A/N: ok, b4 you read this, just to let you know, Melinda's nice to M-A for a specific reason, so don't be in shock when you read how nice Mel is to her :) it will say why soon, if you keep reading ;)
~Chapter Three~
Melinda woke up sweating, as usual, the next morning.
It was 5:00 AM, and she needed to leave for her shift by six.
Jim was sleeping, next to her.
She smiled and got up.
A few hours later, around nine, Maria-Annabelle and Jim went over to the new neighbours across the street to say hello, and bring a welcome gift.
Jim and and Maria went up the front steps and wrung the doorbell.
-"Remember, Maria-Annabelle, be polite."
-"Oh, I'm polite, just not with you." she replied.
Jim rolled his eyes.
Then, the door creaked open, and a woman who is tall with blonde hair and green eyes was pocking her head out.
-"Yes? What do you want?" the woman replied, her voice trembling.
-"Uh… I'm Jim Clancy, and this is my daughter, Maria-Annabelle Clancy." he put a hand on Maria's shoulder but she shrugged it off.
-"And?" replied the woman.
-"Well… we live across the street, and we just came by to say hello, and to bring you a bottle of wine."
there was an uncomfortable silence.
-"Well, that's very thoughtful of you but… we don't except gifts from anyone. Take it back with you. Have a nice day." then, she slammed the door in their faces.
They stood there, in shock, then they turned around and began walking back home.
There was a silence, until Maria-Annabelle broke it.
-"And you tell me to be polite! Ha!" exclaimed Maria-Annabelle, and Jim rolled his eyes again, and she stormed forward.
-"Maria-Annabelle, see, you aren't being polite there. I personally think me and your mother should send you and go see someone."
Maria-Annabelle froze.
-"I SHOULD GO SEE SOMEONE, DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY?" she yelled, turning to face him.
-"YES, YOU DID!"
-"Well, I'm not the one who yelled at a six year old and just walked away with no regrets."
-"Oh, Maria-Annabelle, not again!"
-"Don't you feel any pain saying those things?"
-"Yes, I do, because now you torture me all the time!"
Maria's fists clenched.
-"Don't you know how much they affected me?"
-"I was only talking back to you; besides, you said the same things."
- "Well, you talked back to me, and you were drunk. I could smell the alcohol on your breath. I thought you were going to hurt me."
-"I was having a rough night. I didn't hurt you, I just said words."
-"Words that affected me a lot." then, she ran into the house.
Jim, frustrated, followed.
As he came into the house, he slammed the door behind him and went upstairs to the second floor.
He went up to Maria-Annabelle's door and gently knocked.
-"Maria-Annabelle, may I come in?"
silence.
He tried to open it, but Maria-Annabelle locked it.
-"Go away! I never want to see you again!"
-"Well, that's pretty difficult, since we live underneath the same roof."
-"GO AWAY!" she yelled, then she came over and kicked the door.
-"Maria-Annabelle, you're grounded. Don't come out of that room until I say so!" then, he turned and stormed into his own room, and slammed the door shut.
Maria-Annabelle was on her laptop, talking to her best friend on msn.
They planned that she'd sneak out for the day.
So, Maria-Annabelle grabbed a few of her things, climbed out the window, walked down the balcony roof, then climbed down the balcony pole.
Then, she jumped onto the grass and made a run for it.
Awhile later, her and her best friend Ashley were coming back from a trail ride, when a horse trailer pulled up.
They curiously watched, looking to see who the new owners were.
To Maria-Annabelle's surprise, it was the woman from the past morning, along with her husband and daughter.
The stable hands came and opened the trailer, revealing two horses, then unloaded them, and took them away.
The woman spotted Maria-Annabelle and the family walked over to them.
-"Are you that Clancy kid?"
Maria nodded uncomfortably.
-"Oh ok. This is my husband Grant and my daughter Twyla. Well, bye."
then, they left in a hurry.
-"Wow, weird much." Ashley muttered.
-"I know. They moved in at the middle of the night. And, 'Twyla'? I never heard of such a name."
-"Gosh, and the lady totally ignored me too."
-"I know, and we don't even know her name yet. Gosh, I wonder why they are so weird, and rude. I'm going to try and investigate them."
