I wish to thank everyone for their reviews and here you go. Chapter two is up for reviews. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as they did the last chapter. I know I am enjoying working with each of these characters because they all have their own unique personality which makes them very enjoyable.

Chapter Two: Mysterious Stranger

This was not the first time that Melody had sensed this stranger presence and she was quite certain that it wouldn't be the last time either. This invisible man was driving her crazy. She knew it wasn't a ghost because other people in New York have said that they saw strange things that looked like a ghost but, they were not ghosts.

To Melody, they looked like water that was in the shape of a human being. She knew that humans did not have that kind of technology so; the idea of an extraterrestrial being was not to far fetch.

But, why was it following her around. She had sensed him at the bakery, watching her every move and sometimes he was at the club, hiding out on top of the large metal brace that was located near the roof.

She was thankful that she couldn't sense his presence anymore. He was scaring her to no end and that rarely happened. Especially when she was with her mother and older brother, Alex.

On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, they all worked in the bakery, which was called M.A.M. Bakery, from five in the morning until five in the evening. After that, they all went out for dinner. On Friday and Saturday, they opened up The Koko Club from six at night until two in the morning. Sunday was the only day they had off and they always spent it together. Even though they spent everyday together, Sunday was just a very special day for them.

Melody was thankful that it was Friday; she had just spent the last six hours catering for a wedding ceremony. Even though, Friday was normally a day off from the bakery, the bride insisted on having them cater it even if it cost a little extra. They all agreed to pitch in and cater the wedding.

They spent all night baking and cooking everything. Then Melody took everything down to the church. It took her about six hours to set everything up and do any last minute touches on the cake. She was very happy that that ordeal was finally over.

Her mother and Alex were busy, all day, cleaning up the club for tonight's jamboree. They were preparing for a lot people to be there to listen to different bands and solo singers. They normally did this for three nights and only once a year. They heard new voices and old voices.

On occasion Alex and Melody would get up and sing, just for laughs. And sometimes, their mother would sing. Everybody loved it when their mother would sing. They sometimes swore that the angels blessed her with a hidden talent. She would just shrug off any compliments as though she was tired of people complimenting her but, she was always polite to everyone and told them "Thank you".

As Melody sat in the driver's seat of her old truck, she thought about the mysterious stranger who had been following her. Shaking her head, she hoped that she could shake him out of her mind. She just wished she knew what he wanted from her, besides what every other guy wanted. Something that she was not willing to do. She was planning on staying a virgin the rest of her life unless "Mr. Right" decided to crash land into her life, which she doubted.

Maybe Mom might know who this guy is. She seems to know everything else before anyone else does and besides, her abilities are far more advanced and more finely tuned than either Alex's or my own. I hope she can answer all my questions before this guy possibly gets the chance to hurt me or my family.

As she turned down Main Street, she saw her brother outside the club, on top of a ladder. Melody could only assume that he was repairing the lights, again. Ever since they bought this place, almost five years ago, the wiring to the outside lights has never worked right. Though, Alex never seemed to mind working.

Melody pulled around to behind the club and parked it. Walking to the back entrance, she pulled out her key and unlocked the door. After entering the building, she made sure to relock the door.

"Hey sweetie. How did everything go at the wedding?" her mother asked as she carried a case of Budweiser up from the cellar.

"It was long and tedious but, other than that, it went quite well" Melody said as she walked into the dance area of the club.

"Mama?" Melody questioned as she sat down on one of the bar stools as her mother placed the case on top of the long bar.

"Yes dear, what's seems to be bothering you?"

"There's this guy. At least, I think he's a guy" Melody said, watching her mother as she tore open the case and line up the beer for tonight.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's been following me around for the last week and he stays invisible. I don't get it. I have no idea what he wants or even why" Melody was very nervous about this stranger.

"Oh…sounds very mysterious. Have you even seen his face?" her mother asked, wondering if, by chance, that her long lost love had finally come back into her life.

Varick. She had not even once stopped thinking about him. He was her everything. He showed her an entirely new life and that anything was possible as long as you held onto your dreams and believed in yourself. Even though their new found love was short lived, they did find happiness with each other.

"Mom? You're thinking about him again" Melody said as she watched her mother's eyes become dreamy looking.

"Yeah" she said, solemnly.

"Are you ever going to tell Alex and I about it?" Melody questioned as she placed her arms on the bar and crossed them.

She laid her head down on her arms, knowing that her mother normally did not talk about her past. She especially avoided talking about Alex's real father, Varick. Their mother always told them that Varick was a great warrior who had taught her how to fight, which she gladly passed down the knowledge to her children. The way Melody saw it, is if Varick was so great why did her mother not like to discuss him.

"Alright, I'll tell you both about Varick this evening, after work" she finally relented. She knew it was past time for her to talk about Alex's father.

"Tell us both about what, Momma?" Alex came in through the back door and saw his little sister sitting on one of the bar stools and his mother standing behind the bar, lining up the bottles of beer for tonight's big show.

