A/N: Hullo again! Uh, absence makes the heart grow fonder? *Hides* Err,
yes, I am alive and posting. Just remember, if you beat me up, there won't
ever be another chapter! Yeah, I'm safe! ^_^ And for the Shaman definition,
I asked a few people and this is the general thing I got, so sorry if it
isn't exactly write, but hey I tried, I did. ^_^
I had big plans for that weekend. First, I was going to somehow find the stupid rectory somehow and bike over to it to see why the heck Jesse hadn't at least attempted to visit me or something. Then I was going to try to sort out the whole Shaman thing as fast as possible to get that little problem out of my hair. Yes, I had my whole weekend mapped out in my head.
Unfortunately, my mom and Andy had other ideas. The little talk they had that morning with me was not what I wanted to hear.
I ran down the stairs, skipping every other one and was grabbing a nutritional power bar thing to eat on my way out when my mom's voice stopped me just as I was reaching out for the handle.
"Where do you think you're going?" I spun around. Dopey-err, I mean Brad-, my stepbrother was standing there behind her, grinning like the stupid monkey that he was ninety-nine percent of the time.
"Yeah, mom?" I said, in my most polite I'm-definitely-not-sneaking-out-to- cause-trouble voice, "Something wrong?"
"Suze, your brother here has told me that you had a late night conversation last night on the phone. Now you know the rules around here about curfew." Her hands were on her hips, a sure sign I was headed into deep waters if I didn't do something fast. Sadly, I wasn't fast enough, "You're grounded for the weekend, Suze. No visiting friends, using the TV, or getting on the computer for the rest of the weekend."
Dopey, looking way too pleased with himself, left. When my mom was sure he was gone she glanced around and put a hand to her mouth, "Although you can still use the phone, honey, but you're going to have to introduce us to him soon." She winked and went back into her bedroom.
Stepping away from door I groaned. Great mom, thanks, just what I needed. Not only was I stuck at my house all weekend, a fate worse than death in my opinion, the only possible way I could now get a hold of Jesse was the phone. Seeing as that was already ruled out from earlier, I stalked upstairs, not much in the mood to spend another day trying to come up with more plans. I guess that's why there's always a plan B in the movies.
After wasting away on my bed- all right, all right, more like something part way between sleeping and, well, okay fine, I was sleeping. Hey, I'd been up late last night and it's not like there was much more I could do!
It was my phone that woke me up again. Let me tell you, I was seriously tempted to throw that thing out the window.
"'lo?" I muttered into it after dragging it over to my ear across my bed, "Whosit?"
"God, Suze, what's your problem? You sound like you got hit by a truck." Cee Cee's voice was mildly annoyed, "I haven't heard from you lately, so I just decided to call you and see what's up. You busy today?"
I lifted myself up on one elbow, "I just missed some sleep last night, no biggie, and sorry about not calling you, I've been, err busy." There wasn't a thing that would make me want to explain the whole paranormal thing to Cee Cee, although she'd asked once or twice so I just avoided the question altogether, "No, I'm not busy, but I'm grounded all weekend." I groaned just thinking about it. I swear, forcing a child to stay inside all weekend is completely unconstitutional.
"Ouch, tough break. Well, I guess that ruins our plan for the weekends then." I caught some disappointment in her voice and hey, I couldn't blame her. Parents obviously don't see just how many people their silly little punishments can hurt.
"Hey, next weekend for sure, alright?" I promised over the phone, really, really hoping I could keep it.
"Well-"She paused over the phone, sounding skeptical and I rolled my eyes. Honestly, sometimes she could sure hold a grudge, "Works for me. Well, have fun serving your term."
Just as she was about to hang up I remembered something, I have no idea why I remembered it, but hey, at least I did, "Wait, Cee?" I practically yelled into the phone, hoping she hadn't already hung up.
"What, Suze?" She snapped back after a second. The, uh, yelling probably hadn't been the best idea.
"You wouldn't, by, erm, any chance happen to know what a Shaman is? Like from your aunt or something?" Cee Cee's aunt was, to put it nicely, just a little bit off her rocker. Or so Cee Cee and Adam had always thought. I, on the other hand, had this weird, creepy feeling about her, like the kind you get in déjà vu.
"Uh...no, that's not one of those kinds of things teachers usually put on homework or tests." Cee Cee replied sarcastically.
"Come on, Cee. Hasn't your aunt given you a book or something? Aunts always give nieces books, it's like a tradition or something!"
I heard muttering over the phone and a light thump and then silence, but not the kind where someone's hung up the phone. In a couple minutes I heard lighter thumping in the background.
"Shaman, a spiritual guardian in many religions, including but not limited to many Native American groups, some South American and Central American tribes, and many cultures in Africa, although not all of them use the well known term Shaman. Believed to lead souls to their final destination and guard them on their travel to the afterlife." She paused and I heard another thump, probably the book closing, "There, happy? Really, Suze, I don't know what you're thinking sometimes."
"Thanks, Cee Cee, you're awesome. See you Monday. Bye!" I quickly spurted out over the phone and Cee Cee gave a half hearted bye herself. Setting down the phone I stared out the window where the monster lay rumbling his hypnotic noises to himself.
Believed to lead souls to their final destination. Kind of like- kind of like a very early mediator, or a shifter, or whatever the heck it was Paul was always going on about. If that Shaman was in the neighborhood, which I knew he was thanks to creepy little Felicity's visit, and he had some kind of power over souls then maybe-
Another thought hit me, actually, literally this time. Spike, that stupid fuzz head, had leapt into my lap when I was least expecting it, sending a very un-me like shriek and a pissed-off tigerish hiss bouncing off the walls.
