Okay. So things went pretty wrong from there. So what? I could have taken her if she hadn't done the whole using-her-super-powers thing.

She got me on the floor pretty quick. Then lunging towards me with nails gleaming, she proceeded to beat me to a bloody pulp. That is until Jesse used his powers to fling her against a nearby wall. She slid down limply. At least she was out cold. That'd give me the element of fighting dirty. I could take her up to the shadowland before she even woke up.

I was just about to storm over there when Jesse grabbed my arm. He twisted me around to face him rather painfully. I had a feeling his fake sibling had broken my arm.

"Susannah. What are you doing?" he asked hotly. I rolled my eyes and struggled out of his grasp. Unfortunately it was proving difficult. He was much stronger than me.

"Um, Jesse? Do you mind letting go of my already broken arm?" I asked angrily. He dropped it as if it was a hot coal. It fell limp at my side. Great. Broken rib, broken arm, what else? God, sometimes I hate my job.

I brushed off my filthy t-shirt and began strolling towards her again. I had no idea where the other chick had gone. Probably to go and terrorise another poor girl. Namely me knowing my luck. It only took me a couple of seconds to realise Jesse was following me.

"Susannah." I kept walking. She was already beginning to stir. Pretty soon she'd be back to her usual destructive self. But Jesse had other ideas. He stepped out in front of me and grabbed my shoulders to stop me from stumbling. Too bad I did it anyway.

"Jesse! Get off before she wakes up." He gave me a piercing look from where he was stood looking down at me. I could tell he was kind of annoyed. Mostly because of the scar -practically glowing -in his eyebrow.


"Susannah, have you learned nothing? If you take her now she will kill you." I was dismayed at his lack of faith in my mediating skills. Sure I'd almost been killed a million times since he'd met me. It doesn't mean I can't deal with an unconscious ghost now!

"Jesse, I appreciate your concern. But right now I'm focussed on ditching that homicidal bitch before she wakes up. Ok?"

He just looked down at me sadly.

"Susannah,"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" said a cold voice from behind me. Then I felt the pain as my broken arm was twisted behind my back. Let me tell you now: it hurt. I practically screamed it hurt so bad.

"Now look what you did." I gasped at him angrily. I saw him take a threatening step towards my captor. Then felt the dagger get pushed against my throat as I forgot all about my arm.

She was going to kill me. I just knew it.

Jesse looked like he was going to have a heart attack himself. He looked so angry and concerned all at once. I closed my eyes and tried to wish it all a way. You know, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz?

But it wasn't working. She was going to kill me in front of Jesse.

"It's been a long time Hector." She whispered in her cold way. I could almost feel the chill she inspired. Like an ice goddess.

"Let her go." Jesse whispered back. He sounded a lot more concerned than I'd thought he would. Almost vulnerable. Almost.

"You know, when my mother died I always imagined meeting her again. To see her once more. I guess some things remain childish fantasies." She gave out a heavy sigh that ruffled my hair annoyingly.

Jesse was looking at her in confusion. I kind of understood the feeling. She was clearly unhinged in a major way.

"You knew your mother was Maria?" he asked. He still looked worried and seemed to want to keep her talking. Gives me more time to live I guess.

She gave a childish giggle and used her free hand to stroke my hair fondly. Like I was some kind of animal. I tried to pull away from her but she just yanked my hair in response.

"Oh aren't you mature." I told her as she let my hair drop. Jesse had stayed where he was, obviously scared she may strike out at me if he came any closer.

"I don't like tricks. And you are a very tricky person Susie. Does anyone ever call you that? It sounds much better than Suze. I heard that boy calling you it and I felt like doing this to him." She demonstrated digging her nails into my skin. I could feel blood oozing out as she let go. I was so going to kill Paul for calling me that when she was obviously watching.

She giggled again. Rippling musical laughter that filled the air like a song. I swallowed hard as she pulled my head back and ran her knife over the base of my throat. She looked back up at Jesse with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Yes. My adoptive mother –yours I presume- I went to her when she was dying. She told me on her death bed. I wept for days. Months even." She whimpered and looked away.

