew, so why was he asking her about it? For an American man, his dialect was fluent. He didn't even find himself tripping over the complexity of the words. Like he was made to carry a crowd of people on his own back.

"U-Usami." Her name felt like sticky tar on her tongue. She peaked from behind the woman, feeling less anxious than the previous minutes before.

"What a lovely name. My name is Vlad Masters and I'm hoping to take you home with me today. I already took the personal responsibility of having a bedroom designed just for you. Someone told me you liked the color pink." Usami's lit up in slight excitement, slowly dwindling back to the same softness. She tried her best to smile, feeling her lips quiver.

"I do . . . Are you going to keep me?" That question lingered in the back of her mind, reminding her of that awful, terrible night. Mama, where are we going?

No more questions, Usami. I'll tell you when we get there. If Vlad was upset by that question, he didn't show it, instead opting for another warm smile. "Of course. I've already made my decision for immediate adoption. Unfortunately, I have to head back home soon, so there isn't much valuable time. I intend to give you a good life and more. That is if you'll accept me as your legal guardian." He held out his hand to Usami. He wanted her to take it.

Usami slowly released her grip on the orphanage nanny, cautiously walking towards Vlad. A loving family. That's all I want. Then she took it.

PRESENT DAY

"Father, why are we moving?" Usami asked at the elongated dining table, side opposite from her adoptive father, Vlad. He looked restless which wasn't unusual for his busy schedule, but she still worried for him. He always overdid himself with everything. She cut into the pancake with her fork, waiting for a response from her father.

Vlad looked up at her from the magazine clenched in between his fingers. "Because I have a mission for you." Usami tilted her head to the side.

"Mission?" She could only assume the mission was about the Fenton boy who was also half ghost. Father always spoke so bitterly, unable to fathom why a ghost would want to try and make a difference. "I thought you said I wasn't ready."

"Things change, dear. You have more experience with your powers, seven more years than Daniel has had his. I think he might be under the impression you're unaware of anything. Which is exactly why we're moving. Amity Park is a small town, so it's not as large as Wisconsin." He was right. Daniel had never expected Usami to do anything. Even when she was aware he met Plasmius, the kid still talked to her like she was a friend. Despite his awkwardness, she'd always been slightly intrigued.

"You want me to spy on the ghost boy." Putting the pieces together was quite simple.

"And I want you to infiltrate his friend group, get closer to Daniel, and then I'll exact my revenge on his idiot father." He spoke with bitterness in his tone. It was obvious just how much he and the Fentons were connected. He had this hateful look in his eyes anytime he heard the name Jack Fenton. It was like this one man was such a trigger to her father's mental stability. It had always been a little skewed. She knew there wasn't something quite right with him.

When he'd first brought her home, things were wonderful. He doted on her constantly, taught her how to speak and read and write in English. He gave her everything she could have asked for, but after those short few months . . . She never understood why he turned her into the one thing he'd never wanted to be in the first place. She felt sorry for her father. Sorry and useless because she knew she could never truly help him.

"Will I be going to school?"

"Yes, that's the idea. Now eat up before we have to male our departure." Most of everything in the house was packed up. They'd been packing for weeks, interchanging between the move and her training. She was very much surprised when he broke the news that they'd be moving out of the mansion she'd grown up in, to the smaller town his mortal enemies lived. Especially considering it was decked out in all that expensive Green Bay Packers merchandise, Vlad's favorite football team. But they won't sell them to me! He had exclaimed when Jack's daughter Jazmine brought the idea of buying them to light.

Usami polished off the rest of her plate, standing up from the wooden chair. "I'll be in my room getting ready." She bid her father adieu and made her way upstairs to her room.

👻

"Great news, Danny!" Danny's father burst into his room at around nine a.m., flicking the lights on to try and wake him. With a groan, he pulled a pillow onto his head and turned on his side.

"Can't this wait till later? It's not even a school day." He complained, though he should have been used to his father's antics. He'd been dealing with them for fourteen years now so why was he not surprised?

"Not all, son! I'm too excited to wait. Vladdy and his daughter are moving to Amity Park! He called me this morning and he wants to visit. I wonder if Usami likes ghost hunting." Danny shot up from his bed as soon as he heard the name Vlad. By the look on his face, Jack looked completely serious. Any kind of sleep left in him was quickly wiped away.

There was no way Vlad moving here was an accident. He had to be planning something big if he wanted to move cities all of a sudden. What was even more unnerving was the fact he'd have his archnemesis in his home. The same man who was secretly plotting his dad's untimely demise. The same man who was more than likely keeping secrets from his own daughter.

He'd met her, Usami, the first time he met Vlad. He almost mistook Vlad for a good person, being treated with false sincerity and hospitality. He tried his best to smother the deceit and revealed himself, thinking Danny would want anything the man had to offer. Usami seemed much more quiet and reserved. She was quiet and polite, looking fearful when she saw Vlad in his ghost form. Like she didn't recognize him at all.

But Danny wouldn't be surprised if he was using his own child as a pawn in this twisted game of chess they were playing. Though that was hardly to be dwelled on. "Oh, that's great . . . Can't wait." He drew off, discarding the covers from off his body. "Now please leave so I can get dressed."

"They'll be here in an hour or two!" When Jack was finally out of the room, Danny shot towards the door, quietly closing it to make it not look suspicious. He swiped his phone off the bedside table and video called his group chat with Sam and Tucker.

"Danny, it's nine a.m. Why are you calling so early?" Sam had a book propped up on her lap, quietly thumbing through the pages.

"Yeah. Some of us need our beauty sleep." Tucker groaned, sitting up on his bed. Danny wasn't surprised he woke him up.

"We need to talk. My dad just told me Vlad's moving here to Amity Park and he's bringing his daughter with him. I think he's planning something." He didn't beat around the bush about why he called them. "It's only been a month since he tricked my mom and me into stumbling across his cabin so he could kill my dad."

"Wait, slow down. Vlad has a kid? I thought he was creepily obsessed with your mom." Tucker pointed out. Danny grimaced at the thought of Vlad weirdly hitting on his mom. He'd much rather do without that image in his mind.

"She's adopted." He replied.

"Is she hot?"

"Tucker, that's not important right now." Sam scolded, looking at his side of the camera. "But yeah, something isn't right about that. What would Vlad want coming to Amity Park anyways?"

"I'd say it's to get closer to my family. And if they're moving here, I'm sure he'll enroll his daughter into Casper High."

Sam looked at Danny again with a serious expression on her face. "You don't think she knows he's half ghost, do you?"

Danny shook his head. "I doubt it. When Plasmius wrecked the reunion party, she didn't look like she recognized him. He's probably been keeping it a secret for seven years. She's pretty much completely the opposite of Vlad. I doubt she's evil."

"Well, I'd keep an eye on her just in case she is going to school here."

"There might be some information about her online since Vlad's a public figure. Can one of you two see if you can find any information for me? I just wanna cover my bases." Danny didn't have any sneaking suspicions about Usami, but it didn't hurt to check.

"I will," Tucker was quick to offer his assistance. "Maybe I can see what she looks like." Of course. Who else but Tucker Foley?

"I'll look into it for you, Danny. I'm kind of interested myself." Sam closed her book shut and sat up all the way from her slumped position. "I have to go. See you at school tomorrow." Tucker didn't say much more, logging off of the video call after Sam.

Danny threw his phone on his bed, running his fingers through his messy hair. He was so not ready to deal with this.

👻

"Alright, Usami. Do you understand your mission?" Vlad asked while sitting with his hands folded in his lap, patiently waiting for Usami to recite what he told her.

"Weave my way into Daniel's friend group and get close to him and siphon information from him without being suspicious. Also, I was thinking about how I'm going to execute the mission." She replied, blowing out a sigh. She'd been pondering on the idea since their chauffeur drove into traffic.

"Hmm. What is it, dear?"

"What if I got him to fall in love with me? If I can do that, then he'll give me information freely?" The idea was cruel on its own, but she would do anything to please Father. That was the least she could do since he saved her from a life full of misery and pain.

I went out of my way to adopt you and welcomed you with open arms. I think you owe it to me to do this. I want to help you, darling. You're special and you're the only one who can do this for me. She still had nightmares from the harsh experiments he put her through. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been a normal human girl. And the only thing she'd ever wanted was a loving family.

That didn't matter now. "After the heart of a Fenton? You really are my daughter. He did seem very interested in you at the reunion. So what better than to exploit it? I cannot fathom how I never came up with the idea myself." He lovingly patted her on the head, turning back towards the window. The limousine past by a road sign with Amity Park; a nice place to live slapped on it. It was kind of ironic, considering ghost attacks happened so frequently there.

"I have you enrolled for the high school here. Casper High. I have some things to go over with you about Daniel. There were so many parts of this mission that any one of them could fall through. "You'll be starting tomorrow." The limousine continued to drive into a new neighborhood with the houses very close together.

"This isn't where we're going to live, is it?" She asked, looking at all the mediocre buildings.

"No. Our house is in a much nicer neighborhood. We're just stopping by the Fentons. I called Jack earlier, remember." Usami wondered if Vlad decided to go to the Fentons to torment Danny again. That was most likely the case.

That boy was getting in the way of her father's attention. Before the ghost boy, things were decent. She couldn't help but think Vlad would much rather have the ravenette as his son and not her. If that's all he talked about, then that must be the case. You won't be abandoned, Usami. Never again.

"Sorry, it must have slipped my mind." Usami looked down at her phone, staring at her reflection on the screen to make sure she was presentable. According to Vlad, her beauty was her greatest asset. She could get by with mostly anything with a pretty face. And if she had any sure chance of getting Danny to fall in love with her, she had to make sure she was as enchanting as possible.

The limo driver pulled into a driveway she could only assume belonged to the Fentons. The house was pretty big with a control center sitting on the highest level of the house. From the window, she could see a Fenton Works sign. It was too far to be able to make out the words completely.

The chauffeur parked his car in the driveway and she could hear the distinct sound of a door opening and closing. Light shone into the car when he opened Usami's door. "Thank you so much." Usami thanked the man, smoothing out her skirt to make sure it wasn't riding up her back when she got out of the car.

The chauffeur didn't respond and made his way over to Father's door. When he got out of the limo, he straightened up the collar of his blazer. As far as Usami could remember, her father was always looking to impress. He wouldn't flaunt his wealth or anything, but he just had to have eyes on him at all times.

And Usami knew she picked up on the behavior as well. While she didn't have as many social interactions, she wanted to be paid attention to. She didn't like to be ignored. She followed Vlad towards the front door of the Fentons. Usami tucked her hands behind her back while he gently knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a Danny Fenton who looked very much displeased. She was sure that moron he called a parental figure blabbered already. If he talks my ear off about ghosts again, I will kill myself.

Danny was more than likely expecting their arrival. "Hello, Danny. It's nice to see you again." Usami spoke with a shy smile. She felt a sudden flurry of butterflies in her stomach. She forgot how beautiful his eyes were. They were like icy crystals. When she first met him, she thought he was cute. They talked for a little bit, but not any conversation that was worthwhile. Now was the chance to change that.

"Yes, what a splendid reunion. Aren't you going to invite us in?" Danny's jaw was clenched as he stared at Vlad. Then his expression changed to a fake smile.

"Come right on in." He replied through his teeth, turning his back towards them. "Mom, Dad. We have company." The door was closed behind them and from the kitchen she heard another voice. In came Jazz, holding one of her child psychology books.

"Hey, Vlad. Hey, Usami!" Jazz was a sweet girl. Usami talked to her quite a bit. She didn't know how Danny's sister got her to open up so easily. She was going to go far in life.

"Hello." She replied.

"Jasmine, dear. How wonderful to see you again." Vlad said, sounding so endearing. His charm was immaculate.

"Vladdy! Welcome to Amity Park! I almost couldn't believe it when you called! I never thought I would have seen the day you moved from Wisconsin!" Jack came barreling in in excitement, holding one of his ghost hunting trinkets in his hands.

This was the time Vlad came up with his quick ruse. "I did it for my darling daughter. She's never been to a real school before and I thought since Daniel and Jasmine are in high school, she attends it here just so she has some friendly faces around. Usami's such a timid girl, I decided to homeschool her most of her life. But birds have to leave the nest sometimes." He spoke with such conviction. It wasn't completely unbelievable, but she knew Danny wouldn't buy it.

"Well, that's wonderful." Maddie clasped her hands together, looking towards Usami. She would not look at Father.

Usami bowed politely towards her. "You have a lovely home, Mrs. Fenton." She made sure to sell the sweetheart act.

"You're so sweet. Thank you, Usami," Then she turned to her son. "Danny, sweetheart. Would you like to show Usami around the house? I think it would be great for you two to get a chance to know each other a little more."

