A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, favorites! It means a lot to me!
But, gosh, I have no idea where this chapter came from. It was random, it was dumb, it was… really pointless. And I just couldn't seem to get it right.
So, here you go, I hope you like it more than I do!
Disclaimer: Don't own Mediator, and I'm kinda glad I don't. Because then I accidentally might've gave Josefina a personality that's totally not canon to this fanfic. But, whatever!
This Is Now, For Now
Chapter Six
Why had my life suddenly become so complicated?
Seriously. It used to be pretty simple – as simple as a mediator's, shifter's, whatever's life could be. I mean, I had a system back in New York: go to school, kick some ghost butt, get brought home by the police, go to sleep. And start all over again the next day.
But when I moved to Carmel with my mom, I met Jesse de Silva. And that, my friends, is where everything started to screw up.
If I hadn't met Jesse, then I would probably be going through the same routine I always had, minus the police – they were a little more resilient here. But, now that I know Jesse, I have to run around trying to find Kelly Prescott, also known as Maria de Silva, in a packed movie theater, when I should be enjoying my summer on a beach with friends.
No, I am not kidding.
I shoved my way through the growing crowd of people into the concession line, which was so long it reached the front doors of the movie theater. Apparently, there was some big movie premiere going on here at Carmel Cinemas, and I was caught right in the middle of the confusion. Not willingly, of course.
Just before I had heard the front door slam in our house this morning, I grabbed Brad's sleeve and asked where he was going. I was being extra careful to keep track of him at all times. Surprisingly, for the past three days, he hadn't seen Kelly-slash-Maria – or so he told me. But, a stroke of luck struck me somewhere in the karmatic universe today.
"Hey, Brad, where to?" I had asked, speaking a language that even a gorilla could comprehend.
He tugged his arm out of my grasp. "To the movies," he answered simply, sending me a glare. "Why are you so curious?"
I just shrugged my shoulders, hopefully looking like an innocent little girl. Oh so contrary. "Just wondering if you were going out with Kelly."
He narrowed his eyes at me. If there was ever a time where Brad had looked most like a fish, or prehistoric creature, it was now, with that ugly grimace. "Yeah, I am. Now get off my case, Simon, and let me leave."
Oh, yeah. Brad was just a cup full of sunshine this morning.
I felt a tug on the sleeve of my black jacket back in present time and turned to see Jesse running one hand through his hair. He was staring back at the huge mass of people with an astonished expression on his face. "Nombre de Dios. What is this madness, Susannah?"
"A movie premiere. Get used to it." I shrugged him off. Okay, so, sue me, but I was going on a 'date' with Jesse. Not a real one. Just a fake one. Because I really, really needed to exorcise Maria out of Kelly and get the right soul back in that body as soon as possible. And attacking Kelly's house one night with a baseball bat wasn't a very good solution.
And anyway, if Brad ran into us at the movies, he would probably think I was some stalker-freak for following him. So, Jesse was my cover. Of course, Brad didn't know Jesse was back in town, but that just made it all the better to pull off the quick excuse.
The plan Exorcise Maria was a little more complicated, seeing as Jesse didn't know Maria was in Kelly's body. I wanted to dump him off at a movie – he thought we were going body hunting – and then grab Kelly, drag her off into the girls' bathroom, and exorcise her right then and there.
Good plan, right? Wrong. Jesse was sticking to my side like glue, taking the whole 'date thing' too seriously. He wouldn't even get a damn bucket of popcorn if I didn't go with him! Which leaves me to stand in the concession line with him. God, why does he have to be so protective?
Men. Seriously.
"But… they're so wild," he said into my ear as a teenager with five drinks and three orders of nachos rushed past us.
"Point being? This is California, Jesse. I thought you'd be used to it by now, especially after living in hustling and bustling New York for all this time." I could feel my breath shortening and voice choking up just by thinking that he had an apartment and kept it hidden from me. I took a single deep breath to steady myself.
"So, what movie are we seeing?" he asked when we finally reached the cashier.
"The one everyone's here for," I answered, handing over some money for the two popcorns and turning to face him. "That's where… all the girls are. Right. So, let's go."
I grabbed the popcorn from the counter, held one out for Jesse, and continued shoving through the crowded movie theater. If anyone thought New York City on Christmas Eve was crowded, they never went into a movie theater in Carmel on the day of a long-awaited movie premiere.
