Ohh My gosh! Not only did I miff up my keyboard I BROKE my keyboard! The spacebar doesn't work anymore! I had to dig out the ancient one. The one w/ the sucky keys. They're so little! I'm going to unscrew the bottom to the other one soon and see what's wrong. Thank you sooo much for reviewing!

Chapter EIGHT!

Suze

When I woke up, on time this time, I got ready and asked my mom to drop me off on her way to work. It would make me like a half hour earlier. Jesse always was there on time. It was like he didn't live in his little apartment, but in the rectory. He had better be there.

My mom was happy to drop me off, and glad that she got an extra fifteen minutes of "bonding time" with her little Susie. Oh how sweet. Let's all go have a bonding session right off.

It took her a minute, but eventually she did ask why I wanted to go to school so early. I just told her that I had a meeting with Father Dominic. She assumed that it was for my job as the vice president, but you know it wasn't. So far from it, in fact.

At last, at the Mission, I hopped out of the car and ran into Father D's office.

To say he was surprised to see me was an understatement. He was chatting with none other than...Paul and Jesse! Just the two people I wanted to see. Well, not Paul, but, you never know. He might come in handy for some questions I had...

They were in the middle of discussing me.

"Susannah? Why in the world are you here so early?" Father D.

"Suze? What the hell are you doing here at this time? Don't you like to sleep in?" Paul, obviously.

"Querida? What brings you here...oh shoot!" Jesse. So I'm back to querida am I? That HAS to be a good sign.

"Uh, I came to talk to Father Dominic. And Jesse actually. Now that I think of it, Paul might happen to know too." My witty reply.

"Well, Susannah, we were just discussing you, as a matter of fact, weren't we boys? Shall we let her in on the discussion?" Jesse and Paul looked hesitant. Paul more so, and Jesse anxious. He had looked so...strange, all week long, and now I'm getting clearer on that.

"Uhh" Paul and Jesse both said at the same time, "Sure. Why not." Wow. Jesse and Paul in agreement for once. I never thought I'd see the day!

"So? What's the scoop?"

Jesse

I'm going to have to talk to Father Dominic about this, I kept telling myself all day after Susannah saw my poems. I didn't get a chance to go that day durring classes. That test that was in my French class, my only class not with Susannah, was much harder than I thought. I was going to go to the Father's office and talk to him if I got done with that test soon. But it took me almost all class long.

I took the bus home to my apartment, and went to go lounge around on my couch. That's what I did every day when I got done with school. Occasionally, I would reach for the pad of paper and the pen that I kept in a drawer in the coffee table, and write down another poem. My marroon binder was always nearby. After writing another poem, I would punch holes in it and then stick them insde, increasing my already large collection.

Tonight though, I just sat on that couch, with the cat that Father Dominic gave me. Spike. I remember that Spike would love me as a ghost. Cats, the strange creatures, would love you as long as you fed them, let them sleep on your feet, and pet them as long as they felt like it. Demanding furry beasts, but I my Spike is all that I have. Right now. I may have Susannah soon. Only twelve more days.

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The next day, I found myself sitting in Father Dominic's office with Paul. We were discussing my life and Mi Querida. I don't let anyone know that I find myself thinking up all that I want to say to her in Spanish. Paul was telling Father about my progress in the medical sense I guess, they were very technical. My mind began to wander, and then I remembered. I hadn't seen this one before.

I was standing in a long hallway, many doors before my eyes. The ground was covered in fog, and it bit about my legs. I was dressed in old fashioned looking clothes. This must be the Purgatory that ghosts get sent to. It's terrible here. All I want to do is go back to Susannah's and my room.

It hits me hard then. Just as I was begining to like her, she sends me here.thinking about this, I feel I have to be with Susannah. Why on earth is she calling me now? Doesn't she know that I cannot return to her world now? But I have no choice. I have to go.

When I get to her, I am surprised to find that she is up here! "Susannah, what are you doing here? Are you- you're not-" She laughs and answers,

"Dead? Me? No, no no. No. I just, um," This was interesting. I wonder if she likes it up here. "I came up here because I wanted to, um, you know, see if you were al right..."

And it ends. Shadowland. I hate that place. Many times it has haunted my dreams. I see a door. Single, and before me. As I try to open it, I wake up. I reach down on the floor for my binder. I am finished writing it. It only took a minute, but Father Dominic and Paul never noticed that I was writing. They were immersed in something unknown to me. So I just ignored them. As I began to wake up from my daze, I remember what Susannah was wearing in my dream. So beautiful. I wonder if she still has that dress...

Okay! I am so sorry once again that it took me FOREVER! but you know, with a new baby and TONS AND TONS of algebra homework, it's not easy to type and think of a new chapter. Wow. This one is SHORT! sorry again for the long wait. Please review, and ignore the scary new chocolate rice crispys bars. ew shudders lol.

luv

Kath