Hello, fellow readers. Sorry for the long wait… STRESSFUL! I've been on two excursions in one week! Can you believe it? Arg. So now you know my reason. I also have something to say to one of my reviewers, rOSEY:

I AM SO SORRY! I could not have possibly known that you wanted to write the same thing. I am not a mind reader… please forgive me! (Btw, if you still write your fic… can I read it? Lol. I am SUCH a suck up.) Also… How could you think up Sage and Alej, Bea and Antonio along with the Mathematics thing the exact same as me?

I made this chapter super ultra extra long, because you had to wait a while.

∞ Isa ∞

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- Sage's POV, Saturday Morning –

I had a hangover.

Yeah, I know, being sixteen means I cannot drink in the state of Texas at all. But Alej looked around twenty and I looked eighteen so all was good. They gave us drinks – we accepted – what else was there to do?

Where did we go, you ask? Oh. Club Pleasure. Don't let the name fool you, it isn't a strip club or anything – it's a dance floor full of strangers, yet you dance with them and manage to know each and every one by name when the night was over. Lets just say, every single time I go, half of the men that are under 25 give my their phone number. And half of them have wives. I guess a little bit of the right make-up makes me irrrrrisistible! (Quote from Alej, who always pretends to be enamored with me)

Back the present – that is correct. Sagey-Wagey had a hangover. And a damn bad one at that. How was I going to be able to fly over to Carmel with such a migraine as this? I thought once I woke up, felt the dramatics of my headache, and snuggled deeper into the cotton sheets.

After a while, I got a little bored with the cuddling up to blankets. So with all my power, I bounded up – causing my headache to amplify itself and get worse by every aching step – and slowly make my way into Alejandro's room, where he was sleeping soundly in his queen-size bed. (Isa: the only thing Alej and Jesse have in common is that they are both Spanish and know how to salsa. Alej isn't Jesse's double, for instance, he is much younger and has lighter skin and lighter hair than Jesse's olive shade and black hair)

I envy him sometimes, really, he gets a queen-size bed and all I get is a single? Oh well. I peeled of the sheets softly and slipped myself in. Once my body was securely in the bed, I turned on my side and curled up to Alej – molding into the shape of his body with my arms wrapped around his waist. We did this often.

Not to say that me and Alej were in a torrid love affair together, oh-ho no. I didn't say I didn't fantasize or dream about it, though. I understood that a relationship with Alej would turn out to be complete chaos. Especially since we had been friends for so long. So long.

I proved that there was nothing but mutual friendship – perhaps a little flirt never hurt, but I had to be careful – by lowering my head to Alej's shirt clad shoulder blade and bit down while securing my hands around his front and my body leaning on his back.

When I say 'bit' – I mean I bit hard. So hard that Alej shot out of the bed like hellfire, leaving me in fits of giggles, and just stared at me. It took him a moment before he realized what he was seeing.

Then he went into a daze – as he usually did, and left the room. He walked casually into the kitchen and exclaimed to Bea and Antonio, who were both apparently in there, drinking their morning coffee, "She bit me. Sage freakin' bit me." In the Baila dance club, we were not aloud to swear except for the occasional slips of 'freakin', 'shit', and 'bitch.' Bea, although loving various names, hated to hear swearing. She was, as I said before, a perfectionist. Everything was just right in the Baila dance studio for Bea Reveille.

I walked into the kitchen, on the floor above the dance studio – we had two floors, the bottom was the actual studio itself and the top was where all the rooms were, including bathrooms and, of course, the kitchen – and smiled sheepishly. Antonio raised two thumbs, "Senorita, good job on biting my nephew." Alej looked at him in mock-horror, although Antonio would never really mean what he said. Here in the dance studio humor is our god to which we worship.

What else could I do but shrug? I moved my shoulders up and down once and then went to sit down next to Bea. She grinned at me over her pancakes – our usual breakfast. I thought at first that she was smiling because I had bitten Alej, but when she continued smiling it quirked my interest a little more.

"Sup, Bea?" I was a little slow in the morning, especially with a hangover like I had.

Bea's grin grew, if possible, even wider as she handed me a letter from our stack of mail. I looked at my name, Sage Simon, written neatly on the front. On the top left hand corner I saw the sender, a man named 'Father Dominic' who wrote to me from a school in Carmel.

