A/N: Here's a new chapter. Sorry for the delay, but for those reviewers, thanks!
Melinda's eyes flickered open. Dark dreams had haunted her sleep, causing the already tense air to seem to crackle as she woke. It was still dark outside. With a glance at her bedside digital alarm clock, she discovered that it read 2:46. With a sigh, Melinda rolled over, closing her eyes again in an attempt to try to fall back asleep.
But nearly twenty minutes later, she had no success. Still fully awake, Melinda sat up in the bed, her gaze traveling the shadowy bedroom scene and over to Jim's still sleeping form. She smiled slightly, before, with a sigh, slipping out of bed. She was careful to be quiet so as not to wake her husband, shutting the door behind her with a soft tap.
Melinda walked quietly down the stairs and toward the kitchen, figuring that a glass of water would do her good. The whole house had that eerie nighttime silence about it, causing her to shiver slightly as she flipped on the kitchen light. Wandering over to the cupboard, she got out a small glass. But before she could move to fill it, a sudden gust swept the room, unexpectedly strong. The force knocked the glass out of her hands, crashing to the floor with an unpleasant shattering sound as it broke into a million little pieces. With a soft gasp, Melinda stepped back to avoid the shattered glass, and glanced around the kitchen quickly in confusion.
A dark form could be seen in the shadows of the next room, but within a moment, it had gone, as if disappearing on the spot.
Three guesses who.
Her brown eyes narrowing, Melinda, avoiding the glass pieces as she stepped, carefully made her way over to the scene, and glanced around. The ghost didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. But just as she was about to go back to the kitchen, movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Melinda whipped around, peering warily out the nearby window. There, on the sidewalk just outside the house's yard, the unmistakable medium lengthed red hair and slim figure of Riley. She knelt close to the sidewalk, as if searching for something.
With a sigh, Melinda grabbed her jacket from the nearby closet, slipped on a pair of shoes, and headed quickly outside. The cold night winds felt alien against her face after the warmth of her house, and she rubbed her hands together to stay warm as she walked warily toward the ghost.
Although Riley probably knew she was there, Melinda hesitated before speaking. She was, no doubt, unwilling to experience the same thing as last time. But standing there would do no good.
"Hey," she spoke softly, in the gentlest voice she could muster. But for a moment, Melinda was unsure on whether Riley had heard her. No response came from the rigid form, but the silence that followed as just as uncomfortable as any harsh words. Kneeling down beside her, Melinda looked at the ghost calmly. "Are you okay?"
Riley slowly turned to her, her expression unusually calm, although the sadness that reflected in her green eyes as it had before was even greater now, and it broke Melinda's heart to hold the gaze.
"I'm…sorry for snapping out on you earlier." Riley admitted quietly, for her answer to Melinda's question was not spoken aloud.
She has a funny way of showing it. Melinda commented silently, but did not push the subject. "It's alright. I'm used to it." She replied with a slight smile.
Riley turned her gaze away, biting her lip gently. "It's just…I'm so confused right now. Everything happened so fast…and I don't even know why. It's not fair! I had a life!" Anger traced her tone slightly.
"I know." Melinda spoke softly, her own sadness starting to show in her gaze for the woman. "I do. Maybe all you need is time…and a little help." Trying to approach the matter in a different way, she offered her friendship to Riley without voicing the offer directly.
Riley's emerald green gaze didn't leave the ground.
"I know you mean well," She answered finally. "But…I doubt there's anything you can do."
Melinda shrugged. "Well, you won't know if you don't try." She reminded her quietly.
Riley seemed to be going through some inward argument, for she gave no response for a few moments more. And then, finally, her gaze left the ground to meet Melinda's again, giving the silent signal that she was listening.
"Can you…remember anything about the day you…died?" Melinda continued tentatively, not wanting to hit the sore spot that seemed to be hidden somewhere around this topic.
Riley seemed troubled and uncertain. "Not really. But when I try, all I feel is pain. I don't think I want to remember. It's…hard. My boyfriend…Matt was with me. I remember walking with him…and…"She trailed off and shrugged.
Melinda nodded wordlessly. "Well, we know that someone shot you. Maybe talking to him would jog your memory?"
Riley snorted. "He'll never believe you if you tell him I'm there." She scoffed. "And anyway, you don't think he had anything to do with it?"
Wanting to veer away from making the ghost defensive, Melinda shrugged. "I'm not trying to judge him. Maybe he saw what happened, or at least knows something that could help us?" she suggested.
"Maybe," Riley's tone still held cool doubt. And without warning, she stood up. "I need to sort out my thoughts. Sorry." And with that, she was gone.
Melinda stood motionless, slightly confused. Well, that must be record timing for holding a conversation with a ghost without them popping away randomly. She thought, shaking her head slowly as she stood. Wrapping her jacket tightly around her, she turned to head inside. After cleaning up the remaining glass, she realized that after these events, she probably wouldn't get much more sleep anyway. Everything seemed so tangled…and she was starting to wonder where this was going to lead her.