Bewitched

Chapter 15

Jake came back with the doctor about ten minutes later. I just looked at them as they walked through the front door and then went up the stairs to go see what happened.

Everything else happened in a blur. Jake and Andy taking Debbie's body out of the house, setting it on the carriage that someone else had brought over; Debbie's parents crying as they came over to our house after they heard the news; various people coming in and out of our home to see what the commotion was.

None of it really mattered. Not to me. Frankly, I should have suspected something like that would happen. Mary was a revenge-seeking ghost and would stop at nothing, at least until she got her life back or destroyed everything she possibly could. She was all ready destroying my life as it was. It was only a matter of time before people would start blaming me for what happened, and then I would be right next to my mother in the dungeon. There would be absolutely nothing I could do about it, either. Mary had all ready done the damage.

I felt a tinkling of materialization beside me as I saw them taking Debbie's body away. I thought it was Jesse, coming to see what was happening, but when I looked to my side, I saw that it was my father. It was about time he visited me again.

"Suze," came his soft voice as I felt tears leaking out of my eyes again. "None of this is your fault, Susannah. You could not have prevented this from happening, honey."

I just looked at him with pity. He thought I could not have prevented this, when I really could have. If I had not been so busy moping about Jesse, I could have mediated Mary all ready, and Debbie would still be alive and breathing.

I knew, when I went to see Father Dominic tonight, that an exorcism was in order. It had to be done. Mary had to be exorcized before she had a chance to kill any more people, or ruin my life even more.

"Father," I began to say, but stopped. I was not quite sure how to word what I was going to say. I took a deep breath and started again. "Father, I could have prevented this from happening. I should have exorcized her from the start."

My father sat down next to me, then put his hand on my shoulder. "Suzie, do not blame yourself. There are two other mediators in this village. If you insist on thinking this is your fault, then its just as much their fault as it is yours."

"But she came to me, not them. I should have been the one to take care of it."

My father just simply shook his head and dematerialized, leaving me to think about what he just said. Maybe...maybe it was not entirely my fault.

- § -

It was dark a couple of hours later. Brad was still unconscious, but his breathing was not as shallow as it was before. The doctor said he should be okay by tomorrow morning.

When everything had died down, Andy came to talk to me. It was rare that he actually sought me out to talk to me; he tried to give me my own space, which I was very thankful for.

I was sitting on my bed in my room, talking with Jesse. He had come as soon as he heard what had happened. He was with me ever since. But I stopped talking when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Jesse was silent too, even if he did not need to be, and he was watching me as I stared at my bedroom door.

There was a knock at the door a second later and Andy's voice came through it. "Suze, do you mind if I come in?" he asked.

I smiled a little to myself. "No, come in."

He did and he smiled at me. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said sort of jokingly. Andy was just that kind of guy. He could make a joke after something terrible has happened, to try and lighten the mood.

I smiled back. "No. I was just thinking, is all."

"About what?" he asked as he went to go sit on my window seat.

"Just about everything that has been going on." Andy nodded in agreement. "Do you think maybe we're being punished for something we did in our past lives?" I asked cautiously. I know it was thought of as barbaric to think of 'past lives' and things like that, but I honestly did believe it.

Andy seemed to consider this. "I'm not sure, Suze. No matter how horrible someone was in their past life, I still do not think they deserve this."

I nodded in agreement. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jesse smile. "Goodbye, Susannah. I shall see you later," and he dematerialized.

I brought my attention back to Andy. "Maybe you are right," I said.

Andy smiled a little at me, then he brought up the subject that I was dreading. "So, that Paul fellow asked you to marry him?" he asked lightly.

I took a deep breath and murmured, "Yes, he did."

Andy nodded politely. "And what did you say?" I know he did not mean to pry, but since my mother was not exactly here at the moment, it was his job to look after me.

"I said yes."

He looked at me for a few moments, not saying a word. Then he sighed and said, "But you don't want to marry him, do you?"

What is it with them guessing this? First David, now Andy. Well...I guess it kind of shows. I mean, if Jesse was alive and asked me to marry him, I would be ecstatic.

"No."

"Suze, you do not have to marry the first man that asks you, especially if it is not the man you want to marry. Yes, you are the right age to marry, but you do not have to yet."

I sighed heavily. "Andy...there is more to it than meets the eye. Yes, he is not the man I want to marry, but I cannot marry the man that I wish to."

Andy seemed confused. "Why ever not?"

I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath. "It is too complicated to explain. I just cannot marry him and he knows that. However, I know Paul will take care of me, even if I do not love him."

A smile seemed to form on Andy's face. "You are one of a kind, Suze." He put his hand down on the seat and pushed himself up off of it, then walked to the door to go out.

"Andy," I said. He turned back around and looked at me expectantly. "Do...do you think I'm making the right decision?"

"Susannah, its only wrong if you think it is."

"But I do not know if it is or not."

He sighed. "I would say...follow your heart."

Follow my heart? But that will only result in me getting hurt. Maybe I was just not meant to be happy.

- § -

That night, while I was sleeping, Jesse came to visit me. Of course, I was still sleeping, but his mere presence just made me more alive, so I woke up. He just smiled at me and told me to go back to sleep, but of course I did not listen to him. I pulled my covers back and got up out of bed, walking over to him and putting my arms around his neck. He smiled down at me as he kissed me tenderly on the lips, slightly biting my lip on the process, which just made me go crazy.

He pulled away a couple minutes later, realizing that even if he did not need to breathe, I did. We kissed a little more after that, but Jesse decided that it would be best just to sit down and talk a little bit. I argued a little, but then realized that he was right. I did need to talk to someone about what happened today. Yes, I talked to Andy all ready, but it was nothing like talking to Jesse.

So we talked about the goings-on in the village. Everything from the hangings to what had just happened earlier that day.

Jesse suddenly got a little nervous when it came to talking about what happened to Brad and Debbie. So, being curious, I asked him. He brushed it off at first, saying he was fine and that everything was okay, but I knew he was lying.

So he finally gave in and told me. "Susannah..." he sighed. "I am afraid something might happen to you. I...I went over to the council today and I was listening to what some of the judges were saying. They think...someone said something to them and they think you killed Deborah."

I blinked and opened my mouth in shock. But then I closed my mouth realizing that I should have known that was coming.

"Do you know who?"

He ran his hand through his dark, crisp hair. "They did not mention a name, but I heard them say that the family members were distraught and one of Deborah's friends said you did it, that you had a grudge against her."

Only one name came to mind then.

Kelly Prescott.

"Querida," he said, suddenly taking my hands in his. "I think it would be best if you leave. Go to Father Dominic and—"

But I did not hear the rest, for I heard a loud thud from downstairs, indicating that either something very heavy was dropped, or someone broke the door down. I was going for the latter.

Jesse's eyes widened and he tried to usher me out onto the roof to escape somehow, but I would not have enough time. They were all ready in the house. It would be worse if they saw me trying to escape.

Not a minute later, I heard loud footsteps and then my door being thrown open. I recognized one of the judges from the trials and the jailer that took my mother away.

Instantly my heart started beating erratically. It was so loud, I thought that they would surely hear it.

They were saying something to me, but all I could hear was Jesse's voice from behind me as they took me away. "Do not lose faith, Susannah. Everything will turn out all right."

But I was not sure whether to believe him or not.