I guess the last chapter sucked. L Well, it is my fault. I haven't worked on the fic in a while and I did have major writers block. But, I have actual time now to where I can think and my mind is working again! Haha! Maybe this chapter won't suck!

CHAPTER 21

"Ouch," Casey laughed. "You knocked her out cold without even touching her. Good one, Suze."

"Haha, very funny," I said annoyed. Watching the sister of the ghost I am supposed to be mediating drop unconscious because she sees Cds floating in the air, is not exactly on my list of things to do today.

"Well," He continued. "I thought it was funny."

"Yeah, I know you did." I stuck my tongue out at him. "You're so immature."

He put his hands on his hips and swished from left to right.

"I'm 'immature'?" He asked offended then stuck his tongue right back out at me.

"Yes," Taking a step towards him, I noticed how much taller he was. Well, it wasn't much. The top of my head came up to his chin. "you are immature."

"Oh, you're going to get it!"

Rapping his arms around my waist, he picked me up and carried me to the bed. Dropping me off in the middle, he jumped on next to me and started tickling my sides. I writhed in both pain and laughter. My side and arm still pulsed in pain, but his hands on my hips just felt so good; enough to make me forget the pain.

"You look so funny when you're laughing!" He cracked up.

I couldn't stop laughing. It all just felt so good. It was like a high or something. I didn't know. But it felt too good to stop.

Taking in a breath, I opened my eyes to be looking up into his face. It was closer than I had thought, and the initial shock made me lean back into the mattress just a bit.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked, softly stroking my right side; the tips of his fingers lightly caressing my skin.

Ok, you know when something feels so good, you cant say anything? Yeah, well, I was that way right then. I couldn't move, talk or even avert my eyes away from his. I was trapped. No-mesmerized. He was so gentle and sweet.

Wait, Suze, what are you thinking about?

I ignored the little voice inside of my head at that moment. It was getting daftly annoying.

"No," I finally said; my lips quivering and my breath heavy. "no, not at all."

"Good," He smiled, and leaned down to kiss me.

Now, if you thought I was just going to lay there and let this gorgeous guy kiss the life out of me…you're right. Oh, come on! I couldn't help myself. It was like a rerun of Paul. But, different. Casey didn't force anything on me. He didn't take-he gave. His hands didn't wander like Paul's. He didn't make me feel anything.

"Your lips are so soft," he noted with a smile. I smiled back and he kissed me again. His kisses were sweet and asked nothing of me.

"You're a good kisser," I complimented. My lips were warm from his touch and my eyes were heavy from the his amazing kisses.

"Suze, you're drooling," His face was straight and full of seriousness.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You're drooling," He repeated. "wake up, sunshine."

And then I did.

Woke up, I mean.

Oh...my…lord…

I had been dreaming the entire time. None of that had happened. My imagination is so strong, it's amazing. I had a small make out session with the ghost who was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at me worriedly.

"Suze, are you ok?" He asked concerned.

"Uhh….yeah," I lied. My arm was killing me, and I could see the blood through the bandages.

"Are you sure?" He persisted. Levitating a glass of water to me, I grasped it and gulped down it's contents. "You were moaning in your sleep."

Ok, when I say that I gulped, I mean that I took a mouth full of water. And right when he said that, I hadn't had a chance to swallow it yet. And the knowledge that I had been moaning in my sleep because of a dream I had with him in it, made me spit water all over the carpet. Damn dreams!

Laughing, he scooted up and flopped next to me. Remembering my dream, I moved away from him, so that there was some room between us.

"What is it, Suze?" He asked, in that maternal tone of his.

"Nothing," Lying, yet again, I sat up and automatically winced at the sharp, growing pain in my arm. "My arm is just killing me."

Sitting up, he moved closer. "Just be thankful that's all that will be killing you." It was a poor attempt at a joke, but it's the thought that counts.

He looked at my arm, gently lifting it and asking if it hurt. It felt weird having him poke and look me over. I mean, I was used to Jesse, and sometimes Paul, playing doctor. With Casey, it was a new thing.

I just hoped he wouldn't ask me to strip so he could examine the rest of me.

And with that thought, I blushed.

"We need to change your bandages." He announced softly. His voice was like a gentle breeze over the rough waves the surfers ride at Carmel's beaches.

No swooning, Suze! I beg of you, don't swoon!

Where have I heard that before?

"Well," I looked around, not seeing anything that remotely resembled a bandage. "there isn't any bandages around here. So, it looks like my arm will be staying wrapped like this for a while."

Haha, I hoped. It hurt every time those blasted doctors removed the gauze and bandages. I wasn't jumping at the chance to do it again.

