Esodes08- Mwahahaha... sure, Paul would be a big help. Tell that to Jesse, though. But 'Puck' does know who Paul is. Remember the hospital scene in chapter two? Anyway, hey, who knows what they do in old times... I wouldn't be surprised if siblings really married...
Icy star angel- Okay, I read it, I thought about it... I understood it! It was way creative too. In this case, I guess the story does relate to milkshakes, huh. Any other... theories you might want to share?
Muzacgurl- Yes, I agree. Suze definitely cannot drive to save her life in this case.
Nice Haley- See, Hayley, bulimia DOES have its advantages! Rare, but who cares. Tell that to someone who's bulimic.
sapphire hanyou- Hey, I'm updating... I'm updating... THANK YOU, btw.
Sweet-angel-star- I was getting scared there with your whole change of heart thing... but I gotta thank Kaitie for bringing you back to Earth!
SweetestReject- I THOUGHT YOU LIKED PAUL!! Well, anyway, sorry but eh, I doubt that you'll be unconfused in this chapter. Ah, just keep reading...
UnangelicHalo- Aww, he sure is. A sweetie, I mean. And I thought everyone was capable of emotion... except maybe a selective few...
Zanny01- Yeah, I was getting tired of the whole guy-comes-along-and-saves- the-day thing too. Who says every girl has to have a knight in shinning armor? What's wrong with saving themselves?!?
A/n- Thank you all so much for your reviews. I really, really, appreciate every one of them. Keep them coming!
Chapter 9
Jesse's POV
Get Paul...
Susannah's last words to me before she fell unconscious once again rang and rang in my head, leaving me in a state of complete and utter shock. We are all in a very delicate situation right now, and she wants me to get our most hated foe for help? What could she have been thinking? How could a satanic rogue such as Slater himself assist us in any way? Either Susannah really did hit her head hard, or she has been keeping some secrets about Slater from me ever since he came back.
It's hard to tell with Querida sometimes. Usually I can see her soul within her eyes, but at times when she is most... difficult, she may come off as unpredictable and of course, everything becomes clouded, foggy. Perhaps even distant.
"Jesse," I heard a voice coming from behind me, snapping me out my reverie. "Aren't you going to go get Paul, whoever that is?"
"Is that the guy in the hospital?" The lad sitting beside Ria spoke before I even had the chance to open my mouth. "Why would Suze want some sick psycho for help?"
My thoughts exactly.
While Ria gave me a quizzical look, I just sat there, still cradling Susannah in my arms. After a few moments of pondering over her request, I finally decided to try another option first. You have to make sure every road is blocked before you go knocking on the door of your mortal enemy.
"Ria, come here." I whispered. She obeyed, and I handed Susannah over to her without a word. I closed my eyes and hoped that no harm would come to her while I'm gone.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a room I don't believe I've ever been in before. The walls were uniquely decorated, but the first thing that caught my eye was Father Dom sitting on an overstuffed chair positioned in front of a mahogany desk. I took a deep gulp of breath and he looked up from a book he had been absorbed in. His expression was startled when he saw it was I.
"Jesse?" Father Dom said uncertainly, and got up from the chair. "Why the grim face? What has happened?"
That's when I realized that I, myself, more or less didn't even know. I had heard someone calling me and the next thing I knew, I was there in that car with Ria and the other boy. And Susannah. I was immensely shocked when I heard the short version of what had happened. Back in the days when I was alive, you do not go around toying with things that you do not know how to work. People sure have changed since the 19th century.
"Well," I began. "Susannah was in this car crash. The car belonged to a ghost she was helping, I suppose. Somehow the car tipped over while she was driving down a mountain track and she fell unconscious. I arrived to help and carry her up to the road. She was awake by that time, but barely. We caught a ride to transport Susannah to the nearest hospital, except the lad driving it only wanted something, eh, intimate from Susannah." Here I paused and thought angrily back to what gone on then. "But Susannah, quick thinker she is, vomited all over him and threw him out of the car. She started driving that car, only we ended up in a huge ditch, and right then she fell unconscious for the second time. I fear we may really need your help now, Father Dom."
Father Dominic stared at me for a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. I glanced around nervously, hoping to avoid his vexatious scrutiny. I gaped at the bookshelves full of books. I paid more attention than needed to the paintings on the wall. I peered over his shoulder to see a neatly made bed in the corner. Finally, just as my eyes were running out of things to watch, Father Dom spoke.
"Where is she?"
Another question to which I didn't know the exact answer. I stood there for some time, thinking of what to say. I didn't believe that Susannah was in any real danger. She was at a safe place, and Ria and the other boy would protect her if necessary. Susannah is tough, and a mere gash on the head could not have done her any real harm. However, I do know that even the strongest of all cannot stand that much long without proper medical care.
"She's... I don't think she's anywhere close to here. Somewhere with a very low ditch. There shouldn't be that many places with that around here, shouldn't there?" I finally settled upon saying that, since any other answer may prove to be ignorant and useless.
Father Dominic furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion and despair. "I think I remember one time when I..."
"Yes?" I said, urging him to continue.
"Did Susannah say anything before she passed out again, Jesse? Anything at all?" Suddenly the conversation was in another direction. But I guess I'll have to trust that Father Dom knows best in how to handle this.
"She told me to 'Get Paul'. Except I didn't really understand that request. How could HE help Susannah? He is a mere mediator like her. So I came to you because I thought you would know what to do without bothering Slater."
Father Dom's expression suddenly had a hint of sarcasm in it. "Well, how thoughtful of you to not want to bother him while he's in a hospital, Jesse. But if I remember clearly, you were the one who sent him there in the first place. I wouldn't have thought the idea of disturbing him while he's healing would worry you in the least."
