Disclaimer:  Meg Cabot owns all characters and anything you recognize! Don't sue!

A/N:  Still no reviews!  I decided to put up another chapter even though there aren't any to make it more interesting!  The faster you review, the faster I will update! Love ya all!

~*The Undoing of the Mediator*~

Chapter 3: The Disappearance

My first clue should have been that the windows were open.  The marine fog had rolled in and a light dew covered everything in my room.  It was really disgusting.  Jesse had always been there to close my windows for me, even after he moved to the rectory.  He would come in at who-knows-when during the night and close them from when I had flung them open the night before.

I climbed out of my bed, completely freezing through my light sweatshirt and boxers.  I got took a really warm shower and chose my outfit for the day: an ever-so-spiffy ensemble of a blue v-neck t-shirt from Benetton and black pants by DKNY that I got for half price last week.  I topped it all off with new black Steve Madden platform boots for only a fraction of the two-hundred they costed.  Oh yeah, I'm good.

Sleepy, my step-brother who has a tendency to sleepwalk through life (hence the nickname, his real name is Jake) yelled up the stairs, "Suze, we're leaving in 5 minutes if you want to get to school"

I threw my leather jacket on over my outfit, left my windows open so my room would air out during the day and ran down the stairs.

Dopey was at the table, pigging out on donuts.  He would crush them in his mouth whole seemingly without chewing and swallow them like a snake.  It was one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen.  I definitely cannot see what Debbie Mancuso sees in that boy.

Anyway, I gulped down some OJ and a bagel (nowhere near as good as NY-style) and ran out the door with my stepbrothers.

When I got to school, Paul was waiting for me, as happy as ever.  That should have been my second clue.  He started to walk me to roll-call

"Why are you so happy" I asked grumpily

"Because I'm with you" he replied.

I snorted with laughter "sure, you're with me almost everyday, Slater. What's going on"

"You'll see" he said

God! What's up with Paul being so cryptic all the time? I could seriously smack that guy all the way back across the country if I had the chance. 

He walked me to class.  Creepy, huh?

Later that day I went to go see Father Dom about the mind reading stuff Paul had said.  He looked at me as if I were crazy.

"Mind reading? Are you sure?" he asked, worried.

"Yeah Father D, that's what we did" I said, leaning back in the chair in his office.  I had been giving Father Dominic all my reassurances that Paul wasn't teaching me demonic practices or anything.  It looked like this qualified.

"Susannah, this is not good.  Promise me you will never try it." He looked at me, wary "Promise!"

"Alright Father D! I wasn't planning on it anyway" I said, embarrassed.  I knew what he was thinking.  I would read Jesse's mind to see what he though about me.  That's just what Father D would think of, ever since he found out about our little escapades after I saved him from Purgatory.

"I still don't understand why you're doing this, Susannah.  Why you want him to teach you" He said, looking very serious.

"There's just something I need to know about, and he's the only one who can answer it."  There was no way I was going to tell Father D that the 'something' was the transfer of souls from one body to anther.  He wouldn't go for that. 

The next period started, and I had to get to class.

**Three Days Later**

I still haven't seen Jesse around.  Maybe what I about not being able to live without him freaked him out.  He knew that I loved him, and I though he loved me, but I've called him twice now and he hasn't come.  Something's wrong.

I went to go see Father Dom about it. 

"Susannah," he said as I walked in "Is there something you want to talk to me about".  He looked at my from his papers questioningly.

"Yeah, actually.  Something's wrong with Jesse.  Have you seen him?  He's been avoiding me for three days and I just want to make sure he's alright." I was a little embarrassed talking about Jesse with Father D, but I had no other choice.

He looked at me like I was crazy.  "You haven't seen him in three days?"  He looked hard to his left-toward the sofa.  "Are you sure?"

"Um, yeah. I think I would know if I saw him, wouldn't I?"

"Have you called him?"

"I tried, twice, but he didn't come both times"

Father D looked hard again at the sofa.  He said, "Susannah, look at the sofa."

I turned my head at the empty couch.

"Do you see anything?" he asked.

"Um, no.  Should I?  What's going on Father D?  I really want to know"  I was getting really nervous now.

Father Dom was getting really pale now.  "Susannah, Jesse is sitting right there".

I stared, and then ran out of the office.