<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial;">Melinda Lacey Halliwell</span></span> </div><div align="center">Lingering outside the manor.</div><hr/><br/>The day exhausted her to the point of crying quietly to herself in a lonely bathroom stall. Her boss behaved inappropriately towards her yet again, with outrageous accusations in front of her co-workers. He humiliating her for an issue that wasn’t even her problem or fault. Of course, no one came to her defense, and she could only nod meekly with gritted teeth before getting far away from her accuser. Melinda Lacey Halliwell loved working at the library since it was a dream of hers to interact with the people and children from the community every day. Some people thought her job always involved always having her nose pushed inside the covers of a book but they were mistaken. Often times, she was on the floor of the library while helping those in need with various tasks to improve their life. Despite the pleasure she received from assisting people, her boss dampened Melinda's spirit at every chance an opportunity arose to blame her from something.<br/><br/>To make matters even more horrific, the man called her by the wrong name each time he addressed her. It made no sense why he decided to put a target on her head since he treated everyone else under his employ reasonably better than her. She never did anything offensive or rude towards him to deserve such behavior and near hatred. The pay was barely enough to keep her from falling behind on rent, but somehow Melinda made it work without asking any of her family members for assistance or voicing her issues to them. She was too prideful to ask for help since everyone had their own problems. Her life would improve drastically if she just orbed into a bank, but there was that entire no using magic for personal gain rule. If anything, she would rather make an object knock the jerk on the back of the head with enough force to send him into a permanent concussion. It was only after this hellish day that she sought the sanctuary of home.<br/><br/>Driving up to the manor, Melinda felt a sense of calm come over herself since there was no place like home.<em>Home.</em>Even though she didn’t live here anymore, the feeling remained with her. It never transferred over to her little apartment. Sure, she loved the location of her new place since it was close to her job, only requiring for her to bike about ten blocks over the nightmarish place. Yet the manor contained memories of her childhood, a reasonably happy time of her life and was full of memories of her mother. Her mind shifted back in time to the first Christmas she recalled with her mother and father fawning over their little princess. There were certain perks to being the only girl in the manor. Her brothers protected her from terrifying truths while her father often doted over her with a love unrivaled by anyone but her mother. Everything back then was so uncomplicated and easy since their presence reassured her more than toys or even sugary treats.<br/><br/>Usually back then, Christmas lights decorated the huge front windows while the smell of gingerbread men lingered all over the house. A firm slap of her mother’s hand prevented her from indulging in the little cookie men when they were still hot. She felt tears prickling the sides of her eyes since the pain of her mother’s death was still fresh in her mind. It didn’t help that her aunts weren’t around to share the joy of the holidays as well. Her aunts were always a part of the winter spirit and holiday fun. A brisk motion of her hand brushed the tears away as she sniffled quietly. It was tempting to just pull away. Just drive away without visiting. From her parked position, Melinda could see that the lights were on in the house, but that wasn’t a guarantee that someone was home.<br/><br/>Sighing softly, she opened the car door before locking it with a push of a button after closing the door. The slight cold in the air assaulted her body, causing her to pull the black jacket closer around her. There were people walking down the street so she didn't risk orbing before briskly walking towards the front door. She twirled her keys around her gloved hand, an old habit used to distract herself from somber thoughts. It didn't take long for her to find the key to the house on her key ring since there were only five keys in total. Warmth brushed over her face and body as she opened the door before closing it softly. Melinda didn't hear anything or rather anyone inside. Her foot dug at the back of her shoe, kicking them off, before hanging her coat on a coat hanger. "Anyone home?" She yelled out loudly while waiting to see if someone responded to her inquiry.