Oh my gosh, I am so so sorry I had to keep you guys waiting. I decided to re-start this story instead. The chapters are going to be a bit different if you get the idea to read where I left off writing, that might not be a good idea. I'm actually writing thing from one computer to another. The original one upstairs in my room onto my lap top. I hope you guys aren't too mad. Anyway, here it is.
Gone For Good: Changing Time
I'm Suze Simon and I'm twenty-four years old and I still live in Carmel, California. But not with Jesse. He left for some time and swore he was coming back. But this was three years ago. Where he is? I'm not that sure. He's out of my life and I'm, dare I say it, happily engaged to, I thought I would never say this...Paul Slater.
Three years ago after Jesse left Paul was there for me...a little too much. Now I'm getting married in six months and Jesse is the least of my worries.
I looked over at the digital clock on the microwave: 4:24PM. I was sitting on the big white leather couches. Yes, I know what you're thinking: only Paul would have white leather. So true. It's not like we couldn't afford it, because we totally could. Me being a doctor, yes you heard me, down at the Carmel-by-the-Sea Hospital and Paul being a very successful and well-known lawyer, we make our money. Then I heard a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" I called out. "Since no one else will." I muttered under my breath and stalked over to the door and opened it with my best smile.
"Yes?" I said opening it. I was face-to-chest with someone. The guy was much taller than me. "Can I help you...?" I looked up in amazement and surprise into those deep dark eyes. It was almost like someone shot me! I was that much in shock. "J-Jesse?" I stuttered.
"Susannah," he said looking down at me with a pearly-white smile.
"How-how did you find me?" I asked in still major shock. Oh please, oh please don't let Paul come out. I pleaded in my mind.
"I asked around. Father Dominic seemed to know but he didn't fill me in on what a beautiful home you have, Susannah.
Then Paul walked out on the porch. Too late. "Hey Suze." Paul said coming out to the front door and they never recognized each other at first. "Who's there?" Then they recognized each other and he got a big of a shock as I did.
"Paul," I said and pushed him lightly back in but he took hold of my wrist. "I'll be back in a second. I just want to have a word with him." But Paul held a strong grip onto my wrist and I tugged sending him a warning signal with my eyes but his icy blue eyes flashed back and he let me go.
I stepped out onto the terrace and said, "What are you doing here!" But I never said it in an excited voice. More of 'I'm-glad-you're-here-but-wrong-timing!' voice.
"I'm back." He told me. I paced around. "And why is Paul here? Is he annoying you again?"
"Annoying me?" That really shot me through the heart. "Jesse, you left three years ago and no one knew where you were. You left me."
"I'm so sorry, Susannah." He said in that silky-smooth voice that I just adored. If I wasn't engaged, I would've probably jumped him by now. "I just needed some time on my own and I had hoped you would've understood that."
"Three years on your own?" I noted. "Anyway, why are you back?" I tried to sound as nice as I possibly could. But the guy left me, for God sakes. I needed to relieve a little of that anger.
"I realized I was wrong and I'm back, querida." There's that word. Querida. It sent mind chilling cold rushes down my back and back up again. "But why is he here?"
"Because he owns the house." I said coolly even though I was standing in the scorching hot sun.
"Ok," he sounded a little confused, "then why did Father Dominic say that you owned the house?" How should I break it to him? I sat him down first under the shade of the porch and sitting at the glass terrace table and sun chairs.
"Because I do." I sat down on a chair. It was hot from the sun.
"So you live with each other? Three years ago you couldn't stand being in the same time zone as him, let along the same house." Time zone. I have to hand it to him, that was a good one.
"Jesse," I said putting my right hand on the arm of the chair that had the beautiful diamond engagement ring on it. "I'm engaged." Now Jesse was shocked, as well.
Today is full of drama. My life should be a soap opera. If anyone would watch it. Mediator falls for hot Spanish ghost. Hot Spanish ghost comes alive after Suze Simon, mediator, and her also easy on the eyes arch nemesis, Paul Slater, also a mediator, go back in time to save Jesse, the hot Spanish ghost, but ends just pulling him through to the twenty-first century. Jesse and Suze live happily ever after, so. S they thought. Jesse leaves her for no good reason, she falls for Paul, they get engaged, Jesse comes back, and now she's more twisted than a soft pretzel at The Pretzel Maker. What can she do! Suspense every corner you turn!