The place I was to go to – to find her. The other me.

I don't know how to explain it. I guess it starts with the fact that I can see the dead. I don't know why I can, I guess it's just a gift I was able to unlock. Anyway, I help the ghosts move on. Not all ghosts stay on Earth, though, thank god that they didn't. Because then I would never be able to rehearse my routines, I would be so weighed down with ghostly deeds I had to perform.

About the other me. I met one particular ghost one day, a Mrs. Maria Diego who, at first, almost attacked me because I was the splitting image of another mediator who saved her dead cousin from the astral plane. It was because of this fact that I decided to go to Carmel, California (the place where this other me lived) to find her.

But that wasn't the only reason. I also did it because in Carmel, there lives a specific person I wanted to see. Nothing related to the mediator stuff – but to my dancing career. I wanted to become a Professional Latin Dance Star and ride the waves of fame as I could enter the World Open Dance Championships in Las Vegas. Alej being my dance partner, of course.

That was a far off dream. Right now, I was focusing on various types of arm styling and the basics: Mambo, Cha Cha, Rumba, Salsa etc. And, of course, the supposed meeting of my mother, father and sister, whom I have never really known.

At first, I wasn't completely sure I could trust Maria's judgement, but that was before I realized that Ruby Sinclair, one of the most best Professional Latin dancers resided in Carmel and, although retired, gave advice to everyone who came to her.

And Maria seemed pretty sincere, once you got over the whole attacking thing. I understood her stress and talked it over with her. She told me the story and I told her there was no possible way I could be this 'other' person because I had never – never – used violence when it came to ghost helping.

Maria had said that we – this other mediator and I – looked exactly like twins, down to the forest green eyes, same shade of cream skin and chestnut hair. It was only because I had a large, chalk white scar which ran from my left cheekbone down to my jawline that Maria believed I was not this other mediator that tried to hurt her and her husband.

Eventually, I got to know Maria and learnt to take in the large hoop skirts and elaborate words she spoke and we became fast friends. Maria and I were very close and I did not at all want to loose that friendship. It was just this 'twin' thing that got me a little mixed up.

Especially since, way in the past, I thought I actually had had a twin. But only to be told that she was a figment of my imagination. I remember that I cried for hours on end after that, not believing what the people I grew up with told her. It eventually kicked in and I had forgotten all about my 'twin' until Maria came to me just a year ago and thought I was someone else – the mediator who went by the name, Susannah.

I sighed whilst staring at the letter in my hands, just the mention of my twin's name stirred up unwanted emotions. I was very different now from the girl of my childhood. Once upon a time I used to be a quiet, bookish little girl at the age of five – and very smart as well.

Look at me now, I thought with a smile, I had grown to become this strong, independent and, face it, very graceful dancer. All I needed was a proper boyfriend – Antonio and Alej not at all included, one happened to be married and the other I had absolutely no interest in.

I decided to read the letter now. What could it possibly say that would change me? I mean, Bea, Antonio, Alej and I kept no secrets from each other. No secrets. They knew about the ghost thing and, although a little skeptically at first, respected my gift. Although I will say I did not always want it. Hours of talking to the undead was a little tiring on my watch, especially since I needed to do dancing rehearsals along with choreography every day if I even wanted to dream of becoming a Professional dancer.

The script in the letter was the same cursive writing as was on the envelope. It had obviously been written carefully since there was no apparent mistakes in spelling nor grammar.

Hey! When I said I changed, I didn't mean all of me. I'm still damn smart with reading and writing – another thing that took up time.

Anyways, here is what the letter contained:

Dear Miss Sage Simon,

We, at Junipero Serra Mission Academy are glad to hear from you. I, Father Dominic, the principal of this school cheerfully embrace you with open arms. Your admission to the school has been accepted and we will be happy to see you in a few weeks time. Enclosed are lists of items you may need for the term and a newly arranged timetable for you to follow when you get there.

