Was I right to trust him? Or should I have run again? Well, to defend
myself, it was very hard to run, seeing as he wasn't letting go of me much,
and I still felt weak after that huge outburst. And, now that Paul was a
ghost, I couldn't run through the walls without being pursued.
Paul grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to where Jesse was. His immobile body stood coldly in front of me, his eyes twinkling horribly. Freezing vapour was rising from the ice that encased him.
Something occurred to me. 'Ah, Paul? You're a ghost now. How are you going to un-freeze him?'
He looked at me quickly, his light blue eyes looking puzzled for a moment. My breath was snagged. 'You can, r-r-right?' I faltered.
'Yes, I think so,' he said. 'Shifting powers don't leave entirely after death, it only happens to mediators,' he said, his elegant eyebrows knit. 'But Suze, you'd better back away. It's you that he hates the most here.'
All of a sudden, I felt a rush of blistering fury towards Paul, but restrained myself from acting upon it. I mean, he looked like my only chance. I didn't want to ruin it. So I moved back after he unleashed my hand, and hid behind a dreary grey tree that was dripping with the moisture of the cold night. I could still feel it, regardless of my ghostly state.
I watched as Paul raised his hand in front of Jesse's face, his eyes closed. Then, with an ear-splitting shatter, ice shards flew in all directions, but of course, straight through Paul, who'd already mastered how to allow objects to pass through him. Unfair!
As the frosty splinters fell to the ground and melted, Jesse lunged out at Paul, but Paul dodged just in time, ironically enough. Jesse landed on the ground, where Paul grabbed him by the throat. I clapped my hand to my mouth and flinched when I saw my Jesse groan sharply.
'Where is Susannah?' Jesse snarled, swiping at him, but he held him down strongly. Why wasn't Paul in a weak, helpless state? Why was I so pathetic and feeble? Is there no justice in the world?!
Paul said something to Jesse that I couldn't hear, but only served to make Jesse knock Paul sideways and leap on top of him, beating him lifeless. Or deathless, I don't know. It horrified me to see Jesse attack anyone with such vigour. I mean, I had seen Jesse take on his fair few thugs, but how he seemed to be mutilating Paul was just vile.
So that was when I bound from behind the tree on Jesse's back, beating him with small fists. I know, I KNOW! Not one of my brightest ideas, but hey? I was scared, okay?
Jesse seemed to find this very rewarding. He flew off Paul, and grabbed me instead, dragging me away from Paul's ghost, which wasn't doing too well, despite any experience I thought that he had. But yeah. Jesse's powerful arm went around my neck, and his other around my arms and waist. I coughed.
'Don't you dare,' growled Paul, on his feet, glaring at Jesse with an acid glare. Okay, uh, breathing? Yeah, wasn't so easy with his arm around my windpipe like that. Not, as I'll repeat again, that breathing was an issue as a ghost, but yeah, you get the gist. I was TERRIFIED!
'I'll do whatever I like with her,' Jesse answered, proving this by jerking my neck back slightly. I cried out, and Paul flinched. I heard Jesse laugh hollowly from behind me. 'You go now, Slater. I have nothing to say to you, and you don't want to get hurt any more than what Susannah has evidently already done to you.' He cast an amused look at Paul's corpse, which was under the wreckage of the blasted brick wall. I saw that Paul's dead body was bleeding rather heavily, and so I looked away as tears stung at my eyes. I was a murderer . . .
Just then, Jesse spun me around, and pushed me hard against him, still trapping my arms to my sides, and kind of grabbing my butt, which was a bit embarrassing. Oh, just a BIT.
'No,' said Paul sounding angry. I could no longer see him. In fact, all I could really see was Jesse's chest, which wouldn't have been so unpleasant under different circumstances, if you catch my drift, but no. These were very critical circumstances here. 'Listen, Da Silva. I have a business proposal for you. How would you like to be alive?'
Jesse froze, his eyes glittering. I could feel his hot breath in my hair. His grasp on my relaxed.
'Go on,' he said.
Paul was silent for a moment. Then-
'You can have your life back. So can Suze-'
'No!' said Jesse sharply, and his grip on my body went possessive and hard again. I yelped against him. Great. He wanted me to stay as a ghost?
'She must stay as a ghost,' said Jesse, confirming my worst fears. 'I've had to live as one for one hundred and fifty hears, and now it's her turn.'
That hurt.
Suze, it's okay. It's just the curse talking. Real Jesse wouldn't want you dead, you know that. It's going to be all right, we just have to trust Paul. It' going to be fine.
Ha, too bad I couldn't kid myself.
I heard Paul take a step closer. His footstep crunched on the gravel road. Against Jesse's chest, I felt hot tears stinging behind my eyes, threatening to come gushing out again. I mean, come on. Have a little sympathy. This was a very harsh time for me, being dead and all, and knowing that I was now going to stay that way, because of Jesse.
No! Because of Paul! This is all HIS fault!
