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 (please?), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.
Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, 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.
To SweetestReject: Fred? FRED DE SILVA?! (laughs) Just kidding, but that's not likely to happen. Thanks for the review.
To Clavel: The devil and Mrs. Creepy? (laughs) I wholeheartedly support throwing up on Paul. Hehe. Thanks for reviewing!
To Enelya Tinuviel & Allimba: Thanks again, guys! (grins)
To Gen. Kenobi: It was something like "don't go in the woods." I'm not so sure I want to see that movie. Some of my friends saw it, revealed the secret to me, and then said, "It wasn't that good." The secret is pretty dumb though.
A theme song? Don't worry. I'm not that crazy. Thanks for reviewing!
To Holly: Well, this is a sequel to my fanfic "Timeout," as it says in the summary. If you read "Timeout," you would know why Jesse is alive.
To UnangelicHalo: Well, it's complicated why Della has shadows but she's just a mediator. In fact, I asked myself the same question at first, but my inspiration and muses were like, "Just go with it," so I did. (laughs) Thanks for reviewing!
A/N: The poll from the last chapter is now closed. Here are the results:
1) A boy? – 4 votes (80%)
2) A girl? – 0 votes (0%)
3) Or you don't care. – 1 vote (20%)
That settles it then. A boy it is. Now what about a name? If I get a few good suggestions, I'll make another poll or decide myself. We'll see. So far SweetestReject has suggested Fred. (cough) Not going to happen! (cough)
Chapter 8: Family's Separation
The Great Escape Plan begins…now!
Oh wait. I would need an actual plan for that to happen. Hmm… Okay. I have creepy shadowy things wrapped around my waist to keep me lying on my stomach. It's kind of uncomfortable really.
Not to mention the fact that my family is in danger, and I'm pissed off at the devil and she-devil. So, all in all, things aren't looking too good.
I had to stay calm though. Things could be worse.
It was right about then that I felt kind of like someone had hit me upside my head. My ears were ringing, and I heard voices. I recognized them immediately. Pictures went with the voices when I shut my eyes.
Shadows grasped Toby around his wrists as Jesse struggled to get them off him. Shaun started to mumble the words that would save them while kicking at shadows, as Rosie and Carmenita batted with sticks at the shadows trying to get at them. Unique and Jaco were crouched back-to-back, keeping shadows at bay with their jackets.
All were wearing very strange clothing. Of course, I remembered, it was Colonial Boston, Massachusetts after all.
Jesse, Toby, and Shaun were in double-breasted waistcoats, frock coats, and woolen waist-high breeches. It was strange to see Shaun's longish blonde hair tied back neatly.
Jesse looked pretty hot if I do say so myself.
Carmenita was in indigo blue petticoats and a white bodice with a matching, hooded blue cloak. Beside her, Rosie wore vertical-striped skirts in a beige color and a darker brown for the rest. She wore a mantle – kind of like a short cloak – of the chocolate brown. Both had on straw hats. Rosie's flew off her head and was engulfed in shadow.
Unique had only one petticoat on and a pale peach gown over it. Her long black hair was braided and topped with a little white cap with a peach ribbon around it. Jaco had on a white shirt with ruffles – I bet he hated it – with a waistcoat and breeches of shades of tan.
Shaun hissed one last word and the shadows vanished. "What did you do?" asked Unique, panting.
"Don't get comfortable," said Shaun. "They'll be back. I only sent them back to the present. They'll only come back when my mom gives them new orders."
"We need to move then," said Jesse. Obviously, he trusted Shaun enough to believe him. I had to admit I did too.
"Now, if I can just repeat what Shaun said," I said aloud when my vision cleared and I was staring up at the ballroom ceiling again. It had been in English to my amazement – unlike the timeout portal spell Father Dom had used on me to stop Paul from changing the past. It was an old style of English though.
"Darkness abate…ummm…and return to thy origin," I mumbled. "Stay…Wait." What if this only works for the new "breed" of shifters? Then again, Paul said Della was just a mediator and she could control the shadow ghosts, so… "Darkness abate and return to thy origin. Pray thou shan't hunt again until safety is in my…no! Safety is in reach! Ah! Damn it! Darkness abate and return to thy origin. Pray thou shan't hunt again until safety is in reach. Be gone now."
For a moment nothing happened, then with a whoosh, the shadows were gone. They weren't going very far though – I mean, their master was in the same house instead of a different point in time – which meant I had to escape as quickly as possible.
Sneaking out one of the wide wooden doors, I crept into the hallway. No one was about, but I stepped as silently as possible anyway.
Was it just me, or was that shadow moving? I punched the wall to ward off the shadow ghost – only to feel pain shoot up my hand. AHHHHHHHH! No damn shadow ghost there after all. Bad idea. I'm getting paranoid. It was a good thing I didn't yell aloud though. I sidled down the hallway and out into the foyer.
Sitting on a circular ornate rug in the center of the floor, was the biggest Rottweiler I had ever seen. Crap.
The dog lifted its massive black hair with its tan making and stood up on long dark legs. As I backtracked slowly, the canine hurried up to me and stuck its nose in my stomach. Inhaling deeply, he peered at me with very brown eyes. He licked my fingers and let me cautiously run my hand through his short ebony fur.
What was up? I'd have thought any dog of a Slaters' would have been vicious. Unless… I reached down and grasped the Rottweiler's red collar. Written on the rectangular silver tag attached was:
"EMALEIGH"
SHAUN SLATER
215-444-6661
34 ALDER ST
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
CA
That explained it then. This was Shaun's massive pooch.
