(A/N) Hey guyz! Thanx for the reviews!! gives everyone a teddy bear And thank you Gothic Granny for reviewing both of my chapters. gives an extra special teddy I know i was a bit evil, leaving the chapter like that at the end so i am going to be nice this time. Or maybe not.......
Discalimer: Don't own the Mediator Series and any of the characters, they're Megs, and yes, i DON'T own Jesse. Wish i did though.
"Jesse," I breathed aghast. I couldn't believe what I saw. I mean it just didn't seem real.
Jesse lay there on the smoky floor, not even moving. His usual glow had receded slightly and he didn't look like he was doing so hot, f you know what I mean. His head lolled drunkenly to the side and blood oozed out of cuts and gashes all over his body. I stared at him. Jesse's shirt was torn down the middle. I grimaced. His perfect abs were splattered with blood. His clothes were all dirty and ripped. I brought my gaze up to Jesse's face. His forehead glistened with sweat and blood mingled together. His scar glowed white with anger. He wasn't angry at me- I knew that because as soon as I'd looked him in the eye, which I did right then, Jesse's scar stopped glowing. Just like that.
He should've been though, oh he definitely should've been angry with me. After all, it was because of me he'd gotten beat up, if I'd have just gone with Paul, none of this would be happening.
Jesse attempted a smile but it came out crooked. I noticed that Jesse's lips-which had met mine once before-were split and starting to crust over. I looked at him sadly.
"Hello, querida," Jesse said, gazing at me. His inky black eyes searched mine.
I looked down at my feet. I couldn't look at him. I just couldn't. I mean it was all my fault. Everything was my fault and Jesse didn't even seem mad at me.
I heard him get up. I could tell by his grunts that it hurt him but I couldn't bring myself to help him.
I listened as Jesse took step after step towards me until he was right in front of me.
"Querida, why won't you look at me?" he asked, placing a finger underneath my chin and lifting it up.
I gazed into Jesse's dark eyes. Tears sprang to my eyes.
"Because...because it's my fault," I stated simply.
Jesse shook his head.
"Querida, none of this is your fault," Jesse said, "How could any of this be your fault?"
I sighed gustily.
"Look, Paul just came and transported me here-well, he says he transported me but I don't know-anyway, he came here and I was scared and all that and then Paul started to read my mind. It was really freaky and all but I got over it. He says that I can read other people's minds too and that mediators-like me- and shifters, whatever that is, can do it. But, yeah, then Paul says that he wants me and I was like, yeah right, and I started laughing at him. Then he goes that I'll change my mind really quickly so I started getting scared again. Just before that I saw you and I suppose you were unconscious because you don't seem to know anything about that bit. Plus, if you weren't, well, dead to the world, then you would've started beating Paul up. Then again, I don't think that you would be able to do that because of the state you were in. So what I 'm saying is it's all my fault. I mean, if I'd just agreed to whatever he wanted me to do, then you wouldn't have gotten beaten up by whoever Paul put up to it, and you really should be mad at me because it's all my fault."
Jesse stared at me. His lips tugged upwards slightly.
"And I'm really sorry," I said, ending my speech.
Jesse continued to stare at me.
"Say something," I pleaded, my voice cracking.
Jesse opened his mouth and chuckled a little then started laughing really hard. This, I don't appreciate, because I'd just told him why everything was my fault and I was feeling really bad about it and all Jesse did was laugh? I mean, if I were Jesse, I'd have started beating me up right now. After all, it WAS my fault that he'd got hurt-wasn't it?
I glared at Jesse. He was actually coughing now because he'd been laughing so hard. Really.
Jesse started coughing a lot more loudly now and he had scrunched his eyes up against the pain. I looked at him worriedly.
"Jesse," I said, "Are you all right?"
I laid a hand on his shoulder. It felt very muscular beneath my palm.
"Jesse," I said again, peering into his face. I banged him on the back a couple of times but found that it just made him worse.
As I looked at Jesse's face I saw something dribble out of his mouth. Blood.
"Jesse!" I yelled. Jesse's knees gave way and he collapsed onto the floor. I crouched down over him and checked if Jesse was breathing which was really dumb of me, seeing as ghosts don't need to breathe.
How could this be happening? I mean, Jesse's a ghost, right? So he's not supposed to get hurt, right? Jesse shouldn't be hurt because ghosts don't even need to feel pain as ghosts are dead not alive.
I shook Jesse gently in an attempt to wake him up but he just moaned. This wasn't very re-assuring. I mean, what was I supposed to do? I was stuck here in Shadowland with the guy I well... love- I think. Yeah, I do love him but he doesn't love me, at least, I don't think he loves me. He might do but is a master at hiding his feelings. But that's not the point, I am stuck in the creepiest place ever and Jesse has been beaten up and I haven't a clue what to do.