"Sure." He didn't seem to object to the idea. He probably just wanted to get away from Vlad. She was surprised Danny didn't talk much. Usually he wasn't so silent.

"That would be wonderful." Usami replied, coming towards the boy. Vlad gave Usami a smile before turning to Jack and Maddie to speak as grown ups.

Danny started to walk towards the upstairs, motioning Usami to come with him. She quietly walked behind him. "How are you doing?" She decided to attempt small talk with him. He looked at her with tinted cheeks.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Just school and hanging out with my friends." And saving Amity Park from ghosts because I'm Danny Phantom. She thought to herself.

"It must be nice to have friends." She didn't understand why friends were important. She didn't have any friends. It was just her and Vlad. She was lonely sometimes.

She was always lonely.

"You don't have any friends? Wow, man. That sucks."

Usami shook her head. "It's not so bad. I like being alone. It's quiet." Way to rub salt into the wound, Danny Fenton.

"Is Vlad the only person you talk to?"

Usami nodded. "It's always just been me and Father. I was homeschooled most of my life."

"Do you always call him Father?"

"Yes, because that's how you're supposed to address your parents, is it not?" She didn't know why he was asking all these questions. Was he trying to suggest something about Father? "But he's a wonderful father. I don't know what I would do without him." She followed him to the top of the stairs and led her to a closed door with stickers all over it. They were mostly space themed and had a sticker that said Danny's room on it.

He opened the door. "I guess you can take a look at my room." Usami stepped inside, noting all the space stuff around it. She didn't know why, but she kind of liked it. It wasn't fancy by any means, but comfortable and cozy.

"This room is great. I love all the stuff you put on your walls. Are you really really into space?" She could only assess that's why.

Danny nodded. "I want to work at Nasa to work as an astronaut. It's just been a dream of mine for the longest time."

Usami smiled. "That's very admirable. I have a dream myself. I'm hoping to be an artist one day. I've been drawing since I was eight, so I've gotten really good at it."

"Yeah, I noticed you drawing at the reunion party. You're really talented."

"Father doesn't really like that idea. I asked him about it once. He thought it was a silly dream. I'm not sure what he wants me to be. But I'll do it for him." She was trying to make him feel sorry for her. She needed him to believe she was good and pure. I'll make him proud of me by getting rid of Danny Phantom. The thought came into her mind bitterly. Why, though? He did nothing wrong to her.

"I don't think that's how a parent child relationship should be like." Usami wanted to avoid the conversation, so she tried to start on a new topic.

"I would like to meet your friends. I'll be starting school tomorrow. On such short notice, sadly. I thought I would at least have time to prepare." She let out a dejected sigh, glancing around the room again.

"If you want I can give you a few pointers and tell you about the people you should stay away from. There are a good amount of assholes there." If anybody knew anything about the Casper High students, he would be it. But she wasn't so naïve. She watched enough romance films to know how high school worked. Even if they weren't realistic, she understood the social structure.

She would need to find the most popular male student to subtly flirt her way into popularity. And popularity would make it possible for her to be able to talk to Danny without being considered weird for conversing with him.

Then the strangest thing happened. A blue wisp of air left the boy's mouth and he looked suddenly panicked. His ghost sense. Father had mentioned that to her during the car ride. He could sense other ghosts which was most useful. It most likely started because of her, Another wisp came out, persisting to warn him about her. "Are you alright? You look nervous."

"Oh, I have to use the bathroom. I didn't want to be rude in the middle of our conversation. Be right back." Danny left with his phone in hand, leaving her alone in his room. Maybe she could find out about what other things he liked in order to gain his trust.

👻

Danny shut the bathroom door closed. He couldn't believe his ghost sense went off in front of Usami. It didn't seem like there was a ghost attack happening in his home. Could it really have been her? He rushed to his group chat to text them. My ghost sense went off in front of Usami.

How could this be happening? First Vlad moved to Amity Park and now his ghost breath was going off like crazy. He didn't have any problems with it the last time he saw Usami. He tried to convince himself it was probably Vlad and not his sweet daughter. He heard a ping from his phone. He looked at the lit up screen, noticing a text from Sam. Wait. What? Danny, that's concerning.

"Danny, are you alright in there?" Usami's voice sounded through the door. He could hear her light taps on the metal.

He felt the panic begin to rise. He tried to calm down his nerves, reaching to open the door. "Sorry . . . It must have been something I ate earlier." She backed away, allowing him to come out.

"You were taking so long, I was worried. But I'm glad you're okay." She smiled sweetly. There was something about that smile that made his chest warm. She's Vlad's daughter. Get it together, Fenton. He mentally facepalmed.

"Thanks for checking up on me." He replied, walking in front of her. Usami didn't say much, following him silently. Danny had the impression Usami was shy. It would seem being isolated from others for so long, did something to her personality. Being homeschooled and surrounded by Vlad 24/7 was a nightmare not even Dash Baxter deserved to endure. "Do you wanna see something cool? We have a lab downstairs."

This interested Usami, eyes lighting up with intrigue. "You have a lab? . . . I suppose that's normal when your parents hunt ghosts for a living. But yes, I would love to have a look," Danny felt his shoulders ease up from their tension. It just took a while to get used to her. When he looked in her eyes, he saw no evil. Just an innocent girl who happened to be adopted by his archenemy. No big deal, really.

He led Usami downstairs, past their parents, and down another set of stairs. When they reached the basement, Danny felt for the light switch, flicking it to make the dim light dispel the darkness from the area. The lab was always a disaster with tools and spare invention parts spread across the long lab table. They were all courtesy of Jack Fenton. He was a pack rat who wouldn't get rid of anything because he thought he still needed them. His mom always scolded him for his messiness.

The ghost portal was currently closed which meant it was hidden away. Danny was glad it was closed so he didn't have to explain it. "Father has a lab, but I'm not allowed down there. I tried to sneak in there when I was twelve. But my curiosity only got me grounded for a week." Of course, Vlad wouldn't let her down there when he was lying to her. This confirmed even more to Danny that Usami couldn't possibly know Vlad was half ghost. "You have a lot of cool stuff in here." She beamed. "Are your parents good at ghost hunting?"

Danny had to stop the laugh caught in his throat. "Hardly. Mom is a lot more put together than Dad, but they've never actually successfully caught one. If they had, they would have dissected it "molecule by molecule" by now."

"Perhaps they may be more fortunate in the future. Ambition is a powerful thing." She tried to sound encouraging, but her voice sounded half hearted. His ghost sense came again in the basement, but he ignored it. You're worrying for nothing. She's practically harmless.

If only he knew the truth about the girl he was talking to.

| Chapter End |
word count | 4,533

Chapter Text

(here's the book cover for this fanfiction. i might draw up a different one in the future)

When they left the Fentons, the sky had grown dark. They'd been there for a few hours, Vlad being bored to tears by Jack's insistent rambling. Though Usami was sure it was more bearable if Maddie was around. Maddie didn't like Father. It was clear by the way her eye twitched and the way she tried to stay as far away from the man as possible.

He'd released a stream of profanities once they got back into the limo, continuing his anger filled rant while the chauffeur drove them home. Usami tried to get a little sleep on the short ride to their house. It was smaller than the mansion in Wisconsin, but still held that air of wealth and importance.

It wasn't surprising to see the freshly finished house, her bedroom remade to look like the one back at home. It was such an accurate redesign to her original room, she was at a loss for words. Vlad had all the money in the world, so what use was in unpacking if he could pay someone to do it instead?

Usami collapsed on the bed soon after she plugged her phone up to charge and didn't awaken until her alarm was blaring in her ear.

The sun was now filtering light through the silk curtains, warming her soft skin. She stared at the ceiling for a while, unsure of what today would hold. She knew she would be activating phase one of her plan thanks to the advice given to her by Danny. Dash Baxter was the boy she was looking for. According to Danny, he was the quarterback and captain of the school's football team, The Casper High Ravens. He was supposedly an idiot who spent much of his time tormenting Danny and making his rounds around the female populace at Casper High, flirting with any girl he found attractive.

Such shallowness from Dash was exactly why Usami chose him. He was definitely the popular type, carrying his football team and practically being worshiped by the entire school staff. And if he was as stupid as Danny claimed, he was less likely to catch onto her manipulation tactics.

Danny told her to stay away from him, but that simply would not do. She would have to sacrifice her own sanity for the first phase of her mission. Tossing off the blankets, Usami headed towards her closet with perfectly clean clothes hung up on the racks inside. She reached for the outfit she'd picked specifically, allowing herself to put on the light pink spaghetti strap crop top and blue skirt over her undergarments. She shimmied into the skirt, pulling the zipper up from the back.

Tossing her long hair to the side, she inspected herself in the full bodied mirror on the front of the closet door. Are you ready for your starring role, Usami? She thought with a laugh, grabbing her black heels and strapping them to her ankles. When she was finished, she grabbed her phone and school bag and made her way downstairs.

Father was in the kitchen, wearing his red robe with a monogram embroidered on the left top breast pocket. There was a newspaper featuring an article with an image of Danny Phantom on the front next to a mug of coffee. He noticed her mid sip, smiling warmly. "Good morning, Dear."

"Good morning, Father. I need to pack something to eat. There's no way I'm eating whatever disgusting slop the school serves." Usami grimaced at the thought of having to eat a school lunch.

"You have a bento box in there. I made it for you last night." He said, pointing to the second shelf in the fridge. She giddily grabbed the bento box off the shelf and sat it on the counter.

Usami sighed, tilting her head to him. "What are the chances I have time to make Onigiri before school?" Vlad looked at the time on his watch.

"If you're going to make it, make it now. I'd hate for you to miss your first day of school." Usami nodded, smiling. Looks like today was going to be a new experience.

She just hoped nothing would fall through.

👻

Usami's eyes stared at the blonde boy in the letterman jacket down the hall. He was flirting with a caramel skinned latina with beautiful black hair. Usami always admired the popular girls in movies. They were always able to get what they wanted. People flocked towards them, showering them with attention. Both students seemed to fit the popular look. Was this the Dash Baxter Danny was talking about? There was only one way to find out. Time to activate phase one of my plan. She thought, making sure to contain the mischievous giggle caught in her throat.

She held the schedule in her hand to look like she was busying herself trying to find her locker. Then she started to make her way down towards the two. When she made it behind the male, she tapped on his shoulder. "Um, excuse me . . . I'm having trouble finding my locker." It didn't take long for him to turn around, practically towering over her. She could gauge he was probably 6'1 and a little over two hundred pounds that made him look fit. She was most likely correct.

His eyes glanced along her body, lips turning into a grin. Oh, god. Kill me now. "Do you think you could help me? I'm new here."

The confident smirk never wavered, thinking he scored himself a hot new candidate to become his side piece. She would use him for all he was worth. "Sure, I'll help you. I never thought I'd see a girl as hot as you around this place." Usami felt her skin crawl. This guy gave her the ick. She forced her cheeks to blush by thinking about the most embarrassing thing that could happen to her.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much! . . . I haven't had the best day and I was almost late getting here." She felt herself blabbering. "It's nice to have sweet guys like you helping me around on my first day."

"I'll catch you later, Paulina." Usami gave the Latino a small smile.

"Konichiwa, Paulina." Usami bowed to the girl as her face morphed into confusion, staring at her with an incredulous expression.

"What did you just say?" She raised her brow, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh, it's just a Japanese greeting. It means hello . . . You're very pretty! I'm sorry, was that weird? I've never been to a real school before, so I'm still new to understanding social interactions. But I look forward to seeing you around." Usami tucked a small piece of hair back towards her bangs. She looked away shyly to sell the timid new girl act.

"Thank you, I know. What's your name?"

"Usami Otonashii-Masters. Vlad Masters is my adoptive father."

" Wait? The multi-dollar billionaire? You must have a ton of money." The boy added in. Usami closed her eyes and let out a small laugh.

"I suppose you could say that. But I don't care much about the money. It's hard to be prideful about your financial stability when you've had so much of it all your life." She adjusted the totebag strap on her shoulder. If she was naïve enough, they wouldn't suspect anything. "But anyways, I need to find my locker so I'm not late." The boy took the opportunity to place his hand on the small of her back. She wanted to retch in disgust, cheeks flushed with red hot embarrassment. He should not have done that. She was wearing a pink crop top so the skin there was bare and his hand was cold.

"I'll lead the way." He grinned confidently, nudging her forwards. Usami let out a nervous laugh, feeling so annoyed by his presence alone already.

Usami followed behind him. "I never asked for your name."

