Yo guys, I'm back! Well, technically . . . er, no, but even though I'm still on holidays today, I'm dying to write! Also, if any psycho babble pops up in the chapter, that may be due to the fact that me, my Aunt Jenny and my cousins Alex and Chloe, were in a horrific car accident today! Serious! *Shudders . . .* But yeah, no lasting injuries that we know of, so let's see how we go, because it has been a rather trying day, and I'm as tired as you get . . . Also, I haven't checked my reviews, so if anyone's sent me one saying, "stop writing this crap or I'll bomb your family," I didn't see it, so leave them alone! Please! (And no, I'm Australian, not British . . .)

Jeez, I need a holidays.

Oh wait, I'm on one!

Whatever.

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Suze's POV.

Last period . . . It was History with Mr Walden, and I was totally not listening to a word he was saying. So sue me? I mean who wanted to know about . . . well, whatever he was babbling about. But yeah. I was watching the clock intently. I mean, this whole meeting-a-murderer thing was really getting to me. Who knows? That Jesse De Silva could be plotting to kill me right now!

Er, paranoid much, Suze?

I sighed, as my eyes drilled into the clock. I watched the second hand slowly and steadily ticking, always bringing the hour hand closer to three . . .

Tick, tock . . .

'And so, America has now forced the people of Iraq to . . .'

Tick, tock . . .

Two minutes.

Tick, tock . . .

'Scott. What do you think about the war? Would you be brave enough to leave your families and go fight for our country in the name of . . .'

One minute . . .

'Huh sir?'

'You weren't listening again, Scott?'

'Um . . .'

Thirty seconds!

But then, the familiar crackle of the PA made my heart sink.

'Susannah Simon? Would you please make your way to the principal's office immediately.'

DAMMIT!!!

I let out a huge, dragging groan, as everyone turned to look at me. Brad elbowed his jock mate Scott, and they both cracked up, until Mr Walden ditched a bit of chalk at the blackboard in annoyance. I rolled my eyes and walked out the door with all my books, just as the siren went, and a deafening cheer was released. Who could blame them? It was Friday. Like, last day of the week? No more school? Yeah, you get it. Kids came stampeding out of the doors to get to their lockers, nearly crushing me, but yeah. I wandered into Father Dom's office without knocking.

'What? I'm waiting for the last ten seconds of school to pass, and you call me up here? What is the deal?' I snapped at him. He looked up from his computer which me was eyeing with deep distrust. He didn't really like using them, but he was told that he had to get up with the times. Which I totally agree to. I mean, you can't go living in the past all the time, can you? How uncool is that?

'Susannah, manners. I wanted to personally inform you that . . .' he frowned at me ruefully, 'I couldn't get you out of your detention. You will still have to serve it this afternoon with Mr Osbourne. And no arguments,' he added as I went to yell, 'I tried my best, but his evidence was very incriminating. There was no way to explain it without saying that a ghost wrote it.'

'Drew it,' I corrected, 'And it could have easily been Dopey!'

'Who?'

'Oh, Brad. He could have done it!'

Father Dom's frown deepened. 'No . . . I tried things like that, but he wriggled around them. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do.'

'B-B-But- I had PLANS!' I exploded at him.

He widened his eyes. 'Susannah! For heaven's sake, sit down!'

I sat, and pouted at him.

'What I'm doing is very like, important, Father D,' I sulked, 'To do with mediation and everything. You know, the nice, negotiating way. No fists or head butts, just polite talking so I can help a poor lost soul of yours to get out of my life - I mean, move on.'

His mouth twitched. You could see he totally knew I was laying it on thick. Well, I was, but it wasn't like he was supposed to KNOW.

'I told you, I tried. But what's done is done. Now go, I'm sure Mr Osbourne is waiting for you.'

I shot him one last glare, and left. He could have like, totally got Mr Osbourne in a head lock and forced him to let me go, but nooooo. Father Dom's way too soft. How sucky was that?

I still was going to meet Jesse. I didn't care if I like, missed a detention. I mean, who cared? I grabbed my backpack from my locker, and then went to the locker area where I'd fatefully been rescued from Jesse before. Heather had finally pissed off too, so that was cool. I felt really weird -okay, scared - about meeting up with Jesse. I mean, he'd admitted that he'd committed homicide! What more proof do I need?

I seriously have a death wish.

Well, he was taking his sweet time. I looked around, but he was nowhere. Students were still slowly filtering from the building, when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I spun around, and was looking straight into the eyes of . . .

Mr Osbourne.

Oops.

'Weren't going anywhere, were you Miss Simon?' he asked, giving me a wry, toothy smile.

