Last Chapter: I ran over to it and bent down, just as something really hard
collided with the back of my head.
I sank into the darkness of my own mind . . .
Visions.
Visions swirled before my closed eyelids. I was asleep, I knew that. Or unconscious. But I wasn't dead, that was the main thing. No, I wasn't dead.
Yet.
I didn't know what was happening. I guess I was dreaming. Before me, all I saw was Paul and Jesse. I don't know why, but they were fighting. As in, brawling. And Paul was winning. Jesse was dying. I saw -what must have been my interpretation of - Adrianna, and Paul shot her with a gun. Then he turned right to me, aiming the barrel at me.
'Please! No, I'm sorry, Heather, I-' I screamed, but Paul fired, and instantly, I felt an explosion of pain between my eyes.
This was no dream.
It was a nightmare.
I wanted to get out, but this nightmare was entrapping me like binding, thorny ropes, preventing all chances of escape. I was drowning in my worst fears . . . and I couldn't swim out! Anything, anything!
Suddenly, the pain in my forehead became so intense, that it caused my eyes to snap open. And before me, I didn't like what I saw.
Heather was standing there, glaring at me, and hitting me with this really thick metal pole. On my head. That's where the pain was coming from. I felt so dizzy . . .
'Heather,' I gasped, 'What the hell is wrong with you?!'
She grinned vindictively. 'Ah, you're awake, Mediator.'
'Barely,' I slurred, 'What's going on?' I turned my head, and saw that my hands were tied behind my back. I was tied to one of the pillars near the statue of Father Serra, and it took me a few seconds to realize that not only where my feet tied, but she'd used MY rope from MY backpack of mediation supplies. I mean, now I was offended.
She laughed at me. It rang tauntingly in my ears. 'And to think that you were supposed to be a challenge . . . They all told me not to get on the wrong side of you, saying that you were trouble.'
'Who's "they?" What are you on about?' I asked blearily, still trying to focus my vision on her.
'They? All the other ghosts, duh. They, like, said you weren't to be crossed, and stuff like that. But all I needed was a metal pole. You suck, you know that Simon?'
I blinked. 'What are you going to do?' I wanted to know, still feeling nauseous, 'Because I'm really busy at the moment. I came here because I was supposed to exorcise this ghost . . . oh yeah, you.'
Through fuzzy sight, I saw her face contort with rage. 'No you won't!' she shrieked at me, and struck me in the ribs with the pole. Not very forcefully, but it still hurt like crazy! I stifled a moan.
'Listen, Simon,' she said wrathfully, 'I've had a really hard couple of days. I mean, they've been the pits. What with my new boyfriend dumping me, and with you on my back, well, they've been the worst of my life -'
'Afterlife,' I corrected.
'Shut up!' she bellowed, and walloped me in the stomach with the pole. I gasped in pain. I needed to fight back, I couldn't be chained here like some animal, accepting this abuse from some skanky, IQ lacking ghost of a chick who'd obviously been a super-bitch when she was alive. I mean, this is not how it was supposed to go! I was supposed to exorcise her before she could say "Could you at least mail my lip gloss to Purgatory?"
But no. The tables had turned, all right.
In her favour.
'So,' she continued, 'I'm really stressed at the moment. My mum always told me not to get stressed, she said I'd get worry lines prematurely. She said that if I ever got stressed, I needed to de-stress!' With that, she elbowed me in the chest. I cried out aloud. It hurt so much, God . . .
'This is my newest method for de-stressing,' she said simply, and then scratched my face. I felt a little blood run down my cheek.
My head fell forward. 'Heather,' I said softly, 'Don't do this. Come on, this isn't helping. I know exactly what you're going through, dying young and all, but this isn't the way to make it better-'
'What would you know?!' she screeched in my face. 'You go around, acting like you're some princess, just because you can talk to a couple of dead people.'
'Trust me, being able to talk to you after your dead? Not so hot,' I said.
I could feel rage coming from her in heat waves.
'You're pushing it, Mediator,' she said in a deadly tone. 'I don't want to kill you yet. I'm really bored, you see. And if I kill you, I'll have nothing to do. So let's have some girly time . . . '
'I'm for that,' I said quickly, 'Nice girly chats. Lots of talks, just bumming around. No metal poles to be heard of-'
'Simon, you're like, so stupid. What's the use of punning at the evil bit if you don't get it? See, you suck the fun out of EVERYTHING!'
That little "everything" of course, was escorted with a blow to my head. I didn't give her the satisfaction of yelling. She didn't deserve it.
'You know what, Heather?' I said, 'You're pathetic.'
She looked startled, as if she was thinking, 'What? My victim is mocking me!" Well, at least I'd caught her off-guard. She froze, and stared at me wildly.
'Yeah, that's right,' I goaded, 'You kill yourself for a guy. How dumb is that? I mean, what good can you do six feet under? You say I'm stupid, well, committing suicide? That's about as low as you can go. You're name is dirt at school. Everyone knew you as this slut who was a bitch to everyone. So I can see why someone as pathetic as you would get kicks out of this. But it's just plain embarrassing of you. You have to tie me up to beat me? God, how humiliating . . . '
'Shut up!' she exploded, 'Shut up, SHUT UP!' With that, she scooped up something from the ground. I squinted to see what it was . . .
Oh shit.
My Army knife.
'Well, lookie here, Simon. Seems like this is getting boring,' she said slyly. 'I could end this right now, you know.' She put the blade against my neck, and I felt the sharpness of the metal pierce my skin. I winced, and my heart stopped. For the first time, I felt genuinely scared.
Only then I realized what this dumb blond was capable of . . .
She could actually kill me.
I looked at her with wide eyes.
'Go on, Mediator,' she snarled malevolently, smiling crookedly, 'Beg. Beg for me to let you go. I want to here you plead for mercy.'
