Mediator Mom

By: ChocolateEclar

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (no fair), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

A/N: This is the sequel to Timeout. Please read that story before this one. By the way, I will be using a bit of Spanish. Please let me know if I make any mistakes. This is for everyone who reviewed Timeout. Now…enjoy.

Prologue: A Day in the Life

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Thump!

I thought being a mother would be easier than being a mediator. I was wrong.

"Mamá! Papá! I think Toby broke his arm!"

See? This is so not easy. Some moms are "Soccer Moms." I am a "Mediator Mom."

Groaning, I rose from the black swivel chair in front of the computer in my bedroom and went out onto the landing of the staircase. Jesse followed, looking slightly amused at my grumbling. Note to self: Next time, he is going against the four hundred pound ghost that haunts the kids' bathroom. I do not want to hear Toby swearing at 1 AM because he can't pee in the bathroom next to his room.

Speaking of my oldest son, I spotted him nursing his right arm while he lay on the tile floor of the foyer below.

Carmenita was smirking faintly beside him. "Tonto," she teased in Spanish. Basic Translation: Fool.

"Besa mi culo," grumbled Toby. Basic Translation: Kiss my ass.

"Oh, the language of a couple of teenagers," I said, stepping down the stairs.

As both of them looked up guiltily, Jesse added, "What happened this time?"

"Toby decided to ride the banister and fell off," said Carmenita, green eyes glinting innocently.

"Only because you could do it," hissed Toby, standing up. He was taller than me, but not quite as tall as Jesse. He had green eyes like me, with Jesse's dark, crisp hair. All in all, I bet he was quite the catch at the Mission.

Yeah, Toby, Carmenita, and my other children – Rosalinda, Jacob, and Dominique – all went to the Junipero Serra Mission Academy. God, help ol' Father Dom. To think he had to put up with five demi-De Silvas at once. And all mediators at that.

Toby was only thirteen and tended to not look before he leaped – not usually literally. This incident was a perfect example. The eldest, Carmenita, was petite and tan like the previous Carmen Lucia De Silva, but with short coffee-colored hair. She was adorned in a pale pink tank top and a denim skirt that wrapped tightly around her hips.

"It was your own fault," she said. "You should be more careful."

"You know he wouldn't have done it if you had not, Carmenita," said Rosie wisely. She was in the doorway of the kitchen that led off the foyer. A faint grin crept to my face at the sight of her companion – a little dead dog. I'm serious too. Rosie is an odd mediator. She specializes in helping deceased animals. The little dog standing at her heel was a small German Shepherd puppy with a pure black coat and strangely bright blue eyes. Its tail was wagging as it peered at us curiously.

Rosie – more often than not – made the dead animals her pets instead of helping them move on. I'm pretty sure she has atleast ten other such dead pets hidden in her room. Atleast I don't have to feed them. Jacob – nicknamed Jaco – has a dog named Hiei – after his favorite male anime character – that won't go near Rosie's room.

Rosie herself was as tall as Carmenita with a fairer complexion and black eyes behind circle-framed glasses. She was showing less skin than Carmenita – she was wearing a black shirt with bold white letters that proclaimed her a "WHIZ KID." At the age of fifteen, Rosie was a regular Doc – like my youngest stepbrother.

"Let me see your arm," Jesse said to Toby who lifted it towards him. "Well, it's not broken."

"You'll have a nasty black and blue mark though," I said.

Toby shrugged and went to get ice from the kitchen. Carmenita traveled up the staircase and to her room. A shriek followed.

"Holy Jeez! Who died?" Jaco yelped, poking his bleached head around the corner of the living room doorway. He was very tan with spiky hair dyed blonde at the tips and dark eyes. He stepped into the foyer with his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans and a black baseball hat backwards on his head.

Carmenita was rushing back down the stairs again. "Rosie!" she snarled. The puppy hid behind Rosie's legs, shivering. "That damn dog of yours destroyed my room!"

"What do you mean?" asked Rosie, picking up the pup.

"My curtains and half my magazines are torn and thrown around!" snapped Carmenita.

"Diana didn't do that!" riposted Rosie. "Some other ghost must've! I told you I thought there was one walking around the house at night besides the Bathroom Ghost!"

Before Carmenita could respond, I butted in. "Enough! Go back to your room, Carmenita," I ordered. "I'll help you clean up. Then, we'll go ghost hunting."

"Already got the ghost," said another child. We all gazed up at the landing of the stairs to see the youngest, tiny Dominique. Being yanked by her ear was a young ghost no older than my littlest daughter. Unique – as Jaco had dubbed her when she was two – had shoulder-length black hair and skin as pale as mine gets during the winter. Her eyes were very emerald-colored and she was wearing my old leather jacket that reached just above her little bare feet.

"Nice job," said Jaco, grinning.

Unique's face – as seemed its custom really – was very blank as she nodded in response.

"Why'd you wreck my room?" grumbled Carmenita to the ghost kid. She was slowly cooling off as she frowned at the ghost girl.

"Wanted to," proclaimed the ghost kid definitely. She was dressed in a pink dress and had little fair curls around her grimacing face.

Unique pursed her lips slightly in annoyance and squeezed the girl's ear more tightly. The ghost cried out and tried to break free to no avail. "I'll let you go if you move on," Unique offered.

It was a threat I had made myself a few times. Oh, my little girl is learning.

"Argh… Don't…wanna," said the ghost, struggling. Squeeze. "Ow! Okay!" gasped the ghost. She vanished.

Unique nodded to herself and looked right at Jesse and me. "How was that?"

Grinning, I said, "Your first mediation. Great job."

Jesse nodded and said meaningfully, "Carmenita…"

Rosie turned to Carmenita. "See? It wasn't my little Diana," she said.

"Yeah," Carmenita admitted. "Sorry."

Rosie shrugged. "No problem."

"Now that that's all settled," said Jaco, smirking, "who's up for some ice cream from the fridge to celebrate Unique's first mediation?"

All the others cried out, "Me!" at the same time – including Toby from the kitchen and Unique. I watched them look at Jesse for permission.

"Go ahead," I complied.

A mad rush to the kitchen followed, making me laugh even when Jesse, CeeCee, Adam, and I talked about it later.

Things are never dull around here. It's a given with seven mediators under one roof. As for me, I'm not the only shifter.


A/N: So, how is this so far? It's only the prologue though…

A/N 2: Chapter 1: An unexpected return… Review please! Bye!