'Huh? Me, miss out on a detention?' I half squeaked, 'Why, of course not, Mr O. but you do realize that your grounds for issuing me one are completely crap. I did not draw that, when will you get it through your -'

'Miss Simon, I strongly suggest that you shut your mouth, or you'll get more than a detention,' he growled, still with mirth. What was that supposed to mean. I glared at him, and at last, he dropped his hand from my shoulder. I followed him to his classroom, where two other unfortunate kids sat. This geek called Emma Something-or-other, and this pimply faced guy with really dirty hair who I'd never seen in my life, let alone at school. Shows how much I look, doesn't it?

'Sit down, Susannah. You'll all me marking Yr. Eight tests in your detention today.'

We all groaned.

~*~

I hate him so much! That had to be one of the most boring hours of my life! In fact it was MORE than an hour! I could confidently take the stupid test and get every single answer right after all that bloody marking. Oh, *stigmata to Mr Osbourne . . . Grr . . .

(A/N: *Look that up too, little ones! Lol. I'm so tired, but I've got loads to go!)

Anyway, it was way after five by the time I walked home. I totally missed my ride home, as you may have guessed, and I bet Jesse was really pissed with me. But yeah, life sucks.

Oh, Paul was in deep, dark shit . . .

I trudged into my room. What I day . . .

My head still ached from Heather's little episode and all, which made me even more angry. I walked over to my boxing back and really let it all out. Each blow lifted one of my problems off of me, and evaporated it. And I was going to train harder than ever now, because Heather had stolen my dignity. A stupid ghost like her, stronger than Suze Simon?

How rude!

I punched and kicked the bag like there was no tomorrow, when I heard that drawling voice that oozed with pure egotism.

'The sweaty look doesn't do you justice, little Susie.'

Paul.

Oh, someone was going to die.

Slowly, I turned around, bubbling madly with repressed rage. He detected my anger, but it only made him smirk.

'Well, let's hope little Paulie likes getting his face smashed in,' I snarled, and advanced on him.

Oooh, scary Suze!

He leant against the wall, grinning even more. 'Oh. You didn't like my sketch, I'll presume?'

'You bloody cost me my afternoon, and my teacher saw it, and I got a detention for it, and I missed out on talking to J-' I stopped just in time. I almost told him that I was investigating behind his back! ' - J Jasmine, my, uh, friend. For school. Yeah.'

Paul raised an elegant eyebrow.

I exploded. I mean, who wouldn't? He was just so careless about the whole thing!

'Look!' I yelled at him, 'You're completely screwing up my life! You can't go getting me into trouble just because you freakin' feel like it! I'm sick of seeing you all the time! Don't you get it? I hate you Paul. Now just get lost before I do something that I might regret.'

He stared at me in bewilderment.

Then, the ass had the nerve to say, 'PMS, right?'

I was breathing hell hard then. I knew that he was going to get hurt in a second, real, REAL bad if he didn't shut up and piss off. I glared at him so intensely that usually, any sane, NORMAL person would be quailing and fleeing then.

But since when is Paul a sane, normal person?

No, instead of running, he grinned, and took a few steps towards me. 'Come on Suze, it was just a joke. You can take a joke, right?' And accompanying this message, he went to grab me around the waist, but no. Not this time.

'Screw you, Paul,' I said, and flipped him over my back so he landed with a hard thud on the floor. Then, I kicked him in the groin.

Aren't I sweet?

He groaned, and held onto his er . . . yeah, there. But when he looked up at me, he was still thinking the whole thing was funny. There was great mirth in his icy blue eyes.

WHAT WAS THIS GUY ON?!?!?!

I shook my head at him. 'Get out Paul. Leave, and don't come back, or I promise on my dad's grave that I WILL exorcise you.'

Suddenly, the grin left his lips. He got up, looking angry. Very angry.

'Now Susie,' he said. 'I don't think you'll want to do that. I can do so many things to make you suffer, you know.'

'Yeah? Not if you're in Purgatory, dickhead,' I retorted, and stepped down hard on his foot. He swore, and fell back onto my bed. But then, he jumped up and seized my arms, slammed me against the wall, and pinned my hands above my head.

Er, this was kind of hurting?

And it was also kind of scary . . .

You know?

'Suze I'm warning you. You have no idea what I can do to make your life a living hell. I strongly suggest that you watch you back, if you are thinking that you and I aren't going to be friends any more . . . ' he breathed in my face. I mean, seriously, he was WAY too close for my liking. I could see the ferocity stirring behind those icy blues.

I blinked. Okay, so I was scared? No ghost I'd met had scared me like this. What was wrong with me? Why didn't I just knock him flat, and spit on him?

Because he used to be a mediator.

He knew exactly what I could do, and more, and could prevent it.

He knew I knew that.

Paul was still drilling into me. 'So, are you going to be clever, and forget we ever had this conversation? Because you know something? I like where I am thanks. I was here first. I really don't feel like leaving, and nothing, NOTHING you do will make me go. So if we could just be, you know, pals, we'll get along just FINE.'