'Fair enough,' said Paul lightly.
'What?!' came my muffled protest. I turned my head- not an easy feat- and yelled, 'What the hell? Paul, you're supposed to be helping me!'
Paul stared at me with mordant indifference. 'Well, I have to look out for myself too, Suze.'
I couldn't BELIEVE this! Paul had tricked me! Just when he said he wouldn't!
Jesse seemed top consider all of this. 'Wise decision,' he grunted to Paul, throwing me to the side. I sprawled on the ground with a weak gasp. Once again, I saw Paul twitch uncomfortably, but he remained where he was.
Bastard . . .
Jesse stepped up to Paul, saying, 'How am I to be resurrected?'
Paul answered, 'It is a long procedure, and cannot happen in this world. I suggest you leave Suze here, as she will only slow us down.'
It was then that I realized that Paul WAS trying to help me. He was just doing it very subtly, so that Jesse, in his cursed condition, couldn't detect it.
'No, she is coming,' said Jesse coldly to Paul.
Damn.
While they were talking, I carefully heaved myself up, trying to avoid notice. I began to tiptoe away, when Jesse was like, 'Don't even think about it, Susannah.' He said it all boredly and everything, too. I stopped dead. Well, not me, but my body wouldn't move for some creepy reason.
'What's in this for you?' asked Jesse suspiciously of Paul.
He shrugged. 'Hey, I'm going to get my life back, the one that she robbed me of.' He jerked his head at me. 'And I was wondering if you wanted to come along for the ride.'
Jesse continued to stare at Paul. 'How do I know that you are not lying?' he hissed softly.
Paul rolled his eyes. 'Oh, please, Da Silva,' he said, smirking. 'Now, are we going, or what? I kind of want to get back before too many people see my maimed, rotting corpse under the debris over there, if you know what I mean. I'll be a dead man walking.'
'No problem. Just one thing; how do we get to this place where I am to redeem my life?'
'Oh, the perks of a shifter, we can summon up portals to take us there,' said Paul with a scary smirk on his face. For a second, I saw his eyes flicker with a Hang-in-there-Suze-you're going-to-be-fine look, but it was too quick to decipher.
'I see. Very well,' Jesse said curtly, and came over to get hold of me properly. I thrashed in his grasp, but it did no good. Jesse had a century and a half's experience behind him as a ghost, and was so much stronger than me. I was but four hours old, if that.
I kind of stopped thrashing when Jesse, uh . . . actually, I can't remember what he did. But I know it hurt a lot, and I was thinking, just as my head exploded with pain, "Uh, crud. I'm going to black out now."
And I did.
Paul grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to where Jesse was. His immobile body stood coldly in front of me, his eyes twinkling horribly. Freezing vapour was rising from the ice that encased him.
Something occurred to me. 'Ah, Paul? You're a ghost now. How are you going to un-freeze him?'
He looked at me quickly, his light blue eyes looking puzzled for a moment. My breath was snagged. 'You can, r-r-right?' I faltered.
'Yes, I think so,' he said. 'Shifting powers don't leave entirely after death, it only happens to mediators,' he said, his elegant eyebrows knit. 'But Suze, you'd better back away. It's you that he hates the most here.'
All of a sudden, I felt a rush of blistering fury towards Paul, but restrained myself from acting upon it. I mean, he looked like my only chance. I didn't want to ruin it. So I moved back after he unleashed my hand, and hid behind a dreary grey tree that was dripping with the moisture of the cold night. I could still feel it, regardless of my ghostly state.
I watched as Paul raised his hand in front of Jesse's face, his eyes closed. Then, with an ear-splitting shatter, ice shards flew in all directions, but of course, straight through Paul, who'd already mastered how to allow objects to pass through him. Unfair!
As the frosty splinters fell to the ground and melted, Jesse lunged out at Paul, but Paul dodged just in time, ironically enough. Jesse landed on the ground, where Paul grabbed him by the throat. I clapped my hand to my mouth and flinched when I saw my Jesse groan sharply.
'Where is Susannah?' Jesse snarled, swiping at him, but he held him down strongly. Why wasn't Paul in a weak, helpless state? Why was I so pathetic and feeble? Is there no justice in the world?!
Paul said something to Jesse that I couldn't hear, but only served to make Jesse knock Paul sideways and leap on top of him, beating him lifeless. Or deathless, I don't know. It horrified me to see Jesse attack anyone with such vigour. I mean, I had seen Jesse take on his fair few thugs, but how he seemed to be mutilating Paul was just vile.
So that was when I bound from behind the tree on Jesse's back, beating him with small fists. I know, I KNOW! Not one of my brightest ideas, but hey? I was scared, okay?
Jesse seemed to find this very rewarding. He flew off Paul, and grabbed me instead, dragging me away from Paul's ghost, which wasn't doing too well, despite any experience I thought that he had. But yeah. Jesse's powerful arm went around my neck, and his other around my arms and waist. I coughed.
