Father Dom was looking at me like I had just sprouted another head. "Did you hear anything I just said?" I demanded. "This is serious!"

"I…I understand," Father Dom said. "But…I can't quite believe…I mean, his grades…"

"Academics aren't everything. Didn't Meducci teach you anything?"

"Yes…" Father Dom fingered his cigarette pack nervously. "You say he mentioned a Dark Throne?"

"Yes. And something about me being a queen or something."

Father Dom began pacing around his office. "You're sure you heard right?"

"Positive."

"Well…the Dark Throne…yes…" He continued to pace, looking like he was in deep concentration.

"Well, do you know anything about it?"

Father Dom stopped pacing. He looked at me for a moment. "Yes, in fact I have."

"Well?" I asked impatiently. I hate when people are so mysterious. It just really bothers me.

"Well, what?"

I sighed in frustration. "Father Dom -"

"Susannah, I can't say anymore. I don't want you to…get any ideas."

I felt like punching him. I mean, where does he get off? Jeez, just freakin' tell me what's going on!

"Susannah, I just want you to keep an eye on Paul for now. Report any more incidents to me immediately. I need to do some research." I noticed the small smile playing on his lips as he said that. And I could already think of someone way more experienced at research than him.

"Alright then," I said. "See you." I turned to leave.

"Susannah, wait," Father Dom said.

"What is it?" I asked innocently.

He looked at me pleadingly. "Please, promise me you won't go off trying anything on your own. Please."

I smiled reassuringly at him. What was one more broken promise, after all? So I crossed my fingers behind my back, and said, "Sure thing, Father Dom. I promise."


"Hey, guys," I said, joining Cee Cee and Adam at our lunch table. They both looked up, surprised and worried at once.

"Suze, where've you been?" Cee Cee asked. "Are you okay?"

"The whole school's talking about it," Adam said. "You know, how you freaked out and went all weird on Paul."

"What?!" I said. They think I went weird on Paul? "Hello? Paul went weird on me!"

"That's not what I heard," Adam replied.

I sighed. "You know, I don't really care what people say anymore." I pulled out my ham and mayonnaise sandwich.

"Suze…"

Oh, no. It was that voice again.

Paul.

I turned, and sure enough, Paul was sitting, eating his lunch right behind me, his eyes narrowed on me. "Not now," I thought. "After school."

"Sure thing." He grinned wolfishly at me. But he didn't say anything else to me.
I turned back to Cee Cee. "Hey, Cee, I need you to do me a big favor."

Cee Cee looked up from her sub. "What?"

"I need you to research something for me. Um…I don't have much info on it, but I need you to find out anything you can about it."

Cee Cee raised her eyebrows. "Okay."

"I need you to find out about something called the Dark Throne. Capitalized." Cee Cee scribbled it down. I continued, "And the heir of the Dark Throne. And, uh…there's a queen, too."

Cee Cee looked down at what she had scribbled. "It's not much to go by…"

"Do whatever you can," I said. "It's important."

"What's it for?" Adam asked.

"It's an article I'm working on for the newspaper," I lied. "On ancient legends and folklore."

"Cool," Adam said, returning to his lunch.

I am such a good liar.

That was when I noticed her.

A few tables away. She was sitting all by herself, just kind of looking around, like she was lost. She was really pretty, with sparkling brown hair and big, bright eyes. Damn, I wished I could look like her. Then Jesse would want me for sure. She spotter me looking at her.

And she scowled. She honest-to-God scowled at me, like I was a bug or something. I mean, really, the nerve! Ain't I allowed to look?

"Hey, who's that girl over there?" I asked, pointing.

"What girl?" Adam asked, his mouth full of cookies.

"Right there, sitting by herself," I said, pointing again.

Cee Cee looked at the table in question, then looked back at me. "Um, Suze…are you alright? You're just acting really - uh - weird today. Did something happen to you over the summer or something?"

I just blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Suze -" she lowered her voice. "There's nobody there. That table is empty."

I looked back at the girl at the table. She glared back at me. Okaaaaay… Has Susannah Simon officially gone mental? She didn't have a ghostly glow, so she wasn't dead. Cee Cee and Adam couldn't see her, so she wasn't alive.

So then what the hell was she?!

I was tempted to go and ask her, but that wouldn't help my reputation much. She was still looking at me like she wanted to kill me, and I looked back, daring her to try…
And then I got a brilliant idea.

Trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, I scribbled on a piece of scrap paper,


*Go ask that girl over there who and what she is and why she's here


Then I mentally called out to Jesse. He materialized seconds later, looking angry and worried, but still as hot as usual. "Where is that pendeho?" he demanded. "Did he hurt you? I swear I'm gonna -" Then he stopped, seeing Paul right behind me. "YOU!" he roared, pointing accusingly. I spun around, and saw Paul snickering into his soup. I turned back to the girl. She was looking right at Jesse. Wait a sec - she could actually see Jesse? Way weird. I didn't like that weird smile on her face as she watched Jesse. She better not be thinking of taking my guy.

Well, not mine, technically, but whatever.

I turned back to Jesse, who was actually making Paul's table shake a little, I noticed. This was not going according to plan. I stuffed my little note in my pocket, and decided to go to Plan B, which I had just concocted, before someone (besides me) got a concussion.

"Um, I need to use the little girl's room," I said loudly. "I'll be right back."
I snuck a last peak at the picnic table where the girl was and mentally cursed myself when I saw that she was gone. Then I went into the school. Thankfully, Jesse had taken the hint and materialized beside me, arms crossed, still looking mad as anything.

"Jesse," I said angrily. "I called you out here because I needed your help with something, and -"

"Oh," Jesse interrupted with a sneer. "The big, bad, mediator finally admits that she needed help with something!"

Jesse's hostility took me by surprise. I mean, I can understand him being mad and Paul, but little old me? Jesse had just gotten me extremely P.O. ed.

"Yes, Jesse, I did call you because I needed your help," I growled. "But since you don't seem to want to help, I'll just be going, then." I turned to leave.

"Susannah, wait." Jesse grabbed my sleeve. "I'm - I'm - sorry…"

I looked at him for a second. He's so cute when he's apologizing.

"I'm sorry too," I said.

He smiled down at me. For a second I thought he was going to kiss me again, but then I remembered what I called him for. "Jesse, remember that girl that was sitting at the picnic table behind you? Did you see her? Brown hair, pink sweater…"

Jesse looked thoughtful. "Yes, I did see her. What about her?"

"Well…did you notice that she wasn't alive or dead? I mean…what was she?"

Jesse looked at me sympathetically. For a second I thought he was about to laugh at me. "You don't what she was?"

"Obviously, not."

"Well," Jesse said slowly. "She was a demon."

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