A/N: Hey, This is my first fan-fic! I'm excited for it YAY! Basically, it's Haunted...but from Paul's POV. I'm sorry if this has been done before, or if it sounds just plain boring, but it's a start! It's a pretty big leap, to jump into Paul's brain...and I give many praises to those who've done it before me. Here is my shot at it...tell me how ya like it (or don't like it)... NiceHayley
7-10-04: I've decided to re-do the chapters to make them easier on the eyes. Clever, no? Thank you guys for being great people!
Disclaimer: Meg owns all of the characters, and most of the dialogue in this story. I did absolutely nothing 'cept put it in a different perspective. All that does is add a few little details. So Meg rocks, she shall be forever praised as an awesome writer and all that jazz.
I'll admit it, I was nervous. My first day at the Juniperro Serra Mission Academy was going to be a big thing. Huge. The Mission, as far as I could tell, was a nice looking adobe brick building. I saw a blonde girl run shrieking out of her car into the arms of her friends, blabbering about how great everyone looked. Other students chattered excitedly about their summer adventures. Almost immediately I could tell who was popular and who wasn't. Every school is exactly the same. But I had a feeling I was wrong about this one. It was going to be different. Way different from anything I'd ever experienced. Partly because I actually expected to like it here. And not because of the mission's charming appearance, either. I guess you could say I'd enjoy the people. Or at least I could enjoy one person. Ha.
I slowly opened the door of my silver BMW and got out of the car. I was in no hurry. Who would be? The California sun peaked through the marine fog, making it a beautiful day outside. Just enough to make anyone actually want to take time out of their day to stop and take a look around. I walked around my car and stepped onto the plush green grass in the front of the mission. I saw a few people, mostly of the female persuasion, checking me out, and then pointing me out to their friends. Being good looking is so annoying sometimes. The shrieking blonde one I'd noticed earlier glided over to me, after being pushed by a gaggle of girls to do so. This would be interesting.
"Hey, I'm Kelly Prescott! What's your name?" She squealed as she politely stuck her hand out to shake mine.
I ignored her hand and responded, "I'm Paul. Paul Slater," in a dry tone. I'll admit, this Kelly Prescott girl looked extremely nice in pastel purple. She wasn't that bad in the looks department either. Her blonde hair was shiny and every hair was perfectly in place. I had every reason to show her gratitude for trying to make me feel welcome. But of course, I had no time for gratitude. I was a man on a mission...and in a Mission no less. I needed to find someone. Kelly offered to show me around the school, but I declined.
"You could at least sit with me and my crew at lunch. Please?" Kelly offered, seeming actually quite desperate.
"Uh, sure thanks," I replied, showing a sliver of gratitude. I looked boredly at my Fossil watch. When I looked up I saw the most gorgeous sight, one I hadn't seen in awhile...since summer.
There she was. Susannah Simon, in all of her glory, adorned in a pink sweater and black pants. She was even more beautiful than I remember her. Although, the last time I saw her, she wasn't too happy with me. My bad. I was just doing my job, you know, bringing back two disgruntled ghosts who just so happened to be the ex-fiancé of her dead 'boyfriend' and her slave driving husband. How was I to know that my little brother was going to accidentally exorcise Susannah's love? Okay so maybe I did know. So sue me. Anyway...I walked over to her, without even saying goodbye to Kelly. I didn't even care at all.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Susannah Simon," I cooed. Her back was turned to me, so she turned around and gave her chestnut hair a quick toss. Gosh, she was gorgeous. I couldn't help but smile when I looked into her beautiful emerald green eyes.
I guess she wasn't as thrilled to see me, as I was to see her. The sparkle in her eyes quickly drained. She looked utterly frightened. That kinda hurt, the way she looked at me like I was a demon or something. Of course, I have that affect on people, especially on ghosts. I wouldn't let her reaction get to me, though. Never let 'em see you sweat.