"Theater two?" Jesse read from his ticket stub. "Where's that?"
"Just follow me," I said briskly and walked faster, hoping to lose him. After his little half-confession a few days ago, I took to distancing myself further. Hopefully, it would trigger him to say whatever he was obviously holding in. So far, no avail, especially with this fake date we were on. If anything, I seemed clingier for asking him to go with me.
As we entered the movie theater, I gasped a little in surprise. Because I hadn't expected it to be this crowded. The only seats were in the very front row, the kind where you had to tilt your head up to the ceiling in order to see the screen. The rest of the theater was completely full. If I didn't know better, I would call it an underwater group of tightly packed sardines.
"Up front," I whispered, and Jesse followed me to the front row, where we took seats next to each other. We tilted our heads upward and watched at the previews flickering across the screen. Well, Jesse was watching them. I, on the other hand, was looking for the chosen target.
There were a few other people that sat in our row. And, luckily for me, two of them happened to be Brad and Kelly.
I sat through the first few previews – advertising for some stupid movie about a girl who kicked ghosts' butts on a daily basis, as if – until the movie started. I figured it was now or never with the exorcism, so I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.
God, was Paul Slater going to have to pay me for this.
I nudged Jesse and whispered, "Be right back." I could tell he was about to protest, but I slipped out of my seat before he could even open his mouth. Ducking as to not disturb any viewers from their beloved movie, I scooted around the bend at the end of our row, making sure to keep my face hidden with the black hood I wore.
Kelly was on the end of the aisle – thank God – and I went up to her, crouched down beside her seat, and whispered, "Hey, remember me? It's Meghan Johnson! I just graduated with you last week, you know?"
Okay, yeah. I was totally making it up in a high-pitched squeaky voice that I expected Meghan Johnson would have. I couldn't tell her that I was Suze Simon – she would never, ever follow me if that were the case. But Maria, seeming to think playing the part of Kelly meant being totally naïve, went, "Oh, yeah! Hey, Meg! What's… um, up?"
I could sense the skepticism in her voice, so I said, "Nothing much. Hey, I've got this major fashion emergency. Could you, like, come to the bathroom with me? My boyfriend just dumped me, and, like, mascara's running down my face and all – "
"Oh, of course!" Maria turned to Brad, whispered something, handed him her popcorn, and stood up to follow me out of the theater.
Phase one: check.
I continued to keep my head down, and it was a mighty good thing that Maria was too stumped for words at the moment – I think my voice would have shook. We just walked out into the main lobby in silence, turning into the girls' bathroom as soon as I saw it. It was big, with a sink area larger than my room, and ugly pink tiles dotting the walls. Perfect place for an exorcism.
"So, let's see the damage done, Meg," Kelly said once inside, moving to remove the hood from my face.
"I don't think that's the best idea. It's pretty hideous." I made sure Maria was blocked into the corner of the bathroom before I even considered revealed my true identity. I could feel the weight of the exorcism supplies in the backpack strapped around my torso. Jesse had chided me in bringing it here, but now I was ever so thankful he hadn't made me give it up.
Because, now I removed my hood.
I could almost feel the small hiss of breath that Maria let out of her perfectly plumped – and stolen – lips. Actually, it could have very well been my imagination, since she regained her composure rather quickly and chirped, "Suze! Oh, hey, Suze! I must've heard your name wrong in the movie theater!"
Her voice was high and tinny. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was… nervous? Surprised? Psychotic?
"You didn't." Keep her going, thinking I didn't know she was Maria. That was the only plan at the moment. I hadn't really figured out exactly what to do once inside the bathroom, and armed myself only a rope in addition to my exorcism supplies, which were hidden in my backpack. But I doubted a rope could tie down a fighter like Maria.
"But I'm pretty sure I did! How could I mistake Meg for you, Suze? How could I?"
God, did she have to speak in exclamation points? I dropped my backpack onto the bathroom floor and started searching through it. I knew I had some rope hidden between the candles and chicken blood… somewhere…
"I don't think you did, Maria."
And I stopped searching. A fear so tight and gripping spread through my entire body. Why had I just used Maria's name accidentally, why? Dumb, stupid, idiotic me. Somehow, someway, I found the strength to tip my head upward and meet Maria's gaze.
