Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne and Adriaan are ours as well.
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Without further ado.....Chapter Seven!
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Susannah's POV :
I must have looked pretty amazing when I ran into the diner. My hair was everywhere, I only had dusty pajamas on and my face, not so easy to see behind the mucus and tears. A waitress came over to where I had flopped down. A beautiful young girl who couldn't have been more than my age. She looked at me pitifully.
"Oh honey, you look horrible."
Thanks for stating the obvious. I thought miserably.
"Look, would you like to get cleaned up a little in back? I've got a pair of extra clothes you could have."
I looked up at her. "Thank you." I managed to croak out. Maria followed us silently.
We got some pretty curious glances thrown our way. One guy in particular looked at me and knitted his brows together.
"Who's that?" He asked the waitress.
"Shut up, Adriaan and get out of my way." She said, pushing her way through to the back.
"Here's some towels and a brush and...." She pulled a pair of jeans and a baggy blue t-shirt out of her locker. "...some clothes. I hope you don't mind me asking, dear, but....what's your name?"
"Susan...." I stopped myself. If Paul started looking for me, it would be easy to track me down under my old name. I thought a minute. There was nothing left for me back home besides my family and Father Dom and I couldn't go running back to them. If I did, Paul would find out, know where I was and come after me, putting not only myself in danger but both my family and Father Dom also. I couldn't ever return.
"Susan?"
I looked up. "....Yes....Susan....Susan," I thought a moment. "Susan Thompson."
"Well, Susan, my name is Anne and just let me know if you need anything. I'll be right out side." She smiled at me and walked out.
I looked at Maria.
"You know what you have to do."
Yes, I knew. All too well in fact.
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Paul's POV :
I came back from school that day and found the door to where I had taken Susannah wide open.
"Oh, crap!" I yelled out. I looked in her room. There was no one. Suddenly Bob came around the corner. "Where the heck is she!?" I screamed at him.
"She got away. I don't know how she did it. One minute I'm talking to this hot chick named Maria and the next thing I know....they're both gone."
I muttered an extremely loud curse word and ran into the room. So Maria had sprang her. That little witch....only I said something that sounded a little different.
I looked around. Nothing seemed to be missing. My eyes landed on the table in the corner. "Oh...." I muttered another extremely loud curse word and frantically searched for the book that had been laying on the table before I left. "She took it!" I cried out. "We have to find her....and soon." I ran out of the room and out the door for my car. If she had that book then all of my plans were ruined.
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Susannah's POV :
I shivered slightly as I was led through the dimly lit corridors of the upstairs rooms in the diner. If this was where I was to stay, it wouldn't improve my mood very much. I smiled slightly as Anne said something, trying to make me feel better. I suppose she took my smile as confirmation that I
was feeling better and she led me to a small room in the back of the corridor and opened the door.
"It's a little dusty because no one's lived here in a while, but...." she looked over at me nervously. "It is livable." She sent me....what I expect was supposed to be a comforting smile, but the ice inside my heart resented anything happy.
I smiled weakly at her....just to be nice and took a look around the room. It wasn't what I expected it to be. It wasn't exactly ancient, but it was old. I looked around and spotted the one antique piece of furniture in the room and felt my eyes brimming with tears. It was a wood grain mirror that seemed to be from the early 1800's. As soon as this recollection hit me....my eyes that had been slowly filling with tears....began overflowing. I went over to the bed and sat down. Dust flew around me....but I didn't notice it at the time. I just sat and bawled. Literally. I hated crying like this. Especially in front of anyone. Because looking at that mirror....reminded me of Jesse. Everything that I knew about him seemed to come in little spurts into my mind now. Like the time he had saved me from Heather. The time he had gotten angry with me for sicking the RLS Angels on Michael....and the many numerous times after. Sitting on the roof, his stupid cat and the affection he had for it....my crying could not be helped now. I lay down on the bed and felt a tissue being placed into my hand. As if from far away, I heard the door of my room close. I sat and cried....thinking about him....and.... Maria, awkwardly patted me on the back before dematerializing to wherever the heck ghosts went to. I finally fell into an exhausted sleep thinking of nothing but my broken heart.
