A/N: Hi everyone! Yes, I'm finally updating. Sorry for the wait. I don't really like this chapter, but I've decided that I don't want to spend any more time on it, since nothing really important happens in it anyway. The next chapter is when it gets interesting. I hope. Just in case anyone is confused, this fic is set after Haunted, so Twilight hasn't happened.
Chapter two
Parallel universes? Was he serious?
I seriously doubted it.
"I would say," I told him, "that you were being weird. In fact I'll say it now just for good measure, Paul, you're being weird."
"Suze, I have to say that that is a very disappointing answer," Paul told me. "You should be used to this sort of thing by now, being a shifter and all."
What was he talking about? He couldn't be telling the truth, how could he possibly know about something like that? But then, he didn't sound like he was joking…
"You mean… it's true? There are really other universes out there?"
"According to this book I just read, there are."
I suppose I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. I mean, for someone who can't even go down to the local supermarket without the possibility of bumping into a dead person on the way, something like this shouldn't be too shocking. But then, for sixteen years, I thought I was just a plain old mediator and now I've found out that that's not all I am and, yeah, I am having a little trouble adjusting to it.
"God," I said after a few seconds, "that really is weird."
"My thoughts exactly," Paul said.
"How do you even find out about this sort of thing, though? It's just so… random."
"I bet you're wishing you hadn't run off quite so quickly now, aren't you?" Paul said smugly, "If you'd just stuck around this afternoon for half an hour longer then you'd know all about it."
I wasn't wishing any such thing. Why on earth would I? I mean, spending an afternoon tidying Paul's room with him… or spending an afternoon making out with Jesse? I wonder which one could possibly be more appealing. Which reminds me, why am I on the phone with this guy when we could just as easily talk about this some other time when Jesse and his lips aren't just a shout away?
Besides, who needs parallel universes when they could have Jesse instead?
I opened my mouth to suggest that we continue this conversation in school tomorrow because I wanted my man back (well, okay I probably wouldn't have mentioned that last bit, but whatever) when I realised that he was still talking, oops, "So I picked the book up and it was open on a page that I'd never read before, all about how to travel to parallel universes, interesting, huh?"
Yeah really – wait a sec.
"We can do what now?"
"What, didn't I tell you about that?" Paul asked lightly.
"Um… No," I said. "Can… Can we really do that?"
Because, if so, then this was starting to get beyond weird.
"Apparently. Hey, I've got an idea, why don't you come over and we can try it out?" he said casually, like it wasn't obvious that he'd been planning this since he found that book. Would this guy stop at nothing to get me in that damned bedroom of his?
Answer: no.
Still, that offer did sound tempting, this time. But… what if it was dangerous?
"I don't know…"
It seemed that Paul wasn't about to take no for an answer, though. "Oh come on, Suze, what have you got to lose?"
Where shifting's concerned? Probably quite a lot.
And stop rhyming, you loser, you sound stupid.
"How about our lives, Paul? You know as well as I do that shifting isn't safe."
But, of course, since when did Paul care about that?
"Suze, seriously, live a little, won't you? We'll just do it once. How bad can it be?"
He was probably right. Just once wouldn't kill me.
"And besides, I know you're curious."
Right again! And anyway, who would say no to a chance like this?
"Well… I suppose a quick peek couldn't hurt."
"That's my girl!" Paul cheered.
"Although if you call me 'your girl' ever again then I'm going no where with you."
Plus I'll kick your ass, jerk.
"Fair enough. So my place after school tomorrow?"
"Okay, then," I sighed.
"Great, see you tomorrow then," Paul said, and then he hung up.
God, I thought as I put the phone down, what am I getting myself into?
Paul povI waited for Suze at our usual meeting place, the school gates. I was in an unusually good mood today, which was probably because of the prospect of an extra shifting lesson with Suze. Or perhaps it was because of what the extra shifting lesson with Suze meant. I mean, it had been really easy to convince her to come to it. I expected to get all kinds of excuses, or even a flat refusal. I've heard all the reasons why Suze hates my shifting lessons a million times over.
But on the phone last night, not only did she agree to come without putting up much of a fight, she actually sounded like she wanted to come. Well, okay, I know that deep down she always wants to come, but up until now she's had some pretty good acting skills. Could it be that she's finally ready to admit to herself that she really does like me?
Just as I was starting to wonder what was taking her so long, I noticed Suze coming towards me. I smiled at her. "Hey," I said.
She didn't smile back, and all she said was, "Let's get this over with, then. Where are you parked?"
