Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Whisperer. Come on, show of hands- who thought I did? That's what I thought.
A/N: This is my first story for awhile- couple months. Please forgive any… um… relative badness?
Also- this story follows the episode where Melinda reveals her gift.
From in the back, Melinda heard the usual jingle, which accompanied a customer.
"I'll be out there in a second!" Melinda called. Delia had taken the day off to spend some time with Ned. "Let me know if you need any help!"
Melinda stacked a last box against a tall bookshelf before making her way back to the store.
A middle-aged woman was looking at old jewelry, and a girl, Melinda put her at about 13, on the other end of the display.
"Do you see anything she might like?" the woman asked. The girl shrugged.
"Can I help with something?" Melinda asked, walking over.
"Hi, we're looking for a present for a friend of mine. She always loved antiques."
"Oh, well, these were from the 1940s," Melinda pointed to a pair of earrings. "The woman who owned them said that they brought her good luck whenever she wore them."
"Really?"
"There's nothing that I can see that—" Melinda stopped talking.
The girl who was also in the store was now accompanied by someone else- a tall boy wearing football gear.
"You can't ignore me forever!" he said.
"See that what?" the woman asked.
"Oh, there's nothing on there that's rumored, or represents, or is even superstitiously lucky. I think the lady just told me that to get a higher price for them," Melinda laughed.
"Oh, I see. Well, I think I'll keep looking."
The woman moved over to a display of dolls.
"You have to talk to me! I know you can see me!" the football kid said.
"Leave me alone!" the girl hissed.
Melinda's eyes went wide and walked over to the girl. "Are you looking for someone?"
The girl looked at her. "What?"
"Something. I meant something. Can I help you?"
"No- you said someone. Can you see him too?" the girl asked, pointing at the football player. "Can you get him to leave me alone?"
The football player turned to look at Melinda, who nodded. "Yes, I can see him. How long has he followed you?"
"About a—" The girl frowned. "How did you know he was following me?"
"Is that your Mom?" Melinda asked. The girl nodded. "I'm Melinda. Can you come back tomorrow, by yourself?"
The girl shrugged. "Maybe."
Melinda walked over to her mother. "I have a question. Your daughter seems very interested in the antiques, and I'd love to have her over some time to show her more stuff, is that all right with you?"
The woman frowned. "I-I guess so. Mallory, really? Antiques?"
"I'm Melinda," Melinda said, extending her hand.
"Jessa," she replied, shaking her hand, but not making eye-contact with Melinda, but rather still looking at her daughter with a strange, wondering expression on her face.
"Thank you; we'll have so much fun!" Melinda said, turning to look at Mallory, who put on the best fake-smile Melinda had ever seen.
The next day, Delia was back and fully caught up on Mallory, her ghost, and the fact that she could see it too.
"Did she seem happy she could see him?" Delia asked, while they waited for Mallory to arrive.
"Well, not really- but that could have been due to any number of things. Maybe she knew this kid, but maybe…" Melinda trailed off mid-sentence. She knew what she wanted to finish, that she, Mallory, might be trying to cast off her gift like Melinda's mother before her.
"Maybe what?" Delia asked.
"She might not want the gift." Melinda sighed. Delia looked as though she wanted to say something. They both knew full well this is not a gift Delia would have wanted. Without those words being said, Melinda said what she needed to say, "It's different when you have it. You can't know if you don't like something if you don't have it."
"I have seen you help lots of people before," Delia admitted.
"My mother also had the gift, but she tried and tried to reject it, even though it wouldn't go away. It made her moody and depressed all the time. I don't want that for Mallory, not at such a young age."
"Didn't you say that kids could see ghosts?" Delia asked.
"As children, young children. That's where imaginary friends come from," Melinda said with a grin, "but she's beyond that. She's got the gift, I know it."
The door jingled and Mallory walked in, looking a little nervous.
"Mallory, this is my friend and partner, Delia. Delia, this is Mallory," Melinda introduced. "We're going for a walk while Delia holds down the fort."
Melinda walked over to her, and they walked out the door.
A/N: I leave it there for now. No crazy cliffies (which I can be known for- beware!), just a simple ending of my chapter. Comments and/or criticisms are welcome in your review!