Okay, here is my first fan fiction written on I'm not sure I like this one as much as the one I wrote on but it's okay... The translation for the Spanish is at the bottom in bold.

"¿Jesse, podría usted ir por favor cheque los caballos? Había una muchacha extraña para arriba aquí anterior y no deseo su caos que causa con ellos. (1)" Mrs. O'Neil was bustling around the kitchen fixing dinner.

", ma'am," I answered, setting down Daniel Defoe's, Robinson Cruso, and heading out to the back. Mrs. O'Neil was a very pleasant woman. A little overbearing at times, but still nice. She always means well.

I didn't tell her the true meaning of why I was going to see Maria. I didn't tell anyone. Everyone assumed that I was traveling to meet Maria at the church. I wasn't, to say the least. My letters that she sent me with the obvious spelling and grammar mistakes sat in a box on my dresser that I was utilizing for the night. I planned to break off the engagement. I couldn't marry a girl who I had no romantic feelings for, much less not being able to stand to be in the same room with her. She was my cousin, but she just wasn't right for me. Much as I couldn't marry her, I couldn't break things off publicly. I decided to gather my letters and explain to our family that… that… Well, I haven't worked that one out, because in truth, I knew they would know that I was breaking things off because of Diego. I couldn't humiliate her like that.

I approached the barn doors and had an eerie feeling that I wasn't going to like what I found. I swung the door open and heard a horse whinny. Louisa stuck her head out of her stall and thrust her nose at my hand, hoping to find a carrot that I may have stashed away for her. I turned around. I swear I heard something moving. I heard a shuffling sound. "How, are you, Louisa?" I murmured to the horse.

Then someone—or something—banged on the floorboards above. My hand froze on Louisa's gray back. Mumbling came from above. I heard it again; the banging was louder this time.

"Is someone there?" My answer was an even more thunderous pound than the last. It was coming from the hayloft. I advanced on the ladder leading up. I climbed the ladder steadily, sometimes the wooden bars groaning under my weight.

I pulled my upper half up onto the top. There lay a girl no more than sixteen. A piece of ragged cloth was tied around her mouth, to keep her from talking. Her hands and feet were roped together by something that I wouldn't even think of tying my horse up with. She was a very pretty girl. She froze when she saw me.

I pulled the rest of me up onto the loft and walked to her slowly, not wanting to alarm her.

"Miss?" She didn't answer. She was staring at my hands and my arms. Then she was watching my feet.

"Miss? Are you all right?" She seemed to come out of whatever stupor she was in and looked in my eyes. She seemed fragile, but strong at the same time, if that sounds possible. She seemed that she could put up with anything, but she had a softness in her eyes when I looked into them.

I crouched down next to her, and pulled a knife from my boot. Flicking the knife up to be used, I lowered it to her cheek. She watched in either terror or fascination. I assumed it was terror because most girls wouldn't find a man untying them fascinating. This lead me to say, "Don't be afraid." I felt like it was my duty to protect her. Not because I felt obligated, but because it just felt right to be there with her and look after her. "I'm going to untie you. Who did this to you?"

The gag came loose and she had red marks on her face where they cut into her flesh. She was a beautiful girl even with the red gashes. I cut loose her hands and she felt her mouth. She felt her wrists. They were the worst. They had angry red marks all around.

"Can you speak?" I slashed the ropes binding her feet. "Here." I handed her my flask full of water. She drank hastily. The ropes must have made her throat dry. "Easy," I warned. If she drank too much she could become ill.

It was then that I took the time to notice the appearance of her clothes. She had on pants with large holes in the knees and they were faded. She had on a leather coat with some form of shirt underneath.

"I can get you more. Stay here and I'll get help—"

On the word 'help' she reached forward and seized my shirtfront. The flask lay forgotten by her on the ground.

"No," she croaked. The rag had made her voice sound raspy and unhealthy. "Don't go."

"Who are you?" I asked. I picked up the flask and, I found that there was still some liquid in it, handed it back to her to drink. "Who did this? Left you here—like this?" Her clothes were that of an… an immoral woman. She seemed so innocent that this couldn't be the case. She must have been taken advantage of. The outraged me. What she said next confirmed my suspicions.

"A… a man," was her revelation.

I furrowed my eyebrows. I didn't understand how some men could do this to a young lady. She seemed so genuinely nice and kind.

And very pretty said a voice in the back of my head. I ignored this voice and continued to ask the girl questions, making sure she was all right.

"And did this same man put you in these outlandish clothes?" I asked, looking at her odd clothing critically. At this comment, she seemed to brighten for a moment for which I could not understand.

