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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Thanx so much guys for reviewing! You guys are so awesome! I must gush about you constantly! Now, I won't make you wait any longer for the next chapter since you guys seem to like this story so much. I just hope that we can continue to meet your expectations. Okay, without further ado....Chapter 11.
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"Jesse!" I heard someone yelling my name and tried to sit up, but quickly fell back down. I felt the pounding in my head and groaned as I lie there in so much pain. I gasped for breath....wait....breath? I opened my eyes and put my hands in front of my face....they didn't have that otherworldly glow to them that they usually had. I looked over at Susannah's father in amazement.
He looked about as shocked as I felt. "Jesse....how...." He seemed to be at a loss for words.
"I do not know, Mr. Simon. How could this have happened?" I asked. I touched my cheek and put my hand above my mouth. I could feel breath coming from me and grinned. I'm ALIVE! I smiled and put two fingers to my wrist....and felt my pulse pounding from there. I sat up slowly, minding my head, and looked at Susannah's father.
"Jesse....can I ask you something?"
"What is it Mr. Simon?"
"Go find out what happened to my little girl." He dematerialized right in front of me.
I stared at the place where he had just been. "Don't worry, I intend to." I whispered. I was alive....now I could fing out what really happened to my querida. She just couldn't be dead. I would not settle for that. I had settled for that excuse far too long. I thought to myself as I got up and walked out into a new world of technology and living....breathing....people, who could see me. And that scared the heck out of me.
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Susannah's POV:
I woke up this morning to bright sunlight creeping in through my window. At first it was so bright that I thought that maybe my dream had come true and Jesse was waiting on me with open arms. Huh, yeah....right. Unfortunately, and as I suspected, I realized all too late that it was just the sunshine creeping through my window. I groaned and rolled over as my high hopes died with a silent thud in my heart. I glanced over at my bedside table and picked up the little book that I had sat there the night before. I flipped to the article I had been reading last night and skimmed over it once more. I felt the tears stinging the backs of my eyes and decided that maybe it would be better to continue with the book and not dwell on....well....that particular subject. I jumped up and grabbed a bottle of water that I had sitting in my apartment and began chugging it down as I sat cross legged on my bed, flipping to the next chaptered article.
I gasped. If anything this article had been almost as surprising as....well....the last one. My eyes never left the page until I finished the article and by that time I was jumping for joy. The article had been about the "medicine" that Paul had decided to administer on me that day without my knowledge. It said that after about five months or so the "medicine", as Paul so calmly put it, would wear off, enabling the person who had had it administered to them, able to call ghosts to them once again. I looked around. So far nobody must want my services, since no ghosts were showing up. You'd think that since I'd been out of commission for a few months I'd have work lined up out the....well you know. I smiled to myself as I thought about all of my mediation skills being zapped back into my body. Now that would be a funny and slightly interesting sight. 'Cause as much as I hated them, I'd be lost without them.
Speaking of sights, a slight shimmer appeared at my left shoulder and I jumped. Suddenly, my mind raced and my heart started beating loudly. Okay, you know who I thought it was right? My heart believed it was Jesse, but my mind just tried to keep telling my heart to shut up and get over it....that Jesse was never coming back and that I'd just have to accept it. My hopes still grew higher, however, but were shot down just as quickly when I turned around and discovered who it really was. "Maria?"
She jumped slightly at the mention of her name and broke her gaze away from the floor to fasten onto my face. "Oh, so you can see me now?" She sneered.
Well, I was not going to take this. I mean, give me a break. My boyfriend gets taken away from me, I can't go home and talk to my family, Paul is out there....somewhere (the spawn of satan that he is) and here I have this incredibly annoying, yet sometimes very helpful (though I hate to admit it), ghost trying to push my buttons already. And it isn't even noon yet....how rude! See this is the part about my job I hate....if you can call it that. Anyway. I chose to just ignore her particularly rude comment and settled back into the question I was just dying to ask. Get it. I laughed to myself. Okay, so my sense of humor is a little warped. By now, Maria was looking at me like I had lost my mind. Okay, well, maybe I have. "What do ya want, Maria? I'm kind of busy as you can see."
She looked slightly taken aback by this but, well....tough luck. Hey, nobody ever said that I had to be all nice and happy when I talked to her. "I will just ignore that little comment and tell you what I came here to inform you of."
Now seeing as how the last time she told me something and began the conversation similar to this, my heart literally ripped into a million pieces. So you can see why I wasn't too happy or eager to hear what she had to say. But I gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Go ahead, but make it quick. I have a lot of important things to do today." I trailed off, getting up to organize my clothes and my room. Now of course I had just told a flat out lie, but I mean really....would you have wanted to sit and listen to....what had to be bad news....from Maria, of all people? Didn't think so.
