A/N: Hey my lovelies. This week is review week, a.k.a. Dead Week at school. That means much reviewing (not of the fan fic variety) for Hayley. I have to make good grades on the Geometry and Physical Science finals or I might be in big trouble. I'm totally freaking out now. I'm so mad at my computer because I'm trying to download TS2 Body Shop, which I've been waiting impatiently for months. But no, Hayley isn't allowed to have really cool programs on her computer because IT HATES HER! Life is so unfair! Oh, but at the same time it can be…because our band is going to march Pirates of the Caribbean as our marching show next year! How 'bout that?

Sorry to bore you with my silly randomness…

Besides the hotel being over seventy years old, there was also the fact that it was really cheap. Yeah, you heard me, cheap. And not just the pricing. I'm pretty sure Father Dom dished a good chunk of money for this hotel. Poor dear wasted his money…because it would have been better to sleep on the bus!

Everyone crowded into the small lobby and waited for an elevator. Only two of the three actually worked, the middle one and the one to the left.

The up arrow started spazzing out, alerting us that the middle elevator was ready to board. Quickly I grabbed Adam and CeeCee and we pushed our way into the small elevator. It was only about 2 feet by 5 feet, making it very cramped with three people plus baggage. The creaky elevator doors closed slowly and I pressed the button for the seventh floor. The seventh floor button blinked a few times and then burned out. Then the 4th floor button started flickering as the elevator went up.

The elevator stopped at the second floor…and every floor after that, pausing for a moment to catch anyone that might enter. But no one was waiting for the elevator on any of those floors. Finally, the old elevator stopped at the seventh floor and the creaky doors opened once more. Adam stepped off first, and the elevator went up about a foot with the door still open. CeeCee and I shrieked but then calmed down as it drooped back down where it belonged.

"Geez," Adam regarded the elevator with mock hurt, "I don't weigh that much!"

"Don't let it bug you," I told him, "You have five bags of luggage. What do you keep in there anyway? Your pet rock collection?"

"I had to leave those at home in order to bring my X-Box," Adam replied with a smirk.

"An X-box? Way to bond with your classmates," CeeCee said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah, well you don't have to room with Slater now do you? Speaking of which, where is he? He has my key."

"I guess you could help us find our room," I offered, trying to change the subject.

I didn't know it was possible to get lost in a place that was so cramped. The hallways were so narrow that the three of us had to walk single file in order to fit through. The walls were covered in wallpaper that was probably at one time white, but had been yellowed as the years passed. The carpet was this hideous faded green color with some sort of design on it that I couldn't figure out because it was so worn.

We finally stumbled upon a door with tarnished silver numbers on it that read "710". CeeCee dug out the key from the pocket of her Mudd jeans.

"You can do the honors, Suze," CeeCee said as she presented me the golden key.

With my tired state, it took me a few tries until I got the key in correctly. Finally, I was able to turn they key and open the door.

"Whoa!" Adam exclaimed as he took a few steps back, "That is a big room. Is this, like, a suite or something?"

CeeCee and I stepped in together with our mouths opened in awe. The room was a pleasant light blue color with slightly darker blue carpeting. Outside of the window, you could see the start of the setting sun. There was no balcony or anything, but it was still a nice room. There were two good-sized beds, both a pale icy color of blue. Like Paul's eyes…

Don't think about Paul, I told myself, especially in reference to beds…

"Wow! This is amazing! And it's all ours!" CeeCee exclaimed as she plopped down on one of the beds with a sigh.

"No way!" Debbie, who appeared in the doorway, shrieked. "Kelly, look at their room. It's huge!"

Kelly magically appeared from our bathroom door. Wait a minute…

"We have to share a bathroom with…Ohmygawd! How come they got this room?" Kelly whined.

"Oh, Kelly! It must have been a mistake," Debbie said as she pushed Adam aside and bolted into the room.

"There was no mistake," CeeCee said as she crossed her arms. "We were just lucky."

"But…but we have more stuff than you do," Kelly protested with a pout.

"So what? You shouldn't have brought your whole wardrobe with you," I said as I stood beside CeeCee. We weren't going down without a fight!

"Well, that means…you have to give us your room," Debbie demanded as she motioned to the icy blue beds.

