A/N: Hey! You guys make me feel so loved! A special over-the-computer hug
is given to my reviewers Princess Roxanne (thanks for the tips!), Rissa,
BrEaKOuTChIcK-USA, Lizzie9, Em, and tinkerbaby466! Your reviews keep me
writing practically everyday, so thank you times infinity! Play rehearsal
schedules and band are being incredibly unpredictable lately, just to warn
ya. But I'm sure you all can relate to being busy, folks!
"Oh, good Paul, you're home!" called my grandfather's nurse, Mark, from upstairs. "Yup, how's gramps?" I asked with slight interest as I ascended the spiraling staircase. "Oh, he's doing just fine. You might want to pop in and tell him that you are home. You can tell him about school," Mark replied while he was cleaning up a broken vase. Good, eh? Then what's with the broken stuff. "Mark? Did gramps have another fit or something?" I asked, helping Mark a little by bending over and picking up some pieces. "I'm afraid so, Paul. He's been having them more frequently now..." "I know," I said cutting him off, "I guess I'll go see if he's okay."
I rounded the corner into the hallway where my grandfather's room was. I slowly entered, careful not to disturb him he if were sleeping, or otherwise occupied. With paranormal activity, that is. He was staring blankly at the TV screen, which wasn't even on. "Hey, pops, what's shaking?" I asked while leaning against the doorframe. My grandfather turned his head towards me and motioned for me to close the door. Usually one of two things happen when gramps motions for me to close the door. It could be some sort of one-on-one about shifting, which usually ends up with him getting rather upset at me. Or he wanted to pass on a secret.
"How was school?" he asked in a low voice, so that Mark couldn't hear him. Such precautions were necessary because if Mark hear most of the conversations we shared, he'd tell my dad and then we'd both be sent to the loony bin. "It was okay," I replied generically. When he didn't show any reaction I added, "I'm running for junior class Vice President." "I meant, is there anything...different about your school? As in paranormal?" he asked, jumping straight to the point. "Not really, most of the ghosties were taken care of by the resident medium there, who just so happens to be my principal," I replied, as if it was nothing new. "Your principal is a medium?" he asked, his light blue eyes lighting up with delight. "Yeah. I also know a shifter that goes there," I answered as I pulled up one of the modern-looking chairs and sat down. "Is she powerful? Does she know anything yet?" he asked. Wait a minute...
"Easy, pops, how do you know it's a girl?" I asked suspiciously. If I found out he was following me again I'd have his head. Not literally...ah you know what I mean. "No, I'm not following you. You just had that stupid grin on your face," he said as he wheeled across the room to where I was sitting. I rolled my eyes. I hate it when he does the mind-reading thing. "I was your age once too, you know," he reminded me, as he had a tendency to do on occasion. "So what if she is a girl?" I asked, trying to avoid his gaze, "What's it to you?" "I just wanted to know if she knew anything about her powers yet," he replied defensively. I sat back in my chair and let out a sigh. Old people, I swear. "No, not yet. I plan to change that," I said, feeling that grin return. "Paul," my grandfather said in disapproving tone, "Don't get her into this, she won't be able to handle it." "Gramps, she's a strong girl. She can handle it. With my help, she could be as powerful as we are. Maybe even more," I defended my case. "Paul, if you really love her, you won't get her into this. It's dangerous," he told me as he stared at me intensely. WHAT? Did he just say what I thought he said? "I'm NOT in love with her!" I demanded as I crossed my arms. Or at least, I didn't think I was. I mean, I felt something special for her, but love? Isn't that a little too special? And where was he getting this stuff anyway? "Hear me out, Paul. I don't know how many times I have to tell you the dangers of shifting. The things shadow world does to us- those dreams, those visions, the shaking fits we get- those will never go away. Eventually they could kill you!" he hissed at me. "They COULD kill me. That doesn't mean they WILL," I pointed out. "Look, Paul. I was the same as you when I was younger. Just stop being stupid and careless and listen to what I have to say for once!"
