SOOO Sorry it took so long, but here's chapter two and chapter three is well on its way. Anyone who is into vampires I would love it if you could read Purging my vampfic OR go check out Carly Jo's story Unexpected Dangers. I don't speak for my work but her's is really good!

Chapter Two

James couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. There was a strange satisfaction that came from torturing his best friend. Jake had it bad for this new girl, Melody right? He keeps calling her Mel, as cute as that was it was slightly unnerving. There had to be something wrong with this girl, why else would she want to hang out with them. Girls avoided their group as if it were the black death.

“I want to meet the widow,” Melody announced after a few miles. Andrew sped up to ride at her side and the two exchanged words in a teasing manner but still no one else could make them out.

“You’ve got to meet your sister in a half hour we’re going to have to head for the high school in a few minutes.” Jake reminded her.

“Dad says I can blow off Nat if I call.”

Andrew took the lead then shouting back for them to follow. It was evident in minutes that they were going to see the widow. Quarter of a mile up the road they veered off into a empty field peddling harder now that they were off road. In a car it took maybe fifteen minutes to get from one end of town to the other on bike it could take a few hours. Getting to the widow’s place would take nearly an hour from the pizzeria. They were lucky she was at the end of the drive in her pick-up doing work in her tiny flower bed around the mail box.

“Boys!” she greeted climbing to her feet to hug them each in turn. “Oh and what have we here? One of you finally showing some real interest in girls?”

“No, this is Melody Spring she bought the place on Setting Sun.” Jake corrected.

“Oh, so she’s Jamie’s new neighbor, that’s sweet of ya’ll to show her around. Well, honey, I’m always here. I’d rather you kids come seek me out if you’ve got problems than find answers on the streets.”

“Yea, Jane, cause the streets ‘round here are really dangerous,” Andrew scoffed.

“Andy, you know what I mean.” Jane scolded him. “Now you kids leave your bikes here and get in the truck. I’ll drive you up to the house and we’ll get some cookies and juice.” The teens all jumped into the bed, discarding their bikes, while Jane got in the cab.

“She’s always like that.” James told Melody. “I’ve never been here when she didn’t have fresh cookies and juice. She’s great isn’t she?”

“Yea,” Melody nodded. It seemed like the girl’s brave streak was fading fast.

“We won’t stay long that way you can get home. Don’t want your folks thinking we kidnapped you or anything.” Jake told her bumping his shoulder against hers. James rolled his eyes at the pair.

Melody sank down on the cot in her room, swearing under her breath listening to the old house creek and crack. It had been a long day and she was sore, but well worth it to avoid her stepmother. She decided to make a list of things she needed to do the next day. Lists always seemed to help, they kept her on track and gave her a sense of security. A shrink had once explained the reasoning behind this but it hadn’t made sense to her then so she’d discarded the information. The next day would be jam packed full of moving related work. She was debating on whether or not she should change into PJ’s, when a knock at the door made her jump.

“Come in,” she called.

“Hey, Squirt!” Natalie opened the door and began picking her way around the boxes to her sister. “What did you do today?” she asked plopping down into a daisy beanbag.

“You know,” Melody shrugged. “Got my library card, met some guys, and then they showed me around.” she was careful to sound causal. Nat had never really understood her self imposed isolation from the world and this sudden break with normalcy would cause a minor riot if she didn’t set it up as calmly as possible.

“Were they cute?”

“They were guys,” Melody answered. She had never really paid attention to guys as more than other people.

“Riiight, you’re going to make this hard.” Natalie situated herself so that her long arms and legs made her look like and over grown praying mantis. “Names?”

“Andrew and Mathew Gardener, Peter Johnson, Jacob Porter, and James Sommers who happens to be our neighbor.”

“Ages?”

“Andrew is 16 everyone else is 15 or about to turn.”

“Go for Andrew, he can drive. Though, you really could wait it out they’re all about to hit that age.”

“Nat!” Melody’s mouth fell open.

“Dee, think about this logically.” She practically begged, but when Melody didn’t respond she switched topics. “You gonna see ‘em again?”

“Maybe,” Melody answered coyly.

“Oh come on! Give me a bone here.”

“Sorry, that’s the best I can do.”

“Fine then, I’m goin’ to bed. See you in the morning, Squirt.”

“Night, Nat.” Melody watched her older sister pick her way, comically, out of the room before flopping over onto the beanbag and dragging a blanket out of a nearby box.

James woke to off tune singing in his ear. He reached blindly for the small body flipping it his sister into bed next to him, not that that stopped her song. “Wakie. Wakie. Rise and shine. Make your bed and then make mine!” the four year old kept going.

“Stupid question, Caitlin, but have you ever heard of knocking?” he asked as he rolled over to tickle her. The small blonde cackled shaking her head and squirming to free herself.

“No, how does it work?” she asked when he released her.

“I’ll explain later. I wanna go to the new neighbors.”