I blinked. "He's in the hospital? How could he still be in the hospital? It's been 4 days already. His wounds couldn't have been that severe."
Father Dom regarded me disapprovingly. "The injuries you gave him 'in the heat of the moment' was more serious than you would perhaps like to think, Jesse. You really should learn to control your emotions better. Next time, you may truly have to pay for your inconsiderate actions."
Great. Now we're talking about morals while Querida's life is at stake.
"Father Dom," I said, keeping my impatience in cheek. "Slater was sexually harassing Quer- I mean, Susannah. What did you expect me to do, stand by and watch while he make up stories about them sleeping together?"
He paled at my last words. I didn't think it was such a good idea to tell a priest something like that, true as it may be. "I mean, of course they didn't. Slater was just trying to provoke me." I added hastily
"And it worked, didn't it? He most certainly managed to provoke you." The sarcasm was back. Somehow, I found it slightly amusing that an old priest like himself can actually manage to be sarcastic.
"Well, what would YOU have done if the woman you're in love with is accused of sleeping with another man, the accuser being the man himself? Wouldn't you have tried to kill him also?" I asked, keeping my voice firm and solid.
"Jesse! Your intention was killing him?" Father Dom gasped, ignoring my first question completely.
"Father," I said gently, not wanting to waste anymore time on the subject of Paul Slater, of all people. "I think right now, we need to worry about Susannah's welfare, instead of that insolent bastard."
Father shot me a look of warning on using bad language. Then he sighed and spoke. "Susannah asked you to get Paul, didn't she? Why don't you do that while I try to find the place and call the police and ambulance?"
"But what's the point of needing Slater's help, Father," I said slowly, feigning annoyance. "If you have the situation under control?"
"Please," He said, already starting to dial on the phone. "Grant Susannah's wishes."
What was I supposed to say to that? And besides, I trust Susannah to make the best choice. Before I left, I sighed one last time and willed myself not to hit Slater the second I lay my eyes on him.
Ria's POV (If I had to write one more thing in Jesse's point of view, I would have screamed. I realized too late that I have absolutely zero ability to portray him properly.)
An uncomfortable silence settled within the car after Jesse dematerialized. And it's been that way since. My arms are cramping from holding Susannah, and I have a huge headache from listening to owls hooting for so long. Why hasn't Jesse returned already? Did something go wrong? The thought created jitters in my stomach, and I coughed a few times to break this damn eerie silence.
"Can you take over holding her for awhile?" I asked the lad at the back. "She's rather heavy."
He merely smirked. "I believe your brother asked you directly to take care of her while he's granting his lover's request?"
I glared at him. "But you're not exactly doing anything except sitting there. What's wrong with making yourself useful?"
This time, he didn't even bother to reply. While he hummed to himself softly in a tone I do not recognize, I sat there fuming about modern idiots. After some time, I finally lifted my head up and glanced outside. The car is positioned in a very weird angle, with the top hanging up and the bottom down. It seems as if this time we've fallen into a deep hole, only wider with lots of space on both sides. Susannah really is a very bad driver. Who has ever heard of two consecutive crashes in one night?
I looked up, and saw that we didn't really fall from that high. Someone skilled can even jumped down here without harming himself. Climbing back up though would be a problem, I guess.
Suddenly I saw a flash of lightning, then heard the deep rumbles of thunder in the distance. First the sight and sound were distant and vague, but gradually it became more frightening. Feeling nervous, I turned back to the lad again.
"Oh, shit," I heard him mutter. "Looks like there's gonna be a huge thunderstorm. And now, of all times. How's she doing up there?"
Thanks, I thought sarcastically, for not caring the least about ME. But all bitter thoughts were pushed out of my head when I heard a soft moan coming from the lips of Susannah herself.
Ironic that he chose that moment to rush forward into the seat parallel to me. The driver's seat, as they call it.
"Is she awake?" He asked, sounding worried. He peeled several strands of her hair away from her cheek. Susannah looked unbelievably pale and white. She slowly opened her emerald green eyes. Sweat trickled down her face, and she was breathing rather raggedly.
"Where the hell is that brother of yours?" The lad grumbled, though sounding genuinely concerned. "What's taking him so long?"
"I don't know," I said, my eyes gazing straight into Susannah's unusually large ones. "But I think you should just go get help. I don't think she can wait that much longer."
Nodding, the lad complied and quickly dematerialized, leaving me alone with Susannah. The sound of thunder kept growing louder and louder, and the flashes of lightning brighter than ever. However, still no rain has yet fallen.
After awhile, just as I thought no one is ever going to come for us, I heard a noise from above. More clearly, footsteps. Puzzled by this, I rolled down the window and stuck my head out. When I looked up and saw who it was, I could feel my heart stopping for a long second.
Oh no, this is not someone that has come to rescue us from this gigantic nightmare. It's that same guy that tried to rape Susannah before! The one that owns this car I'm sitting in right now, holding Susannah.
Oh yeah. I gingerly laid Susannah on the driver's seat as I heard the lad jump down, landing beside the car.
I watched, as if transfixed, as he flung open the door and grabbed Susannah out, promoting a scream from her. Well, at least she's fully awake now. That's a plus to this impossible situation.
It didn't register to me what the boy was going to do to her. I thought he was being nice and taking her to a hospital. Or something equally ridiculous for me to believe. How stupid. I only realized the dreadful and terrible truth when a pair of trousers suddenly flew into my face, blocking my vision.
Slowly, I willed my hands to peel it off and stared out of the opened door. The lad must have been completely plastered, to try something like this with a severely injured young lady. But even though I knew I had to do something, I still sat there, frozen as a statue.
A/n- Sorry if this chapter sucked, but I have something disgusting up my sleeve. Review, please?