-"Well, good luck on that." they rode for awhile and then, Ashley's stepmother came and picked them up.
They hung out at Ashley's for awhile, then, Maria-Annabelle walked home.
She noticed that her father's truck was gone, so she went through the front , her mother was home.
"Maria-Annabelle! Oh my god, do you know how worried me and your father were?!" then, Melinda came over and hugged her.
Maria-Annabelle hugged her back.
-"How did you know I was gone?"
-"I went through the bathroom to your room, and I looked around, then your father went out looking for you."
-"Well, he wasted his time."
Melinda let her go.
-"Maria-Annabelle, your father grounded you, and you took off."
-"Who cares. He grounded me for a stupid reason, mommy."
-"Maria-Annabelle, please, don't say it's 'stupid'. If your father grounded you, it must be for a good reason."
-"No, it isn't! I just yelled at him and kicked my door! He doesn't need to ground me just for that!"
-"I guess your right."
-"So, am I still grounded, mommy?"
Melinda sighed.
-"No, I guess not, since the reason isn't that good. I'll let you off the hook."
Maria-Annabelle grinned.
-"Just this once." Maria-Annabelle hugged her mother.
-"Thank you mommy! I love you mommy!"
-"You're lucky I love you too." Melinda muttered, rolling her eyes.
Then, Jim came in. Maria-Annabelle hid behind Melinda.
-"Sorry, honey, still no sign of her." then, he noticed Maria-Annabelle behind her.
Then, he went over and grabbed Maria-Annabelle by the arm.
-"Where the hell have you been, Maria-Annabelle Elizabeth?"
-"Out getting exercise so I wont get overweight and die of a heart attack, since you ground me all the time!" she mused, Melinda tried to conceal her laughter.
-"Well, I'll get you a treadmill then." then, he stormed upstairs.
Then, Melinda laughed.
-"Gosh, ha ha, that was rude, but funny. Good job, kiddo."
Maria-Annabelle smiled, then hugged her mother once more.
Then, Jim came down the stairs, carrying his work bag.
-"Maria-Annabelle, when I get back, you'll be in huge s**t, if I were you, I'd behave."
-"Ooh, I'm so afraid, ooh, I'm going to be in s**t. I think you should threaten me better then that, because I don't scare easily." then, she smirked.
Jim growled.
-"Whatever." then, he kissed Mel goodbye and left.
Silence.
-"Oh, I get it! Your not afraid of s**t! He he, very funny. Want pizza for dinner?"
-"Mommy, I thought you and daddy said that I'm not allowed to have pizza because of the cheese."
-"Oh well. I'm just in a good mood, and I want to spoil my baby."
Awhile later, they were in the living room, eating pizza, chips and candy, and drinking soda, watching the Twilight Movie.
-"Ooh, Edward is hot, mommy."
-"I know sweetie, but that was a long time ago. He's older now."
-"I know that!" Maria threw a tomato at Mel.
-"Hey!" Melinda giggled.
They were silent for awhile.
-"Mommy, did you meet the new neighbours yet?"
-"No. Why?"
-"Well, mommy, they are so weird." she explained to her mother everything.
-"Wow… I'm amazed. They do sound weird."
-"Yeah, I want to find out more about them."
-"I could help with that, baby."
-"No! I can do it by myself! I'm not a baby, mommy!"
-"Yes, you are."
-"In your dreams!"
-"Aww man!" then, Melinda grabbed Maria-Annabelle and begun tickling her.
Maria-Annabelle laughed and cried.
They were having fun.
But across the street, the new family, not so much.
The woman was looking out the front window, looking at the Clancy house.
Her husband, Grant, joined her with mugs of coffee.
-"here you go, Piper." he handed her a mug.
-"Thanks." she muttered, taking the mug.
-"Well, did you find out anything?"
-"Just that something horrible lies beneath their home."
-"Did they tell you what it is?"
-"No, just that it's awful."
-"Do you think that he's hiding there? Do you want me to go call the moving service? Or go grab Twyla and leave right away?"
-"No, Grant, I want to investigate the Clancys first, before we take off. There is just something eerie about them."
-"Ok, whatever you want." then, he went upstairs.
-"Yes, I'll find out what you're hiding, Clancys, then you'll pay."