The Beautiful Monster

It seemed like a far off dream, but she wanted to be stronger so that she could protect Tyler too.

Melina laid down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Everything felt different. She knew that things were going to change after graduation, but she didn\'t think that she would lose Benjamin and be forced to go into hiding for a while.

She still wanted to live a good life, and she hoped that she was still able to achieve that with Tyler by her side.

With a shaky sigh, her eyes fluttered shut. She needed to rest, to mentally prepare herself for the next wave of guilt and grief. It knocked her off her feet every time.

One day, the pain wouldn\'t be able to deal such a harsh blow, but it wasn\'t holding back now. It was hitting her with everything that it had, and all she wanted to do was curl and cry.

She listened to Tyler\'s muffled voice in the background as he called the police. She couldn\'t make out any words, but she knew what he was saying.

A body needed to be picked up. The thought made her stomach feel like it was swirling, prompting her to hold it and curl up as the next wave crashed over her.

******

Melina still felt numb throughout the next week. She felt useless, unable to focus or do anything that she needed to do. She had final exams coming up, and she had no motivation to study or prepare for them, even if she still wanted to graduate. The effort seemed like too much, and nothing drove her forward.

Tyler tried to help all that he could, trying to spark some motivation in her, but she still didn\'t budge. All that he could do was hold her and comfort her when she broke down, which was often. When she wasn\'t crying, she felt numb. When she was crying, she felt everything. She felt too much. The back and forth tired her out.

"Want to study together? Maybe we can make some flashcards or something," Tyler asked her as they laid in her bed together. He rubbed her back in a comforting manner, trying to coax her out of the bed. All they did was lay together, and it was usually in silence.

Melina shook her head. It just seemed like too much for her right now. Her mind wasn\'t in the studying mood. It hadn\'t been in a while. All that she wanted to do was lay in Tyler\'s arms and let time pass her by. Time was supposed to heal pain. She kept waiting, but it hadn\'t helped her in the slightest yet.

"I\'m tired," she merely said. It was sort of a lie. Even if she just wanted to lay there, it didn\'t mean that she wanted to go to sleep. She wanted to think, even if that was something that she needed to avoid for a while. Her mind was a dark place that she needed to stray away from. Instead, she had taken residence there.

"I know, but we can get something to eat or try going to the library. We can take a walk. Fresh air could be good for you," Tyler said in a comforting voice.

Melina\'s heart ached. She felt bad for telling Tyler no because she knew that he was really trying to help her out of her slump.

However, she just couldn\'t get herself to move. She felt too comfortable in his arms. She felt safe there, like nothing or no one could touch her. She parted her lips to speak, but a knock on the door made her freeze.

"I\'ll get it," Tyler said as he slipped away from her.

"Wait," Melina whispered as she grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "What if it\'s one of Alaric\'s followers?"

Tyler gave her a small smile.

"It\'s not," he assured her before pulling away from her grasp and heading to the door. He opened the door and peered outside. "Thank you for coming."

Melina frowned in confusion, trying to lean to the side to see who he was talking to. Her jaw then nearly hit the floor when Lily walked into the room with that radiant smile and flowy, brown hair of hers. She was curvy and only a few inches taller than Melina, despite the age difference.

"Lily!" Melina gasped as she clambered out of bed, her shock overcoming her grief. She couldn\'t believe that Lily was here. She thought that they wouldn\'t see each other again for a while since Lily was so busy traveling.

"Come here," Lily said gently before sweeping Melina up into a tight hug. She leaned her cheek against the side of Melina\'s head, rubbing her back.

"I\'ll be in the gym," Tyler said, smiling at Melina before heading out of the dorm.

Melina nodded as she let go of Lily, giving her a confused look.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were being nomadic," she said with a hint of a smile. It was so nice seeing Lily, especially now after everything that had happened.

"Tyler reached out to me and said you could really use a friend. He told me about everything," Lily replied in a soft tone. She placed her hand on Melina\'s shoulder. "I\'m so sorry about Benjamin."

Melina\'s heart skipped when she heard that Tyler set this up for her. He truly cared for her in ways that no one else would. She needed to thank him for this, but she wanted to catch up with Lily first while she was still here.

She had a feeling that this was a quick visit, which she didn\'t mind. She appreciated Lily for coming all the way out here to be here for her in her darkest moment.