a/n: I just finished an insufferably long math project. My brain hurts. I hope it doesn't show in my writing. Insert usual disclaimer here.

Un Demonio

It was obvious that there was nothing I could do to keepSusannah from the Mission. She was insufferably stubborn and while I did not doubt her bravery… her sanity left something to be questioned. But as I materialized outside the Mission I couldn't help but to wonder if I was the wrong one. Maybe Susannah had dealt with spirits like this before.

I doubted it.

Shaking my head, I scanned the parking lot. She wasn't there yet and I realized that if I remained there she would see me as she pedaled in. With I sigh I rematerialized on top of the breeze way where I could press myself flat and go unseen. I would watch first and then step in if things got violent.

I had been laying there for fifteen minutes when I began to wonder if she would even make it to the Mission. She had been wearing all black, not exactly visible. What if she had been hit by one of those… what do you call them? Oh, yes cars?

But my worries were placated moments later when I heard the tinkling of breaking glass from the breezeway opposite mine. It was her breaking in. A minute later I saw her peek out of one of the classrooms, gazing around appraisingly.

Heather materialized behind her.

"What are you doing here?"

Susannah spun around, lowering her hood. Speaking quickly she said, "Heather. Hi. I'm sorry to bother you but I really think we need to talk, you and I."

Heather's eyes narrowed.

"Talk? Oh,yeah. Like I really want to talk to you. I know about you, Susie."

"It's Suze." Her tone was flat.

"Whatever. I know what you're doing here."

"Well, good," Susannah said, gesturing towards a bench. "Then I don't have to explain. You want to sit down so we can talk?"

I saw Heather darken and I sure hoped Susannah knew what she was doing. "Talk? Why would I want to talk to you? What do you think I am, stupid? God, you think you're so sly. You think you can just move right in, don't you?"

Susannah looked surprised. "I beg your pardon?"

"Into my place." Heather straightened and stepped away from the locker, walking toward the courtyard as if she was admiring the fountain. "You, the new girl. The new girl who thinks she can just slip right into the place I left behind. You've already got my locker. You're on your way to stealing my best friend. I know Kelly called you and asked you to her stupid party. And now you think you can steal my boyfriend."

Susannah's face turned red and she placed her hands squarely on her hips. "He's not your boyfriend, Heather, remember? He broke up with you. That's why you're dead. You blew you brains out in front of his mother."

I winced where I hid. How could Susannah be so forward?

I watched as Heather's eyes widened. "Shut up."

Susannah obviously didn't know how to stop while she was ahead because she continued. "You blew your brains out in front of his mother because you were too stupid to realize that no boy, not evern Bryce Martinson, is worth dying for."

She walked past her, out from under the breeze way. As she did she glanced nervously at it, seeming to remember the day's previous event.

"Boy, you must have been mad when you realized what you'd done. Killed yourself. And over something so stupid. Because of a guy."

"Shut up!"

I clamped my hands over my ears. Even so my ears were ringing afterward. God, I really hoped Susannah new what she was doing.

Susannah remained composed, "It's no use your screaming like that. No one but me can hear it."

"I'll scream all I want," Heather shouted and then let out a blood curdling shriek.

And then believe it or not Susannah yawned and went to sit down on one of the wooden benches by Father Serra's statue. She didn't even seem to hear Heather and the she-ghost had noticed.

"Are you listening to me?" Heather screamed.

Susannah looked her squarely in the eyes and said quite calmly, "Do you know what the word abnegation means?"

There was no doubt now. Susannah was insane. And she had just angered a demon.

Heather strode forward, her face a mask of rage. Stopping just a foot away she said, "Listen to me, you bitch. I want you gone, do you understand? I want you out of this school. That is my locker. Kelly Prescott is my best friend. And Bryce Martinson is my boyfriend! You get out, you go back to where you came from. Every thing was just fine before you got here…."

Susannah interrupted so boldly that I couldn't help but to wince again.

"I'm sorry, Heather, but everything was not just fine when I got here. You know how I know that? Because you're dead. Okay? You are dead. Dead people don't have lockers, or best friends or boyfriends. You know why? Because they're dead. Now, I know you made a mistake. You made a horrible, terrible mistake…"

"I'm not the one who made the mistake," the ghost interrupted, "Bryce made the mistake. Bryce is the one who broke up with me."

"Yeah, well, that wasn't the mistake I was talking about. I was talking about you shooting yourself because a stupid boy broke up with…"

"If you think he's so stupid," Heather snapped, "Why are you going out with him on Saturday? That's right. I heard him ask you out. The rat. He probably wasn't faithful a day the whole time we were going out."

Susannah rolled her eyes. "Oh, well, that's just great. All the more reason for you to kill yourself over him.

Heather began to cry. I didn't feel all too sympathetic.

But Heather had not done anything threatening yet. She had shown no violence. Was Susannah's brash tongue doing the trick?