And it seemed that he had caught onto this. Damn.

"Suze," Smiling, his white teeth shown sparkling through his ethereal glow. "I know what you're thinking. I've been there before. If your bandages aren't changed soon, you'll get an infection and that will hurt even worse than getting your wraps changed."

"Crap," I murmured.

"Exactly," He laughed, not being able to control himself.

"What happened to you?" I asked, wanting to know what it was he had gone through. I mean, he had mentioned it, so it's not my fault that I wanted to know. Ok…maybe it was my fault. But he was the one who started it!

Suze…just let it go…let it go.

Looking up, his eyes softened. I could tell my question brought back horrible memories of some kind. But, I was curious. And curiousness and me don't mix. Look what's happened in the past! Umm…we won't go there and look at my faults.

Too many.

Shut up!

"I, uh…" He paused momentarily, trying to find his words. "My brother and I went on a fishing trip. Just me and him." He smiled at the memory.

I felt a pang of sadness strike my heart. I imagined myself in his shoes. What if the same thing had happened to one of my stepbrothers? Doc, sleepy or dopey. Ah, well, Dopey probably wouldn't be too bad.

Suze, just admit. You would be sad if something happened to Brad.

No, I wouldn't.

Yeah right.

Oh, alright! Maybe I would. So sue me. But it wouldn't be as bad as if something happened to Sleepy or Doc.

Shaking myself from my inner quarrel, I tried to focus back on the story being told.

"Todd had begged our dad for weeks to let us go alone. He was seventeen, and I had just turned thirteen. Dad was a little worried that we were too young; especially me. But, Todd convinced him that everything would be fine, and that he would take his cell phone if we needed anything."

He paused, trying to remember back. I yawned, not out of boredom, but because I was still very tired. Hey, my boo boos hurt, ok? And yes, I am immature for calling them "Boo boos." So sue me!

Suze, if you were sued for every time you said that, you would be broke.

Gosh darn, I know.

"The trip was fantastic!" He exclaimed, with the excitement of a little boy. "Everything was so beautiful, and we caught so many fish our first night!"

Pausing again, he rubbed his chin; the few little peaks of hair held by his death from growing any further. "One day it was really windy. Todd didn't want to fish, but I begged him so much that he finally gave in.

"When he cast his line out, the wind whipped it back and it caught me across the leg. Todd didn't know what had happened. He pulled the line even farther, and it tore through my leg like a knife does to celery. I screamed, and that's when he noticed something had happened. I had to get 57 stitches in my right leg. I couldn't walk for a week, it hurt so bad.

"I even have a scar," He said, pulling up his pants leg. And boy was that a scar! It was almost a foot long!

"Whoa," I said, leaning closer to see.

Illuminated by his ghostly glow, it looked almost like Jesses did. But, Jesses was no where near as bad as Casey's.

Suze, can you hear me?

Paul?

Yes, it's me. Suze, where are you? Something's happened to Jesse.

What's happened to Jesse?

I felt my heart stop in mid beat. What had happened? He hadn't moved on, had he!

Suze, where are you

I couldn't breathe. So many different scenarios ran through my mind.

1) He was exorcized

2) He moved on

3) I don't know!

I…I

I couldn't say anything. Well, it's not like I was orally. But, you get my point. I was utterly speechless. And since I didn't know what was going on, I was terrified.

Suze, tell me where you are!

I'm…I'm at Casey's house.

Ok, where the hell is that?

"Umm…" I bit my lip, trying to think. Trying to get my mind off of the possibility that something horrible happened to Jesse and that I would never see him again.

"Suze, what is it?" Casey asked, moving closer to me. "What's wrong?"

Standing up from the bed, I walked over to the closed door of Casey's room. A door symbolized so many different things.

1) Privacy

2) Safety

3) Escape

And as I looked at it, I didn't know which of those I would have chosen at that moment. It served as privacy, since his family didn't actually know I was there. It served as safety, because I was hidden from his family as well as the monster lurking in the shadows for me.

The only thing it didn't seem to served, was escape. I wanted to escape inside myself. Not out the door.

"What is your house address?" I asked Casey, never looking back.

"1254 Westbury Street." He was confused. I could hear it in his voice.

Repeating the address to Paul inside my mind, I began to turn around.

Come around the back and climb up the window. His parents don't know I'm here.

Ok, thank you, Suze. I'll be there soon. Hold on.

I smiled at how sweet his voice sounded in my head, and the small reassuring squeeze he left me with.

"Why did you want to know my address?" He asked, his voice low.

I turned around, and was about to answer. But the person who stood near the open window, staring at me as if I knew the way to help them, stopped me.

And I screamed…