"Dash Baxter. I'm the high school quarterback for the Casper High Ravens. I'm kind of a big deal around here. And I can tell you have the right qualities to be in with the popular kids." She was right on the money. This was almost too easy. He's a creep and his flirting borders on sexual harassment. I would stay away from him.

Well, Danny didn't know she would be playing the player. He also didn't know she could protect herself from creeps like him. Dash wouldn't know what hit him. "Oh, I don't know about that. I'm not really that special."

Dash laughed, moving his hands to settle in his pockets. "I'm sure once you get used to it here, all the guys will be chasing you. If you stick with me, I can show you the cool people to hangout with." It seemed her conventionally attractive looks were swaying his opinion. What kind of girl did he take her for? She looked up at him through her long lashes, watching as his face lit up a red hue.

He shook his head and caught a glance at her schedule in her hand. "What's your locker number?"

"200 something, I think?" He took the paper from her hands to look at the paper, smirking again.

"What are the odds? Your locker's right next to mine."

"Hmm. Must be fate, I guess. Haha . . ." She joked, really wanting to separate from him.

"It also looks like your first period is with Lancer. Same with me. Ugh, I'm not ready for that boring ass class."

"Do you not like school much?"

"It's pure hell. But maybe it won't be so bad since you're here. I'm wondering, do you have a boyfriend?" Usami held up her hands, waving them in front of her.

"No, no. I'm single. Actually, I've never had a boyfriend before. Father kept me home a lot of the time. He's very overprotective." She turned her attention to the floor as they walked.

"No need to be nervous. I'm guessing I'm the first guy your age you've talked to before." Dash obviously didn't know her connections with Danny.

Usami shook her head. "I've talked to boys before. Father's friends with this boy named Danny Fenton's parents. I met him at Father's college reunion party."

"Fenton? He's such a loser. I can't believe you have to put up with him." I'm his favorite victim which is why I'm warning you.

"Well, my father's really close with his parents, so I kind of have to be friendly." She replied. It wasn't a complete lie, but Father was not close to the Fentons all that much. This guy thought she was clueless. He was the exact type of guy. Plus Danny reiterated the fact he was a moron.. Nothing but thoughts of girls, football and bullying people filled his head.

If anybody knew what this guy was like, it was Danny. He'd be too stupid to know she was manipulating him. She just wondered when this nightmare would be over. "I'm sure you have a lot of admirers, being the quarterback and all."

"Yeah, but there aren't many girls I'm interested in here." He tilted his head to the side, smiling cooly. They stopped in front of the locker with the number. The lockers were a gross green color, the walls being made of lighter green.

"Thanks for your help, Dash. I really appreciate it." She pressed the palm of her hand to his chest. His face grew a bright shade of red once again. She quickly removed her hand, pretending to be panicked. "Please, forgive me. That was inappropriate of me."

"Hey, it's cool. I don't care. But you're welcome. You should hangout with me at lunch. That's where the cool people are." He grinned, scratching the back of his neck.

Usami smiled back. "How many friends do you have?"

"There's a few of us. You met Paulina earlier."

"Yes, the one with the beautiful hair." She couldn't help but compliment the girl. She was gorgeous

"There's my best friend, Kwan. He's our linebacker. And then there's Star. She's a cheerleader. So is Paulina. We only choose certain people to hang with us, so you should feel special." Usami found herself laughing on the inside. How easily he accepted her into his popular group. He really was dense.

She tried to hide her smile with her hand as small laughter actually came out of her mouth. "You're wonderful. You seem to be a close knit group, aren't you?"

"I guess you could call it that." Just as the words came out of his mouth, a familiar ravenette came into view with two other people. She still thought he was cute. It didn't matter if Father hated him (though she really didn't want to disobey him.) At least he wasn't a creep like Dash.

"Oh, hello there, Danny!" She waved, pretending to be naive to how things actually worked here. "Are these your friends you were talking about? I was hoping to meet them today."

"She is hot. No wonder you kept her a secret forever." Usami felt her face grow red again, looking towards the African American with the red beret that looked a little big for his head. He had thick rimmed glasses, holding some strange device she'd never seen before. It was too big and too old looking to be a cellphone.

"Why are you guys here?" Dash spoke behind Usami. "What are you playing at, Fenton?" His words were almost aggressive, but he seemed to be holding himself back. He was trying to cover up his assholeness from her. Shut up, already.

"I'm just going to my locker. Why would I want to interrupt your flirting session with Usami? He's not bothering you, is he?" Danny sounded concerned, looking back at a fuming Dash.

"No, of course not. That's really sweet of you, but I promise I'm fine." She sounded way more affectionate with him. Danny looked away from her,  black hair obscuring his face from her vision. "Dash is going to introduce me to his friends at lunch today."

"Well, it looks like you've gotten everything taken care of." The goth girl spoke, staring at her skeptically. Usami knew this girl was going to cause her trouble.

"Oh, you must be Danny's other friend. Sam Manson. I didn't expect you to be so cute. Your eyes are beautiful. Do you use contacts?" Sam kept her mouth silent, not phased by the compliment.

Danny's gaze drifted towards Usami and she could see it out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure why he stared all the time. "Come on, Danny, Tucker." Sam said, going the opposite directions.

"Can I have your number?" The other boy, Tucker, exclaimed.

"Back off, Foley." Dash said through gritted teeth. Tucker looked displeased with his reaction, quickly following his other friends down the hallway.

Dash cleared his throat, leaning his arm against the locker. "Now where were we?" Usami glanced down at her combination code, spinning the lock like Vlad taught her. "You're really cute, y'know. I'm glad you asked me to help you to your locker so I could look at you a little more."

Usami actually felt flustered this time. She knew she was pretty, but hearing it from a person like him was weird. Her stomach clenched in discomfort. She just had to keep acting. She ignored what he said, changing the subject.

"Would you walk me to class?"

👻

"I gave her advice to stay away from him. I don't know why she didn't listen." Danny groaned as they walked down the hall to Lancer's. Of course, Dash would be the one to charm her. Usami seemed clueless about most things, so it wasn't beyond reasonability. She wasn't around guys like him often.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Come on, Danny. You knew that was going to happen. She's conventionally attractive and has money. You know Dash collects girls like Pokémon cards."

"He told me to back off when I tried to get her number. Something tells me he's not going to let her go easily. Especially not a girl like that." He sighed, eyes scanning over his PDA screen.

"Did you have any luck, Sam?"

"Not a thing. Mentioned her in passing, but no information to go off. Though I've been thinking. Your ghost sense went off yesterday when she was in your room, right? What's the possibility that Usami might be half ghost?" Danny didn't want to believe it, but it made himself sick thinking of Vlad using his own daughter.

Danny shook his head. "There has to be another explanation."

"It was probably just because Vlad was there. That happens to you quite a lot when there's a ghost near anywhere." Tucker observed. "Besides, it's not nice to accuse an innocent girl of being half ghost." Sam didn't look convinced, eyes furrowed in confusion.

They made it to Lancer's room, walking into the half full classroom. By the time they made it there, it looked like Usami was inside talking to the teacher.

"It's so nice to meet you, Mr. Lancer. I love literature so I'm very interested." She smiled, bowing respectfully to the teacher. Lancer looked pleased with her comment, smiling for once.

"It's not everyday we get students as positive about literature as you, Miss Masters." Danny couldn't believe it. How could she make such a good impression so fast? It was weird how sweetly she talked to everyone. He could just chalk it up to her naivety of being homeschooled all her life.

Usami nodded. "Why, yes, sir. My favorite novel is Pride and Prejudice. I've read other books, but Pride and Prejudice is a work of historical art. Jane Austen was very revolutionary for her time." She spewed out this information without stumbling over her words. "Where will I be seated?"

"You're welcome to stay up here until everyone sits down. I haven't figured out a place for you yet. I look forward to you in my class." He noticed Danny staring at Usami. "Mr. Fenton. Have you met Ms. Masters yet?" For some reason, Lancer always liked to point out at him. It was probably his weird way of humiliating one of his least reliable students. Whenever Dash did something to cause trouble, Lancer always pointed the blame at Danny. He'd do it while the smug asshole smirked at Danny in the middle of his scolding.

"Yeah. We've met a couple times." He answered, not bothering to mention the fact that Vlad was "friends" with his parents. Lancer seemed pleased by the answer.

"Great. It's probably nice to hear you have a few familiar faces around here." More students came into the room, settling down in their seats. When Lancer was sure everyone was in the room, he closed the door. Usami was smiling like a puppy, calmly and patiently waiting. She was a little odd, but he couldn't blame her much for that. Lancer picked up the clipboard with the attendance sheet attached and plucked a pencil out of the cup on the left side of his desk.

Roll call lasted for about two minutes, each student taking their time to say here. When Lancer was finished with the attendance, he went towards the chalkboard. "Good morning, students. Before I begin today's lesson plan, we have a new student with us. She just moved to Amity Park from Wisconsin. Go on, Ms. Masters. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Usami looked nervous, probably not expecting to be called on the spot.

". . . Hello, I'm Usami, and it's a pleasure to meet all of you. I've never been to a real school before, so it's a new experience for sure . . . Anyways . . ." She let a nervous laugh, eyes flickering over at Danny. He sunk down into his seat, avoiding eye contact with the girl.

"Alright, not that it's settled, I'll let you sit next to Mr. Fenton until we can find you a proper arrangement." Usami made her way down the isle with her books clutched in her grip. When she arrived to her desk, she placed her books onto the flat surface and slid into one of the seats. She beamed another flawless smile at him. The gesture made his stomach flutter with butterflies again.

"I'm glad we get to sit together, Danny." She whispered before turning her direction to the board as if she hadn't even said anything.

👻

The cafeteria was loud. Groups of students flooded the floor, chattering amongst themselves. Usami stood near the wall, holding the food she made this morning. She'd been looking forward to sinking her teeth into her Onigiri all morning. Mr. Lancer was a nice enough teacher and he seemed to like her. Usami had to do whatever she could to make sure nobody suspected anything from her.

She knew once this mission was over, her identity would be revealed. She would not be able to hide behind her precious disguise. But in the meantime, she had to stay focused on her task involving the useless Dash Baxter. She was not looking forward to meeting his other friends.

Usami's eyes glanced around the room, paying attention to the students around her. If she could connect names and faces together, she could determine how they could be of use. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the small shake on her shoulders. She gasped in surprise, turning to see Dash again. "You just scared the living daylights out of me." Usami responded, placing her hand on her chest to her beating heart.

He laughed at her, grinning. He was like a puppy. He would not go away. She hated every second of it. "That was kind of the point. But, c'mon. I'll introduce you to everyone." Usami pushed her sketchbook back up under her arm to stop it from slipping. He led her to a table with three other students. One of them was Paulina from this morning, a petite blonde with a flower in her hair, and then an asian boy sporting the same jacket as Dash. "Guys, this is Usami. She's new here and so I thought we might want her to join us."

Usami waved her hand. "It's lovely to meet the rest of Dash's friends." She smiled softly. Adore me, plebeians.

I need you all to love me.

The dark voice in her mind grumbled, hungry for more admiration from the people around her. She couldn't stop the dark thoughts. They always came when she least expected it.

Dash took a seat on one of the lunch chairs. "Aren't you going to eat? You haven't gotten your food yet." Usami observed, knowing that he didn't once step into line. What are you playing at, asshole?

"Oh, I'm not hungry," He simply stated. "Come sit next to me." Usami made her way to the end of the table and claimed the spot next to Dash. She purposely bumped her knee against his, watching his face out of the corner of her eye. He looked nervous for a second before removing his gaze to act as if he didn't notice. Stupid fool. How predictable.

Usami placed her lunch bag and then sketchbook onto the table. She unzipped it to pull out her bento box she'd made for lunch this morning, placing the chopsticks next to the bento box. "What's that?" Dash asked, glancing at the box as if he'd never seen one before.

"It's a bento box. They're a cultural thing in Japan. You usually put protein, rice, and vegetables. And then I also made Onigirl." Usami spoke, as she pulled out the perfectly wrapped Onigiri. She slowly began to pick apart the cellophane wrapped around it.

"That looks awesome. I've heard of them before." The asian boy, Kwan spoke up. "How do you know so much?"

"Oh, I'm from there actually. I was adopted when I was seven and brought to America. It was seven years ago, so my memory's a bit skewed." She didn't expect herself to give these people that much detail.

"Her dad's a billionaire." Dash was contributing to the conversation which piqued the interest of the other teens.

"Really?" The blonde girl stood up from her seat, leaning towards Usami's direction. Usami nodded her head, picking up the set of chopsticks off the table. She positioned the sticks in between her fingers, picking up a chunk of beef out of the bento box.