“I know why!” the small child taunted.

“Why’s that?” James asked causally as he rolled off his bed in search for a clean pair of jeans.

“You want to spy on the pretty girls that live there. Mommy and I walked over with Tinkle.” Caitlin explained. Tinkle being their German Shepard whose real name was Pixie but Caitlin insisted on calling her Tinkle. James didn’t understand she said a pixie is what Tinkle Bill is.

“Did you see the girls?” James asked attentively.

“Nope. Sawed pictures of dem. Their daddy is huge!” her eyes widened in an amazed fashion that amused her brother to no end. James grabbed a pair of jeans off the floor yanking them on and talking.

“Huge? You think Mark is huge and he’s maybe a foot or two taller than me.” He pointed out pulling away a few strings from the missing knees of his jeans, before pulling a white t-shirt from his dresser. He’d have to clean his room soon, his mom would be on him about it any day now.

“Mommy said not to wear spotted clothes.” Caitlin pointed to an unknown orange-ish colored stain on his shirt.

“Aww sh-shoot.” he caught himself as he quickly changed shirts. “Here’s a dollar, make my bed.” He passed her a fake dollar bill and ran from his room down the stairs into the kitchen.

“Hi Mom.”

“Morning Jamie-kins. Want eggs?” the woman with thick black hair asked pushing a gray strand from her green eyes.

“Nah, got something to do,” James said grabbing and apple from the table and stuffing his feet into worn tennis shoes.

“Don’t be gone all day, now. That new family next door is coming for dinner. I want you washed and dressed by 5:30. I will wash you something,” She wrinkled her nose looking at her son’s attire. “After fair we’re going to get you some new jeans for school.”

“The Springs are coming to dinner?” he clarified.

“Yea, I talked to Alice yesterday. She has a daughter your age. Mimi? No, Melaine. Oh fiddle sticks. Anyway I volunteered you to show her around. That poor girl has been at a boarding school since Kindergarten. She has problems, not that you’ve heard that from me, I want you to be really nice to this girl. Her parents want her to stay here instead of going back to that school of hers.”

“Melody, Mom, Jake met her yesterday and we showed her around then,” he corrected her taking a large bite of his apple.

“Just be a gentleman. I don’t want these people thinking we’re trash or nothing” Mrs. Sommers said as she hit an egg on the rim of the skillet.

“Bye, Ma,” he called over his shoulder bobbing out the back door. He set out for the quarter mile walk to the Spring’s farm. Starting at a walk that quickly became a jog until he got to the path leading to their front door. He caught his breath quickly, used to the morning jaunts. Posing himself he knocked on the door.

“Hello! What can I do for you, darling?” a tall, blonde woman dressed like Lucille Ball answered the door.

“I’m James Sommers. I’m here to see Melody,” he smiled as charmingly as he could, wondering if he wasn’t in the right time period.

“Oh! You’re Cindy’s son, then? Darling, come in! Come in!” the woman practically drug him in the house. As she looked him over he took in his surroundings, though he’d never been inside the house he knew it by heart. All the houses in the area were more or less the same, he was confident if it weren’t for the boxes he could navigate the house unchallenged. “Oh just darling. My dear boy you are handsome. Like someone from a story book!” she smiled and he could have swore he’d heard a chime when her smile reached its peak. James blushed slightly as the woman turned him around looking him over with increased interest.

“Yea, I’m Cindy Sommers’ son. Thanks for the praise. May I see Melody now?” James asked as politely as he knew how.

“Oh sure, up the stairs follow the sound of that cursed radio,” Mrs. Spring said pointing to a stair case. She then turned and fled the room as a drill started. “DON’T YOU DARE DRILL HOLES IN MY WALLS!”

James mounted the steps and turned left down the hall following the radio. He found its source and stood in the doorway. In the room the radio wasn’t alone, Melody was with it. In her pink bikini top, cut off jeans, and tennis shoes, singing along with the radio as she painted the white walls a dazzling color of sunshine yellow. Boxes stacked in a pyramid in the center of the room blocked most his view of her though he saw the black curls of her hair spilling out of the butterfly clip holding them hostage and trailing down her neck.

“Any man of mine had better walk the line.” Her voice was beautiful drifting out to him. Melody stepped back to admire her work, with speed he hadn’t expected she spun around to smile at him. “So were you just going to watch like some perv or did you have something to say?” she asked her hands finding their way to her hips, and pure amusement shining in her eyes.

“Oh yea, my mom said I had to come over and help you move in. You know the heavy stuff,” he lied through he teeth.

“Hmmm. Well, this is the only wet wall. My chest and dresser are in the hall if you don’t mind,” she gestured behind him. James hadn’t noticed all the furniture that lined the walls.

“Which ones are yours?”

