Chapter Twenty-Seven
Guardian Angel
Guardian Angel
Melanie went to her room that night, feeling lost and confused. Her mother had a suitor. How...how...inappropriate! And Mayor Barly?! Just plain...inconsiderate! Melanie noted that there was an orangish tinge to his hair. Could he be Aggie's father? This man, could he have been sleeping with her mother while her father was alive. Melanie's head spun. Melanie ran to the mirror, trying to find some trace of her father in her face. Melanie didn't have his square nose or jaw. The high cheek-bones belonged to her mother. The golden hair and arched eyebrows were another product from her maternal side. Melanie forced herself to lock onto her blue eyes, which some people had described as a 'scary, shocking' blue. They were electric, seeing the intensity in them. Melanie saw now herself.
She had dark under eyes and her skin was paler than usual. Her mouth which had never been able to frown (she had tried. The muscles in her face simply did not work that way) was drooping downward for the first time. Melanie shucked off her wet dress, and noted that she could see her ribs through the pale, paper skin. Melanie felt uncomfortable, and when a knock at her door sounded, she was relieved to know Mammy was offering to draw a bath for her.
Melanie wrapped her shawl around her and opened the door. She stood mouth agape, back at her brother.
"Are you okay?" he whispered. Melanie let him in quickly. Slipping behind her changing shade, she found a long dark grey frock. It was long sleeved and cotton and Melanie scooted under her bed covers. She sighed when her brother yanked away her soaked shawl, throwing it over her changing shade. He curled up on the foot of her bed.
"You okay?" he reiterated.
She nodded stiffly.
"I can't believe her..." she whispered.
"Believe it," he huffed, emotionless.
"Did you know?"
Charlie shook his head.
"...Do you think he's Aggie's father?" he whispered. Melanie shook her head, blinking away the tears.
"I don't want to think of that," she whispered hoarsely. "I just want to sleep. Maybe I'll be tired enough not to have any nightmares."
Charlie nodded. "I'll send in Morgan tonight. Okay?"
Melanie nodded.
***
Melanie returned around 2 the next day after the first rehearsals for the unwanted opera that Damien had written. Each rehearsal was private. Extremely private.
"Hello Gustave!" Melanie crooned as she saw he and Aggie rolling around little cars on the rug in the living room. She lived him into her arms. "Give your best sweetheart a kiss!" she said, and he pressed his chubby red lips to her cheek.
"Darling," Phillip whispered from the corner. Melanie smiled as she crossed the room, and two melted in each other's embrace. Standing on tip toe, Melanie sighed as she molded their lips together, even if for the briefest of moments.
When they parted, he stared at her longingly, letting his forefinger trace over her bottom lip.
"You can't stay long, can you?" she whispered, taking his hand from her face. He sighed.
"...No. I just came to pick up Gustave."
Melanie sighed, and looked at their locked hands. His knuckles were white as they gripped her small, soft hands. Melanie's hands looked like paper in his big apricot ones. She tore her hands away and whispered a goodbye as she slipped up the stairs to be alone.
***
Melanie came down after Phillip and Gustave had left, and Reid eyes widened as he turned to see her. It was the barest she had even been.
Melanie was wearing a rose pink and white striped bathing beauty swim suit. It had sleeves to just before her elbows, and pants to her knees. There was a skirt, which puff out just long enough to wear you could see the pantilettes hiding below. The neckline was low for Melly, but not low enough to show any cleavage, nothing more than her clavicle. Her gold hair was in floppy bun with gently waves popping out of it. Mammy was furious and on her faster than anything.
"What is you wearin?"
"A bathing suit. I'm going swimming."
"It's to cold to go swimming!"
"It's only September, Mammy darling," Melanie said, brushing past, white towel hung delicately over her arm. She smirked.
"The pool?" Mammy asked. Melanie frowned.
"The public pool? Heavens no! I meant the lake-"
"Just what you need. Ta get sick from that lake-"
"Mammy, I won't-"
"Or drown. Or worse."