"It's not that big a deal." Usami waved her hand dismissively. "Money's just so materialistic. There are better things to enjoy like baking and art." Usami was above bragging over money and it seemed these kids were oozing with privilege. No doubt that's what they were looking for. Is that all it took to be popular? Being attractive and having money? Is that all I'm worth to you people? Usami curled her fingers, nails digging into her palm. She had to contain herself. This was the plan she chose and she needed to stick by it.

The group gave her a weird look before the blonde girl sat back down in her seat. "Is that what you're into, Usami?" Dash asked her mid bite. Usami removed the chopsticks from her mouth.

Usami nodded. "My main interest is art, but yes. I do a little bit of both." She slid her sketchbook over towards him. "You can give it a look if you want." Dash gladly took the sketchbook, flipping open the cover. Usami then continued to eat, watching him flip to a watercolor recreation of Leonardo Davinchi's Mona Lisa. He flipped to another page, featuring a self portrait collage of herself with sakura flowers and tangled vines on the side.

"Uh, wow. So you're cute and talented? That looks pretty awesome, but I don't know much about art." He didn't bother flipping through the rest, closing the sketchbook and giving it back. Usami looked away, forcing her cheeks to warm again.

"You're too kind . . ." She muttered softly, looking up at him again. Usami felt a chill blow from her mouth, signaling the ghost her father planted was near. She stood up abruptly, skirt fluttering. "If you'll excuse me, I must use the restroom." Before anyone could respond, she was descending down the hall to get to a bathroom stall.

Today people would know the name, Femme Fantomu, as well as they knew Danny Phantom. She slipped into the stall and locked the door. It's showtime, Usami.

| Chapter End |
word count | 4,423

Chapter Text

(Sorry. No drawing for this chapter.)

The cafeteria erupted in a panic, kids shooting up from their seats. Running around and screaming until their lungs gave out. Danny just wished he could have one normal day without a ghost coming around. Sam and Tucker stood in front of him to cover him during his ghost transformation.

It wasn't the most ideal, but he had to spring into action. He darted up into the air, surveying the area. A dragon ghost? Great, just what I needed. The beast blew fire from its mouth, roaring loudly in the sky. Its wings flapped vigorously, not caring about which students it hurt through its destruction.

"Hey! Big, green, and ugly! I'm over here!" Danny called out, raising his hand to release an ecto blast. The dragon shifted its attention to him, snarling and blowing puffs of smoke from its nostrils. It'd been a while since he'd been in a fight with a dragon, so hopefully he would make it out in one piece.

"Come on, big guy! I don't have all day!" A burst of green energy came from his hand, hitting the dragon directly in the face. It growled again and came flying towards him at relentless speed. Danny darted out of the way, grabbing onto its tail when it flew by him.

The dragon pulled him forward swiftly, the air nearly leaving his lungs. He held onto the thick appendage to dear life, embracing himself for impact when the dragon connected with the cafeteria wall. A scream left his lips, pieces of dust falling from the gaping hole in the dry wall. "Might wanna slow down there, buddy! There's a speed limit for a reason, you know." Danny pushed his legs down, trying to get his feet onto the floor.

But he didn't have a chance when the dragon whipped its tail, sending him flying. Before he could crash into the wall, he caught himself mid air. The dragon turned to Danny, even more furious than before. It roared once more, blowing more fire.

Danny started towards the dragon, maneuvering his body up to land an uppercut on the dragon's jaw. "THERMOS! NOW!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"Over here!" Sam waved, throwing the thermos to Danny. He caught it in his hands, pulling off the cap and pointing it at the dragon.

"Time to put you in your cage!" The thermos shone a bright light, sucking up the ghost's tail. The dragon continued its ferocious cries until its fate inside the thermos was sealed. He capped the thermos and wiped the sweat off of his brow. He landed on his feet, looking around.

There was minimal damage, but the fight with the ghost dragon seemed too easy. Usually he had much more of a challenge. And that was when the lights flickered, bulbs exploding and showering shards of glass everywhere. Light feminine wicked laughter filled the space in the atmosphere. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and the thermos slipped through his fingers

"Wow, I'm impressed! So you really are as good as they say? I didn't want to believe it until I saw it." The voice carried a condescending tone to it, but he could tell it was a girl's voice. A voice of which Danny never heard before. His ghost sense went off again, whipping his head back to face the individual in question.

She was slightly hovering above the floor, long black hair hanging below her thighs. Her skin was a tinted blue color and her eyes were completely filled with a red glow. She wore a tight spandex leotard with fishnet sleeves and a fishnet pattern on the sides of her hips. There was a heart shaped hole in the chest area, exposing a tease of cleavage. Her white leather boots reached up to her thighs with black platform heels on the ends. A fashionable belt was fastened around her waist. He also noticed a sprinkle of blue freckles on her cheeks. Her appearance screamed familiarity, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

Her perfectly red tinted lips were doning a confident smirk. She looked beautiful in the dim lighting, but also terrifying. It was like his brain couldn't discern between a pretty girl or another ghost he'd have to capture. "You are really cute, I must admit." She said with a fluttery laugh, finding amusement in the way green heat spread across his face.

"And who are you supposed to be? Last time I checked, the comic book convention's that way." He jabbed a thumb towards the entrance of the cafeteria.

"I can say the same thing about you, Phantom. You must fancy yourself a comedian with all that useless banter you spew." She laughed again, as if she was taunting him with her giggles. She tossed her black hair to the side, stepping onto the ground. She made her way towards him, crossing her arms and leaning to look him in the eye. "Do you think you're a hero? Is that why you fight our kind? Trying to find some purpose for your pathetic, little existence, but never fully succeding?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "I'm not here to listen to a five hour villain monologue right now. I have places to be." The ghost girl shook her head, smiling at him.

"That simply won't do . . . I haven't even gotten a chance to play with you yet." She faked a pout, eyes filled with a twisted glint. "Come on, handsome. Why don't we give these cute little humans a show to watch? It is my starring role, after all. I need to make a big impression."

"Who are you? Whose crony are you?" This girl was obviously here for a reason. He'd never once seen her around the ghost zone and he was pretty acquainted with most of them. And what was it about this girl that reminded him of someone he knew?

"Who I work for is none of your concern. And as for who I am, you may call me Femme Fantomu! A brand new ghost gal for your viewing pleasure." The girl introduced with the flourish of her hand. She certainly was accentric, acting like she was playing a character rather than herself.

"No thanks. I think I'm good on enemies right now. We have a whole surplus worth already." Surplus? Since when did he use words like that? "Man, I think Lancer's rubbing off on me." He muttered to himself.

Femme Fantomu took a quick step back, shooting a powerful blast his way. Danny darted out of the way before the blast could hit him. "Hey, that's not very fair."

"Well, unfortunately, I don't like to play fair!" She grinned, shooting another blast at him. This time it hit him in the shoulder, singeing the material of his suit. This made him angry, so he retaliated, sending an ecto beam towards her. She swiftly moved out of the way without much of a struggle, black locks flowing past her.

Her body moved fast, dodging the blasts with perfect precision. She laughed raucously, treating it like a fun game. "You're regarded as a professional, yet you haven't laid a scratch on me." His eyes darted up at her above him, growling at her pestering. She grabbed a hold of him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Your attempts are adorable." He felt his face heat up again, wanting to shake the girl off, but her grip was like steel. A charge of electricity shot through his body, causing him to scream. When she released him from high above, he was almost sure he was going to make powerful inpact. And then he was floating again, unable to hit the hard ground. He found it hard for him so move.

"What are you doing to me?"

Femme waved her hand dismissively. "You should be grateful. I just saved you from becoming a pile of ectoplasmic goo." With another smirk, she launched him into a wall. He screamed again, unable to contain the fear of impact. For some reason his intangibility wasn't working. He slammed into the wall, making an indent in the now cracking wall. "Side effects of that electrical charge I sent through your body include the temporary loss of intangibility. Though, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I must keep our meeting brief." She pulled out a stack of photos from the side of her belt. "Here's a little something to remember me by." Drawing back, Femme slung her hand and caused the photos to fly everywhere. "Bye, bye for now, Darling!"

When the ghost girl left, Danny removed himself from the indented wall and flew towards one of the knocked down cafeteria tables. He changed his form back into human. The cafeteria was now a disaster, debris and dirt and holed walls in the area. One of the photos Femme Fantomu laid at his feet face down. He reached over to pick it up. He turned over the photo to reveal Femme with her hips jutted out, dark hair slung on one shoulder. She was winking while blowing a kiss at the camera. Seems this girl's taking the actress bit seriously. Though that wasn't surprising considering all ghosts had their own niche.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam and Tucker rushed over to him. Sam was holding the thermos he dropped earlier in her hands. Danny rubbed his arm, glaring at his wall indent. Who was this Femme Fantomu? And why was she here? First Vlad, then his ghost sense going off in front of Usami, and now a new ghost? All of this was confusing. It looked like his new mission would be figuring out why all this was happening.

"I'm fine, but I'll probably be sore for a while. I've never taken a beating like that in a while. And the new ghost girl left us a souvenir." He handed the photo to Sam.

"This looks like one of those headshots actors use when auditioning for roles." She handed it back to him. "Something isn't right about all this." Danny was about to respond back when he was interrupted. He could hear his father's voice inches away, growing louder as he got closer. Mom was following beside him with a machine strapped to her back.

"Where's the ghost at, Danny?! I'll dismantle their molecules!" Danny could have died from sheer embarrassment. There were still a few regular students, including Paulina and Dash who crawled out of their hiding spot.

"You just missed her. But she did leave this. It's a headshot," Danny held the photo in front of his parents. "She threw a bunch of them around before she bolted." He didn't bother to mention Phantom, knowing it would strike fear into him.

"Well, if there's not a problem here anymore, we should probably leave. Thank you for telling us, Sweetie." Maddie said, taking the photo of Femme.

"If anymore ghosts come back, let me know. I'll beat em' all the way to timbuck two!" Jack cried out, being grabbed by the arm by Maddie. Maddie dragged him out of the cafeteria. A panicked Usami came in soon after. She must have fled from the scene as soon as the attack started. Poor girl probably wasn't used to ghost attacks. There was a small gash on the side of her face, small droplets of blood settling on her pale skin.

Before Danny could check up on her, Dash swooped in in front of him. "You're bleeding, Usami." He said, reaching towards her cheek to swipe away the blood. Danny didn't know why Dash was acting so nice to Usami. He was talking to her like a person which was most unusual.

"Look, they're falling in love already." Sam commented sarcastically with an eyeroll.

Usami smiled at him uneasily. "I was in the bathroom when I got attacked by a ghost. I barely got away unscathed, but I'm glad it's over now. Oh goodness, it looks like a tornado hit this place."

"Yeah, there was some ghost chick here a few minutes ago. She put Phantom through the ringer." Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Attention, students! Due to the recent events of a ghost attack, I grant the early dismissal of school. Any students hurt by the attack are urged to stop by the nurse's office before departure." At least one good thing came out of this. Maybe when he got home he could take a nap.

👻

Usami never realized how exhilarating it was to fight someone other than just her father. She'd been so used to the same old thing that it was starting to grow stale. It was the first time anybody else had ever seen her in her ghost form.

She felt like she played the part perfectly and there was no way Danny could consider her as the mysterious Femme Fantomu. Especially with her quick thinking. She cut herself in the face with her fingernail to cause the bleeding. It wasn't her favorite thing, but she knew it was essential for keeping her secret under wraps. She hadn't expected them to let out school early, but she was excited to relay her information to Father.

She stood outside the school, talking to Dash with a fake smile on her face. She never let it waver, convincing herself that she was attracted to him even if it wasn't the case. "Today has been wonderful. I am grateful for your company. I was very nervous at first since this was my first time at a public school."

Dash leaned towards her with a smile and half lidded eyes. "You're cute, so I'd say it's worth it. I think my friends like you and they agreed to let you into our group. So you must have made a good first impression." He thought he was fooling her. She knew him and his friends only allowed her to join because of whose daughter she was. Dash was most likely thinking he'd won, coming too close for comfort. ". . . I know we just met today, but I think we should go out . . . I mean go on a . . . date." Usami was giddy inside, unable to believe this was working. This was exactly what she was expecting.

Her face heated up again, eyes going wide as if she was thrilled. " . . . I'd like that very much. You're such a nice guy, how can I say no?" She looked away shyly. ". . . What day were you thinking?"

"Friday. I can stop by and we can do whatever you want. I'll do anything if that means I get to see your adorable face." Barf . . . Oldest line in the book. "Do you want my number?"