However, she didn't seem shocked or scared or fearing for her stolen life. She seemed… smug. That look had taken over Kelly's face, and I couldn't help but feel that it was more venomous when Maria made it happen, rather when Kelly would make fun of someone in school.
"So. Who tipped you off?" she said in a voice that was void of all previous sugar and sweetness. It was low and raspy – Maria's signature tone – and sent more fear shivering down my spine.
"I'm not telling." Still keeping my eyes on her, I felt around in my bag with my right hand. The rope skimmed the tips of my fingers, and I reached forward to get a firm hold on it.
So, she wouldn't be going down easy, would she? Then, by force it would be.
She took one step forward, closer to the door, her back against the countertop of sinks. I stood up, rope tightly clenched into a ball in my fist, and moved to stand across from her. "It was Paul. I know it was Paul. He's the only one," Maria said, flipping Kelly's blond hair behind her shoulders.
"Josefina knows," I challenged. "I know you brought her back. I know you did, Maria. I have a theory worked out. And I'm pretty sure it's right."
"Do pray tell what this theory is?" she spat. I could tell she was inching closer and closer to the door. If I could just aim a quick kick at her gut and get her hands linked behind her back…
"You're going to bring back the de Silva line. One, by one, by one."
And you know what she did next? She laughed. Threw her stolen little plastic Barbie head back and cackled like the witch she was. Was she scared that I knew her theory? Oh, no, no, no. She found it funny.
I should've known not to trust Paul by now!
"You… you think that I'm trying… trying to bring back all of Jesse's little… bitch sisters?" Maria gasped, laughing through her words.
"Maybe, maybe not. I only know that you're up to no good. But what else is new?" She took another quick side step to the door. Now I was in front of the bathroom stalls, not the single exit. Perfectly perfect.
"I could be up to no good," she said, "or I could just be here getting another chance at life in this body. What was her name? Ah, yes. Kelly Prescott, resident dumb-ass of the class of two thousand and whatever."
My fists curled even farther into themselves, nails digging into my palms. No matter how much I didn't like the soul that once owned that body, Maria was much, much worse. Kelly at least deserved some respect while she floated around in the spectral plane, lost and confused.
The rope was still in my fist, but I barely took notice of it in this heated discussion. "Shut up, Maria. You killed someone completely innocent, just for your own gain."
She threw her head back and cackled. It echoed across the wide bathroom, reverberating back and forth until it was the only sound I could hear. It was weird that the evil laugh registered in my head, a little bell dinging 'Maria de Silva, Maria de Silva!', while I was looking at Kelly's body.
It didn't fit. Not one bit.
"Paul Slater killed Kelly. Paul Slater is the murderer. All I had to do was sweet-talk him a little, and I was in. Piece of pie."
My hands were shaking with rage, and I kept my head turned towards the ground. The floor tiles of the bathroom were a sickly green color, reflecting how I actually felt inside. "It's cake," I whispered, my voice low, dangerous, and shaking.
"What? Speak up, Simon, can't exactly hear you over here!" she screeched, sticking her head out farther and cupping one hand over her ear.
"The expression is a piece – of – cake!" I whipped out the rope and cracked it like a whip towards Maria. It lashed at Maria's arm, and she stumbled backward with a small cry, rubbing her burned arm. Regaining composure rather quickly, she dashed out of the bathroom door. I followed closely behind.
Once outside, Maria came to a sudden halt. The bustling crowd was completely gone, every single person now watching the movie premiere – she seemed to have forgotten that. So Maria just stood outside the bathroom door, and when I came bursting out, ready for a full-on wrestling match right then and there, Maria's lips curled into a heavy smirk.
"Do anything to me, and they'll all come to my aid," she whispered.
I stopped, bringing the rope back down to my side. Because she was completely right. Even though all the moviegoers were in a theater watching the premiere, she was right. There were still a few staff members joking behind the concession stand and selling tickets in a ticket booth. Credible witnesses if I performed an illegal movement.
Besides, I was dressed in full black baggy clothes – the stereotype for a thug – and it would certainly look like I was beating up a pretty blond girl that I was jealous of, not the psycho murderer ex-girlfriend of my ex-boyfriend. Murder was against the law.
