Chapter 2

Andrew didn't understand why he felt so bad for her. The two of them had hated each other for as long as he could remember. Why did he feel he needed to help her? He watched as her car pulled out of the driveway.

Melonie took the long way home. She needed to think. There were so many questions running though her mind. How could someone do that? Why did it have to be her? Why did she have to fall so hard for him? She didn't understand why things ended the way they did, but she was glad she got out of there as quickly as she could.

But what about Anna?

Her best friend was sick. She was possibly dying. No...She couldn't think like that. Anna was going to be fine. She can take care of herself.

When she got home she laid on the couch and decided to take a nap. It was barely noon and she was already exhausted.

Little did she know she wasn't alone. Will made it to her house before she did and let himself in. He found her spare key hidden. It wasn't hard to find.

He secretly watched her as she slept. He was waiting for her to fall asleep and then he'd kill her. He knew she didn't want him after hearing about Mary. But he didn't want her to ever find someone else.

As soon as Melonie drifted off to sleep he quietly approached her. Slowly he put his hands around her throat and was planning on strangling her.

She felt his hands on her neck and opened her eyes. She tried to scream but he started choking her.

Melonie grabbed his hands and forced him off of her.

"What do you want from me!" she screamed.

He put his hands on her, which made her very uncomfortable. "I am in love with you Melonie."

She pushed him off. "In love with me!" She touches her throat. She thought if that was how he showed his affection then he was completely insane.

And he was.

"I do love you. And you love me," he pulled her closer to him.

"No…No! I don't!" she pushed him away again, but he grabbed her wrist tightly.

"No? Well Melonie…you do realize that if I can't have you, then no one can," he replied as he pulled out a knife.

Melonie felt her face go pale. She pulled her wrist from his grip and backed away.

He walked towards her and raised the knife in the air. Melonie thought quickly and ran as fast as she could to her room.

He yelled her name and ran after her. She closed the door and locked it.

Melonie picked up her phone and dialed Anna's number.

"Mel? Are you okay?" she answered.

"Anna! He's here! H-He's in my house," she said with a worried voice.

Anna was silent for a second. She yelled for Andrew and Melonie could hear them talking. "Is there anywhere you could go?" she asked.

"There is an old abandoned house down the road. No one lives there now." She watched the door. Will started pounding on it and tried forcing it open. She flinched.

"Go there. Go there now and Andrew will meet you there." She sounded worried.

She didn't know if she really wanted him to help her, but she had no other choice. "Tell him to hurry. Please!" she cried, and hung up the phone. She forced open her window, jumped out, and started running. She couldn't drive there because he could find her car and know where she was.

Not long after she was inside the house, Andrew knocked at the door. She opened it and quickly closed it behind him as he walked in. He sat his bags on the floor and sat down.

Melonie looked at him. "You can have the bedroom. I will sleep here on the couch."

"You don't want it for yourself?" he asked.

"No…Really. I will be fine." She didn't know why she was being so nice to him, but it was the least she could do.

He shook his head. "I want you to take it."

Quietly, she answered, "Thank you…for what you are doing."

"I know how my brother can be." He looked at her and could tell that she was in a lot of pain. "You know, I studied to be a doctor. I can help you."

"Oh…No. You don't have to," she said, shyly, even though she knew she needed it.

He reached in his bag anyway and grabbed some lotion and put it on a cotton ball. He walked up to her and started rubbing a little on her face. She looked at him and didn't know what to say.

He gently rubbed it on her face, arms, and asked permission before rolling her shirt up slightly to get her sides. When he touched her right side she jumped. He looked at it and carefully touched it again. He could tell she had a broken rib.

When he was finished he told her she should get some rest. She didn't argue and went to the bedroom and got into bed.

Melonie had a hard time sleeping that night. She was worried to death that Will would find her and kill her. After laying there for a few hours she fell asleep.

Andrew stayed awake. He didn't want to fall asleep and not hear if his brother came in. He sat on the couch, reading his book, and drinking about his fourth cup of coffee.

Later that night he heard her crying. When he got up to see what was wrong he could see she was still sleeping. She was having a nightmare. As much as he thought couldn't stand her, he felt horrible for her. No one should ever be treated this way, even her.

Of all people…not her.

He gently shook her awake. She jumped up and looked at him, realizing she was dreaming.

Melonie told him about her dream. It was pretty graphic and horrifying, but he believed that if he left, there was a great possibility of it happening.

He got her a glass of water and told her to go back to sleep, but she was almost sure she wouldn't.

"Is there anything else you need?" he asked before leaving.

She handed him her cup. She wanted him to stay in there with her. She wasn't sure why. All of a sudden there was just something about him. Something that made her feel safe. Something that made her feel almost…happy. She wanted to say that she just wanted his company, but she knew how he felt about her. The same way she thought she felt about him.

Or at least used to.

She sighed. "No. But could you please leave the door open?" she asked.

He nodded and left the door open. He walked to the kitchen and put her glass in the sink. He glanced back at the bedroom. He hoped she was going to be okay. He realized that he wanted nothing more than to keep her safe.