DigiChar: Yeah... it does suck... (sighs) BUT I WILL TRIUMPH! (snickers) You'll come to find Charlie's real name soon (evil laughter) Jesse finds out, matter-o-fact! (u/d: her real name was Charlotte!)

Wildace Keladry2005: THANK YOU! Do you mean Keladry from one of the Tamora Pierce series? I love Tamora Peirce... (sighs)

TangoPepperoni: Thank you! Also, Charlie is an OC created for... my own reasons. I'm still trying to figure out if this would be the sixth book, set after the fifth, and moving into the seventh (really the sixth book) or if it will be based off books 1-4 and have a totally different ending... O-o who know! THANKS FOR THE REVEIW!

YAY! XD Onto the story, ne?

Chapter Two

It certainly didn't look old from the inside. Pretty modern, actually. It took me a while to remember to be on my guard about ghosts.

I'm often plagued by them, you see. Ever since I was younger, they've totally haunted me. Everywhere I go, they're usually there.

Plus, this is a totally secret gift I've got. Why's it a secret? Because Mom was a 'mediator' too- except she told people. That's when my life began to go downhill.

"Cody?"

I looked up, shocked out of my little spacey moment, "Sorry! Where's my room, again?"

Andrea smiled and walked me to the other side of the hall and into a room. On the outward face of the door I could still see a faint tracing of numbers from when it was a hotel- or boarding house- whatever. Andrea opened the door for me and showed me in. Of course, I wouldn't go further than the doorway- there was someone else in there already.

"Umn, Lauren?" I said in my causally sweet voice.

"What do you- oh! Cody! It's you!" she let out a false, high pitched laugh when she saw her mom was there too, "I was just comparing whose view of the ocean was better. Looks like yours is. I guess since you're new, you get the best, huh?"

Her mom might not have noticed the disdain and utter dislike seeping in her words, but I did. Did Lauren really hate me that much? I mean, I certainly wouldn't put it past her, but I've never done anything to her. At all. Seriously. Well… maybe once.

But let's not get into that.

"That's so kind of you, Ms. Andrea!" I had turned to Andrea and smiled an almost true smile.

She looked crestfallen at the 'Ms.' but… I just can't think of her as a mom for me yet. Although for the life of me, everyone else has started calling my dad... well… Dad.

"It's really no problem, Cody. I just- we just wanted to make sure you were comfortable in this new home. It's a lot different from Boston, after all." Andrea smiled and with a look to Lauren, left the room, Lauren leaving with her. (Thank God)

Well, duh, of course it's different from Boston. We're in frickin' California. One's on one coast, and one's on the other. Whatever. Now that Ms. Snooty was out of my room, I looked around it with envy.

This was going to be my room? Good God, now wonder Andrea was the best interior decorator in Cali. Damn. The walls were a sunny yellow and the bed plain and simply, yet majestic, covered in a orange, red and yellow tie-dyed comforter.

"Wow."

Yep. That's about all I could say. There was an adjoining bathroom and the room was so big! Such a difference from the apartment back in Boston.

Just as I was about to leap onto my bed or unpack my things, I heard someone speak:

"You're not Susannah."

I looked back quickly, hearing my bones creak as I turned to look at- Good God! This man was… Oh God… damn fine.

"No, I'm not. Who're you, sir?" Ok, keeping my cool was a good plan. I often act extremely polite in the presence of others.

The boy looked taken aback, his ink-black eyes widening with surprise. He was tan. Tan. I tell you, us Irish chicks don't get a break. I'm going to get a lot of crap for not tanning this year- I know it.

"Or more importantly, why are you still here?" I asked walking over to my bed and sitting down on it. Such a comfy bed.

"I'm waiting for someone." He answered discreetly.

"Who? I need to know more if I'm going to help you." Of course, I sounded sincere. I'm a sincere kind of person.

"It's ironic." He answered enigmatically.

"Are you going to answer any of my-"

"The last girl who lived in this room was a mediator as well."

Ok. At this point, I think I should mention. This extremely hot dude in front of me? Yeah. He's not alive. He's kind of…dead… and ghostly. But that doesn't mean he's not hot! He so is.

"Listen, my name is Cody. What's yours." The whole 'another mediator' thing bounced right off me.

"Cody? That's a boy's name- is it a name?"

"God-damn! What's your name?" I asked suddenly, a little more forceful than my usual manner.

"Jesse." He answered in a moment of brief shock.

"Jesse. Ok. I'm Cody. Great to meet you. Now, who is it you're waiting for?" I asked, looking at him with a sigh.

"Cody! Dinner's ready!" came a loud voice from downstairs.

I sighed and cried back, "Just a second!" and then turned to Jesse, "I'm not through with you. You had better be here when I get back."

He looked like he was about to laugh but I left before he could get a snicker out, though I heard him chuckling from behind my pale white door.

"What's for dinner then?" I asked Andrea, hoping she was as good a cook as Dad wasn't.

"Good ol' dogs and burgers! What's your poison, sweetie?"

Oh. No.

She'd picked up the sweetie thing from Dad. God, why me? WHY DO YOU HATE ME GOD! Alright, enough ranting. I took two hotdogs, and went to the TV room to eat with everyone else. There were two couches in the room, one that could fit three or four people and on that could fit two. Somehow, I was left without a seat and ended up either standing or on the floor. Great.

Anyways, that's when I knew our family wouldn't be picture perfect. There were four people on one couch and Lauren took up the two-seater for herself. Well, I decided the floor was too cold and left the room. Somehow, no one noticed. No one really seemed to care.

Whatever. I don't care. If they don't like me, that's fine. I put away my hotdogs into the fridge and trudged coldly upstairs. Unfortunately, I officially had something else to deal with.

"Ok, I'm back. You wanna talk about why you're still here?" I sighed, looking at that adorable, yet sexy, face of his. I wish my hair would curl just below my neck like his did. At least mine was the same inky black color.

"Did you actually eat anything? It seems more like you went downstairs and back upstairs rather than have a meal." Jesse requested curiously.

"I didn't eat anything. And don't change the subject. Why are you here?"

His eyes pierced the stillness, "I've already told you. I'm waiting for someone."

"Si- Jesse. Please. You're making this much too hard on me. I deserve a break." I sighed deeply, "Let's play twenty questions, then."

"Pardon?" Jesse asked, his eyes clouding in slight confusion.

"Twenty questions. I ask you twenty questions and you answer yes, or no." I explained, looking him dead on in the eyes, "Has your body been found, yet?"

"Yes." Jesse answered in a concise manner.

"Ok. So that can't be it… how about… did you and your lover commit ritualistic seppuki?" I suggested.

"Ritualistic what?" he gave me a cautious look.

"Seppuki. Suicide. You sound like you're more from this century, but you look like you're from the 19th or something close to that." I looked him up and down, glad for an excuse for my eyes to rove his body.

"I died in 1850, yes." I don't think he liked me. He was acting very hostile- considering it was my room.

"But you were killed?"

"Why do you need to know about this?"

I smiled, "So I can find a way to send you to heaven!"