Chapter 12:

I could hardly breathe. My chest felt heavy as I attempted to get more air into my lungs. I could tell without opening my eyes that it was still dark out. I wondered vaguely what had happened until I remembered Bryan. He had done it. He had killed me. I always knew that a ghost would be the death of me. Little me in the big world, helping out the lost souls in the area and what do I get? Death.

Well, whether I was dying or already dead, it still hurt a lot. I tried to get up, but the same heavy weight kept me pinned. I opened my eyes and got an eyeful of dust. I cursed and closed them quickly again. I couldn't even rub away the offending grime because my arms were pinned by the massive pieces of one of Birchwood's overhanging eves. I was laying face down, facing the building, in the courtyard, being crushed by stone and mortar, and all I could think of was that Birchwood really needed to undergo some renovation to repair all this falling stonework. I mean really. Three cases of this already, and two of which involved the same people. That's some shoddy work. Although granted, the builders of Birchwood probably didn't count ghosts as a factor to their construction plans.

I was just pondering this when I heard someone call my name. A female voice.

I instantly panicked. What if Susannah stepped into the ring of candles? She might only spot me then come rushing over here, not noticing it. Then she'd be gone just like Bryan. Taking a quick breath of air and powder, I coughed and shouted as loud as I could, "Don't, Susannah! Stay away from here!"

But the voice screamed my name and I realized it was much too high to be Susannah. I felt someone brush the dust away from my face and I managed to open my eyes without being blinded immediately. I saw a face bordered by short brown hair. But the eyes were a dark blue and framed with glasses, not Susannah's emerald green.

Jenny looked over me and shouted, "Carrie, he's over here!" She was almost on the brink of tears again. I can imagine having two separate events in which people you know are crushed under masonry can be upsetting.

Carrie's face also came into view and she worriedly looked over the rubble pinning me. "C'mon, Jenny, help me roll this off of him." The two of them set their shoulders against it and heaved. It almost didn't work, but when I got enough room, I rolled out from underneath, jostling my bruised and pained midsection.

Breathing heavily, the three of us sat down against the the ton of rubble that could have killed me and didn't say a word. I only just noticed that the crickets in the park had started chirping again. Finally I broke the silence by saying the only thing I could. "Thanks."

"Jesus Christ, Jesse." Carrie looked at me like I was crazy, which I suppose she thought I was. I could see that she hadn't bothered to get dressed. Since it was winter, she was wearing a pajama set with just a coat thrown over. She asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Carrie." I sighed heavily and leaned against the cold stonework. I could have probably fallen asleep right then, but remembered where we were. "But we need to get out of here quick. Someone might've heard the commotion. I don't want you two to get in trouble." I was pretty sure that whoever was awake would have heard Bryan and me beating the crap out of each other far before the collapsing ledges, but I reluctantly started standing up anyway.

Jenny quickly stood up too and asked, "Don't you need to go to the hospital, Jesse? You could have internal bleeding! Doesn't he need to go, Carrie?" Her voice quavered a bit as she looked between the two of us.

Groaning as I felt the soreness in my abdomen, I muttered, "No hospitals, hermanitas. Let's just go home."

Good thing the fence was demolished, otherwise I would have needed a bit of help getting over the fence again leaving. Because of my injuries, we decided to take the bus home. All of us took the little corner in the back, away from the prying eyes of the driver and other late night passengers. Even though we were quiet for a time, you could tell Carrie was just bursting to ask what I had been doing there. She finally just came out with it and asked me if I had been up to my "old antics" again. Apparently, she had taken Dad's words to heart and thought I was some kind of Hardy Boys crime-busting freak. I just took easy breaths and let her think what she wanted. It's not like she'd believe that a ghost was up to all this.

I changed the subject abruptly, "Let me ask you a better question, Carrie. What were you doing there?"

Carrie answered defensively, "Hey, it wasn't my idea. Jenny came screeching into my room about how we had to go down to the school to find you." She eyed her younger sibling suspiciously. "Speaking of which, how did you know he was down there anyway?"

I looked over at Jenny, but she refused to meet my eyes. She was just staring straight ahead with her knees pulled up to her chin.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that the Jenny knew.

But I decided against talking about it now. Too much had happened in such a short time period. I didn't even want to talk to Susannah about it. Carrie and Jenny escorted me to my place to make sure I didn't collapse on the street and then went home as well. I tried to catch Jenny's eye, but she turned away quickly and left with Carrie. I shrugged it off and lumbered back into my apartment. I was far too tired to think properly about it and went to bed without changing.

When I woke up, I was surprised by how, well, awake I was. I was expecting to go to school in a complete daze and having to make up some excuse about my inability to walk. But it was almost the opposite. Almost.