"E-en-gaged?" His voice cracked. He stuttered the word like it was some evil. "For how long?"
"A month. The wedding is in six months."
"Wedding." He mumbled silently to himself and cursed. Well, I think he cursed. It didn't sound all too friendly. Then he snapped out of his shock and went all 'protective-over-Susannah-mode'. Well nice timing, Jesse. If you were like these three years ago none of this would be happening and maybe I would be engaged to you!
"To Slater? Susannah, don't you realize what this guy has done to you over the past few years?" He seemed angry and stressed.
"Yes I do." I said and more words that I thought I would never say as long as I was alive, or dead, came gushing out of my mouth like that water fall at Niagara Falls. "And I was...wrong."
"What has he done?" Jesse asked looking into my green eyes with his warm brown ones. He cupped my face in his hands and I shook my head out of them. "Brainwashed that pretty head of yours?" Aw..he still thinks I'm pretty. Then he took my hands.
"No, Jesse." I sighed heavily. "He hasn't brainwashed me. What kind've idea is that?" Then he looked down at my arms.
"What happened?" He wanted to know, looking at the bruises on my arms.
"Huh?" I asked then noticed the bruises and covered them up with my rolled up sleeves of my long shirt. "Oh, uh, nothing. I hit it off of a-a door, yeah, a door."
"So," he said standing up, "well I guess it was a mistake coming back."
"No Jesse-" He put up a hand for silence as I tried to get him to come back.
"Good-bye Susannah." He stepped off of the terrace and got inside his car.
"No! Jesse, wait!" I called out again but he either ignored me or didn't hear me over the smooth purr of his black Mustang GT. Now, that's a nice car.
He backed down out of my driveway and out into the road driving off into the Californian horizon. Oh man, I sound like a sappy romance novel.
I walked back inside and Paul stopped me. "Was that actually-"
"Jesse?" I paused, cutting him off before he could finish what he had to say. "Yes, yes it was."
I ended up stalking into my bedroom to lie down and have a rest or something. Something that would keep my mind from wandering. But it didn't do anything but. Wander, I mean. Even my dreams turned into old memories.
(divider)
Flashback Dream
"Susannah," Jesse moaned into my mouth. Prom just got over and we had the house to ourselves. This is all I wanted. Jesse to be alive and everyone be happy, and to be alone with him in a room, of chorse.
"Jesse," I moaned back and then it all faded
Fast-forward Dream
"Why are you leaving!" I cried running out onto my porch with tears streaming down the sides of my cheeks. Jesse just stood there and looked down at me.
"Querida," he said and my my face, kissing me one last time. "I just have to. It has nothing to do with you, Susannah, I swear. And I'm sorry."
Then he kissed me on the top of my head, walked to his car, got in and drove off without a trace.
"Why?" I cried to myself as I sat on the chipped white painted swing on the terrace. "How could he do this to me? I thought...I thought he...loved me."
End Dream
I woke up ghasping for air like I was underwater a second too long and in a cold sweat, crying.
"Suze," Paul said waking up next to me, his face washed with concern, "are you ok?"
"Yeah," I lied, "what time is it?"
"Almost six AM." He looked at the digital clock flashing red numbers on the bed stand. "You were out like a light when you fell asleep. But you're sure you're okay?"
I nodded. "Nightmare, that's all." I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
"Well, good night then." Then he kissed me and went back to sleep.
It was just, I couldn't sleep. I almost had fourteen hours of sleep and I couldn't withstand anymore. So I got up and changed into something more comfortable since I was still in my clothes from yesterday.
I changed into navy blue and white plaid pajama pants(my favorite pair) and a tank top. I slipped on my slippers and walked out of the bedroom out into the hall and to the balcony on the front of the house overlooking the beautiful aqua Pacific Ocean that I almost drowned in once.