"Worse?"
"You ain't goin' swimmin" Melanie bit her red lip.
"What if Spencer watches me?" she exclaimed, looking at him hopefully.
"What'll he do?"
"Make sure worse doesn't happened to me. He's saved my life many times, Mammy. Maybe Dr. Reid is like my Angel." Melanie put a hand to her mouth, as if she wished the words hadn't come out. Mammy looked sadly at her.
"...You can go swimmin'...long as Docta Reid is with ya."
Melanie ran off the rotting dock and into the clear blue lake. It was cloudy as the wind blew, and Spencer relaxed under the huge maple in the yard that shaded half the lake. Melanie's head bobbed back up, and she spewed lake water from her mouth like a fountain, hitting Reid.
"Hey!" he cried out. Melly laughed. Spencer tugged on the sweatshirt he had been wearing. He ripped it off, showing his white tee shirt underneath. Melly smiled, splashing him again.
"Why are you-!"
"Get. In. the water." she said, smiling evilly. Spencer stared. What was that gleam in Melanie's eye?
"Why?" Spencer asked nervously.
"You can swim," was her reply. "Get in the water."
"Melanie-"
"Please?" she asked, her blue eyes getting big.
Spencer's brows furrowed as a grin formed. "I didn't know you could be this evil," he said.
"I don't have a suit."
"You don't need one."
He stared.
"I meant swim in your clothes."
Oh.
"I can't, Mel. I'm watching you, remember?"
Melanie pouted. Reid wondered if this was Melanie used to talk to her father. The pout slipped slowly as Melanie sunk into her thoughts. She slipped under water slowly, not taking in enough air to last 20 seconds.
Let alone the minute she was under. Reid stared after 30 seconds, and five seconds later, his feelings turned to cold fear.
"Melanie?" he asked. "Melly?..Melly! Melly!" Spencer splashed into the water, it was cold as it assaulted his nose and skin. Melanie was floating in the middle of the water, eyes closed and very still.
Creepily still. When Spencer moved again, Melanie's eyes darted toward him, and she smiled. She pointed up, and they both rose.
"What the hell was that?!" he screamed, swimming over to her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders frantically. Melanie accepted his embrace, but her eyes were searching and sad when he pulled away.
"What is it?" he whispered, still holding on to her.
"I wanted to see if it was true," she said. When he looked at her, she elaborated.
"I wanted to see if you were my guardian angel. Instead of one that killed for me or hated me."
Spencer stared, he knew she was talking about Damien and Charlie.
"I would kill to protect you," he whispered.
"Don't do that," she whispered, looking away.
"I would-"
"Don't, please...I'm not worth that...I'm not worth that."
"...Let's get you inside."
"You okay?" he reiterated.
She nodded stiffly.
"I can't believe her..." she whispered.
"Believe it," he huffed, emotionless.
"Did you know?"
Charlie shook his head.
"...Do you think he's Aggie's father?" he whispered. Melanie shook her head, blinking away the tears.
"I don't want to think of that," she whispered hoarsely. "I just want to sleep. Maybe I'll be tired enough not to have any nightmares."
Charlie nodded. "I'll send in Morgan tonight. Okay?"
Melanie nodded.
***
Melanie returned around 2 the next day after the first rehearsals for the unwanted opera that Damien had written. Each rehearsal was private. Extremely private.
"Hello Gustave!" Melanie crooned as she saw he and Aggie rolling around little cars on the rug in the living room. She lived him into her arms. "Give your best sweetheart a kiss!" she said, and he pressed his chubby red lips to her cheek.
"Darling," Phillip whispered from the corner. Melanie smiled as she crossed the room, and two melted in each other's embrace. Standing on tip toe, Melanie sighed as she molded their lips together, even if for the briefest of moments.
When they parted, he stared at her longingly, letting his forefinger trace over her bottom lip.
"You can't stay long, can you?" she whispered, taking his hand from her face. He sighed.
