A Ghosts Secrets

More Harm Than Good

Phantom had walked back to his room and he was sitting in the corner with Cujo lying right next to him. He shouldn't have let his emotions get out of control, what the hell was he thinking? Phantom was hugging his knees to his chest as he continued to think about how much of an idiot he was.

After several minutes he heard a knock on his door and he slowly got up and walked over to the door. He opened it and the entire team was on the other side, he leaned on the door frame. His eyes were tired and dull, he was emotionally drained and he was still thinking about how much of an idiot he was.

"What?" Wow, even his voice sounded tired, he felt way too dead for his liking but he couldn't help it at the moment. Aqualad looked worried, really worried, holy shit he actually seemed like he was really worried!

Aqualad frowned, "What is wrong?"

Phantom rubbed his eyes before he looked at all of them again, "Where do I start to answer that question? Just tell me that Black Canary left so I don't have to deal with her, I'm fucking done at this point."

Superboy had his arms crossed but he let them fall to his sides before he spoke. "She left."

Cujo walked up next to Phantom and looked at him sadly and Phantom put his hands in his pockets. "I'm guessing I have some explaining to do now." It sounded more like a statement then a question but none of them wanted Phantom to explain if he didn't want to.

"You don't have to explain if you don't want to, you don't seem to be doing well at the moment." Kid Flash said.

Phantom sighed and did the unexpected, he walked up to Kid Flash and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "Don't be an idiot, it would actually be a good thing for all of you to know what just happened. I might not be at my best right now but the sooner you know the better."

They all looked at each other before they nodded and they walked to the living room. Phantom sat down and Cujo jumped into his lap before settling next to him to try and comfort the poor halfa. Phantom scratched behind Cujo's ears for a second so he could figure out how to explain what happened.

He looked at everyone, "When I said that that ghosts work differently I wasn't lying. You can't use the same therapy techniques on a ghost, the end result could be the same but it could also be drastically different. Ghosts aren't simple by any means, that's what the living don't understand, that's what they refuse to see."

"A ghost's powers are tied to their emotions, if they get angry their powers can get out of control. After you had to get me out of the facility I was able to use my ghostly wail and teleport despite how weak I was. I could do that because my emotions made me more powerful so I could do all of that."

"Ghosts are naturally protective so when Maddie was threatening you guys I felt like I had to protect you. The same thing happened when I got mad at Black Canary, my core reacted to my emotions, hence the ice spikes. That's why working with a ghost is different from working with the living, we have to keep our emotions in check."

"Ghosts are also different with how they work mentally which is why mind readers can't get into my head. Ghosts can't go insane, our minds are sort of ripped apart and put back together when we die. Our minds are stronger because they were torn apart, we can be traumatized but we can't go insane."

"Death is sort of like the most traumatic thing you can go through because it's, well, not pleasant. As a ghost's powers develop and get stronger so does their mind, their mental barriers get stronger and their experiences also play a role. Someone tried to control me once but I ended up breaking free from their control and my mind got stronger after that."

"I'm a powerful and unique ghost so things don't affect me as much as it would for the living or lower level ghosts. Ghosts still need support from people they care about though, I got better because of Cujo and the other ghosts. I also got better because you all proved to me that I can trust you and you tried to help me when I needed it."

"That's what Canary didn't understand, I don't trust her yet and her 'help' did more harm than good." Phantom scratched Cujo behind his ears again and the teens were staring at Phantom in shock and happiness. Phantom looked a little better now and he took a deep, calming breath, "Any questions?"

Robin raised his hand like this was a classroom and Phantom was the teacher, Phantom nodded towards him. "So what's a core?"

"It's basically a ghost's 'heart' in a manner of speaking, it regulates a ghost's body so they remain stable. If we didn't have a core we couldn't exist because our core circulates the ectoplasm in our bodies and allows us to 'live' you could say. Ghosts can have either a fire core or an ice core, I myself have an ice core which is why I can make ice."

"It's also why I'm colder than a living person, I could literally walk around the arctic in a snowstorm in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt. A ghost with a fire core can make fire and probably take a bath in lava like it's no big deal. Ghosts with a fire core can make a room warmer when they walk in but I can make a room colder, I'm a walking air conditioner."

A few of them laughed at his joke and Aqualad asked the next question, "What did you mean you're a unique ghost?"

Phantom mentally sighed, being a halfa wasn't the only thing that made him unique. "It has to do with my ghostly wail."

Kid Flash looked confused, "What about it?"

Phantom looked at his hands which were clasped together, this wasn't going to be a very fun conversation. "The way each ghost dies is different, some of them actually see a light, some see other things, and a few hear things. My death was painful, I didn't suffer for long but it still hurt like hell, dying isn't fun."

"When I died it was cold, I didn't see anything but I did hear things, what I heard makes me unique. What I heard were the screams of people that died, they died cold, alone, and in agony. Other ghosts don't hear those screams, I'm the only ghost to ever hear those screams."

"My ghostly wail is a bad imitation of what I heard, the screams sound much worse. I'm unique because I can hear what other's can't, I can hear every scream of anyone who has ever died. That's why I'm unique, it's not exactly the best thing in the world but I can't change it."

No one spoke for a bit, they were trying to process what Phantom had told them. He can't see to get a break, his entire life seemed to be one horrible thing event after another. Phantom started to get a headache and he stood up, "I'm going to my room."

Phantom walked to his room with Cujo right behind him and they decided to leave him alone. Once Phantom got to his room he sat in his corner and fell asleep, he was exhausted. Robin decided to check on Phantom later to make sure he was okay, he was worried about him.