"Well, it was nice chatting. If you'll excuse me, I have other things to do," I said calmly as I hopped up from my chair and walked out of the room. "Paul! Get back here, I'm not done with you!" I could hear my grandpa call after me. As I walked down the hallway the living room, I saw that Mark was sorting out all of the medications they put my grandfather on. He really didn't need medication. But they made him completely stupefied and zoned out. "I think he needs his meds now," I stated, not even stopping to hear Mark's response. I fled right away to my room and shut the door loudly. "Hey, Paulie. Miss me?" my friend Tony greeted me.
"I'm not in the mood, Slash," I stated glumly. Slash was what Tony preferred me to call him. I happened to think the name was more appropriate, considering his appearance. He looked like one of those tough biker guys that had several tattoos and went to Harley conventions every time it came to town, which he may have done when he was alive. That's right, Slash was a ghost. "What's the matter, Paulie? Did some bully pick on you at school? I'll beat their brains out if they lay another hand on you..." "Take it easy, Slash. There is no bully. I just had a bad day," I replied. He calmed down and released his hands from the fists he made, "Oh, you just look a little beat." I flopped down on my bed, face down. "Yeah, by my grandfather and a girl that goes to my school."
"Yeah, well my gramps always used to tell me I'd never amount to anything if I didn't stay in high school and graduate from Duke like the rest of my family. And look at me now. I turned out to be okay," he said trying to cheer me up. I couldn't help but grin into my pillow. Slash turned out to be a bike-riding cashier at Bubba's Bait Barn. And that got him killed. The bike riding, not the bait selling thing. "And the girl?" he inquired. "What about her?" I asked, turning around to lie on my back. "What'd she do?" he asked, leaning against the wall. "She was still upset about something I did over the summer. I left her and this ghost she's in love with in the Shadow world. She had no reason to be mad, though. I mean, she could have tuned into my wise words about her ability and gotten out of there on her own, but no! She was too busy trying to undo an exorcism performed on her boyfriend," I snarled bitterly. "So, this chick you love doesn't trust you anymore and she has a boyfriend?" Slash asked. "First of all, I'm NOT in love with her. Second of all she never really trusted me. Thirdly, she loves him, but I don't think he likes her back," I corrected him with annoyance in my tone. What was with all the love stuff? I mean, did I look like a blubbering fool in love or something? "Looks like you got a lot of stuff on your plate, Slater," Slash said. "I'll say," I agreed. Suddenly, he dematerialized, leaving me alone to wallow in my self- pity.
I guess all that wallowing made me tired, because the next thing I knew, it was dark out. I turned to see what time it was on my clock. OUCH! Something poked me. I dug in my pocket and extracted the crumpled invite and the hair-clip that I found earlier that day. Those two items made me think about the situation with Suze again, something I really didn't want to think about then. Because every time I thought about her, the words of my grandfather and Slash swirled in my head. Mostly what they said about the L-word. I shuddered to think that I had lost my head this early in the game. I opened the drawer in my nightstand and placed both objects carefully inside. It was 8:00 P.M. according to the clock by my bed. Just then, I felt my body start to shake a little. The shakes grew and grew and suddenly...
I was in Shadow world, alone. I looked down the familiar hallway, with the doors lining it. The fog was very thick around my ankles. I started walking around cautiously. It seemed like every step I took was uncertain. Almost like the next step would send me falling into the abyss. I looked up at the otherworldly stars above my head, as if they might guide me. No such luck. Just then, I heard a noise. My heart started racing suddenly. I snapped back and looked around. I caught a glimpse of a bright and beautiful pinkish light. I walked closer and closer to it. It was Suze. "Suze," I breathed softly, taken aback by her loveliness. "Shhh," she shushed me by putting her finger over my lips. Her touch made my panicky heart rate drop; I felt so calm...so serene. Oh God. Oh my God. What was happening? I felt like saying something to her, but I noticed that there was no need. She just stared into my eyes with a gleam in her beautiful emerald eyes. I reached out my hand and gently touched her face. I felt all these emotions at one time; it was all so difficult to process. The next thing I knew, my face was a few centimeters from her own. I closed my eyes, expecting to kiss her, like I had wanted to for so long. Then before our lips could meet, I felt the place shake...like we were in an earthquake. Then I heard her start to sob, almost uncontrollably. I was hoping that if I kissed her, she would stop and calm down. Then I heard Suze shout in a pleading manner, like she was trying to stop an atrocity from occurring. Just the sound of it made my eyes jerk open suddenly. Suze wasn't there anymore. The hallway shook so much that I fell to the ground. The stars in the sky above began to rain on me, hitting me like broken glass. The doors of the hallway circled around me, dancing in a very menacing matter...closing me in with every passing second. I closed my eyes to try to block it from my head. But everything still shook. Finally I felt that I couldn't breathe, like I was drowning or being suffocated...
