I would so rather have some other secret power – like the ability to do long division in my head – than this mediator crap I swear. – Suze Simon, the Ninth Key, chapter 11.
"That would be interesting."
"What would?"
"Suze being the geek and David being the mediator."
Jake Ackerman and Andy Ackerman, The Family Reads the Ninth Key, chapter 11
"She seems nice."
David turned from the closed door and gave his mother a weak smile. The whole situation was awkward, his father had remarried unaware that his dead wife had been living with them ever since she died. Helen Simon – now Ackerman – was kind and loving but she could never be the sweet shy woman that is standing there before him in an eerie glow.
Ever since David could remember he could see dead people. According to his mother, so could his grandfather and it had driven him to the point of madness, to the point he killed himself before his daughter – David's mother – turned thirteen. Father Dominic, David's headmaster, priest and mentor, believed it to be a gift. Sometimes David felt it was more of a curse.
"She is," David said, "she spent the whole wedding discussing all sorts of advance topics that I can't even remember. She's promised to help with Maths."
As he and his ghostly problems, along with his two elder brothers, one who had sleeping problems and worked night shifts at a pizza place and the other was just a stupid arsehole, had become a package deal for Helen. Helen's sixteen year old genius daughter became a package deal for Andy Ackerman, David's father. David privately adored Susannah Simon, not only did she treat him as if he was an adult but she was the only one to ask him to dance at the reception.
"I hope she settles in all right," his mother said concerned. Surprisingly, his mother had not been jealous in the slightest, she had supported his father's decision to remarry full heartedly claiming that Andy deserved happiness just as much as his sons. It did help that it turned out Helen's ex-husband is also a ghost concerned about his daughter's welfare. David just hopes nothing comes out of Pete's and his mother's friendship. It would be beyond weird if they got together, like they played Wife Swap or something. "It's unnerving to move across the country, to a place so very different from where you came from."
"I think she'll be all right," David said confidently. Suze was not only intelligent and rather wise for her age but a very strong independent person who focuses on her mother's happiness before hers.
A new glow appeared beside his mother's as Jesse De Silva materialised. David met the ghost almost the moment he moved into this new house. Jesse refuses to say much but thanks to Father Dom's research at the library, David knew everything there was to know and is trying to help Jesse find what's holding him back from moving on.
It hasn't been going well.
"Your sister is a very good woman. She seems to put her mother first though it should be the other way," Jesse said immediately.
"Hi David, would have been nice," David grumbled though he couldn't help but smile. Beyond the occasional book or CD, Jesse hasn't found any interest apart from protecting David and trying to teach him thing. David found it increasingly annoying and rather interfering. "I'm glad you like Suze, who is my stepsister not my sister, but I don't want you to get too attached. She's breathing, alive and she can't see you."
Jesse raised an eyebrow, "yes thank you for that, David, I had no idea my heart stopped a hundred and fifty years ago."
"Stop it the pair of you," David's mother said laughingly.
"Dave, come help with the dinner!" Andy hollered from the stairs.
David sighed, "Coming Dad!" he shouted back. He shot one last look at his mother and Jesse, hopefully warning them to quit spying on Suze who probably trying to sleep or not cry, before heading down to the kitchen.
DADADADADADADADA
Jesse had been avoiding him.
David doesn't know why but for the past week as he and Father Dom worked on the Heather problem Jesse hadn't been there to suggest ideas. He hadn't visited David in the evening to help with his homework and he hadn't even nagged along with Cynthia about David sneaking out at night to speak to Heather. Meanwhile Suze has settled in better than David would ever predict. She made friends with Cee Cee Webb the school paper's editor and Adam McTavish, and caught the attention of everyone as she saved a popular boy from having his head smashed in by a piece of rotten wood.
Of course Bryce had been a victim of a supernatural attack from his dead ex-girlfriend but no one but David and Father Dom knew that.
After a disastrous attack from Heather causing Father Dominic to be hospitalised, David decided it was best to take it in his own hands. He knew it would be difficult and a bit stupid since he was twelve and never performed an exorcism before – though he had witnessed and helped Father Dominic perform one a couple years ago – he snuck out and did it anyway, causing the ceiling of the school corridor to collapse on top of him.