"Oh my God . . . Help me, please, someone out there, help me. Please . . . "
'Never,' I hissed, and spat at her.
Her eyes flashed. 'Ew! Simon, you're gross! Here I am, building up an atmosphere, and you're slagging everywhere! Oh well,' she smirked thinly, 'Guess you've had enough. See you on this side, Mediator . . . '
I began thrashing about then. The rope was chafing into my wrists, but I had to get out!
Again, I felt the blade slowly slide across my skin. I bit my tongue against the excruciating pain, and screwed up my eyes. I wasn't going to scream. I was going to be brave. It was all going to end. My world was crashing down . . .
That's when I heard two people shout 'No!' at the same time. I could have been wrong, maybe the voice was just echoing, but it sounded like two. Maybe I was screaming "No." I opened my eyes, and Heather stopped and spun around in alarm -
Jesse De Silva dived at the pair of us, and in a swirl of mystical blue luminosity, we all materialized . . .
**************************************************************************** ******************
Paul's POV
She thought I'd gone, but I'd only materialized further away from her. I was going to watch. Not help, God no. Well, maybe, if things got too violent. Or I could even pull a knight in shining armour act. But I wasn't going to actually let Heather KILL Suze. I mean, the bitch had done enough, right? And Suze, dead? Well, that wouldn't be as fun is she was a ghostie like me. I mean, nearly exposing her secret was some of the best parts of haunting her bedroom. That and the other potential best parts . . . if you catch my drift. So, I stayed on the sidelines, even when Heather clocked Suze one on the head with a pipe. I stayed in the shadows when she tied Suze to some column, and then began beating her with the same pipe. I mean, I almost went to help, but I didn't.
I was waiting for the perfect moment . . .
Well, there was a lot of talking between them that I couldn't hear. Heather kept hitting Suze with the pole. I could see blood trickling down her forehead, and the pain in her cries almost broke my heart, which was really unusual, considering that I didn't believe I had a heart. Hearts are for sissies, they hold you back from doing what you want to do.
Well, then why did I deteriorate inside when I heard her screaming? Why did I feel like dying again when I saw the tears spill from those terrified, entrancing emerald eyes? How was it that when Heather cut her, my neck seared in agony as well?
HOW?!
I glared at her. Damn her. Damn her for having this power over me, manipulating my emotions - for God's sake, GIVING me emotions! Damn her for making me feel this scared for her . . .
You know, I should have just left her there, at Heather's mercy. She'd get out of there somehow, right? I mean, she was a Shifter. At the moment that decided everything, her panic would force her to dematerialize. Right?
No . . . she was only a baby to this . . .
Something kept me there. I didn't want to, but I couldn't fight this ensnaring spell that held me there.
And then, when I heard Heather saw, very clearly, 'See you on the other side, Mediator,' my shell shattered.
'No!' I yelled.
But, to my disbelief, I wasn't the only one to yell. Because that was when a blurred figure ran from the middle of the area, and leapt at both of them, casting them in a swirl of glittering blue light. Heather disappeared, and Suze collapsed to the floor in her binds. And the other one . . .
De Silva.
A boiling, gut twisting, murderous anger erupted inside of me, engulfing me completely.
What was HE doing here?!
That's when I realized what had happened, and why Heather was gone.
They'd shifted! ARGH!
DAMN YOU, DE SILVA!
He spoiled everything! I was going to go and throw Heather away from Suze, and come out with a sparkling clean record, and she'd love me forever, and then HE showed up! De Prick!
In fury, I cleanly decapitated that stupid Juniperro Whatza statue, and sent it crashing into the breezeway. He'd RUINED IT ALL!!
AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
**************************************************************************** ****************** Suze's POV
The Shadowland.
I never wanted to come back here, ever.
But shifting had saved my life. I was lying on a glassy, invisible floor, and smoke was swallowing me. Cold, heavy, thick fog. I felt like I couldn't breath.
'Querida?' called a voice from somewhere through the fog. Everything was black, and I couldn't see . . . And I was scared. Not a good combination . . .
'Jesse?' I squealed, 'Jesse, where are you? Where-'
But a fist collided with my head. I turned around, and there was Heather, glaring at me.
'Where have you taken me?!' she demanded, pummeling me.
But hey. In this Shadowland thing, I was in perfect health. No bruises to the head, no cuts to the neck.
And I was filled with white hot rage . . .
'Yo, Heather?' I snapped, standing up. 'I really don't appreciate this whole thing with you trying to kill me. I mean, that is really rude.' And that's when I began to beat the crap out of her.
What?
I was NOT feeling too friendly towards her, can you blame me?
'Querida!' Jesse shouted through the fog. I stopped dead.
'Jesse? I can't see you,' I said. I turned back to Heather and gave her a final fly kick to the head, before she fell down.
I spun around, and began wading through the fog, feeling out for Jesse.
'Where are you?' I called, beginning to panic again. The cold density was drawing me in again.
'Querida. Follow my voice,' he yelled distantly. I strained my ears, and listened to the silence as well as the sound . . . Ah, he was behind me!
I stumbled back, and fell into his arms.
'Oh, Jesse,' I breathed, and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me protectively, holding me in a possessive embrace.
'Agradezca a Dios! Don't scare me like that,' he said into my hair, squeezing my back fearfully. I rested my head in on his chest. Despite the fog, I suddenly felt warm . . .
But a screech destroyed the moment completely! 'Simon!'
I broke away from Jesse. 'Sorry, I have to finish this,' I whispered. I found Heather standing, absolutely furious. With a thespian swirl, the fog cleared to knee-height. She glared daggers at me, and I her.
Then, she lunged at me. I dodged, and elbowed her in the back. She shouted, and fell to the glass floor, but scrambled up. She went to punch me, but I grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, causing her to scream.
