A/N: Next chapter. I keep thinking of little details to add in and now I'm getting excited. Anyway, hope this chapter is enjoyable.

When Stray finally made it back to her makeshift home near the pier, she was trembling—and not just from the cold night air. She'd faced ghosts before, even been attacked by the, but this encounter had left her more shaken than she'd been in a long, long time.

The girl made her way to the corner of the warehouse where she'd left her stuff, practically falling into a sitting position once she got there. She grabbed her bag, leaning against the wall as she dug through it, eventually yanking out a flashlight and setting it before her, flicking it on. The dim illumination gave way to a bit of relief, making it that much easier to shake off the trauma she'd just experienced.

Stray didn't spare a thought on how leaving the light on would deplete the batteries—she could always get more once the sun came up. Usually she'd just deal with the dark, but there was no way she was doing that after that stupid shadow had ambushed her.

She drew her knees to her chest, huddling close to herself, trying to make up for the absence of comfort from another human being—a coping technique she was, unfortunately, all too familiar with.

The lone teen burrowed down into her jacket as much as she could, cursing herself under her breath for not getting herself a blanket in preparation for the cold.

After only being in this town a day, she was already beginning to have second thoughts. Maybe the theories about this place were wrong—maybe what she was looking for wasn't here after all. But… that could mean it wasn't anywhere.

No. She couldn't start thinking like that, couldn't allow herself to sink into hopelessness. And she couldn't just leave after coming all this way. There was still a possibility that menacing specter had stumbled across her by pure coincidence. If that was the case, there could still be something for her to gain from being here.

Stray closed her eyes, hugging her arms to herself, still trembling slightly.

…She'd forgotten.

She knew she was afraid of ghosts—that they were her greatest fear—but she'd forgotten just how awful the terror they struck through her really was.

Most people were scared of spirits, and rightfully so. They were unknown and dangerous—of course people were scared of them. But Stray knew her brand of fear was different, unique. And not in a good way.

It was worse. Paralyzing, horrifying. Almost primal. But no one could really blame her—not with her track record with the ectoplasmic nightmares.

That didn't stop her from feeling pathetic though.

And what was up with that ghost boy that had showed up? He'd gotten her out of the other ghost's darkness and stopped her from falling to the ground. What was he playing at, helping her like that? Stray was sure he had some ultimate goal, something to gain for himself from what he had done. Maybe he'd just wanted to mess with her himself, and the shadow had stepped onto his turf.

Yeah, it had to be something like that.

Without opening her eyes, the girl allowed herself to slide down the concrete wall to lay against the hard floor of the building. She turned on her side, curling into fetal position and beginning to succumb to exhaustion. She'd figure things out tomorrow after she'd gotten some rest and she got her head screwed on straight. One thing was certain though, she needed to make more of an effort to stay safe and away from ghosts. That meant no more wandering around the city at night.

Soon, Stray had sunk into a fitful sleep, face scrunched up as she dreamt of the shadow darker than the night and the boy with glowing green eyes.

Meanwhile—unseen and unknown to the now unconscious girl in the corner—Danny hovered above the ground, invisible and watching.

He was even more confused now than he had been before. She…lived here? What about her family, where were they? She couldn't be on her own…could she?

The thought turned his stomach, and a little frown placed itself firmly on his face. It wasn't safe for a teenage girl to be out on the streets of any town by herself, let alone Amity Park. There were ghouls lurking in the dark corners here—Stray had experienced that tonight. She was just lucky this had been a night he'd opted for patrol instead of sleep, otherwise that shadow would've done god knows what to her.

Danny lowered himself to the floor, landing softly and quietly before allowing himself to become visible again. He crept a bit closer to Stray, peering down at her sleeping form and sighing.

He had to help her.

But how?

She was terrified of Danny Phantom, and Danny Fenton had no way of knowing about any of this. He was just a kid she'd bumped into, one that had no reason to know of her predicament, and therefore no excuse to help her out.

But he had to help her. It was his job, and what kind of hero would he be if he ignored a girl in such obvious need?

"What did you get yourself mixed up in?" He questioned quietly, making sure not to wake her but asking the question all the same. Something had to of happened for her to be living on the streets.

Danny lifted his eyes from the girl, torn between wanting to reach out to her—though he knew if she woke up now, she'd no doubt be terrified—and knowing he could do nothing at this moment in time. He didn't feel right flying back home while she was here, curled on the hard floor, but…that was all there was left to do for now. As much as he hated that fact, he knew it was the truth, and so he took a few steps back from Stray, running a hand down his face and kicking off into the air. He floated upwards slowly, one last glance her way giving him an idea.

The halfa went intangible, disappearing through the ceiling, only to be phasing back through it a minute later, items in tow. He flew over to Stray's corner, hovering a few feet above her and laying a blanket carefully over her form, before going to kneel by her head, lifting it gently and sliding a pillow underneath.

The girl stirred just slightly, but settled, burrowing into her new found warmth and pressing her face to the softness of the cushion.

One side of Danny's mouth turned up slightly. He was happy he could at least do something for her, no matter how small it was. He'd figure out how he could really help her later, when it wasn't the middle of the night and when he didn't have school in the morning—scratch that, in a few hours.

He'd talk to Sam and Tucker about this. Maybe they'd have some ideas.

For now, though, he was phasing through the warehouse ceiling, making his way back home to get what sleep he could before he had to get up.