"I can give it to you tomorrow, but I really must get going. I wouldn't want my father to worry. It's imperative I make it home in one piece." She stood up on the tips of her toes and placed a kiss on the side of his cheek, listening to the hard swallow in his throat. She put her feet back down and turned on her heels. But not before turning her head and smiling. "Goodbye for now, Handsome." She didn't wait to see his dazed and confused expression and began to walk home, the fake smile dropping from her features.

When she was far enough away, she groaned. "I was wondering when that fucking nightmare would end. What a moron." That was one of the reasons why she hated most people like that. He was the type that took advantage of girls. A sleaze who was easily fooled by flirtations disguised as innocence.

The guy may have thought he had her wrapped around his finger, but it was the other way around. She would use him to get to the top and when she was done, she would drop him like a fly. She just needed to bide her time. Usami pulled out her phone from her tote bag, turning on the screen.

The wallpaper was a photo of her on her tenth birthday, Vlad's hand resting on her shoulder while she blew out the singular candle in the small strawberry flavored cake. He'd given her a stuffed animal she'd been itching to get her hands on at the time. It seemed as if days like those were over.

Now Father's main focus was Danny Fenton. She couldn't help the jealousy that was sinking in. It wasn't Danny's fault, of course, but he should have been spending time with his daughter. Not obsessing over somebody else's kid. If she had the option, she wouldn't have been doing this mission in the first place.

She didn't have much of a childhood. It was taken away from her the minute she took his hand. Was there regret? Maybe, but it wasn't about what she wanted. She had to do this no matter what. It didn't matter whose feelings she hurt orwhat damage had to be done. What she wanted was never considered. She wasn't normal. She was a monster living a lie.

The small prickle of tears built up in the corners of her eyes, throat feeling like it was going to close in on itself. The anxiety was creeping into her, digging its claws into the flesh of her heart. What am I doing with my life?

Stop it. Only weak people cry. You're not weak, are you? Shaking off the dread, she called Father. The phone was answered almost immediately, ears being greeted by his calm voice. "Hello, Dear."

"Father, school has been let out early. I wanted to inform you, I'm on my way home." She said.

"Yes, I am aware. I look forward to hearing your progress when you get home." Don't hang up. Ask me how my day was at least. Except Usami didn't say that. She kept her mouth closed, only opening it to utter little words.

"Yes, Father." He didn't linger, hanging up. The conversation ended as soon as it started. It didn't look like she would get through to him anytime soon.

👻

The house was quiet. Vlad found himself in the newly built lab. It included a ghost portal and everything else the other one did. The table was cleaned up, aside from a few stacks of papers and folders. Unlike Jack Fenton, Vlad Masters liked to keep everything clean, not an ounce of clutter in sight. He sat down in his office chair, holding the manila folder with all of Usami's legal documents, vital signs, photos, and test results, among other things.

One of the shelves in the room nearest left side of the ghost portal held vials filled with blood samples one the middle shelf. Each were carefully labeled with the date it was drawn. He drew Usami's blood every month for seven years. It initially started with his plans on a ghost DNA transfusion.

Before he'd even met his daughter, he'd asked to see if she had any medical evaluations. The orphanage handed him the documents willingly and he'd been able to find Usami's blood type and DNA were a compatible match with his ghost DNA. The possibility of it killing someone all depended on the genetic makeup. Some people could survive it, while others certainly could not.

Usami was his greatest creation. She was not his biological daughter in the sense of human biology, but in that of a ghost. He'd made her the amazing halfa she is today. Without him, she would still be wallowing in that orphanage. He spent much of his time brainwashing Usami into becoming the perfect mold of himself. They were the same, really. Nobody to count on them but themselves and it would seem Usami was becoming more and more like him every single day.

However, the thought of her coming to a realization that he'd misled her all these years, was always in the back burner of his mind. This was the main reason he gave her the task to trick Daniel. Even if Usami did decide to disobey him, Daniel would hate her so much, she'd have no choice but to crawl back to him. And when Jack was finally gotten rid of, it would be all thanks to his precious daughter. With a sigh, he stood back up from his office chair. "Maddie, bring up Usami's examination diagram, please." The hologram of Maddie Fenton appeared next to him.

"Of course, Dear." She replied. The large screen came up, revealing the diagram of an outline of the female form. The outline was split in two, showing a percentage of the genetic makeup that was human and one that was ghost on either side.

Her heart rate appeared to be a lot higher in the human form, but her ghost form was about average in comparison. Five percent stamina for human and twenty five percent for ghost. The statistics continued to list on both sides. The simple break down of the genetic makeup would allow him to see ways he could improve Usami's power and strength.

She was a weapon, having potential to be even more powerful than he was. If he could keep her in line for a long enough time, then everything should work according to plan. He swore on it.

👻

When Usami got home thirty minutes later, Father was nowhere to be found. But then she realized he was probably in the lab. Usami had yet to see the new one that had been built in when Father bought the house. It was around that time again when Vlad would draw her blood and run it through his s system in order to make sure everything was working properly.

Every once and a while, she would be forced to participate in more experimentation. She hated being strapped to that metal table while he poked around her body with needles and other tools. In the past seven years, she'd more than likely went through over a hundred experiments and tests. He was always trying to increase her power.

Most days she felt like a machine that was constantly being repaired. Nothing was fully perfect. Everything always had room to improve. You can't afford to slack off, Dear. I know you wouldn't want to disappoint me. And for that, she feared he may have been prepping for her arrival already. Swallowing hard, Usami inched towards the closed laboratory. She reached for the door and slowly twisted the knob. Down the narrow hall was a set of metal stairs, the light glow from the machinery dimly illuminating the area.

She took her time down the stairs, not wanting to rush walking into whatever harsh reality was waiting for her. "Father?" She called out, waiting for an answer.

"I'm down here, Usami." He called back. "Don't worry, I'm just looking at your charts." Usami let out the sigh of relief she didn't realize she was holding in. She made it all the way down the steps, noticing the Maddie hologram on display. Vlad used the Maddie hologram for homeschooling as if she was a substitute for a mother figure. Because Father really did believe Maddie would become his.

Usami saw how he looked at her. Eyes filled with love and longing for something Usami knew was never meant to be. How could he hold onto that hope all these years? This obsession had been a part of Usami's life the minute she was brought home. She was afraid of her father. Was that how it was supposed to be? Or was she confusing fear with love?

Usami held back the tears, concentrating on her father's face, forcing an artificial smile on her lips. "Father. I have the most wonderful news. The plan we set in place this morning worked. Pretty soon the news will start buzzing about Femme Fantomu. I even gave them some headshots." She said with a malevolent smile, feeling proud of herself.

"You did wonderful, Dear . . . " He paused for a moment, noticing the small scratch on her cheek. "Why, what happened to your face?"

Usami smiled once more. "When you planted that dragon ghost into the cafeteria, I went to the bathroom to transform. And when I was done toying with Danny, I hid and cut myself in the face with my nail. Then I made up some stupid story about how I was attacked by some ghost in the bathroom. They bought it, of course. I'm certain Danny has no clue who I am."

"Did anything else happen?" Vlad continued.

"I'm manipulating some popular kid to become popular. He's a dumb jock named Dash. And he thinks I actually like him. He disgusts me. He's so repulsive. I saw him cornering some poor band kids on my way to class." Usami didn't hold back the laugh this time. "And the most cliche bull crap I've ever heard comes out of his mouth. I was wondering how many more creative ways of him calling me beautiful it would have took before he got bored. His other friends only are interested in me because you're rich and I'm "perfect babe material." It makes me sick just thinking about it. But I have to play my part."

"A wonderful strategy, going for the top of the social pyramid. Most people who are popular tend to be likable. You're becoming more and more like me everyday." I don't want to be like you. Shut up, yes we do.

"Unfortunately I have a date with him on Friday. I plan on friendzoning him the following Monday." Dash had told her he used to be really into Paulina, but she wouldn't go out with him. So Usami knew he wouldn't really kick her out of their popularity club.

Vlad didn't try to hide the joyous expression on his face, clasping his hands together. "You seem to be taking quite the initiative. It would seem you were the right one for the job." Usami let out a small laugh.

"Well, I did learn from the best. I'm thinking once I've shown everyone at the school the. part I'm playing, it will make it less suspicious when I start talking to Danny. However, I have a slight concern with his friend Sam. She might prove to be a problem in the future." Usami still couldn't shake the look of suspsicion Sam sent towards her. The girl was perceptive certainly. Maybe she was less likely to fall a victim to the trap Usami set, but there was a slight possibility of her changing that action.

"Ah, yes. Sam Manson. You know, Daniel harbors some romantic feeling towards her." Vlad said while hiding a smirk. She supposed she would just have to work harder if she wanted him to fall in love with her.

Usami shrugged her shoulders, trying to play it as if she didn't care that Danny fancied girls of the gothic variety. "That brings no cause of concern to me . . . But that is all the information I have for you."

All the pieces were starting to come together. Slowly but surely. Soon she would put an end to the entire Fenton family.

For Father.

|  Chapter End |
word count | 4,530

Chapter Text

"Monday at around two pm, a ghost attack broke out in the Casper High cafeteria while students peacefully enjoyed their lunch before their next period. Fortunately the infamous "Invisobill" was there to prevent serious damage or harm to the students unable to flee the sudden chaos. Though upon capturing the dragon formed apparition, another ghost entered the playing field. Femme Fantomu, the girl calls herself, left behind signed headshot photographs. These photos were provided to us by Casper High staff, which we will show you now." The living room television in the Fenton house blared, pulling up the headshot of Femme Fantomu.

The ghost girl broke news headlines the following Thursday of the attack. To Danny, it was to be expected. Amity Park had been highlighting ghost attack related news stories for weeks at a time, trying to milk the paranormal aspect of the town for all it was worth. "Looks like I have another ghost to hunt for!" Jack exclaimed excitedly before his face contorted in anger towards the new ghost girl.

"First Invisobill and now this Femme Fantomu? When will the madness end?" Maddie sighed, observing the pretty ghost girl's flirtatious headshot. She had this intense look on her face, most likely determined to capture this other ghost.

Danny's nerves were still on edge about it. Everything conveniently started as soon as Vlad and Usami moved into Amity Park. He hadn't the slightest idea on what his motives were. But this also made him feel determined. If he could figure out Vlad was planning before it happened, the better he would feel.

Usami though. His ghost sense continued to persist around her. He hated how much of an affect on his personal wellbeing this had. The entire week, Usami was constantly being hovered around Dash, being pretty and wowing school staff with her charismatic personality. She seemed to pick up some of the traits Vlad had, but Danny was convinced she was innocent. There was nothing to point toward any deceit. She was kind to everyone and it didn't feel like she was acting.

But again, she was Vlad's daughter. It was hard for him to see Vlad a good enough actor to have fooled his own child for seven years. Danny stood up from the sofa, slipping on his purple backpack. Another day of school, another day of hell.

He would be making the walk to school on his own today since Sam wouldn't be in class until later and Tucker was already at the school, fixing one of the computers in the computer lab for fifty bucks. He just hoped he could avoid any trouble on his way there. "I'm leaving, Mom." He told Maddie who was still intensely watching the news.

"Alright, sweetheart! Make sure to take the trash out on your way out." Danny let out a small groan, quickly retrieving the full trash bag before he made his way out. He threw the plastic bag into the bin outside and descended down the road.

Most days Danny enjoyed the peace and quiet that came in the morning when his friends were too busy to drop by his house. The walk was about fifteen minutes away from his neighborhood and he was thankful he didn't have to ride the bus that was usually stuffed full of kids.

Surprisingly, he wasn't met with any unwanted visitors and didn't have to stop to deal with them. He usually couldn't go a second without at least one ghost to ruin his morning.

When he approached the front of the school, Dash was leaning against the side of the entrance with his arms folded against his chest. "I was wondering when you would show up, Fenton." Dash put emphasis on his last name with his annoying voice. It was weird that he sounded like an oversized chihuahua half the time.

"Is it time for my weekly scheduled bullying session?" Danny asked sarcastically, crossing his arms to match Dash's demeanor. "What's this about?"

"Just because your parents are friends of Usami's dad doesn't mean I'll let you try and take her from me." Danny almost laughed. The fact he thought he could claim Usami as his was so ridiculous.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and your staring. You've been staring at her all week. Don't think I haven't noticed. Usami is going to be my girlfriend soon and I don't need you screwing it up." Dash knew this girl for like a week and he already wanted to stake claim on a girl that was too good for him?

Danny rolled his eyes. "Hate to break it to you, man, but she's too nice for you. Why don't you just leave the poor girl alone?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're an asshole and she's nice to everyone. I know you're holding yourself back from punching me because you want her to see you as the guy you really aren't. But don't worry, I'm not looking to date her if that's what you're thinking." But you think she's beautiful, don't you, Danny?