To his surprise, it was Suze that dug him out and dragged him into Jake's car that she had stolen. She laid him down on the backseat, his head resting on her lap as she began to lecture him on the dangers of being alone in an unstable building during an earthquake.
"How did you know where I was?" he croaked.
A slight blush hit her cheeks as she pushed her designer glasses up her nose. She didn't really need them for everyday use, just for reading but she claimed she was so used to wearing them that she kept them on all the time. David always thought (in the past month he had known her) that the glasses made her green eyes brighter and more catlike.
"Jesse told me," she mumbled.
"What?"
"Well...I've been doing a study on paranormal activity for the past four years. My school had plenty of cold spots, especially in the changing rooms which disturbed me greatly. I've discovered a lot about ghost activity and when I first moved in, there was a large cold spot on my window seat. So I left a note for the ghost and he replied. We've been holding long discussions through pen and paper for the past week, Jesse is very fond of you, you know."
"Unbelievable," David cried out. "I told him not to get attached to you."
"I think you're a little too late for that," Suze whispered, a slightly wistful look in her beautiful green eyes told David everything he wanted to know. Jesse had to stop contacting his sister before she'd fallen in love with an idea that wasn't even breathing. She shook her head and glared at him. "I want you to come to me if you're going to do something reckless and Father Dominic is unavailable. Andy and Mum would be distraught if something ever happened to you, they love you to bits."
David shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "but Heather threatened you and Jake and Brad, and I just couldn't stand by, not after what happened to Father Dom."
To his surprise Suze reached over and ruffled his hair giving him a loving smile. "Don't worry, I understand. Now let's get some sleep before school starts, you still want to meet at lunch to go over those Maths problems?"
DADADADADADADADA
"I don't like him," Jesse muttered darkly.
"Neither do I, there's something creepy about him," Cynthia agreed with a shudder.
"I hope those Angel brats squash him," Pete grumbled.
Spike purred his agreement. Ever since Timothy died and requested David to find the cat a home the ugly thing had stayed in his room. The cat had an unnatural love for ghosts, Suze theorised it was because Timothy was so close to death. David just thought the cat was as weird as it looked.
David rolled his eyes. "None of you like Michael simply because he's dating Suze; it has nothing to do whether or not he might possibly be a murderer."
It had gotten quite ridiculous in the past couple of months. Not only has Jesse's and Suze's friendship had grown stronger but his mother supported it. Suze's father and now joined the ghostly gang that surrounded David and Father Dominic welcomed Suze into the mediator secret as if she was his long lost favourite granddaughter. Now his brothers are fighting over Suze's New York best friend Gina, four teenage ghosts were wandering around attempting revenge and Suze's new boyfriend (much to the ghostly trio's disgust) might be their murderer.
David wondered what a peaceful life would be like. Probably homework-less because he'd get it done in time without all the drama around him.
"How can you be so calm?" Pete demanded. "My little girl is downstairs with a murderer! He broke your arm this afternoon."
"We don't know that," David said coldly. In all honesty he agreed with Pete Simon, Michael Meducci had tried to kill Brad because of a stupid party that put his poor sister in a coma. David, Suze, Gina and Jake just got caught up in it since it was Jake's car's breaks that Michael cut. However, Father Dominic was pulling strings as hard as he can to get a police officer to search Michael's room for evidence and until he does there was nothing they can do but wait. "Either keep an eye on him and grumble there or be quiet and stay here. I have this essay to do before Monday."
Jesse and Pete vanished. Obviously to either go downstairs and keep an eye on Michael or have a bitch fest with the Angels on the beach. His mother however sat down and gave him a hug; he leaned in and sighed deeply.
"I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I'm scared for her."
"Father Dominic will come through for you. You know he will he loves you and Suze dearly."
Within the next half an hour a police car parks outside of the Ackerman house and arrests Michael Meducci for the murders of the JLS Angels and the attempted murder of the Ackerman family.
David managed to sigh with relief.
The urge to punch Jesse's smug face in, now that the competition for Suze's affection was gone, however was a different story.
DADADADADADADADA
It was a choked up phone call where she was obviously in tears. "Jesse is gone and his body has been found. I don't know what to do."