I woke up a bit muddled, but otherwise rested. I couldn't actually sit up because of the dull pain in my ribs, so I just rolled over and looked at the clock on my dresser. 3:30. Huh, no wonder I wasn't tired. I had been asleep for more than half a day. But then I noticed another pain in my middle not related to last night's activities. I was hungry. I briefly wondered why I was shirtless and was about to swing my legs over the side of the bed when I heard a sharp remark. "Oh, no you don't!"

Susannah had appeared at my bedside and – with more force than I would've thought she had – grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back into my pillows. She looked down at me disapprovingly, "Bruised ribs, Jesse. If you move around anymore, I'll strap you down myself."

I blinked up at her, confused. Well, perhaps more speechless than confused. Susannah was very closely leaning against me still, and I couldn't help but notice we were on my bed. My mind quickly righted itself as she let go and sat back up, crossing her arms. She had that small frown on her face, as if hesitating, and continued saying, "I've made a bit of breakfast if you still want it. I wasn't sure when you'd get up." I nodded dumbly.

Susannah swept out of my room quickly and left me there, slightly pained and blank. Had Susannah been taking care of me? The thought brought a grin to my face. A lovely girl was making me breakfast in bed and taking care of me. Well, don't get me wrong, it wasn't the fact that it was just any lovely girl. It was Susannah. Granted, she still looked like she wanted to hit me for last night, but a guy takes what he can get, right?

She came back a moment later with a tray. On it was a plate of bacon, an omelet, and a glass of orange juice. Susannah said, "The bacon and omelet are a bit cold. I would have warmed them up, but I've never actually used one of those, um, microwaves I think they're called." The bacon and omelet were cold, but I didn't care. Most of the time my breakfasts consisted of poptarts or a Nutra-Grain bar, so I ate it up heartily.

I looked up to thank her and noticed that she had been watching me eat. I hastily remembered my manners and used a napkin. I smiled gratefully, "Thank you, querida. It was wonderful."

She sighed in a resigned manner and sat down on the edge of my bed, "There's going to have to be a few rules around here."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Rules?"

Susannah replied, "Yes, rules. Rule number one: Don't tell anyone about me. It's hard enough as it is now that you're here. I don't need silly-minded youngsters in here trying to contact me with candles and ridiculous chants. I've had enough of that for several lifetimes."

I smiled broadly at her. It seemed that if Susannah was setting rules, then she was letting me stay. Even if this was technically my apartment, if Susannah didn't approve, I'd imagine that she'd have no qualm with throwing me out the window. I asked, "And rule number two?"

She fidgeted with her locket for a moment while still frowning in thought at me. I thought that maybe I still had a bit of omelet on my face, so I asked, "Something wrong, querida?" She still didn't answer and just tilted her head slightly at me. Susannah looked awfully cute that way, like a kitten trying to get something just out of reach. So instead of waiting for an answer, I asked, "Let me ask you a question then." She straightened up immediately. "Why did you wake up Jenny to go look for me?"

She knit her brow in annoyance. "How did you know about that? Did she tell you?"

I laughed, "Well, no, she didn't. But I could guess by the way she avoided the question. So, why did you do it?" I couldn't help but smile as she flustered for an answer.

"Well, what was I supposed to do, Jesse?" Susannah wasn't fidgeting anymore, but she wouldn't to meet my eye. "Bryan would have killed you!"

I raised an eyebrow at her but kept the smirk on my face, daring her to elaborate. "But wouldn't that make it easier on you then? You wouldn't have to share your apartment with the likes me if I died."

She looked appalled at the very thought. "But that wouldn't have been fair!"

"I see," I nodded in acknowledgement, "That's against your spiritual code, querida?"

She nodded matter-of-factly, "Of course."

Really, I should have left it at that. But before I could stop myself, I asked, "So, you didn't do it because you like me or anything like that?" I wanted to see how she squirmed out of this one.

I had the pleasure of watching her redden and sputter, "No, that's not it at all! I- I just think it could have been worse, really." I probably shouldn't have laughed, but I did. Seeing Susannah flustered is quite a sight to see. Of course, this made her angry. "Well, you listen here, Jesse de Silva! I am not to be toyed with and I will not be made into a joke by the likes of you! Humph!" She made to stand up and probably dematerialize, but I grabbed her hand.

"Querida," I said as tenderly as I could "thank you."

Softened, but still fuming, Susannah sat back down roughly and asked crossly, "For what?"

"For saving my life." She suddenly didn't look angry anymore and I felt her relax. But then she did something I completely wasn't expecting. Susannah closed her own fingers around mine and held them gently.

She could have yelled some more, rolled her eyes, or even hit me and I wouldn't have been more surprised. But she was just sitting there closely at my side and we were holding hands. Before I could even think of what to do next, I heard the front door open and shut. A voice called, "Jesse, are you awake?" It was Annie.