She looked at me and grimaced slightly. As if it were hurting her to actually talk to me and have an at least civil conversation. "Susannah, you might want to sit down."
Immediately my eyes shot to hers and I realized that whatever this was, had to be important, or somewhat at least. Never breaking eye contact with her, I made it to my bed and sat down, waiting for her to speak again. I held my breath unconsciously.
"Susannah, there is something that I must tell you and it is...." she took a deep breath, "....difficult to say the least....and I know what I have to say will probably make you angry or upset...."
My breath came out in a slow hiss and I interrupted her sharply. "Maria get to the point."
She shot a sharp glare at me for a second, her eyes like hot coals. I rolled my eyes and kept my mouth shut. Eager to finally hear what she had to say. She looked at me for a second longer....I guess sizing me up and trying to see if I was indeed actually ready for what she had to say. "Susannah, while you were....indisposed....well....I couldn't get in touch with you, because of what Paul had done....to your mediating abilities....and well...."
"MARIA!"
"Oh....anyway, I went to that....place that I was sent to when you exorcize me and I happened to run across this....guard....person."
I looked at her stupidly. I had no idea where all of this pertained to me. Especially with the gladiator looking dude. "Why do I care, Maria?"
She got a very disgruntled look on her face before she answered me again. "Because....Susannah, Hector never went to that....that....place. What you have to understand is that....something....something happened to Hector....Jesse....something....unnatural and now he's stuck somewhere...."
Geez, cryptic much? "Wait! Wait a minute...." I gasped, trying to find the exact words to convey my emotions correctly at that point. "Maria....are you telling me....there's a chance that....he's not gone?"
Maria looked at me, eyes widening with understanding. "Susannah, do not get your hopes up, but yes....there is a chance that he may not be gone for good."
Then....for the second time in front of Maria, I cried. Except this time, my tears weren't sorrowful. Oh no. They were full of hope.
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Well, there you have it. Chapter 11 and as always.....you know what to do! :) You guys are the most wonderful reviewers anyone could ever have!!!! :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's going to start really getting good now. :) hehe.
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Thanx so much guys for reviewing! You guys are so awesome! I must gush about you constantly! Now, I won't make you wait any longer for the next chapter since you guys seem to like this story so much. I just hope that we can continue to meet your expectations. Okay, without further ado....Chapter 11.
~~~~
"Jesse!" I heard someone yelling my name and tried to sit up, but quickly fell back down. I felt the pounding in my head and groaned as I lie there in so much pain. I gasped for breath....wait....breath? I opened my eyes and put my hands in front of my face....they didn't have that otherworldly glow to them that they usually had. I looked over at Susannah's father in amazement.
He looked about as shocked as I felt. "Jesse....how...." He seemed to be at a loss for words.
"I do not know, Mr. Simon. How could this have happened?" I asked. I touched my cheek and put my hand above my mouth. I could feel breath coming from me and grinned. I'm ALIVE! I smiled and put two fingers to my wrist....and felt my pulse pounding from there. I sat up slowly, minding my head, and looked at Susannah's father.
"Jesse....can I ask you something?"
"What is it Mr. Simon?"
"Go find out what happened to my little girl." He dematerialized right in front of me.
I stared at the place where he had just been. "Don't worry, I intend to." I whispered. I was alive....now I could fing out what really happened to my querida. She just couldn't be dead. I would not settle for that. I had settled for that excuse far too long. I thought to myself as I got up and walked out into a new world of technology and living....breathing....people, who could see me. And that scared the heck out of me.
~~~~
Susannah's POV:
I woke up this morning to bright sunlight creeping in through my window. At first it was so bright that I thought that maybe my dream had come true and Jesse was waiting on me with open arms. Huh, yeah....right. Unfortunately, and as I suspected, I realized all too late that it was just the sunshine creeping through my window. I groaned and rolled over as my high hopes died with a silent thud in my heart. I glanced over at my bedside table and picked up the little book that I had sat there the night before. I flipped to the article I had been reading last night and skimmed over it once more. I felt the tears stinging the backs of my eyes and decided that maybe it would be better to continue with the book and not dwell on....well....that particular subject. I jumped up and grabbed a bottle of water that I had sitting in my apartment and began chugging it down as I sat cross legged on my bed, flipping to the next chaptered article.