“The white with the daisies.” she nodded toward the dresser and chest next to the bathroom door. They both grabbed hold of one and pushed them toward Melody’s room. She parked the dresser by the door and moved out of his way. “ Leave that one sit, I had Dad put screws in my wall. Want to stand here so I can hang the shelf?” she asked grabbing hold of the white shelf and climbing onto the dresser without waiting for his response. He moved into place to catch her if she started to fall as she pressed the shelf into the wall working it up and down until it caught the screws. “Alice will hate this,” she grinned having finally got the shelf to stick. She turned on her heel and stepped right off the dresser, when she stumbled on her landing he instinctively grabbed her around the waist as she did his little sister stabilizing her. “Sorry, I” she was cut off by a yelp and the heavy padding of a large dog on the stairs. Two dogs ran in the room the smaller of the two a white toy poodle taking refuge under the chest. The other stood in the doorway and growled low and menacingly at James. “Duke, you fool!” Melody twisted out of his grip to grab the black lab by the collar. “I’ve told you a thousand times to leave Duchess alone. Go lay down,” she pointed him out the door and he continued to growl. “EH” she gave a sharp sound and he cut the growling out. “This is James, he’s a friend.” She reached her hand to his and holding it in her she let the dog sniff him. “See? Harmless.” Duke licked their hands before going to lay down in the hall where he could still keep and eye on him.

“Your dog always like that?” James asked commanding his heart rate to slow down. Melody laughed, reminding him of bells, and dropped to be level with the dog under the chest.

“Yeah, he’s a rescue. Kind of made up with me and doesn’t take people around me very well. Hope he’s not creeping you out but he’ll watch us all day. Come on baby girl, I won’t let Dukie get cha.” A pink nose poked out sniffing the air, but didn’t withdraw fast enough Melody had hold of her and drug her out scooping her up. “James meet Duchess, my sister’s pup.” James pet the dog his fingers getting licked, Duchess was Dukes opposite completely. “Dinky thing ain’t she? I much prefer animals Duke’s size, at least you know a slight breeze won’t steal them.” At that moment a tall, blonde with a spray on tan that made her skin slightly orange stalked in.

“Dee I told you to keep that mutt of yours away from my baby!” She didn’t even take notice of James taking Duchess and clutching her to her chest. “Poor wittle baby. Did mean ole Duke scare you?”

“Nat, this is James Sommers, he lives next door,” Melody introduced him unfazed by her sister’s rude entrance.

“Hello James. I’m Natalie, Dee’s stepsister.” She half squealed. James smiled catching Melody stick her tongue out at the older girl from the corner of his eye.

“Hi, its nice to meet you Natalie.”

“Like wise, cutie. Well, I’ve got to finish my room. Dee can you sweet talk Daddy into bring up my mattress?”

“Yeah, I’ll see what I can do,” Melody rolled her eyes. Natalie nodded and walked out as if on a catwalk.

“See you tonight then, Nat,” James called after her teasingly.

“Tonight?”

“Oh your mom didn’t tell you?” he was surprised she didn’t already know.

“No, she has I just suffer from short term memory loss,” Melody countered sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“Your family is coming over for dinner tonight, at my house.” He answered. She had sat a box on the dresser and produced a box cutter from nowhere. Quickly dragging the blade across the thin tape the clothing within burst free. She started pulling night shirts out and unrolling porcelain dolls and figurines.

“You have siblings? What’s your family like?” she asked having brightened back up.

“Yea, four year old sister, Caitlin. Uh my parents…hmm well Mom is a neat freak, really nice though. Dad is the only person on earth willing to challenge her at all. But he’s a total slob, they sort of balance each other out like that.”

“Sounds nice.”

“Natalie your only sibling?”

“Not exactly. I’m an only child, was adopted into this freak show. But no brothers and she’s the only ‘sister’ I have.”

“Your mom she always like that?”

“What? Oh! You mean the ‘Darling’ and clothes? Yup, she is always that way but she’s not my mom. She’s the evil step-mother.”

“What about your dad?” he asked glossing over the obvious dislike for Mrs. Springs.

“Dad’s cool. He grew up on this ranch in Kentucky, the one that’s my school now. My aunt inherited it.” She climbed up and was putting the unrolled items on the shelf in an almost dreamy fashion.

“So you really going back there?”

“No one wants me to. I don’t know, though. There’s no reason to go but there’s none to stay either.” she shrugged. “Catch me?” she reached for him. He caught her as she hopped down.

“The guys and I were talkin’ about it last night,” he paused watching her stuff clothes in her drawers. “If you stay, we wouldn’t be horribly upset if you decided to hang with us.”

“Thanks,” she was looking around the room.

The rest of the day went by in a haze. James became her shadow, and Duke his. They moved all the beds to their rooms, carried hundreds of boxes to various rooms, moved the couches and tv half a dozen times, and set the computer desk up. As four o’clock loomed, Mrs. Springs announced that James’ mother had called for him to come home. With quick goodbyes he darted out the door and ran home.