Yeah, he was kind of yelling all of this? So it wasn't too comfortable for me.

'Paul,' I said sweetly. Then, I said something that, yeah I'm not proud of. I don't usually use words like that, but Paul WAY deserved them. It was past te realms of disgusting, involving one's male anatomy, and several extremely colourful words. I think that he was thoroughly bewildered that I'd been so lax with my politeness.

He let go of my hands, and I made a huge thing of massaging them and all.

'Now piss off,' I said.

He looked at me strangely.

'Suze, I told you. I'm not going anywhere. I'm coming back later, so be ready. There's something you have to see.'

And before I could object or anything, he was gone . . .

Whoa . . .

~*~

It was a while before I did see him again. I'd had dinner by then, AND I'd done my homework, safely checking all the backs of my sheets before reinserting them into my folders. Then, I'd jumped into the shower in my bikini still. I know, it's a hard knock life for me, isn't it? I was letting the steaming hot water drip down my body, watching the hot vapour rise into the air. And the bikini thing did pay off . . .

'Hello, Susie.'

I opened my eyes rapidly, and there was Paul standing in front of me, the water falling straight through him! He'd totally materialized there without me knowing!

Oh my GOD!!!!

I totally screamed, forgetting that I was safely covered, and pushed him through the shower curtain. He fell in a puddle of hot water, but wasn't wetted by it or anything. I stared at him in pure horror. I couldn't BELIEVE that someone could be so disgusting!

Okay, EXCLUDING what I'd said before . . .

I seized my towel and wrappedit firmly around me and all. I mean, he was LOOKING.

Ew . . .

He stood up, his grin crooked at one side, but I was pissed, and I totally slapped him one on the face.

'I deserved that,' he smirked. 'And don't looked so shocked, I told you I'd be back.'

'Er, yeah,' I said wrathfully, 'Your timing is impeccable, really it is!' And I gave him another slap, you know?

Well, attempted to. He caught my hand, and put it back down.

'Be a good girl Susie. Now, get dressed, I have something to show you.' He leaned back against the door, and crossed his arms, a perfectly smug expression splashed across that hot, naughty face.

I shook my head at him. 'My getting dressed requires you to be on the other side of the door, numb nut.'

'Says who?'

He said that again . . . The last time he said that, he'd been kissing me . . . I closed my eyes, trying to block it out. I mean, it was bad enough that it had happend, but I had almost enjoyed it for a second!

'Says me, just like last time. Now make like a tree.'

He laughed. 'And leave? Oh, I really don't think I want- '

He was more inclined to do as I asked when I cordially dealt him a dynamic kick in the family jewels.

And in my bikini, too. Impressive, Suze . . .

I slipped into my PJs, and finally went out after brushing my teeth and all. He was sitting on my bed. The moonlight was shining against his face, casting the valleys into deep shadow, but highlighting his eyes, the side of his nose, and his hair. I blinked, and shook myself. Bad Suze . . .

He stood up, smiling. 'You look good.'

I scoffed. 'Last time I checked, monkey pajamas weren't categorized as formal wear.'

He laughed. 'But monkies suit you.'

'Oh,' I said doubtfully, 'I'm so flattered, really. And a word of the wise for you Paul. A wise monkey never monkies with another monkey's monkey.'

He snorted. 'Nice . . . How am I supposed to interpret that?'

'However you like,' I said standoffishly. What? The guy was trying to sweet talk me? I wasn't going to accept his compliments lying down!

Oh . . . Bad mental pictures there . . .

He groped for my hand. 'Come out here,' he whispered, leading me to the opened window. I frowned, confused.

'Huh? Where are you going?'

'Wait and see, Susie.'

'Don't call me that.'

'I think I will.'

'No, I think you WON'T,' I said, and got ready to knee him again, but he nodded and shrugged it off.

Once up against the frame, I felt the cool night breeze carressing my face gently. Paul climbed out first, and onto the roof.

'Paul?' I called up, 'What's going on? Where are you?'

'Come on up, it's safe and all,' he called back.

I frowned. Great, knowing my luck, he was probably going to try and push me off the roof and make it look like I fell. Hey, he'd get his room back, right?

Feeling uneasy, I followed him up. No fear, that's me.

Ha, not lately.

Paul so doesn't do me justice, aye.

On the roof, Paul was standing carefully on the tiles. The wind was more forceful up here, and I felt like I was going to fall. I carefully stepped toward him, but me being the pinacle of elegance, I slipped.

Only, Paul kind of caught me.

I looked up at him, blinking. 'Er, thanks.' Then I remembered what he'd done before, I let go hastily. He was trying to weazle his way back into my good books. Well, my good books had padlocks just for security now. So there.

