Sorry it took a little while to update. I've been busy, again, with school work and all that jazz. I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, myself, but I hope you enjoy it. R&R, please.
"So, you say he's a mediator?" Father Dominic asked as I paced in the moonlight of his office. He was sitting down at a computer that was on his desk. His eyes glued to the screen as he tried to figure out how to play spidersolitaire.
I touched a droopy tendril that was on the window sill next to a colourful arangement of flowers. It was like a rainbow of flowers. Each one alive and full of life. Unlike some people. Definitly unlike me. Even the flowers glowed more intense than I. But they glowed with vibrance, not a supernatural glow.
"Yes." I murmered looking out onto the dark streets only lit by the street lights. "He's new to Carmel. You should see him tomorow."
"And what did you say his name was again?" He asked me starting to get fustrated with the computer. "Technology," he spat, "I'll never understand it."
"It's Jesse." I told him turning around from the large window to face the crucifix which was rumored to 'cry tears of blood'. Rumored by some of the students that attended the Junipero Serra Mission Academy. "Jesse de Silva."
"Spanish." Father Dominic pointed out. "And he's living in the house that you were killed in?"
"Not only the house," I included, "the room." Father Dominic's eyebrow went up in curiosity and in warning.
"Susannah," he said in a deeper voice, "I don't want you to try and cause any-er-mischeif. What I mean is I want you to... behave." I knew what he meant. "It's not right. Male and female teenagers in the same room it's..."
"I get the point, Father Dominic." I assured him leaning up against a wall. "I won't try and fall in love with him." Though it's going to be hard. "I'm dead, he's alive. It's...impossible."
"I'm glad you feel the same way, Susannah." Father Dominic stood up and then pushed in his chair then said, "Well, we also have another mediator that has just moved here. Kerri Jennings. I've already had a word with her, charming girl."
"Hmm." I mumbeled still leaning against the walls.
"Well, I must turn in now." Father Dominic told me leaving his office. So I left the Mission and materialized back into Jesse's room.
"Oh my gosh!" I said turning around quickly and covering my eyes. "I am so so sorry." He had been changing his shirt. I wasn't that sorry, if you know what I mean. The guy was good looking so don't you think the rest of him is, too?
"I'll just-" I stuttered. "I'll just leave. Sorry." I knew my face was burning. I could feel it and I felt on fire.
"No no," he started to say pulling on a shirt, "that's alright. I should've changed in the bathroom." Well, that made my night. Better than seeing Paul without his shirt on. Not that I did or anything. I mean, why would I? Ok, you know what? I'm just going to shut up before I say something I'm going to regret.
"Oh, ok then." I turned around hoping that he wouldn't notice my flaming cheeks. I sat back on the window seat. "I was just talking to Father Dominic, " I told him, "and he told me about another mediator being in town."
"Kerri." He said quickly sitting down on his bed looking me straight in the eye. "I know." His brown eyes bore into mine and I smiled. But then I realized: He knows her?
"You know her?" I asked staring out the window again. Staring at the ocean is like a drug. You stare at it once and then you're glued to it for life. It's addictive.
"Yes, her father is the whole reason I'm here." Well I could just hug her father then. "My madre works for him and he moved us to California. He's a good man. Helped us after my father died. That's how I met Kerri."
"Oh." I said, my voice toneless. "Father Dominic said she was, I quote, 'a charming girl'." He made no comment about it. Just a slight huff and collapsed onto his bed. Soon after I dematerialized after he, once again, confused me with that one single word: querida.
When Jesse went to the Mission the next day I was already there talking to Father Dominic who was watering his plants.
"Pick up a spray and make yourself useful." He told me nodding toward a bottle half filled with water and a special mixture put in with it. 'Plant food' it said on the packet.
"Oh yeah, Father Dominic." I said to him sarcastically. "And what if someone happens to walk in and see's a floating bottle spraying water? Huh?"
"Father Dominic?" I heard a familiar woman's voice say and I looked toward the door. It was Mrs. de Silva. Jesse looked alot like her. Black hair and brown eyes. She was tall and slim, too.
"Oh, hello, Mrs. de Silva. Back again, I see?" She had enrolled Mercedes, Josefina and Catalina on different days.
"Yes, I'm here to enroll my son Jesse here at the Mission." She walked into the office with Jesse following in suit. When he noticed me I winked at him and it put a little smile on his face and blushed a light pink. Almost as pink as the carnation's behind me.