I let out a shout. Everything had stopped shaking, because I was no longer in Shadow world. I was on my bedroom floor, breathing rather heavily. I had just had a shaking episode and a vision. Double whammy. It was quite a doozy too. I carefully looked around my room instinctively, to make sure everything was okay. I got up off of my floor and dizzily moved to my bed.
What was that all about? I had visions all the time, but never this...horrid. Looks like old Paulie wouldn't be getting any sleep anytime soon. No thanks to that atrocious vision. Something deep inside commanded me to go somewhere, anywhere but my room. I grabbed my cordless phone and dialed the number written in bright pink ink on my hand.
"Kelly? It's Paul. Sorry to call you after 8:00, but I think I have a great idea for the campaign," I said quickly in the phone. "Oh, you called! Great! Should we meet at your place or mine?" Kelly asked in her high pitched voice. "Could we please meet at your place? My grandfather's not doing so well," I pleaded. All right, I lied. You would have too if you were in my position. "I'm so sorry Paul! You can drop by now if you'd like," she said with enthusiasm. "Okay, I'll be right over," I said as I quickly pressed the 'off' button. And without any further delay, I peeled out of my house and jumped in my car. Now all I had to do was think of an idea to present to her. No big thing, right?
A/N: Sorry it was so short this time! Like I mentioned earlier, band and play rehearsals...yeah. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! (Thanks Princess Roxanne for giving me the idea of making Paul talk to Biker Bob...I gave him a real name!). But whoa, what was the vision all about? Ooh, my friends, it has significance. Just read it a few times. HAHAHA! Oh and sorry about being late, my cable modem was down sniffle! I still love you guys!
"Oh, good Paul, you're home!" called my grandfather's nurse, Mark, from upstairs. "Yup, how's gramps?" I asked with slight interest as I ascended the spiraling staircase. "Oh, he's doing just fine. You might want to pop in and tell him that you are home. You can tell him about school," Mark replied while he was cleaning up a broken vase. Good, eh? Then what's with the broken stuff. "Mark? Did gramps have another fit or something?" I asked, helping Mark a little by bending over and picking up some pieces. "I'm afraid so, Paul. He's been having them more frequently now..." "I know," I said cutting him off, "I guess I'll go see if he's okay."
I rounded the corner into the hallway where my grandfather's room was. I slowly entered, careful not to disturb him he if were sleeping, or otherwise occupied. With paranormal activity, that is. He was staring blankly at the TV screen, which wasn't even on. "Hey, pops, what's shaking?" I asked while leaning against the doorframe. My grandfather turned his head towards me and motioned for me to close the door. Usually one of two things happen when gramps motions for me to close the door. It could be some sort of one-on-one about shifting, which usually ends up with him getting rather upset at me. Or he wanted to pass on a secret.
"How was school?" he asked in a low voice, so that Mark couldn't hear him. Such precautions were necessary because if Mark hear most of the conversations we shared, he'd tell my dad and then we'd both be sent to the loony bin. "It was okay," I replied generically. When he didn't show any reaction I added, "I'm running for junior class Vice President." "I meant, is there anything...different about your school? As in paranormal?" he asked, jumping straight to the point. "Not really, most of the ghosties were taken care of by the resident medium there, who just so happens to be my principal," I replied, as if it was nothing new. "Your principal is a medium?" he asked, his light blue eyes lighting up with delight. "Yeah. I also know a shifter that goes there," I answered as I pulled up one of the modern-looking chairs and sat down. "Is she powerful? Does she know anything yet?" he asked. Wait a minute...
