Editing Melissa Oakham (section)

== Chronology==
===Before the Story ===
Did not like her cousins growing up.
===Story Start===
She was in the same class as the [[Kennet Trio|Trio]].

Severely injured her ankle in gymnastics at the Wavy Tree, probably [[Mess|made worse]] by [[Nicolette Belanger]]'s [[Omen|Omens]] watching the area.<ref>“Looks like it’s Melissa, from our class,” Verona commented. [...]“She hurt Melissa through her carelessness?” Avery asked.<br><br>“Hurt was set ta happen, see?” Alpeana said.  “But the minging lass might’ve made tha situation worse, stickin’ tha particular nose into thins.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/06/27 Excerpt] from  [[Stolen Away 2.6]]</ref> Currently wearing a large leg brace, using crutches<ref>The tenor of conversation changed as they joined Melissa, who sat on the end of the bench closest to the door, crutches leaning against the wall beside her.  Melissa’s foot was in a big black brace that extended from knee to foot.  Lucy could remember seeing her ankle snap, as they’d watched the gymnastics team from the spirit world. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/07/18 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.2]]</ref> and she spent a while on a lot of painkillers - enough to make her a bit groggy, but not enough to really stop the pain.<ref>“I don’t want to be a bother.  But thanks.  I think, uh, just for today, I’ll stay behind and recuperate.  I’m going to swing by the front office and see if they have any painkillers.”<br><br>“They didn’t give you anything?” Alexa asked.<br><br>“They did but it makes me too groggy for school, so I took a half dose.  It’s not really denting it.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/07/18 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.2]]</ref> She put on weight and stopped washing her hair.<ref name=":6">Melissa had changed, in the past four or five weeks.  Not really eating right, or eating the way she had when she’d been doing dancing, gymnastics, and soccer, but as someone who was almost entirely sedentary now.  Doing nothing except periodic hobbling, with crutches.<br><br>She’d put on a surprising amount of weight.  She’d stopped taking care of her hair.  She hadn’t even dressed up for tonight. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/25 Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.3]]</ref>

During the end of year party she complains that she's being left out of things and that her friends are avoiding her due to her damaged leg, it's also revealed that she's not been putting much effort into reaching out to her friends herself.

She proceeds to steal Verona's bag and go off with [[George]], [[Hailey]] and [[Pam]]. Hailey takes a cassette player from the bag and then Melissa proceeds get into an argument with her after refusing to show her what else was inside.<ref>“The guy that gave George, Hailey, Pam, and Melissa a lift said Hailey went looking for bottles and whatever in the backpack they stole.  They found the cassette player, and Hailey started fiddling with it.  Melissa kept going through the bag, and when she wouldn’t show Hailey what she found, they fought.  Melissa hobbled off on crutches with the bag.”- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/leaving-a-mark-4-3/ Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.3]]</ref> She finds magic diagrams and practice materials inside<ref>“What is this?” Melissa asked, holding out a fistful of paper, covered in diagrams.  Verona flinched.- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/leaving-a-mark-4-3/ Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.3]]</ref> and realises that the trio have been keeping things from her<ref>“Or…” Melissa said, looking down at the ground.  “Not even that?  The way my life went to such total shit, so fast… and then this?  Did you curse me or something?”- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/leaving-a-mark-4-3/ Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.3]]</ref>. In order get get the bag back [[Lucy]] challenges her to a duel and if she wins she'll take some of her pain<ref>“If you hold out for five minutes, I’ll take on a share of your pain,” Lucy said. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/25 Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.3]]</ref>, after realising she can't win she surrenders.

During the invasion by [[Lawrence Bristow|Bristow’s]] aware she was warned by [[Charles Abrams|Charles]] against investigating further into recent events.<ref>“You, Melissa,” he told the girl.  “You stand at the beginning.  You want to be where she is.”<br><br>He indicated Clementine.<br><br>“Nobody should want to be where I am,” Clementine said.<br><br>“That’s the point, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice rougher, his tone biting, like he was calling her stupid.  “And you, Clementine.  You want the answers?”<br><br>“Please.”<br><br>“Then take a long, close look.  The answers don’t give you better.  If anything, it’s all worse.  You know what’s about to happen to you, and you’re caught up in it.  I had the answers.  I paid the price.  I would give anything, not that I have much, but I would give anything to be where she stands, again.”<br><br>He pointed at Melissa, who cringed away from the finger.<br><br>“And to walk away,” he said.- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/10/17/back-away-5-c/ Excerpt] from [[Back Away 5.c]]</ref>

After the trio return to Kennet she visited [[Louise Bayer|Louise]] and asked her about the weird stuff that’s been happening to her. Afterwards she runs into a [[Snowdrop|strange kid]], during their conversation together it’s revealed that she’s been stealing Louise’s cigarettes and has got a spell working.<ref name=":4">“Yeah.  Huh.  She said I could phone and ask her if I had questions or come by if I wanted to sound her out about any of the weird stuff around town.  But she doesn’t know jack.  So instead it became about me complaining and she’ll listen even though she has way worse issues, apparently.  Want one?  Or are you going to rat me out to your Auntie Louise?”<br><br>“I’m nothing like a rat.”<br><br>“Cool.  Want one, then?”<br><br>“Sure.  Cool.”<br><br>Snowdrop took the offered cigarette.  Melissa reached over with the lighter.  Snowdrop let her light it, then held it away from her mouth, burning and making smoke that made her want to sneeze.<br><br>“Stole them from her.  She had a bunch stowed away.”<br><br>“Huh.  I didn’t know that.”<br><br>“Yeah.  I don’t suppose you know anything about the weirdness?  Any idea what I’m talking about?”<br><br>“I don’t know much, no.  No idea, really.”<br><br>“Too bad,” Melissa said, bitter.  She exhaled smoke and looked skyward.  “I’m figuring out bits and pieces.  Got a spell sort of working, based on a picture I took with my phone.  Magic, can you believe that?”- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2021/02/06/vanishing-points-8-8/ Excerpt] from [[Vanishing Points 8.8]]</ref>

[[Avery]] visits Melissa and her parents mention that she’s been refusing visitors and not looking after herself. They go for a walk together and Melissa explains that the magic spell has stopped working, she gets angry at Avery for not telling her how it works. As the two continue talking Avery decides not to [[Awakening|awaken]] her due of how bitter she had became and her bad attitude towards her friends.<ref name=":5">- [[Shaking Hands 9.6]]</ref>

Melissa tells Avery that she knows that [[Gabriel Necaise|Gabe]] has disappeared and that [[Reggie|something]] has come back and was pretending be him. Avery steals her phone and used the [[Computer Bug|centipede card]] to delete all the photos Melissa had taken on it from the night of the party.<ref name=":5" />

The trio eventually asked her to be their [[Blackguard]].<ref>“For Louise and Melissa, we’d like Melissa to be a blackguard.  Lying for us, helping us to manage situations,” Avery said.  “Louise as a representative for humans.  We had someone who did that before.”- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2021/12/28/left-in-the-dust-16-5/ Excerpt] from [[Left in the Dust 16.5]]</ref>

During the time skip she lost twenty pounds.<ref>She’d lost maybe twenty pounds, and looked way more comfortable sitting on a snow-dusted stair in the cold, cane in hand, than she had for a long time.
- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2022/05/28/crossed-with-silver-19-1/ Excerpt] from [[Crossed With Silver 19.1]]</ref>
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