'Just tell me when you've had enough,' I snickered. I mean, come on, this was child's play. She couldn't throw a punch for peanuts. Why she'd want peanuts, I have no idea . . . but yeah. She gasped, and tried to tug my hair, but come on?
'Heather, I had no idea you were five years old,' I remarked, and threw her down.
She looked up at me, her eyes watering.
'Don't kill me,' she whimpered.
I stared at her. Was she loopy?
'Sorry to disappoint you darl, but you're already dead,' I said. 'And I wouldn't kill you if you were alive, by the way. I have a conscience?'
She blinked, and then, oh so pathetically, burst into tears. 'It wasn't meant to be this way! Bryce had no right to break my heart like that! He shouldn't have left me! It's ALL HIS FAULT! He-'
'I think you got your revenge there,' I said flatly. 'He's dead. You killed him.'
She shook her head, her eyes incredibly. 'Uh uh . . . that wasn't me. That was my boyfriend.'
I frowned. What? 'Huh? You didn't shoot him?'
But she launched into a passionate rant about this new boyfriend of hers. ' . . . I thought he loved me! We'd made love, and I thought that he cared about me! He told me to kill Bryce! I didn't do it, he did! I was just there, I swear, Simon! He shot him . . . and then HE DUMPED ME-E-E-E-E!!!'
She was bawling by then. My God . . . I glanced over at Jesse, who was looking politely disgusted.
Hang on . . . something nagged at my memory . . . something that gave me a very, very, very bad feeling . . .
'Heather,' I said slowly and hesitantly, 'What was this guy's name?'
Her lip wobbled as she fought back her moans of misery. 'That b-b-bastard?'
'Yeah,' I said, 'him? What was his name, Heather?'
She looked up at me, her eyes full of despair. 'God, why do you want to know, Simon?'
'JUST TELL ME THE FRIGGING NAME!!!'
'Okay!' she squeaked. 'Paul. Happy?'
Oh.
My.
God.
I went very numb all over. Dread crept through me. I knew it, but I wish I didn't.
Paul. It was him all along. He'd lied. He'd had sex with Heather, for God's sake. He'd killed Bryce. He was the murderer . . .
And that reptile had been living within two meters away from me.
'Madre santa del dios!' Jesse cried, 'She's not serious!'
I gulped, and shook myself. I didn't give a rat's about Paul. Why did I feel so terribly betrayed then? WHY?!
'I think she is,' I said softly.
Heather blinked. 'What? What did I say? I mean, I loved him! I gave him my heart, and he crushed it. Why do the bad ones have to be so great at sex?'
She didn't just say that. Ew! Gross!
Jesse looked quite sick. 'Susannah, I think that we'd better get out of here . . . '
'No, you can't leave me here!' Heather cried, 'No! It's dark, and cold! And where are the GUYS?!'
'Look,' I said angrily. 'Seeing as you just tried to slice my head off, you are in no position to be telling me what to do. Go through one of those doors, and it will lead you to your next life,' I said. 'This is where you're supposed to be, trust me Heather.'
She looked like she was ready to stab me again. I quickly ran to Jesse, and he put his hands on my shoulders.
'Are you all right, querida?' he asked gently. I nodded torpidly, not feeling all that okay if truth be told. With Heather screaming "YOU BITCH! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU!!" we shifted back to the Mission Academy . . .
~*~
I opened my eyes, and there I was, sprawled across the ground. The pain in my head had returned. My vision was very iffy, too. Mysteriously, my hands and feet were untied. Oh, God . . . my wrists were all puffy, and were even bleeding a bit. I stared at them silently.
'Sus manos!'
I looked up, and Jesse was standing over me. He squatted down, and examined my hands. 'They will be all right,' he informed me grimly. 'You haven't cut any major arteries or veins, Susannah, but you will need to have them bandaged up.' Very tenderly, he placed his hands under my armpits and pulled me up. I winced, because it felt like I'd twisted my ankle or something, but I was okay.
Jesse stared angrily at my face. That little scar on his eyebrow? That had turned a pale white colour . . . his eyes were blazing furiously.
'Look what she did to you,' he whispered, running his thumb across my cheek and wiping away blood.
'Just say it,' I sighed with exasperation, 'I look like shit.'
He half smiled. 'Oh, querida . . . You're always encantador . . . Estaba tan asustado que perdido usted . . .' he trailed off. What? It was Spanish, I didn't understand a word of it. I just hoped that being "encantador" was a good thing, you know . . . But there was one thing that I didn't get . . .
'Jesse,' I said, puzzled, 'How did you know I was in danger?'
He gazed back at me with onyx eyes that burnt brightly at me. 'Well, we are both shifters. Your cry was most likely audible to several other shifters within the Carmel area, I suspect. When we have the most emotion in us, we are able to communicate. Fear usually triggers this power mainly, but happiness can set it off also. I recognized your voice, and came immediately.'
'Came?'
'Materialized. Like ghosts,' he told me.
I nodded. 'Oh . . . But-'
Of course, I was cut off by when he bowed his head and brushed his nose against mine. I stopped talking, and let out this little sigh, you know? He ran the tip of his nose down my cheek and kissed my neck. I gasped in desire. And kissed me again. On the lips.
Well, if this was the reward, I'd like to have near death experiences more often, please!
His lips were gentle, yet fiery on mine. Like burning ice. I relished his taste, and the love he was putting into it. I understood what he was feeling, just by the way we were united. He had been scared. For me. Isn't' that sweet? I mean, this is me! No body is ever scared for me, damn it.
My hand strayed to behind his neck, and he gripped me tighter into him, but then he accidentally touched one of my hands.
'Ah!' I panted, and stepped away hastily.