"Suze, here I am, nervous about being the new kid at school, and you don't even have a hello for me? What kind of way is that to treat an old pal?" I asked her in a chiding tone. I thought that maybe she'd appreciate my humor at that moment. She and I have the same outlook on life, considering our 'gift'.
She still looked at me like someone had just slapped her on the face, or punched her in the stomach. I don't know what her problem was, I mean, bygones be bygones right? I could tell from reading her thoughts that she wanted to run away from me. Inwardly I was laughing. I know it sounds cruel, but I like it when people are scared silly of me. It allows me to get more done, without pesky interruption.
But I didn't want Suze to be afraid of me at all. For some reason, I wanted her to trust me. I felt as if I needed her to trust me. If she can trust some dead cowboy that lives in her bedroom, then why not me? Ugh.
Finally, it seemed like she had gotten over her initial shock over my incredible good looks. Er, she didn't seem to be fussing over my good looks. Okay fine, after she got over the initial shock of seeing me, one who obviously struck fear into her poor heart, she decided to casually walk away. Quickly, I grabbed her arm. Hey, you can't run away from Paul Slater like that and get away with it. She shot me a look that had 'Don't mess with me' all over it. Another reason on the list to like the girl.
Yeah, she was kind-hearted, as she helped my little budding mediator brother out this summer. And she was loving. I mean, not many people would exorcise themselves to save the one they 'love'. She really didn't have to go through all of that, but if she would have given me the time-of- day I could have shown her that. But she was also tough; she was not one of those wimpy has-a-guy-do-everything-for-her kind of girls. Sigh.
"Let go of my arm," she growled. See what I mean? Of course, I could see right through her. She was scared, frightened, shocked...and she knew it. And all because of me.
"Suze, what's the matter? You don't look very happy to see me," I said with a smile. Of course she wasn't. With the way things went down last summer, how could she be? But I was determined to change her mind about me. Which, judging by her actions, would take a very long time.
"Still not letting go of my arm," she reminded me. I could feel her quivering. I reluctantly dropped my hand and let out a sigh. This girl is great, ya know?
"Look. I really am sorry. About the way things went down last time you and I met, I mean," I apologized. I figured by the expression on her face, that I'd have to do a lot more apologizing if I wanted her to speak to me ever again. I read in her thoughts that she was thinking about what happened.
She had exorcised herself to the Shadow world to save Jesse DeSilva, a.k.a. 'I'm a dead cowboy that enjoys leading Suze on and breaking her heart', when his ex-fiancée Maria told my brother, Jack, to exorcise him. Apparently, Maria told Jack that Jesse was bothering Suze and that she'd be forever grateful if he would exorcise him. I swear that kid is so dumb. He'd believe anything.
Not to say I wouldn't have done it. I was willing to do anything, so long as to keep Suze safe. I don't even know why I wanted to. I mean, Suze is a great girl and all, but that's all she is. A girl. Well, actually, no. She's more than that. She's a girl with potential powers that could far exceed my own. And with proper instruction, our collective power could do anything.
But of course when I heard from Jack that Maria and Felix, Maria's husband, tried to hurt her and gave her a nasty bruise, I was furious. Jack, being the blabbermouth that he was, told me Suze's plan to exorcise her self to save Jesse De-Loser. Jack was worried about Suze just as I was about her, and he wanted to go to the mission and give her some rope that she left. I knew that stupid rope was not necessary. But I let Jack go and give her the rope, while I made myself go to Shadow World.
I'll admit it, I cut the rope. But it was only to teach Suze a lesson. She didn't need the stupid thing anyway. I wanted to let her find out how to get out without it. And that of course would have made her look to me to show her the proper way to get out. But no, she was too busy helping that lost soul, not to move on but to come back to earth.
Naturally, I thought it was funny how naïve she was. I mean, come on. She couldn't get Jesse out of there. There was no way in hell she could. It was a lost cause. So I began laughing. Apparently Jesse didn't like my sense of humor and he broke my nose. Geez, temperamental ghosts.