"Your real father. I believe it is past time for me to discuss Varick" their mother said with a sigh of resignation.

"Really! You're actually going to talk about him. When?" Alex was very excited to finally get the truth of his mother. He knew he was only half human but, unless he was cut, no one would ever have suspected a thing about him. His blood was what gave away what he was other than that, he looked very human.

His hair, which he kept neatly trimmed above his collar and above his ears, was as dark his mother and sister's and his eyes were the same deep blue as theirs. He stood a little taller than the other guys in the area but, they attributed that to one side of his family having very tall people. He barely had to work out because he was built like a weight lifter. His skin had a very nice, healthy-looking golden tan.

Many girls wanted to date him because they thought he looked like a pop singer from almost a hundred years ago named Ricky Martin. But, he was happier helping out his family when he could. He considered girls to be at the bottom of the list and his family at the top.

Ever since they packed up and left Kareem, Alex refused to leave his mother's side. He knew that if his stepfather ever found out that they came back to the United States, he would attempt to kill his mother for leaving him. The last time Kareem had dared to touch his mother; she waited until he was asleep, took a baseball bat, and then beat him senseless. That was the night that they all left on a flight home.

That was five years ago and since then; they had opened up a bakery and the club. They even bought their mother's old house on the other side of town. Everything was going perfectly and they were happy, but they also worried that Kareem might come back looking for them.

"Yes dear. I'm finally ready to talk about Varick but, I don't know how either one of you are going to handle it. We'll discuss him this evening after we get home from work"

"Okay" Alex and Melody said at the same time with a smile.

"By the way, how are those lights coming?" their mother asked as she arched an eyebrow at Alex.

"Finished. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to stand outside and do smoke-signals all night instead of playing guard duty" Alex chuckled as he leaned on top of the wooden bar.

"Tonight should be a really good night. We're expecting at least one hundred people to pack the dance floor. There's also going to be about ten different bands playing over the course of six hours. Are either of you two going to sing tonight?" she asked as she watched Alex and Melody grin from ear to ear.

"You better believe it" Alex stated.

"I do hope you two are not going to be wearing your work clothes around tonight" she laughed as she pointed to their filthy jeans and tee shirts. Alex was covered in grease and dirt. Melody had cake frosting and flour all over her black jeans and green shirt.

"Actually, I was planning on running around the stage without any clothes on and Alex was going to wear a loin cloth without any underwear" Melody jokingly stated as she hopped off of the bar stool and walked past Alex, knowing that she needed to change her clothes. As she walked by her brother, she poked him in the side, making him jump.

"Ok…sounds like a plan to me but, I am not responsible for the consequences of each of your actions" their mother said as she watched Melody and Alex pick on each other.

"Mom. Tell my baby sister to quick harassing me" Alex whined as he grabbed a hold of both of Melody's wrists and she snickered, deviously.

"Melody! Behave yourself! Oh, Alex, that goes for you too! You're just as guilty as your younger sister" their mother reprimanded.

She shook her head as she watched her two children wrestle around, before Melody finally got the better of Alex. Melody took her foot and hooked it around one of Alex's ankles, which brought him crashing down to the floor.

"Alright, you two brats. We have less than an hour before we open and we still need to get dressed. Alex, were you able to locate a couple more bouncers for the evening?"

"Yes Mom. Bruno and Rick said they would work for food along with their two older brothers" Alex stated as he picked himself up off the floor with Melody's help.

"Great! Melody, were you able to locate some extra bar tenders to help out with the customer orders?" their mother asked as she walked into the back bathroom to change clothes for work.

"Yeah, Carrie and Mara said they would be glad to help us out" Melody stated as she winked at Alex and then chuckled when she saw his face flush. She knew her brother had a huge crush on Carrie and the feeling was mutual but, they never said anything about it.

"Carrie's going to be here?" it was more along the lines of an exclamation than a question for Alex. He had wanted to ask Carrie out for the last six months and couldn't build up the nerve to say the words. Every time he tried to bring the subject up, he would turn about ten shades of red and become a stuttering idiot.

"Yes, I am going to be here" said a tall blonde headed girl as she walked up to Alex.

"Hey Carrie" Alex swallowed after greeting her. He couldn't believe that the girl of his dreams was actually going to work with him tonight.

"Hey handsome. How was Egypt?" Carrie asked with a smile as she felt a slight bit of flush creeping up her neck as she looked at Alex.

"It was awful. It had to be the trip from Hell" Alex exclaimed as he looked into Carrie's soft brown eyes as she gazed up, adoringly, at him. He felt like kicking himself because he couldn't find the words to ask her out.

"It couldn't have been that bad" Carrie innocently stated.

