Seeing Double

Rebound - Part 6

Trigger Warning for homophobic and racist language.

"Behold!" Sidney Pointdexter said, pointing dramatically at a busted old locker. "Locker 724!"

With a flourish he keyed in the combination and threw the door open, revealing an oval mirror attached at the back.

It was weird seeing Dash's body act so... eager to please. To see his face, and his stupid square jaw, looking at him expectantly. Respectfully.

Actually it wasn't that unfamiliar, but Phantom had only glimpsed Dash's hero worship from far away. Up till now he'd avoided the teen like the plague.

But this isn't Dash anyway, Phantom reminded himself. Sidney Pointdexter. Pointdexter. Pointdexter.

"How does it work?" Tucker said. His hand hovered over the mirror, but he hesitated to touch it. "It's a portal?"

"Yes," Pointdexter said. "But it's safe to touch, my negro friend! It only activates when I tell it to."

"Oh wow," Fenton said. "We gotta catch you up on, uh, modern politics."

Tucker laughed. "Hope you didn't call Kwan... uh... Danny what did they call Asians?"

Accidentally, Phantom answered at the same time as Fenton. In the exact same tone, they both said: "Y-yellow?"

Phantom snapped his jaw shut so hard he imagined they could all hear the firm click of his teeth.

He stared at his boots and noted they were on the ground. He wasn't even glowing.

He wasn't glowing?

There was a moment of silence.

Pointdexter chuckled. "Jinks!" He said. "You both owe me a sodapop."

"Th-that's not how..." Fenton cleared his throat. "Sidney, could you help us get in there?"

"Oh no," Pointdexter said. "I wouldn't want to send humans in there who didn't deserve it. They'd be trapped."

"But you come and go whenever you want," Tucker said. "Is it safe for ghosts?"

"Well sure." Dash directed a winning smile at Phantom, all glittering teeth.

Not Dash. Pointdexter. "Especially a powerful ghost like the Phantom? Sure, he'd be king of the place."

"If I can't get Dash out," Phantom said. "Sh-should I..."

He looked at Fenton.

Fenton, who was taller than him now, but still shorter than Tucker. Fenton blinked at him with those familiar blue eyes.

Phantom didn't think of them as his own eyes anymore. Especially since he'd never been fond of his own reflection in the first place. He'd thought of himself as un-photogenic.

Not ugly, but boring. Unimpressive.

Fenton didn't seem unimpressive anymore.

"What do you want me to do?" Phantom said.

Phantom wondered if it was Fenton's growth spurt that made him seem... better than he was when Phantom was him. Or something else entirely?

Because Fenton was something else now. Someone else.

And Phantom didn't want to let him down again.

"If you can't get him out..." Fenton regarded him with furrowed brows. It was a look Phantom had seen on Jazz many times.

As if she were trying to read his mind.

"Then you come back," Fenton said. "And we'll regroup. Come up with a plan. Or something."