So there we stood, her eyes still filled with fear. I could sense that she wanted away from me. But she couldn't and ultimately wouldn't. Get away from me, I mean. Because I was Paul Slater, all-powerful shifter. And one day, whether she likes it or not, she had to learn the truth about who she was. Some of her friends kept looming in and out, greeting her and complimenting her.
Finally she spoke when her friends left us alone. "You mean the part where you tried to kill me?" she asked, her voice quiet enough to be a whisper. Her voice wasn't as strong as I knew it to be. I ran my hands through my hair. This was so harder than I thought. That seriously hurt. What she said.
"I never tried to kill you," I told her. In fact, I did everything in my power not to let her get hurt. And she started to laugh. She was laughing at me. Just as I had been laughing at her in the Shadowland.
"I mean it, Suze," I said, hoping she'd stop laughing, "It wasn't like that. I'm just...I'm just not very good at losing, you see."
"I don't get it. What did you lose? You didn't lose anything," She said while shaking her head. She knew. More than she thought, by God, she knew what I had lost. I figure I'd do that hinting thing most girls do, to annoy her.
"Didn't I, Suze?" I asked her stepping closer. I stared straight into those green eyes. It was hard, because they were so bright it nearly made me want to put on my sunglasses. But I wanted, more than anything, to reach out and touch her face. Of course, that move would probably cause her to run away from me for good. She was still glancing at me, terrified. It's not fair. The only person I didn't want to be afraid of me was scared out of her wits by just the sight of me.
I said her name, smiling, trying to make her calm down. "Look, don't be this way. It's a new school year. Can't we make a new start?" I asked her. I would have done anything to get her to stop looking at me like that. If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under.
"No. We can't. In fact, you-you'd better stay away from me," she replied, her strong voice taking control again. A girl who really knows how to bounce back. I could get used to this.
I tested her patience a little by asking, "Or what?" If she overcame her fears, that would have been great. I mean, some people turn into great pushovers when they are afraid. But not Suze. In fact, she just sinks her roots deeper in the soil, stubborn as all get out. And that, my friends, is not good.
"Or you'll regret it," she said. The tremor in her voice came back. Lighten up, Suze, before you do something you'll regret, I wanted to tell her.
"Oh, You'll sic your boyfriend on me?" I allowed myself to ask in mock terror. I wasn't afraid of De-Stupid. I'm way more powerful than he could ever be. I was just trying to lighten up the mood. Of course, judging by the expression on her delicate face, she and Jesse were obviously in a jam of sorts. Heh, I knew it. It figured.
I laughed. "So that's how it is. Well, I never really thought Jesse was your type, you know. You need someone a little less..." Dead, was what I was going to say, but her two friends interrupted me.
"Suze," this albino chick said. This was incredible. Her friend was pretty, in a unique sort of way. Her skin was creamy porcelain, with a little pink in her cheeks. Her hair was blonde, but not the same as Kelly Prescott's. It was actually real blonde, and it shimmered in the California sun. The other one of her friends, the guy, boredly walked away.
"Who's your friend?" she asked. Suze rolled her eyes, obviously reluctant to introduce me. How very rude of her.
So I took the initiative and introduced myself with a grin, "Hi, I'm Paul. Paul Slater. Nice to meet you."
She took my hand, and shook it confidently. "CeeCee Webb. You must be new here, because I've never seen you around before," she replied. I noticed her eyes, which were shining behind her wire glasses frames. They were a vibrant violet, just as violet as Suze's eyes were green. I think I blinked a few times, surprised by CeeCee's professionalism.
I glanced at Suze for a second, to see her reaction. Her mouth was gaped open, seeming to be in shock. I glanced back at CeeCee and grinned widely. Let's have some fun here! "My first day. Lucky for me, I already happen to be aquainted with Ms. Simon here," I replied as I glanced back at Suze again.
