A/N: I'm officially the happiest girl in the world! The only way I'd ever be any happier is if a character like Jesse would suddenly pop into my world! I have 40 reviews! You guys make me so happy! I'm becoming obsessed with ghost sighting stories and I keep looking up lists of people buried at cemeteries. My family and friends think me a bit on the morbid side, but hey. I'm getting in touch with my inner history buff! Play rehearsals are awful, with the whole 6pm-9pm-practice thing. Meaning I've been stuck at school from 6:50AM-9pm. That's, like, 15 hours! Luckily, Spring break is FINALLY here so I can write more! Enough of my complaints...

"Chasing the ghost of a good thing/ Haunting yourself as the real thing/ Is getting away from you again/ While you're chasing ghosts" Dashboard Confessional, Ghost of a Good Thing (I LOVE that song!)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"All right, so Debbie agreed to help pass out candy bars with Brad, and Candace offered to help pass out the buttons, right?" I asked as I admired Kelly from the floor of her study. This election meant a whole lot to her obviously, because she was pacing around and checking various things off on her checklist. "Yeah, so that's taken care of," Kelly said as she scratched something off of her list. She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and shrieked, "OH MY GOD! We need to schedule when we are going to talk to the various clubs. We don't have enough time to talk to everyone! Oh my gosh!"

"Kell, calm down, babe. We'll have plenty of time to mingle, trust me. We just need to organize a priority list of prime targets," I suggested. "Good idea! Who's our first priority?" Kelly asked as she thumped her pencil against her clipboard. "I heard that the Debate team is worried about not getting to go to Europe during spring break because of lack of funding," I said. "Yeah, and the photography club's equipment is out of date," Kelly added as she took a seat on her leather couch. "Easy enough," I said. This really was a piece of cake. Just promise to get the clubs new stuff, and they automatically love you. But promises or no promises, Kelly was still going to win.

"Which looks more professional: a pants suit or a black dress?" Kelly asked out-of-the-blue. "I'm sure you'll look presidential in anything you wear, Kell," I replied. Kelly smiled, "You really think so?" I nodded and slowly got up from the ground. Kelly blushed. She actually started blushing!

It's always flattering when someone likes you, even if you don't return his or her feelings. It makes you feel appreciated and noticed. Of course, being as incredibly good-looking as I am, the feeling was nothing new. The funny thing about that is the person you actually WANT to appreciate and notice you never does. Or if she notices you, then it is more along the lines of negative attention.

I was beginning to think that the whole unrequited-love thing was way too passive for me. I waited at Suze's locker that morning for goodness sake! In my experience, if I wanted something, the best thing to do was to go ahead and get it, instead of waiting around forever for it. So even though love was almost stronger than I was at that moment, I was able to overcome it. I did that just in order to get what I wanted.

"Kell, I gotta run. I forgot that I needed to do something for my grandfather," I said apologetically. I leaned down and kissed her cheek quickly. Then I glided out of the study as fast as possible, not even allowing her time to get up from the couch. If I was going to act, it needed to be quickly. I had homework to do, places to go, and a plan to cook up. There was no time for unnecessary good-byes.

I literally hopped into my BMW without even opening the car door, buckled my seat belt (safety first), and sped out of her driveway. My ride home was not as quick as my escape, however. I was caught in five-o-clock traffic, and the clueless tourists were added to the mix. Thirty minutes later I found myself home. I pulled in the garage next to Mark's Celica and just materialized in my room. Poof! I usually took the time to walk into the house and enjoy the Californian beauty, but not that night, my friends.

I faced Trig homework along with an essay in Religion about my choice of one of the seven Sacraments. Trig was a cinch, given the fact that I'm quick when it comes to Maths. I've read and written plenty of essays in my day, so Religion wasn't that hard. Given my current situation, I chose Reconciliation.

I had a pretty long list of people I needed to reconcile with. First and foremost, I needed to apologize to Suze for messing up her feet. What? There is no freaking way I would apologize for the Jesse comment. And the Church has something against apologizing for stuff you aren't sorry for. So that meant I couldn't apologize about kissing her. Then, of course, there was the whole Laurel thing. The kid needed a friend and I went all violent on her. Way to sympathize, Paul, really. Let's see...CeeCee? Oh yeah, I spoiled her fantasy about Suze being VP once more. Gramps? Nah, why would I apologize to him? I can't do that when I'M THE ONE THAT'S RIGHT! Take that! So with that, I took my essay to Mars and beyond and ended up writing close to four pages on the importance of reconciling with not only the Heavenly Father, but with other human beings, living and dead.