But when did the law ever apply to me?
"Too bad, Maria," I whispered, "because you are going back to the hellhole you came from. Today." And with that, I slipped an arm around her dainty, fragile shoulders and got a firm grip. Then I sped off at a slight run, dragging her behind me, to the nearest corner. She struggled a little bit, but years of kicking ghost butt paid off on my end. When a closet with a 'Staff Only' sign on it came into view, I made a dash for it and slipped in with Maria by my side.
"Too easy," I sing-songed while shutting the door with a click.
"You… you bitch," Maria spat. I was blocking the door, so she was backed into a corner, almost tripping over a bucket when I turned on the light.
"And, now, prepare to be…" A frightening realization gripped my stomach. I had forgotten my backpack in the bathroom. I had Maria locked up in a secretive area, where no one would hear hell's demons cry for release, and I had forgotten my backpack. With all the tools for the exorcism.
Maria seemed to realize this too, since she called, "Don't have something in particular?" in a very irritating voice.
"Shut up," I growled, planning to hold the captive here as long as I could, exorcism or not. Josefina would show up soon, and, maybe if I pleaded, she would help.
Yeah, right. I was being way optimistic.
A soft knock sounded from the door behind me, and my muscles froze up and locked.
"Susannah?"
I stopped panicking at the sound of the voice. A voice I knew all too well. Maria was looking over my shoulder with an amused expression on her face, completely masking the evil one she wore before.
I turned around, slowly turning the knob. I was scared of what I'd see, and I certainly didn't fail me. Because Jesse de Silva was standing in the doorway with a confused expression on his face.
"Susannah, what are you doing to Kelly?" He looked back and forth from the rope at my side, to the wound on Maria's arm, and back to me. And I just stood there. Because, seriously, how could I defend myself without giving away the huge secret that the girl in front of me wasn't really Kelly, but, rather, his ex-fiancé?
I could have easily told him about Maria and had him help me with the whole ordeal. He could have gone and got my backpack, and we could exorcise Maria like we did last time. But if I told him, he wouldn't do that. He would run to Father Dominic, chastise me for going after the devil alone, and tell Josefina the fabulous news – that a worthy body was available in the 'Staff Only' closet of Carmel Cinemas, free of charge.
No. Telling Jesse was out.
Maria, on the other hand, seemed to notice that Jesse had used 'Kelly'. And by the look on her face, I knew she planned to use that to her advantage. "Oh, Suze," she said in that sugary sweet voice again, "you didn't tell your darling boyfriend?"
Jesse shot a skeptical look at Maria, came into the room all the way, and shut the door behind him. "Susannah, what's going on?"
Maria cackled a little. It would simply sound like a normal laugh to anyone who didn't know the living devil was inside. "Nothing," I answered. "Nothing's going on. I'm just talking to Kelly. Haven't seen her in a while."
"In a staff closet?" Jesse shook his head. "You've missed the first forty-five minutes of the movie, Susannah. I thought it was about time to search for you. And it was so horrible that I couldn't stand to sit through another hour. But that is not the point."
"Jesse's completely right, Suze," Maria said, turning to me with a devilish grin on her face. She was going to tell. She was going to tell Jesse that she was Maria. I didn't know what that was going to accomplish, but apparently something important to her. "Go ahead. Tell him what you know."
I didn't move. I couldn't move. It would give away something to Jesse – he was observant like that. And, I was still holding the ground that I was having a nice friendly schoolgirl-to-schoolgirl chat with Kelly Prescott, not trying to exorcise Maria de Silva.
"You won't tell him?" Maria took one step forward to Jesse, and he backed up a little against the door. "Fine then, Suze – "
"Shut up, Maria!" I screeched, and then realized the error of my actions. I clasped my hands over my mouth and emitted a little squeak. But it was a little too late for anything to cover up my actions. Because Jesse heard me loud and clear. And his perplexed expression was my only hint.
"Maria… Maria de Silva?" He gulped and stared at Kelly with wide eyes. "You're… you're… Maria? Maria? Nombre de Dios. No, no, it can't be. Right? Is this Maria, Suze?"