"I have to go, Emaleigh," I said, patting the dog's head. "You be a good girl and stay quiet."
She probably missed Shaun I realized. The big eyes pleaded with me for a moment before I groaned and whispered, "Let's go, buddy." It was better to come with me than be forgotten by Della and Paul.
Grabbing a leash off a set of hooks by the front door, I fastened it to Emaleigh's collar and walked right out of the house. Sure, technically I was stealing the dog, but I don't think Shaun would minded much.
I went to the first person I could think of – Father Dom. Emaleigh seems to think the walk a lot of fun, but I hated the four miles between the Mission and Paul's new house. I kept wondering if I would see Paul and Della coming up behind us in a sports car or if I was going to collapse.
We made it though. I stuck my head into the open rectory window and hissed, "Yo, Father Dom!"
One startled grunt later and I was sitting in Father Dominique's office, rubbing Emaleigh's head and neck. Father D was pacing his office, trying to absorb what I'd told him.
"Susannah," he said after awhile, "what are you going to do?"
"What do you think?" I grumbled. "I'm going to go to Colonial Boston and help my family."
"And you want to perform the time ritual again? How can that possibly work? You're not one of these new shifters," Father Dom said.
No, I wasn't, but I would have special help.
Pulling on the same long flowing blue and white gown I had worn when going back in time to Jesse's past, I hoped it could pass as a dress from Colonial times too. It had ruffles and was as abundant in petticoats as the dresses Carmenita and Rosie had been wearing, but perhaps a bit more modern.
In the church, I was standing in the same old chalk circle with the eye drawn in the center – with Father Dom reading from the ritual. It was very much like déjà vu really. If I could just make it to that "Timeout Tunnel" maybe Pase, the guardian of it, would hear me out.
That had to work. I had no other plans.
Father Dom's words were almost completely imperceptible to me with the howl of wind around me in the huge church. I wouldn't have been able to understand him anyway. The words weren't English or Spanish.
Sitting obediently at Father D's feet was the great dark Rottweiler. Emaleigh was letting out little barks in protest of the breeze whipping at her face.
And then, I was somewhere else entirely, soaring through a familiar tunnel of darkness with occasional streaks of lights. I landed on my feet this time, still in the dark.
With a flurry of pink sakura petals and an accompanying raven's squawk, the guardian appeared. Pasebakhaenniut – don't ask me to pronounce that – was adorned in her usual white with her long matching hair curling around her and her raven, Tahemet, sitting on her parasol.
"I know why you have returned, Susannah Simon," said Pase in that blank voice of hers.
I kind of figured she would know though. Now I just had to make sure she knew what I needed her to do…
"Well," I asked, "will you let me do some time-hopping?"
Cawing, Tahemet took flight and landed on my head. I tried to swat at her, only to feel my eyes go heavy and my body fall to the ground. Damn bird. What had she done to me?
The first thing I saw was a child's pale body clothed in peach cloth, shivering and whimpering. She was hiding underneath a bed, trying to quell her own fears. Prowling the perimeter of the bed was a shadow ghost.
I realized with sudden clarity that the little girl was Unique. Where were the others? WHERE WAS JESSE? He wouldn't leave Unique. None of them would.
Suddenly with a flash, I was in another room of what felt like the same shadowed house that Unique was hiding in. Curled up in a closet were Rosie and Shaun. Both were motionless. Rosie was biting her lip and squeezing Shaun's hand in a death grip.
I immediately realized they were scared too – just like Unique.
I was in a room across the hall then. Carmenita was hidden on her back in a bathtub behind a shower curtain, keeping her arms pressed against her chest and her eyes tightly shut.
Jesse and Jaco – I soon discovered – were whispering in the basement. "Why did we have to split up, Dad?" muttered Jaco, hiding under the stairs with Jesse.
"It will be harder to find us this way," Jesse noted. His eyes were trained upwards, waiting.
"But what about Unique? She was in her room when they came!" Jaco hissed urgently.
I could see Jesse grimace and let out a long pained breath. "Your hermanita will be fine, Jacob. Just believe that. All the exits were cut off. We had to do it this way."
"I – " began Jaco before Jesse cut him off by covering the boy's mouth with his hand. Above them on the stairs, shadows lengthened and pooled into the basement.
I sat up in my real body with a start. Turning wild eyes on Pase and watching as Tahemet flew from my hair, I gasped, "I have to get to them! I can't let – "
"Hush," said Pase, holding up one hand – palm towards me. "There is nothing you can do there. That event passed by an hour ago without any of your involvement."
"But I could go back farther in time and warn them!" I hissed.
"No," Pase said. "That time is closed to intruders now. Your kin have been scattered."
Scattered? What?
"Only one of yours remains in that time," continued Pase. "The others have spread out in small groups through time."
"Then," I snapped, really irritated, "what should I do?"
"You must find the remaining one," Pase ordered. "He will be useful in discovering the others."
Why couldn't I just stop them from separating in the first place? These guardians think they know everything…
"Fine," I grumbled. "Just send me there. Do I get another one of those roses though?"
"Since you will traveling through more than one time, you must take this instead," said Pase.
Tahemet dropped a little gold chain on my lap. Strung through it was a tiny smooth red gem with a rose design somehow engraved inside of it. I slipped it over my head and tucked it under my dress.
Now that I was fashionable old-style and safer, it was time to get to work. As much as I like a bit of danger and adventure sometimes, I have to ask:
What am I getting myself into?
A/N: Well, this certainly took awhile. I had problems with it though, so I hope it turned out okay. Please review! Bye!
