So this is a crossover. Some things will be a bit AU here and there but will pretty much stick close to both sources. Some adult themes including sexual content in later chapters. Please review!
It was a cloudy spring afternoon. Melinda was running errands in her SUV when she came up to the local high school at the intersection. There was this girl she had seen sitting alone on the bleachers writing or drawing in a notebook. She so reminded her of herself when she was that age. She wasn't going through a goth phase like she did, she was dressed very modestly, button up shirt and a skirt that covered her knees. Melinda didn't mean to slow down her vehicle and stare, there was just something about this girl that concerned her.
Just the other day she'd seen the girl's mother, also dressed very button up, storm out of the school with her, tugging at her arm and pushing her into her car rather roughly. She wondered what her home life could be like, was she treated like some kind of prisoner or cult member locked in an attic?
She never got involved with serious matters like this. She grew up in the town of Chamberlain, Maine a long time ago, she felt like such a stranger now.. She didn't know this girl but wanted to.
Andrea Marino, her best friend and business partner was getting ready to lock up the newly established antique store when Melinda entered. "Where did you go this time?" She asked, cleaning the counter. "You weren't spying on that girl again were you?"
Melinda pretended not to know what she was talking about, "Huh?"
Andrea of course could see right through her lies, "Dammit, girl! You don't think that's going to look the least bit suspicious?"
"I don't know, maybe," she said, throwing up her hands. "She might be in trouble."
"The living's not really your department any way, right?" She half joked.
Melinda told Andrea in confidence before moving that she had the ability to communicate with spirits not yet crossed over. It was something she had to live with all her life, something she was afraid of being ridiculed or mocked for.
"If I could just talk to her without scaring her away..."
"It might be nothing, Melinda, a lot of this might be just in your head. Maybe she's a trouble maker. I bet some of the kids around here need a good ass whooping."
"Yeah," Melinda laughed.
"Look, you've been under a lot off stress. I'll lock up, ok?"
"Are you sure?"
"Just go home and try and get some rest. Those bags under your eyes are telling me you've been putting more time into other people's lives than your own."
She knew she was right, she had to look after herself. She let Andrea finish locking up and headed home. She shared a two floor duplex with Andrea and with all the time they were both putting in at the store there was still a lot to be unpacked.
She drew herself a bath; it was one of those claw-footed baths, something G Melinda liked but wasn't expecting to find when they were searching for houses on the market. As she undressed she had this sinking feeling. As if eyes were on her. The door was locked and she was on the top floor. She had no run ins with intruders and this was a quiet neighbourhood; then again it was the perfect place to rob for anyone just passing through.
She decided to just slide into the tub with her headphones to drown everything out. Everything seemed fine, that sense of someone else there was gone as she listened to Katy Perry.
"Please! Help her!" It was a sharp, genderless whisper; enough for her to hear over 'Roar'. She looked up and saw a tall dark figure without a face by the door. It vanished when she climbed out of the tub.
Written on the steamed mirror: 'HELP HER!'
"Who are you? Who is speaking to me?"
No answer.
Spirits didn't normally interupt her during private moments like these, this was urgent, she knew she had to trust her instincts. She had to speak to this girl tomorrow but she wasn't telling Andrea and make her only worry that her friend was losing it more than usual.
It worried her that she couldn't make out the face of this visitor, if he or whatever it was, asked for her help why wouldn't it identify itself?
She made up some excuses to get away from the shop. She acted more upbeat to distract Andrea, even going so far as to dress in more colourful clothing than her usual wardrobe. She parked close to the bleachers. She beat the girl there. She looked so down. She didn't sit down right away, she stood there awkwardly then walked behind the bleachers.
Melinda didn't have that good a view, she had some old binoculars she dug out from under her seat. The girl, with messy blonde hair, looked up and seemingly no one and spoke. She paused for a second then spoke something again. It was as if she was talking to a man a foot taller than her. "She can't be..."
She looked around to see if anyone else was around but everyone was on the football field or at the school minding their own business. Except for the security guard walking Melinda's way. She got out of there quick, she didn't make herself look calm or discreet. She parked a few blocks up the road. School would be out soon and she could talk to the girl on get walk home. She waited for 20 minutes, not wanting to miss her in case she decided to ditch, but this girl didn't look the type to want to break the rules.
Finally the bell rang and students filled the parking lot and buses. The girl was among the fe that walked home. She drove up to her on the sidewalk, window down, "Hey, need a ride?"
The girl looked her way, she looked scared. "Where do you live?" She still didn't answer, she put her head down and kept walking forward. "Do you want to talk?" She didn't look up at her this time. Melinda dug into her purse and pulled out some Jolly Ranchers. "Do you want some candy?" She smiled in a last futile gesture.
The girl stopped and looked at her for what felt like a long time. She started to walk up to her window but stopped when she saw red and blue flashing lights. Melinda looked in her rear view mirror and groaned. Of course this was happening to her. The girl ran up the road, away from the fuzz.
Melinda turned her car off and put on her best innocent face for the male officer approaching her car. She rolled down the window, "Afternoon, officer."
"Can I ask you what you're doing?" The cop was about her age, medium build, rugged, not that she was taking note of this, being desperately single for some time now and all.
"Oh, um, I was just asking that girl for directions," she grinned.
"Yeah? Where are you headed?"
Melinda drew a blank, it was embarrassing enough but now she had to pause and come up with this lame brained excuse, "The...uh...hair salon."
With his reflective glasses on, it was impossible to tell if he believed that; seeing her face in the reflection just told her how guilty she looked. "That's on Green street. Just up that way by the bank."
"Great. Thank you, officer."
"Howard."
"Pardon me?"
"It's Officer Howard."
Melinda decided to try to at least set some things straight, show that she was concerned. "Do you know who that girl is? She seems...troubled." Officer Howard just stared blankly at her. Melinda stammered, "It...it looked like she might be hurt...Bruises on her wrists."
"You opened the new antique shop, right?"
"Yes, Melinda Gordon."
"Well, I'll look into it. Just so you know, we've been getting complaints the last few days about this vehicle idling by the school. Concerns of predators. That sort of thing."
"Oh my. Well, I can assure you that is not my intention," she tried laughing off.
"Alright then, Miss Gordon. I'll leave you to the salon. I imagine you will be frequenting it a lot."
"That good are they?"
"Yes and it's three doors down from your store." He left her with that and went back to his car. She sat there with a look of absolute shock; she needed to work on her lying. Officer Howard was no doubt suspicious, anyone with half a brain would be.
She tried talking to Andrea about it when she returned to the shop.
"You tried driving her home?"
"She looked so vulnerable. Then I tried offering her some Jolly Ranchers..."
Andrea flipped, "You tried giving her candy?"
"I don't know what I'm doing, ok?"
"I'd say!"
"I mean, the figure wants me to help her. Right now I have nothing. I don't even know where she lives."
"Damn. A hot woman your age driving around, stalking high schools. Offering rides and candy. It's like a teenage boy's fantasy I'm sure."
"I saw her talking to thin air...she's either crazy or she might have the gift too."
"Or both," Andrea laughed. They both carried on until closing. "Look on the bright side, at least the cops weren't around."
Melinda's eyes widened from the guilt, "Uh..."
To which Andrea responded with, "You fucking kidding me?"
More coming soon! Tell me what you think!