Haunting Melody St. Claire

Chapter Two

Smoke was everywhere. Bands of pressure tightened around her chest and she screamed. Not again. Flames rose and something fell across her shoulders. She tried to knock it away. Her hand slapped something and the sound of glass shattering pierced the night.

Melody sat straight up with a scream dying on her lips. Her heart pounded with fear and her skin crawled with dread. She blinked her bleary eyes and squinted in the dark. Where am I? It took a moment to take in the peeling wallpaper and lovely furniture. Kassa's house. I must have had another nightmare. 

She reached for the familiar weight of her grandmother's locket. In a panic, she realized it wasn't there. Melody pressed her hand against her chest and flipped the blanket back. She untangled her legs from the sheet, lifted the pillow and felt around for the necklace. It was gone. Melody felt a burst of anxiety and reached to turn on the lamp. 

Golden light spilled out into the room and she blinked to clear her vision. Her towel fell open and she bent over to tuck it back across her breasts when she noticed the locket, safely lying on the nightstand beside the bed. Her pulse slowed and she reached over to pick it up.

"There you are." Her fingers traced the delicate flowers painted on the porcelain. She carefully opened it. On the left was a tiny snapshot of her grandparents kissing. The first few bars of their song lifted her spirits and filled her heart with comfort. It was then she noticed her skin tingling in bands around her chest. Its warmth wasn't the memory of her nightmare. It was like...

She peered down at the floor, frowning in confusion. Travis Santiago stared up at her through the shattered glass of the antique frame. Kassa was going to kill her. Melody jumped out of bed and ran to get the broom, snagging a robe on the way. 

Her grandmother's necklace came around her neck in a heartbeat. She closed the case and tucked it under the material. Worry ate at her. Kassa had told her not to break anything. She grabbed a small trashcan and the hand broom. The last place she'd seen the dustpan was in the bathroom. She flicked the switch, but nothing happened.

The last few hours before she fell asleep came rushing back. Her hands shook while she examined the vanity in the limited light from the bedroom where she'd left the frame and her grandmother's necklace.

How did they end up next to her bed when she'd left them on the sink last night? She drew the robe closed up to her neck and walked slowly back into the room. A quick inspection told her nothing else was out of place. She shut the door, blocking the view of the bathroom, and strode to the mess. All of the glass seemed self-contained, but small slivers always found their way to the bottom of her feet. She lifted the frame and gingerly dumped the glass into the trashcan. The picture fluttered down and she grabbed it.

She flipped it over, hoping it wasn't scratched. Travis stared back at her with a sexy grin. She couldn't help but return the smile. "I'm happy to see you survived. I would have hated to see a scratch on that handsome face." She put him facedown on the side table and finished cleaning up the rest. "You know, people would call me crazy if they knew I was talking to pictures of strange men." She stood and surveyed the floor to make sure no shiny bits were left. Her gaze drifted to the back of the photo. She blinked slowly and squinted at the words. Beneath the faded script of his name and date was the word Believe in bold letters.

She snatched it up and read it again. "I'm going crazy." She knew it wasn't there before. Turning on her heel and gripping the robe, she lifted it so she could run down the stairs. Her fist clenched the delicate cloth, but she didn't care. Someone was messing with her and it wasn't funny.

She reached the kitchen and grabbed the phone. Kassa's number was on the fridge. It took three tries to get her fingers to work, but she finally got through.