"I was never allowed to meet with Maria or my father though. It seems they did not wish to know me after all."

I saw Jesse looking at her with more rage then I'd ever seen on someone's face before. But I had a more pressing question to ask:

"And they let you into heaven how?" I asked in mock confusion. That was a mistake, because at that exact moment she raised the knife and began to lower it towards my throat…………….

Then a hand came out of no-where. Too quick for me to acknowledge at first. And grabbed the knife, throwing it into the darkening shadowed corner. I fell forwards as Jesse caught me.

"What did I tell you about screwing with me?" Came the soft feminine voice of my rescuer. It was the other ghost. She had soft features that seemed to become more pronounced the longer you looked at her. Auburn ringlets fell to her waist, hiding her black sweater and dark jeans. It was her eyes that seemed to hold me though. A brown so intense they seemed to capture the person that looked into them. She was very beautiful.

And I vaguely recognised her. From a photo. A photo I'd seen in the room Jesse had been given by Father Dominic.

"Susannah. Are you okay?" Jesse pulled me to my feet and inspected me worriedly.

"I'm fine. Well if you call a broken arm and a couple of broken ribs fine. But I guess it's an improvement…….." but I got cut off as he leant down and kissed me.

"Never do that to me again." He told me breathlessly. Not that he has any breath, but still. I guess it has something to do with the body remembering what you'd be feeling if you were alive. Go figure.

He pulled back some of my chestnut coloured hair and stroked my cheek softly. It would have almost been romantic. Except for the fighting ghost girls again.

"Jesse, who is that girl?" I asked pointing at the curly haired ghost questioningly. He gave me a small smile.

"That is the girl Father Dominic fell in love with." He answered quietly. I gasped. Of-course it was. The rectory had once belonged to Father Dom. And seeing as he was in love with her, why wouldn't he have a photo. I had one of Jesse didn't I?

"Oh my….." I whispered. Jesse just laughed.

"I know. That's what I thought. It seems she came back for him after all." He told me softly. I looked at him then. Hard. Is that the reason Jesse's still here the? Because he loves me? He gave me another small answering smile.

"Yes. You're the reason I haven't moved on. Father Dominic and I have been doing a lot of research on it recently." My eyebrows shot up at that. Oh great, so now he tells me.

"So does this mean you're staying?" I asked uncertainly. He grinned.

"It means more than that," he answered excitedly, "we've found a spell among some old papers of his. It says that you can become a Shifter…..but only if you have died in a past life and wish to continue helping on Earth instead of going to Heaven or Hell. It seems Mr Slater has been doing some covering up of his own."

"What? You mean Paul is….was dead?" I asked confusedly. I didn't understand at all.

"Yes he was. But his Grandfather was able to help him become a Shifter. You can only become a shifter if you have died. That's why he was so interested in you. You were born a Shifter. You never had to die to become one. You're the first of your kind."

I gasped in shock. So that's why Paul disliked Jesse so much. And why his hand always seemed so cold and strong. He was a dead man brought back to life. And that means….

"Oh my God. You can become……"

"I know." he whispered more seriously this time, "I had to think it through. I still don't know if it would be right. I was obviously meant to die…."

"So you could meet me! Don't you see? It's fate. I went to a psychic when I was younger. She told me I would have one love that would last till the end of time. You're that person."

I didn't get to say much after that. Jesse kissed me for what seemed only seconds, but I had a feeling it was in fact much longer. We had found a way. I couldn't believe it. We could actually be together. For real.

"I love you Jesse." I whispered. Then I looked towards the ghost girls worriedly. I should try and help.

"I'll be back in a minute." I told him as I strolled towards the golden haired girl. She was on the floor, looking very unhappy.

"I think I took care of her. Yu can do the rest." Smiled the dark haired girl. I touched the blonde girls shoulder slightly and smiled down at her. I couldn't even be mad at her anymore.

"Come on." I told her softly, "Let's take you home."