I looked at Susannah who quickly pulled her hand away and dematerialized. Annie and Jenny appeared at the doorway to my room and said, "Oh, good, you are awake. I was so worried when Carrie called and said you were too sick to go to school."

I replied, "It must've just been the jetlag. I feel much better now." Although my ribs protested otherwise, this was much better than I had felt last night.

Annie looked over at the plate on my bedside. "Well, you're at least well enough to eat. I'll just clean this for you." Looking as chipper as ever, Annie swept out of the room with the plate and presumably into the kitchen.

Jenny and I were left in the room, silent. She looked more nervous than I had ever seen her. Shuffling her feet she said, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course, Jenny," I smiled encouragingly. I was already certain of what she wanted to talk about, but might as well play along.

"About last night… I-I think I saw a ghost!" Jenny said the last part with wide-eyed fervor, as if almost not believing it herself. "I swear I really saw it, Jesse! It was cold and made a rustling noise and… and… it kept shaking me! I heard a voice in my head telling me to go get you. It was so-" Jenny couldn't even find a word for what it was, so she added pleadingly, "You have to believe me, Jesse."

I nodded. "I know. I believe you, Jenny." Ok, so I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about Susannah. But it's not like I actually told her, right? She figured it out all by herself and Susannah herself had a hand in it.

"I know it's almost impossi- what?" She had stopped midway when she realized what I had said. "You know? How could you?"

"Because I know her. She's…" I searched for a proper way to describe Susannah, just in case she was listening in somewhere, "interesting, but perfectly harmless. Well, maybe not harmless, but she wouldn't hurt us."

"But at the school-"

"That wasn't her. That was a different one, far more violent than Susannah." Jenny just sort of gaped at me, completely floored by the fact that I knew the resident ghost and was speaking so casually about her. When she remained speechless, I added, "That's why I asked you about that information, Jenny. I was curious to find out more about her."

Jenny perked up, "Oh, yeah! I brought that with me!" She hurriedly took off her backpack and hunted around for something. Finally, she pulled out a large, worn leather book entitled Timeless New York. "I checked this out from the library," she explained, "It had the most in it about previous owners and stuff."

She sat down next to me and we both flipped carefully through the glossy pages. Near the middle of the book, I scanned the page and my eyes fell upon the name "Simon." I pointed it out to Jenny, "Here. That's her family name."

Jenny read, "The Simon Family was once prestigious and influential among the aristocracy in New York. Owning several art galleries, the Simons came into crisis when Peter Simon fell ill and gave his only daughter's hand in marriage to Paul Slater, the son of a wealthy trade merchant." What? Susannah didn't say anything about a Paul Slater. I had to redirect my thoughts back to the book as Jenny kept reading. "Slater was a sought after bachelor but agreed to marry Simon's daughter. However, just a day before the wedding, Susannah Simon disappeared. Paul Slater went on to have many mistresses, but never actually married and both families died out."

I was going to thank her for this new, albeit disturbing, bit of information, when she turned the page and my breath caught in my throat. It was a painting of Susannah, dressed in different, more elaborate dress than she wore now. Her hair was curled so that it would drape stylishly over one shoulder. Sitting primly with her hands placed on her lap, Susannah's bright green eyes stared up from the paper in what I swear hinted the smallest of mischievous smirks. Much like my own Susannah.

I must've had an odd look on my face because when Jenny looked up, she asked quietly, "Is this the ghost?"

"Yes, this is she," I replied just as softly.

Dad came by a bit after that. The new company he worked for kept him later than he thought, but got here all the same. Annie and Jenny, satisfied that I was taking care of myself, gave us a little privacy and left.

He asked me, "Are you all right, Jesse?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, nothing serious."

"No, I mean, are you sure it's all right here?" That was somewhat of a surprise. He continued, "You could always go back to Carmel if you think New York is too much. I know it's nothing like California, but-"

I stopped him, "No, really, Dad. I'm fine. Annie and the others have been wonderful to me. Besides," I grinned at him, "I can't leave you here to fend for yourself, now can I?"

He ruffled my hair, something he had always done when I was little, and said wistfully, "If only your mother could see you now."

"I'm sure she can, Dad," I replied, "And I'm sure she wants us to be happy."

He sighed and looked out my window over the jutting city skyline. "Then we'll be happy."

I nodded, "Yeah. We will." And thing is, I really meant it too.

A/N: I know this story has been really close to the original, but I plan on pulling father and father away from that as I go on to the others. The biggest problem (length) was because Jesse didn't have anyone else to talk to about mediating like Suze did with Father Dom. Don't worry, this'll be changed soon enough. The second part might not get going for awhile because a friend of mine has the notebook with the story outlines in it. Until then, have great summer readings! (Class of 2004)