Disclaimer: All of the original and familiar characters are property of Meg Cabot and her series The Mediator, but the plot and new faces are property of me.

Chapter 1

Paul is being nice right now. Maybe he has changed for the better, I think while sitting on Paul's bed. The same bed where he kissed me; and the same bed now that he is sitting on trying to explain to me about Greek shifters. I am trying to concentrate on what he's talking about, but it's not working very well. I'm thinking about Jesse. He's so perfect in every way possible.

"Suze? Are you even listening to me?"

I focus my eyes on Paul. "Yeah, sure I am, Paul."

"No your not. You're thinking about Jesse. You get that look in your eyes when you're thinking about him," Paul says this sadly, but when he says Jesse's name with such anger, it makes me shrink back from him. Maybe he hasn't changed.

"Paul, Jesse and I are happy. Please don't ruin it. Please?" I plead with him, and I think it's a lost case until, Paul smiles down at me. His perfect smile, it's so different from Jesse's (which is also perfect) but still just as nice. I smile up at him before I can stop myself.

"Yeah sure, sorry Suze, I don't know what got into me." Paul then goes on to tell me more about the Greeks and their Shifters. "Any person that reads Greek mythology can tell that there was some kind of ghosts traffic going on…" I try to tune in, but it's just not happening. I keep on thinking about the tone in Paul's voice when he said "Jesse", it freaks me out. Maybe he's up to something again.

I check my watch a while later, and I see that it's almost dinnertime. Shit! "Paul, I gotta—"

"—go, I know. I'll drive you home, Suze." Paul gets up and I follow him out to his Beemer.

He opens the door for me and smirks when my skirt rides up a little. I try to ignore it. His smirk I mean, not my skirt. I pull that down as far as it will go. We're off down the road, and the wind is blowing my loose hair back. It feels great, ridding in his car with Paul. Wait! What? I try to erase the thought from my memory, but it sticks.

I don't have to imagine a live boyfriend any more; I have Jesse. So why am I still thinking about Paul in that way?

I am still freaking out about this, when Paul pulls up into my driveway, just as I hear Mom yelling for everyone to come to dinner. I thank whoever's up there and get the hell out of the car. I yell a good-bye to Paul, who smiles at me and says he'll see me tomorrow at school.

Running up to the house, in my black Gucci boots no less, I trip and fall flat on my face. "Oh my God," I say quietly, and get up, checking that I'm still in one piece, then I check the driveway, and see that Paul's Beemer is gone. Thank the, well, whatever.

I dust myself off, and walk up the stairs.

"I'm home!" I yell as I'm walking through the front door.

"Hey, Suzie!" My mom yells from the kitchen. I know it's her, because she's the only one I allow to call me Suzie.

"Mom! I'm kinda dirty. I'll only be a minute in my room, okay?"

"Sure, Sweetie, just hurry, because you know how Andy is," she yells back at me, and I make my way up to my room.

When I open the door, I say "Hello," before I can catch myself. I look around dismally at my room. He's not here. I should know better, I know, but I can't break the habit of thinking that I'll see his glow when I come into my room. Not just yet anyways.

I go into the bathroom, and change into some jeans and a shirt that I got from CeeCee on Christmas. It says in big caps on the front, I SEE DEAD PEOPLE. It was supposed to be a joke, and then I told her the whole "story". And all she said was "Wow."

I check my hair in the mirror. You know just because I dine with animals doesn't mean I have to look like one too. I am fixing a bump when I see something, or I should say someone, shimmer behind me. I spin around ready to say, "What the heck do you want?", when all breathe leaves my body.