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The first thing I saw as my eyes opened was Maria sitting uncomfortably on a nearby chair that had been placed in front of the window. "Maria? What the heck are you doing here?" Okay, before you say anything....I know she had just helped me escape the evil clutches of Paul and everything but look at it from my point of view. The girl had tried to kill me....not once.....but twice. Plus, she had ordered the murder of my boyfriend so you can see where I get my frustration and anger towards Maria. I looked back up at her and almost burst out laughing.....but stopped myself. She looked highly uncomfortable with her petticoats and long lace dress and layers upon layers of clothing. I mean how hot was it? 150 degrees or something. It was scorching in that room.
I didn't wait for a reply to my question. I just sat up and turned the alarm clock to face me. "2:30?" I groaned and fumbled for the side of the bed to push myself up. I got up slowly looking around. At first I had thought that everything had just been a horrible nightmare and as I walked around.....I feverishly fought to keep that illusion true. Failing at that.....drastically.
I tried to fix my hair (as best as I could) before heading down to the diner.
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Upon my arrival into the diner, I noticed two things. One....Maria hadn't shown up downstairs and two....Anne was staring at me like I was completely insane.
"What?" I snapped.
Anne looked taken aback. "Sorry." She whispered before continuing to serve the customers who were now swarming the already sweltering hot diner.
I blinked my eyes and really looked at Anne for the first time. She was a very pretty blonde girl in her early twenties. She had light blue eyes and seemed to be a few inches shorter than I. I heaved a deep sigh and smiled weakly at Anne. "I'm sorry Anne, I'm just not having the best of luck today."
Anne looked up and her face softened into a look of concern. "Oh Susan. I'm so sorry."
I plopped down at the back counter and heaved a huge sigh.
Anne came over and sat next to me. "Sometimes it helps to talk about it." She said.
"Well....I....uh....." I felt my eyes welling with tears. What was with this? I was turning into a regular water works fountain or something. Before I knew it the whole story came flooding out of my mouth causing me to gasp for breath and cry even harder. I omitted the stuff about me being a mediator and being able to see ghosts and all that stuff because let's face it....Anne just wouldn't be able to take it.
Just then, the guy that I had seen yesterday came bustling through the back door. When he saw us, he put on a huge grin and sauntered over to us. "Now I've told you over and over again Anne to stop confessing how much you love me to other people before I even get a chance to hear the news."
"Shut up Adriaan and get back to work. You....I believe.....have a whole line of customers just waiting to see your loving face." Anne shot back at him. She smiled as he walked off....carrying that same bemused grin with him.
"So, where are you gonna stay so that this.....Paul.....can't find you?" She asked. She knew that I couldn't go home, as I had profusely expressed this numerous times while telling the whole story to her.
"I don't know. I was kind of wondering if I could stay here?" I asked, hopefulness dawning bright into my eyes.
Anne thought a moment. Then she smiled. "The rent is $50 a night, but I think we can work something out...." She smiled and looked down at my disheveled clothing. "Ummm.....one thing though...."
I grinned at her nervously.
"We need to do some shopping."
My smile widened. Shopping would definitely take my mind off of some things for a while. Just for a short while but hey....as long as I could escape the pain for a second or two....
"Adriaan!" She yelled.
"What?" He came busting through the door from the kitchen.
"Cover for me." She said simply, grabbing my hand and pulling me along to the door. She didn't wait for a reply from Adriaan before we were out on the street in front of the diner.
"So what are you gonna do for a job?" She looked over at me.
"Well, I don't know...." I began thinking, carefully. I wasn't the job type but under the circumstances....
"Might I make a suggestion?" Anne asked, grinning.
"Yeah." I looked over at her.
"Work at the diner...."
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Well, there you have it. Chapter Seven. Okay, I need to point out something. First of all, Paul actually wasn't angry.... he was just in pain because Susannah had kicked him....a lot. He was also being ver cocky and arrogant with the fact that he was still trying to have her for his own. Also, a lot of you seemed very confused about why Maria is being so nice to Susannah. If you look at the end of Chapter 6, in Maria's POV, it says that she has empathy for Susannah, because that's how she felt when she couldn't find Diego, because Maria was just as in love with Diego as Susannah is with Jesse. I hope that clears up that little problem! :) Oh and don't worry, Maria's.....hateful....disposition comes back after a few chapters! :) Oh and I should probably also mention that Jesse is not gone, but Maria had only heard a snippet of Paul's conversation and got it confused that Jesse was actually gone and went to tell Susannah. So right now Susannah thinks that he's gone, but he actually isn't. Hope that helps! :) Thanks for the reviews! Keep reviewing! You know what to do! :)
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Without further ado.....Chapter Seven!