He sat down and leant back againt the stant of the roof, and told me to follow suit. I did, feeling really weirded out. What was he planning to do? I mean, if I screamed, surely someone from the neighbourhood would hear me, right?

Yeah Suze, and they'd come up and find you battling thin air, and think you were possessed, or on something real bad.

My life is a toilet.

(A/N: Quoted from Gretel Killeen, for all you aussies . . . lol.)

And I just got flushed.

After about a minute of none of us speaking, and me looking around at all the other rooftops to see if there was anyone else there, (yeah I know, oh so common,) I finally looked at Paul again.

'The point of this was?' I prompted, leaning back and feeling really edgy.

'Look up, Suze,' he said.

I did.

And . . . Oh my God . . .

It was spectacular! The stars, they seemed so close and everything! Like silvery glitter spilt finely over a sheet of inky black paper, with a couple of diamonties dropped randomly around. They twinkled faintly. And the moon, it was HUGE! I gasped in mystified awe, lost in the midnight sky . . .

'Beautiful, isn't it?' Paul breathed in my ear, in that enticing way that he'd done so many times before. Except, this time, I was too hypnotized by the beauty of this magical void above me to notice.

'Stunning,' I agreed vaguely. And I meant it. You have no idea how easing it was. I felt dazed, far away . . .

'Could you just imagine?' Paul said, 'A hallway that opened up to the stars? A long foggy hallway that went on forever, with so many doors that you felt you could never escape through the right one. And with a beautiful starry sky right above . . .'

I closed my eyes softly, visualizing what he'd just said. 'Yeah,' I gasped. I felt him squeeze my hand.

But then, with the rush of my life, I felt as if a terrifying tornado was lifting my and Paul away from my rooftop, away from my earth even! It was an evanescent feeling, because when I woke up, I was lying on a cold, glasslike ground, with waves of fog washing over me. I jerked upright, looking around in panic. There was Paul standing over me, looking around with a smirk on his face.

'It's been a while since I've been here,' he said conversationally.

I stared at him, my eyes wide and sore from the bitterness of the fog.

'Paul,' I squealed, 'Where the freaking hell are we?' Only I didn't say freaking.

Paul smiled, and extended a hand, but I wriggled away from him. 'Stay away from me, you psycho. What did you do? What is this place?'

His smirk widened. 'Well, Susie, this is where all the ghosts go when you exorcise them. Now you can experience the terror that they feel when they are sent here by you . . . ' He took a threatening step closer.

'I said stay away from me!' I yelled, and scrambled up. He didn't stop though, so I ran down the hallway. It went on forever!

Never in my life had I been this scared! Paul was a piece of piss compared to the fear that I was feeling now!

'Suze, you can run, but you won't get anywhere. This hallway never ends. It goes on for all time,' he said from behind me. His voice was echoing through the sky, haunting me worse than any ghost could. The stars above were distorted and close, not like the ones from earth. My heart was thudding triple time, and I tried to put as much distance between us as possible.

My feet pounded on the glass . . . I didn't know what to do! Finally, I stopped, leant against a door, and went to open it, when . . .

'No!' Paul yelled, and tackled me to the floor. I was crying. I was panicking! Not a good combination for me. I glared at him.

'I'm going through. It'll lead somewhere else but here!' I snapped.

'Don't go through any of the doors Suze,' he said. 'And don't walk into the light up ahead.'

'Oh, whatEVER!' I screamed, and threw him off, but again, he tackled me down. I flipped and all, but he was stronger than me.

Bastard . . .

'Suze, just visualize your room again, and stop spazzing out!' he snapped, shaking my shoulders. I stopped practically hyperventilating, and looked at him. His eyes were riveted on me, as if he was really worried.

'What makes you think that I trust you?' I yelled at him. 'I'll probably be sent to hell or something!'

'Look. you want to get you of here alive? I could be stuck here too. You weren't suppose to lose your head here!' he said angrily, hauling me to my feet.

I stared at him. I usually feel sympathy towards the insane, but Paul was worthy of a special exception.

'Well, maybe you could have let me know about this before you made me materialize into the freaking Shadow World!' I screamed in reply, slamming HIM against one of the doors.

'Yeah? What do you think I've been trying to do ever since I met you? You need to know these things as a shifter, Suze! You could be so -'

'Yeah yeah, like, SO powerful. That's yesterday's news, asswipe. Now get me out of here!' I don't know how I knew, but somehow, I realized that there was a LOT at stake at the moment. I wasn't sure what, but I knew that it was really really big . . .

So, I didn't know what to do but trust him. I jammed my eyes shut, and, with Paul still holding me, visualized my room . . .

And, with a wind identicle to the one before, I opened my eyes and I was lying on my bed with Paul.

Er, ok . . . Holy shit!

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And a special, huge, enormous, gigantic thanks to the awesom Lauren aka nothin to you for this. *Gives her a big cyber bear hug.*

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