Chapter 4
"Here we go," Derek said, pushing open the door to his room. He stepped back and let me walk in ahead of him.
The room looked a lot like mine, except that there was a desk against one corner with papers stacked on top of it. There was also quite a bit of dirty laundry on the carpet.
"Been here long?" I asked, stepping over an exceptionally repulsive looking mound of dirty underwear.
Derek dropped his keycard onto his bed, glancing up at me. "Five years."
I whistled. I sat down in his desk chair, and he took a seat on his bed. "So what exactly is going on around here?" I demanded.
"Well, it's like this: We were born as just regular mediators. You know, with the ability to talk to the dead and all that. But at some point when we were younger, around the time that we started figuring out what we could, the Agency came around." He leaned back against the headboard. "They tried kidnapping as many of us as they could, but as it turned out, the experiments they tried on us only affected a very small percentage of us. I don't know what they did to us exactly but whatever it is, it messed us up pretty bad."
"I can see that," I muttered, trying to take in everything that he was telling me. "What happened after that?"
"Oh, they let us go eventually. But they've been keeping tabs on us ever since." Derek shook his head. "The problem is that we seem to keep doing things that they don't like." He smiled broadly at me. "Like getting engaged to ghosts."
I could feel my face heating up. "How do you know about that?"
Derek shrugged. "Like I said, the Agency's been keeping tabs on us, Suze. If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one of us who's gone and fallen in love with a ghost."
Thinking of Father Dominic I said, "Yeah, I know."
I turned in my seat and surveyed the desk's surface. Something caught my eye and I picked it up. It was this miniature of a girl, probably not that much older than me, with black hair and dark eyes. For some reason that I couldn't quite figure out, she looked very familiar to me.
Apparently, Derek noticed what I was looking at and he came over to stand behind me. "She looks a lot like her brother, doesn't she?"
I glanced up at him. "What?"
He took the miniature from my hands and looked down at it. "She looks like you boyfriend," he said, glancing at me.
I blinked. "Who is she?"
Derek set the picture back on the desk. "Amelia de Silva," he said, shrugging.
I sucked in a breath. "You knew Jesse's sister?"
"Knew her? I married her."
"You did what?"
He smiled. "Don't look so surprised, Suze. You're not the only one who's loved a ghost, remember?"
I bit my lip. Something occurred to me then. I'm not sure what exactly made me think of it exactly, but whatever it was, I had to ask. "Is that why you're here?"
He froze. After a moment he said, "Yes."
"Oh." There was a long awkward silence. "What happened?"
Derek's voice was calm but his there was a definite fire in his eyes. "They exorcised her." He looked down at me, and I saw the anger in his face. "They said that I'd get her back if I worked for them, if I did what they wanted me to. But they lied."
I swallowed, realizing that they would probably do the exact same thing to Jesse. That is, if I didn't something about it. "I'm sorry," I said softly.
He shook his head. "I want to destroy the Agency more than anything." He took my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. "I can't do it alone." His voice had taken on a bit of a desperate tone.
Well, I couldn't exactly say no to my future brother-in-law, now could I?
***
A/N: Sigh Yes, I know, y'all love/hate me. What else is new?
"Here we go," Derek said, pushing open the door to his room. He stepped back and let me walk in ahead of him.
The room looked a lot like mine, except that there was a desk against one corner with papers stacked on top of it. There was also quite a bit of dirty laundry on the carpet.
"Been here long?" I asked, stepping over an exceptionally repulsive looking mound of dirty underwear.
Derek dropped his keycard onto his bed, glancing up at me. "Five years."
I whistled. I sat down in his desk chair, and he took a seat on his bed. "So what exactly is going on around here?" I demanded.
"Well, it's like this: We were born as just regular mediators. You know, with the ability to talk to the dead and all that. But at some point when we were younger, around the time that we started figuring out what we could, the Agency came around." He leaned back against the headboard. "They tried kidnapping as many of us as they could, but as it turned out, the experiments they tried on us only affected a very small percentage of us. I don't know what they did to us exactly but whatever it is, it messed us up pretty bad."
"I can see that," I muttered, trying to take in everything that he was telling me. "What happened after that?"
"Oh, they let us go eventually. But they've been keeping tabs on us ever since." Derek shook his head. "The problem is that we seem to keep doing things that they don't like." He smiled broadly at me. "Like getting engaged to ghosts."
I could feel my face heating up. "How do you know about that?"
Derek shrugged. "Like I said, the Agency's been keeping tabs on us, Suze. If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one of us who's gone and fallen in love with a ghost."
Thinking of Father Dominic I said, "Yeah, I know."
I turned in my seat and surveyed the desk's surface. Something caught my eye and I picked it up. It was this miniature of a girl, probably not that much older than me, with black hair and dark eyes. For some reason that I couldn't quite figure out, she looked very familiar to me.
Apparently, Derek noticed what I was looking at and he came over to stand behind me. "She looks a lot like her brother, doesn't she?"
I glanced up at him. "What?"
He took the miniature from my hands and looked down at it. "She looks like you boyfriend," he said, glancing at me.
I blinked. "Who is she?"
Derek set the picture back on the desk. "Amelia de Silva," he said, shrugging.
I sucked in a breath. "You knew Jesse's sister?"
"Knew her? I married her."
"You did what?"
He smiled. "Don't look so surprised, Suze. You're not the only one who's loved a ghost, remember?"
I bit my lip. Something occurred to me then. I'm not sure what exactly made me think of it exactly, but whatever it was, I had to ask. "Is that why you're here?"
He froze. After a moment he said, "Yes."
"Oh." There was a long awkward silence. "What happened?"
Derek's voice was calm but his there was a definite fire in his eyes. "They exorcised her." He looked down at me, and I saw the anger in his face. "They said that I'd get her back if I worked for them, if I did what they wanted me to. But they lied."
I swallowed, realizing that they would probably do the exact same thing to Jesse. That is, if I didn't something about it. "I'm sorry," I said softly.
He shook his head. "I want to destroy the Agency more than anything." He took my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. "I can't do it alone." His voice had taken on a bit of a desperate tone.
Well, I couldn't exactly say no to my future brother-in-law, now could I?
***
A/N: Sigh Yes, I know, y'all love/hate me. What else is new?