And then everything began to change. His happy sister fell into a depression that worried everyone around her. Pete disappeared, probably running from his daughter's unhappiness, and Cynthia had started to urge David to be happy and find a life outside of ghosts. His grades started to fall again since Suze would no longer tutor him in Maths; she was too focused on her own work in an attempt to forget about Jesse.
"I knew he shouldn't have gotten so attached to her," David grumbled to his mother, "look what he's gone and done! He's made her fallen in love with him and now he's gone. I don't think she'll ever get over him."
"I don't know dear, she is a teenager – an intelligent and very mature one but still a teenager. I'm sure she'll outgrow it in time."
David shook his head. "She never seen him, there was no infatuation over good looks. She got to know him, she loved his personality."
"A bit like internet dating. You never really know who they are," Cynthia said gently.
Mothers, David decided, knew nothing.
DADADADADADA
"Do you know what I've learnt?"
"Too much?" David offered ducking from a swat Suze aimed at him.
She laughed and shook her head. Lately she's been a little happier, ever since she secured a place in medical school after her three long years of pre-med. Her green eyes were sparkling again and David couldn't help but grin at that. "Not knowledge Dave, a little nugget of wisdom."
"Well don't be so vague about it, tell me" David said rolling his eyes.
It's been getting worse, Father Dominic was weaker and couldn't help him as much with the ghosts and he was in a much messed up stage of being a teenager and he couldn't see how he'll ever find someone who could understand him. His mother hasn't stopped pestering him about being happy and moving on.
"I've learnt that I can't stop living life," Suze said calmly, "just because Jesse is dead doesn't mean I am. I should enjoy everything, lessons, friends, food, all the small things, and live life to the fullest. And so should you...I heard you got a crush on a certain girl."
"I do not like Shannon!" David snapped causing Suze to grin. Inwardly he groaned he made such a Brad-like move, he practically confessed his feelings for his latest Maths tutor. "And it's easy for you to say that, Jesse wasn't your mother who you practically killed."
Suze gave him that sad smile. "You could say I killed my father by allowing him to go jogging. Letting Andy make that decision to pull the plug doesn't make you a killer, Dave, there was nothing you could do and it was what she wanted, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," David mumbled. Behind Suze's shoulder he saw a guy reading intently from a book, he kept glancing up at Suze with such an intense loving look. David bit his lip from letting out a yelp; the guy looked unnervingly like Jesse. "Who's that?" he asked nodding at the Jesse-look-alike. "He keeps looking at you."
Suze glowed with happiness and pleasure. "Is he?" she whispered excitedly. "That's Hector, a classmate and a good friend. He's a little shy and very mysterious, but I feel like I've known him for years. Don't tell anyone this but I think I've fallen for him a bit."
Hector. That was Jesse's real name, Jesse just preferred a nickname given to him by his mother not that David could blame him. It was times like this that David wondered if reincarnation was possible. Another glance at Suze's sparkling eyes and David decided not to bring Jesse up. It took so long for Suze to get over the ghost that David wasn't going to reopen old wounds just for a theory.
"I have to go, you take care Suze," David said instead.
"You too David and remember – live life to the fullest. Don't make my mistakes."
"I won't," he promised.
He then strolled out of the coffee shop and got into his beaten up car, a hand me down from Suze and drove all the way back to Carmel. Instead of heading back to the practically empty house now that Jake and Suze moved out and the parents had gotten involved in more social activities (the unemployed Brad didn't count since he was often sleeping off his hangover), he made his way to the other side of town. Mustering up his courage he knocked on the door and prayed she'd answer.
"Dave!"
Her face was almost unbearably glowing with happiness. She was that happy to see him, how could he not have seen this before? He opened his mouth but nothing came out, shutting it he decided to take a risk and grabbed hold of Shannon's shoulders, hauling her to him and kissing her instead.
And when he pulled away from her, he saw his mother standing there with a soppy great smile.
"I am so proud of you," she whispered.
And she faded away. Gone, forever.
But that was ok because he had his family and Shannon and Father Dominic. He was going to grow up and focus on living life and not spending time with ghosts and the living in the past.
But first he was going to kiss Shannon again.