~~~~
Susannah's POV :
I must have looked pretty amazing when I ran into the diner. My hair was everywhere, I only had dusty pajamas on and my face, not so easy to see behind the mucus and tears. A waitress came over to where I had flopped down. A beautiful young girl who couldn't have been more than my age. She looked at me pitifully.
"Oh honey, you look horrible."
Thanks for stating the obvious. I thought miserably.
"Look, would you like to get cleaned up a little in back? I've got a pair of extra clothes you could have."
I looked up at her. "Thank you." I managed to croak out. Maria followed us silently.
We got some pretty curious glances thrown our way. One guy in particular looked at me and knitted his brows together.
"Who's that?" He asked the waitress.
"Shut up, Adriaan and get out of my way." She said, pushing her way through to the back.
"Here's some towels and a brush and...." She pulled a pair of jeans and a baggy blue t-shirt out of her locker. "...some clothes. I hope you don't mind me asking, dear, but....what's your name?"
"Susan...." I stopped myself. If Paul started looking for me, it would be easy to track me down under my old name. I thought a minute. There was nothing left for me back home besides my family and Father Dom and I couldn't go running back to them. If I did, Paul would find out, know where I was and come after me, putting not only myself in danger but both my family and Father Dom also. I couldn't ever return.
"Susan?"
I looked up. "....Yes....Susan....Susan," I thought a moment. "Susan Thompson."
"Well, Susan, my name is Anne and just let me know if you need anything. I'll be right out side." She smiled at me and walked out.
I looked at Maria.
"You know what you have to do."
Yes, I knew. All too well in fact.
~~~~
Paul's POV :
I came back from school that day and found the door to where I had taken Susannah wide open.
"Oh, crap!" I yelled out. I looked in her room. There was no one. Suddenly Bob came around the corner. "Where the heck is she!?" I screamed at him.
"She got away. I don't know how she did it. One minute I'm talking to this hot chick named Maria and the next thing I know....they're both gone."
I muttered an extremely loud curse word and ran into the room. So Maria had sprang her. That little witch....only I said something that sounded a little different.
I looked around. Nothing seemed to be missing. My eyes landed on the table in the corner. "Oh...." I muttered another extremely loud curse word and frantically searched for the book that had been laying on the table before I left. "She took it!" I cried out. "We have to find her....and soon." I ran out of the room and out the door for my car. If she had that book then all of my plans were ruined.
~~~~
Susannah's POV :
I shivered slightly as I was led through the dimly lit corridors of the upstairs rooms in the diner. If this was where I was to stay, it wouldn't improve my mood very much. I smiled slightly as Anne said something, trying to make me feel better. I suppose she took my smile as confirmation that I
was feeling better and she led me to a small room in the back of the corridor and opened the door.
"It's a little dusty because no one's lived here in a while, but...." she looked over at me nervously. "It is livable." She sent me....what I expect was supposed to be a comforting smile, but the ice inside my heart resented anything happy.
I smiled weakly at her....just to be nice and took a look around the room. It wasn't what I expected it to be. It wasn't exactly ancient, but it was old. I looked around and spotted the one antique piece of furniture in the room and felt my eyes brimming with tears. It was a wood grain mirror that seemed to be from the early 1800's. As soon as this recollection hit me....my eyes that had been slowly filling with tears....began overflowing. I went over to the bed and sat down. Dust flew around me....but I didn't notice it at the time. I just sat and bawled. Literally. I hated crying like this. Especially in front of anyone. Because looking at that mirror....reminded me of Jesse. Everything that I knew about him seemed to come in little spurts into my mind now. Like the time he had saved me from Heather. The time he had gotten angry with me for sicking the RLS Angels on Michael....and the many numerous times after. Sitting on the roof, his stupid cat and the affection he had for it....my crying could not be helped now. I lay down on the bed and felt a tissue being placed into my hand. As if from far away, I heard the door of my room close. I sat and cried....thinking about him....and.... Maria, awkwardly patted me on the back before dematerializing to wherever the heck ghosts went to. I finally fell into an exhausted sleep thinking of nothing but my broken heart.
