Mel glances at the clock. It's nearly time to leave. She kisses her siblings and jogs to Jake's trailer, trying not to sweat and look even more unkempt than she already does. As she emerges from the leaves of the forest, she is struck by the sight of Jake. He looks nearly perfect in his suit, almost like he isn't as dirt poor as everyone else in the forest. He throws a grin at her, and she returns it.
“You look amazing,” he comments.
“You too,” Mel says, blushing and pressing her shoulder into his.
Jake notices her hand is shaking and grabs it. Mel thinks she looks ridiculous compared to him. Jake thinks he looks like a slob compared to her. The two walk hand in hand toward the diner.
The building is dressed up for the birthday party, making Mel wonder if Nathan's friend lives in the forest or in the city. No one in the forest could really afford to decorate a building with streamers and balloons, but those on the edge might. She nods at the waitress, a pretty girl who was a senior at her high school last year, while she is led to the room in the back of the restaurant.
One of the balloons catches Mel's eye. It's a helium ballon with “Happy Birthday Eric!” printed on it. The fact that it's helium confirms that Eric could not possibly live in the forest- no one living there could afford a 10 dollar helium balloon. A few years ago, the helium supply dried up due to all of the party balloons wasting it. To save the little bit left for medical equipment the government put a steep tax on non-medical uses. A bit of envy creeps up on Mel even though it's such a small privilege.
There are 8 kids sitting in a booth that wraps around a table. On the table are presents, cake, and a couple of pizza boxes. Standing in front of the children, Mel feels amazing, almost powerful. She looks back to Jake, who is waiting for her signal to begin playing. She smiles uneasily and watches his fingers fly across the neck of the instrument.
Her body begins to sway with the beat, her eyes closing and her mind transporting her to the world of the lullaby. Her body is possessed by the music, moving instinctively while she sings about the bird that has no voice and is lost without it. Without friends, and with no song to live for, it dives into a swift river and drowns itself. As the songs finishes, Mel wills herself not to cry, not to break down and follow the bird's lead. Her eyes are closed for what feels like hours, holding back sobs.
When she finally feels calm enough to open her eyes, she finds the children in wide-eyed silence. Mel wonders worriedly whether they loved or hated it.
Tense seconds pass by, until finally the birthday boy starts to clap. The rest of the children slowly join him, but it's clear to Jake and Mel that they loved the performance, some even calling for an encore. Mel giggles, and she and Jake choose another song to sing, an original that she wrote about Brianna. In all, they play 4 songs for the kids, all of which are met with enthusiasm, applause and whistles.
At the end of the party, and after everyone has some cake, Eric pulls Mel to the side and holds out his shaking hand. There's a wad of money that he had been nervously handling the whole night, 4 dollars and some change. Confused, Mel shakes her head and pushes the money away.
"No, take it. Everyone's going to be talking about you guys! I'll be super popular because of you now." Before Mel can stop him, Eric shoves the money into her hand and runs off to find his mother.
Jake slides up behind her and asks, "What's that?"
"It's our payment, I guess," she responds, perplexed. She turns to him, and then a smile creeps onto her face. "Eric said all his friends will be talking about this for weeks."
She looks down at the money in her hand again, wondering what to do with it. "Why don't we buy some chicken, and have a big dinner with both of our families?" Jake agrees, and they both buy a few chicken breasts from the diner and head home.
The shadow that had been watching them from the corner disappears into the night.
As the weeks go on, Jake and Mel get a few more requests by friends from around the forest, each one giving them a small sum as a tip. Mary, seeing the money coming in, has become an ardent supporter of the two musicians. Jake had saved up enough money for a real guitar, while Mel bought a new dress. Simple and pretty, it was a white dress with a lace trim. She didn't show it to Jake though: she bought it with the hope of wearing it for her wedding with Jake.
After 4 years of dating, Mel had assumed they would just merge households when his mother died and get married at city hall, but with the success of their music she had begun to hope for a small, private ceremony and one day, a house.
