chapter 2.

disclaimer: i do not own mediator. there.

So, I went to investigate. I mean, can you blame me? I'm a mediator, for goodness sakes. I'm born curious.

I cautiously reached out to the door after telling Paul that I wanted to get settled, and I'd find him when I wanted a tour. Even though we both knew I wouldn't. So, I cracked the door and stuck one eye inside. It was pitch black. One eye can't do much. Opening the door fully, I was just quick enough to see the same glowing form disappear. I mean, come on! The ghosts I meet need to stop dematerializing every time I come around.

Frustrated, I left the room to try and find my way to the room I was supposed to be staying in. Looking around, I noticed that most of the kids here seemed normal. Key word: seemed. Underneath, however, we all knew exactly how different we are. I found my way to the office and I picked up my schedule and room assignment. All that time I had the feeling I was being watched. At first, I thought it was because I was new. You know, the whole 'oh my god look at the new girl' routine. But, surprisingly, I felt… all tingly at this gaze. I don't know who it belonged to, but it made me feel good. Yeah, creepy.

I continued walking around the campus till I found my building: Gandhi Hall. When I questioned the choice of name once again, I got the same response. Apparently, Gandhi was a mediator, too. How I was never told, I don't know.

I noticed a lot of bright colors on the walls as I walked to my room, 117. I'm guessing the people who decorated this place were trying to brighten everyone's day. You know, to try and get their minds away from the constant gray of the paranormal. I felt very odd in my black leather jacket.

I opened the door to my room and you could say I was surprised. I guess my roommate wasn't very happy with the psychedelic patterns of the walls outside. The room was very neutral. One of my first thoughts was whether I was living with a girl or a boy. When I noticed the very feminine undergarment, though, I knew. The walls were painted a light green that matched the color of perfectly grown grass. There were various posters hanging about, advertising bands I had never heard of before. One bed was extremely messy and had blue and green sheets strewn about. The other was empty. Assuming it was mine, I put my stuff on the floor and laid down. It was a very tiring day. I mean getting used to the time of California was hard, but now I have to change again. Oh, joy.

"And you," I heard a voice call, "Must be Susannah Simon."

"Suze," I replied with a sigh. I hated Susannah.

"Well, Suze, I am your new roommate," she exclaimed proudly. I would probably like her as much as I liked staying here. In Minnesota.

I turned around to see a tall-ish girl with a little extra hanging on her limbs if you know what I mean. But her face was very pretty. Her eyes were a bright blue and very soft, unlike Paul's who were somewhat cold and evil. I immediately felt bad for that thought that had passed through my mind not 15 seconds ago. She smiled a soft, comforting smile that was probably supposed to make me feel at ease. Not that it didn't, but I was just strangely uptight today.

"And your name is?" I asked her as she looked me over once. She raised her eyebrows as her eyes swept over my leather jacket and ripped jeans.

"Oh, right," she laughed. "I am Riley Davis. Some people call me RD for short, but you can call me Riley. You look like you might want to call me Riley."

And she was right. I usually don't like abbreviating people's names like that. I mean, I can shorten a name, you know 'nickname', but I can never call people letters. It just seems stupid.

"Okay," I smiled at her. "Riley, where do you go to get a bite to eat in this joint?"

She laughed as she told me that cafeteria was right down the pathway outside our building. I could tell I would like this girl. Walking to the cafeteria, I learned that she was witty and sarcastic. Just like me. All hope was not lost!

I also learned the gossip of the school. Apparently, Paul was the womanizer I assumed he was, and the girl he was fighting with was Veronica. She was head cheerleader and their relationship was on and off all the time. But it's not like I cared who he dated. I mean, come on. I don't at all. Not one bit.

Anyway, Riley told me that our classes usually consist of teachers who try and teach us techniques on mediating. I predicted that most teachers thought like Father Dom. They probably believed we had a gift. Which we don't.

"So, where are you from anyway, Simon?" Riley had accustomed to calling me by my last name.

"Well, I'm a born and raised New-Yorker, but my mother got remarried and relocated to Northern California," I explained. "Yourself?"

"I'm an Ohio girl[A/N: me too. hah. more people in books should be from Ohio!]. We had the wackiest weather," she noted, shaking her head. I laughed. I learned that she was very random, also.

Suddenly, I heard a blood-curdling shriek. My eyes widened so far I thought they would pop out of their sockets. Whipping around to find the source of this madness, I was just quick enough to see another glowing form disappear. My God, here we go again. Are the paranormal just trying to pull a practical joke? If so, it's not funny.

"Oh my God!" Riley screamed. "Was that a... a… a ghost?"

"Well, duh," I stated, "Obviously. It's not like you're new to this or anything."

"But... I have never seen one ghost on campus. Till just now," Riley said, in obvious disbelief.

"Maybe it just died. Maybe it's new," I contemplated my thoughts out loud.

"No way," Riley said, quick to shoot down my suggestion. "Ghosts just don't come and go freely here. The people who run this place are pretty uptight about that stuff."

I stared at her in complete confusion. I had no idea how they controlled which ghosts went where. Not that I'd want to know, because obviously it is too complicated for my comprehension.

"How bout we just go back to the room?" I suggested. "Maybe I can get the tour later?"

"Yeah, sure," Riley agreed, still not back to Planet Earth yet. I rolled my eyes and started back to the room.

Upon our arrival of the green as grass room, I felt a wave of fatigue rack my body. Then was when I knew I should get to bed. I said night to Riley and fell into my newly crisp bed (did I mention the maids?). As my thoughts drifted to sleep, I heard a soft whimper in the room. Groaning, I sat up to see what Riley was moaning about. I looked around and Riley's bed was empty. Interesting, I thought. Slowly, I stood up to see if Riley was maybe in the bathroom, or something. Instead, I found two very undead presences wrestling on my couch. You heard me, undead. Fun.

dont worry she meets jesse in the next chapterrrr.

stay gold,
emily.

review :)