'Oh, I'm sorry,' he apologized, looking very guilty. 'Here, let me see-'
'No, it's fine,' I said, taking a step back from him. 'I'd better go home. Mum will wonder where I am, and my step-brother Sleepy will think I just went through some Initiation into a local gang with these monstrosities.' I held up my wrists, and he looked on sadly.
'Are you sure you're going to be all right?' he asked anxiously.
'Right as rain,' I chirped, a little too enthusiastically.
'Please,' he said, 'Let me drive you home-'
'Jesse,' I snapped, 'I'll be fine! Stop fussing. You sound like my mother.'
He blushed. 'I'm sorry. I'm just worried if . . . You know, Paul might pay a visit-'
'I've dealt with him before this. I told you, I hardly ever see him,' I lied, avoiding his eyes. I looked stubbornly at the ground. 'Just do me a favour. I've got a load of exorcism stuff set up in Chem. class. Could you pack it away? I would, but these are really starting to sting.' I glanced at my wrists. Dark red blood oozed out of tiny scratches in a neat ring around my wrist. It looked like some Gothic bracelet.
'Of course,' he assured me. 'I'll give it to you at your locker tomorrow-'
'Fine!' I said, and I ran off to where I'd dumped Dopey's bike before . . .
**************************************************************************** *****************
Paul's POV
Once I had made certain that they were both unconscious - as in Suze and Jesse - I quickly untied Suze's wrists. Holy crap, they were in real bad shape! And her forehead, it was bruised way bad. She was frowning in her insentient state. Something intense must be going down in the Shadow World, I guessed. I checked Suze over for any other damages - I mean, come on, if she was going to die or something, I wasn't just going to just leave her there. I may be evil, but I'm not a sadist - but she seemed okay everywhere else. I picked her up and put her over my shoulders, ready to walk her home, but I stopped. Seeing some chick floating through midair? Not cool. That would really be weird for any nosy onlookers. Nah, best let her come home the natural way . . . I set her down again next to the pillar.
Then I turned to De Silva.
God, right then, I had the most powerful, most commanding urge to kill him then and there, but no. It wasn't the right time. There was a right time for everything, and this wasn't it. Jesse De Silva would get his own when he deserved it, but not now. I'd make him pay later. I planned on doing something really, truly cruel to him. What, I wasn't sure. But I was going to break him, and then kill him. He wouldn't know what hit him. He would be crushed if it was the last thing I saw . . .
But what was he doing here?
How could Suze know him? He lived quite a while away. Maybe he was still doing those bloody charity cases like Suze told me about, and was just passing by? No, De Silva was too complicated to just "be in the neighbourhood." Something was up . . . Something that smelt horribly wrong. I glared at the two of them accusingly. Suze's hair was fluttering with each breath she released, and her eye was swelling up a little. De Silva's chest was rising. They both looked like they were on drugs, and had passed out in the middle of their school. Not that De Silva went to this school.
Could they be . . . together?
God no! Remember, Paul, he doesn't live anywhere near here. Granted, yes, his family does own a stable here, but they don't live there, right? That house has been rented out. They owned another stable up in Seattle, where I was from.
I just didn't get what was going on. Jesus!
But just then, I saw Suze's eyes flickering open. Shit! I quickly dematerialized over to the shadowy corner where I'd been watching from before. I saw De Silva get up quickly, and then bend down at once to check Suze's wrists. See? Told you they were nasty . . .
That was when De Silva helped her up. And I don't mean the gentlemanly, extending the hand and hauling her up thing. I mean the hands around her waist, all over her thing. I froze, and felt my body go quite stiff with an unexpected jealousy. De Silva . . . he was touching my girl.
NOBODY TOUCHES MY THINGS!!!!
I almost exploded out then, but I maintained control over myself. Barely. . . The way that they were both staring at each other, like they l-
. . . loved each other.
Oh my God, how could I have been so blind. How could she do this to me?!
Out of all the guys she could go off and screw, she had to pick the one guy that MURDERED ME!
WITH A FRIGGING GUN!
That two-faced bitch . . .
But it got worse. After they were finished making moon eyes at each other, he had to go and kiss her on the neck and everything! And she, she was liking it! I could tell by the way that she was panting, and breathing heavily and everything. And he was draping himself on her . . .
He'd gone too far.
And so had she!
A wave of something so intense flooded me. It was even more painful than my gradual, excruciating death had been . . . I was too enraged for words. No mere words could come close to expressing the copious degree of this fury that was erupting within me . . . My hands were white and quivering, and I kept flexing them, trying to shake off the temptation to kill, to scythe.
Suze wasn't going to get away with this. No way. I was going to make sure that she would never forget what it means to cross the line when Paul Slater is around. And she'd left the line IN THE FREAKING WILDERNESS!
Breathing fast, I dematerialized.
**************************************************************************** ********
I cycled home fast on Dopey's bike. My hands were bloody murder, emphasis on the bloody. (A/N: First her blistering feet, now her chafed hands. She can't win, can she? Lol . . .) My head was spinning around a whirlpool, and once I even stacked the bike because I missed a letterbox. So when I finally did make it hope, I wasn't in a very good condition. It took me a while to climb up to my window, but I did, and it was open, so that was another plus. I staggered into my room, seeing double of everything.
And that's when I saw Paul Slater sitting on my bed, waiting for me . . .
Oh no . . .
~*~
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Shit . . . he's real mad, guys . . . See what happens, it going to be bad. Please comment on what you've read, and remember, I love the long reviews the best, as long as they don't repeat one word too much. Please review, and tell me anything you want me to include in either the next chapter or a future story? Because I've only planned up to here, so I'll be winging the next chapter. But be warned, I might not update for a while. I was lucky I got to write two chapters this weekend. I haven't done any of my homework, so I am so busted, but I had to write this. So please make it worth my while, and write nice long-winded reviews about your opinions?