Father Dominic sat down at his desk asking Mrs. de Silva if she wanted to sit and thenhe said, "Oh yes, of chorse. Let's get to it, then. Jesse, if you'd like to go take a look around the school you're more than welcome."
"Thank you, Father." He said gesturing for me to go with him as he walked out the door and I met him out there and as soon as we were out of sight I started to talk.
"Like your new school?" I asked him as we strolled down the breezeway. The sun was beating down hard today, just like any other day. The air was calm but the streets were filled with tourists. All you could here were the smooth hum of the humming birds and the fountains water bubbling.
"Yes." He replied, looking around at the school. "It's very..."
"Old?" I suggested. "I know but it's very beautiful. Just like I remember it when it was first constructed." The first time it was constructed it wasn't all that beautiful, actually, because none of the flowers had grew in yet. By spring it was one of the most stunning buildings around.
"You attended school here?" He asked me, surprised.
"Where else? But I ran away before I could finish. I was going to be graduating the next year." Then I hear footsteps. Not Jesse's, obviously not mine because I don't have any, but someone was coming down the breezeway. A tall slim shadow appears on the wall and then from behind it wasa girl with aburn hair and dark blue eyes and this very unfashionable bright yellow shirtcoupled with greengreen capri's appeared. Then she looked at Jesse, then at me.
"She can see me." I said, not moving, only standing still next to Jesse. The girl just stood there also at the end of the breezeway in the shade of a pillar. She flipped her straight aburn hair over her shoulder.
"Jesse," she said, "is it too much for a guy to say hi to an old friend? And speaking of friends: aren't you going to introduce me to yours?"
"Oh," Jesse said breaking a trance he was in, "yes. Susannah," he turned to me, "this is my friend Father Dominic told you of, Kerri Jennings. Kerri," he turned to her, "this is my friend Susannah Simon."
"Father Dominic told you about me?" She wanted to know walking up to us? "I'm guessing it's probably because I'm a mediator, right?" I nodded at her.
"So was I...once." I leaned up against a pillar that was supporting the breezeway. They were thick and good for shade from the hot Californian sun but no matter if you're hiding from that flaming orange ball in the sky, the heat will always get to you.
"So was your friend Paul." She said to me. Paul? She's met Paul?
"You've met Paul?" I asked, my teeth gritted at the name. It sounded so...evil. But the name suited him. But, of chorse, so would the nameSatan.
"Yes, on my way here, actually. He was just casually strolling the sidewalks and I walked up to him when I was out of sight. He told me he knows you and that he knows Jesse." The way she talks to so annoying. Don't get me wrong, I think she's nice and all, but Kerri talks all plain and proper English and she pauses a half a second after every word so that people can understand her, it seems. Unlike me I talk all fast and tend to get out of control and mumble.
"Yeah," I said, "I introduced them after Paul showed up at Jesse's."
"Why would he show up at Jesse's?"
"Because I was there." Ok, now watch this. Kerri turns from this cheery preppy buttercup girl to a jealous wreck in a meer ten seconds flat!
"And why were you there?" You could tell Jesse wanted out of this. I wouldn't blame him, I wanted to leave too. I don't want to meet this old pal of Jesse's who's going to go on and on about their childhood and teenage dates and stuff. When I was a teenager, I already had a fiancee to be married in like five years.
"She was killed there." Jesse answered, finally speaking up but then his voice was drowned out by the voice of his mother that echoed down the breezeway.
"Jesse!" She called out and then some other Spanish I clearly don't understand. Jesse looked happy enough to leave and I followed him.
"So," I said when we were walking out, "when were you going to tell me more about Miss Buttercup?"
"Buttercup?" He echoed arching his eyebrows.
"That untasteful yellow shirt really got me thinking. Hey! Maybe that's what we chould call her: Buttercup." I wasn't serious, of chorse.
"Uh, no, Susannah." He said.
"I was just kidding." I told him. "Speaking of names, what does that word mean that you call me? Keer-da or something?"
"Not even close, querida."
"Yeah! That's it!" Maybe I should borrow some of Father Dominic's books and look this one up. Tricky, though, I would have to get the correct spelling for it.
"That's for me to know, querida," this time when he said it it sounded like he was mocking me, "and for you to find out." My mouth dropped open. No fair! I don't know Spanish!
"But that's...that's no fair!" I exclaimed running to catch up to him from where we had stopped to talk.
"Not everything in life is fair." You can say that again.
