Chapter 1: Do I Know You?
An Alternate Universe
A/N:- Uh...well, I noticed that there aren't many stories here with the Paul and Suze pairing, so I thought I'd make one up. Please read it and enjoy!
Chapter 1: Do I Know You?
Disclaimer:- I don't own anything in this world except my brain.
It was another one of those extremely sunny days. Not that it wasn't always sunny here on the West Coast. But somehow I couldn't seem to get used to the brightness of it all. It felt as if someone had just turned the brightness up on some computer monitor.
Even though I'd been living in the small town of Carmel-by-the-Sea for about eight months now, it all seemed very surreal to me. I felt as if I didn't belong here. There was certainly something missing from my life.
Oh, don't think that I am complaining. I mean, it's just that sometimes you feel that way.
My mom moved me here after she got married to Andy, who happens to be a carpenter-turned-cable-show-host-slash-gourmet-cook and also a father of three teenage boys. Three teenage boys who I happen to have to tolerate as stepbrothers for the rest of my natural life, which is if mom doesn't get bored of Andy. Not that I mind that that much especially when my youngest stepbrother – Doc aka David - helps me so much with my home work.
Anyways, it was the first day of a new semester at Junípero Serra Mission Academy that I attended ever since moving here. It was a lovely day outside; I didn't want to be late and have to face the wrath of the Hitler-like Sister Ernestine on such a beautiful.
So I did the only thing anyone in my condition could do. I lazily rolled out of bed and took a cold shower to shake off the sleep. After drying my self, I dressed in an extremely sassy black Tommy Hilfiger skirt topped with my favorite white button down shirt and baby pink Steve Madden wedge slides.
Just a little gloss and I am ready to go, I thought to myself.
Oh, yeah. I am going to rock myself on the first day of my junior year.
"Susie, CeeCee's here to pick you up. Get down fast." My mom called from downstairs.
I went to the bay window of my room, which over looked the porch and the driveway.
"Hey, I'll be down in a minute. Wait up." I called out to the pale sight of CeeCee contrastingly dressed in the dark clothes.
"What's up with outfit? Trying to wage war on the Dolce and Gabbana Nazis." That is how CeeCee always referred to Kelly Prescott and the fashionistas always trailing behind her.
"Not really. Just want to start out the year nicely, you know." I said staring out the window of CeeCee's brand new convertible.
"Who are you and what have you done to my school-hating best friend?" CeeCee asked jokingly. "Are you alright?" She quickly asked worryingly.
"Yeah, I am fine. Just feeling a bit odd you know."
"Oh, Suze. Get over it. Don't tell me you're feeling as if you are missing something again." She snapped. "What can a normal person like you be missing in her almost perfect life?" She questioned more to herself than to me.
But little did she know, I was as far from normal as NASA was from discovering life outside of earth. Because, I was a Mediator. I lived a paranormal life battling school by day and reasoning with ghosts by night. And sometimes, when those ghosts acted like a pest, I kicked some dead-ass.
"Yeah, right. Almost perfect life with no boy-friend?" I made a joke out of it.
"Well, seeing you dressed like that today, I wouldn't bet on the "no-boyfriend" thing for too long." We both laughed at that.
"Hello, ladies." Adam greeted us as we moved towards our lockers. "It's good to see you Suze. Someone surely had a wardrobe modification over the summer." He winked.
"Alright. Whatever. Can we make a move now?" CeeCee said with what I could only tell was downright scorn.
Jeese, she should just be outright with her feelings about Adam. I mean, she had had a crush on him for like ages and he couldn't even notice it.
As we were walking in the breezeway towards our first class, which was homeroom, since all three of us had the same schedules; Miss Prescott appeared in front of us blocking our way.
"Hi, Simon. Is that a Tommy Hilfiger you got on there? Anyways, just wanted to ask you about the Vice President of the junior class thing. Are you still in?" She asked point-blankly ignoring the two people by my side.
"Yeah, sure." I said, in an attempt to sound enthused about it.
"Well, then. See you at the meeting today?"
I nodded and she giggled in her sugary-sweet voice and finally left us. Her gang of girls following closely behind.
With that we left, again, for our class.
As we were walking, I was wondering why Father Dominic hadn't called for me during the morning assembly as was his ritual on most days during the last few months. He surely was acting a bit unusual ever since he had gotten back from his trip to San Francisco.
Oh, well. That seemed good enough, at least for now. I mean, I wouldn't have to give him the nasty details of my latest ghost busting activities at least. Which were, come to think of it, real nasty. And which included something he totally despised, an exorcism.
But it wasn't my fault that some ghosts just had to be so adamant on staying back to haunt this already miserable world. It wasn't as if there weren't enough humans to do the job…
"Earth to Suze. Are you with us?" Adam asked from where he was standing behind me and I came to an abrupt halt, dashing into something solid.
Something that seemed and even felt like a human body. A human male body. An alive one. And it seemed as if I had just bumped into him, knocking over all his books.
I quickly bent down, as a reflex action, to help gather his scattered books.
"I'm so sorry. I guess I was not looking where I was going." I blabbered like a lunatic. It was a funny sight, really.
"Naw. It's fine. May be even I was awestruck by the person in front of me." He said in his deep voice obviously in an attempt to flirt.
"I'm still sorry." I said, blood filling up my cheeks and my eyes fixed on a point on the floor. I was not known by my fellows for blushing at such comments. But hearing those words from his mouth, in his extremely deep and sexy voice surely made me do so.
That's when; I looked up at him for the first time. He was a new student. I could tell as I'd never seen him around before.
It was as if time had come to a halt. Every gaze in the breezeway was on us. Or more likely on him. I mean, who could keep their eyes off of this six-feet something, broad shouldered hunk whose jeans fit him in exactly all the right places and his white polo molded perfectly around his chiseled physique. I could even make out the lines of his washboard abs. A six pack, certainly.
His dark hair tousled by the breeze surely made me want to reach out and ruffle it.
And then I noticed his eyes, set into a perfectly cut face. The face of a Greek God, certainly. Those eyes, a shade of blue so intense and deep and sharp, were boring into mine.
I felt a jolt of current. I'd seen those eyes somewhere. I was sure of it. It rang a bell in my brain, but I couldn't put a finger to it. Those eyes made my legs turn into jelly. Everything had suddenly gone cold. I felt like shivering. Only not from outside, but from inside. Because those were the eyes that were haunting my each waking moment. Those were the eyes which made me feel as if I was missing something. Something very important in my life.
Then, lowering his gaze and smiling, he put his hand in front of me. As if daring me to shake it.
"Hi. I am Paul Slater." He said. "Nice to meet you."
You could cut the tension in the air with a knife.
Instead of taking his hand as any civilized human was expected to, I blurted out, "Do I know you?"
A/N:- So how did ya guys like it? Please let me know what you think of it and if you have any suggestions! Thanks!