THANK YOU!!!
Love Princess Roxanne!!
I sank into the darkness of my own mind . . .
Visions.
Visions swirled before my closed eyelids. I was asleep, I knew that. Or unconscious. But I wasn't dead, that was the main thing. No, I wasn't dead.
Yet.
I didn't know what was happening. I guess I was dreaming. Before me, all I saw was Paul and Jesse. I don't know why, but they were fighting. As in, brawling. And Paul was winning. Jesse was dying. I saw -what must have been my interpretation of - Adrianna, and Paul shot her with a gun. Then he turned right to me, aiming the barrel at me.
'Please! No, I'm sorry, Heather, I-' I screamed, but Paul fired, and instantly, I felt an explosion of pain between my eyes.
This was no dream.
It was a nightmare.
I wanted to get out, but this nightmare was entrapping me like binding, thorny ropes, preventing all chances of escape. I was drowning in my worst fears . . . and I couldn't swim out! Anything, anything!
Suddenly, the pain in my forehead became so intense, that it caused my eyes to snap open. And before me, I didn't like what I saw.
Heather was standing there, glaring at me, and hitting me with this really thick metal pole. On my head. That's where the pain was coming from. I felt so dizzy . . .
'Heather,' I gasped, 'What the hell is wrong with you?!'
She grinned vindictively. 'Ah, you're awake, Mediator.'
'Barely,' I slurred, 'What's going on?' I turned my head, and saw that my hands were tied behind my back. I was tied to one of the pillars near the statue of Father Serra, and it took me a few seconds to realize that not only where my feet tied, but she'd used MY rope from MY backpack of mediation supplies. I mean, now I was offended.
She laughed at me. It rang tauntingly in my ears. 'And to think that you were supposed to be a challenge . . . They all told me not to get on the wrong side of you, saying that you were trouble.'
'Who's "they?" What are you on about?' I asked blearily, still trying to focus my vision on her.
'They? All the other ghosts, duh. They, like, said you weren't to be crossed, and stuff like that. But all I needed was a metal pole. You suck, you know that Simon?'
I blinked. 'What are you going to do?' I wanted to know, still feeling nauseous, 'Because I'm really busy at the moment. I came here because I was supposed to exorcise this ghost . . . oh yeah, you.'
Through fuzzy sight, I saw her face contort with rage. 'No you won't!' she shrieked at me, and struck me in the ribs with the pole. Not very forcefully, but it still hurt like crazy! I stifled a moan.
'Listen, Simon,' she said wrathfully, 'I've had a really hard couple of days. I mean, they've been the pits. What with my new boyfriend dumping me, and with you on my back, well, they've been the worst of my life -'
'Afterlife,' I corrected.
'Shut up!' she bellowed, and walloped me in the stomach with the pole. I gasped in pain. I needed to fight back, I couldn't be chained here like some animal, accepting this abuse from some skanky, IQ lacking ghost of a chick who'd obviously been a super-bitch when she was alive. I mean, this is not how it was supposed to go! I was supposed to exorcise her before she could say "Could you at least mail my lip gloss to Purgatory?"
But no. The tables had turned, all right.
In her favour.
'So,' she continued, 'I'm really stressed at the moment. My mum always told me not to get stressed, she said I'd get worry lines prematurely. She said that if I ever got stressed, I needed to de-stress!' With that, she elbowed me in the chest. I cried out aloud. It hurt so much, God . . .
'This is my newest method for de-stressing,' she said simply, and then scratched my face. I felt a little blood run down my cheek.
My head fell forward. 'Heather,' I said softly, 'Don't do this. Come on, this isn't helping. I know exactly what you're going through, dying young and all, but this isn't the way to make it better-'
'What would you know?!' she screeched in my face. 'You go around, acting like you're some princess, just because you can talk to a couple of dead people.'
'Trust me, being able to talk to you after your dead? Not so hot,' I said.
I could feel rage coming from her in heat waves.
'You're pushing it, Mediator,' she said in a deadly tone. 'I don't want to kill you yet. I'm really bored, you see. And if I kill you, I'll have nothing to do. So let's have some girly time . . . '
'I'm for that,' I said quickly, 'Nice girly chats. Lots of talks, just bumming around. No metal poles to be heard of-'
'Simon, you're like, so stupid. What's the use of punning at the evil bit if you don't get it? See, you suck the fun out of EVERYTHING!'
That little "everything" of course, was escorted with a blow to my head. I didn't give her the satisfaction of yelling. She didn't deserve it.
'You know what, Heather?' I said, 'You're pathetic.'
She looked startled, as if she was thinking, 'What? My victim is mocking me!" Well, at least I'd caught her off-guard. She froze, and stared at me wildly.
'Yeah, that's right,' I goaded, 'You kill yourself for a guy. How dumb is that? I mean, what good can you do six feet under? You say I'm stupid, well, committing suicide? That's about as low as you can go. You're name is dirt at school. Everyone knew you as this slut who was a bitch to everyone. So I can see why someone as pathetic as you would get kicks out of this. But it's just plain embarrassing of you. You have to tie me up to beat me? God, how humiliating . . . '
'Shut up!' she exploded, 'Shut up, SHUT UP!' With that, she scooped up something from the ground. I squinted to see what it was . . .
Oh shit.
My Army knife.
'Well, lookie here, Simon. Seems like this is getting boring,' she said slyly. 'I could end this right now, you know.' She put the blade against my neck, and I felt the sharpness of the metal pierce my skin. I winced, and my heart stopped. For the first time, I felt genuinely scared.
Only then I realized what this dumb blond was capable of . . .
She could actually kill me.
I looked at her with wide eyes.
'Go on, Mediator,' she snarled malevolently, smiling crookedly, 'Beg. Beg for me to let you go. I want to here you plead for mercy.'
