This starts a couple hours before the 1st book, when Suze is getting on the plane to fly to California. What would happen if Suze met Paul, before she met Jesse? For all of you Jesse lovers, you might not like this one, 'because I still don't know who I want to end up with Suze.

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Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, Meg Cabot does. I said it, so now you can't sue me)

Chapter 1:

"Oh Suze, I am going to miss you so much."

"I know, Grandma, I'm going to miss you too, and you cooking." We laughed as we hugged each other. When I let go I looked over at Gina. She had an extremely sour expression on her face.

"I'm still not happy about this, Susannah." I gave her the same look back.

"What, you think that I am?" I said sarcastically. She walked over and pulled me into a hug.

Gina, the only friend that I ever had, thank you very much to that one little secret that I have: the ability to see ghosts. You might think that it is cool to see the dead, but it isn't. I am a mediator. My job is to help lost souls move on to where ever it is that they are supposed to go after they die. Unfortunately, some ghosts don't want to go, leaving me no choice, but to result to violence. Now let me tell you, you are considered some what of a freak when you are battling invisible things.

Every one knew to stay away from me since I was always talking to myself and stuff. Except Gina, she was different. She stuck by my side since we were little. My best friend and now I'm being forced to move to the other side of the continent, to California. I have to leave my life in New York behind, which I guess the only thing I'm going to miss is Gina and my grandma. And my dad too, of course, but I shouldn't be counting him. I mean he's dead, but he still stuck around, popping up here and there. I tried to get him to move on, but he refused. I just hope now that mom remarried, that he will move on.

"Suze, we're going to call each other, we're going to write each other. And,"

"We're going to visit each other." I said, completing the phrase that she had been saying ever since my mom had gotten engaged to Andy.

"Good, you've got it down." Gina said with a laugh, though I could tell that she was about to cry. Hey, it was better than my grandma, who was already crying.

"Ok, ok you guys. If I don't go now, I'm going to miss my plane." I said, noticing the boarding call that they had just made. I walked over to the flight attendant and handed her my ticket.

"Thank you miss." I nodded and continued forward.

"Hey Suze!" I turned around and looked at Gina who had a really big smile on her face.

"I think that you're going to enjoy this flight." She said with a glance to her right. I looked to the same area as her and saw what she was talking about. I saw an incredibly cute guy heading towards our gate. I gave a little laugh, knowing that with my luck I would be sitting between a bunch of old people. Plus I wouldn't have a chance with him anyway, or so I thought.

I was sitting in my seat, staring out the window waiting for the plane to take off. I had thankfully gotten a window seat, and there was no one sitting next to me yet. Thinking about what type of ghosts I was going to encounter in California, I didn't hear him sit next to me.

"Any thing interesting out there?" it was the guy that Gina had pointed out to me. He was even cuter close up and about my age from the looks of it. The best part about it all, out of all the seats, he had chosen to sit next to me. Even though there was that seat in between us.

"Um, not really." I said, trying to make my voice as smooth as possible

"You seemed realy interested in what ever it was you were looking a." he told me

"I was thinking." I said.

"Hmm, ok, well I'm Paul Slater. You are?" he said as he stuck his hand out.

"Susannah Simon" I replied as I shook his hand.

"So what were you thinking about?" Paul asked. I paused, trying to decide what to tell him, and he waited for me to answer.

"I was thinking about what life was going to be like with three step brothers and a step dad." I said giving him a partial truth.

"So your mom got remarried?" he asked.

"Yep."

"And you're moving to California?"

"Yep, again" I said, trying to sound cheerful

"Where in California are you moving to?"

 "Carmel, why?" I asked, wondering if we started to play twenty questions without me knowing.

"Because, I have to move from Seattle to Carmel, so I can help take care of my Grandpa. I was just up here in New York to spend some time alone for winter break."

"Is that right, have you ever been to Carmel before?" I asked

"Yea, my parents like to stay at the Pebble Beach Hotel. I've been there twice before."

"I see, so what school will you be attending?"

"Some old mission place, I think it's called Junipero Serra Catholic Academy." he said, seeming uninterested in it.

'I think I'm going to the same place, I can't remember for sure, but I know that it was at some old mission." Just then a ghost materialized in to the seat between Paul and me. I stifled a scream and held my hand, so I wouldn't smack my father. That's correct. Here I am on my way to a new home, and my dad, who was supposed to be in his next life, was sitting next to me. I couldn't ask him what he was doing here, since Paul was right there, so I kept my mouth shut and starred at the seat in front of me hoping that Paul wouldn't notice anything.odd.

"Susannah, are you sure that you're all right about this moving thing, because I'm still completely against it." I gave a little snort. Did he seriously expect me to answer that in front of Paul? Ok, I have to act normal. This was going to be someone at my school, don't want to make bad first impressions.

"So what's Carmel like?" I said trying to act normal. I looked over at Paul, and for the first time noticed that he was studding my dad. How is that possible?

"Hello young man, what's your name?" my dad said extending his hand to Paul as if he was still alive.

"Paul" he replied in a lower voice as he shook my dad's hand. I can't believe it. Am I dreaming? Here is this completely hot guy, who can see ghosts. "I'm guessing you must be Suze's father, but I don't think that you should be here."

"Of course I should be here. It's where my daughter is. That's the reason I'm still here, and don't you think that you can get rid of me, Suze has been trying for years." All the sudden I started laughing, this was too much. I looked out my window to try to gain focus, that didn't do much. Apparently we had already taken off, how did I miss that? I looked at my watch; we have been in the air for about twenty minutes. Ok, not going to ask. I looked back to my dad and Paul.

"I can't believe that I'm sitting here talking to another mediator. I started to think that I was the only one." This time Paul was the one to start laughing.

"I'm not exactly a mediator; I'm a little bit stronger than that. That is how I knew that you were one, I sensed it. If you weren't than I wouldn't have started talking to your dad. And trust me, were not the only ones." A big smile crossed my face. I turned to my dad praying that he would leave.

"Dad, I promise that I'm fine. Now go, I'll talk to you when I get to Carmel. And feel free to move on"

"Alright, alright. I'll go now. I love you Suze."

"I love you too" I said as he dematerialized. I looked at Paul, who was studding me with a slight a smile on his face.

"Is that always how you get rid of ghosts?" he said with a laugh

"No, not really." We talked the whole five hour flight about different ghosts that we had encountered. Some of the stuff he said was really interesting, but I got the feeling he was leaving something out. Next thing I know, our plan started to descend. Paul looked over at me.

"Hey Suze, tomorrow night, do you want to go explore Carmel with me. It's our last night be fore we have to go back to school, might as well enjoy ourselves."

"I'd love to, hold on a sec." I reached down in to my bag, and pulled out a pen, and my Address book. I flipped open to where I had written my phone number. Then copied it down to a blank sheet of paper and handed it to Paul.

"This is my number." I said

"Great, I'll call you tomorrow and tell you what time I'll pick you up." Everyone started getting up as the plane pulled up to gate 4b. I was so happy, I felt like singing. I have a date tomorrow, with a mediator too. We walked off of the plane, and I heard my mom screaming my name, even if she wasn't yelling, I would have seen them any way. Dopey and Doc were holding up a big sign that read Welcome Home, Susannah. I felt my Cheeks go read. "Oh god"

"Don't worry, I promise I won't tell anyone about it. I'll see you tomorrow." Paul said. He gave me a comforting smile, which I returned, and then he walked away to the exit. Ok maybe this won't turn out too bad. I already had a date for tomorrow. ME, Susannah Simon, had a date. This will definitely work out, at least after I burn that damn sign