Dash only seemed to get angrier the more they stood and talked. "Well good, because she's going on a date with me, Friday." Danny had to bite back the shock. Seriously? Even after he warned her? She was going to get eaten alive. Because once Dash was done with her, he'd probably ignore her.

"Do you actually like her or are you just pretending so you can embarrass her in front of everyone when you're done playing with her?" Danny knew that he would suffer for the comment later. Dash looked serious. So it would seem Dash actually did like her. There wasn't even a hint of amusement and Dash wasn't smart enough to lie about it.

"Shit, Fenton. What kind of person do you take me for? Obviously I do, but it's not like it matters anyways. I don't have to answer to you." Dash turned away, trying to hide the red blush on his cheeks. He didn't say anything more, just walked through the door and disappeared down the hall. That was probably the most civil he'd seen Dash act in forever.

It was weird to see Dash actually liking a girl for her. Maybe he would realize to treat people just as nicely as he treated Usami. Ha! That was a funny idea that had no way of being realistic. Dash Baxter would never change.

👻

Tomorrow was Friday. Usami's inevitable date with Dash Baxter and the near completion of phase one. The popularity boost thanks to him got her where she needed to be, stuck in meaningless conversations about being pretty and popular. She was pretty much losing her mind at this point.

If she had to play the part of a ditsy smitten school girl for a second more, she would scream. She could only imagine what being alone with a guy like Dash would entail. Just a few more days and she would be Dash-free. "Ms. Masters. Just the person I was looking for!" Mr. Lancer's voice caught her attention when she was at her locker.

Out of all the characters in Casper High, Usami liked him. Maybe it was the fact he wasn't a student or the fact he seemed to be more bearable. She couldn't tell, but it was nice to have someone other than the popular kids that liked her for the sole reason she was pretty and wealthy. "Hello, Mr. Lancer! How are you doing today?" She faked her perfect smile, putting on the mask that had yet to slip up.

"I'm doing just fine, but I was hoping to ask something of you." He replied, thrusting a paper in front of her face. Tutoring Application. Usami reached for the paper, grasping it in her fingers. "I know you've only been attending Casper High for a week, but you really have proven yourself to be an intelligent young individual . . . the same cannot be said for Mr. Fenton. And since you two are familiar with each other, I think you could really get through to him." Another way into Danny's life? Just wait until Father found out about this wondrous opportunity. This was a perfect opportunity for her to up the charm and get Danny to fall in love with her

Usami didn't hide the smile this time, looking Mr. Lancer in the eye brightly. "I'd love to. I'm grateful you considering capable enough to tutor. I don't know what to say." Mr. Lancer placed his hand on her shoulder.

"No need for words, Ms. Masters. Just fill out the application and deliver it to the office when you have the time. And perhaps in a few weeks, Mr. Fenton will have a tutor. I look forward to seeing you in my class this morning." Once Mr. Lancer was gone, Usami continued on with her business at her locker.

When she was finished getting out her books, she went close the locker door. Before she could do so, a hard hand shut the metal door carefully. "Hey, Usami. You look amazing today." Dash purred with half lidded eyes. It was obvious he was into her. Usami wiped the negative thoughts away, bringing heat to her skin.

"Hello, Dash. Are you looking forward to our date tomorrow?" She hadn't yet given him her phone number, dreading the long text conversation she'd have to endure. At least on Monday, she would be able to reject him. She just had to continue the flirting. "I'm excited to be alone with you. It gives us a better chance to know each other a little more without your friends around."

Dash nodded. "Yeah, sometimes my friends just cramp my style, y'know? But, yeah, I'm excited," Dash glanced down at the folded paper in Usami's hands. "What's that?"

"Huh?" Usami looked down before releasing a nervous laugh. "Oh, this? It's just a tutoring application. Mr. Lancer suggested it to me because Danny needs one and he said I would be a good fit. It's kind of all of a sudden since I haven't been here that long, but I need credit for when I go to college in the future. So I figured I'd do it."

"Man, that suck . . . That reminds me, I keep seeing him staring at you. It's so creepy. It's been happening all week." Usami felt herself blush for real this time. What business would Danny have staring at her? And why didn't she feel more bothered than she should.

"I don't mind. Maybe it's because he likes me." She watched Dash's eye twitch in annoyance. ". . . But unfortunately for him," She looked away for a second, placing her palm on Dash's chest. She looked back up at him with a soft smile. "I'm interested in someone else." She removed her hand, watching the way his face flushed. This boy certainly was pathetic, but she enjoyed the attention despite how terrible he was to be around. "I have to get to class so I'm not late. I'll see you in a few minutes." She waved goodbye and left him a flustered mess in the hallway.

She had that boy in the palm of her hand and the rejection would hurt even worse.

👻

Usami stared at the text messages on her phone. Dash was blowing her up, one ding followed by another. Ding. Ding. Ding. "Oh my gosh! Stop texting me!" She screamed at the open air in her room. She couldn't handle him anymore. But she knew she had to hold on just a bit longer. She wanted it to hurt when she rejected him. She'd heard a rumor from a random girl in her class that Dash was most known for playing and using girls. He spent so much time breaking hearts, why not give him a taste of his own medicine?

Was it cruel? Yes, of course, but Dash was the desperate enough type to try and sway her into a relationship long after her rejection. Perhaps she could still manipulate him if it would benefit her. "Usami, dear. I have a job for you." Vlad spoke on the other side of the door. Finally a distraction. Usami got up from her bed and opened the door.

"Yes, Father?"

Vlad had a smirk clear on his face. It was the type of grin that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. That smile was permanently burned into her mind, reminding her that he was a cruel man. Still, she loved him. He was all she had. "Danny and his friends are at the mall this afternoon. I want you to go there and disrupt their evening. If I send you to a more public setting, we can get the attention of news reporters."

Usami's chest warmed up with joy. The thought of her name on the news was a rather exhilarating feeling. I need everyone to love me. "Of course! I'll be on my way!"

"Good. It's time someone put Daniel in his place." Vlad walked back down the hallway to leave Usami to her own devices. She would be starting her first attack on her own. Usami's skin began to tingle as her ghost transformation set in motion, changing her appearance to Femme Fantomu. She flew out of the room, activating her intangibility. When she was outside, the sun was beginning to set. The pinks and oranges that made her calm.

The mall wasn't far off from the neighborhood, making it a fifteen minute flight. When she made it to the mall, she stood on top of the roof for a small rest break. Then she was intangible agin, descending towards the ground. She ended up standing on top of a table of teens she recognized from school. "Don't worry, your star has finally arrived!" She beamed, shooting back up in the air. She extended her hand, releasing a burst of ectoplasmic energy over at the table. The teenagers scrambled away from the table, chaos immediately coming soon after. The mall was smothered in the sound of panic and her raucous laughter above their screams.

"Danny Phantom, my love! I came here cause a little birdie told me you'd be here." She laugher, using the term "my love" sarcastically.

"How romantic. I didn't realize I had a secret admirer." Usami turned her head to find an unimpressed Danny Phantom, letting out another loud laugh.

"Just the person I wanted to see." She shot another blast to the ceiling, creating a hole in the roof of the mall. There were more screams, patrons stumbling over each other to try and escape. Then she turned back to him, leering at him with a smirk. When she tried to get close to him, he flew a few paces back. "What? Are you afraid I'm gonna shock you again?"

"Who do you work for?" He completely ignored her response, shooting a blast at her. This time it grazed her in the shoulder. Usami was annoyed by the same question asked of her on Monday. He was persistent, wasn't he?

Usami drew her eyes into slits, glaring at him. "Whose to say I work for anyone? Maybe you should get your facts straight before assuming I can't work alone." She didn't expect herself to get sassy with him. She threw a punch towards him, but he swooped away.

She drew her arm back again, shooting towards him with her first. When he dodged that, she followed with a high kick. A noise left her mouth as her heel connected with his jaw. He groaned in slight pain, rubbing at his jawline. "That kick was higher than my grades." She heard him mumble faintly. He blasted her again, knocking her off kilter. She willed herself to stay afloat of the chaos on the floor.

"Afraid to hit a girl? Trust me, I don't need you holding back. It's about time someone knocked you off your high horse. Do you think you deserve more attention than me?" She hated that Danny was holding himself back from being more physical. Sure, it wasn't like she wanted to be punched, but she didn't appreciate his reluctance to attack her with anything worthwhile.

And he was dead wrong to underestimate her.

Closing her eyes, she focused her attention on duplicating herself into four other versions of herself. It took a lot of willpower since it was one of the few skills she had yet to master. She could hear his voice, asking what she was doing. But she was too deep in concentration to care about his words.

Slowly the duplicates formed a full circle around him. "How did you?"

"Learned this trick from a friend. Hopefully it's enough to make you think twice before thinking you're better than me." Giving her a confused look, the duplicates mimicked the emotion of condescension written on their face. Usami then directed her energy into the duplicates, causing a large amount of ectoplasmic energy to shoot towards him.

I have modified your body to stabilize large amounts of power without overexerting too much energy. Still, you don't want to overdo it, Usami. Her body become covered in a layer of intense electrifying pain. She literally felt like her insides were melting. Then she screamed, her guttural howls of agony filling in the last little spaces of the silent atmosphere. Luckily the power fizzled out as quickly as it came.

Usami steadied herself, forcing herself not to fall out of the sky. She felt the small drip of blood from the corner of her lips and was breathing heavily. Surprisingly Danny was still standing. He seemed to be in less distress than she was. "You shouldn't still be standing."

"Wait? Where you trying to kill me?" Usami couldn't stop the beating of her heart. How had he been able to withstand that? How was he remotely unharmed while she felt like she was going to crumble? Father's going to be angry. Wiping away the blood, she looked at him with fearful eyes.

She was so panicked, she couldn't find the words and decided to just abandon him completely. She heard him yell something about the thermos and not letting her leave. That would have just been the outcome, wouldn't it? Maybe he would have taken her home and let his parents dissect her.

But she was more worried about Father's reaction. He would not be happy once he found out Danny was hardly phased by her special attack. You should have tried harder.

👻

Seven year old Usami had been in the care of Vlad Masters for close to three months. It'd been a long time since she'd had a nice room to sleep in and she could see the stars and moon outside her window.

She was sitting on her bed, coloring a picture in the coloring book with a unicorn on the front cover when the door opened.  You will address me as Father as you are now my child.  Vlad was wearing a clean white lab coat over top of his nice suit.

He was much different from the man she met at the orphanage. Something about what he was wearing screamed danger. Her hand trembled, crayon beginning to make unwanted marks on the page. "Usami, it's time." He didn't have to say more for her to know what he was talking about.

Getting off the bed, she slowly made her way over to him. He held out his hand and she took it. He led her out of the room and down the cold staircase that led to the laboratory. It wasn't the first time she'd been down there.

His preparations didn't go unnoticed as he flicked the lights on, revealing the small chamber he'd put her body into once he was done with the DNA transfusion. The lab table with the metal clamps on all four corners was placed in the middle of the lab. There was another table beside it with an oxygen tank and various tubes stretching out from it. A syringe filled with Midazolam to help her sleep during surgery. Another set of syringes for taking blood samples and many more tools and objects.

Her eyes took in every part of the lab, knowing that she couldn't go back now. "Once I do this, your life won't be the same. I hope you know that this transfusion is permanent. Do you still wish to proceed?" This was a test. She could tell Vlad was serious. He saved her, so it was the least she could do, right?

"I'll do whatever you ask of me, Father." A dark aura filled the atmosphere as Vlad pulled the surgical mask to his mouth.

"Let us get started, shall we?"

👻

Hey, Beautiful. Usami was awoken by a text from Dash. The message was followed by a winky face emoji. Grabbing her phone, she rolled over on her side, pulling up the messaging app. Hello, handsome. She added a blushing emoji, pressing send.

A few seconds later, she was met with another message. Did you see the news this morning? Usami rose her brow, feeling the sudden dread settle into her stomach.

What?

Ghost attack. It destroyed the entire main entrance of the mall. It was started by Femme Fantomu. Father was most likely watching the news as they spoke. He wanted good results. She didn't tell him about what happened last night even though she knew he wanted her exposed to people. Usami didn't text back, throwing the covers off her legs. She swallowed up the fear, trying to will herself out of the room.

Her feet took little inches towards the door. Her heart was pounding in her chest, throat closing in again. There's no reason to fear me, my dear. I'm only doing what's best for you. His voice seeped into her thoughts as her heart continued to pound. You should be grateful, Usami. I taught you better than that, didn't I?

She hadn't realized she was standing in front of the door now. She reached for the knob, hands trembling. However, Father had gotten to the door before her. He pulled the door open and she gasped. "Usami, what's the matter, Dear?"