"Spike, what do you say to seeing if there've been any other odd little disappearances lately?" I asked him with a half smile, scratching under his chin- for once without loosing a chunk of my skin.
He purred.
I had big plans for that weekend. First, I was going to somehow find the stupid rectory somehow and bike over to it to see why the heck Jesse hadn't at least attempted to visit me or something. Then I was going to try to sort out the whole Shaman thing as fast as possible to get that little problem out of my hair. Yes, I had my whole weekend mapped out in my head.
Unfortunately, my mom and Andy had other ideas. The little talk they had that morning with me was not what I wanted to hear.
I ran down the stairs, skipping every other one and was grabbing a nutritional power bar thing to eat on my way out when my mom's voice stopped me just as I was reaching out for the handle.
"Where do you think you're going?" I spun around. Dopey-err, I mean Brad-, my stepbrother was standing there behind her, grinning like the stupid monkey that he was ninety-nine percent of the time.
"Yeah, mom?" I said, in my most polite I'm-definitely-not-sneaking-out-to- cause-trouble voice, "Something wrong?"
"Suze, your brother here has told me that you had a late night conversation last night on the phone. Now you know the rules around here about curfew." Her hands were on her hips, a sure sign I was headed into deep waters if I didn't do something fast. Sadly, I wasn't fast enough, "You're grounded for the weekend, Suze. No visiting friends, using the TV, or getting on the computer for the rest of the weekend."
Dopey, looking way too pleased with himself, left. When my mom was sure he was gone she glanced around and put a hand to her mouth, "Although you can still use the phone, honey, but you're going to have to introduce us to him soon." She winked and went back into her bedroom.
Stepping away from door I groaned. Great mom, thanks, just what I needed. Not only was I stuck at my house all weekend, a fate worse than death in my opinion, the only possible way I could now get a hold of Jesse was the phone. Seeing as that was already ruled out from earlier, I stalked upstairs, not much in the mood to spend another day trying to come up with more plans. I guess that's why there's always a plan B in the movies.
After wasting away on my bed- all right, all right, more like something part way between sleeping and, well, okay fine, I was sleeping. Hey, I'd been up late last night and it's not like there was much more I could do!
It was my phone that woke me up again. Let me tell you, I was seriously tempted to throw that thing out the window.
"'lo?" I muttered into it after dragging it over to my ear across my bed, "Whosit?"
"God, Suze, what's your problem? You sound like you got hit by a truck." Cee Cee's voice was mildly annoyed, "I haven't heard from you lately, so I just decided to call you and see what's up. You busy today?"
I lifted myself up on one elbow, "I just missed some sleep last night, no biggie, and sorry about not calling you, I've been, err busy." There wasn't a thing that would make me want to explain the whole paranormal thing to Cee Cee, although she'd asked once or twice so I just avoided the question altogether, "No, I'm not busy, but I'm grounded all weekend." I groaned just thinking about it. I swear, forcing a child to stay inside all weekend is completely unconstitutional.
"Ouch, tough break. Well, I guess that ruins our plan for the weekends then." I caught some disappointment in her voice and hey, I couldn't blame her. Parents obviously don't see just how many people their silly little punishments can hurt.
"Hey, next weekend for sure, alright?" I promised over the phone, really, really hoping I could keep it.
"Well-"She paused over the phone, sounding skeptical and I rolled my eyes. Honestly, sometimes she could sure hold a grudge, "Works for me. Well, have fun serving your term."
Just as she was about to hang up I remembered something, I have no idea why I remembered it, but hey, at least I did, "Wait, Cee?" I practically yelled into the phone, hoping she hadn't already hung up.
"What, Suze?" She snapped back after a second. The, uh, yelling probably hadn't been the best idea.
"You wouldn't, by, erm, any chance happen to know what a Shaman is? Like from your aunt or something?" Cee Cee's aunt was, to put it nicely, just a little bit off her rocker. Or so Cee Cee and Adam had always thought. I, on the other hand, had this weird, creepy feeling about her, like the kind you get in déjà vu.
"Uh...no, that's not one of those kinds of things teachers usually put on homework or tests." Cee Cee replied sarcastically.
"Come on, Cee. Hasn't your aunt given you a book or something? Aunts always give nieces books, it's like a tradition or something!"
I heard muttering over the phone and a light thump and then silence, but not the kind where someone's hung up the phone. In a couple minutes I heard lighter thumping in the background.
"Shaman, a spiritual guardian in many religions, including but not limited to many Native American groups, some South American and Central American tribes, and many cultures in Africa, although not all of them use the well known term Shaman. Believed to lead souls to their final destination and guard them on their travel to the afterlife." She paused and I heard another thump, probably the book closing, "There, happy? Really, Suze, I don't know what you're thinking sometimes."
"Thanks, Cee Cee, you're awesome. See you Monday. Bye!" I quickly spurted out over the phone and Cee Cee gave a half hearted bye herself. Setting down the phone I stared out the window where the monster lay rumbling his hypnotic noises to himself.
Believed to lead souls to their final destination. Kind of like- kind of like a very early mediator, or a shifter, or whatever the heck it was Paul was always going on about. If that Shaman was in the neighborhood, which I knew he was thanks to creepy little Felicity's visit, and he had some kind of power over souls then maybe-
Another thought hit me, actually, literally this time. Spike, that stupid fuzz head, had leapt into my lap when I was least expecting it, sending a very un-me like shriek and a pissed-off tigerish hiss bouncing off the walls.
"Spike, what do you say to seeing if there've been any other odd little disappearances lately?" I asked him with a half smile, scratching under his chin- for once without loosing a chunk of my skin.
He purred.