"We are not giving up our room and that's final!" CeeCee and I yelled in unison. Go us!

"Fine," Kelly sniffed. "I hope you both are happy. You guys, like, totally ruined our trip!"

They both left our room in defeat through the bathroom that we shared. CeeCee and hit our hips together in a little victory jig.

"You two are officially my heroes!" Adam said as he placed his right hand over his heart.

"What? We've replaced Weird Al?" I asked with a giggle.

"Well…okay, not quite. Hey, we have some free time, let's chill in the lobby," Adam suggested.

CeeCee agreed immediately. I told them I was still a little drowsy from my nap and that I'd be down in a minute after I splashed my face a bit. The two skipped down the hallway merrily.

I went in the bathroom and ran some cold water to wash my face off a bit. As I splashed my face, I couldn't help but think that this trip wasn't going to be as bad as I had originally thought. I wiped off my face a bit with one of the complimentary towels and then headed for the door.

Well, once I opened the door I was face to face with Mr. Icy Blues himself. I really did think about slamming the door on him, but I really couldn't muster any energy to do so. Those eyes, they were so intense that just the sight of them could make you feel so powerless.

"Oh hello Paul. Lovely evening isn't it? Well, I gotta run…Adam and CeeCee are waiting for me, you know. So if you could just move…"

"Well," Paul cut me off suddenly, "I don't think that will be necessary. Come on, Suze, I want to show you something."

"But…"

I didn't have time to protest, because Paul grabbed my hand and led me down the narrow hallway. He opened these double doors and led me up the staircase. We went up about three flights of stairs, which really did a number on me. I mean, can't a girl get some rest around here without being dragged away from her friends who were waiting on her in the lobby? Finally we reached another set of metal doors.

"Now, close your eyes," Paul told me as he let go of my hand.

I hesitated on whether I should or not. I mean, who knows what Paul Slater was up to. He's bad news in my book. Don't let the fact that he looks like an Abercrombie & Fitch model fool you. This guy is 100% danger.

"Don't be like that, Suze. I want to show you something," Paul pleaded.

I can be like this if I want to, I wanted to tell him. It's not like he's done anything to make me trust him. I can make a list of everything he's done to make me miserable:

1. He practically stalked me all summer.

2. He tried to exorcise my boyfriend.

3. He left his little brother, Jesse, and me stranded in a very unfamiliar and not to mention completely bone chilling place.

4. He had the nerve to show his perfectly flawless face at MY school.

5. He also had the nerve to lure me into his room with false promises and then kiss me.

6. He caused two weeks worth of foot pain (and bloodstains on my Jimmy Choo's).

The list could go on and on (and on and on). So you can see why I was adamant about closing my eyes for more than a second around the guy.

"God Suze, just close your eyes. Trust me, okay," Paul said, gradually losing his patience.

"Fine," I sighed as I cupped my hands over my eyes, "Lead the way."

Paul gripped my shoulders firmly and slowly guided me forward. I felt ahead of me with my feet, making sure the ground was still there. You never know…he might have been trying to push me into oblivion like he had so many times in my nightmares. Well, at least he used to…the nightmares went away after the secret deal was made. I guess my subconscious decided that he no longer posed any threat. Well, I was in for a huge wake-up call.

Suddenly, we stopped moving, and Paul removed his hands from my shoulders. I shivered as a breeze hit my bare arms, making me wish I had time to grab a sweater.

Paul slowly removed my hands from my face with his own hands. I still kept my eyes closed, afraid to open them…afraid of what I might see.

"Go ahead, Suze," Paul urged me with his calm, quiet voice, "You can open them now." I swallowed hard and slowly opened my eyes…

Oh. My. GOSH! The view…it was so amazing! We were on the very top of the building, looking down on the nightlife of Orange County. The sky was a faded mix of dark and light blues, dotted with a few sparkling stars…adding to its beauty. The moon was only a thin, sliver crescent hanging in the sky. It was so simple, yet it was just so perfect. I was beginning to wonder if it was just another one of Paul's freaky magic tricks.

"You like it, Suze, don't you," Paul said. He wasn't really asking me, it was more like he was telling me…telling me that it was so magnificent…so breathtaking. I felt myself nodding in agreement, still and stupefied.

