Untitled for now...

Chapter 18 - Melanie...

I take a few minutes to collect what I can of my thoughts but between the blurred vision, throbbing head ache, and utter exhaustion, thinking clearing is just not going to happen. Father alerted the school that I would not be attending today, so I have atleast a couple hours to rest before I go find her and set things right. Something tells me I will need all the energy I can get. I set my alarm and then crawl back into bed, instantly falling into a morbid dream filled state. 

Something isn't right, I jerk around searching for something, anything to stop this madness. The wind is rushing around me blowing my hair in every possible direction, shadows dance around the edge of the lights, the trees are whispering around me, the blinds in every window shut. I have no choice, I'll do the only thing I know how, I run, I don't know where I'm going all I know is that she'll be there, and she's the only one who can save me now. I run through the dark empty streets, hearing the whispers around every corner and the footsteps behind me every step I take. The shadows are coming closer, crowding around me, reaching out with fingers lusting for the chance to end my life. Fuck! 

"MELANIE!! FATHER!! LEIGHTON!! ANYBODY!!"

"EEK! Fuckin' aye!" I scream as I jump awake to the sound of my alarm clock going off. It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon so I will have just enough time to get to Melanie's street before she does and she is going to talk to me whether she wants to or not. I climb out of bed and pull on some baggy jeans and a hoodie, I am not feeling up to putting effort into how I look today. Slowly I crack my door and slink into the hallway then out the front door grabbing a juice box on the way. As I walk past the neighborhood playground I realize It's a pretty nice day out today in spite of how I'm feeling. The younger children are happily playing on the brightly colored jungle gym as their parents lounge about on the benches chatting idly and tending to younger siblings, but as I sip on my drink and continue walking I notice an abrupt change in my surrounding. All the joyful noises of the playground I once loved are silenced and the only sound I can hear is my own feet hitting the pavement. I toss my juice box into an open trash bin and glance around scanning my surroundings. Nothing, everything is still, way too still. FIght or Flight kicks in for some unknown reason and I take off running. I don't know where I'm turning or staying straight or ducking or anything; all I know is within minutes I am standing in an alley way at the corner of Winnipeg Drive and Strayer Lane, looking straight at Melanie walking home, only a few feet away from me, and that I can feel the darkness closing in around me. 

I silently wait for her to cross my path, I stealthily reach out and snatch her up in my arms cradling her in one the other over her mouth as I take off flying over the rooftops. 

"Seriously, Melanie, look how high up we are, if you keep squirming you're risking me dropping you." I chuckle alittle as her demeanor instantly changes and instead of trying to get out of my arms she's clinging onto my neck. All at once the headache, fogginess, anxiety and exhaustion are a thing of the past and everything clicks, "you are not suffering from a bug of any kind... one can not exist without the other." Shit. Out of nowhere Melanie's ear shattering scream fills the ear and I zoom down and snatch her up within seconds. "Hehe, sorry Melanie" I smile coyly as she glares at me but I can't help it. I can't remember the last time I felt this good; I never want to put her down. We fly over the town far too high for anyone to see and as I look down at her in my arms with the sunlight bouncing off of her blonde hair and peach skin I can't help but smile, I feel like me again. All too soon we reach our destination and I set her down in a grassy meadow on the outsides of the city park. As soon as she is out of my arms everything starts to hit me again, this is not fair, but still, I stand here waiting for the storm to hit, for her to walk away, but instead she just looks at me and shakes her head,

"October... I told you, I did not want to see you again."

"You said it, but that doesn't mean you meant it"

"Well I did." 

"No you didn't. Melanie, I know you better than that." I smile alittle as her eyes hit mine and I reach out to take her hand almost naturally. She lets her fingers linger on mine for a moment then pulls back. I can feel that I'm right though, she doesn't want this. Without thinking I grab her and pull her close against me. Her resistance is fleeting and then she wraps her weak arms around me. 

"Mel... don't leave me." I whisper and she nods. I can feel her tears wetting my shirt but I won't let go, it feels too good. 

"What happened? Why were you in that part of town?" I ask and allow her to pull back so that we can sit down looking at eachother in full view. My head doesn't hurt anymore, not at all. 

She shakes her head and runs her hand through her hair, golden strands falling in front of her face.
"I, I don't know...I left school and went into the forest, trying to find the meadow you and I talked in but I got lost. When I made it back to the school everyone was gone so I started heading home, these two vampire boys came up to me and told me that you were looking for me. That they were friends of your brother and that I had to let them take me to you. I know how Leighton treated us so I didn't trust them, I told them you could see me in the morning in class if you wanted to make amends then... nothing. Not until you were talking to my uncle at the house..." 

I try to control my anger as I take in all the damage done to her, I can feel my eyes starting to glow but I have to control it. "Do you remember what they looked like? Could you point them out to me?"

"Yes, but I won't." 

"WHY NOT?!" I instantly regret raising my voice at her, "I'm sorry, but you have to tell me. I have to make them pay."

"No you don't, you can't, I don't even know what happened." I gingerly wipe away her tears and pull her into my arms as she cries.

"Just stop. Let me go!" She jerks away and stands a few feet away arms crossed. "You don't care about me, you haven't in years... if you ever did."

"I gave up everything for you! How could you say that!"

"And then you gave me up, you left me THERE, with HIM, you have no idea how badly I've been hurt and it wasn't just those jerks from school! If you cared you would have come to see me, written me, ANYTHING! But you didn't you just disappeared and you've treated me like complete SHIT ever since I've been back here!" 

"I... I'm sorry Melanie... Please... Don't leave again... Please... I need you more than you realize... I haven't been able to think straight since you came back and there's a reason for that. I went looking for you without any idea where you were, and I found you. Naked, Broken, but alive and with that I knew we could fix this."

"Fix what? And you know what October you did fine for years, I need to go home now before I get in even more trouble."

"Mel... don't go, I do care. I swear I do."

She's mad, I can feel it even more than I can see it, it's kind of cute the way she turns red, it's kind of like how my eyes glow but it's her whole body. ha. Anyway, focusing... she's walking away. I can't let her walk away, not again. But with every step I take after her it's getting harder to think, harder to move.

"Melanie" I shout out to her hoping she'll turn around or at least slow down. "Melanie please" I call out to her again but my voice cracks and can't see her anymore, everything's blurred and my body is working against me. "Melanie" I whisper one last time hopelessly before everything goes black and I fall back hitting the ground... Melanie... come back... help me....