"Oh my God . . . Help me, please, someone out there, help me. Please . . . "
'Never,' I hissed, and spat at her.
Her eyes flashed. 'Ew! Simon, you're gross! Here I am, building up an atmosphere, and you're slagging everywhere! Oh well,' she smirked thinly, 'Guess you've had enough. See you on this side, Mediator . . . '
I began thrashing about then. The rope was chafing into my wrists, but I had to get out!
Again, I felt the blade slowly slide across my skin. I bit my tongue against the excruciating pain, and screwed up my eyes. I wasn't going to scream. I was going to be brave. It was all going to end. My world was crashing down . . .
That's when I heard two people shout 'No!' at the same time. I could have been wrong, maybe the voice was just echoing, but it sounded like two. Maybe I was screaming "No." I opened my eyes, and Heather stopped and spun around in alarm -
Jesse De Silva dived at the pair of us, and in a swirl of mystical blue luminosity, we all materialized . . .
**************************************************************************** ******************
Paul's POV
She thought I'd gone, but I'd only materialized further away from her. I was going to watch. Not help, God no. Well, maybe, if things got too violent. Or I could even pull a knight in shining armour act. But I wasn't going to actually let Heather KILL Suze. I mean, the bitch had done enough, right? And Suze, dead? Well, that wouldn't be as fun is she was a ghostie like me. I mean, nearly exposing her secret was some of the best parts of haunting her bedroom. That and the other potential best parts . . . if you catch my drift. So, I stayed on the sidelines, even when Heather clocked Suze one on the head with a pipe. I stayed in the shadows when she tied Suze to some column, and then began beating her with the same pipe. I mean, I almost went to help, but I didn't.
I was waiting for the perfect moment . . .
Well, there was a lot of talking between them that I couldn't hear. Heather kept hitting Suze with the pole. I could see blood trickling down her forehead, and the pain in her cries almost broke my heart, which was really unusual, considering that I didn't believe I had a heart. Hearts are for sissies, they hold you back from doing what you want to do.
Well, then why did I deteriorate inside when I heard her screaming? Why did I feel like dying again when I saw the tears spill from those terrified, entrancing emerald eyes? How was it that when Heather cut her, my neck seared in agony as well?
HOW?!
I glared at her. Damn her. Damn her for having this power over me, manipulating my emotions - for God's sake, GIVING me emotions! Damn her for making me feel this scared for her . . .
You know, I should have just left her there, at Heather's mercy. She'd get out of there somehow, right? I mean, she was a Shifter. At the moment that decided everything, her panic would force her to dematerialize. Right?
No . . . she was only a baby to this . . .
Something kept me there. I didn't want to, but I couldn't fight this ensnaring spell that held me there.
And then, when I heard Heather saw, very clearly, 'See you on the other side, Mediator,' my shell shattered.
'No!' I yelled.
But, to my disbelief, I wasn't the only one to yell. Because that was when a blurred figure ran from the middle of the area, and leapt at both of them, casting them in a swirl of glittering blue light. Heather disappeared, and Suze collapsed to the floor in her binds. And the other one . . .
De Silva.
A boiling, gut twisting, murderous anger erupted inside of me, engulfing me completely.
What was HE doing here?!
That's when I realized what had happened, and why Heather was gone.
They'd shifted! ARGH!
DAMN YOU, DE SILVA!
He spoiled everything! I was going to go and throw Heather away from Suze, and come out with a sparkling clean record, and she'd love me forever, and then HE showed up! De Prick!
In fury, I cleanly decapitated that stupid Juniperro Whatza statue, and sent it crashing into the breezeway. He'd RUINED IT ALL!!
AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
**************************************************************************** ****************** Suze's POV
The Shadowland.
I never wanted to come back here, ever.
But shifting had saved my life. I was lying on a glassy, invisible floor, and smoke was swallowing me. Cold, heavy, thick fog. I felt like I couldn't breath.
'Querida?' called a voice from somewhere through the fog. Everything was black, and I couldn't see . . . And I was scared. Not a good combination . . .
'Jesse?' I squealed, 'Jesse, where are you? Where-'
But a fist collided with my head. I turned around, and there was Heather, glaring at me.
'Where have you taken me?!' she demanded, pummeling me.
But hey. In this Shadowland thing, I was in perfect health. No bruises to the head, no cuts to the neck.
And I was filled with white hot rage . . .
'Yo, Heather?' I snapped, standing up. 'I really don't appreciate this whole thing with you trying to kill me. I mean, that is really rude.' And that's when I began to beat the crap out of her.
What?
I was NOT feeling too friendly towards her, can you blame me?
'Querida!' Jesse shouted through the fog. I stopped dead.
'Jesse? I can't see you,' I said. I turned back to Heather and gave her a final fly kick to the head, before she fell down.
I spun around, and began wading through the fog, feeling out for Jesse.
'Where are you?' I called, beginning to panic again. The cold density was drawing me in again.
'Querida. Follow my voice,' he yelled distantly. I strained my ears, and listened to the silence as well as the sound . . . Ah, he was behind me!
I stumbled back, and fell into his arms.
'Oh, Jesse,' I breathed, and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me protectively, holding me in a possessive embrace.
'Agradezca a Dios! Don't scare me like that,' he said into my hair, squeezing my back fearfully. I rested my head in on his chest. Despite the fog, I suddenly felt warm . . .
But a screech destroyed the moment completely! 'Simon!'
I broke away from Jesse. 'Sorry, I have to finish this,' I whispered. I found Heather standing, absolutely furious. With a thespian swirl, the fog cleared to knee-height. She glared daggers at me, and I her.
Then, she lunged at me. I dodged, and elbowed her in the back. She shouted, and fell to the glass floor, but scrambled up. She went to punch me, but I grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, causing her to scream.