"Easy, pops, how do you know it's a girl?" I asked suspiciously. If I found out he was following me again I'd have his head. Not literally...ah you know what I mean. "No, I'm not following you. You just had that stupid grin on your face," he said as he wheeled across the room to where I was sitting. I rolled my eyes. I hate it when he does the mind-reading thing. "I was your age once too, you know," he reminded me, as he had a tendency to do on occasion. "So what if she is a girl?" I asked, trying to avoid his gaze, "What's it to you?" "I just wanted to know if she knew anything about her powers yet," he replied defensively. I sat back in my chair and let out a sigh. Old people, I swear. "No, not yet. I plan to change that," I said, feeling that grin return. "Paul," my grandfather said in disapproving tone, "Don't get her into this, she won't be able to handle it." "Gramps, she's a strong girl. She can handle it. With my help, she could be as powerful as we are. Maybe even more," I defended my case. "Paul, if you really love her, you won't get her into this. It's dangerous," he told me as he stared at me intensely. WHAT? Did he just say what I thought he said? "I'm NOT in love with her!" I demanded as I crossed my arms. Or at least, I didn't think I was. I mean, I felt something special for her, but love? Isn't that a little too special? And where was he getting this stuff anyway? "Hear me out, Paul. I don't know how many times I have to tell you the dangers of shifting. The things shadow world does to us- those dreams, those visions, the shaking fits we get- those will never go away. Eventually they could kill you!" he hissed at me. "They COULD kill me. That doesn't mean they WILL," I pointed out. "Look, Paul. I was the same as you when I was younger. Just stop being stupid and careless and listen to what I have to say for once!"
"Well, it was nice chatting. If you'll excuse me, I have other things to do," I said calmly as I hopped up from my chair and walked out of the room. "Paul! Get back here, I'm not done with you!" I could hear my grandpa call after me. As I walked down the hallway the living room, I saw that Mark was sorting out all of the medications they put my grandfather on. He really didn't need medication. But they made him completely stupefied and zoned out. "I think he needs his meds now," I stated, not even stopping to hear Mark's response. I fled right away to my room and shut the door loudly. "Hey, Paulie. Miss me?" my friend Tony greeted me.
"I'm not in the mood, Slash," I stated glumly. Slash was what Tony preferred me to call him. I happened to think the name was more appropriate, considering his appearance. He looked like one of those tough biker guys that had several tattoos and went to Harley conventions every time it came to town, which he may have done when he was alive. That's right, Slash was a ghost. "What's the matter, Paulie? Did some bully pick on you at school? I'll beat their brains out if they lay another hand on you..." "Take it easy, Slash. There is no bully. I just had a bad day," I replied. He calmed down and released his hands from the fists he made, "Oh, you just look a little beat." I flopped down on my bed, face down. "Yeah, by my grandfather and a girl that goes to my school."
"Yeah, well my gramps always used to tell me I'd never amount to anything if I didn't stay in high school and graduate from Duke like the rest of my family. And look at me now. I turned out to be okay," he said trying to cheer me up. I couldn't help but grin into my pillow. Slash turned out to be a bike-riding cashier at Bubba's Bait Barn. And that got him killed. The bike riding, not the bait selling thing. "And the girl?" he inquired. "What about her?" I asked, turning around to lie on my back. "What'd she do?" he asked, leaning against the wall. "She was still upset about something I did over the summer. I left her and this ghost she's in love with in the Shadow world. She had no reason to be mad, though. I mean, she could have tuned into my wise words about her ability and gotten out of there on her own, but no! She was too busy trying to undo an exorcism performed on her boyfriend," I snarled bitterly. "So, this chick you love doesn't trust you anymore and she has a boyfriend?" Slash asked. "First of all, I'm NOT in love with her. Second of all she never really trusted me. Thirdly, she loves him, but I don't think he likes her back," I corrected him with annoyance in my tone. What was with all the love stuff? I mean, did I look like a blubbering fool in love or something? "Looks like you got a lot of stuff on your plate, Slater," Slash said. "I'll say," I agreed. Suddenly, he dematerialized, leaving me alone to wallow in my self- pity.