So the good acting skills were making a comeback, oh well, it was nothing I couldn't deal with.
"You don't have to pretend you aren't excited Suze," I said as I lead her over to where my car was parked. "I know you've been looking forward to this all day really."
"Right," Suze said, not very enthusiastically. I unlocked the car and she got into the passenger seat. "How on earth could you tell?"
I got into the car and started the ignition. "I just know these things. We have this chemistry, you and me, you don't even need to say a word."
She looked at me as if what I'd just said was totally ridiculous. I smiled at her then turned back to face the road.
"Okay," Suze said. "You're being even more annoying than usual. What's going on?"
"Suze," I sighed, "seriously, are the insults really necessary? I mean, there's just no point in pretending anymore. I know you like me really."
"Right, sure I do," Suze said.
We were both silent for a few seconds then Suze went, "Okay, so when exactly did I give you the impression that I like you?"
"When you agreed to come today. I always thought you hated my shifter lessons."
"Um, Paul?" Suze said, sounding confused. "Since when have you ever given me an option? You know I'm only doing this for Jesse."
"But this isn't exactly part of the deal is it? You could have said no if you wanted to. Just think of this as a sort of field trip."
"And you're telling me this now?"
"Well, I didn't hear you complaining last night, so I just assumed you knew."
"I can't believe this," Suze said and I hoped she wasn't going to tell me to turn round and take her home.
"You do still want to come, don't you?" I asked carefully.
She was quiet for a minute and I could tell she was thinking about it.
"This has nothing to do with me liking you," she said after a while.
I grinned. "Sure," I said, "whatever you say."
Suze povI was feeling pretty annoyed with myself as Paul led me up to his room. I honestly couldn't believe I'd said no to a chance to skip a shifter lesson. Shifting lessons suck. It's a fact. And I have several reasons to prove that it's true. I even made a list, see:
They're with Paul Slater,
Paul Slater is an evil, arrogant, selfish jerk,
Who seems to think that I'm secretly in love with him (insert retching noises here)
Even though I'm not (hence the retching noises)
And I know he's lying when he promises that he'll keep his hands to himself (even though he hasn't actually tried anything since the time I stuck my thumb into his eye, but still it's still early days, who knows what he's got planned for me?)
Did I mention that I really don't like Paul Slater?
'Cause I don't, you know.
But today I managed to forget about all that. I'd actually agreed to spend time with him when I didn't even have to!!! And why did I do it? Because I was curious, damnit. Really, really curious. Paul had information and I wanted that information so I was willing to brave another afternoon in his house if it meant I could find out about this shifting to parallel universes business.
And of course, Paul is now even more convinced of my secret love for him, which, as I just said, is not going to happen. No way, never in a million years.
"Here it is," Paul said, pulling out a musty old book from the box under his bed. Once again my curiosity took over.
"What does it say?" I asked as I wondered over to his bed and sat down next to him. The book looked even older up close, when he opened it I noticed that there were no photographs in it, just the odd illustration here and there. It was really thick; if he hadn't marked it then it probably would have taken him ages to find the right page. Paul turned the page and I saw the title 'Parallel Universes' in bold print. This was it.
The page was taken up by a drawing of a closed door and a short paragraph beneath it. I wondered if we had to go through the door in the picture to get there. It seemed pretty inconspicuous, though, I'd expected something a little more impressive.
As I examined the picture Paul started to explain, "It basically says that there are loads of doors like that one up in Shadowland and we've got to pick one and go through it."
My head snapped up at that. "What?" I asked Paul. "We can't go though one of those doors."
Paul looked confused. "Why not?"
I seriously couldn't believe he'd just asked me that. "What do you mean, 'why not'? You saw what happened to Craig when he opened one of the doors up there!"
Paul just looked even more confused. "Craig?"
"That ghost! When we went up there at the party that time I brought Craig with us and he opened the door and poof, he just disappeared! I don't want that to happen to me! I'm not ready to move on! I'm not even dead!"
"That's not going to happen, Suze. We just have to make sure we go through a door exactly like this one and we'll be fine."
Paul looked so sure about this that it made me feel a little better. Don't ask why, though, 'cause this is Paul Slater, we're talking about and I don't trust him any further than I can through him. But… well, he does know way more about shifting than I do, so I suppose if he was right about everything else he's taught me than he must be right about this.
"Well… if you're really sure…" I said, kind of uncertainly,
"I am," Paul said. "And just to be on the safe side, we won't even stay that long."
I sighed. "Okay, then, you've talked me into it. So what now?"
Paul smiled at me and held out his hand. "Now, we shift."
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