Bewitched
Chapter 3
I didn't see Jesse for two whole days after that. Yes, I was counting. I really shouldn't have been, considering he was a ghost. Oh, yeah, and the fact that no one else could see him. So, it's like, even if he did reciprocate my, somewhat clouded, feelings for him, it's not like we could ever get married or anything or even have a healthy relationship of some kind.
As I was saying though, I had not seen Jesse for two days.
But it was actually a good thing that he showed up when he did. If he did not, well, let's say I wouldn't be lying in my bed right now. I'd probably be being speculated and prodded by the doctor from the next town over. If that, or I could be dead.
Not such a good thing to be thinking about though. My mother always told me to think optimistic thoughts, even after my father died.
Speaking of my father, he usually visits me around this time. When I lived in England, he visited me every week or so. I haven't seen him since . . . a month ago?
Okay, maybe you are confused. My father, the one that died when I was six, he did not move on. He remained on this earth as a ghost, to look after me he says.
But that's the thing, if he says he's staying here to look after me, then why hasn't he been around lately?
Did he . . .?
No, he couldn't have. He would have let me know if he was going to move on. He wouldn't do that to me.
Okay, that's enough of that.
Anyway, I hadn't seen Jesse for two days. He came at a good time though.
Mary - the ghost that was killed by Indians, as was her husband - came back. She decided to bring one of her little ghost buddies too. And I was guessing that it was her husband because they seemed pretty friendly.
She tried to sweet talk with me again. She tried to get me to bring her and her husband back to life - the way everything was before they were killed - but when I told her I could, in fact, not do that, she went ballistic.
She went after me and tried to rip my hair out. She punched me in the stomach, saying, "This is so can't ever have children. If I couldn't then neither can you." She couldn't really hit all that hard, but when she got her husband to do it, it hurt. I think he broke one of my ribs.
That was when Jesse showed up. To say he looked shocked would be an understatement. He looked absolutely devastated.
Then he got angry. The whole room shook from his apparent anger.
The two other ghosts turned and looked at him. They were apparently just as shocked as I was.
"You," he said to the husband, whose name I never learned, "should never hit a lady." And then he used his ghost powers and threw him against the wall. Mary looked so astonished that she didn't even move from her spot. Then when she came to her senses, her and her husband dematerialized.
Jesse looked at me down on the floor and scowled. I gave him a sheepish smile and said, "Thanks."
He then smiled. "I'm just glad I came in time." He stuck his hand out to help me stand up. My ribs really were throbbing by then. So it really wasn't a shock that I could not really stand up all that well.
I fell back down when he pulled me to a standing position. "Dios," he muttered. "What did they do to you?"
I laughed bitterly. "Oh, just kicked me in the stomach a few times. That's all."
But apparently he didn't notice my sarcasm, because he said angrily, "That's all? You could have been seriously injured, querida."
Querida? I knew it was Spanish, but what did it mean? I had never heard any of the Spanish men say that. Was it good? Or bad?
However, my stomach and ribs were in so much pain that the question of that word completely slipped my mind.
I nodded. "I know."
He helped me up again and helped me onto my bed to lay down. I felt my side and winced. Yeah, I'm pretty sure at least one of my ribs was broken. I didn't know how I'd explain that to my mother.
Ha, I can see it now. 'Oh, that? Um, I just fell off the roof, that's all, Mother.'
Somehow, I don't think that would go over too well.
I lay in bed for a while, at least until I had to get up. When I did, well, I don't know what I would do. Probably have someone carry me down the stairs, but then I would have to explain why they had to carry me down the stairs.
Ugh. Life is so confusing.
I was complaining to Jesse about that. Not that I was hurting - I would never show signs of weakness, even if I was really hurting, like I was then - but that it would be difficult to explain my situation.
He listened, like any other normal person. But that is the thing. He isn't normal. He's not alive like normal people are.
But to me he seemed like one. It was as easy talking to him like it was talking to my best friends - CeeCee, Adam, and Gina. Of course, I have not seem them in quite a while, since Adam and CeeCee went off on an expedition with CeeCee's parents. And Gina, well, she went to go visit her father that was in the next town over - he had an operation done and it had to be done there.
So, as you can see, I was pretty lonely. Aside from the various spirits that graced my presence. I was lonely, as in I had no one to talk to, be there for me, and support me. There was my mother, but . . . she was not all that easy to talk to when it came to certain things. Those things I would rather not discuss here. Things that you can only discuss with best friends.
And, well, I found myself discussing them with Jesse. Like I said, it was just so simple to talk to him. He seemed like he was a very understanding and open-minded person, who wouldn't judge right away. Oh, and you can't forget the fact that he was very handsome.
(A/N: Can someone give me a word like 'handsome' that girls would use to describe men in the 17th century? Please?)
To describe him in one word, he was . . . perfect.
Only if you just ignore the fact that I was the only person who could see him - other than Father Dominic. And, to be honest, I'm not so sure Father Dom would like me - erm, fancying a ghost. He would not like that at all.
He was like an imaginary friend (with benefits, possibly), only he was, in fact, real. Just not to everyone. Sure, he had no matter to non-mediators, but, to me, he had plenty of matter.
"Susie," my mother called up the stairs. She was all ready downstairs making breakfast probably. Or helping Andy with it at least, since he was the one that mainly cooked in our household - not normal, but then again, my family has never been normal either.
I looked at Jesse. "What should I do?" I asked him hurriedly.
He looked at me and gave me a little smile. "Tell her you're ill," he said simply. It was a simple answer, but it got me out of a whole day's worth of chaos (i.e. chores and family matters).
Surprisingly, Jesse stayed with me the whole day. It's not that I thought he had anything better to do or anything - him being a ghost and all - but I just didn't think I was all that exciting to be around is all.
And ironically, that was the day when the first accusations started. The accusations of witchcraft.
- ยง -
"Mother?" I came down the stairs as best I could that day, Jesse trailing after me just in case I fell.
She appeared from behind the corner. "Oh, Susie," she whispered. "It's horrible, honey. They - they have accused Mrs. Grace of witchcraft! You know her, she has never done such a thing!"
I nodded. "I know, Mother. But . . . is there anything we can do?"
She shook her head solemnly. "Her trial is tomorrow. The only evidence they have against her is a few unruly girls saying that she poisoned their supper. How preposterous is that?"
"Unruly girls? Which girls?" I asked, interested.
She looked at me curiously. "Oh, you might know them, Susannah. A Miss Kelly Prescott and a Miss Deborah Mancuso and a few other girls that I cannot remember the names of at the moment. Those wretched little creatures accusing a poor elderly woman who only wanted the best for them." My mother was seething.
"Mother, I do know them and I can honestly say that I never was fond of them when we attended church."
My mother nodded. "I am proud of you, Suze. Not getting involved with those mischievous type."
(A/N: Okay, so Kelly and Debbie aren't smart enough to be like Abigail, but come on.)
"Mother, I really am not feeling too well. Would it be all right if I went back upstairs and lay down longer?" I asked. My side was really aching, just after standing for a few minutes.
She nodded. "Of course, sweetheart. However, I need you to go to the trial tomorrow, Susannah."
I nodded. "I understand." And I went back upstairs to lay down. I was actually being truthful that time. As soon as I hit my bed, I fell right asleep.
And I actually think Jesse stayed there while I slept. Maybe even watched me as I slept.
A little unnerving, but somehow comforting.