Royally Yours

by Everly James

  Melody turned the pages with finality, then snapped the book shut. “Good. Only a few points from Gryffindor for their foolishness. I can sleep tonight.” She smiled. “What is it we’re complaining about now?”

  “Apple Day is apparently a ton of hard labor,” Ellie explained.

  “But at least we get a nice dinner afterwards,” Constance added.

  Melody had a twinkle in her eye that Ellie knew well. “You’re concocting some grand scheme, aren’t you?”

  “I know people say no parties, but has anyone stopped to ask Jason if throwing one is okay?” She got off the bed and grabbed a silk scarf, tying her twists up into it and pulling on her bathrobe.

  “You’d be insane to try that,” Constance scoffed. “I’ve never heard of a single party thrown in this place. Not one.”

  Melody grinned and opened the door. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

  “Wait. Where does Jason sleep?” Ellie wondered aloud.

  “Dunno,” Constance shrugged. “All I know is he has an apartment somewhere.”

  “No big deal—I know he’s still downstairs. Velia said she had to talk to him about something and that’s bound to have taken forever.”

  Melody bounded down the steps and into the front office where, sure enough, Velia was chatting with Jason. They were both sitting in rolling chairs and hadn’t heard her approach.

  Melody cleared her throat. “Hey.”

  Jason turned around. “Oh, hey. What can I do for you?”

  “Sorry to interrupt.”

  “Not at all, we were just finishing up, weren’t we, Velia?”

  Velia looked unhappy about something but she didn’t say what it was, instead excusing herself and going upstairs.

  “So, what’s up?” Jason asked, with a grin on his face.

  He was eyeing Melody in a way that made her intensely uncomfortable. She crossed her arms over her v-neck shirt that stuck out from her bathrobe and blazed forward. “I was thinking that a little celebration is in order after this big apple harvest.”

  Jason grinned. “We’re already having a celebratory dinner tomorrow.”

  “I know, I know,” Melody said, brushing a twist that fell out of her scarf behind her ear. “I just thought, you know, it would be a cool time to let loose and have a party. Not a rager or anything. Just a party.”

  Jason nodded slowly. “You know it says no parties in the guidebook.”

  “I do know that, I just—”

  “Want to break the rules for the sake of breaking the rules.”

  Melody felt like snapping. “Excuse me?”

  Jason was grinning, but the smile didn’t go to his eyes. “You think I don’t know it was you up on the roof last night? Because I do.” He leaned back in his chair, which creaked even under his light weight. “Don’t do it again. And no parties.”

  Melody was shaking in anger, feeling like she’d just been scolded by her mother. Did Jason have cameras everywhere? She walked back upstairs, passing mostly quiet rooms. Some people were playing classical music at a volume so low that Melody didn’t see the point of playing it at all.

  Ellie and Constance were eager. “You did it?” they asked simultaneously.

  Melody nodded and walked over to the sink, splashing her face with cold water. She dabbed her face dry and stood up. “He said no.”

  “I can’t believe you even asked him,” Constance said. “God, you must be the bravest person in this entire place.”

  Melody looked resolutely at them. “It doesn’t matter. We’re having a party anyway.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “If I never see another single apple again it’ll be too soon,” Ellie groaned, dropping onto her bed. The springs squeaked. She was sunburned, filthy, and sweating.

  Melody laughed. “I can’t say I blame you. That wasn’t exactly the most fun I’ve ever had.” But that was partially a lie. Melody had enjoyed her day with Ellie, hanging around her and talking and laughing. Even if she did feel filthier than she ever had in her life, and that included the time she’d gotten into a mud fight with Dylan when they were kids.

  Ellie groaned again. “I bet the line for the showers is twenty people deep already, and there won’t be any hot water left when everyone’s through.”

  “It’s okay, I need your help anyway.”

  Ellie smacked her forehead. “I can’t lift a single finger right now. I feel like my arms might snap off.”