That's her one and only goal, the only dream she's allowing herself to have. She doesn't want to get her hopes up.
Soon school will start again. Brianna got new shoes and a bag to hold her books. This is the first time since their mother died that the family has gotten new school supplies. Watching her model her shiny black shoes is a pleasure Mel never would have been able to experience, were it not for Nathan and his friends.
There's another performance scheduled for tonight. Mel has mended the dress she wore for the first time she sang. She slides a bit of lipstick, a deep grape color, on her lips and smiles at her reflection. There's some added weight on her bones now, and her body is taking on more of a womanly shape. She beams proudly at how she looks, admiring herself and the success she and Jake have had. Her head held high, she walks to meet Jake at the diner.
It's packed. Mary convinced her boss to have their annual dinner at the diner and to hire Mel and Jake to play for them. They will be paid $40 to play 3 songs for 4 groups of 10 people. Pat, Mary's boss, was reluctant at first, but she somehow convinced him to hire them anyway.
$40 is a lot of money for forest-dwellers. It's more than Mary usually makes in a week, and it will add to the money they've saved towards getting a small apartment in the city. Looking through the newspaper last week, Mary found an apartment going for just $25 a month. It's small, but living there would allow Jake and Mel to look for part time jobs for after school hours.
Mary rushes over to her son and Mel with a huge smile on her face, crushing them both in a hug. "Come on, let me introduce you to everyone."
They follow her, shaking the hands of her many coworkers. Some live in the forest, others the two teens don't recognize. They most likely live at the edge of the city. Everyone is excited to hear Jake and Mel play. One of the last people they're introduced to is a man named Alex.
"I am so excited to hear you play! I've heard great things about you!" he exclaims. His long hair is slightly greasy, and he smells like cologne. Mel wonders if he's a manager since no one who works with Mary could possibly afford cologne or perfume. His red face has a bit of sweat on it, and he fidgets with his tie every few seconds. Mel notices how soft his palms are as she shakes his hand. His smile is wide and toothy, reminding Mel of someone from a commercial.
"Thanks," she answers, wanting to talk to other people. Alex follows her and sits in on her conversations, still smiling a smile that seems somehow predatory. Jake's face goes from friendly to murderous, his hands clenched to try to keep from lashing out at a gig. At one point, Mel is standing against the wall and sipping a drink, when Alex comes to chat with her again.
"Tell me about your music! What songs are you playing? Where did you learn the lyrics?" Mel resists the urge to roll her eyes at him for asking questions that could get everyone in the diner in trouble. He keeps trying to pry information from her, and she keeps up the conversation until Pat pulls her away.
"Time for you to start playing," he explains quickly, his voice low. He rushes Jake and Mel into the music room.
They play perfectly for all 4 shows, though the last one was a bit awkward. Alex watched them with such weird over-exuberance that it made Mel lose some of her focus. Jake seemed to notice too, and there was an increasing chance of confrontation. After the last song, Alex practically ran up to them, shaking their hands profusely.
"That was amazing! Truly wonderful, and you, beautiful. Your voice is like an angel's!" He shook the
ir hands again, his eyes intend on Mel's. He then leaves the diner, mumbling something.
Jake and Mel spent an hour after with Mary and her workmates, getting to know them. Some gave them a few dollars, and when they leave the diner that night they had $67 in their pockets and are practically bouncing with glee.
The trailer is dark when Mel gets home. Once she turns on the light and glances at the clock, she sees that it's 2 am. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she watched her siblings sleep. The sounds of the night quiet her, and she marvels at how easy life has become. Spending less time fishing and more time with these children, helping them to grow up.
Eyes wandering around the trailer, she knows that soon they will be leaving to find better opportunities. By the end of this school year, she hopes to have moved them to the city. A flutter in her stomach accompanies thoughts of Jake and how wonderful it will be to finally marry him. To have a huge cake, and big meals for both of their families.
To say vows in a church and dance until their legs are sore. One day, she hopes, they will have a house in the city. And maybe, once Will is out on his own, the two will have children.