Be strong, Simon, I thought to myself, you can do it.
Do what exactly?
This is a dream-no make that nightmare-and someone will pinch me and I'll wake up in bed. Yeah, that's right.
"No," a voice said, sounding faintly amused, "it's not."
Oh no. No, no, no, no and no. This is not who I think it is. There is no WAY it's who I think it is. He's gone. I SAW him vanish into thin air right before my own eyes. There is absolutely no way he would dare come back here after what he'd done.
"Give it up," laughed the voice, "you know it's me."
I was gonna kill him. Seriously. I mean, this is the second time he's
left me stranded and he hasn't even told me how to get out of here. I
thought he wanted me-in you know, THAT sense- I didn't know he wanted
me dead. This came as quite a surprise- I don't know why. I mean, I
should've known he would try to kill me again but Jesse? That was
uncalled for. What I don't know is WHY he wants to kill me. What had I
ever done to him?
"Oh, you did something alright, " replied Paul.
"What?" I asked, "What did I do to you, huh?"
"Can't you figure it out?" Paul asked, his voice softening.
"No!" I yelled, "Okay, I can't, so why don't you just come out and say
whatever you want to and leave me alone!"
I glared into the space around me, since I didn't know where Paul was
but I guessed it was somewhere in front of me.
"No, I can't leave you alone," said Paul, "I've tried to-when I moved
to Seattle- forget about you but I couldn't. You're the reason I came
back to Carmel, Suze."
I felt something cold brush my cheek lightly. I gritted my teeth and
gracefully chose to ignore it. I know, I know- it was Paul, Paul the
evil killer guy, touching my cheek- I should've screamed bloody murder
but I didn't. I don't know why but I didn't.
"You feel it too, don't you?" asked Paul, "that's why you let me
touch your cheek."
"I don't feel anything for you," I said angrily, "there is NO WAY I
would ever feel something for you, and if you think I do then you are
in need of serious brain surgery."
Yeah, I know, brain surgery? Give me a break, all right, I was stressed. You would be too, if you were in this here predicament.
"Susie, Susie, Susie," tutted Paul, "When are you gonna learn?"
"Learn what?" I asked, "About how you're a dumb ass, I already know."
Paul had made himself visible to me now and I could see his politician's smile. You know the one, clean, white, even teeth. All sparkly an' everything. I ignored him and started trying to get Jesse up again. He moaned again and his eyelids fluttered open then closed. I took this as a good sign and whispered his name more fervently.
Paul, who'd been watching, unfolded his arms and took a step towards me. I ignored him again. I was really getting the hang of this, you know, ignoring people. I'd most probably win a medal or something for the most ignorant girl ever. That doesn't sound right does it?
"He won't wake up, you know," Paul said, looking at me.
"Excuse-me," I said, a bit snobbishly, "but I think I just SAW his eyes open and you're telling me that means he's NOT gonna wake up?"
Paul smirked in that "Poor you" way, which seriously got on my nerves. I mean, what did he know?
Plenty by the looks of it.
"Yes, his eyes will open and close but that doesn't mean he's awake," Paul said mysteriously.
I waited for him to go on but was interrupted when Jesse let out a blood- curdling shriek.
"JESSE!" I yelled, shaking him in a pathetic attempt to snap Jesse out of whatever was happening to him. My heart lurched as his head slammed onto the floor, rendering him unconscious. I watched him sadly, forgetting for a minute Paul was there. Something white rose into the air. It was glowing and really bright. It was coming from somewhere around Jesse.
What was that?
Paul answered my question as usual.
"That's some of Jesse's soul," he whispered and watched in satisfaction as my eyes grew wide.
They were practically leaping out of my sockets. I mean, Jesse's soul? There was no way that weird, glowing, white thing Jesse's soul. I mean, souls stay INSIDE of you, they don't just leap out whenever they want to.
This couldn't be happening. There was no way this was happening. I am going to wake up in bed when someone pinches me. Someone pinch me.
Now.
"And if you don't come with me by the time I get back, ooh let's say three hours," Paul continued, seemingly unfazed by everything that was happening around him, "then, Jesse here will simply vanish."
"H..how?" I asked, my lip jutting out.
"It's quite simple really," Paul replied, "People can't live without souls and neither can ghosts, so when one's soul is sucked out from them, they disappear."
Paul took a few steps backwards, grinning.
He seemed to relish causing me pain.
Paul blew me a kiss and "disappeared" himself. He vanished into thin air, leaving me in this damp, dreary nightmare.
I took hold of Jesse's hand and bent my head over his still body.
"I'm sorry Jesse," I whispered gently, a tear trickling down my cheek, " I'm so sorry."
Hahaha!!! Oh, I'm evil, all right.