Chapter 18
Brows furrowed in anger, Jesse crumpled the piece of paper deep into his trouser pocket. It would do no good having anyone else find it. He wouldn't have been able to make up a semi-plausible excuse to what it could possibly mean, he was too tired.
How on earth could Paul be so cruel as to do this to him?
Actually, Jesse had an idea why.
He was jealous - plain and simple. He wanted Susannah and this was his way of getting her. Only it wasn't going to work.
With a new-found determination he strolled through the corridors. His mind was made up. He just had a few loose ends to tie up here then he was off to 1814.
------
"Paul Slater!" Suze screamed at her captor. "Where the hell are we?"
Paul ran a hand through his perfect hair.
"Carmel," he answered simply, turning his back on her so that she couldn't see the items he had brought with them.
"This doesn't look like Carmel." Suze was livid. And seriously considering running and taking her chances where ever they were.
"Well, it is." Came Paul's reply. "Carmel, California. 1814."
"What?!" She screamed.
"Shut up Suze." Paul snapped. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."
"Speak for yourself."
And then she screamed. Again.
"Suze," Paul's voice was cold as he finally turned around - still blocking the items from her view - and gripped her upper arms painfully. "Shut up. If we're seen, we could mess up history."
Suze quietened down at that.
"So why'd you bring me here?" She asked quietly. "If you knew that risk."
His eyes matched his cold voice.
"If I can't have you, neither can Jesse."
"Jesse?" She asked. "You took us back in time because you're jealous of -"
Her voice trailed off as he stepped aside and showed her what he'd been hiding. Various lengths of rope and pieces of cloth.
"Oh, no!" Suze started to back out of the building they were in. "You wouldn't dare Paul!"
Paul smirked evilly.
"Wouldn't I?"
He caught her as she tried to run away and subdued her as he tied the first length of rope around her legs. To keep her from running away.
He didn't relent his actions. No matter how hard she punched or scrammed him. Turned out the spawn of the devil was immune to such girly ways of fighting.
"Help!" She screamed desperately hoping someone would hear her. She'd rather mess up the course of history then be at the mercy of Paul Slater. "Somebody help!"
Paul's eyes glinted with anger as he slapped a hand over her mouth.
"I'm sorry Suze, I really am." He ran a finger down her cheek. "But, like I said, we really cannot be found here."
As she opened her mouth to scream again, Paul tied a length of cloth around her mouth - gagging her.
"I am sorry." Paul repeated kissing her cheek before blinding her as well.
Everything was dark. Her hands and feet were bound. All that she could get out of her mouth was muffled noises that were of no use to help save her.
Then she heard the chilling sound of Paul's laughter and the slam of a door before the room was encompassed in silence.
She was alone.
Asshole.
---
Jesse walked back towards the dance and the sound of pounding music.
He only had one thought on his mind and that was get to Susannah. Which included trying to remember how to travel through time. He should have listened to Paul at all of those shifter lessons.
"You never know when you might need it." Paul had told him one week.
The boy had been planning this all along.
Just as he had opened the door and re-entered the dance, Cee Cee came running over to him hand attached to Adam's.
"Hey!" She said, out of breath. "Did you find Suze? She's been gone a while."
One of his 'loose ends' to take care of. Fortunately, he had already thought up an excuse.
"Yeah, I did." Jesse explained. "She's not feeling too good. She's asked me to take her home."
"Oh." Was all Cee Cee said.
Adam, however, laughed before he added dramatically.
"Take us to the invalid!" He cried. "It's got to be something apocalyptic for her to miss her first soirée!"
"Shut up!" Cee Cee hissed, slapping his chest lightly.
Jesse had prepared for this, also.
"No," he said calmly. "No. It's okay. She's already in the car. I was just sent back to collect her stuff."
Cee Cee shrugged, obviously accepting his story, while Jesse collected Suze's small sequined bag.
"Whatever." She stated. "By Jesse!"
Waving with her free hand, she used the other to drag Adam back onto the dance floor.
Jesse shook his head, slightly amused, and left the dance.
There was no time for him to do anything else - make up stories to her step-brother's for instance. Jesse wanted to get to Susannah now. He'd waited long enough. And who knew what Paul had done by now.
The one thing he actually remembered learning from Paul was that, to time-travel, you needed to be in a place which had existed in the time you planned on travelling to.
So, now he just had to work out what was in Carmel now that would have been in 1814 too.
Well, there was the mission, obviously. But that was infested with high school kids. So that was out of the question.
He drove his car out of the parking lot and found his gaze directing itself towards the sea.
He'd had some good times there with Susannah. And he was going to have many more, as soon as he figured out where he could time-travel from.
Then he realised.
The Beach.
Excitedly, Jesse pulled his car into the beach's parking lot and climbed out.
What else was there to do?
"An artefact belonging to the time period you wish to be sent to." Paul's voice rang in his head.
Jesse's heart froze as his head drooped.
He didn't have that.
His hands burrowed into his pockets dejectedly. A piece of paper crinkled as his fingers brushed against it.
Paul's note. Jesse smirked. Paul's note written in the handwriting belonging to Paul. The same Paul who was in 1814. With Susannah.
Clutching the paper tightly, Jesse closed his eyes, desperately hoping this would work, as he imagined Carmel as he thought it would have been like in 1814.
Then he opened his eyes slowly - one lid at a time.
And he was still on a beach watching the sunset.
Only, his car had gone as well as the various electrical street-lights that were normally littered all over Carmel. The whole place felt considerably less modern.
Which meant one thing.
He'd done it.
Jesse de Silva was in 1814, ready to find his querida. And murder Paul Slater for taking her away.