"...No. I just came to pick up Gustave."
Melanie sighed, and looked at their locked hands. His knuckles were white as they gripped her small, soft hands. Melanie's hands looked like paper in his big apricot ones. She tore her hands away and whispered a goodbye as she slipped up the stairs to be alone.
***
Melanie came down after Phillip and Gustave had left, and Reid eyes widened as he turned to see her. It was the barest she had even been.
Melanie was wearing a rose pink and white striped bathing beauty swim suit. It had sleeves to just before her elbows, and pants to her knees. There was a skirt, which puff out just long enough to wear you could see the pantilettes hiding below. The neckline was low for Melly, but not low enough to show any cleavage, nothing more than her clavicle. Her gold hair was in floppy bun with gently waves popping out of it. Mammy was furious and on her faster than anything.
"What is you wearin?"
"A bathing suit. I'm going swimming."
"It's to cold to go swimming!"
"It's only September, Mammy darling," Melanie said, brushing past, white towel hung delicately over her arm. She smirked.
"The pool?" Mammy asked. Melanie frowned.
"The public pool? Heavens no! I meant the lake-"
"Just what you need. Ta get sick from that lake-"
"Mammy, I won't-"
"Or drown. Or worse."
"Worse?"
"You ain't goin' swimmin" Melanie bit her red lip.
"What if Spencer watches me?" she exclaimed, looking at him hopefully.
"What'll he do?"
"Make sure worse doesn't happened to me. He's saved my life many times, Mammy. Maybe Dr. Reid is like my Angel." Melanie put a hand to her mouth, as if she wished the words hadn't come out. Mammy looked sadly at her.
"...You can go swimmin'...long as Docta Reid is with ya."
Melanie ran off the rotting dock and into the clear blue lake. It was cloudy as the wind blew, and Spencer relaxed under the huge maple in the yard that shaded half the lake. Melanie's head bobbed back up, and she spewed lake water from her mouth like a fountain, hitting Reid.
"Hey!" he cried out. Melly laughed. Spencer tugged on the sweatshirt he had been wearing. He ripped it off, showing his white tee shirt underneath. Melly smiled, splashing him again.
"Why are you-!"
"Get. In. the water." she said, smiling evilly. Spencer stared. What was that gleam in Melanie's eye?
"Why?" Spencer asked nervously.
"You can swim," was her reply. "Get in the water."
"Melanie-"
"Please?" she asked, her blue eyes getting big.
Spencer's brows furrowed as a grin formed. "I didn't know you could be this evil," he said.
"I don't have a suit."
"You don't need one."
He stared.
"I meant swim in your clothes."
Oh.
"I can't, Mel. I'm watching you, remember?"
Melanie pouted. Reid wondered if this was Melanie used to talk to her father. The pout slipped slowly as Melanie sunk into her thoughts. She slipped under water slowly, not taking in enough air to last 20 seconds.
Let alone the minute she was under. Reid stared after 30 seconds, and five seconds later, his feelings turned to cold fear.
"Melanie?" he asked. "Melly?..Melly! Melly!" Spencer splashed into the water, it was cold as it assaulted his nose and skin. Melanie was floating in the middle of the water, eyes closed and very still.
Creepily still. When Spencer moved again, Melanie's eyes darted toward him, and she smiled. She pointed up, and they both rose.
"What the hell was that?!" he screamed, swimming over to her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders frantically. Melanie accepted his embrace, but her eyes were searching and sad when he pulled away.
"What is it?" he whispered, still holding on to her.
"I wanted to see if it was true," she said. When he looked at her, she elaborated.
"I wanted to see if you were my guardian angel. Instead of one that killed for me or hated me."
Spencer stared, he knew she was talking about Damien and Charlie.
"I would kill to protect you," he whispered.
"Don't do that," she whispered, looking away.
"I would-"
"Don't, please...I'm not worth that...I'm not worth that."
"...Let's get you inside."
No comments:
Post a Comment