Chapter 5

Summary:

"Just stop, Melinda," Jim said, his mouth curled in a snarl, "Our love is nothing."

"Please," Melinda begged, "You're not being yourself, your possessed. Try to be you, Jim, the real you."

Hello againThank you for reviewing, and enjoy this chapter!

After returning home from hospital, Jim was slowly recovering. Melinda took great care of him, and the discussion of Poppy had not been heard of for a few weeks. The snow was beginning to melt, and Jim watched as Melinda hoovered around his feet.

"You've been busy all day, Mel," Jim sighed, longing to be able to walk up to her and wrap his arms around her.

The hoover stopped, and Melinda sighed, "You know I want to stop, Jim, but your mother's coming to see how you are. I don't want her thinking I'm messy," She said, and gave him a little kiss, "I have to make up the guest bedroom and-"

"Mel, she's not coming until Tuesday," Jim said, and Melinda nodded.

"Exactly."

"Well, then, come and watch television with me, and I'll do some dusting later. How about it?"

"That sounds lovely," Melinda replied dreamily, sitting herself down on the sofa.

"I told you," Jim smiled, and kissed her gently, and put on a programme on the large television. After an hour, though, Melinda got to her feet. "Where ya going?" Jim asked sleepily.

"Just upstairs, got a few things to do," Melinda whispered, and ruffled his hair, I'll be back soon."

"Hurry up," Jim added, yawning.

Melinda walked up the stairs, holding onto the banister carefully. At the top of the stairs, was a bin that needed emptying. She picked it up, and when she looked up, someone was standing in front of her.

"Poppy? What are you doing here?" Melinda asked, backing up slightly, before realising the stairs where behind her.

"You know why, Melinda," Poppy snarled, "Just leave Jim alone."

"But-"

"Don't even try to say you love each other," She began angrily, "I've heard it all before. I'm getting very angry, Melinda. Don't try and cross me."

The landing went cold, and a bang came from the spare bedroom. All the cupboards where on the floor, littering over each other. Poppy stood in the middle of all the chaos.

"I was going to say I could help you," Melinda explained, "Get you to the light. It's were you belong, Poppy. Your family are waiting for you."

"No, they aren't. I have nobody."

"Surely there's someone."

"NO!" Poppy yelled, and came face to face with Melinda, "Even if there was somebody, I won't go. I prefer it here. Understand?" The coldness entered the room again, and Poppy was gone.

"Mel?" Jim shouted from downstairs, "You ok?"

"Fine," Melinda called, "Just tripped over. Talking to myself," She added, before getting to work on cleaning up the guest bedroom. It was a cosy little room; the bed was cream, the wardrobes wooden, with a small TV on a desk in the corner. She sighed to herself; this ghost was extremely stubborn. Surely there was some way of getting her to the light? Socks littered the floor, and Melinda felt like she could burst into tears. After the little encounter with Poppy, it left her far more shaken up than with other ghosts she had met about. Of course, there had been rather nasty visitors, but Melinda often discovered it was to hide their fears about families, friends, or what would happen when they went up to the light. Poppy herself seemed to be hiding something… but what?

It took about an hour, but the room was finally clean. The whole house was spotless, and Melinda finally set herself back next to Jim again, sprawling out on her part of the large sofa.

"All finished," She smiled, sleepily.

"What took you so long?" Jim asked, wondering what kept her.

"Guest bedroom was worse than I thought," She explained, "It needed a bit more sorting than the rest of the house."

"Well, I'll make dinner tonight, if that's ok with you, Mel. I wouldn't want you falling asleep while something was cooking." Jim began to wheel out the room, going to take a large, ready prepared salad and some other little snacks. It was quite difficult to do daily things in a wheelchair, but Jim was coping with it. In a few more weeks, he would be using crutches to get around, and shortly after that back to normal, with some physiotherapy to make sure the leg was healing correctly. Soon, he was shouting Melinda to the kitchen. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, before taking a seat at one end of the table.

"Thanks for doing this, Jim," Melinda smiled gratefully at him, and he waved her off.

"It was nothing, Mel," He said, "You've been working all day."

"You're not supposed to do anything, though," She pointed out, grinning.

"True, but it doesn't mean I don't want to. I miss being able to do things with my legs and my other arm. I suppose it was quite difficult to do it one handed, but everything was already prepared in the fridge, so all I had to do was serve it."

"Still, you didn't have to," Melinda said, beginning to bite into a chicken drumstick.

-GW-

The next day, Jim was propped up on the sofa, a bowl of popcorn at his side. Melinda was going to open up the shop, work for a few hours and come home. She hadn't seen Andrea for quite a few days, and she was starting to miss her friend. It was now Monday, and Melinda was beginning to get anxious about meeting Jim's mother. A few hours of work would take her mind off the impending day.

"Bye, Jim," Melinda said, bending down to give him a kiss, and wrapped her scarf round her neck. There wasn't much snow left, but the weather was still bitter cold.