  “You don’t have to move,” Melody said, pulling a clipboard out from under her mattress and pulling a pen cap off with her teeth.

  “Oh no, not this party planning thing again! You’re going to get both of us in trouble.”

  “It isn’t a party,” Melody said primly. “It’s a mutually agreed upon comingling of resources to celebrate a hard day of work.” She cleared her throat. “So! We’ve got floor one on watch duty. It’s rotating; people who say they don’t want to celebrate can hang down there and look like they’re just visiting. I’ve given everyone my cell number. They’ll text if Jason shows up.” She made a checkmark on the paper. “And I’ve decided that our floor will be the music floor. We can play it a little louder and it’ll just filter down to the other floors. Snacks will be on floor three; we’ll be able to hide them with some warning. We’ll all be back in our rooms by midnight, doors closed and all that. Now, do you think we should have the alcohol up here?”

  “I can’t believe you’re going through with this,” Ellie said. “If Jason finds out it was you, you’re going to be in major trouble.”

  Melody flipped her braids over one shoulder. “This is a decentralized party with no clear planning in place. If Jason finds out about it, it’ll just look like we’re all having a bit too much fun after a day of killing ourselves in the orchards.” She reached under her bed and pulled out a paper shopping bag. “You want to see the mini umbrellas I got for the beers?”

  The party turned out to be a hell of a time, Ellie thought to herself midway through enjoying it. Melody had hooked up an incredible playlist of old school hits mixed with songs from today; she clearly had an ear for this stuff. The drinks poured copiously, the snacks were basic but tasty, and the company was great. She’d even caught Herschel bobbing his head in time with the music with a little smile on his face.

  Around eleven, Ellie snuck away from the third floor and back up to her bedroom. She laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. A few minutes later, the door opened. The music got louder and then muffled again as it closed.

  “You’re not going to bed yet, are you?” Melody asked with a grin.

  Ellie opened her eyes. “I was just resting for a few minutes. I’m exhausted.”

  Melody reached under her pillow and pulled out a book. “If I’m being honest, I only came back to read a little.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Hermione figured out it was a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Ron and Harry are trying to break away to head down there and hopefully find Ginny.”

  “Ooh, that’s a hard place to step away from. I remember forcing my grandmother to keep her eyes open late one night to read. It ended up that she read the ending of the book to me while I dashed down my breakfast the next day before school.”

  Melody smiled. “That’s a nice memory.”

  “Don’t let me keep you,” Ellie said. “I’m the last person on earth to stand in the way of someone reading Harry Potter.”

  Melody look at her.

  “What?”

  “What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?” Melody was referring to a mirror in the series that showed a person the truest desire of their heart.

  Ellie propped her head up with her hand. “Money. Loads of money.”

  Melody laughed. “Be serious.”

  “Okay, loads of money and my entire family happy, including my brother.”

  “Would you be in there looking happy?”

  Ellie thought about it for a moment. “Making my family happy would make m
e happy, so yeah. I guess I would. What about you?”

  Melody closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. “Freedom. I would be free.”

  “I like that a lot,” Ellie said with a grin. “That’s a great answer.”

  Melody dived back into the book. She was entranced by it; the rest of the world faded away as she turned the enchanted pages. Ellie turned on her side and watched Melody reading the book. Ellie started to learn little tells that Melody had: she bit her lip when she was nervous, raised her eyebrows in horror at dangerous parts, and even covered one eye when it was too much.

  Ellie drifted off, unable to keep her eyes open. She was dreaming of a farm field, corn stalks blowing in the breeze of a perfect fall day. A maze was cut into the corn and she heard Melody calling after her.

  “Come find me!” she said, laughing. Melody was wearing a bright blue dress that looked brilliant against her beautiful skin.

  Ellie chased after her, hearing her tinkling laugh as she ran along. Then she kept hitting dead ends.

  “I can’t find you!” Ellie yelled out.

