Hiya!!! Wow that's the fastest I've ever updated! lol. Well anyway, thanks for all the wonderfull reviews! keep them coming! Even critical ones! lol
Anyway hope you're all having a Great Easter.
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"Hey Mercy wait up!"
I swivelled round to see both my best friends, Maddy and Ryan running towards me, as I was about to walk out through the gates of Junipero Serra Mission Academy. Madison Taylor and Ryan Mc Tavish have been my best friends for as long as I can remember. My mum is best friends with Ryan's mum and dad; Adam and CeeCee so basically I have known him since I was a baby and I met Maddy when I first started at the Mission.
"Hey," I replied as I waited for them to catch up.
"You've been really eager to get home lately, since we started back last week anyway," Maddy said, raising one of her brown eyebrows. "Anything you'd like to share?"
"Nope…I've just got a lot to unpack yet, is all." I lied. The only reason I wanted to get home was because I was hoping that Alex might be there. I hadn't seen him since that first night he'd appeared, two weeks ago and for some strange reason I wanted to see him again. I kept telling myself it was because I wanted to find out how he'd died and help him to move on but somewhere deep inside me I knew it was more than that.
"Yeah, sure," she said. "Anyway, I'd better be going myself. You still on for Friday night though?"
"What's on Friday night?" I asked, confused.
"The dance! You know the one here at the Mission to raise money for the Church." Ryan explained, shaking his head, making his startling blond hair fall across his face. "We said we'd go remember?"
"Yeah sure, I'm going." I said running my fingers through my long brown hair, wondering how on earth I had forgotten. We'd organized to go together weeks ago, before the break that is. I wasn't all that interested in going but Maddy really wanted to as she said it was a good chance for us to get boyfriends – seeing as we were both single, much to my dismay. But I knew she only wanted to go because Ryan said he was going. It was no secret that Maddy was into Ryan, everyone knew…except for Ryan of course. Are boys completely clueless?
Maddy sighed, "De Silva you sure there's nothing you want to tell us?"
"Yeah, anything at all?" said Ryan, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Ryan was the only one that knew I was a mediator, out of my friends anyway. My mum had told CeeCee and Adam years ago, so naturally Ryan knew.
"No!" I practically cried. "Look, I'll see tomorrow, okay?"
"Alright, Alright!" exclaimed Maddy, linking her arm with Ryan's. I smiled. "C'mon Ryan."
"Okay, Cya Mercy." Ryan said, giving me one last confused look before letting himself be dragged away by a flirtatious Maddy.
I sighed.
I lay in my bed that night, thinking about Alex. I tried not to but whatever I did I couldn't get that darn ghost out of my head. His mysterious era was so enticing, I just couldn't help it.
I came home to an empty house. Both my parents were out at work, and Alex was nowhere to be seen. Why? I thought to myself, why did he not want us to know how he died so much?
I got up out of my bed and walked over to my window seat and looked out over the wide open fields. I shivered. It wasn't that cold but I felt a sudden urge to do so.
I pulled on a pair of my old jeans and a hooded jacket and opened my window. I stepped out onto the porch roof and breathed in the cool night air. It felt good to be out. I decided to go for a walk, to clear my head. I climbed down the ladder that was probed up against the wall; dad had put it there a while before, because one of the slates on the roof had come off and he had climbed up to fix it.
There weren't many houses near mine, just the usual muddy back lanes and country roads. There was however a few stables behind our house. I overheard mum and dad talking early about getting a horse maybe two.
"Susannah, did u know there were stables here before we bought the house?" My dad had asked.
"Yes Jesse, I did." Mum smiled slyly at him. "I was thinking we might get that horse you've been dreaming of getting for so long. Now that we have the space, that is."
"Querida, I love…."
That was when I decided to go to my room. I know I said I didn't mind my mum and dad kissing and what not, but well, I'll admit there's only so much a girl can take.
Anyway, I wanted to check the stables out so I walked around the side of the house, climbed over the gate which separated the house from the stables and continued to walk towards them.
The silence was almost deafening. I wrapped my arms around my front and stopped where I was. I looked over my shoulder. I had feeling that I was being watched. I shook my head and continued on. I stopped again. No one was there. Mercedes snap out of it! Walk! I did. I walked so far then I started to run. I reached the stables at last and leant on the door. Phew! I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Bit late for a walk, is it not?" asked a deep voice from behind me.
A lot happened after that. Out of pure instinct I screamed and then suddenly before I could even think of running away a strong hand came from behind me and covered my mouth which stifled the noise, then another was wrapped around my waist to turn me around and pin me up against the stable wall.
I could feel my heart hammering against my chest and my hands were becoming damp with sweat. I had closed my eyes when the hand was placed over my mouth, so when I opened them I was shocked to say the least.
"Shhh, it's me Alex." He said soothingly, his eyes full of amusement and concern. He removed his hand from my mouth and I inhaled deeply. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."
"It's…it's alright." I said between breaths. His handsome face was incredibly close to mine. I was about to ask him why he was here then I became conscious of the fact that one of his hands was still on my hip. I looked down. Seeing the direction of my gaze, he quickly removed it and took a step back.
"I'm deeply sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you in anyway. I just didn't want you to wake your parents. They'd be worried about you." He again apologised, running a hand through his hair making it stand up at the front. He looked stressed.
"I get it. I really do. You don't have to apologise. Seriously." I reassured him. It seemed to work. I was startled at how much Alex was beating himself up, just because his hand was on my hip. Then I remembered something my mum had told me, about how my dad was when he was a ghost, about how he never liked to touch her because he didn't want to insult her. Was that what was wrong with him?
We stood there in silence for a while. I stared at my hands, and then I lifted my gaze to meet his. I gasped. His dark eyes seemed to suck me in. I was lost. I was lost in Alex. That sounds weird I know but it's the only way to explain how I felt. All my thoughts and worries seemed to disappear, dissolve, whatever you want to say. His eyes told a story. A story of a troubled past and things still left undone. But they told something else as well, the glint in his eye made my heart skip a beat. I don't know exactly what it was but I knew it was something similar to how I felt at that particular moment.
Alex raised his hand again but this time he smoothed his hair down making it flop over his forehead- making him look even more cute…if that was possible. A nervous habit, I thought. The way his hand shook as he brought it down by his side confirmed it. He then took a hesitant step towards me. Our eyes were still locked not once did either of us look away.
We were standing so close now that we were almost touching. My neck was sore from looking up at him. He was so tall. Alex began to lean down. I stood there expectantly, that's when I realised how much he stood out in the darkness that surrounded us. Why, I thought, why is he glowing? Then it hit me. It hit me hard. He's a ghost Mercedes, that's why! A ghost!
I pulled away from him reluctantly. Alex seemed to realise why because he did the same. His lean face was a mixture of amazement and confusion at what had just happened. I stared down at my hands again and when I looked up he was gone.
I cursed under my breath, before making my way back to the house. My feet carried me the whole way for I wasn't even thinking of where I was going. The next thing I knew I was lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I replayed everything over and over again in my mind, constantly asking myself the same question:
What would have happened if I hadn't pulled away?