Once the words left his lips, Usami found herself bursting in tears. "Father, I'm so sorry! I ran away from the fight with Danny and let you down. It was foolish for me to run from the fight." She dropped to the ground, covering her eyes with her hands. She'd hardly ever cried in front of him. He must've been ashamed.

"I don't see how that calls for you apologizing . . . While I can agree, it was rather foolish of you, you completed the mission just as I asked of you." He looked down at her, watching her continue to weep. "However . . ." Usami hastily wiped the tears away, eyes glazed over as she looked at him. "Don't make the mistake again. We can't afford to have too many slip ups." His face was stern, not an ounce of amusement showcased upon his features. "Once you've calmed down and ceased your crying, you may come downstairs for breakfast." He started towards the door.

The look of disappointment 0n his face was permanently burned into her mind. She'd let him down for fleeing from a fight like that. Danny was probably clinging onto her weaknesses. He would continue to underestimate her and she would continue to fall behind. Get it together, Usami. You're already in way too deep.

Once Father was gone, Usami picked herself up from off the ground, forcing the anxiety put down. She forced herself to smile, acting as if she hadn't been upset in the first place. She went towards her phone to send Dash a text message. I'm on my way to school. See you then, handsome. She pressed send and sighed deeply. Just a little longer, Usami. She reminded herself. She would not fail this mission.

| CHAPTER END |

word count | 3,994

Chapter Text

School was mostly uneventful. She managed to bear Dash's insistent flirting for the thousandth time this week and continued to impress her teachers without much effort. Since becoming a student at Casper High, she felt important. It was only a matter of time before she had all of Amity Park wrapped around her finger.

After classes, Usami went and dropped off her tutoring application. The office lady informed her that she would be contacted Monday morning if she got the position of a tutor. "Thank you so much, m'am!" She beamed as she walked out of the office with her books in hand. While walking down the hall, she found Danny with his back turned to her. He seemed to be rooting around in his locker for something. With a grin, Usami walked towards him and leaned to tap his shoulder.

He turned his head, looking at her over his shoulder. "Hey there, stranger." She said with a smile, waiting for a response. Danny stared at her for a few seconds before swallowing hard.

"O-Oh hey, Usami. How's it going?" He turned the rest of his body, placing his hand awkwardly on the back of his neck.

"Hmm, not much. I just got back from the office. Mr. Lancer wanted me to apply to be a school tutor . . . He said you needed help and thought I would be a good fit." She replied. "Which I absolutely don't mind doing."

"Oh, really?" He looked stunned for a second, shaking his head. "I mean . . . Mr. Lancer's always on my back about school. So I'm honestly not surprised. He seems to like you a lot which is pretty hard to do." He answered. Of course Lancer liked her. Everybody liked her. It seemed even more so that her manipulative tricks were working on him just as she'd planned.

"I didn't really notice. I thought he was like that towards everyone." She lied with a small laugh. "Would you like me to tutor you, Danny?"

"I doubt I have much of a choice if Lancer's the one setting it up." He looked away for a second and then back at her.

Usami gave him a close eyed smile. "Ah, I suppose that's true. Well, I look forward to tutoring you if I get the position." She walked past him, giving him a small wave. "See you later, Danny." She forced a laugh from her lips, making her way towards her locker to retrieve her school bag. And there Dash was, confidently leaning against his own locker, eyes locked on her the entire time. Usami felt her skin crawl, silently cursing herself for deciding to go through with this decision. In hindsight, she really should have listened to Danny.

"Hey, Usami." He grinned as she finally reaching, going straight for her locker. Dash stepped closer, blocking her from opening. His arm rested on her locker door while he looked down at. Usami felt uneasy from the close proximity. Not because she was scared of Dash, but because of how close he was. "So . . . any chance of you becoming my girlfriend after our date tonight?" Usami's face paled. How is he already thinking about putting a label on? Dash must've been desperate if he thought of her as girlfriend material in such a short amount of time. She had to come up with something that would give him hope, but not downright think she would want to pursue anything long term.

"I . . . um . . . Gosh, I don't know . . . I've never had a boyfriend before so I don't know if I'm uh, ready for long term? But perhaps, after the date I might consider it . . ." She looked back at him, hoping her answer was good enough for him. Dash moved back a little, but still kept his arm on her locker door.

"Sure, sure. Yeah, I totally get it. But I do like you a lot and I know we'd look amazing together." He answered with a flirtatious wink. "And I might lose my chance before someone else gets to you first."

"Hmm? Is this about Danny?"

Dash scoffed. "No! As if I'd be worried about that loser. You're way out of his league so I know there's no competition there." There, Usami had caught it. His hatred towards Danny seemed to come out at the mention of his name. Dash may have thought he had her pegged for a fool, but she knew the kind of person he actually  was.

"Okay . . . I still need to get in my locker. Can you move your arm?" She changed her focus to getting her things out of her locker.

"Oh, right." He quickly moved his arm and Usami was happy to get her belongings. She unlocked the combination and removed her school bag from her locker. Closing the door, she looked back up at Dash and pulled the bag strap over her head.

"I need to get going if I want to have enough time to get ready for our date."

"What time do you want me to pick you up?" He asked just as she began to walk towards the school's entrance.

"Pick me up at seven. I'll text you the address so you know where to go." She wanted to get as far away from him as possible before having to spend the entire afternoon with him. She didn't allow him respond, blowing him a kiss and making her way outside.

She pulled her phone from out of the side of her bag and went to call Father. He picked up on the second ring. "Hello, dear. Anything to report today?" Usami held the phone to her ear, slipping her way behind the scho0l in case Danny were to be within sight.

"I turned in that tutoring application my english teacher gave me and I'll know on Monday whether or not I'll be able to tutor Danny. He doesn't suspect anything from me. I haven't gotten much interaction with him since I'm busy with that idiot. I'm trying to get as many people as I can on my side to keep up this ruse." She replied. She was arranging the pawns on her chess board as best as she could. She needed to make sure everything went exactly as plan in order not to risk any failure. Father's words reverberated in the back of her mind. Don't let it happen again. She held onto those words, reminding herself she wasn't here for a fun, easy joyride. Choices had to be made and things had to be done if she wanted to get the results she wanted.

"You have your date with that boy tonight, don't you? You're doing a splendid job, my dear. I'm afraid I won't be home until later tonight. I have some business affairs to tend to this evening."

"Of course, Father. I understand." She nodded, breathing deeply. "Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye, Usami." Then he hung up. She hoped she was doing good by her father's wishes. Everything she was working towards was for him. One day she was going to get that loving family she asked for. Maybe once Jack Fenton was out of the picture things would be different.

👻

"Well the good news is we didn't have to deal with another attack from that Femme Fantomu." Tucker said on their way to Danny's house. The news was still talking about the new ghost girl today. It would seem news was traveling fast. They needed to fix the ghost problem. He shouldn't have had to be dealing with a new villain on top of everything.

"My parents are already coming up with ideas to catch her. I'm guessing they're wanting to nip this problem in the butt before it becomes much bigger." Danny sighed, fiddling with the strap of his backpack. He'd felt so on edge recently, feeling like Femme Fantomu could strike at any moment and dish him a world of hurt. This ghost girl was more powerful than other ghosts. It'd always lingered in the back of his mind that Femme Fantomu was somehow connected to Vlad moving to Amity Park.

"You talk to that Usami girl at all?" Tucker's focus bounced to the topic of Usami. "Maybe I'd have a chance to get her number." He added with a smirk.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Fat chance, Tucker. You'd have to get her away from Dash first. He already thinks I'm trying to steal her from him and I don't need you adding onto the stress." Sometimes it was hard to get through to Tucker, especially when he found his interest in girls who didn't even know he existed.

"It's weird to see Dash being even remotely nice to anyone." Sam added. "And Usami, she's something else. She might even stand a chance against Paulina by the looks of things. Cause what we need is another one of her."

"Sam, Usami's nothing like Paulina. She's way too nice. She wouldn't be talking to Danny if that was the case." Danny flashed a glare at Tucker. Danny didn't understand why Usami bothered with the Dash Baxter type. She was way too good for that crowd from what he'd seen.

He was secretly hoping she ditched him before he broke her heart. Danny hadn't believed for a second that Dash was interested in a long term relationship. It was the whole reason he warned her before she even started going to school. Usami was a smart girl. Hopefully she would be able to get away from him before she got hurt.

👻

"Oops . . . I did it again. I played with your heart. Got lost in the game." Usami found herself singing to the lyrics of Britney Spears while finishing getting ready for her date. She had her long hair pulled up into a cute ponytail with her bangs framing her face and picked out a pretty, short blue dress with a bow and slit in the side.

Obviously she wasn't going to dress as a slob. Even if it was with a guy she had no intentions of impressing. After tonight, she wouldn't really need Dash anymore. Then she could keep her focus on the bigger picture. Don't worry, Danny. I haven't forgotten about you. She thought to herself, putting in a pair of earrings. She reached for the tube of lipstick and applied it to her lips. "To lose all my senses . . . That is just so typically me. Oh, baby, baby." Once she was finished with the last touches, she made her way downstairs with phone in hand. The doorbell rang immediately after she stepped into the room while the music from her phone still blared. She pressed pause, getting ready to answer the person on the other side.

The clock on the wall above the door read 6:45. He must have decided to come by early. Usami reminded herself of how to act when she opened the door. Reaching for the handle, she pulled open the door. And she was right on the money once again. "Hi, Dash~!" She greeted with her arms tucked behind her back. "Are you ready for our date?"

His eyes slithered along her figure, grinning eagerly. Usami felt the same crawling sensation from earlier. This boy really didn't know anything, did he? What an idiot. "Wow, you look hot." Ew. She had to hold back the gag in her throat. She hated that word and it was clear this creep cared a lot about what she looked like.

Usami shifted uncomfortably in her spot, looking away while faking a bashful smile . . . "Oh, thank you. I'm glad you think so." She lied, pretending it didn't bother her. She had to hold it together if this was going to work. "You look nice." She complimented. She turned to close the door, locking it from the inside. She would just have to phase through the wall when she got back. "So . . . Where are we going?" Usami and Dash started towards the street.

"I figured I'd take you somewhere to eat first. There's the Nasty Burger where everyone hangouts at after school if you wanna go there." Usami had seen the restaurant a few times during her drives to school. The name of the burger joint sounded less than appetizing, but she was mildly intrigued.

"Sure, we could go! I see it on my way to school everyday, but I've never actually gotten to eat there. Though the name kind of worries me a bit." Usami added with a light laugh.

"The food there's good. I promise." Dash replied, looking down at her. His face heated up in a red blush. "Would it be okay if I held your hand?" His demeanor shifted slightly. It wasn't too noticable, but she could tell he was stumbling over his words.

"Oh, of course you can hold my hand. We're on a date after all." She smiled sweetly, reaching for his hand at his side. She slipped her hand in his. They continued their walking, fingers intertwined with one another. "There's still so much I don't know about you, Dash. You seem to know a lot about me and my knowledge on you is incredibly lacking."

Dash let out a chuckle. "You're so cute when you use big words like that. You're really smart, aren't you?" Why was he shifting the conversation? Why did he pretend to be so likable towards her? She knew Dash wasn't a good person. She saw the way he treated people when she wasn't looking. You're no better than he is, Usami. You're the one living a lie.

"I guess you could say that. Father always thought I would have a hard time learning at a real school, so I was homeschooled for most of my life. I had to learn to read, write, and speak in English. Father took learning seriously, so I can see how people think I'm so knowledgeable." Usami answered. She recalled the days she would spend in her father's lab, watching the Maddie Fenton hologram spew off English words and phrases she would have to write in a notebook. She was given a lot of papers through the homeschooling program Father owned which she would have to complete in between training and other activities. She was hardly given much freedom, constantly being watched to make sure she was doing everything right. Funny how a conversation with Dash was sucking her back into memories she'd rather forget. "Tell me about you. What's it like being Dash Baxter?" Did she see that somewhere in a movie before?

"Amazing, obviously. I mean who wouldn't want to be me?" Dash gloated, eyes closed while he smirked. I can think of a few people. "I just wish I wasn't so stupid. I know once high school's over, there's nothing left for me. And my grades are bad like all the time. "

Usami hummed in response. For some reason, she felt a little bad for him. She nudged him lightly with her side. "You're not stupid. Believe me, I would know . . . if you were stupid that is."

"Huh, you really think so?"

"Of course, but let's not worry about it too much." She smiled, making the turn into town. The business seemed about average for seven in the evening. She knew people from school would catch them together and assume they were together, but by Monday she would be free again. And hopefully she'd be tutoring Danny by then too.