That's nice and all, but after my plan was completed I'd have to do a whole bunch more apologizing.

Speaking of plan, it took me another whole hour to get it exactly the way I wanted it. And the great part was that there was no plan B. It was just that fool proof. Wait...there was a plan B. Plan B was totally forsaking the plan, but I never thought it would ever come to that.

Paul's perfect World domination strategy:

#1. Get rid of any obstacles. This includes any ghosts that get in the way and possibly even my own grandfather. This ESPECIALLY includes one pesky ghost, Hector Jesse DeSilva (a.k.a. Rico Suave). Sadly, this also includes forsaking any emotional ties to certain emerald-eyed girls that hate me. You know, forgetting about the L-word I commonly associate with her. Of course, forsaking emotions is COMPLETELY different from actually having fun. And believe me, my plan allows plenty of time for "fun".

#2. Acquiring the proper materials for proper execution. This is the easy part, mostly because most of it is done. Let's see...a small possession of Suze's to use as possible blackmail...check. A way to get in her house without suspecting a thing...uh I'm working on it, okay. The funny thing about plans is that they are never fully complete until execution time.

#3. Using the blackmail in #2. This is when the plan gets fun! Hopefully after #1, the whole blackmailing the one I...you know, won't bug me as much. However I get into Suze's house, I will call Rico Suave and fling the whole thing in his face. Of course, Green Eyes wouldn't be around so she will be clueless. She'll come home and eventually figure out that he's not coming back. And the fun part is that she won't even know why. She'll probably think he finally found the one thing that tied him to this earth. And it keeps getting better and better.

#4. Knowing Mr. Suave, #3 may not be enough to get rid of him. So then I'd result to my God-given powers (or whoever dishes that kind of thing out). In other words, an exorcism will be in order. I usually tend to avoid this in most of my other plans because of the grueling headache that it gives me afterwards. But, hey, it'll all be worth it.

#5. Get the girl. Nevermind about #3 being the fun part. This is when I get official pay off in my efforts. Green Eyes will be deeply heartbroken after Jesse goes AWOL. That means I get to play knight-in-shining-denim and give her a shoulder to cry on...I'll get to comfort her emotionally (as well as physically). And I would have finally won. Not that it's all that fair-and-square, but I really don't play that way.

#6. Once Green Eyes is mine for good, we will combine our powers and eventually take over the world. We will be unstoppable. The world is ours for the taking, and that is exactly what we will do. Take it, I mean. There will be nothing anyone could do to control us, because the ones with the control would be us. Of course, if Green Eyes decides to follow her heart instead, then I will have to eliminate her too. Thank goodness for #1, or I'd never be able to pull that off.

I propped my feet victoriously on my desk, when something flashed in the corner of my eye. I won't lie to you; at first I thought it was Jesse. Oh God, I'm a dead man. Suze told him? She couldn't have...he'd be mad at her wouldn't he?

Obviously she hadn't yet. Told him, I mean. Because the ghost that had materialized on the other side of my room was not Jesse...it was Laurel.

"Hello, love. What brings you to this part of the universe?" I asked as I brought my feet down from the desk and turned my chair to face her. Fear flashed in her pale blue eyes. She tried to dematerialize, but I quickly grabbed her wrist.

"Laurel," I said her name softly. I knew it would be near impossible to get her to forgive me. But I had a plan, one that would make her happy, even if she would never speak to me ever again.

She didn't answer me. In fact, she wouldn't even look at me.

"Laurel, look. I'm sorry about what I did. I really am," I apologized, still gripping her wrist. I knelt down so I could be at eye-level with her. I turned her chin towards me with my index finger.

"Please, Laurel," I said as I stared into her soft blue eyes, "I really am sorry." Her eyes met mine. She thought for a second and then looked away. I let go of her wrist.

"You don't have to forgive me. I kinda knew you wouldn't. And...I don't blame you. I was a jerk, like you said. I was being...evil," I mused as I went to sit on the edge of my bed, "But I just want you to know that I...I've changed. I found the error in my way."

She stood there a moment deep in thought. This was harder than I thought. I got up from my bed and stood behind her.

"I know you miss your mom and all. I know a way that you might get to see her. You want to be with her again, don't you?" I asked. She turned over her shoulder and smiled lightly. I really am persuasive aren't I? I call it being smooth.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and said softly, "All you have to do is trust me." She froze under my touch.