"I loved him," Heather whispered, "If I couldn't have him, I didn't want to live."

"And now that you're dead you figure he ought to join you right?" Susannah stated. She sounded annoyed.

"I don't like it here," Heather breathed, "No one can see me. Just you and F-father Dominic. I get so lonely…."

"Right," came the quick reply. "That's understandable. But Heather even if you do manage to kill him, he probably isn't going to like you for it much."

"I can make him like me," Heather said confidently. "After all, it'll just be me and him. He'll have to like me."

Susannah shook her head. "No, Heather. It doesn't work that way."

Heather stared at Susannah. "What do you mean?"

This was actually a question I'd like answered myself. Why me? Why had I been sentenced to purgatory for over a century?

"If you kill Bryce, there's no guarantee he'll end up here with you. What happens to people after they die, well, I'm not sure, but I think it's different for everyone. If you kill Bryce, he'll go to wherever he's supposed to go. Heaven, hell, his next life, I don't know for sure. But I do know he won't end up here with you. It doesn't work that way."

"But… but that's not fair."

"No," I whispered softly, "No it's not fair when you don't have a choice."

Nobody heard me and Susannah continued, "Lots of things aren't fair, Heather. It isn't fair for example that you have to suffer for all eternity for a mistake that you made in the heat of the moment. I'm sure if you'd known what it was like to be dead, you never would have killed yourself. But, Heather, it doesn't have to be this way?"

It doesn't have to be this way. What did she mean?

"It doesn't?"

"No. It doesn't."

"You mean…. You mean I can go back?"

"You can. You can start over."

"How?"

"All you have to do is make up your mind to do it."

That's when I realized things were about to go downhill.

A scowl became fixed on Heather's face. "But I already made up my mind that that's what I want. All I've wanted since it… since it happened… was to get my life back.

"No, Heather, you misunderstood me. You can never have your life, you old life, back. But you can start a new one. That's got to be better than this, than being here all by yourself forever, storming around in rage, hurting people."

"You said I could get my life back!"

Susannah visibly paled, as if she had just realized that she was losing the battle. "I didn't mean you old life." She said, her voice raising an octave. "I just meant a life!"

"You told me, you told me I could get my life back! You lied to me!"

"Heather, I didn't lie. I just meant that your life, well your life is over. Heather, you ended it yourself. I know that sucks, but hey, you should have thought of that…."

"I won't let you. I won't let you take over my life!"

"Heather." She squeaked, "I told you, I'm not trying to. I have my own life. I don't need yours…"

The court yard went silent and then I felt a dull itch by my nose. Suddenly I realized that I was feeling Heather's kinetic energy boil over. Everything was starting to shake but not from one of Carmel-by-the-sea's many earthquakes. I knew when the water in the fountain began boil that I should probably intervene.

So much for Miss Susannah, the expert mediator.

"Heather, Heather, listen to me. You've got to calm down. We can't talk when you're…."

She let out a muffled shriek as Heather's eyes rolled back. "You… said… I…. could…. Start…. Over!"

Lifting myself from the top of the breezeway I knew that Heather could not be ghost.

She was una demonia. A demon.

It was at that moment that Susannah realized she was in danger. She jumped off the bench, diving away as it flew threw the air. Then she leapt forward and punched Heather in the chin.

Chica estupida, did she really think that that would stop her?

Heather didn't flinch.

"You are going to be sorry now."

Two things happened at once. Jets of boiling water shot up high in the air. That and the head of Juniper Serra snapped from its body and flew at Susannah.

Why wasn't she moving? Why did she just stand there?

I did it without thinking. I dived off the breeze way and knocked Susannah out of harm's way. The scary part was she didn't even seem to realize I was there. No, instead she just laid there, an eerie smile on her face. Had she somehow hit her head?

"Get up!" I growled, more out of fear than anger. Had I killed her? "I thought you were good at this!"

Junipo Serra's head impacted just inches away. Not even seeing if she was alright I yanked Susannah to her feet and jerked her away, dragging her towards the classroom she had emerged from. All the while the head whistled behind us. I heard it thud as it hit the door I had just shut.

"Jesucrìsto.' I can take care of myself,' you said. 'I'll just have to get rid of her first,' you told me. Right!"

"Shut up," she said feebly.

I looked down at her and saw she was still breathing hard, her eyes wide in shock.

"Cadaver breath, Do you realize that's what you called me? That hurt you know, querida. It really hurt."

"I told you," she began tiredly. Something rammed into the door behind us. The impact rattled me.

"…not to call me that."

"Well, I would appreciate if you didn't make disparaging remarks about my…"

Susannah cut in. "Look this door isn't going to hold up forever."

I looked down to the metal nose of the head as it managed to break through. Feeling shaken I said, "No, may I make a suggestion?"

Susannah was, too, staring wide-eyed at the head.

"Sure," she squeaked.

"Run."

a/n: review chapter six should be up some time tomorrow