A/N: Oh my gosh! I haven't updated since the SATs! That's bad. I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry! I'm a complete and utter dipstick. I'm going to make sure that from now on I update once a week at least. I hope. If I don't then yell at me till I do. Lol. Thanks for being so patient! Hope it is worth the wait.
"That horse hates me." I complained, eyeing 'Diablo' warily. All that ground pawing had made him grumpy. Or maybe it was just that he was in the company of me. Although Mercedes assures me otherwise I'm starting to think it's the latter.
"He does not hate you Suzie. He just……doesn't know you yet. It's like a moth and a flame." She replied patiently. Her mother had ordered her to take me riding this morning, which of course screwed up mine and Jesse's plans but he didn't seem to mind.
"Have fun with the devil." Is what he'd said. Although he'd been looking at Mercedes I had a feeling that the horse deserved his title. It was like a grass-munching demon. Except without the horns and less fire.
For a moment I thought about what she'd said.
"What are you talking about? Moths are drawn to the flames. He certainly doesn't seem very inclined to come near me." I informed her doubtfully. She rolled her eyes and pushed past me to get nearer to the animal. I watched as she ran her hand along his silky back. I took a moment to marvel at the fact that he didn't buck when she touched him like he did me.
"I meant that he isn't used to you. Moths are drawn to flames because they know it is safe but are also curious as it looks dangerous. We are dangerous to Diablo but he knows I am safe. He knows me. He just needs time to adapt to you."
For some reason that didn't seem very reassuring to me. Maybe it was the glowing dark eyes that seemed to follow me wherever I went. Or maybe it was just the fact that I was effectively trusting my life with a girl who was in fact younger than me. Okay, so maybe I'm over-reacting. But it was darn right scary!
"Right. Don't blame me if that doesn't make me feel all fuzzy inside." I said, eyeing Diablo suspiciously. She laughed at that. Which made me feel rather immature.
Then she did something I totally did not expect: she grabbed my arm and yanked me towards Diablo, only stopping to get a firmer grip on me along the way. This was not only disorientating but also very surprising. She was almost as strong as her brother. Almost.
"What……are……you……doing?" I hissed as she yanked my right hand up to touch the horse. An action which had it bucking it's legs once again.
"Helping you learn how to ride." She informed me sweetly. I just blinked at her as she tried again with my hand. This time however Diablo just sniffed me. Do horses sniff? Well, he looked like he was anyway. Then obviously deciding that he didn't want to murder and/or maim and injure me he turned his head. Nice to know I'm so interesting.
"See?" Mercedes smiled proudly, "he doesn't hate you. He just needs a chance to get familiar with you. Now get up."
I looked from her to the horse and back again. Is this a bad time to mention that I'm not all that fond of furry creatures? With the exception of Max of course. Anything else was just damn scary.
"Um……get up where?"
"On the horse silly. Jesse will be out in a minute. Do you want him to think that you can't master something as simple and easy as –"
"Fine." I sighed, putting one foot on the stirrup. Mercedes helped support my other leg as I swung myself over.
"Okay, now take it slow. I'll be back in a moment." She grinned as she ran back towards the barn. I stared at her in open-mouthed shock. Way to make a girl feel nervous. I needn't have worried however as almost as soon as I got Diablo moving a familiar shimmer appeared beside me. I pulled on the reins a little to slow it down and turned to face my guest.
"Are you the mediator?" the woman asked breathlessly. I let out a long sigh and nodded.
"The one and only." I replied. She was dressed in the usual 18th Century attire. Hoop skirt and matching bonnet and gloves. Except hers weren't pale summery colours. She had a wardrobe entirely consisting of black. It was actually kind of scary against her creamy-pale skin and blonde hair. She was like one of Dracula's wives out of Van Helsing. Except more innocent looking and less……….
Wait a minute.
"Kathleen?" I screeched. She blinked up at me as if only seeing me for the first time. She looked scared as hell.
"Susie? But no. It can't be! You are not dead. You cannot be." She stuttered wildly. I took her confusion as a bad sign.
"I know I'm not dead. I never said I was." I answered her bleakly. But she wasn't having any of it. She took a dramatic step back as her eyes bulged with disbelieve.
"But…..but……he said you were. I didn't want to believe him. But how could you see me if you weren't…….."
I continued to watch her uneasily as she carried on muttering to herself. It was actually rather freaky. And for a moment she truly seemed vulnerable. I didn't like it.
"Who? Who told you I was dead?" I asked quickly. I should have known of course. Should have braced myself for what was coming. But like the idiot I am I blocked out the thought of him still being in this century. Of him ever being in my life -and death- at all.
"Paul." She replied simply. The word sent chills down my spine. Paul was still here. He hadn't gone back. I'd always assumed that he would eventually get bored and move on. But now I knew that that notion had been stupid to say the least.
"Did he hurt you?" I whispered sharply. She nodded without looking at me. It was like she was looking beyond me. Back into some distant memory. Her eyes glazed over and I had little doubt that she wasn't all right at all. Apart from the obvious. She was traumatised by whatever Paul had done. I shuddered inwardly.
"He said that he loved me - wanted me forever. And then he told me things. Disturbing things that I did not understand. About something called a 'Dimension' and death. There was much said about death."
"And then he killed you?" it was more a statement than a question, but she shook her head. Her jewel blue eyes stared up into my own helplessly. I could see the tears trying to escape.
"No.
I killed myself." She whispered.
Which was incidentally when I blacked out.