I nodded shamefully and turned my eyes to the ground – probably the only time the dark blue carpet with splashes of pink would ever look appealing to me. I simply wished I could sink through it. I knew he deserved this, the distrust and distance from me. He shouldn't have expected me to tell him everything in the first place, after those lonely months of silence.
Then why did I feel like the guilty one?
So, you can imagine my surprise when I felt a pair of strong, tan arms wrap around me in a protective stance. I glanced up to see Jesse glaring at Maria with his arms around me. If I didn't know any better, it would seem like a very heartfelt and loving gesture. But Maria was around, and so protection was probably the only thing on Jesse's mind.
"You will not hurt Suze, Maria," Jesse said in a low tone that only we could hear. I was pretty sure it was meant to sound threatening.
But to Maria, who avoided death twice and was reliving life at the moment, only took one step forward and snarled, "That's what you think, Jesse."
And just when I thought this situation couldn't get any more worse, Josefina shimmered next to us. She waved a little, and Jesse immediately released me. It seemed that he hated to show any affection for me in front of Josefina.
Fishy. Very fishy.
"Oh my, what's going on?" Josefina asked in a surprised voice. "Suze, who is this?" She stepped over to Maria – not literally, she was dead – and stared at her with horror plastered on her face. "Why does she have this burn on her arm?"
It didn't surprise me that Josefina was here in the first place. Oh, no, that part didn't surprise me in the least – she always had a way of showing up at inopportune moments. No, the problem was that Maria was totally unresponsive. Still staring at Jesse and me, glaring, as if she was going to fight us right then and there, frozen in time. She didn't even seem to notice that Josefina was beside her.
"Oh, cut the crap, Josefina. You know who that is." I rolled my eyes and gestured to Maria. "She's the one who brought you back from the dead, in case you forget. So just make your amends to Maria and get out of here."
"Suze," Maria spat, turning to me with Kelly's narrow blue eyes slit. "Suze, who the hell are you talking to?"
As if she didn't know. Please.
"No one," Jesse but in. "She's talking to no one."
But of course, Jesse didn't know Maria was a mediator too. He believed that she couldn't see Josefina, when I knew full and well that she could. Josefina just went on standing there innocently, and Maria didn't even bat an eyelid when Josefina ran a hand in front of her face.
What the hell was Maria playing at?
But more importantly, why was Jesse calling me Suze again?
"Look, Maria, stop being a bitchy actress." I turned to her, and her eyes widened a little in surprise, those pink lips still forming a perfect 'o'. "Just stop. Because I know you can see Josefina. You're the one who brought Josefina back from the dead."
Josefina looked at me with wide, pleading eyes. She looked so innocent, so puzzled. Maybe Maria really didn't bring her back. Honestly, she looked like one of those little kids in malls that get lost and scream for their mommies and daddies.
But, come on. I'm not that big of a pushover.
"Suze," Jesse scolded. "I doubt she did. You can't bring someone back from the dead."
"Then tell me why Maria's here, Jesse!" I screamed. He stopped in his tracks, those dark eyes widening in pure, innocent surprise.
He leaned down closer to my ear and whispered, "But Suze, don't you see? Maria… she can't see ghosts."
"But she can!" I burst out. Why was Maria acting like she was some shell-shocked kid, and why was Josefina so annoying when it came to showing up at the wrong times? Why didn't Jesse believe me? Why?
"Suze," Jesse pleaded warningly, but there was nothing he could say that I wanted to hear.
"No, Jesse, just shut up!" I screeched. For a second, I thought I saw Maria's lips curl, just a little. Why, God, why? "She can see Josefina too, Jesse! She's just acting, acting for some reason that I don't know. But this is completely unfair!"
I turned my back on them, ready to leave those poor unfortunate souls, but I quickly thought of one last thing to say to Jesse.
So I turned around, looked him straight in the eye, and said with the saddest voice I could muster, "Why, Jesse? I've given you all these reasons for you to trust me, right when I have no reasons to trust you. And yet, you deny the claims of the one girl, the one girl that loves you so much that she'd never, ever lie to you if you'd return the feelings for one damn moment!"
And I burst out of the staff closet, not looking back as I covered my eyes with my hands and made a wild dash out of the movie theater, rage fueling and pumping my muscles the whole two miles back home.
A/N: This is my longest chapter yet! 4,541 words! Maybe you could leave a review to celebrate? :D