A/n- I just finished reading A Great and Terrible Beauty, a meaningful and deeeeeeeep book, and my thoughts are still confused and I have a huge headache. So I apologize in advance if anything I write may sound too out of character or don't make sense.

Also, special thanks to SweetestReject!



Chapter 10

Paul's POV

"Wake up," A small voice hissed into my ear. Though the sound was no bigger than the chirp of a cricket, still I jerked awake immediately as if the loud cheering after a football game was what startled me awake.

Sitting up quickly, I glanced around and saw that indeed I was not where I was supposed to be. As in, my surroundings include no hospital bed, hospital TV, hospital fridge, hospital curtains, hospital sofa, or anything of the sort. Instead, if I am correct, I am in Shadowland.

Confused and a little annoyed, I turned toward the person that awoke me. I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but it was surely not a small girl no older than seven or eight holding tight onto a patch of my shirt. She wore a long and simple dress, and her feet were tiny and bare. Dark, almond eyes were carved into her face, complete with thin lips, a long nose, and high cheekbones. I stared at her, forcing her to look away at last.

"Who are you?" I asked, curious despite myself. She looked awfully like someone that I know, whom I can't really pinpoint right now.

"That's not important," She said, squirming under my penetrating gaze. "I brought you here to tell you something. Or rather, show you." She corrected herself.

I watched and listened in fascination as she muttered to herself for a bit. I didn't catch a single word, for she is clearly a very fast talker, and I am sorry to say I didn't even grasp what language she was speaking in. But that's not important. After awhile, she seemed to have finally settled on a decision.

"Think," She said curtly. "Picture what you dreamed."

"Eh, what?" I questioned, not bothering to mask my amusement and confusion. Not much to impress here.

"Remember?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. "The visions?"

Visions? What visions? What is this girl talking about? I saw no visions. The only thing I am in fact seeing is floating clouds of white all around us. That's the only color in this place. Pure white. I strained my look to look further ahead, but my view is blocked by a fog thicker than Jesse De Silva's head. I sighed and turned back to the girl.

She's looking at me expectantly, as if sure I would know what the hell the 'visions' she's talking about are. When I gave her a completely blank face, she glared at me.

"So," I spoke, trying to sound charming but no succeeding in the least. "You brought me here to see visions?" Not that I cared why. I wasn't really even irritated that she interrupted my beauty sleep. I was getting bored to death there with nothing interesting whatsoever to do all day. Sleep should be considered a distraction, paradise even compared to listening to nurses talk you to death whenever possible. But of course, a cute girl (Bear with me here. Who said seven years old girls couldn't be called cute?) summoning you into Shadowland should be at least entertaining, if not exciting. Even if her cryptism is quite annoying.

"No," she said flatly. "You should have already seen them."

I coughed to keep from laughing in her face. That would have been rude, wouldn't it? Especially since she probably believes she has said nothing funny at all. And she hasn't. I just have a simple habit of finding young girls acting like George Bush rather hilarious.

"You don't know?" She asked with just the right amount of panic. "Do you just not remember them, or are you sure you have never seen them?"

Seems to me the answer is pretty obvious. But I didn't want to disappoint those big brown eyes of hers. They look so hopeful. It would be pointless to cast that hope away. Especially since I might even come up with something that's not total crap if I bothered to think about it. So you can see, I had no choice but to change the subject back to something she'd intentionally avoided discussing.

"Really. Who are you? Where are you from? Are you alive or dead?"

The glare is back on that adorable face of hers. "That, I believe, is none of your business."

"But I have to call you something, don't I?" I smirked, feeling very amused with this conversation.

She obviously thinks I'm not taking her seriously enough. Okay, so I'm not. I don't go around respecting and encouraging small children's ideas and beliefs. I don't happen to be one of those compassionate guys that view little kids as equals. No. Paul Slater knows that he is superior to all.

Sorry if that sounded the tiniest bit conceited, but really, I'm not a pompous person. I'm actually being very honest by stating the wonderfully phenomenal truth.

The girl hisses at me. "I think being called 'the girl' would be marvelous, thank you. But back to the matter at hand. Are you absolutely sure that you saw no vision when you drifted off to sleep?"

Her tone was what did me in. I furrowed my eyebrows together, so it would look like I was really trying to recollect earlier events. A familiar buzzing started sounding in my head, and I closed my eyes, trying hard to remember. Finally, after what feels like a century, I opened my orbs and shrugged. I did feel as if there's something tugging at the edge of my mind, but I can't seem to grasp it. Maybe time will help.

I heard a rustling sound and turned my head to look. A dark outline seeped through the shadows, and it's walking nearer and nearer. The girl held on tighter onto my shirt, and she hissed, "Well, if you can't remember, then here's someone who'll help you recall that dream. Think back to the visions. It'll help you save her."

Um, excuse me? I don't believe I understood a single word of that nonsense. Just as I opened my mouth to ask her what exactly she thinks she's talking about, she disappeared.

I shook my head, a smile tugging at the corners of a very gorgeous mouth, if I do say so myself. Kids these days. They would do anything for attention.