"Do you trust me, Laurel?" I cooed in her ear. She turned around to face me and nodded. I took her small hand in mine and imagined the long, dark corridors with doors lining it. And in a flash, we were there.

"Where are we?" Laurel demanded as she jerked her hand away from mine.

"Some call it Purgatory. I call it Shadowland...the realm of the dead."

She glanced at me like I was nuts. She turned to look down the never- ending corridor, seeming as if she regretted her decision. "Laurel, I thought you trusted me," I said as I gently placed my hand on her shoulder again.

"I don't know what to think about you, Paul," she said as she plucked my hand from her shoulder, "You're just so...contradictory." "How so?" I asked with interest. "One minute, you are cruel and heartless without a care. It's like you love other people's suffering. It doesn't even pain you to look into their fearful eyes. You become a monster. I can't trust that side of you. I hate it," Laurel spat...her back still turned. "Laurel, I'm sorry," I apologized again.

She turned to face me, "Then there is this other part of you, one that is loving. I saw it when you were with Suze, and I saw it when I told you my story. You have a heart, Paul, but you don't always follow it." I looked down the corridor, anywhere to avoid Laurel's gaze. "That part of me is a weakling," I mumbled.

"Believe it or not, Paul, you are a human being. You aren't invincible to everything. In fact, your behavior makes you the most vulnerable one here," Laurel said as she took a step closer. "What are you talking about?" I asked her breathlessly. Me, vulnerable? Never.

"You know exactly what I mean. Don't even pretend that you haven't felt torn between good and bad. You battle with it everyday," she told me. I felt like I had just got punched in the stomach. Like I got the wind knocked out of me. "You dig the hole deeper with every time you go with the bad. Don't let the bad win this time."

No way, this was not possible. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. I felt my hands touch my face, but I felt unfamiliar with myself. Who was I?

"I want to trust you, Paul, because I know there is that part of you that is good," Laurel said as she touched one of the hands on my face.

I finally managed to choke out, "Open one of those doors. I can't really tell what they lead to, but you'll just have to find out." I was letting my guard down...I was becoming weak.

She put her hand on the doorknob gently. She looked back at me for a second, contemplating whether or not to trust me. It took me most of my energy to nod to her, but I did...letting her know she could trust me.

"Thanks, Paul," she said softly as she turned back to the door. She opened it about a centimeter and a big flash engulfed her. The next thing I knew, she was gone.

I was alone...alone in the Shadowland. The feeling was nothing new. It only took me until that moment to realize that I felt that each and every single day. I was a lonely person. Even if I was at home, in contact with people, I felt like I was standing alone in an unfamiliar place.

I told Laurel that my 'good' side was weak. The brain is practical, unlike the heart. If I followed my heart, I'd probably be dead by now. Or even worse, other people would control it. I'm the one that is supposed to be in control. But now I wasn't so sure that I could control anything. I felt like a wreck. My feelings were floating all over the place, eventually taking me over.

I fell to the ground, plugging my ears and closing my eyes. Don't lose it, Paul, I kept telling myself. I felt my strength being drained from me. I was powerful...I am powerful...I will always be powerful.

"You battle with it everyday."

I have will power. I'm in control here. I started gaining some of my strength back. I unplugged my ears and opened my eyes. Once I had the feeling back in my legs, I stood up slowly and brushed my clothes off.

I looked around the dark hallway and I suddenly just burst out laughing. It was a deep, victorious laugh that resounded through the infinite corridor. I had won a battle with myself. That stuff Laurel said, it was a load of filth. I didn't let anything win...because I had power.

That's it...I won...Game Over.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: How's that for a chapter 10? I'm impressed with myself. I'll have more opportunity to write because of Spring Break! YaY! Please R&R because you guys keep me writing! I feel so loved! Should I really change my rating? I reread my story a few times, and now I'm really confused. Maybe I should because of the whole fight scene coming up? Please help me out you guys...I don't want to offend anyone by putting stuff as PG when it should be PG-13. I had a weird dream about the Mediator series that I might make a story...it was kinda weird though. I don't even know if I could write it. Does anyone else have dreams about it or is it a crazed fanatic sort of thing? Should I go to an asylum for obsessive behavior? AH! I love reviewers (and Johnny Depp...*sigh*. I just finished watching "Pirates of the Caribbean". Orlando is pretty nice looking too).