These are the thoughts she falls asleep to, on her lumpy pillow atop her hard bed in her tiny trailer in Prison forest.
The soft morning light wakes her slowly, stretching out on the bed. Her arm accidentally falls to the side instead of ahead of her, making her worry she'll hit one of the kids. The bed is empty, though, and the world around the trailer is quiet. No foot steps or the sound of a little boy playing in dirt, just some wind against the glass windows and through the leaves of the trees above.
Her eyebrows furrow and her eyes open, momentarily examining the dust in the beam of light above her. As Mel sits up, panic sets in, leaping out of the bed intent on finding Brianna and Will. She throws open the door, but instead of two innocent children in front of her, there are 5 police men waiting for her.
"Get down on the ground!" one shouts. Mel does as she is told automatically, luckily too scared to do anything but comply. Her knees hit the ground, breaking the skin on her left shin. The officer to her left uses his boot to push her down by the neck. Her face hits the ground, grinding into the sharp gravel. The officer to her right takes Mel's arms and pulls them back painfully. Her screams are met by a kick to the stomach that knocks all the wind from her. There's a sudden sharp jab in her neck, and everything fades to darkness.
THREE
Mel awakens in a dark room, her body sore and aching. Opening her eyes is difficult, as they are crusted over with something. When she finally pries one eye open, she finds herself in a grey room, reclining on a chair and held prisoner by straps around her forehead, wrists and legs. She struggles against her bonds, but they are too tight to budge. The room she's in seems empty.
"Hello?" she calls out. There is no answer. She tries to remove the straps again, but ultimately all she does is cause the leather to cut into her skin. Slumping back into the chair, she gives into the confusion and fear. Tears stream down the side of her face.
A door opens. Outside, there are voices, people discussing something but Mel can't make out any of the words. Heavy feet fall against the floor, coming nearer to the girl shaking beneath her confines. The person stops behind her, and whoever it is unbuckles the strap on her forehead, allowing her to see more of her surroundings.
"Oh no, no..." Looking down, Mel finds her body bloody, bruised and worst of all, naked. "Where am I?!" All is silent. "Say something!"
A faint chuckle, quick and soft. A man steps from behind her and into view. He is tall and thin, wearing a long white coat and glasses. His hair and eyes are nearly the same shade of gray. He's wearing a name tag, but he's too far from her and her one open eye is too blurry to be able to read it.
"Poor dear," he coos, tsking as he looks her up and down. His accent is heavy, one Mel has never heard before. "I only want to help, love. Let me help you."
There is a sharp pain in her neck, and the world around her begins to spin.
"What did you do to me?"
"Don't worry, my pet. Everything is going to be fine." He pets her head in an obscene attempt to comfort her. Trying to stay focused on the man, Mel is horrified to watch him transform into some sort of monster. Large teeth protrude from his gums, his hair replaced by spikes and his eyes bright red. There are what sounds like sirens going off. All of the stimulation overwhelms Mel. She closes her eyes.
When she opens them again, bright light blinds her. She wiggles her hands, and finds them to no longer be bound. Rubbing her eyes and sitting up, there is no pain in her body anymore. On her body hangs loose, smooth silk, peach in color and decorated with lace. The grass she's sitting on is soft and healthy, and the sweet scent of the flowers populating the meadow she's in overtakes her.
There's a giggle behind her, familiar and sweet.
"Today is perfect, huh?" Brianna asks, her relaxed hair flowing softly with the wind. The young girl looks innocent, but her thin, childish body is starting to show signs of womanhood that Mel had never noticed before. The two smile at each other, enjoying the scent of the flowers and fresh bread being carried on the cool breeze.
"A picnic was a good idea," Mel tells her, squeezing her hand quickly. The two girls lay down in the grass again, and Mel points out the shape of a rabbit in the clouds. After a few clouds fly by, the older sister sits up again and gazes out at the field. It seems to be the size of the ocean, it's all she can see from all angles. Her brow furrows and she's suddenly self conscious, feeling eyes on her.