"It's just a few more blocks away." He assured her, not ceasing his walking. She found it a little harder to keep up his pace, but she tried to make it seem like she wasn't struggling at all. She found she was a lot better at pretending to like Dash than she thought she would. It was almost too easy. What if he knows? 

Of course her mind would conjure up such ridiculous thoughts. It was hard to believe Dash cared about anything other than trying to get her hooked on him. "And here we are!" He announced, standing in front of the medium sized restaurant. A large sign with the restaurant's name in the shape of a hamburger stood in front of the building, surrounded by small yellow leave trees. Despite the name, it looked kind of inviting. 

"Wow, this place looks nice." Usami smiled, looking at the doors. She could hear the voices from patrons on the other side. Dash released her hand from his grip and allowed himself the opportunity to throw his arm over her shoulder. He pulled her closer, looking down at her with that same smile.

"I should have warned you beforehand, but it can get pretty loud." He opened the door with his free hand, allowing her inside of the establishment. It was as busy as she suspected, all of the patrons being teenagers. There wasn't even an adult in sight, save for the old lady wearing a hairnet behind the register taking orders. The door closed behind Dash and he focused his attention towards an empty booth at the back of the restaurant. There were fewer people there it would seem. He grabbed for her hand again, pulling her along.

Once they were standing in front of the booth, he let go of her hand again. Usami wiped her palm on the back of her dress without Dash noticing. She hated physical contact from people she could never truly trust. "I'm gonna go order some food. What do you want?"

Usami slid into the booth, keeping her skirt tucked between her legs as she did so. She rested her head on her palm and looked up at him. "I'm not sure . . . Why don't you surprise me?" She asked, offering him yet another one of her cute smiles.

"Sure thing." He replied, tucking his hands into the pocket of his jacket. When she was out of his line of vision, she let out a frustrated sigh. She couldn't help but feel like she made a mistake targetting Dash. She was just trying to do what Father would have done. She didn't know how he could charm people so easily without a second thought. It was hardly a challenge for him. All the while, she felt like she could never truly reach his skill no matter how hard she tried.

Usami was left with her thoughts for what felt like an eternity. Dash was coming towards her, being able to balance both trays of food without any struggle. What he lacked in intelligence, he certainly made up with brawns. It was honestly impressive. "Here you go, babe." Dash winked, placing
the tray of food in front of her. "Don't worry about paying me back, by the way." With his tray in hand, he sat opposite from her in the booth. Usami looked down at her meal and assessed it to be a hamburger and fries. It was simple, but didn't feel overwhelming to eat.

She reached for the sandwich, being careful not to get anything on her light colored dress. Usami took a bite, slowly chewing. It wasn't long before her eyes sparkled with enjoyment. This was perhaps, the most delicious burger she'd ever eaten. "Wow, that tastes wonderful." She wouldn't have expected a retaurant called the Nasty Burger to have good tasting food, but she was pleasantly surprised. She felt her face heat up in embarrassment. "Sorry . . . "

"Man, you're adorable. Where have you been all my life?" He asked with a dreamy sigh.

"Wisconsin." She answered back and that caused him to laugh. Usami kept her gaze om her food, pretending to pick at her food.

"We should do this again sometime." Usami bit the inside of her cheek. He was hopeful for another date, wasn't he? How in the world was she going to get him away from her?

👻

"Alright, let's get you back home." Dash stood up from his seat in the booth, collecting all the trash and piling it onto one of the trays stacked atop the other. They'd ended up staying at the Nasty Burger the whole time. Usami sat there listening to him tell boring stories about football games or things that happened in school she hadn't been there for. She didn't know how to respond, other than offering a simple nod or mutter from her lips. She knew very little about football other than the fact Father was obsessed with the Green Bay Packers, so she was pretending to understand even if she couldn't fully grasp the concept. The light from the sunset peaked through the restaurant windows and only a handful of teenagers remained.

Usami stood up after him. "It's already getting late . . . Sorry we didn't go anywhere other than here."

Dash shrugged his shoulders, smiling at her. "You apologize too much. But yeah, I guess time really did escape us. I just enjoyed being able to talk with you." More like you were the only one talking. This guy liked to talk about himself a lot. She hadn't really noticed it before until just recently. When Usami was out of the booth, Dash grabbed her hand. Because she'd agreed to let him hold her hand to the restaurant, he seemed to think it was a thing now. Usami resisted the urge to pull away and just smiled. They left the Nasty Burger right on time. She was so glad this night was almost over. After tonight's date, that would wrap up the first phase of her plan.

It was quiet now and the streets of Amity Park were practically empty. For some reason the silence felt nice currently. That was until Dash opened his mouth again. "Have you decided if you wanted to be my girlfriend yet?" Why did he have to bring that question up again?

Usami looked at him with faux nervousness. "I-I'm still not completely sure . . . I need more time to thinking. I could get back to you on Monday on that."

"Alright, Monday. Then you can tell me if we can get the ball rolling on this relationship." I wouldn't count on it. When she rejected him, she hoped he'd still be naive enough to remain in her deck of cards. If all went to plan, she'd be tutoring Danny and then she could complete the mission as she saw fit. Father was going to be so proud of all the work she'd done. She could only imagine what he'd say to her. One by one. They all fall eventually.

Dash didn't say much afterwards. Her response rendered him silent. Was he pulling back? She couldn't let him lose interest too quickly. "Hey, Dash . . . Would you like to kiss me?" She asked innocently, scolding herself for putting the idea into his head.

"I uh . . . what?" He sounded confused, stopping in his tracks. "You want me to kiss you?"

Usami nodded her head, smiling more. She couldn't believe she'd be giving her first kiss away to one of her pawns. But she had to draw him back in, or else things wouldn't go as planned. "I mean, I've never been kissed before and I think it would be nice since we are on a date after all . . . And you've been so nice ever since we met. I think it's only a fair exchange."

The nervousness that was previously on his face seemed to wash away as quickly as it had come. "Yeah, I'd love to." He grinned, pulling her closer to him by his free hand. Usami placed her hand on his chest to stable herself. Being this close to him reminded her of how big of a guy Dash was. If she was anybody else, she would never have messed with him.

This was already treading on thin ice, but she had faith in her skills. She learned from the very best. Usami looked up at him with half lidded eyes and parted her lips. She slowly leaned in, closing her eyes at the way. His free hand grasped her chin, tilting her head at angle. She felt his warm lips press against hers. Soft and gentle. Not what I was expecting to come from Dash. She thought to herself. After a few seconds, he broke the kiss. Usami fluttered her eyes open. He's a nice kisser, I'll give him that. "Wow . . . I think I'm falling in love with you." Her plan worked like a charm. What an idiot. He's such a fool.

After the kiss, Dash walked her the rest of the way home. He held her hand up until she stepped onto the first step of her porch. "I suppose this is goodbye for now. I'll see you on Monday." Usami didn't have plans to hang around him much longer and it was satisfying to see her plan worked so well.

Dash cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure thing, babe." He responded with a wink. "Have a good weekend then." He turned on his heels with his hands in hs pockets again. Thankfully Dash didn't linger much longer. When she was sure he was gone, the fake lovestruck look on her face disappeared.

She shook head, letting out a dry laugh. "Thank god that's over with." She muttered to herself. She noticed the limosine parked in the large driveway, meaning Father was home. He hadn't contacted her in a few hours which could mean one of two things. Either he just now got home or he hadn't been too worried about her going on a date with a boy he'd hadn't even met before. Usami reached for the door, pushing it open and walking inside. Upon entry, Father was conversing with a long curly haired teenage girl in yellow and orange. "Father, I'm home now . . . Am I interrupting something?" She asked as quietly as she could. Father noticed her out of the corner of his eye.

"Usami, dear. Welcome back home. You look lovely today, my dear." Father's sincere smile was fake. It was practiced. He could tell any lie in the world and anybody would believe it. "By the way, have you met Miss Valerie Gray?" He asked, notioning the teenager next to him. The girl looked over at Usami and Valerie's face clicked in her head. Usami never recalled hearing her name before, but she had seen her around school before. She mostly stuck to herself and only really talked to Star over anybody else.

"No, I don't believe I have. May I ask what this conversation is about?" Usami was curious as to why Father was bothering with one of the students at her school. She tried to hide the jealous look in her eyes, but it was hard. Why did he do this? Why did he always ignore her? Perhaps she was a fool to believe he'd ever be proud of what she was doing for him.

"We were discussing matters in regards to Femme Fantomu. I have hired Miss Valerie to help deal with Amity Park's ghost infestation. The mayor hasn't a clue the danger Amity Park is in." Vlad sighed. Great, thanks for painting a target on my back, Father. Usami eyed Valerie with caution.

"That's wonderful news! I'm sure you'll do a great job, Valerie." Usami smiled, holding out her hand. Valerie didn't take it, focusing her attention onto Father.

"Since that ghost boy caused havoc on my perfect life, I've spent a lot of my time ghost hunting. I can't stand them, so I'm happy to be working for you, Mr. Masters." Her voice sounded bitter at the mere mention of ghosts. It looked like Usami had an amature ghost hunter to watch out for. As if her job needed to be anymore complicated. The sound of a phone ringing pulled everyone out of focus. "It's my dad." Valerie announced, pulling the phone out of her bag. "I should get going. He's on security detail again."

"Thank you for stopping by, Miss Gray. I'll keep in contact in case I have more important details to discuss with you." Valerie didn't give a response back, helping herself out of the door.

"You hired a girl to hunt me down? Father, why would you do that?" Usami asked, confusion etched onto her face.

"Don't be so dramatic, Usami. If we're going to keep up this charade, I need to have as many pawns on my side as possible if we wish for this mission to be a success. You'll be fine." Father answered rather dismissively. "How did your date with the boy from school turn out?" He shifted the conversation onto her which meant he wouldn't be backing down from his decision to put her in harm's way.

"Awful . . . I spent most of my time listening to the idiot blabber on about football, but luckily I've got him wrapped around my finger enough to keep my position at the top of the popularity circle. If I get that tutoring position, I'll finally be able to work on getting Danny to fall for me in no time." She explained.

She was ready to get the ball rolling so she could be finished with the mission and they'd be a happy family. It was just a matter of time. "I'm sure you'll have no trouble with that. When you go to school on Monday, I need you to cause a scene as Femme Fantomu. Use that time to test both Miss Gray and Daniel's power against you. Show this town you mean serious business." He replied, grabbing his mug of coffee off the table. "You best get yourself to bed. We have a lot to do this weekend." And that was the end of their conversation. 

He walked out of the kitchen, leaving Usami by herself. A small tear trickled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, glad that Father wasn't here to see it. Don't cry, you idiot. She took a deep breath, running her hand across her forehead. She was losing her mind and falling apart at the seams and nobody seemed to notice except for her.

👻

The following Monday, everything started out normal. For the most part at least. Father had done some tests on her over the weekend and her body was sore in places she didn't think possible. He'd drawn blood and there was a circular band-aid covering the spot where he inserted the needle. It was not what she'd been expect when he said they would be busy. 

Valerie came back Saturday evening to retrieve some ghost weapons he had made for her. Usami felt herself uneasy in front of Valerie, knowing today she'd have to go against both her  and Danny. She didn't understand why Father would just keep supplying the girl with more weapons?

She guessed it wouldn't really matter even if she did bother to ask. He wouldn't listen to her concerns or worry.  Usami said goodbye to the chauffeur and stepped onto Amity Park campus. She shouldered the strap of her school bag and entered the school.  She made her way to her locker, knowing Dash would be waiting by her locker like some pathetic puppy. He was no longer needed to her. 

Speak of the devil. She thought when Dash's face came into view. "Hey, Usami~ How's it going?" Usami slipped on the mask, furrowing her eyebrows to look slightly disappointed. "Something wrong?" He asked. Usami placed her hand on her arm, looking away from him slightly. Then looked back at him, keeping the frown in place.

"Um . . . Dash. I know this might not be the answer you wanted, but I think it would be better if we just stayed friends."

"I . . . what?" He looked confused. Usami had to fight the urge to burst out laughing. The look on his face was priceless.

"I shouldn't have played with fire, but I'm just not interested in dating  you. You understand, right?" Usami didn't say more, unlocking the combination to her locker.

"Y-Yeah! I totally understand." Dash said without much conviction, faking a smile. It was entertaining to see him pretend like it didn't bother him. The look in his eyes shifted. He probably blames Danny. What a fool this guy is. 

"Well, that's great. Glad we're both on the same page." Usami adjusted the books now in her hands. "See you around, Dash." She took her leave, deciding to head to Lancer's early. She had been worrying all for nothing. This was fine. The plan was fine. She was fine.

Wasn't she?

| Chapter End |
word count | 5,437