Chapter Eight:

I watched David closely. He woke up, jumped to his feet and ran to his brothers

room. Thank you, God. It was pure chance I had been able to get through to him.

Communicating with the living is no easy task. I am however, quite skilled with

my powers. Especially of the kinetic kind. I sometimes do not even realize I am

doing it. For example, if I am mad, things around me may begin to shake.

However talking to the living is no easy task, even for the most powerful of

ghosts. I was exhausted. And yet still I worried for Susannah. Would her

brothers reach her time? I felt so helpless.

If I went, there was every chance I would be exercised. Sometimes I feel I

Wouldn't mind this, I would finally be free. But most of the time I want to

stay until I realize what is keeping me here.

Now I have another reason to stay. Susannah. I have to protect her. Yet I should

be protecting her now!

As my thoughts tossed around in my head, I chanced a look out the window. I saw

the Ackerman family car tearing away. If I had not been so worried about

Susannah I would have marveled at her elder step brother's driving skills. He

drove like a man possessed! I wished Susannah did not ride with him. It was

clearly dangerous. Though Susannah would feel I was being over protective. I

didn't care if I was.

After all, Susannah needed a lot of protection. I concentrated my thoughts on

the spirit realm. If I concentrated hard enough, I could sort of sense what was

happening, to a certain extent. For instance, I knew that Susannah had started

the exorcism. There was no way I could go there now. I was frozen still,

focusing all my energy.

Then...A huge wave of energy passed through me, unlike anything I had ever felt

before. It was directed at the mission, that much I could tell. Right after the

energy wave, I sensed that Heather was gone. The exorcism was complete. But the

energy...my question was answered as I heard a low rumbling noise. Susannah! It

sounded as if something had collapsed. Part of the mission, from what I could

tell. I wanted so desperately to go down there. I decided to, despite

Susannah's warnings and the fact that traces of the exorcism may still be

lingering. I could be unintentionally exorcised. But just as I was about to

dematerialize, I remembered her brothers. The should be there by now. They would

help her.

Still, I waited anxiously. I finally heard the car pull up, and then heard

voices on the stairs. I waited until she was almost at her door before I

hesitated. She was tired. She would want her privacy. I would see her tomorrow,

when she was well.

I turned to the open window and shut it. The doorknob turned. I was gone before

she took her first step into the room.

I did not return until late that day. I materialized in Susannah's room and

she put a hand over her heart and exclaimed loudly. I gathered that she found me

dropping by quite unexpected, if the look on her face meant anything. But

really, how could I announce that I had arrived? I told her this, and she made

the ridiculous suggestion that I rattle some chains. Honestly.

Besides, I enjoyed seeing her surprised face. She was so rarely surprised, after

all. I looked at her in amusement. She was staring at me, and had stopped in the

middle of a sentence. "Something wrong, Querida?"

Something I had been thinking about popped into my head, and I said it before I

knew what I was doing. "Why did you warn me about the exorcism?"

She replied that it was about fair play. I could understand that. But still, a

tiny part of me wondered...If she had warned me because she liked me? She

denied this, of course, and reassured me she had had a plan all along. Right. I

found it laughable. Of course it was not so funny when she said she did not need

my help. Why? Because I was a cowboy, as she had called me? She challenged me,

said it was because I was dead. That hurt. But then she thanked me, thanked me

for saving her life. I grabbed her shoulders.

What was I doing? I looked at her...and heard her mother. I hastily disappeared.

After I left Susannah I materialized at the beach. After all, where else could I

go? No one was there, and it was rather peaceful. I looked out at the ocean. The

sun was slowly sinking. My thoughts turned to Susannah. It seemed I was always

thinking about her. Was this a good thing? I really shouldn't become to

emotionally attached...but it was hard. She was...Words couldn't explain. No one

could. My Querida. I was afraid I was beginning to like her. I hoped she would

want to be friends with me, despite my somewhat flippant attitude towards her.

Singing to annoy her and whatnot. But I did these things, because that's how I

treated my sisters. And I didn't want to see Susannah as anything other than a

friend for now. For the moment, that was how things stood. We were friends. She

liked me, or she wouldn't have warned me about the exorcism. I liked her. We

were friends. And for now, that was enough.