A/N Thanks so much for all the positive reviews! I love knowing what everyone thinks of the story! This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, but I wanted to update faster thanks to all the reviews.

Chapter 2

Helga continued to stare out the window, but after a while she got bored and with the constant motion of the bus Helga felt her eyelids droop down. Helga awoke to see the sun setting and a little drool on the seat next to her where her head was a moment ago. "Geez lady how far away do you live?"

"Far enough" was all Melanie said in reply

"What were you doing in Hillwood? " Helga felt a little wary, why was someone who didn't live in Hillwood there?' Helga was questioning who she decided to follow home.

Melanie could hear the rising fear in Helga's question "I'm a photographer. I travel a lot for my job" she simply stated.

"Oh." 'Of course there was a reasonable explanation Helga! It's not like you're going to be living with some serial killer!' "Just checking, but you've never killed anyone right? "

Melanie laughed ''no'' she assured. "I have an idea. How about we play a game to get to know each other? I think that will make us both feel much better about staying together and alleviate your fear.''

"Fear? Me? No I wasn't afraid of anything'' Helga tried to deny with a nonchalant tone, but failed. "But since we don't have anything else to do, we might as well play your stupid little game".

"Alright the game is called two truths and a lie. Pretty simple, you would state three things and I have to figure out which one is the lie. If I guess correctly you have to state three more things, but if I guess wrong it's my turn" Melanie finished explaining. "How about you start."

"Ok let's see…my favorite subject is math, I have an older sister, I'm allergic to strawberries."

"Is the lie that you have an older sister?"

Helga shook her head smugly glad to have won, after all no one could say she wasn't competitive. "Nope, unfortunately that one's true."

"Ahh, bad blood between you too?" Melanie guessed.

"You could say that. Try having a sister that's perfect" Helga grumbled.

"What do you mean perfect?"

"She gets straight A's, all the boys want to go out with her, but she has to stay home to practice a concerto she's preforming at the orphanage this weekend" Helga said mockingly, "and my mom and dad can't get enough of her! Last time she was home I was going out of my mind" Helga finished bitterly.*

"I'm sorry to hear that Helga. It must be pretty hard for you to have to grow up in your sister's shadow like that" Melanie sympathized.

'Finally someone is listening to me!' "Sometimes I feel like I don't even exit in that household!"

Melanie frowned at hearing that. Since she herself wanted a kid so bad she couldn't understand why any parent wouldn't put their child at the center of their universe. "Since I was wrong, what was the lie then?"

"My favorite subject isn't math, its English. I really like to write." She was going to say 'write poetry', but she had never admitted that to anyone and she didn't want to be made fun of for admitting it now.

"Well I hope I will be able to read some of your writing sometime."

Helga shrugged in response, but truthfully Helga didn't think she would ever let anyone read her poetry, it was too personal. "Your turn."

"I'm a photographer, I have been to California, I'm married"

"Hmmm…you've never been to California?"

"That one was true, in fact I have been there three times. Like I said I'm a photographer, I travel a lot"

'Doi Helga! How did you not guess that?' I guess the thought that she wasn't married made Helga a little nervous. Was there something wrong with her? 'Is there some reason why no one wants to marry her and she's alone?'

Almost as if Melanie was reading her mind she went on to say, "I have never found the one. You're lucky you've found someone you feel so strongly about so young" she said nudging Helga and smiling.

Helga blushed "So you live alone? You don't have any family or anything?" asking to change the subject away from her love for Arnold.

"Nope I was abandoned when I was young, and grew up an orphan. I always dreamed of having a big family, especially when I grew up I wanted to have kids, but everything happens for a reason. And I might get that someday, who knows?" she said shrugging. "Ok you lost, it's my turn to guess."

"My favorite thing to watch is wrestling, my best friend is named Ronda, I like to play baseball"

"Your best friend is not named Ronda."

"How did you know?"

"I can tell you're a tough girl who probably enjoys sports, it doesn't surprise me that you would enjoy baseball and wresting. My turn again!"

"I don't think I want to play anymore." Pouted Helga, turning away from her.

"Hey that's not fair! You're just upset that you're losing" Melanie joked. Helga stuck out her tongue in response. "Well we are almost there so I guess we have to stop anyway." Helga perked up hearing this; quickly looking at the window, but it was long dark outside by then and she could hardly see a thing.

"Looks like were in the middle of nowhere." Unlike Hillwood, when even at night there would be hundreds of lights from the city brightening up the whole town all night, there were very few lights from people that she could see.

"Not nowhere" She corrected. "It's just a smaller town, different from the big city of Hillwood that you're used to."

"Whatever let's just head to your place, I'm beat" Helga said with a yawn as they walked off the bus together.

….

Helga looked around impressed and jumped over the couch to lay down "Nice place you've got here". When Helga was imaging the home of a single women who was a photographer she was not imagining a place that was this…well nice. It was no Ronda Wellington Mansion, but compared to some of her classmates homes it was really nice.

"Wouldn't you rather go lie upstairs in the guest room?" Melanie standing over the couch looked down on Helga.

"Sure lead the way Melanie."

"Hold on. Since you missed dinner, I think you should eat something. Wait here, I'll go make you something to eat"

"No its fine, just show me where I'm sleeping and I'll head up to bed"

"What kind of adult would I be if I let you go to bed hungry? It's no problem, how about a grilled cheese, and I'll cut up some carrots."

"Ok" Helga shrugged like it was no big deal, even though to Helga this was a huge deal. She practically has to scream at Bob and Miriam to feed her and she didn't even have to ask Melanie AND she was making it for her! Helga wanted to say thank you, but she hardly thanked anyone for anything, so she had no idea on how to go about it. As she dug through the fridge to find something to snack on while waiting for her food she spotted a yummy dessert. She didn't know where to find a spoon so she tried to sneak a taste wiping her finger through the frosting.

"STOP!"

Helga froze

"Sorry I didn't mean to yell at you, it's just that the frosting has strawberries in it, and you mentioned you're allergic." Melanie explained breathing heavy with her hand over her heart from the scare Helga caused her.

Helga stood mouth hanging open in shock. Melanie remembered she was allergic to strawberries? Her own parents couldn't even remember and she had told—well more like yelled at—them about a thousand times. Helga felt touched. First the food, now this. It warmed something inside of her. What it was, Helga couldn't tell.

To be continued…

A/N In future chapters I will write everyone's reactions to Helga being gone back at Hillwood. Review! I love to read them! Do you think Melanie is as good as she seems? *lines loosely taken from the episode Helga on the Couch.