It was warm out. I say it was at least twenty-four degree's Celsius but mornings were suppose to be warm and since it was May it will at least reach thirty to forty degrees today.
I stepped back on the balcony to take a look at the house. We had just moved in a month ago and it was an old house, circa 1840. Like many other houses here in sunny Carmel, but it was still beautiful. We refurbished a lot of it. But not the attic, that we're waiting to fix since there's still things up there unknown to the twenty-first century.
Then I noticed some crude carvings in the wood part of the trim around the door. It was clearly engraved: HJDS 1846.
I ran my fingers over the engraving. The Carmel Historic Society would have a cow, or something, if they seen it. But there was more in the wood. Near it was carved: MDS. That bitch, oh pardon my French. But you would call her one too if her and her psycho husband came back as ghostly beings and tried to kill you, too.
But all I could think was: Jesse was in this house before? And Maria? Well, the 'M' could've stood for Mercedes, one of his sister's, whom I have never met because she's dead, but I doubted that.
It was early but I wasn't tired. Not after that snooze I had. I was on a mission and it was going to start with the attic. Maybe up there I could find some old clue of him being here before. Like my step brother had found at my old house. The silver belt buckle that helped save Jesse.
So I climbed up into the attic. There was so much dust it was sickening but I continued on until I seen this old chest. Like a treasure chest pirates use to use. Maybe he was a pirate. Paul's bet is on cowboy, but I doubt he was either.
I looked around for a key. Maybe it was hidden someplace and I stopped looking when I found this old mat. I knelt and lifted up the rug slowly so it wouldn't crumble and fall apart in my hands. But when I looked, there was a key. How ironic.
I unlocked the chest and opened it. With a ghasp I said, "Oh my gosh." There was jewelry and clothes. One thing there was a silk blanket with something folded up inside of it. I undid the lace strings to reveal a dress. Not just any dress, but a beautiful silk long sleeved long lacy wedding gown. The age had stained it with colour but it was still white enough.
On the lace blanket it had been kept in was stitched those same letters. MDS. It was her wedding dress. Maria's wedding dress.
The veil was stunning. It had a silver tiara with pearls embedded in it and a long smooth net of veil. The dress was strapless and had a white corset like on the top part and a few layers of silk and lace and some other material like mesh for the bottom skirt of it. And a very long train. Stunning, for Maria, I mean.
"Suze," I heard Paul's voice and it startled me so much that I dropped the dress back into the chest. "It's six-thirty in the morning." He told me coming over and wrapping his arms around my waist. "What are you doing up here?"
Then I pointed at the chest and said, "That. It has Maria's wedding dress in it."
"What?" He wanted to know unwrapping his arms and kneeling down by the trunk. "Where did you get the idea to even come up here in the morning, anyway?"
"Help me bring this downstairs so the clothes don't get even dirtier than it already is up here and I'll show you."
(Divider)
We got the chest down from the attic and placed it on the floor of the living room.
"So," Paul said, "how did you come across this anyway?"
"I was out on the balcony," I told him, "and I found these carvings of initials. Jesse's and Maria's initials, so I thought to check the attic since the last time I was in the attic there was all these old trunks and stuff like this. I knew I would find something."
He looked at the trunk's lock curious and asked, "How did you get the lock to open? Not up to your old tricks, I hope."
"Nah," I said making a hand gesture, "I found the key under the mat."
"Under the..." He sighed then shook his head. "We should call the Historic Society."
"Not until we see what's in it. You're just as curious as I am and we're looking." I threw open the chest's top and took out the dress again placing it carefully down on the table.
There were some jewelry, clothes, utensils, the whole nine yards, but it didn't look right. The chest on the outside looked bigger than it did on the inside. There was still a good seven inches left but there was just a board there.
"What's wrong?" Paul asked me when he noticed the puzzled look on my face.
"There's a trick to this," I told him getting closer to the trunk, "I just know it." And I was right. As soon as I touched the board one side popped up.
I covered my mouth and nose with my hands and ghasped, "Oh my gosh." It was a very bad smell.
"What is that?" Paul wanted to know stepping back as I stood up and did the same.
"Blood." I choked. "Bloody clothes."