AN: Well, Marie arrives home to find her house filled with people, and soon enough, she discovers that her brother is missing. Then the rivalry between her and Miley is born.
Chapter Four: Marie Finds Out
It was a long night for Marie Harris, but she was glad to be home. At the crime scene, there was nothing that she could really do, but find the kid that killed Phil Clapp, and that was not going to happen tonight. She pulled into her driveway, but noticed that there was a foreign car, a car that didn't belong to her or her grandmother, in the driveway. She decided to ignore it for now, and just go to bed. She left her stuff in the car, locked it, and made her way inside. The minute that she unlocked the front door, Rachel met her there.
"What's going on? Who's car is that out there?" Marie asked her grandmother.
"Melody's." Rachel said. "She and her three friends Miley, Oliver, and Lilly are here. We have a really big problem."
"Like what?" Marie asked. "Where's Charles and Michael?"
Rachel didn't say a word, just pointed to the living room. Marie gave her a really cautious glance, and walked to the living room. There she saw Melody, along with Miley, Oliver, and Lilly. Melody awoke, and sat up, fixing her clothes. Marie took a deep breath, and sat down.
"Alright, what is going on? Where is Charles and Michael?" Marie asked, looking around for her little brothers.
"Well, Charles is still in Malibu." Melody said, her voice going a little scared.
"Where is Michael, though?" Marie asked, her real concern for her youngest brother.
"Gone." Rachel said, taking a seat with Melody on the couch.
"Gone? Gone where? Where in the hell did he go?" Marie asked the gathering that was in her living.
All of a sudden, every eye in the home was on Miley.
"Well," Miley began, "It went like this..."
"Wait, you did what?" Marie asked Miley in disbelief.
"Jake told me that Michael killed someone." Miley said. "I went and asked Michael if it was true, and he told me yes."
"What else?" Melody asked.
"I said that I hated him and called him a freak." Miley said in a low voice, but everyone could have heard her. Rachel moved in between her and Marie, because Marie was moving as if she was going to try and lay hands on Miley.
"Trust me, you little bitch, as soon as I find Michael, I am going to deal with you." Marie said, opening her cell phone. Marie hit a few buttons, and seconds later, Charles' voice could be heard loud and clear.
"Yes?" Charles said in an innocent tone of voice.
"Hello little brother, mind telling me what in the fuck is going on?" Marie asked in a calm but angry tone of voice. Charles took a deep breath, and began to tell his side of the story.
"Well, I take it that you know that Michael is long gone." Charles said.
"Duh, asshole. I know that. Why in the fuck aren't you here and why did you send these four out here?" Marie yelled.
"Take it easy! I am busting my ass doing damage control trying to keep Michael in that school! Plus, he trashed my house!" Charles screamed back.
"Really, now? Why in the hell does that matter?" Marie asked.
"Look, he is going to be out there for a little while. Besides, Melody and Miley have to find him before they can come back." Charles said in a calm way.
"Really? How in the hell does that happen?" Marie asked him.
"Beats me. That is up for them to decide. Call me and update me when something happens." Charles said.
"Wait. Don't...hang up." Marie said, before he hung up.
"Alright you four. You are going to be staying here while we try and get this mess under control." Marie said to Melody, Miley, Oliver, and Lilly. "I am going to fix the place for you guys to sleep downstairs."
"Thanks." Melody said.
"No problem." Marie said.
Melody can tell that after what she currently heard, she absolutely hated Miley right now, and who could blame her?
"Hey Melody. Was Marie always like that?" Lilly asked as the three changed into their pajamas, and got settled in to their sleeping arrangements.
"Yeah. As long as I have known her." Melody said as she was playing Pac Man. "She was always like that about Charles and Michael, especially Michael."
"What was Michael like growing up?" Oliver asked.
"I don't really know." Melody answered. "I met him a few months before we moved out to Malibu. I know enough about him that I need to know."
"What else do we need to know about Michael, Melody?" Lilly asked her once more.
"It would not mean anything coming from me, but he is a really good guy. Just don't piss him off." Melody said.
"So, what are we going to do about finding him? Where do we go?" Oliver asked her.
"As I said before," Melody began in a slightly irritated tone of voice, "I don't know everything about him, but over time he shared some info about his life with me. I know a few of his stomping grounds, and we are going to check those out."
"Anything else?" Lilly asked.
"Be ready for anything, trust me..." Melody said.
Miley was sitting outside, looking at the bright stars above her head. This was going to be a really bad time, she could tell. She was only here in Missouri for a few hours, and already made enemies out of Michael's family. Not to mention that Michael was out there, doing god knows what.
"Michael, if you are out there, and can hear me, I am sorry for what I did and for what I said." Miley said, a single tear falling from her eye.
As she turned to walk back into the house, she failed to notice a certain blonde teen watching her from the street. With a smile on his face, he began to walk on the dimly lit sidewalk.
"She's here. Wonderful. Now I get to play with her and the rest of my family." Michael said with a smile. With a sudden burst of energy, he took off towards the night of the small St. Louis town.
AN: In the next chapter, Melody, Miley, Lilly, and Oliver travel around Michael's old neighbor hood in an effort to find Michael, all the while a certain blonde keeps an eye on them from afar. What will happen then? R&R to find out!
