Mediator: From the verb, to mediate. To Negotiate between the opposing sides of a dispute.
That's what it says in the dictionary, if you look it up.
Me? I'm one of them. It's a gift, not everyone can do it.
You see, I negotiate with the opposing sides of a dispute. Usually its whether that person wants to be dead or not.
I like to think of myself as a good person, and that I help out people whenever possible, when I can.
Because I do. I generally am a good person. What happened back there with Susannah, I'll never know. It was a one off. I'm never like that. Ever.
Okay, I think I should clear this up.
I see dead people.
Not dead people as in zombies, like in Dawn of the Dead, which, by the way, is a totally great movie.
No. I see their ghosts.
It's kind of difficult really. When someone dies, they don't take the form of when they died, because that would just be disgusting.
Well, not for me. I want to be a doctor, so I don't mind the blood and gore and people with their guts hanging out.
They take the form of when they were most alive. The ghosts, that is.
I remember when I saw my first ghost. I was five, and in the playroom playing with my younger sister Marta.
A little girl with blonde pigtails appeared from nowhere. I instantly ran in front of my sister to protect her. Call it brother's instinct. But when I saw that there was tears running down her face, I immediately asked her to play.
Marta started laughing and ran off to our mother, shouting "Mama! Mama! Jesse talk to himself!"
The little girl gave a muffled sob and disappeared. Just like that. She was gone.
When I tried to tell my mom about her, she was convinced I had an imaginary friend.
I did, and his name was Enklebert.
But that's kind of drifting off the point, isn't it?
So that was when I learnt my first lesson concerning ghosts: only I can see them.
Of course there are other people who can see them, I mean, Most Haunted would be a complete failure if they didn't. But they only see the one, and if their lucky, maybe two.
I see all of them.
Every last one.
I decided this was something I shouldn't share with anyone. Not ever.
So I didn't.
I helped the lost souls, and occasionally, I learnt something from the experience.
Like I should never take anything for granted. Even though my dad left my mom, I still went and saw her every other weekend.
Which just became a lot harder, since, you know, moving states and all. It's not the same when you live round the block.
But I miss Marta, Mercedes, Josefina, Mapi and Marcella the most.
My sisters, my legacy.
Dinner at my house had always been a huge affair, even when my mom and dad were together.
That was one thing I didn't expect to change when my dad re-married.
I half expected Kelly to be anorexic, and not eat a thing, because she's so thin. Too thin.
Man, was I wrong.
She piled her plate high enough not only to feed herself, but to feed half of America as well.
I didn't eat a lot, on account of missing my mom and my sisters, and…
Oh yeah, that ghost that was haunting my room.
"So, Jesse, what are your plans for tonight?" Sara asked politely, picking at her salad.
I could see all she wanted was a whole mega sized bar of chocolate to stuff her face with.
Well, how was I meant to answer that?
"Staying clear of my room because some 19th century chick is haunting it, and I assume she's pretty mad at me already, because I acted like a complete jerk, and I don't want to make her even more mad"
Yeah. That would REALLY go down well.
So I just stuck with the plain "Oh, I dunno, watch a bit of T.V?"
"But Jesse, it's Saturday night!" Kelly squealed in a disgusted manner.
Saturday?
I must have lost track of time, with traveling and all.
Saturday back home meant babysitting for my sisters while my mom went out on another failed date, or when I was at my dad's, going out with Aimee.
"Kelly, why not take Jesse out? Isn't there any parties on?" My dad said.
"Ooh yes! As a matter of fact, Debbie's folks are out of town for the weekend! She's throwing a huge house party tonight!" She saw the expression of both the adults face's "With their permission of course" She added hastily.
And her mom and my dad believed it!
"You drive?" Kelly said, throwing me the car keys.
We pulled up at this 'Debbie's' house, and I could practically see it moving, the music was that loud.
I locked up the car and Kelly hooked her arm through mine, pulling me towards the door.
The house was already trashed, and it looked like the party had just started.
"Look, stay here. I'm just going to find Debbie, and then I'll introduce you to a load of people" Kelly instructed, talking off.
Well that was nice.
I shoved my hands in my trouser pockets, looking around. I felt someone tap my shoulder.
"Hey, are you new here?" A guy asked. He had brown hair and equally brown eyes. Standing next to him was a girl with hair so blonde, she probably was an albino.
"Yeah, I just moved here from New York" I said, shaking there hands "Jesse de Silva"
"Adam McTavish" The guy said "And this is Cee Cee Webb"
"I thought you were new and all, because I know everyone. I'm the editor of the Mission Academy's school paper. I have to know these things," She said.
"Oh, I start their next week"
"Anyway, Jesse, you must have the right connections, to get here on your first day" Adam asked.
"Um, yeah. Do you know Kelly Prescott?" Cee Cee snorted.
"Do we know here? Class president, most popular girl in school, complete air head and a snobby cow…" Adam nudged her "…Carry on" She finished.
"Oh, well, she's my step-sister" Adam choked on his punch and Cee Cee couldn't stop giggling.
"I feel so sorry for you bro" Adam laughed.
"So what about you? What connections do you have?" I asked them. They went all red faced and shifty.
"What?"
"Well, we're not really supposed to be here. We weren't invited" Cee Cee explained.
"Why not? You guys are really cool" I said. Adam made a tutting noise.
"Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. There will come a day when you learn good from bad, right from wrong, and cool from the uncool" Adam explained, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"But-…"
"No buts. We, Jesse, are social rejects, along with a few others. It's who we are. We were born like it" Adam continued, cutting me off.
"You guys are nice though" I pointed out.
"Nice won't get you anywhere in the real world" Cee Cee said. "See you at school" She said, walking off with Adam.
"JESSE! COME HERE!" Kelly screeched over the music.
I walked over to where she was standing. She was with a boy about my age, with icy blue eyes and curly brown hair.
"Jesse, this is Paul Slater, Paul, this is my step-brother Jesse de Silva"