'Don't you dare,' growled Paul, on his feet, glaring at Jesse with an acid glare. Okay, uh, breathing? Yeah, wasn't so easy with his arm around my windpipe like that. Not, as I'll repeat again, that breathing was an issue as a ghost, but yeah, you get the gist. I was TERRIFIED!
'I'll do whatever I like with her,' Jesse answered, proving this by jerking my neck back slightly. I cried out, and Paul flinched. I heard Jesse laugh hollowly from behind me. 'You go now, Slater. I have nothing to say to you, and you don't want to get hurt any more than what Susannah has evidently already done to you.' He cast an amused look at Paul's corpse, which was under the wreckage of the blasted brick wall. I saw that Paul's dead body was bleeding rather heavily, and so I looked away as tears stung at my eyes. I was a murderer . . .
Just then, Jesse spun me around, and pushed me hard against him, still trapping my arms to my sides, and kind of grabbing my butt, which was a bit embarrassing. Oh, just a BIT.
'No,' said Paul sounding angry. I could no longer see him. In fact, all I could really see was Jesse's chest, which wouldn't have been so unpleasant under different circumstances, if you catch my drift, but no. These were very critical circumstances here. 'Listen, Da Silva. I have a business proposal for you. How would you like to be alive?'
Jesse froze, his eyes glittering. I could feel his hot breath in my hair. His grasp on my relaxed.
'Go on,' he said.
Paul was silent for a moment. Then-
'You can have your life back. So can Suze-'
'No!' said Jesse sharply, and his grip on my body went possessive and hard again. I yelped against him. Great. He wanted me to stay as a ghost?
'She must stay as a ghost,' said Jesse, confirming my worst fears. 'I've had to live as one for one hundred and fifty hears, and now it's her turn.'
That hurt.
Suze, it's okay. It's just the curse talking. Real Jesse wouldn't want you dead, you know that. It's going to be all right, we just have to trust Paul. It' going to be fine.
Ha, too bad I couldn't kid myself.
I heard Paul take a step closer. His footstep crunched on the gravel road. Against Jesse's chest, I felt hot tears stinging behind my eyes, threatening to come gushing out again. I mean, come on. Have a little sympathy. This was a very harsh time for me, being dead and all, and knowing that I was now going to stay that way, because of Jesse.
No! Because of Paul! This is all HIS fault!
'Fair enough,' said Paul lightly.
'What?!' came my muffled protest. I turned my head- not an easy feat- and yelled, 'What the hell? Paul, you're supposed to be helping me!'
Paul stared at me with mordant indifference. 'Well, I have to look out for myself too, Suze.'
I couldn't BELIEVE this! Paul had tricked me! Just when he said he wouldn't!
Jesse seemed top consider all of this. 'Wise decision,' he grunted to Paul, throwing me to the side. I sprawled on the ground with a weak gasp. Once again, I saw Paul twitch uncomfortably, but he remained where he was.
Bastard . . .
Jesse stepped up to Paul, saying, 'How am I to be resurrected?'
Paul answered, 'It is a long procedure, and cannot happen in this world. I suggest you leave Suze here, as she will only slow us down.'
It was then that I realized that Paul WAS trying to help me. He was just doing it very subtly, so that Jesse, in his cursed condition, couldn't detect it.
'No, she is coming,' said Jesse coldly to Paul.
Damn.
While they were talking, I carefully heaved myself up, trying to avoid notice. I began to tiptoe away, when Jesse was like, 'Don't even think about it, Susannah.' He said it all boredly and everything, too. I stopped dead. Well, not me, but my body wouldn't move for some creepy reason.
'What's in this for you?' asked Jesse suspiciously of Paul.
He shrugged. 'Hey, I'm going to get my life back, the one that she robbed me of.' He jerked his head at me. 'And I was wondering if you wanted to come along for the ride.'
Jesse continued to stare at Paul. 'How do I know that you are not lying?' he hissed softly.
Paul rolled his eyes. 'Oh, please, Da Silva,' he said, smirking. 'Now, are we going, or what? I kind of want to get back before too many people see my maimed, rotting corpse under the debris over there, if you know what I mean. I'll be a dead man walking.'
'No problem. Just one thing; how do we get to this place where I am to redeem my life?'
'Oh, the perks of a shifter, we can summon up portals to take us there,' said Paul with a scary smirk on his face. For a second, I saw his eyes flicker with a Hang-in-there-Suze-you're going-to-be-fine look, but it was too quick to decipher.
'I see. Very well,' Jesse said curtly, and came over to get hold of me properly. I thrashed in his grasp, but it did no good. Jesse had a century and a half's experience behind him as a ghost, and was so much stronger than me. I was but four hours old, if that.
I kind of stopped thrashing when Jesse, uh . . . actually, I can't remember what he did. But I know it hurt a lot, and I was thinking, just as my head exploded with pain, "Uh, crud. I'm going to black out now."
And I did.