"How fortuitous," CeeCee said intelligently. She seemed incredibly smart and independent, like Suze. Except I don't think Suze is all that book smart. I could definitely share a few great conversations with this one, however. Wonder if she's read any Hiedegger lately?
"Did you used to go to Suze's old school?" CeeCee asked.
"No, he didn't. Look, we better get to homeroom, or we're going to get into trouble..." Suze busted in. Trouble? Ha, yeah right. I've seen worse than being late to a stupid class. Plus, I was trying to have a nice conversation here. Suze tugged at CeeCee's arm, but CeeCee wouldn't budge. What did she have against me talking to the lass? Was she by any chance trying to protect her? Ha. Too late. Try getting out of this one, Suze. I dare you.
"Suze and I had a thing this past summer," I informed CeeCee.
"A thing?" CeeCee echoed, sounding enchanted. Okay, that was a total elaboration. If by thing you mean one date at Friday's, and then a lovely ride home only to then see the rotting corpse of the man of her dreams, then yeah...a thing. And the date was kind of a distraction so Maria could off Jesse, but whatever. This was fun. I kinda enjoyed seeing Suze squirm while I was exaggerating.
"There was no thing. Believe me. No thing at all," Suze quickly assured CeeCee. Of course, CeeCee didn't believe her.
"Oh so you guys broke up?" CeeCee asked, her violet eyes wide in interest.
"No," I replied with a smile, "We didn't break up." Suze gave me this look of defeat. Paul-10, Suze-zilch.
Before I could rub any of it in her face, this enormous-chested nun with a gargantuan crucifix hanging from her neck came and told Suze and CeeCee to get to class. Nice. I could get used to the place. Suze and CeeCee exchanged looks and sighed in unison. I could see why she and Suze were friends. Suze began to walk and CeeCee and I followed behind.
"So, then where did you two meet?" CeeCee asked. I could tell this one liked details. I later found out she wrote for the school paper. No wonder she seemed a bit nosy.
"Suze and I go way back," I replied as I put my arm around her, seeming as if to show her an imaginary time line. "We met at the Pebble Beach Hotel and Golf Resort."
We got to what I guessed was Suze's locker. She gawked at me as she fumbled with her locker combo. After a few tries, she successfully opened the locker. She blindly grabbed a few books from her locker and slammed it closed while saying, "Well, gotta go. Homeroom calls." She seemed a little too eager to get away form me. Like I mentioned, no one could run away from Paul Slater without a fight. She held the books in front of her chest.
"You won't find them in there," I cryptically suggested while nodding in the direction of her books.
"I won't find what in here?" she said. Of course, I made her say it. One of my shifting abilities, it was sort of a Jedi mind trick thing. It was on the tip of her tongue anyway, don't think me completely evil.
"The answers you're looking for. Why you, of all people, were chosen. And what, exactly, you are."
I could sense that she wanted to know more. I could see that knowledge- hungry twinkle in her eyes. But she wouldn't let herself find out. She wouldn't give in to me
"When you're ready to hear the truth about what you are, you'll know where to find me. Because I'll be right here," I muttered in her ear. Then I walked away and headed to Father Dominic's office.
Soon she'd be all mine. No doubt about it. All in good time, Paulie, all in good time...
A/N: Hope ya like it...it was like 5 pages on my word processor in 12 pt Times New Roman. Heh, sorry.... chapter one is a long chapter in the book. Of course, ya'll (I'm from Texas, sue me) know what's going to happen in the end already, but its gonna be fun to see what our friend Paul thinks about and does in his spare time. I'm a busy, busy gal, but Ch2 will come up ASAP and hopefully the story'll get better and better as it goes. Unfortunately, in this story, Jesse won't be in it until the end. But you'll hear tons about him. Oh and each chapter corresponds with the chapter the book is on. Chapter 1 goes with Chapter 1, etc.
7-10-04: As you can see, I made a few changes. Nothing story altering or anything, just making him more in character. I love this editing thing. It makes me more aware of how I've grown as a writer since I first started. I recommend it to everyone!