  “I’m here! I’m here. Finished! So great, and you know…OH MY GOD!”

  Ellie pulled open her eyes, realizing that Melody’s words in real life had trickled into her dream state. “Wha?” Ellie slurred.

  “Jason is here. It’s after midnight. I was reading! Oh my God.”

  Melody’s fingers flew furiously across her phone keyboard. “Sending out the cease and desist. I’ve got everyone on group text. There.” She put her phone down. “I’d yell down the staircase but God knows Jason would hear me.” The music turned off somewhere down the hall. They heard a rush of pounding footsteps and doors clicking shut in rapid fire succession.

  “Breathe,” Ellie said to Melody. “I’m sure most people had packed it away. You were distracted. I’m sure people were otherwise looking right at the clock.”

  But there was an edge to her voice that belied her confidence. They both walked to the door, listening at the crack for any sign of Jason berating people for not being in their rooms at the proper hour.

  There was silence for a good, long while.

  Then footsteps.

  They inched closer and closer to their door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Ellie and Melody realized what was happening and bolted away from the door, smacking their foreheads together with a loud crack!

  “Ow!”

  “Fuck!” Melody cursed.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Come in!” they both said at the same time, staggering over to their beds with their heads in their hands.

  It was Jason. “Having a nice night?”

  Melody glanced at Ellie. “Yes. Quiet night.”

  “You’re both still dressed. God, after a day like Apple Day I would have thought you would have been exhausted and in your pajamas.”

  “Reading,” Melody said, pointing at the book on her bed.

  Jason grinned. “I love book two. Have you gotten to the point where—”

  “She hasn’t read it!” Ellie screeched a little too loudly.

  Jason looked at her in surprise. “What’s that?”

  “She…she hasn’t read the series. So no spoilers.”

  Jason squinted his eyes at Melody. “Where are you from that you’ve never read Harry Potter?”

  Melody felt a bit of sweat prick at her palms. “Europe.”

  Jason looked confused. “How do they not have Harry Potter in Europe? It originated in Europe.”

  Melody fished around in desperation for an answer. “My mom was strict.”

  “Right,” Jason said, suppressing a yawn. “Well, sleep tight.” He shut the door behind him.

  “Remember when I said this place was different from my home?”

  “Yeah,” Ellie said, pulling on Wonder Woman pajama bottoms.

  “I was so wrong. There are so many rules here you’d think my mother was a consultant.”

  Ellie laughed. “But I think we just got away with something.”

  Melody let out a low whistle. “Did we just get away with having a party?”

  “I think we did.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The weeks after Apple Day faded together into one big blur. Melody couldn’t believe that her time at the Block was coming to a close soon.

  The week before Thanksgiving, she was sitting up on the roof in the sunshine with Constance, Herschel, and Ellie. It was a rare warm, sunny day after a seemingly endless string of clouds and rain. Herschel was reading a science fiction novel, sitting bolt upright with his legs crossed, an umbrella in one hand to protect him from the sun. He was tanner than Melody had ever seen him before, his skin not so pale and sallow. All the sunscreen in the world couldn’t protect him from the sun he was exposed to while gardening.

  “God, I can’t wait to go home,” Constance said. “My mom is going to make me the biggest turkey for Thanksgiving.”

  Herschel sniffed. “I can’t wait for a nice, king size bed.”

  “Are you flying back to Spain?” Ellie asked.

  Herschel looked confused. “Spain?”

  “We’re treating ourselves to a hotel,” Melody interjected before things could get comfortable. She’d nearly forgotten that Herschel’s cover story was that he lived in Madrid and not Madrana. That was a close call.

  “Here in the city?” Ellie asked.

  “Yeah,” Melody said. “Is that…weird?”

  “No, you’re practically family. But won’t it be a little lonely on Thanksgiving Day?”

  Melody shrugged. “We can just eat a big meal anywhere we want.”

  “Everything’s closed on Thanksgiving. Well, almost everything. I forgot, you’ve never been here during the holidays, have you?”