"Hey, I have an idea," Brianna says, nudging her daydreaming sister. "Let's make flower crowns!"
"Sure, sounds fun!"
Mel tries to choose only the blue flowers, some that look like poppies, others like daisies. She admires how the blue looks against her chocolate skin. Her mom always commented how blue looked so beautiful on her, and it's been her favorite color since she could remember.
Finishing first, Mel sits and watches Brianna choose her flowers. The red in her hair looks cute and matches her white silk dress with red lace. The scent of the flowers begins to overwhelm Mel, and her eyelids droop.
"Are you tired?" Brianna asks, coming over to comfort her sister. "Why don't you lay down again, love? Sleep for me." The girl leads Mel to the grass and helps her to lay down, wrappings her limbs around her big sister's body protectively. A butterfly flutters over Mel and, before she finally closes her eyes to nap, it lands on her forehead. She falls into a deep and peaceful sleep.
Again she awakens in the dark room. "This has to be a nightmare," she assures herself, refusing to believe this pain is real.
Her naked body is freezing, laying on the cold floor of the room. Her wrists have shackles around them attached to the wall. The man isn't in the room with her.
"Hello? Is anybody out there?" No one answers. She thinks of Jake and wonders if he's safe, or if he's being put through this same torture. Her ears ring and her head aches so bad that it brings tears to her eyes with every throb. The clanging of the chains makes her dizzy and nauseous, every sound changing the room to a different color. This synesthesia gets worse as the door scrapes open, causing her to scream and cover her ears with her hands while a rainbow dances across every surface of the room.
The scientist walks in again, his skin green but otherwise no longer a monster. A normal man, as normal as a man can be when he's holding a naked and beaten teenager hostage. All the fear and confusion turns instantly to hatred, and as soon as he's near enough Mel spits. It lands on his shoe. The look on his now yellow face is priceless, but Mel is too weak to laugh.
He steps forward and kneels in front of her. The name tag is finally close enough to read it: Shane Nikola Freude. Pulling her chin up, he forces her to look him in the eyes. He pulls back slightly, and spits right in her face. He stares deep into her eyes, enjoying the horror and disgust on her face. Mel opens her mouth to scream or protest, and in that second he pops a pill in her mouth and forces her to swallow it. S
tanding up again and stepping a few paces away, he turns to her and smiles.
"How's my little beta bird today?" he asks, his voice bouncing softly off the walls.
"Where is Jake?" Mel demands, trying in vain to wipe all of the saliva off of her face.
"Oh he's fine. He'll be helping you soon enough, little one." Behind him, the door opens and in walks a woman with long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. She's dressed in light blue scrubs and looks like a nurse. She's wheeling in some sort of table.
"Thank you, Maria. You may go." The woman nods at Shane and glances briefly at Mel. There's guilt and pity all over her face. "You know, Melanie, you aren't the first girl I've dealt with. You're not the youngest, or the oldest. And you won't be the last." From the table, he picks up a knife, thin and sharp, and examines it. "But I think so far, you've been my favorite. And soon you'll be over the rainbow, little bird."
On the table, he flicks on a mini jukebox. It's playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", sung by Judy Garland. Mel has never heard this song before, perplexed by such a sweet song in such a horrid situation. Shane picks up another knife, deciding on which one he prefers. Finally with a smirk he chooses the smaller one, and approaches Mel who is cowering against the wall, tears streaming down her face.
Stooping in front of Mel again, he touches the knife to her cheek. "Shall we start on your face, or-"
There are three knocks on the door. With an air of extreme impatience, Shane stands up and goes to see who would dare to interrupt him. As he turns the handle, the door explodes open, knocking the man back and unconscious. Standing in front of Mel is Brianna. The younger girl rushes forward, holding a ring of keys and a white jacket like Shane's in her hand.
Secrets and Desire (Erotic Romance Bundle) Page 7