It all started as a normal day, at least as normal as a day can get for a kid called Strange. I was waiting by the toaster for my toast to pop. My roommate Ted sat in the living room eating a bowl of cereal, watching TV with his cousin Maximillan De Laurier, known as Max, who was staying with us for a while. I sighed as my toast popped, it was burnt, I grabbed it anyways, and began to butter it, when I heard a shout from the living room.

I went to the living room, Max looked like he had just swam in a bowl of Rice Crispies.

"What?" I asked looking from Ted, who was frozen to the TV, to Max who lay on the floor.

Max looked at me, his puppy dogs eyes big, "Ted's name was on TV" he said, I rolled my eyes; Max was as big as an ox and as dumb as one. So I turned to Ted for answers, he just pointed to the TV screen.

"What?" I asked as I stared in disbelief, "What is Melody doing on there". Melody was my sister, and Ted's ex-girlfriend. We all watched as Melody talked to a crowd of people.

Melody seemed to be in a trance repeating the name "Ted Laurier" over and over again. Then her eyes opened, "I must find this man" she cried. The crowd of people started chanting, "The Prophet, has spoken", over and over. The TV turned back to the morning news.

I fumbled for the remote and snapped off the TV. I stared at Ted, "what has my sister done now?". Ted shook his head.

Max stared at the blank TV screen, "So she is the Prophet" he said.

"Who's the Prophet?" I asked him.

Max looked at me, "The Prophet claims to know the true way, she is all for Americanism, she believes in this country" saying this Max ambled off, probably to clean himself up.

I shook my head, my questions were not answered, when I looked back at Ted, the door bell rang. Ted quivered in fear, he was deathly afraid of Melody.

I went and opened the door.

"Melody" I said, staring into the face of my sister.

"Strange" she said "how are you my Brother?" As she asked she pushed past me, she turned "Ted in?" she asked.

I was about to answer no, when Ted walked around the corner. He yelped when he saw Melody and ran back into the living room. But it was too late, Melody had already seen him, so she chased him.

I followed them in, when I entered Melody had Ted pinned. "I know that pretending to be a Prophet would lead me to you" she gushed.

"What?" I asked, as I tried to pull her off of Ted. I heard him call out, "Strange, help me". I pulled harder on Melody, after a few minutes she stood up, nearly knocking me off my feet.

It was then that I saw Max, standing in the doorway, holding a gun in his hand.

"What?" he asked, sounding wounded, "you mean the Prophet is a lie?"

"Yes" said Melody, not paying attention.

My mind with into slow motion when I saw Max raise the gun. Ted saw who it was pointed at and tried to stop Max, but he was too late. The bullet went right though him, tearing his lung, but it landed in Melody's heart. She was dead before she hit the floor. Ted lay gasping. As I grabbed the phone and tried to stop Ted's bleeding, Max ran out the door.

Everything was a blur after that, the paramedics came, the police came, it was all a blur.

I stayed by Ted's hospital bed, he was in a coma, but breathing fine.

The next thing I remember was being awoke by a hand on my shoulder, when I looked up I was not surprised to see Melody. You see, I see dead people. I see ghosts.

"Melody, what's the matter?" I whispered.

She smiled, although I can see ghosts, I can t hear them. She motioned for me to follow her, I sighed and I did. Only she passed though the door, I didn't. I picked myself up off the floor, opened the door, and ran down three flights of stairs. I hate elevators.

When I arrived outside Melody was waiting for me. I followed her into my truck, where she sat in the passenger's seat.

I drove, she directed, pointing the ways that she wished to go. We ended up at a place called Mike's Motel.

She walked to one of the doors, I put my hand on the doorknob it was unlocked, I looked to Melody and she nodded.

Inside the room was Max, he was asleep, my heart started pounding as I saw the murderer of my sister. I looked to her, she made a gun with her hands and pointed, to his side table where his gun lay.

I knew what she wanted. I looked at her and went back out of the room. "If you want revenge, you have to do it yourself", after saying that I left her standing there.

I never saw my sister again, in this life anyway, but days later I read Max's obituary. He had committed suicide.

Ted never awoke from his coma, and to this day he haunts me, a silent shadow that only I can see.