"Good, then. Now that we're here, we can talk business," Paul said as he pushed himself up onto the edge of the building, blocking the view.

"Business?" I asked, snapping out of the magical enchantment of the sky.

Paul leaned forward slightly. "You have questions, Suze," he told me, "Questions that only I can answer. So just ask away."

"Oh, you mean that neat little trick you did earlier…pushing the pause button on life. Is that what it was?" I asked as patronizingly as possible.

"It's not just some 'little trick', Suze," Paul said rather defensively.

"Well…" I started, but then I stopped.

I wanted more than anything in the world to ask questions. I wanted to learn. I wanted to know. But knowing came at a price. I had to do exactly what he wanted me to do…to ask just the right question. Then he would have me right where he wanted me.

Paul reached out and turned my chin towards him. His gaze was sharp, piercing into my soul. I wanted to know…Oh God I wanted to know so badly. But I couldn't give in…I wouldn't.

"Paul," I said taking a step back, "I get crushed by falling objects, beaten to a bloody pulp, and thrown into really large ditches a lot, okay? It's a daily thing for me. So don't think for a minute that you can just perform a little shifter 'magic' or show me the pretty sky and expect me to just…give in, because you know what? I won't…give in, I mean. I'm not going to stand aside while you ruin my life."

"Who said I was trying to ruin your life?" Paul asked suspiciously.

"Your…No one. I just figured that moving about from different planes of existence couldn't be all that good for me."

That was a close one. I almost said too much. His grandfather warned me about him, and about the dangers of shifting. He told me that it could kill me. I don't know if Paul had ever heard the same information. Or maybe if he had, if he had even listened. Did he ever consider the fact that one day, he could turn out like his drooling gramps? I heaved a shudder at the very thought.

"Suze," Paul cooed as he hopped from the edge and onto the ground in front of me. "I can make everything easier for you. You wouldn't have to find yourself in scrapes like that anymore. It's really simple. All you have to do is…" Paul trailed off as he took a menacing step closer.

"W-what?" I stammered, shrinking in his shadow, "What do I have to do?"

Paul smiled with satisfaction for a moment. He then held out his hand and purred, "You just have to trust me. Do you trust me, Suze?"

"Paul," I pleaded, "Please don't do this…"

"It's a simple question…yes or no. Do you trust me?" Paul repeated clearly.

I never trusted him…I don't think I ever really could. But it was too risky to say no. He might get some crazy idea like oh, I don't know…exorcising Jesse again? We had a deal, but he might have felt I wasn't living up to my part. Then again, if I did trust him, that would mean he had the upper hand. He had the power…power that may cause us to meet our untimely end.

But they could also make my job so much easier. For as long as I can remember, I've been stuck with this unwanted duty. So why not make it quick, easy, and painless?

I took a deep breath that drowned out my doubt.

"Yes," I answered as I took his hand, "I do." (A/N: Suze just said 'I do'…to Paul! Teehee!)

"You made the right choice," Paul assured me as he led me nearer the edge of the building. "See all of this? We have the power. All of this, the green grass, the blue skies…it's all ours to control."

I do have to admit that it was all so lovely. I could move around, as I wanted. I could get rid of pesky ghosts at the snap of a finger.

"You have great potential, Suze," Paul told me, "You have the ability to do things beyond your wildest dreams. You and I…we can have whatever we want. We can have the world."

At the last bit, I gulped loudly. What did I just do? I just sold my soul, just so I could have the freaking universe. I felt selfish, wrong, and incredibly guilty.

I also felt like I was going to puke.

A/N: Gosh, that was a really long chapter…11 pages, my friends. I actually got TS2 Body Shop to install and run! I feel so stupid. I just had to rejoice! Anyway, on with story details…tell me what you thought, please. I made this chapter especially long because I don't think I can update before finals. I get out of school the 27th, that isn't too long is it? I really can't wait. Paul was getting a little too strange with his "You and I are going to take over the world MUAHAHA!" speech. He's on this huge ego trip right now…you understand. And Suze…shame on her for getting all power hungry on us. Well, it'll all work itself out sooner or later. So watch out for the next chapter…and I heart you girls (and any guys that read, I want to know if any of you exist) for reading and reviewing. It means so much to me!