Ah, even if they act as if they're serious about the whole damn incident regarding visions and dreams. And even if they did summon you into the cold, dark (or should I say light here) Shadowland for the entire purpose. And even if they are powerful enough to do it.

Still. They're called 'immature brats' for a reason.

I was still musing over our comical conversation when the fog finally lifted, revealing a very pissed off looking Jesse De Silva.



Jesse's POV (I'm sorry! Pardon my sucky Jesse-writing skills for a bit longer, all right?)

I am staring at the face of Paul Slater. The lying, conniving, manipulating Paul Slater. The Paul Slater that I knew I'd loathe with a vengeance the first time I laid my eyes on him. The Paul Slater that tried to steal my Susannah away from me. The Paul Slater that gave my Susannah nightmares for weeks. Oh, and the Paul Slater that I'd need the help of in order to save Susannah this time.

I gritted my teeth together, and willed my arm to stay at my sides. My hands balled into fists involuntarily, and I felt my ghost fingernails cutting into my palms.

"De Silva," Paul said cuttingly, sneering at the sight of me as usual. I kept my expression blank, even though I was madly fuming inside. He cannot see how much he affects me.

"Slater," I replied, keeping my voice even. There would be no Susannah this time to stop me from murdering Paul Slater. I would do it, if I didn't give a –pardon my French- about Susannah's welfare right now.

Then, before we could enter a staring match that could doubtlessly last for hours, I quickly explained about what had happened to Susannah. As I went through everything, I saw understanding slowly dawning in his eyes. And then some confusion, too. At last, when I finished, instead of helping me get to querida right away, Paul Slater shot out with a "How did you get here?"

Um, definitely not the question I was expecting. All the harder to think of an answer, especially since I myself am not too sure of that. The only thing I know is, one minute I was standing beside Slater's bed looking at a lifeless form of him, and thinking that he dropped dead in his sleep, when suddenly I ended up here. No warning. No anything. Just a unexpected pull and I was walking through thick, white clouds that was leading me to nowhere until I found him in this particular patch.

"I don't know," I said in answer to his question. "How did you get here?"

Which was a very stupid thing to ask, I guess, since he's a mediator and has powers beyond my imagination.

To which not only does he use to his advantage, but also his 'clever' tricks of manipulation.

"How did I get here?" Slater smirked, mocking me. "What would you say if I told you that a little girl brought me here to question me in relation to visions?"

My palms are really starting to ache from the nails biting in. My fists are really starting to get sick of not hitting something. Maybe I should just...

No. We're getting nowhere fast. I'm here to ask for his help considering Susannah, dammit!

"We need to go to Susannah immediately," I said, my voice tight.

"Yes, I realize that," Slater replied breezily. "But first I need to know how you got here so I can get you out."

"What?" I almost spat into his face. "Shouldn't you already be able to do all those fancy stuff?"

"Shifting, you mean?" He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. In fact, it was more like a curl of the lips than an actual, brilliant smile that Querida sometimes bestow upon me. No that I'm comparing my Querida to such an offending figure of Satan.

"Well, you see," He continued when I didn't respond. "I believe the girl I was speaking with earlier was a very strong mediator and shifter, even if she is merely seven or eight years of age. She was able to bring me here with will alone. Same goes for you, if I'm not mistaken. Because desire coupled with energy and force is a very powerful combination, as you should probably know?" Seeing my irritated nod, he went on. "When you showed up, I tried to shift back into my body at the hospital, but was unsuccessful. I was confused at first, but it seems as if your story stirred something inside me, and I remembered this dream I was having tonight."

"Slater," I interrupted. "Get to the point already."

"Well fine. The thing is, the girl 'accidentally' held onto my power when she left me. I'm guessing her will alone wasn't enough to pull her through this one after all, so she stole my power and forgot to give it back. That is one possibility. Another is somehow she closed the gates to the Realm without realizing it. Amateur." Here he scoffs. I can't say I'm following this story along very well. It's hard to tell if he's just making this up. But I guess one thing is clear.

"So, what do we do now?"

Slater lifted his eyes to mine. His bright blue eyes penetrated straight into mine as he says, "Find the portal."

"How?" I asked nervously. We're never going to be able to get to Susannah at this rate.

As if reading my thoughts, Slater replied, "We have to search for it. It may take hours, or even days. For the time being, we're stuck here.

"Suze will have to save herself."



A/n- Hm, I think I'll just leave it there. Ahh, my chapters are becoming shorter and shorter! Well, I'll deal.

So, there will be no knight in shinning armor! Mwahahaha, if you can't tell, I'm not feeling very generous toward them right now. But that's just a bonus. I wanted Suze to get out of this one herself anyway. Jesse and Paul, working together is rather cute, don't you think?

Yeah, whatever.

I'll explain more in later chapters. Just not about the girl. She'll come back. Not anytime soon, though.

You're welcome to review and yell at me. I really don't care. I like being called mean because of my cliffies. But I am not so evil that I'll actually have that creepy dude rape Suze. I have a plan... a rather distasteful –or pleasant, depends on how you look at it- one, as I mentioned earlier. Just review for now, please?

Thank yous!

-Enelya