"See you this afternoon, Mel," He smiled, "Don't forget to pick me up a little something."

"I won't," She replied, and after one final kiss she set off for Same As It Never Was.

Walking down the street, Melinda couldn't help but smile; children running round in the last remaining snow on the ground, on the way to school, adults chattering happily on the way to work with their morning coffee, and toddlers in their prams, gurgling happily. It was going to be a relaxed day, Melinda thought to herself, before crossing the square to get to the shop. Andrea, however, had already opened the small antiques shop, and she was sat at the till, yawning.

"Sorry, Andrea, I should have got here earlier," Melinda apologized, and her friend simply waved her arm in response.

"Don't worry about it," Andrea said, getting up to give her best friend a hug, "You've had a lot on your mind, as of late."

"I know," Melinda sighed, "I'm just getting so worked up about Jim's mother coming to stay for a week. And that ghost is getting really bad, I'd tidied up and she threw everything out the draws and cupboards." She was on the verge of tears.

"Have you told Jim?" Andrea asked sympathetically. Melinda looked up, wiping the first tear that had come down her cheek.

"What?"

"Have you told Jim," Andrea stated this time, more firmly than last.

"Of course not," Melinda said, exasperated.

"You should."

"He gets upset if you bring Poppy up."

"Of course he does, Melinda," Andrea said gently, "He was going to marry the woman."

"How do you know?" She asked, quietly.

"It was on the front of the paper and on the news," Andrea replied, "I kept that paper, because it was the one with the article on the 'new shop in Grandview' and one of the advertisements page, remember?"

"Of course! I remember now. The paper is in that draw, isn't it?"

"Yep. We were going to stick the article up on the wall when business started to get great."

"I need to see this." Melinda hurried to the draw that contained the newspaper. After some thorough digging, she plucked it out the draw.

Grandview news.

Local woman killed in fire.

Just last week, tragedy struck in Grandview. Local lady, Poppy Londes, was killed at her engagement party under seven days ago. The beauty, 24, was still inside the party venue, The Plough. Known for beautiful rooms, and a happy atmosphere, with a dance floor to party the night away. The main rooms are now gone, thanks to the blaze caused by a man not stubbing out a cigarette properly. "Its such a shame," Anna Coogan, who was at the party told us, "Poppy was such a lovely girl. She didn't deserve that, and I send my prayers to her family, and the fiancé she left behind." Jim Clancy, 25, was Poppy's fiancé. He did not want to be contacted during this difficult time.

Onlookers described the sight of The Plough 'Shocking.' Many can barely get their heads around the fact that the lovely place to celebrate occasions- is gone. The building will undergo reconstruction , starting the October this year. A special plaque towards Poppy Londes' memory will be inside, as she was the only one who sadly died in the fire.

"Oh my," Melinda said, "This is worse than I thought."

-GW-

Jim sat, almost asleep, on the sofa. He yawned, and stretched his good arm, and opened his eyes, slowly. His vision was still rather hazy, and although he knew who he was, he felt different. Almost evil. This came true when Melinda came home…

"Jim? I'm home," Melinda called, shutting the door and placing her jacket on the coat stand. She walked into the living room, expecting Jim to be sat on the sofa, watching television. However, he was nowhere in sight. After searching all the lower floor of the house, Melinda was worried. Jim wouldn't be able to get upstairs, what with his wheelchair, so the brown haired woman walked out to the garden.

Jim was sat, with his back facing towards Melinda. He felt so strange, so powerful. He closed his eyes, and breathed in.

"Jim! There you are! Jim?" Melinda said, placing a hand on his shoulder tediously. Jim's head snapped round, his eyes larger, unblinking.

"Leave me," He said, his voice void of emotion.

"Look, Jim, if I've upset you… I'm sorry. I'll go make dinner, ok? Just remember, I love you."

"NO!" Jim thumped the table with his good hand. "I don't love you!"

"But Jim-"

"Just stop, Melinda," Jim said, his mouth curled in a snarl, "Our love is nothing."

"Please," Melinda begged, "You're not being yourself, your possessed. Try to be you, Jim, the real you." Finally, Melinda understood. He was not being himself, because he wasn't himself.

Melinda, upset, headed back inside after receiving no response. Perhaps he would be back to normal tomorrow? Melinda hoped, with all her heart, he would be. What would she say to his mother, after all?

Sorry, it's not that great also, major apologies for not updating in so long. I've just becme an auntie, had lots of exams, and read The Hunger Games Trilogy a lot. Updates will be a lot more frequent now, that's a promise!

Preview for chapter 6:

"Ahh, Mrs Clancy, how good to see you!"

"Oh, Melinda, darling, your absolutely lovely! We'll have to go and have a nice chat over lunch! I'll go and find Jim, to let him know to come aswell!"

"I hope he's no longer possessed," Melinda muttered to herself, hopefully.

"What was that, dear?"

The preview for next chapter doesn't sound too great, huh? Hopefully, it will be better than the preview! Please review, it means a lot xx