Voices in the Dark

A Home.

  I'm still writing offline, it won't let me publish it offline though so, when you guys read this, ill probably have internet so.....yeah.

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  Chapter 8: A Home. :

  Melanie's P.O.V.

  Alec's Granddad parked the pick up next to the house so we wouldn't have to walk far.

  We got out and I looked at the house, it was kind of an off white color. It was maybe three story, maybe two with an attic and basement.  It was beautiful.

  I turned to look at Alec who was also looking at the house, not in awe, but with sadness. I'm guessing that he probably hasn't been here since.....his Mom.

  We were starting to walk up the steps when the screen door opened and an elderly woman about average height came out rubbing her hands on a towel.

  What's weird? She didn't look that old. She looked like she might be late forties or early fifties, she didn't look as old as Alec's Granddad.

  She kissed her husband and hugged Alec. She saw me and did a double take. She slowly smiled a sad smile, but opened her arms for a hug. I hugged her, the first hug that I've had in years.

  "Aw hun, you both look tired and hungry from your flight, how about you go wash up for dinner. It will be ready in an hour or so," she said, sweetly.

  I nodded,"Okay Mrs. Johnson, we will." I smiled.

  "Oh, just call me Gran, everyone that really knows me calls me either that or Linda," she said, smiling and patting my shoulder as we walked inside with Alec in the lead.

  "Okay," I said.

  She told me where one of the bathrooms were so that I could get washed up for dinner.

  I went upstairs and followed her directions to the bathroom.

  I walked in and closed the door behind me. I walked over to the bathroom sink and looked in the mirror.

   I hated mirrors because I look so much like my Momma.

  'Gran' said that I could borrow a brush that she never uses. I grabbed it and set it on the sink beside me. She also said that I could take a shower.

  I took a shower first and got dressed, she gave me some of her daughter's old clothes that she never wore. It was a pretty blue spaghetti strap blouse and a pair of blue, bootcut skinny jeans. She also let me have a pair of ankle boots. 

  I brushed my hair until all of the tangles were out and I blow dried it. I then brushed my teeth and put deodorant on.

  I walked out of the bathroom and went downstairs. I walked into the living room where I saw all of them on the couch. They were watching a show on TV.

  When it turned to commercial, they noticed me. Their mouths dropped open.

   Was there something behind me? I looked behind me and turned back to them when I realized that they were looking at me. 

  "What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

  "It's just that you look.....different, but beautiful," Alec replied, a slight blushing reaching his cheeks. I've never seen him blush before.

  I looked at the wall mirror and I seen a girl that was a spitting image of her Mom. I don't know what they saw, but that's what I saw.

  Gran came up and hugged me and said,"You do look beautiful Mel." I cringed at the nickname Mel because only my parents called me, but I'll let her call me that. I'll just get used to it again.

  "What's wrong?" she asked.

  "It's just that only my parents called me Mel and they died when I was 13," I said, looking down at my new boots.

  "Oh, I'm sorry hun, I won't call ya that if it makes you uncomfortable," she said.

  "Nah, it's fine, I just have to get used to them not being here, I've felt numb for so long without a sense of home that now that I do have that sense, I'm not used to being home without a family to share it, one that is mine," I said, smiling sadly.

  "Well, you can think of us as family now, okay?" she looked up at me (I was a bit taller than her) and smiled.

  "Go sit on the couch hun," she nodded towards the couch and left to go to the kitchen.

  I sat between the guys. Alec was watching me and Gramps was watching TV.

  "What's wrong with Alec, Mr. Johnson?" I asked Gramps.

  "Just call me Billy or Gramps, and nothing is wrong with him, he just sees a pretty girl and doesn't know what to say, even I can see that," he whispered in my ear, making sure that Alec didn't hear.

  I looked down at my hands in my lap and blushed,"Thank you Gramps."

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  About fifteen minutes later, the chicken was done and I helped Gran set the table. We sat down and prayed.

  While eating our fried chicken, we talked. I told Alec's grandparents my story, which was a little hard, but not as hard as it was to tell Alec. I didn't just tell them about my story, but I told them about my talents.

  "Okay, what are your talents Alec?" I asked after telling them about my singing and guitar playing.

  "I'm actually good at stuff around here....in the country. I'm hard working, I do my chores, but one of my talents is this, and be aware that I don't tell many people this, I.......dance," he said slowly, embarrassed.

  "I haven't danced in a long time," I said.

  "I do a lot of dances, maybe we could practice together sometime," he said, blushing once again. He acts like a total girl, more than me, yikes.

  'Haha,' I thought.

  "Yeah, sure," I said, sticking some fried chicken in my mouth.

  "So Mel, do you know how to ride a horse?" Gramps asked.

  "Not really, I used to live in Kansas a long time ago when I was little, but I moved to Tennessee when I was nine, I used to ride before then though," I said, explaining myself.

  "Well, if you're gonna be hanging with our boy, you're gonna need to relearn because he rides a whole lot on his horse around here and I imagine that he would want you to join him," Gramps said, doing something weird with his eyebrows.

  Now I know what he meant.....yikes.

  "Yeah.........," I said, feeling my cheeks warm up.

  "Ok, enough embarrassing stuff, ok guys? Please?" Alec piped in.

  All of us laughed at that one.

  I like it here. I felt like I had a new home, even better, I felt like I had a new family.