In the Dead of Night You Went Dark On Me

You Were on the Outside Waiting

Phantom was a more common name to be heard throughout the streets now. Gone was the nickname Inviso-Bill. After many months of trying, someone was finally able to hear his name in the midst of an attack, and so that is what he's been called. Sure, people still call him the Ghost Kid, but thankfully they no longer called him the insultingly stupid nickname.

Throughout the few years of his appearances, the people of Amity Park have become increasingly more normalized to seeing him throughout. He would sometimes be seen patrolling the area, talking to the smaller, less destructive ghosts. Recently, he'd just been seen floating randomly throughout the city, working on some sort of paperwork. When someone would work up the nerve to talk to him and ask him about it, most of the time he would act oblivious, pretending like he wasn't working on anything.

Mr. Lancer had had an interesting encounter with Phantom. It was later in the day, way after school ended, and he was walking in the park with his new dog. He found it was a very relaxing past time when no ghosts were causing mayhem. He ended up seeing the ghost kid floating nearby, looking and sounding frustrated. "None of this is making any sense. Why the hell would I need to know what Hamlet was feeling when he said that? This is fucking ridiculous!"

It had to be just a coincidence that Mr. Lancer was having his classes read Hamlet. Totally just a coincidence that the ghost kid looks to be filling out the exact same worksheet he handed out earlier that day. Sounds of static, and inhuman noises came from the ghost boy, and Lancer saw the boy was almost yelling out with frustration.

His dog, Holden, was pulling fast to reach the spirit floating in the park. Lancer quickly undid the leash, and let him run up to him. That would be the best way to let his presence known.

Holden ran quickly, and jumped up underneath the floating dead kid, and barked loudly. A small static-ey laughter could be heard from the kid as he floated closer to the ground, and began petting the dog. "Hello there, little guy. Oh you're cute and not at all afraid of the undead, now are you? I know a little guy you would love to meet. He isn't always small, but Cujo is just a sweetheart."

The boy continued to pet the dog and talk to him as Mr. Lancer walked closer to the duo. The boy heard the sound of the footsteps, and he turned to face the man. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your walk. He's a cute dog. I'll go now." He began floating away.

"That's not necessary. You weren't causing us any harm. And Holden seems to like you." Phantom cocked his head to the side slightly. "Holden? Like the guy from Catcher in the Rye?"

"Exactly like that. Have you read it?" Lancer asked as he put the leash back on his dog.

"Kinda. I was supposed to, but I was only able to get about half way through. Not because I didn't want to, but it was hard to find the time."

Lancer thought back to all of the ghost attacks Amity Park has had within the past few years, seeing how many times Phantom has saved his students at the school, and the entire city in general. He wasn't an expert when it comes to ghosts, but Phantom's first appearance was shortly after the lunch menu fiasco, so he couldn't have been in school when the attacks began. He would have been dead before the attacks could disturb his school. Dead.

Ghosts were dead, that much was obvious. After a few months of Fenton's research, it became clear that not all ghosts were just created as ghosts. Most of them were people that ended up dying in a less than desirable way with unfinished business in the human world. Phantom is a ghost, which means he had died. But he was just a teen. Just a kid. Phantom was just a kid that didn't have enough time, and had enough on his conscience that when he died, he came back to protect the people in this town. How could such a young person become like this, and none of them had even noticed. Was Phantom one of his previous students? How could he have failed a student like that? Not even noticed he died?

Maybe he wasn't a previous student. You never know what time, or even where a ghost came from. They all come through the ghost portals anyway, Phantom could absolutely be from a time way in the past, from a different part of the country. Even still, he is a dead teenager. Someone who was taken from this life way too early. Lancer couldn't even begin to imagine what that must be like, let alone imagine how the poor boy had died. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Lancer's stomach. "Uh, Mr. Lancer? You okay?"

"Pride and Prejudice." He said in his startle at the static that rang throughout with Phantom's voice. "Sorry, I must have gotten deeply in thought. What is it that you were working on?"

Phantom crossed his legs, so that he was sitting cross legged in the middle of the air. "It's an assignment I.. found here in the park. I sometimes sit in on classes at the high school, and I recognized the worksheet, and wanted to see if I was able to complete it."

Phantom had his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, and it was clear that he was unsuccessful. "Would you mind if I took a look at it? I might be able to help you understand. I might just be an English teacher, but I am also something of a math wizard myself."

Phantom let out a soft static-like laugh and floated lower to be the same level as Lancer. "Sure, although your English skills will come in more handy than your math."

Lancer took the paper from him, and briefly scanned the questions and answers, easily recognizing it as his own handout. "I think I see where your confusion stems from." He said as he began explaining the story of Hamlet to the ghost.

He could have gone on for a long time explaining everything, but when they got to the end of the worksheet, Phantom's entire body was wracked in a strong shiver and a cool wisp of blue air traveled out of his lips. "I'm sorry about wasting so much of your time, and for just leaving you like this, but I have to go. Thank you for all your help!" And just like that, the Ghost Boy vanished.

Lancer stared at where the boy just was, and even though he knew it wasn't going to be heard by anyone, he still said, "It was my pleasure."