~~~~
The first thing I saw as my eyes opened was Maria sitting uncomfortably on a nearby chair that had been placed in front of the window. "Maria? What the heck are you doing here?" Okay, before you say anything....I know she had just helped me escape the evil clutches of Paul and everything but look at it from my point of view. The girl had tried to kill me....not once.....but twice. Plus, she had ordered the murder of my boyfriend so you can see where I get my frustration and anger towards Maria. I looked back up at her and almost burst out laughing.....but stopped myself. She looked highly uncomfortable with her petticoats and long lace dress and layers upon layers of clothing. I mean how hot was it? 150 degrees or something. It was scorching in that room.
I didn't wait for a reply to my question. I just sat up and turned the alarm clock to face me. "2:30?" I groaned and fumbled for the side of the bed to push myself up. I got up slowly looking around. At first I had thought that everything had just been a horrible nightmare and as I walked around.....I feverishly fought to keep that illusion true. Failing at that.....drastically.
I tried to fix my hair (as best as I could) before heading down to the diner.
~~~~
Upon my arrival into the diner, I noticed two things. One....Maria hadn't shown up downstairs and two....Anne was staring at me like I was completely insane.
"What?" I snapped.
Anne looked taken aback. "Sorry." She whispered before continuing to serve the customers who were now swarming the already sweltering hot diner.
I blinked my eyes and really looked at Anne for the first time. She was a very pretty blonde girl in her early twenties. She had light blue eyes and seemed to be a few inches shorter than I. I heaved a deep sigh and smiled weakly at Anne. "I'm sorry Anne, I'm just not having the best of luck today."
Anne looked up and her face softened into a look of concern. "Oh Susan. I'm so sorry."
I plopped down at the back counter and heaved a huge sigh.
Anne came over and sat next to me. "Sometimes it helps to talk about it." She said.
"Well....I....uh....." I felt my eyes welling with tears. What was with this? I was turning into a regular water works fountain or something. Before I knew it the whole story came flooding out of my mouth causing me to gasp for breath and cry even harder. I omitted the stuff about me being a mediator and being able to see ghosts and all that stuff because let's face it....Anne just wouldn't be able to take it.
Just then, the guy that I had seen yesterday came bustling through the back door. When he saw us, he put on a huge grin and sauntered over to us. "Now I've told you over and over again Anne to stop confessing how much you love me to other people before I even get a chance to hear the news."
"Shut up Adriaan and get back to work. You....I believe.....have a whole line of customers just waiting to see your loving face." Anne shot back at him. She smiled as he walked off....carrying that same bemused grin with him.
"So, where are you gonna stay so that this.....Paul.....can't find you?" She asked. She knew that I couldn't go home, as I had profusely expressed this numerous times while telling the whole story to her.
"I don't know. I was kind of wondering if I could stay here?" I asked, hopefulness dawning bright into my eyes.
Anne thought a moment. Then she smiled. "The rent is $50 a night, but I think we can work something out...." She smiled and looked down at my disheveled clothing. "Ummm.....one thing though...."
I grinned at her nervously.
"We need to do some shopping."
My smile widened. Shopping would definitely take my mind off of some things for a while. Just for a short while but hey....as long as I could escape the pain for a second or two....
"Adriaan!" She yelled.
"What?" He came busting through the door from the kitchen.
"Cover for me." She said simply, grabbing my hand and pulling me along to the door. She didn't wait for a reply from Adriaan before we were out on the street in front of the diner.
"So what are you gonna do for a job?" She looked over at me.
"Well, I don't know...." I began thinking, carefully. I wasn't the job type but under the circumstances....
"Might I make a suggestion?" Anne asked, grinning.
"Yeah." I looked over at her.
"Work at the diner...."
~~~~
Well, there you have it. Chapter Seven. Okay, I need to point out something. First of all, Paul actually wasn't angry.... he was just in pain because Susannah had kicked him....a lot. He was also being ver cocky and arrogant with the fact that he was still trying to have her for his own. Also, a lot of you seemed very confused about why Maria is being so nice to Susannah. If you look at the end of Chapter 6, in Maria's POV, it says that she has empathy for Susannah, because that's how she felt when she couldn't find Diego, because Maria was just as in love with Diego as Susannah is with Jesse. I hope that clears up that little problem! :) Oh and don't worry, Maria's.....hateful....disposition comes back after a few chapters! :) Oh and I should probably also mention that Jesse is not gone, but Maria had only heard a snippet of Paul's conversation and got it confused that Jesse was actually gone and went to tell Susannah. So right now Susannah thinks that he's gone, but he actually isn't. Hope that helps! :) Thanks for the reviews! Keep reviewing! You know what to do! :)