  Melody bit her lip. “I haven’t, that’s right.”

  Ellie slammed shut the heavy book she was reading and sat up on her knees. “You’re coming home with me.”

  Melody gaped at her. “Excuse me?”

  “You’re coming home with me. Both of you. I won’t take no for an answer. We’ll take the train up on Tuesday; I’m sure if I book now we can get you two seats. It’ll be a little tight at my parents’ house, oh, and there might be a foot of snow on the ground. But it’ll be great. You can meet my brother and my jackass cousins. They’ll show you their potato cannon.”

  “Excuse me? Potato cannon?” Herschel asked. “I think I’d rather just stay in the city if it’s all the same to you.”

  Melody knew Herschel was dreaming of room service in a five-star hotel. Surely, the hotel would still be serving food on Thanksgiving. But she wasn’t letting him get away that easily. Plus, she knew there was no way he’d let her out of his sight for that many days. “We’re both coming. It’s settled.”

  Ellie beamed. “Now I won’t be quite so outnumbered by boys on my trip home.”

  Constance had a faraway look in her eyes, clearly not paying attention to anything anyone was saying. “You know, there’s a ton of growing space up here. I wonder why Jason hasn’t turned this into more gardens.”

  Ellie shrugged. “Weight issue?”

  “It’s steel beam reinforced. I know that. I looked up the building plans when I got here.”

  Everyone gaped at her.

  Constance shrugged. “My dad’s an architect and my aunt is a building inspector. It’s in my blood to be curious about these things.”

  Melody sighed. “We should ask him about it when we get back.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll love questions and suggestions.”

  There was a heavy note of sarcasm in Constance’s voice.

  Melody ignored her. She lay down on the blanket and stared up at the blue sky. She was going home. With Ellie. Nothing could take that joy away from her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “Where’s my favorite daughter?”

  Ellie’s dad rampaged through the crowded train station to lift Ellie off her feet.

  “Dad,”
Ellie said, embarrassed but pleased.

  “And you must be Melody!” he said, holding out a beefy hand. But when Melody came to shake it, he squeezed her around the middle and lifted her into the air. “We’re all family around here, I promise you.”

  “If you please, sir,” Herschel said, looking alarmed in his puffy winter coat. “I do mind being hugged.”

  “Tom Mayhew,” Ellie’s dad said with a laugh. “You must be Herschel.”

  “Indeed I am. Pleased to meet you.”

  “I brought the truck, so just throw your luggage in the back,” Tom said, leading the trio out to the parking lot. Melody slipped on a patch of ice and Ellie grabbed her hand at the last second, keeping her from falling down bottom first onto the wet ground.

  “Thanks,” Melody said, giving Ellie’s hand a squeeze. They stepped over piles of snow to get to the truck. Soon, they were all piled in next to each other and the truck was ambling down the highway.

  “We’ve already had about three feet of snow this season,” Tom said amiably, switching lanes on the highway. “They’re calling for another three feet this week alone.”

  “How are the chickens taking it?” Ellie asked.

  “Oh, they love it, as usual. I finally caved and bought heated water dishes for them, which saves me from having to go chip out some water six times a day.”

  “You have chickens?” Melody asked, mouth agape. “You didn’t tell me you lived on a farm.”

  “It’s not really a farm,” Ellie replied. “It’s more like…a little homestead. We’ve got a massive garden and a small orchard. But the chickens are the only animals we have.”

  “Well, there’s a surprise awaiting you,” Tom said. “Your brother helped with it.”

  Ellie bounced up and down in her seat without noticing that she was doing it. “I can’t wait.”

  The suburban sprawl quickly turned to open fields interspersed with patches of bare trees. Piles of slowly melting snow peppered the ground, and they passed the occasional herd of cows standing close to each other under an iron grey sky.

  The landscape reminded Melody of her home back in Madrana, if only there were massive ice-capped mountains in the distance.