"The flight took an extra twelve hours without any television or movies. Then, the limo driver didn't even bother to show up after I called him to let him know that I had finally made it there. After that, I had to walk to my hotel, which the manager told me that I was not allowed in there because I supposedly did not have a reservation, which I did. As soon as I got the room situation straightened out, my air conditioner kicked the bucket. So I spent the last week without A/C and the temperature did not drop below a hundred degrees the whole time I was there. I thought I would never be so happy as get back home and my flight was also delayed on the way back here. So, I got home around four this morning and then first thing this morning at seven, my mom wakes me up to tell me that we're working tonight and that there's a whole bunch of stuff that needs to be fixed. I have spent my entire morning playing mechanic, electrician, and carpenter" Alex had to laugh at himself because he knew he was starting to complain like his sister.

"It could have been a lot worse. You could be dead" Carrie stated as she took off her jacket revealing her work outfit. She wore a black and hot pink electric Lycra bell-bottom pants with a matching butterfly top, which was completely open in the back, save for two tiny straps that fastened around her neck and the middle of her back. She also wore a pair of platform boots to make up for the length of the pants.

"How true" Alex said as he felt that same flush climbing back up to his face as he stared at Carrie's bare backside.

"See anything you like?" Melody questioned as she watched her brother stare at Carrie.

"Oh! I hate it when you do that" Alex complained as he walked to the back bathroom, where his change of clothes were hanging.

"So, do you really think he likes?" Carrie asked Melody.

"Definitely. I have never seen him drool so heavily over a girl in my entire life" Melody confided.

"Cool. So, what are you going to wearing tonight?" Carrie asked.

"I'm going to wear that white pants set of mine" Melody stated.

"The one with all the sequins on it?" Carrie questioned.

"Of course. It's my favorite" Melody cheerfully stated as she waited for her brother to finish primping in the bathroom.

"Hey girls. Ready for a long night?" Melody's mother asked as she gave the club one last look, making sure that everything was just right.

"You better believe it" Melody said as she looked at her mother.

She still had problems believing that her mother was almost forty and still had the body and face of a twenty year who had never had children. Basically her mother was spitting image of Melody except for the fact that she was twenty years older. Melody noticed that her mother decided to wear a pair of black hip-hugger pants that were slightly flared at the bottom along with her turquoise mid-drift shirt that had three-quarter length sleeves on it and a front that dipped provocatively low revealing just a smidge of cleavage.

"Where's Mara at?" Melody asked.

"She said she'd be here at around eight. That was the soonest she could get here because her boss has her pulling some long hours in order to finish that company database for corporate" Carrie said.

"Ok. Works for me" Melody said as she watched Alex come out of the back. He decided to wear a slightly baggy, long sleeved, shirt silk shirt with a pair of tight black pants, and a pair of sneakers. Melody had to shake her head at him. She always thought he dressed a little bit on the awkward side. Dresses sexy everywhere else except on his feet, which he seemed to enjoy being casual with. She noticed that he lightly gelled his hair and gave it a kind of piecey look to it.

"About time. I thought I was going to have strip right here" Melody joked as she walked towards the bathroom.

"Hey, it takes a lot of work to look this good" Alex sarcastically stated as he looked back at Carrie.

"I bet you think you're just such a stud" Carrie commented as she pulled her hair out of her confining bun, that she had at the base of her neck, allowing her golden blonde hair to tumble a little ways past her shoulders.

"Nah. Not unless you think I am" Alex questioned as he watched Carrie's cheeks turn bright red. He knew he shouldn't have blurted that statement out but, he couldn't resist a little bit of teasing.

"Well, you should know the answer to that" Carrie calmly stated and then noticed that Alex's face was starting to red.

"I think I do but, why don't you tell me" Alex was trying hard to say what was truly in his heart but, was unable to budge the words past the lump in his throat.

"Well, you are quite cute and a lot of fun to be around when you're not acting like an idiot" Carrie softly laughed.

"I only get that way around you, Carrie" he confessed as finally took both her hands in his and finally decided it was way past time to tell her the truth about he felt.

"Really?" she questioned as she looked up at Alex and gazed into his blue eyes. She almost felt as though she could go swimming in his eyes.

"Honestly" he confessed as he bent his head down and gently brushed his lips across hers. He heard her gasp and immediately pulled away. He was afraid he had gone too far to fast.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that" he apologized.

"There's no need to be sorry" Carrie stated as she jumped up into his arms and kissed him back. He returned her kiss whole-heartedly, without any fear.

"Well, I guess I should say congratulations to both of you" Melody laughed out loud as she watched Alex and Carrie nearly fall over from embarrassment.

"Five minutes to show time" their mother stated as she walked into the front section of the club.

"Free food!" Bruno and Rick exclaimed as they walked through the back door.

"Wow! That pants set look fabulous in you Melody" her mother exclaimed as she watched her daughter turn around to let everyone check her out.

Melody decided to wear a white keyhole halter top with matching hip hugger bell bottom pants. Both the top and pants were accented with rhinestones. She also applied a little bit of mousse to her hair and scrunched it up to accentuate her natural waves.

"We're ready" everyone exclaimed before taking up their positions for the long night ahead of them.