'Just tell me when you've had enough,' I snickered. I mean, come on, this was child's play. She couldn't throw a punch for peanuts. Why she'd want peanuts, I have no idea . . . but yeah. She gasped, and tried to tug my hair, but come on?
'Heather, I had no idea you were five years old,' I remarked, and threw her down.
She looked up at me, her eyes watering.
'Don't kill me,' she whimpered.
I stared at her. Was she loopy?
'Sorry to disappoint you darl, but you're already dead,' I said. 'And I wouldn't kill you if you were alive, by the way. I have a conscience?'
She blinked, and then, oh so pathetically, burst into tears. 'It wasn't meant to be this way! Bryce had no right to break my heart like that! He shouldn't have left me! It's ALL HIS FAULT! He-'
'I think you got your revenge there,' I said flatly. 'He's dead. You killed him.'
She shook her head, her eyes incredibly. 'Uh uh . . . that wasn't me. That was my boyfriend.'
I frowned. What? 'Huh? You didn't shoot him?'
But she launched into a passionate rant about this new boyfriend of hers. ' . . . I thought he loved me! We'd made love, and I thought that he cared about me! He told me to kill Bryce! I didn't do it, he did! I was just there, I swear, Simon! He shot him . . . and then HE DUMPED ME-E-E-E-E!!!'
She was bawling by then. My God . . . I glanced over at Jesse, who was looking politely disgusted.
Hang on . . . something nagged at my memory . . . something that gave me a very, very, very bad feeling . . .
'Heather,' I said slowly and hesitantly, 'What was this guy's name?'
Her lip wobbled as she fought back her moans of misery. 'That b-b-bastard?'
'Yeah,' I said, 'him? What was his name, Heather?'
She looked up at me, her eyes full of despair. 'God, why do you want to know, Simon?'
'JUST TELL ME THE FRIGGING NAME!!!'
'Okay!' she squeaked. 'Paul. Happy?'
Oh.
My.
God.
I went very numb all over. Dread crept through me. I knew it, but I wish I didn't.
Paul. It was him all along. He'd lied. He'd had sex with Heather, for God's sake. He'd killed Bryce. He was the murderer . . .
And that reptile had been living within two meters away from me.
'Madre santa del dios!' Jesse cried, 'She's not serious!'
I gulped, and shook myself. I didn't give a rat's about Paul. Why did I feel so terribly betrayed then? WHY?!
'I think she is,' I said softly.
Heather blinked. 'What? What did I say? I mean, I loved him! I gave him my heart, and he crushed it. Why do the bad ones have to be so great at sex?'
She didn't just say that. Ew! Gross!
Jesse looked quite sick. 'Susannah, I think that we'd better get out of here . . . '
'No, you can't leave me here!' Heather cried, 'No! It's dark, and cold! And where are the GUYS?!'
'Look,' I said angrily. 'Seeing as you just tried to slice my head off, you are in no position to be telling me what to do. Go through one of those doors, and it will lead you to your next life,' I said. 'This is where you're supposed to be, trust me Heather.'
She looked like she was ready to stab me again. I quickly ran to Jesse, and he put his hands on my shoulders.
'Are you all right, querida?' he asked gently. I nodded torpidly, not feeling all that okay if truth be told. With Heather screaming "YOU BITCH! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU!!" we shifted back to the Mission Academy . . .
~*~
I opened my eyes, and there I was, sprawled across the ground. The pain in my head had returned. My vision was very iffy, too. Mysteriously, my hands and feet were untied. Oh, God . . . my wrists were all puffy, and were even bleeding a bit. I stared at them silently.
'Sus manos!'
I looked up, and Jesse was standing over me. He squatted down, and examined my hands. 'They will be all right,' he informed me grimly. 'You haven't cut any major arteries or veins, Susannah, but you will need to have them bandaged up.' Very tenderly, he placed his hands under my armpits and pulled me up. I winced, because it felt like I'd twisted my ankle or something, but I was okay.
Jesse stared angrily at my face. That little scar on his eyebrow? That had turned a pale white colour . . . his eyes were blazing furiously.
'Look what she did to you,' he whispered, running his thumb across my cheek and wiping away blood.
'Just say it,' I sighed with exasperation, 'I look like shit.'
He half smiled. 'Oh, querida . . . You're always encantador . . . Estaba tan asustado que perdido usted . . .' he trailed off. What? It was Spanish, I didn't understand a word of it. I just hoped that being "encantador" was a good thing, you know . . . But there was one thing that I didn't get . . .
'Jesse,' I said, puzzled, 'How did you know I was in danger?'
He gazed back at me with onyx eyes that burnt brightly at me. 'Well, we are both shifters. Your cry was most likely audible to several other shifters within the Carmel area, I suspect. When we have the most emotion in us, we are able to communicate. Fear usually triggers this power mainly, but happiness can set it off also. I recognized your voice, and came immediately.'
'Came?'
'Materialized. Like ghosts,' he told me.
I nodded. 'Oh . . . But-'
Of course, I was cut off by when he bowed his head and brushed his nose against mine. I stopped talking, and let out this little sigh, you know? He ran the tip of his nose down my cheek and kissed my neck. I gasped in desire. And kissed me again. On the lips.
Well, if this was the reward, I'd like to have near death experiences more often, please!
His lips were gentle, yet fiery on mine. Like burning ice. I relished his taste, and the love he was putting into it. I understood what he was feeling, just by the way we were united. He had been scared. For me. Isn't' that sweet? I mean, this is me! No body is ever scared for me, damn it.
My hand strayed to behind his neck, and he gripped me tighter into him, but then he accidentally touched one of my hands.
'Ah!' I panted, and stepped away hastily.