There is also something else I wish to talk about. You directed you letter straight to me and it did not go through any filters or human readers. I have heard about your gift as a mediator and I will gladly await your reply when I inform you that I, myself, are also blessed with the same gift. Perhaps, once you arrive in Carmel, California, you and I may chat about techniques and warnings of the mediator kind. Thank you very much for confiding with me this secret, no one but us will know of these exchanges of letters.

Sincerely,

Father Dominic.

Woah, now there's a conversation stopper.

- Susannah's POV, Saturday Morning –

I rolled out of bed around 10:30. I, of course, never wanted to get out of my cozy refuge but ended up doing so anyways, only because I had planned to go over to CeeCee's house before we hit the beach together and I spent the night.

Also, I was feeling rather lazy after what had happened with Jesse last night. He informed me he would not be around for a week or two – which was a bummer. What he didn't know is this made me even more depressed than before… thus equaling in laziness.

But I guess after he told me that news, and I felt the tears prickle in my eyes at just the thought of Jesse not being around for two weeks, what he did was quite a delight.

He kissed my hand.

I know, I know – I got you all worked up for just a simple kiss on the hand. But Jesse had hardly talked to me let alone kiss me again, ever since the first feeling event, so this was something major for me.

Okay, so once securing my bed sheets on my bed again and actually standing for the first time that day, I walked into the bathroom and, moments later, promptly walked back out.

My. Hair. Was. A. Mess.

Seriously, if I thought that in the past it had looked bad, I was wrong. I really needed to get it cut, I had been planning to cut my hair for a while but never got the courage to do it. I also wanted to dye it – a nice ebony colour. Or, at least, a deep purple.

The only thing with the dye part? Yeah, my mom wasn't very keen on it. I could manage to scab a darker colour of brown but not the black. I'm sure if me and Cee did what we were planning to do after I slept over her house – my mom would have a heart attack.

So what… I will rebut… it's a free country. Thus equaling: Susannah Simon of the Future Raven black layer cut to my mid-neck. I needed a change, I had never dyed my hair before and CeeCee's mother was a hairdresser, therefore CeeCee had seen her dye people's hair so I was all set with the actual dying.

I packed my bags, after finally securing my hair into a ponytail – I know, I hate it up like that, but it was annoying the shit out of me and I had a HUGE knot in the back – and opened my closet, deciding which clothes to pick out for today. It was a hard choice, most of my good clothes were the one's I had shoved in for the sleepover.

Did I mention that Adam was coming over as well? So I had to choose something good. I may not like Adam that way, but I am so not a slob. I wanted to look good. I mean, who doesn't?

Going for elegance – I chose a white halter-neck dress. It was sort of too big for me – which was why I didn't wear it often. Don't get me wrong, it held up and everything, but I mean too large down the bottom; it was kind of billowy. Despite wanting to look good, I wasn't a show off either.

But something strange told me to wear it and I was all like: go for it. So I placed it on the bed next to my undergarments – also black. Since Jesse wasn't coming around for a while, I thought it was alright if I undressed in my room.

I closed the window and pulled down the new, pink blinds my mom decided to purchase for me in case I had a problem with lack of privacy. I thanked her and took them. I may have hated the colour pink, but have them rather than one of your three stepbrothers see, from the window, you in your nudies… which one would you go for? Pink blinds? Yeah, I thought so too.

I am soooo insane.

Taking off my clothes, I thought once again of Jesse's decision to go with Father Dominic to visit the Arch Bishop. Rolling my eyes at how devoted he was to the good father, I did not notice what I had done. But it was normal… I never realize that I call someone until they actually come.

And this time, that someone was Jesse.

When he appeared, I realized what I had done and yelped loudly. I couldn't to anything though – I was frozen. Jesse had materialized with his back to me so he spun around after hearing my yelp, obviously thinking that I was in some sort of trouble.

"Susannah, what is wr-" He stopped, seeing me frozen there with my hands over my boobs and my legs clenched shut.

Shit. Shit… Shitty Shit Shit. Yup, Susannah in the nudies. Adore it Jesse!

Jesse, being the gentleman he was, turned away and didn't take another glance at me.

Yeah, I wish. For once in his life it seemed that Jesse couldn't do anything else but stare. A horrible blush crept on my face and I saw the same thing happen to him. The blush, I mean. Not the lack of clothes.

Again. I wish.