"It's like she's homeless or something. Nowhere to stay, no family—not that I could see anyway. And the way she reacted to me after I saved her; I'm telling you guys, it was bizarre."

Sam paused, fork in her salad, to look up at her friend. "You can't exactly blame her for being scared of a ghost kid right after she's just been attacked by a ghost." She pointed out.

"I guess. But there was something…different about it. I almost get the feeling she's dealt with ghosts before."

"From what you've described, I wouldn't rule it out." Tucker added. "I mean, it's not exactly normal for a kid our age to be on her own, especially when she's not capable of taking care of herself. And if she's sleeping in some warehouse, then she isn't."

"If that's true, than you need to be careful with her Danny. She could be working for someone. She could be out to get you."

"I don't think so. She had her chance last night. I was off guard once I saved her, and all she did was run."

Tucker shrugged. "Ghost attacks aren't exactly rare in this town. Maybe she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." He offered another idea, glancing around to be sure none of the other lunch tables were eavesdropping. "Whatever the case is, one things still clear—she needs help."

"I know. And if I don't find a way to help her, no one will." Danny muttered, propping his elbow on the table and holding his chin in his hand. It was no secret he had a hero complex, and usually felt responsible for most things that took place in Amity Park.

Sam and Tucker knew this would be no exception—even if it might not completely revolve around ghosts.

"We'll figure something out, Danny. We always do." Sam offered, smiling at him. "Besides, you've dealt with much worse. Compared to everything else, this is simple."

The halfa sighed, but the corners of his lips turned up. "Yeah, you guys are right. In the meantime, we should find a way to keep an eye on her, and since she's terrified of Danny Phantom, it looks like Fenton and friends are going to befriend the new girl in town."

"Sweet." Tucker nearly sang, pulling out breath spray and squirting a bit into his mouth. "I could woo her, and then she'll be dying to—"

"We wanna draw her in, not scare her away." Sam quipped, eliciting a scowl from Tucker as Danny chuckled.

Soon, the lunch bell rang, calling the students back to class. The trio got up together, conversation moving onto the shadow and wonderings about why it had been around without Johnny. It really was a strange thing, and though they discussed it all the way to—and through— class, they came up with no theories.

Sharing the burden of this knowledge with his friends made Danny feel less pressured, which was good, because if they were going to get to know Stray, he couldn't be all tense and weird. She was just a normal girl—weird ghostly draw or not—and he would help her the same way he helped everyone else in Amity Park.

Him, Sam and Tucker would figure this out together. They always did. And that meant he was free to lighten up.

Soon, the last bell of the day rang through Casper High halls, and kids grabbed their things, quickly and excitedly making their way out the front entrance to the school. It was Friday, and since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was on Monday, it was a three day weekend.

Most of the students were too wrapped up in discussing their plans, they completely missed the girl sitting cross-legged on the lawn of the school, propped against the trunk of one of the trees. Her eyes were closed, and she was leaned slightly to the left, curtain of tangled auburn hair cascading over her shoulder as she slept.

Stray hadn't been able to help falling asleep. Waking up to a blanket and pillow that hadn't been there the night before mere hours after she'd had an encounter with two ghosts was unnerving, and because of that she'd been unable to get anymore rest. She'd been disappointed to find she'd barely gotten three hours of sleep, but had gotten up regardless, packing up her things and making her way out of the warehouse.

Despite the creepiness of it, she'd rolled up the items she'd woken up too and placed them in the corner. Just because she didn't know where they came from, didn't mean she was going to throw them out. They were harmless and helpful objects, and she couldn't afford to throw what little money she had away on things that could otherwise be free.

After purchasing a pack of batteries for her flashlight and buying a cheap breakfast, she'd made her way to the school. She'd remembered it had had a fairly large lawn, and had thought it would be a good place to rest. She'd let her mind wander after sitting herself under one of the trees, thinking about how little money she had left and what her next move should be. Before she'd thought up any solutions though, she'd fallen asleep, the long night of little sleep catching up to her.

She wasn't stirring, not even for the school bell. Or, she wasn't until a hand on her shoulder had her jerking awake.

She started, sitting up straight in an instant and glancing around. She remembered where she was after a moment, and focused on the faces in front of her.

"Stray?" She recognized that voice.

"Danny?" The boy was knelt in front of her, retracting the hand that had been shaking her shoulder. His blue eyes were full of confusion…and hers would be too, now that she thought about it. She was sleeping out in front of a school she didn't even attend.

Her eyes went to Sam and Tucker, standing behind Danny and looking down at her with quirked brows.

"What are you doing out here?" She looked back at Danny, still crouched in front of her with his hands on his knees.

"Uh…sleeping, apparently." Stray muttered, rubbing one eye with a fist and uncrossing her legs, bending her knees and leaning back against the tree. Now that she knew who it was who had woken her up, she could relax again. "What's up?" She mumbled, a bit groggily, trying to act nonchalant despite the circumstance.

"I'm pretty sure we're the ones who ask you that." Danny responded, offering her a hand up. Stray was too tired to protest, and simply took it, dealing with the contact. He pulled her up easily, her bag swinging against her hip.

Danny made sure she was steady before letting go, and she dusted her pants off before glancing up at them.

"Guess school's out, huh?"

A/N: Bit of an abrupt ending. Sorry about that. I just wanted to get this out since it's taken so long. School's been picking up hardcore lately, so updates may be sparse.