'Oh, I'm sorry,' he apologized, looking very guilty. 'Here, let me see-'
'No, it's fine,' I said, taking a step back from him. 'I'd better go home. Mum will wonder where I am, and my step-brother Sleepy will think I just went through some Initiation into a local gang with these monstrosities.' I held up my wrists, and he looked on sadly.
'Are you sure you're going to be all right?' he asked anxiously.
'Right as rain,' I chirped, a little too enthusiastically.
'Please,' he said, 'Let me drive you home-'
'Jesse,' I snapped, 'I'll be fine! Stop fussing. You sound like my mother.'
He blushed. 'I'm sorry. I'm just worried if . . . You know, Paul might pay a visit-'
'I've dealt with him before this. I told you, I hardly ever see him,' I lied, avoiding his eyes. I looked stubbornly at the ground. 'Just do me a favour. I've got a load of exorcism stuff set up in Chem. class. Could you pack it away? I would, but these are really starting to sting.' I glanced at my wrists. Dark red blood oozed out of tiny scratches in a neat ring around my wrist. It looked like some Gothic bracelet.
'Of course,' he assured me. 'I'll give it to you at your locker tomorrow-'
'Fine!' I said, and I ran off to where I'd dumped Dopey's bike before . . .
**************************************************************************** *****************
Paul's POV
Once I had made certain that they were both unconscious - as in Suze and Jesse - I quickly untied Suze's wrists. Holy crap, they were in real bad shape! And her forehead, it was bruised way bad. She was frowning in her insentient state. Something intense must be going down in the Shadow World, I guessed. I checked Suze over for any other damages - I mean, come on, if she was going to die or something, I wasn't just going to just leave her there. I may be evil, but I'm not a sadist - but she seemed okay everywhere else. I picked her up and put her over my shoulders, ready to walk her home, but I stopped. Seeing some chick floating through midair? Not cool. That would really be weird for any nosy onlookers. Nah, best let her come home the natural way . . . I set her down again next to the pillar.
Then I turned to De Silva.
God, right then, I had the most powerful, most commanding urge to kill him then and there, but no. It wasn't the right time. There was a right time for everything, and this wasn't it. Jesse De Silva would get his own when he deserved it, but not now. I'd make him pay later. I planned on doing something really, truly cruel to him. What, I wasn't sure. But I was going to break him, and then kill him. He wouldn't know what hit him. He would be crushed if it was the last thing I saw . . .
But what was he doing here?
How could Suze know him? He lived quite a while away. Maybe he was still doing those bloody charity cases like Suze told me about, and was just passing by? No, De Silva was too complicated to just "be in the neighbourhood." Something was up . . . Something that smelt horribly wrong. I glared at the two of them accusingly. Suze's hair was fluttering with each breath she released, and her eye was swelling up a little. De Silva's chest was rising. They both looked like they were on drugs, and had passed out in the middle of their school. Not that De Silva went to this school.
Could they be . . . together?
God no! Remember, Paul, he doesn't live anywhere near here. Granted, yes, his family does own a stable here, but they don't live there, right? That house has been rented out. They owned another stable up in Seattle, where I was from.
I just didn't get what was going on. Jesus!
But just then, I saw Suze's eyes flickering open. Shit! I quickly dematerialized over to the shadowy corner where I'd been watching from before. I saw De Silva get up quickly, and then bend down at once to check Suze's wrists. See? Told you they were nasty . . .
That was when De Silva helped her up. And I don't mean the gentlemanly, extending the hand and hauling her up thing. I mean the hands around her waist, all over her thing. I froze, and felt my body go quite stiff with an unexpected jealousy. De Silva . . . he was touching my girl.
NOBODY TOUCHES MY THINGS!!!!
I almost exploded out then, but I maintained control over myself. Barely. . . The way that they were both staring at each other, like they l-
. . . loved each other.
Oh my God, how could I have been so blind. How could she do this to me?!
Out of all the guys she could go off and screw, she had to pick the one guy that MURDERED ME!
WITH A FRIGGING GUN!
That two-faced bitch . . .
But it got worse. After they were finished making moon eyes at each other, he had to go and kiss her on the neck and everything! And she, she was liking it! I could tell by the way that she was panting, and breathing heavily and everything. And he was draping himself on her . . .
He'd gone too far.
And so had she!
A wave of something so intense flooded me. It was even more painful than my gradual, excruciating death had been . . . I was too enraged for words. No mere words could come close to expressing the copious degree of this fury that was erupting within me . . . My hands were white and quivering, and I kept flexing them, trying to shake off the temptation to kill, to scythe.
Suze wasn't going to get away with this. No way. I was going to make sure that she would never forget what it means to cross the line when Paul Slater is around. And she'd left the line IN THE FREAKING WILDERNESS!
Breathing fast, I dematerialized.
**************************************************************************** ********
I cycled home fast on Dopey's bike. My hands were bloody murder, emphasis on the bloody. (A/N: First her blistering feet, now her chafed hands. She can't win, can she? Lol . . .) My head was spinning around a whirlpool, and once I even stacked the bike because I missed a letterbox. So when I finally did make it hope, I wasn't in a very good condition. It took me a while to climb up to my window, but I did, and it was open, so that was another plus. I staggered into my room, seeing double of everything.
And that's when I saw Paul Slater sitting on my bed, waiting for me . . .
Oh no . . .
~*~
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Shit . . . he's real mad, guys . . . See what happens, it going to be bad. Please comment on what you've read, and remember, I love the long reviews the best, as long as they don't repeat one word too much. Please review, and tell me anything you want me to include in either the next chapter or a future story? Because I've only planned up to here, so I'll be winging the next chapter. But be warned, I might not update for a while. I was lucky I got to write two chapters this weekend. I haven't done any of my homework, so I am so busted, but I had to write this. So please make it worth my while, and write nice long-winded reviews about your opinions?
THANK YOU!!!
Love Princess Roxanne!!