She hesitated for a moment, obviously afraid of being hurt again. "Yes."

"I shall see him horsewhipped." How dare someone do this to a young girl? Like I said, she couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen, my sister's age. If someone had done this to my sister, I would want punishment for the man who did this appalling crime. "Who are you? Your family must be looking for you—"

"Um," she interrupted. "No, they aren't. I mean… I doubt it. And my name is Suze."

Suze? What a peculiar name. "Soose?" I try saying it.

"Suze," she corrected me, laughing. She had a very nice laugh. Very gentle. "Susannah. As in, 'Oh, Susannah, Don't You Cry for Me.'" I smiled. She was funny.

She grimaced for a moment, as thought remembering a sad memory.

I ran through all the names I knew that this strange girl could belong to. I sat down beside her in the straw. "Susannah." She looked at me. "Susannah O'Neil, perhaps? You are related to Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil? Let me get them. I know they'll want to see you safe— "

"No," she said, shaking her head. "My, um, family is really far away. You can't get them. I mean, thank you, but… you can't get them." This was a very interesting girl.

Her family was far away and I found her here with this uncommon apparel.

"Then this man…? Who is he? I'll fetch the sheriff. He must pay for what he's done."

She looked as though she were debating with herself in her head.

"No," she said. "No, that's okay." What? Why would this young woman refuse to have a man punished for dishonoring her in this horrid way? "I mean, that's all right. Don't get the sheriff—"

It struck me. Could this Miss Susannah lady be afraid of this man that soiled her pureness? "You needen't fear him anymore, Susannah," I said gently. "I won't let him hurt you again." And I wouldn't. I felt such an overwhelming emotion of protection come over me the moment I saw this girl. I didn't know what it was, but I knew I would rather die a thousand deaths than let that malevolent creature near Susannah.

"I'm not afraid of him, Jesse," she defended herself.

"Then—" What did she just call me? No one calls me that except for my sisters and my mother. I've never even met this girl in my life. How would she know my name at all? "Wait. How did you know my name?" I stared at her. She looked down for a moment then back into my eyes. She has beautiful eyes. They are the color of emeralds. I held my gaze, though, and I didn't back down. She tucked a few strands of her chestnut colored hair behind her ear and out of her face.

"Do I know you? Have we met? Are you… are you one of the Anderson girls?"

"We haven't met. Yet." Yet? What does she mean 'yet'? We just met about thirty minutes ago, to my knowledge. "But… I know you. I mean, I know… about you."

"You do?" I thought a moment. Then everything fell into proper order. "Wait… yes! Now I know. You're friends with one of my sisters. From school? Mercedes? You know Mercedes?"

She shook her head no. Susannah started fumbling around in the pockets of her odd coat.

"Josefina, then?" I looked at her, trying to search her eyes. "You must be close to her age, fifteen, yes?" She gave no indication. I figured I had the wrong sister. "Mercedes? You know Mercedes? You can't know Marta, she's too old."

She shook her head again. She reached out her hand. There lay something that she had reached for in her pocket.

I looked down in her head. "Nombre de Dios," I said softly, taking the miniature from her outstretched hand. While I studied the picture of me, I noticed Susannah searching my face, my hands, everything.

"Where did you get this?" I demanded. Did she take this from Maria? Did Maria give this to her? Maria is the only one who has this picture. I, in fact, have a similar one, only it is of Maria and not me. I was irate. How dare she take this? How dare she have this? "Only one person has a portrait like this," I thundered.

"I know," she confessed. "Your fiancée, Maria. You're here to marry her. Or at least, that's the plan. You're on your way to see her now, but her father's ranch is still pretty far off, so you're staying here for the night before you go on to her place in the morning."

What? How could she know this? I ran my hands through my hair, a nervous habit I've had all my life. She watched me do this and I saw her look away, but not before I noticed the tears in her eyes. Why was she crying?

"How do you know all this? You're… you're friends with Maria? Did she… did she give you this?"

"Not exactly." She looked at me with her big, green eyes. She took a deep breath.

"Jesse, my name is Susannah Simon," she said this all in a rush, as though trying to get it out in one breath. "I'm what's called a mediator. I'm from the future. And I'm here to keep you from being murdered tonight."

Okay, time for me to call a doctor.

(1) "Jesse, could you go and check the horses? There was a strange girl up here earlier and I don't want her causing chaos with them."

Okay, that is the first part. I've got some more in my head and I hope I can get it out soon. Please review!

Thanks so much,
MG