One

I added the finishing touches to the dinner that I cooked an hour earlier (yes, I, Susannah Simon, ghost-buster/fashion extraordinaire, can cook. Andy had taught me) and waited for Jesse to come home. He was working as a doctor, and he was called away for an emergency today.

I sighed. He might likely be away the whole evening too. But it was Christmas Eve, and I'd like to spendsome time with him. We are both rarely at home, as to my busy fashion-designer schedule and his tedious work at the hospital. The Carmel hospital.

Jesse had graduated from Harvard to work as a doctor, and I had designed several dresses for Hollywood actors. Like Keira Knightly (I love Pirates of the Caribbean!). My name and designer clothes are now the innest fashion in town.

I went to a designing school after graduating from the Mission. Jake became a chef, making pizza's and even owning a pizza shop (Jake's Eatery) and Andy became it's top chef. Brad became a wrestler and is hoping to win an Olympic in wrestling. My mom had retired from broadcasting and now became a DJ.

Jake and Gina are now engaged and lived in their own apartment. Brad lives with his other wrestler mates, and that leaves Andy and my mum alone in our old mansion. Jesse and I had saved enough to buy our own house.

CeeCee is now a world-famous journalist. She is a freelance writer too, getting a degree in psychology and having her own newspaper column in The Carmel Pine Cone. Adam is a cartoonist for comics and hopes to either write a series of horror books with bad puns or become a CSI Investigator.

David had become a mad scientist (well, not really) and is a computer whiz. Maybe he will win a Nobel prize soon?

Father Dom is going to retire this year, as he is tired now. Tomorrow, Jesse, Jake, Gina, Brad, David, Father Dom, CeeCee, Adam, and me are all going to my mom and Andy's house for Andy's scrumptious turkey. I looked at the spaghetti and thought how amateur it is compared to Andy's famous Spaghetti Bolognese.

Suddenly, my cell phone rang. I jumped and jerked it out.

"Hello? Susannah?" Jesse asked.

"Yes, honey? Are you coming back soon?" I asked.

"Listen, darling… there's urgent business tonight. I have to go help out. Plus I think it's our business. Is it OK if I don't come home for dinner? You eat without me, please?"

I took a deep breath. 'Our business' means supernatural

business. It means Jesse's, Father Dom's, Jack's, Paul Slater's, and my business. It means that it concerns paranormal phenomena, aka ghosts.

Yes, the five of us can see ghosts. Problem is, Jesse, Father Dom, Jack, and I are good and helps ghosts. While Paul, Jack's brother, tricks ghosts for his own selfish gain.

"Well, whatever. I'm supposed to pick Gina up tonight at the airport, anyway. At ten. So I won't be bored," I said.

"Susannah. I don't think you understand," Jesse said gently.

"What? You never explained what is going on exactly!" I said.

"Susannah, a plane crashed today."

I blinked. So? OK, maybe plane crashes are bad. But it's not any of my business for anti-ghost parts.

"A plane from New York, Brooklyn."

OK. So it's from my homeland. What's up?

"A plane carrying three hundred passengers…"

Why do I have a sense of foreboding?

""…including Gina. Honey, you won't be going to the airport to pick up Gina tonight—" Jesse soothed.

—because Gina is dead.

As I slid down onto the floor, dropping my cell in the process, I can only think of one thing: Gina, my best friend since I was a toddler, was dead. In a plane crash. Which Jesse is called to help out at. And all I could think of was dinner!