I gasped. If anything this article had been almost as surprising as....well....the last one. My eyes never left the page until I finished the article and by that time I was jumping for joy. The article had been about the "medicine" that Paul had decided to administer on me that day without my knowledge. It said that after about five months or so the "medicine", as Paul so calmly put it, would wear off, enabling the person who had had it administered to them, able to call ghosts to them once again. I looked around. So far nobody must want my services, since no ghosts were showing up. You'd think that since I'd been out of commission for a few months I'd have work lined up out the....well you know. I smiled to myself as I thought about all of my mediation skills being zapped back into my body. Now that would be a funny and slightly interesting sight. 'Cause as much as I hated them, I'd be lost without them.
Speaking of sights, a slight shimmer appeared at my left shoulder and I jumped. Suddenly, my mind raced and my heart started beating loudly. Okay, you know who I thought it was right? My heart believed it was Jesse, but my mind just tried to keep telling my heart to shut up and get over it....that Jesse was never coming back and that I'd just have to accept it. My hopes still grew higher, however, but were shot down just as quickly when I turned around and discovered who it really was. "Maria?"
She jumped slightly at the mention of her name and broke her gaze away from the floor to fasten onto my face. "Oh, so you can see me now?" She sneered.
Well, I was not going to take this. I mean, give me a break. My boyfriend gets taken away from me, I can't go home and talk to my family, Paul is out there....somewhere (the spawn of satan that he is) and here I have this incredibly annoying, yet sometimes very helpful (though I hate to admit it), ghost trying to push my buttons already. And it isn't even noon yet....how rude! See this is the part about my job I hate....if you can call it that. Anyway. I chose to just ignore her particularly rude comment and settled back into the question I was just dying to ask. Get it. I laughed to myself. Okay, so my sense of humor is a little warped. By now, Maria was looking at me like I had lost my mind. Okay, well, maybe I have. "What do ya want, Maria? I'm kind of busy as you can see."
She looked slightly taken aback by this but, well....tough luck. Hey, nobody ever said that I had to be all nice and happy when I talked to her. "I will just ignore that little comment and tell you what I came here to inform you of."
Now seeing as how the last time she told me something and began the conversation similar to this, my heart literally ripped into a million pieces. So you can see why I wasn't too happy or eager to hear what she had to say. But I gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Go ahead, but make it quick. I have a lot of important things to do today." I trailed off, getting up to organize my clothes and my room. Now of course I had just told a flat out lie, but I mean really....would you have wanted to sit and listen to....what had to be bad news....from Maria, of all people? Didn't think so.
She looked at me and grimaced slightly. As if it were hurting her to actually talk to me and have an at least civil conversation. "Susannah, you might want to sit down."
Immediately my eyes shot to hers and I realized that whatever this was, had to be important, or somewhat at least. Never breaking eye contact with her, I made it to my bed and sat down, waiting for her to speak again. I held my breath unconsciously.
"Susannah, there is something that I must tell you and it is...." she took a deep breath, "....difficult to say the least....and I know what I have to say will probably make you angry or upset...."
My breath came out in a slow hiss and I interrupted her sharply. "Maria get to the point."
She shot a sharp glare at me for a second, her eyes like hot coals. I rolled my eyes and kept my mouth shut. Eager to finally hear what she had to say. She looked at me for a second longer....I guess sizing me up and trying to see if I was indeed actually ready for what she had to say. "Susannah, while you were....indisposed....well....I couldn't get in touch with you, because of what Paul had done....to your mediating abilities....and well...."
"MARIA!"
"Oh....anyway, I went to that....place that I was sent to when you exorcize me and I happened to run across this....guard....person."
I looked at her stupidly. I had no idea where all of this pertained to me. Especially with the gladiator looking dude. "Why do I care, Maria?"
She got a very disgruntled look on her face before she answered me again. "Because....Susannah, Hector never went to that....that....place. What you have to understand is that....something....something happened to Hector....Jesse....something....unnatural and now he's stuck somewhere...."
Geez, cryptic much? "Wait! Wait a minute...." I gasped, trying to find the exact words to convey my emotions correctly at that point. "Maria....are you telling me....there's a chance that....he's not gone?"
Maria looked at me, eyes widening with understanding. "Susannah, do not get your hopes up, but yes....there is a chance that he may not be gone for good."
Then....for the second time in front of Maria, I cried. Except this time, my tears weren't sorrowful. Oh no. They were full of hope.
~~~~
Well, there you have it. Chapter 11 and as always.....you know what to do! :) You guys are the most wonderful reviewers anyone could ever have!!!! :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's going to start really getting good now. :) hehe.