A Twisted Fate

The Replacements Pt 1

Melinda finished whatever paperwork she had for the day and quickly got her helmet. It didn't matter to her anymore if the others knew what she really was or how she really was. All that mattered was the fact that she felt her sanity slowly slipping away as all those she loved left her behind.

First Tate, she knew him when she was a little girl. He had befriended her as she bumped into his sister Addie. Then he killed himself getting stuck in the Murder House forever more never being able to leave. Never being able to have the life he had deserved. Kept prisoner until either the curse on the house was lifted or the mansion was destroyed.

Next was her family. Her younger brother and sisters. Her mother and father. The co-worked that worked with her father had not given them a chance or a reason. He was merciless. He hadn't only killed her family one by one. He tortured them. Mutilated them. Destroyed them. The only reason he hadn't gotten to her was because he thought she had escaped, which confused her to no end since she was in plain view, and in his insanity killed himself off.

Then Kyle. Kyle was much harder to face now. She had to watch him slip away from her twice now. The first when he died when Madison had flipped the bus. She knew from the moment the bus flipped that she wouldn't be able to save him. Now that he had come back thanks to Madison and Zoe she was witnessing him slip away again. He was slipping away from her and toward Zoe. It was painful. It made her feel empty. It made her feel cold. Alone.

The dictionary defines Heartache as emotional anguish or grief, typically caused by the loss or absence of someone loved. So what happens when the feel of heartache is a constant in your life? What if it is the only constant you have? How do you learn to live without it? Is it even possible?

Taking her keys, Melinda left the house unnoticed by any of the girls and made her way to her bike when she noticed a few books on the floor and realized they must belong to the new neighbors moving in. Picking up the three books, she went to the front of the new house and up to the front door and knocked letting herself in since the door was open.

"Hello?" called Melinda looking in when someone called out from behind her.

"Hello," a young man, very handsome, modest, and... shirtless.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Um... I found these out on the sidewalk about to get stepped on. I thought they might be yours," said Melinda holding out the books and trying not to stare at his bare chest.

"Thanks! I would have been devastated if I had lost these," smiled the young man.

"Luke, I said to put a shirt on," called a women in a green dress coming over and obviously very unhappy.

"Right, sorry. Mother, this is... I'm sorry," said Luke leading her into the house and over to a box with his clothes as Melinda turned away.

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Melinda, I live next door at the academy. I was just returning some books that must have fallen from one of your boxes," explained Melinda as Luke reappeared wearing a clean shirt.

"Well, I'm Luke Ramsey. This is my mother Joan. It's nice of you to pick up the books when they weren't yours," said Luke.

"Well, literature shouldn't be thrown around or mistreated. I find the country seems to be becoming more and more illiterate sadly. Save any form while you can I suppose," said Melinda with a smile.

"I see you have a helmet. Were you going somewhere?" asked Joan making Melinda remember why she had left the house in the first place.

"Yes! Thank you for noticing and reminding me. I was actually heading out when I saw the books. My friend is hurt and I'm going to go make sure he's feeling better today. Hopefully he gets a chance to return home soon," explained Melinda. "Well, it was nice meeting you. Perhaps I could bring something over later as a housewarming gift to welcome you to the neighborhood properly."