Jesse managed to get out a few words, even though he was still staring at me. I managed to hide my body with the door of my closet but it wasn't much use. The damage was done.

"S-Susannah…W-why are you…W-what happened to your clothes!"

I rolled my eyes, "I was getting dressed, Jesse." He still looked confused. I sighed and leaned against the clothes within the closet. "I didn't suspect you would come back for, as you said, a week or two, so I thought it would be alright if I got dressed in my bedroom."

The confusion was gone, but a sadness was within Jesse's dark eyes. "I came to say goodbye, Querida. A proper goodbye before I left with Father Dominic. Last night I was merely informing you."

Woah! Did that mean I was going to get another kiss? Maybe on the lips this time… since last night was 'merely informing' me?

"Susannah, Querida…" Jesse cleared his throat and took a step forward to me. Obviously he seemed to forget that, oh, maybe I was a little NAKED!

But being the suck up I was to him, I let him come closer. I knew that his gentlemanly ways wouldn't cause him to pin me against the wall and proceed to screw me – despite how much I sincerely wanted him too. I was safe with Jesse. In any situation.

Apparently, Jesse read my mind. About the kissing thing, not the pin-to-the-wall-and-screw-thing. Too bad, my mind cooed, you still can't seem to get past kissing him can you? I knew the answer. No. I couldn't get past kissing. I had an idea why, as well.

Maybe the fact that Jesse was a little bit, I dunno, dead, much?

Alas. Twas true.

I forgot everything I was thinking and about to say when Jesse came over to me and slowly but carefully touched my face. Actually, it was more of a graze. Then, he swooped down and, as I awaited his kiss, he…

Whispered in my ear.

I sagged, disappointed as I felt his cheek touch mine – FACE CHEEK, dirty minded fiends! – and he spoke silkily, "Go get dressed, Susannah. Then I will say goodbye." He promptly withdrew and turned to sit on the window-seat – the back of his head facing me.

Grabbing the halter, the undies and the bra I bolted into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me and locking it abruptly. Without wasting any time, I slipped the bra over my head after already clasping it shut – it was a back closing one, this was the easiest way of putting it on – and moved it over my chest. Then, after securing my undergarments into place, I worked on the halter-neck dress.

The way I slipped into it was perfect; the sort of 'made for me' perfect that people saw in the movies. Only my dress wasn't any ball gown and I was hardly the princess who decided to wear it.

I only had one problem with the top. Tying up the spaghetti strings on the back. I knew I should have gone straight down to mom, but I didn't. I loved Jesse too much to keep him waiting. Love, it does strange things to people.

Waltzing into my bedroom, I approached Jesse, who was still seated on the window seat – he hadn't moved an inch since I left him.

To let him know I was there, I crept up behind him and, in the next two seconds, ruffled his hair up. "Wakey Wakey," I cooed.

I swear Jesse jumped about two meters up in the air. Must be something to do with the kinetic powers, I thought. "Nombre de Dios, Susannah, you scared the mierda out of me." Brown eyes met with my green ones and I felt myself falling for him all over again – and he would never know.

Covering the case up very well, I raised an eyebrow and inquired, "What's that mean, mierda? Is it Spanish for the word shit or something?" The flush that spread across Jesse's cheeks made me realize – I was correct.

My eyes bulged, "And I thought I saw everything." I plopped down on top of his outstretched leg, causing him to once again, move in surprise. While he was trying to pry his leg from underneath my but, I kept teasing, in a singsong voice: "Jesse said shit, Jesse said shit, Jesse said shi-"

"SUSANNAH!" It was my turn to jump two meters. My eyes immediately filled up with tears. He yelled at me. I had never seen Jesse loose his cool. My cheeks flamed and I felt two wet trails make their way down my face. I didn't usually react like this when someone yelled at me, but this was Jesse.

Jesse had never yelled at me before.

Jesse had never looked at me with so much fury before.

And what was even worse was that it sincerely, honestly scared me.

After his outburst, I remembered whimpering pathetically and leaning against the window seat, not looking at him as I tried to regain my control over the huge sobs that were emitted from deep within my throat.

Jesse obviously was very sorry for yelling when he realized how much effect it had on me. Immediately, his gaze went from angered to concerned – back to the way things usually were.

