Chapter Nine:
It had been two weeks or so since Susannah had exorcized Heather. I thought of her often, and stayed in her room reading and keeping an eye on her. Good grief, I thought to myself. The girl has preformed an exorcism. What other kind of trouble could a sixteen year old girl get into? And yet, Susannah was no ordinary sixteen year old girl.
I felt the woman's presence enter the room. I'd seen her around. I knew
she was looking for Susannah. She wanted Susannah to deliver a very important message to someone she'd left behind.
Sensing that she'd found Susannah-and hearing the woman's blood-curdling
scream, which I knew would make Susannah very happy-I went there, only I was
Careful not to materialize. I should have felt guilty for eavesdropping on
their conversation, but I had a feeling Susannah would once again need help.
Susannah jerked awake. The woman stopped screaming.
"I'm sorry," the woman said to Susannah.
"Yeah, well, you got my attention. Now what do you want?" Susannah said
rudely. I realize that the woman shouldn't have screamed. No one wants to be
woken up by the sound of someone screaming, but the woman was very clearly upset
about something. The least Susannah could have done was to be polite.
"I need you to tell someone something."
"Okay. What?" Susannah said, a little more politely than before.
"Tell him it wasn't his fault. He didn't kill me," the woman said.
"Tell him he didn't kill you?" Susannah said incredulously.
I listened to the rest of the conversation. The woman instructed Susannah to
tell a man named Red that he hadn't killed her.
The woman left. Susannah hadn't tried to comfort her. Susannah hadn't even
asked the woman's name.
I materialized in her room to scold her for her treatment of the poor woman.
"Excuse me. This is my bedroom. I will treat spectral visitors any way I want to, thank you," she said haughtily. Wasn't that the truth? I liked her, but she was kind of rude to people.
"If you're going to do this Susannah, don't do it halfway," I said. I
know it sounded as if I were trying to be a father to her, but she needed
guidance.
"Look, Jesse, I've been doing this a long time without any help from you,
okay?"
That hurt. Had I not just saved her life, not a week ago? She apparently
Didn't consider that as help.
"She was obviously in great emotional need, and you-" I said, but she cut
me off.
"What about you? You two live on the same astral plane, if I'm not mistaken. Why didn't you get her rank and serial number?"
What was that supposed to mean? I had no idea. I asked her what she meant. I
swear, we both speak English, and I can't understand half of what she says.
And everything she says sounds very unintelligent, and even a little vulgar. I
Don't like her twenty-first century vernacular.
She explained what she meant-she asked me why hadn't I asked the woman for
her name and situation.
Well, it wasn't my job, was it?
I shook my head and told her that things didn't work like that. I couldn't
have asked the woman about her situation because I wasn't a mediator. I could
have asked her name, but not much else. Only mediators can help ghosts with
their problems. Ghosts aren't allowed to meddle in the affairs of other
ghosts.
"Goodnight then, Susannah," I said.
"Goodnight."
No sooner than I'd left her room, I'd met another ghost: Susannah's father.
"Who are you and what are doing in my daughter's bedroom?" He said. He did not look happy to see me. I did not blame him at all. My father would not have been happy if a man had shown up in my sisters bedrooms.
"I am Hector de Silva, but you may call me Jesse. I was murdered in your
Daughter's bedroom a hundred and fifty years ago. I can promise you, sir,
that I have no dishonorable intentions toward your daughter."
He smiled. "You seem all right."
"With all due respect, sir, your daughter is a handful. She is very stubborn.
A week ago, she nearly died while exorcising the ghost of a young girl. I tried
to tell her not to go, but she wouldn't listen to me."
He laughed. "That's Susie for you."
We had a nice chat about Susannah-and about being dead-after he got over his
initial anger over me being in his daughter's room.
I really liked him. Mr. Simon, I mean. He was very protective of his daughter.
He agreed that it would be all right if I stayed in Susannah's room if I left
whenever she wanted to be alone, or if she was changing clothes or anything like
that, as long as nothing inappropriate happened between Susannah and me.
What did he take me for? A rogue?
Yo! Bee Bee and I have now started Ninth Key from Jesse's point of view. Enjoy! And please, give long reviews…no matter what you think of the story, we want your opinion!