I guess all that wallowing made me tired, because the next thing I knew, it was dark out. I turned to see what time it was on my clock. OUCH! Something poked me. I dug in my pocket and extracted the crumpled invite and the hair-clip that I found earlier that day. Those two items made me think about the situation with Suze again, something I really didn't want to think about then. Because every time I thought about her, the words of my grandfather and Slash swirled in my head. Mostly what they said about the L-word. I shuddered to think that I had lost my head this early in the game. I opened the drawer in my nightstand and placed both objects carefully inside. It was 8:00 P.M. according to the clock by my bed. Just then, I felt my body start to shake a little. The shakes grew and grew and suddenly...
I was in Shadow world, alone. I looked down the familiar hallway, with the doors lining it. The fog was very thick around my ankles. I started walking around cautiously. It seemed like every step I took was uncertain. Almost like the next step would send me falling into the abyss. I looked up at the otherworldly stars above my head, as if they might guide me. No such luck. Just then, I heard a noise. My heart started racing suddenly. I snapped back and looked around. I caught a glimpse of a bright and beautiful pinkish light. I walked closer and closer to it. It was Suze. "Suze," I breathed softly, taken aback by her loveliness. "Shhh," she shushed me by putting her finger over my lips. Her touch made my panicky heart rate drop; I felt so calm...so serene. Oh God. Oh my God. What was happening? I felt like saying something to her, but I noticed that there was no need. She just stared into my eyes with a gleam in her beautiful emerald eyes. I reached out my hand and gently touched her face. I felt all these emotions at one time; it was all so difficult to process. The next thing I knew, my face was a few centimeters from her own. I closed my eyes, expecting to kiss her, like I had wanted to for so long. Then before our lips could meet, I felt the place shake...like we were in an earthquake. Then I heard her start to sob, almost uncontrollably. I was hoping that if I kissed her, she would stop and calm down. Then I heard Suze shout in a pleading manner, like she was trying to stop an atrocity from occurring. Just the sound of it made my eyes jerk open suddenly. Suze wasn't there anymore. The hallway shook so much that I fell to the ground. The stars in the sky above began to rain on me, hitting me like broken glass. The doors of the hallway circled around me, dancing in a very menacing matter...closing me in with every passing second. I closed my eyes to try to block it from my head. But everything still shook. Finally I felt that I couldn't breathe, like I was drowning or being suffocated...
I let out a shout. Everything had stopped shaking, because I was no longer in Shadow world. I was on my bedroom floor, breathing rather heavily. I had just had a shaking episode and a vision. Double whammy. It was quite a doozy too. I carefully looked around my room instinctively, to make sure everything was okay. I got up off of my floor and dizzily moved to my bed.
What was that all about? I had visions all the time, but never this...horrid. Looks like old Paulie wouldn't be getting any sleep anytime soon. No thanks to that atrocious vision. Something deep inside commanded me to go somewhere, anywhere but my room. I grabbed my cordless phone and dialed the number written in bright pink ink on my hand.
"Kelly? It's Paul. Sorry to call you after 8:00, but I think I have a great idea for the campaign," I said quickly in the phone. "Oh, you called! Great! Should we meet at your place or mine?" Kelly asked in her high pitched voice. "Could we please meet at your place? My grandfather's not doing so well," I pleaded. All right, I lied. You would have too if you were in my position. "I'm so sorry Paul! You can drop by now if you'd like," she said with enthusiasm. "Okay, I'll be right over," I said as I quickly pressed the 'off' button. And without any further delay, I peeled out of my house and jumped in my car. Now all I had to do was think of an idea to present to her. No big thing, right?
A/N: Sorry it was so short this time! Like I mentioned earlier, band and play rehearsals...yeah. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! (Thanks Princess Roxanne for giving me the idea of making Paul talk to Biker Bob...I gave him a real name!). But whoa, what was the vision all about? Ooh, my friends, it has significance. Just read it a few times. HAHAHA! Oh and sorry about being late, my cable modem was down sniffle! I still love you guys!