Except for the fact that I was mentally scarred and breaking down in front of him.

"Susannah," Jesse's voice was at it's most gentle when he spoke to me then. I didn't reply, just continued to sob away in the corner of the window seat. "Susannah, I am sorry." He then did something I thought, looking back, he would never ever do again.

He pulled me into his arms and hugged me.

Again, sorry if you wanted more action. But I was a blubbering mess and it seemed that Jesse was too concerned to want to get frisky. I was too sad to want to get frisky.

"I did not mean to yell at you, I lost control of my emotions. It will never happen again." With that, he swooped down and kissed my forehead, then cuddled me closer. Despite my depression, I noticed how warm Jesse's hugs were and smiled a little. With a masculine hand my tears were wiped away and he turned me on an angle slightly so I could see the window – adorned with pink blinds.

And I just so happened to see my face in that reflection.

And once again, I leapt out of Jesse's embrace and raced into the bathroom.

I'm betting, even outside of my bathroom, in my room, on the window seat, Jesse could hear me exclaim, "I LOOK LIKE A TOMATO!"

I'm betting this even more when Jesse came skidding to the threshold of my bathroom. When he saw me, his face cracked into a grin. "You do not look, as you say, like a tomato. Querida-" Oh how I love that word. "-You are beautiful." Through my outrage at the dots of red decorating my face in an evil manner, I smiled a little at Jesse's remark.

"But you do, in fact, have many red spots on your face." Oh my god. He did not just say that.

Jesse apparently saw my anger, "Goodbye, Susannah, I will see you in a week." He skidded again and dematerialized before I could catch up to him.

I grabbed a shampoo bottle from my cabinet and threw it against the wall.

And promptly, to bodice of my dress flopped down – I didn't tie it up.

I was SO glad Jesse didn't see that.

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…? Woah. When I said I would make it long I didn't mean this long… meh. Oh well. I guess this means you guys are just going to have to give me ULTRA long reviews… hehehehe.

I had no idea where half of this chapter came from. I wrote Suze's POV at around 9:00 last night so it's a little shabby. Personally, I kinda liked it.

Meh, whateva floats ya boat.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Blue x crush – I know. Isn't Jesse/Suze SO cute? I love your fic by the way, good work!

Maggielyn – The poetry is a breeze. I don't know why I add it into my stories. It just seemed relevant. Lol. Thanks for the review, I hope you like this chapter as well.

Mysteriously Mystical – Ooh. I want to see the meeting too… The next chapter will reveal ALL! (oh great, now I sound like a psychotic narrator who has been hit by too many bricks --)

Whitedestiny34 – Yeah, so do I. Sage was based on a person, Vanessa Williams, that caught my eye one day. That chick works wonders with salsa, I swear. You'd love her dancing. I love her music as well. Thanks for reviewing!

Tink20 – I promise I will (keep going, I mean).

Alexlily – Soz, I wasn't being rude when I was laughing at you. I don't know why I laugh… Weird 0o (That's one for the X files to track down, I can see it now: File 1029394 – The case of the Psychotic Isadora Sage Sofia) lol. My dad is an English Teacher so he experiments with all the poetry stuff, I happened to inherit it from him… gah! Lol. Alej is NOT Jesse. Lol. Alejandro is bite-worthy because he's such a grouchy bum but Jesse… woaho! I would rather kiss or hug him instead of biting him.

swishaliciouus girlie – Confidence booster! Lol. Your review was so great, that I actually CONSIDERED answering you question. Chapter three – the next chapter – will be when they meet and that meeting will go over to chapter four… hopefully. If things turn out good. :)

shawna-xo – Nah. Alej isn't much like Jesse, except that they both come from Spanish families. Alejandro is from Puerto Rico and Jesse is from… somewhere. I couldn't be bothered consulting my Mediator books at this time. Oh welly. Anyways, yeah. Alej has dark BROWN hair whereas Jesse has black. His skin is a little darker and his eyes are lighter. Alejandro is also alive, not a ghost. I just thought I would point that out cause it would annoy me if both of them were the same as well.

Mrs. Nikki Slater – Thank ya! I hope you liked this chappie as well:grins:

∞ Isa ∞